Diversification, the Resource View and Productivity: Evidence from Italian Manufacturing Firms

The present paper presents a test ofthe resource view of diversification which focuses onthe relationship between the directions ofdiversification strategies and a measure of totalfactor productivity. The results are supportive of theresource theory in that firms which pursue verticalintegration strategies and/or operate in a set ofactivities which share similar research anddevelopment and advertising intensities reach higherproductivity levels. After having checked for the directions of diversification, the degree ofdiversification is not significantly related toproductivity. This suggests that the simple inclusionof variables controlling for the extent ofdiversification might not be sufficient in order tostudy the effects resulting from diversification strategies.