Open Access
Effects of food-related health concerns and risk perception on the consumption frequency of fresh vegetables
(Universidad Nacional de Cuyo (Argentina), 2019) Adasme Berríos, Cristian; Sánchez García, Mercedes; Mora, Marcos; Díaz Osorio, José; Schnettler, Berta; Lobos, Germán; Gestión de Empresas; Enpresen Kudeaketa
Consumir vegetales frescos sin duda trae beneficios a la salud, sin embargo, este tipo de productos también pueden contener elementos biológicos, químicos y tecnológicos que afecten la salud de las personas por falta de inocuidad de los alimentos. Con base en estudios previos, desarrollamos un modelo conceptual para explicar las principales relaciones entre la preocupación en salud ligada a los alimentos (FHC) y la percepción de riesgo (RP) sobre la frecuencia de consumo de hortalizas frescas (CFFV) desde el punto de vista de la inocuidad alimentaria. Se aplicó un cuestionario estructurado a 1028 consumidores en las zonas Centro y Centro Sur de Chile, donde se concentran los principales sistemas de producción agrícola del país. A través de un modelo de ecua-ciones estructurales se determinó el efecto moderador de RP sobre la relación entre FHC y CFFV, lo que significa que CFFV es menor si RP está presente en las mentes de las personas. Impactando el efecto directo de FHC en CFFV. Por último, los resultados sugieren que la reducción de los riesgos asociados con la producción y comerciali-zación de hortalizas frescas, mejorará la preocupacióndebe mejorar los sistemas de vigilancia de las hortalizas frescas comercializadas en el mercado local.
Open Access
Business strategies, profitability and efficiency of production
(Instituto Nacional de Investigacion y Tecnologia Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA), 2013) Alarcón Lorenzo, Silverio; Sánchez García, Mercedes; Gestión de Empresas; Enpresen Kudeaketa
The strategy choices of market-oriented companies are a topic now under wide investigation in the analysis of business performance antecedents. The purpose of this study is to examine the outcomes of the combination of three different organizational strategies (market orientation, innovativeness and entrepreneurial orientation) on business performance indicators. Models using profitability and efficiency indicators are proposed with the specific aim of obtaining a deeper analysis of the relative roles played by each. The empirical work takes place in the agro-food industry in the Ebro Valley, one of Spain’s most competitive regions. The estimates from profitability quantile and truncated regressions of the efficiency scores reveal that market orientation has a positive effect on economic and productivity performance. The impact of pro-active, innovation-seeking, and risk-averse entrepreneurship is nevertheless more debatable, despite some influence of these entrepreneurial styles on observed performance values. This enables conclusions regarding the possibility of combining a market-oriented business culture with innovation and entrepreneurial activity with a view to obtaining business performance gains.
Open Access
Did the global financial crisis impact firms' innovation performance? The role of internal and external knowledge capabilities in high and low tech industries
(Elsevier, 2018) Zouaghi, Ferdaous; Sánchez García, Mercedes; García Martínez, Marian; Gestión de Empresas; Enpresen Kudeaketa; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa
This paper examines the role exerted by internal innovation efforts and external knowledge assets as dynamic capabilities to overcome adverse economic conditions. Additionally, we examine the differential impacts of the financial crisis in high and low-tech industries. Using panel data of manufacturing firms in Spain for the period 2006–2013, our results show that maintaining strong internal and external knowledge capabilities enables firms to mitigate the effects of the financial crisis. Findings emphasize the value of human capital, by enabling internal capabilities, as a coping mechanisms in low-tech sectors during the financial downturn. Similarly, open innovation allows firms to minimise the resources limitations and risk surrounding innovation, particularly during the financial crisis. This study provides valuable insights to managers aiming to develop strong internal knowledge bases to remain competitive under uncertain financial conditions.
