The paper is part of a broader research project studying consumer’s attitude towards “Made in Italy” products through empirical investigation. The research questions addressed are: 1) Does recognition in terms of the qualitative characterization of “Made in Italy” products exist? And if so, 2) are people willing to pay, in quantitative terms, a premium price for such products? From a theoretical standpoint, the research seeks to fill a gap in the literature, since studies combining the “made in” characteristic with measured “willingness to pay” are neither conventional nor numerous. The specific purpose of this contribution is to analyze the relationship between the purchase of “Made in Italy” products, recognition of the quality and willingness to pay a premium price on the part of Italian consumers, reporting the results of an empirical research. The survey involved a total of 315 Italian consumers while three commodity sectors were analysed: food, fashion and mechanical automation. The results confirm that there is a propensity to purchase “Made in Italy” products which does not seem to be a matter of irrational consumer behaviour. “Made in Italy” is confirmed as a conceptual category consolidated in the minds of consumers, since there is clear recognition of these products in terms of qualitative characterization. These and other results of the research (which need to be confirmed and extended with further empirical investigations) should prove relevant both to the literature and as indications for public policies and the strategies of companies operating in the sectors examined. For the literature this research can be useful because there is no complete overview of quantitative data on the premium price. It can also serve for public policies because quantification of the premium price can influence the choices and strategies of companies. This study shows a significant willingness to pay a premium price for the three sectors analyzed, although the premium price is not homogeneous: while the measures range mostly between 10 and 30%, higher values appear for products in the food sector.

Abstract:The paper aims to explore consumer behavior towards "Made in" products in order to determine the associated quality and value-attributes related to the purchasing intention of consumers. In particular, the article presents the comments and results deriving from an empirical investigation on "Made in Italy". The research questions addressed are: (1) Does recognition really exist in terms of qualitative characterization of "Made in Italy" products? And if yes; (2) Does willingness to pay a "premium price" for such products exist in quantitative terms? The study is characterized by two phases. From a theoretical standpoint, the main literature on the topic is presented through the identification and deepening of the scientific strand of reference, such as the Country of Origin, the Country Image and the Brand Image, placing them in a broader context on Willingness to Pay. From an experimental standpoint, the research group investigates the existence and the type of relationship between the perception of quality and the willingness to pay for "Made in Italy" products. The summarized main findings show (1) "Made in Italy" is well established as a conceptual category in the minds of consumers; and (2) there is a significant "premium price" recognized by consumers for "Made in Italy" in the three sectors analyzed (food, fashion and furnishings). The "premium price" is not homogeneously recognized for the various product sectors analyzed, although for all the sectors the most commonly encountered value is relative to 10-30%.

The paper highlights the possible technological evolution in the Lean manufacturing that concerns 4D Printing. To date there are not case studies of 4D printing application able to demonstrate the effective use of 4D Printing, and its results on the production cycles. The purpose of this article is to review the state of the art of the developments in four dimensional (4D) Printing, through a literature review, in order to define the 4D Printing characteristics, to examine its perspectives for the future application in manufacturing and to identify the potential benefits and manufacturing advantages.

Abstract. The digital revolution has greatly changed the approach to culture, work, leisure time, the way we interact and communicate with people: the digitization of information has taken root and has become essential in all areas of social life as a phenomenon that guides and monitors the transformation of society in all its various forms, bringing great changes in almost all areas and especially in the world of work and industry. One of the core elements of the fourth industrial revolution is the systematic application of IoT technologies (Internet of Things) and IoM (Internet of