Authors: Diego Rinallo; Stefania Borghini
In this paper, we intended to investigate the content of the communication realised by a sample of fashion textile and accessories firms while exhibiting at an important international trade fair. Our results constitute a first empirical validation of the competence-based-communication (CBC) research program, recently proposed by Golfetto’s (2003) seminal contribution, which suggests that by communicating their competencies firms may achieve a competitive advantage over rivals. To do so, we adopted an innovative methodology based on semiotics that could be of interest to scholars involved in the analysis of trade fairs and B2B communication in general. Our main result is that also in a context in which imitation is relatively easy, most firms adopt a CBC approach and show how their generic competencies could be employed in the customers? specific sector of activity.Key words: Competence-Based Communication Semiotics Trade Fairs Fashion Industries
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Publish Year: 2003
Conference: Lugano, Switzerland (2003)