Open Access
Country of origin and ethnocentrism: a review from the perspective of food consumption
(Asociación de Economistas Agrarios de Chile, 2013) Schnettler, Berta; Sánchez García, Mercedes; Orellana, Ligia; Sepúlveda, José; Gestión de Empresas; Enpresen Kudeaketa
Como consecuencia del incremento del comercio internacional de alimentos, se han desarrollado numerosos estudios enfocados en estudiar las preferencias de los consumidores hacia los alimentos domésticos e importados. Estos estudios se han realizados desde la perspectiva del “efecto país de origen” y desde el punto de vista del etnocentrismo en el consumo. A pesar de la numerosa literatura existente, aun no existe consenso en la importancia que tiene el país de origen en las preferencias del consumidor, ni en las variables que inciden en un comportamiento etnocéntrico en el consumo. El presente trabajo tiene como objetivo presentar y analizar los resultados de los principales estudios realizados desde la perspectiva del “efecto país de origen” y del etnocentrismo relacionados con la compra de alimentos. En ambos enfoques se incluyen investigaciones realizadas en el ámbito internacional y se finaliza con una revisión de los principales estudios realizados en el ámbito chileno.
Open Access
Growth-oriented new agricultural ventures: the role of entrepreneurial resources and capabilities under convergence forces
(Oxford University Press, 2019) Pindado Tapia, Emilio; Sánchez García, Mercedes; Enpresen Kudeaketa; Institute on Innovation and Sustainable Development in Food Chain - ISFOOD; Gestión de Empresas
Using a multilevel approach, this study examines how new entrants’ resources, capabilities and context influence growth-oriented new agricultural ventures. Results indicate that growth orientation is largely self-determined. The knowledge base of the new entrants, their social ties with entrepreneurs, together with the capabilities to identify and exploit opportunities, as well as those to effectively offer new products, trigger these growth-oriented ventures. Industry contexts also influence them, as those operating in less agriculturally competitive countries have a greater probability of becoming growth-oriented, suggesting convergence forces. Lastly, results reveal that competitiveness positively moderates the relationship between product innovation capabilities and growth orientation.
Open Access
What drives firm profitability? A multilevel approach to the Spanish agri-food sector
(Instituto Nacional de Investigacion y Tecnologia Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA), 2017) Zouaghi, Ferdaous; Sánchez García, Mercedes; Hirsch, Stefan; Enpresen Kudeaketa; Institute for Advanced Research in Business and Economics - INARBE; Gestión de Empresas
Strategic management research has demonstrated the importance of firm- and industry structure as drivers of firm profitability. However, less is known about how firms´ geographical locations affect profitability. Applying a multi-level approach of hierarchical linear modeling we estimated firm-, industry-, and region-specific effects on profitability of 3,273 agri-food firms operating in different Spanish districts over the time span 2006-2013. The results reveal the dominance of firm-specific effects which contribute up to 48.8% to variance in firm profitability while the contribution of industry effects (0.8-4.2%), geographical location (0.1-1.8%), and year effects (0.1-2.5%) is rather small. Moreover, firm size, risk, and innovative activity turn out as significant profit drivers at the firm level. Although firm-effects outweigh industry- and region-specific factors, the results indicate that industry concentration as well as regional education and unemployment influence profitability. In addition, proximity to technological institutes as well as the degree of urbanization of the region in which a firm operates can be drivers of profitability. Hence, despite the superiority of firm effects the results indicate that agri-food managers should also consider possible advantages from location-based resources in order to ensure competitiveness.
Open Access
Creating value via strategic alliances in EU food sector: the role of intellectual capital in knowledge exploration
(Universidad Miguel Hernández, 2017) Zouaghi, Ferdaous; Sánchez García, Mercedes; García Martínez, Marian; Gestión de Empresas; Enpresen Kudeaketa; Institute for Advanced Research in Business and Economics - INARBE
Co-operation may become necessary in food sector because internal resources are insufficient to monitor their partners. This study examines how EU food SMEs uses their networks and how SMEs managers can operationally leverage the value created by strategic alliances into commercially viable products. More importantly, we emphasize that the effects of collaboration partners on innovation performance can be achieved not only directly, but also via the indirect effect of firm¿s intellectual capital to enhance cross-border knowledge transfer. Using two waves of the European Community Innovation Survey (Cis-2010 and Cis-2012), those research findings are expected to provide SME food firms the availability to better reorganize their external knowledge needs when different partners are involved.
Open Access
Capturing value from alliance portfolio diversity: the mediating role of R&D human capital in high and low tech industries
(Elsevier, 2017) García Martínez, Marian; Zouaghi, Ferdaous; Sánchez García, Mercedes; Gestión de Empresas; Enpresen Kudeaketa; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa
Research has demonstrated the value of external linkages to augment in-house R&D efforts; however, very little is known about how managers can operationally leverage the potential benefits of open innovation to create an innovative edge. This paper examines the value of alliance portfolio diversity and whether R&D human capital is the pathway through which alliance portfolio diversity influences innovation novelty. We reason that the absorptive capacity of R&D human capital determines a firm's potential gains from highly diverse alliance portfolios. Using data from the Spanish Technological Innovation Panel (PITEC) for the period 2005–2012, results support the curvilinear (inverted U-shaped) association between alliance portfolio diversity and firm innovation performance reported in studies, suggesting that not only too little, but also too much alliance portfolio diversity may be detrimental to firm innovation performance. Findings emphasise the value of alliance portfolio diversity in high-technology industries to achieve explorative performance objectives, given the technological complexity, market uncertainty and the divergent skill sets required for breakthrough innovations in these sectors. Further, we find evidence that R&D human capital plays an important role in innovation novelty by partially mediating the relationship between alliance partner diversity and firm innovation performance, emphasising the importance of internal capabilities to harness external knowledge assets. This study provides valuable insights to managers aiming to increase the effectiveness of their alliance portfolios.
Open Access
Researching the entrepreneurial behaviour of new and existing ventures in European agriculture
(Springer, 2017) Pindado Tapia, Emilio; Sánchez García, Mercedes; Gestión de Empresas; Enpresen Kudeaketa
This study analyzes differences existing between new and established agri-entrepreneurs as well as differences in relation to their counterparts in non-agricultural ventures. This study uses the resource-based view and institutional economics as conceptual frameworks and focuses on the analysis of the resources and capabilities, entrepreneurial orientation (risk-taking, proactiveness and innovativeness) and legitimation affecting the entrepreneurial process. The literature points out that the specific characteristics of the sector (strong family links and institutional support) can condition the entrepreneurship process. Thus, hypotheses are developed to test these relationships. We use random effects models to test our hypotheses with the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) for 20 European countries. Results show that agri-entrepreneurs have weaker entrepreneurial capabilities than other sectors. However, new entrants into the agricultural sector are not less entrepreneurial in relation to other sectors. On the other hand, established agri-entrepreneurs are less proactive than other sectors. Results suggest that new entrants into agriculture are more entrepreneurially oriented than established ones. Our study contributes to the entrepreneurship literature by contextualizing the entrepreneurship process and providing valuable insights for policy-makers to enhance farmers’ entrepreneurial skills and entrepreneurial orientation.
Open Access
Frequency of consumption and changing determinants of purchase decision: from attributes to values in the organic food market
(Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA), 2010) Barrena Figueroa, Ramo; Sánchez García, Mercedes; Gestión de Empresas; Enpresen Kudeaketa
El creciente fenómeno de saturación, maduración y globalización de los mercados agroalimentarios, obliga a la oferta al diseño de innovadoras estrategias de actuación, con el fin de conseguir aceptables niveles de rentabilidad de sus negocios. Una de sus opciones potenciales es conocer en profundidad el comportamiento del actual y potencial comprador para adaptar las actuaciones comerciales a sus prioridades. Este trabajo, en este contexto, contribuye identificando el proceso de compra para compradores habituales y ocasionales de alimentos ecológicos. El análisis de dicho comportamiento del consumidor se realiza utilizando la metodología de Means-End Chain, que considera, además del interés por los atributos del producto, el conocimiento de sí mismos que tienen los compradores, y su implicación personal en el proceso de elección en alimentos ecológicos. Los resultados indican que las elecciones de compra difieren entre ambos grupos. Para los consumidores habituales los dos factores claves en la elección de compra son la salud y la buena valoración personal. Pueden, por lo tanto, estos aspectos de la persona ser utilizados tanto en el posicionamiento de mercado como en las actuaciones de diferenciación del producto, reduciendo las barreras del conocimiento que siguen limitando el desarrollo de este mercado.