Branding advantage of agri-food companies in competitive export markets: a resource-based theory

PurposeThe purpose of the present study is to investigate the antecedents of export performance and branding advantage, as a key type of competitive advantage in export markets among entrepreneurs and managers of agri-food exporters.Design/methodology/approachA sample of entrepreneurs from 182 exporting firms of the agriculture and food industry participated in a cross-sectional survey. The data were collected by a self-reporting questionnaire and partial least squares were used to analyse the data and assess the path model.FindingsResults revealed that experiential resources strongly promote communication capabilities. Also, communication, distribution and product development capabilities contribute to the creation of the branding advantage in export markets. In addition, a positive relationship between the branding advantage and export performance of agri-food products is confirmed.Research limitations/implicationsThe study targets exporters of agri-food products. Hence, the results should be interpreted regarding the context of low-technology firms. Further, this paper delineates branding advantage considerations that managers need to account for to achieve effective exporting. Practitioners can efficaciously exploit resources to achieve a competitive advantage, considering that they focus on building capabilities, and in particular, communication capabilities.Originality/valueThe present study highlights the role of the branding advantage as an important type of competitive advantage in international entrepreneurship and export markets. It attempts to examine the combined relationships of resources and capabilities with branding advantage and export performance.

Enhancing competitive advantage and financial performance of consumer-goods SMEs in export markets: how do social capital and marketing innovation matter?

PurposeBuilding on the resource-based view (RBV), this study examines the differential roles of internal and external social capital (SC) in enhancing the marketing innovation (MI), competitive advantage and financial performance of Korean small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) in export markets.Design/methodology/approachIn total, 197 valid cases were obtained from Korean manufacturing SMEs in the consumer goods sector. Then, a path analysis was employed to test the proposed hypotheses.FindingsFirst, SME internal SC positively influenced MI, whereas external SC positively influenced foreign distributor's MI (or foreign distributor MI). Second, SME MI was positively associated with foreign distributor MI. Third, no statistical differences were found in the strength of the paths from foreign distributor and SME MI to competitive advantage. Meanwhile, foreign distributor MI positively affected financial performance more than SME MI. Fourth, SME competitive advantage predicted a positive financial performance. Finally, the effect of SME MI on financial performance had an inverted “U” shape.Originality/valueThis study fills a research gap in the MI literature by identifying MI in terms of its actors (SMEs and their foreign distributors) and examining the differential roles of internal and external SC in MI.

Policies for Promotion of Malaysian SMEs Go Global in the Digital Economy

The main purpose of this study is to seek industrial players' inputs on fiscal and monetary policies necessary to enhance SME export performance. The authors use survey data from 215 small and medium enterprises having export markets. They report the most essential governmental export support policies from the perspective of the industry players. The study revealed that accessing to financing is the top request to the government. Other policy recommendations are related to market access, human capital development, tax regimes, infrastructure and technology adoption, legal and regulatory environment, and monetary policies. This study gives implications for Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) policymakers and export-oriented small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The study contributes to the Malaysian SMEs in relation to inputs to the government to improve their export performance especially using e-commerce.

Mapowanie produktów polskiego eksportu produktów rolno spożywczych kierowanego do wybranych krajów Unii Europejskiej w 2020 roku

The article focuses on the search for growth prospects for Polish exports of agri-food products with economies belonging to the European Union and being the most important export markets for Poland in terms of agri-food products. Groups of these goods were identified that are characterized by positive and negative indicators of revealed comparative advantages and indicators of the trade balance. The study used a method based on the product mapping matrix.

Hubungan antara Respon Petani pada Kegiatan Pelatihan Usahatani Cabai Paprika (Capsicum Anumm Var.Grossum) dengan Peningkatan Produksi dan Pendapatan

The problem in this study is that the demand for paprika chili continues to increase, along with population growth, nutritional fulfillment, supermarkets, restaurants and export markets. but production so that the level of paprika chili production is still low in Indonesia. The efforts that have been taken are by forming legal entity farmer groups such as the Golden Gate Agricultural Cooperative in Cibodas Village, Lembang District, West Bandung Regency. Koptan G.E Aside from being a provider of saprotan and marketing containers, it is also a vehicle for learning for farmers. Educating member farmers is the main focus of this cooperative work program. The education program held at the G.E Cooperative is in the form of training. To increase the production of paprika chili, the G.E Cooperative held a training on paprika chili farming. This study aims to determine the relationship between the response of farmers to the training activities of paprika chili farming on the increase and production at the Koperasi Gerbang Emas Cibodas Village, Lembang District, West Bandung Regency. To achieve this goal, the type of research used is the case study method that takes the sample by means of saturated samples. The number of respondents was 16 paprika chili farmers who were members of the Gerbang Emas Cooperative who participated in the training of paprika chili farming in 2016. The conclusions from the research are: The application of cultivation techniques to the training of paprika chili farming at the Gerbang Emas Cooperative includes a good category with a cumulative score of 380 (87.96% of expectations). Increased production and income of farmers from GE Koptan members after applying the technical training included in the good category with a cumulative reality score of 262 (77.97% of reality). From the calculation results obtained rscount for 0.64 while rstable for N = 16 and α = 5% or 0.05 for the two-party test get 0.49. This means rscount > rstable or 0.64> 0.49. This means that Ho is rejected, thus there is a significant relationship between the response of farmers to training in paprika chili farming on increasing production and income .

Financial feasibility assessment of adopting active controlled atmosphere containers for exporting highly perishable fruits during COVID-19: case of Taiwanese atemoya

PurposeThis study deals with attenuating the risk of relying on a single export market, which was heightened by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. It focuses on Taiwanese atemoya (a fruit with short storage life) and the adoption of active controlled atmosphere (CA) containers, a new technology which lengthens storage time for other export markets. This study looks at the financial feasibility of the technology's first ever use in atemoya exports.Design/methodology/approachApart from the standard financial assessment tools—like net present value (NPV), internal rate of return (IRR), benefit-cost ratio (BCR) and payback period (PBP)—this study calibrated five different scenarios based on data gathered from relevant market agents including suppliers, exporters, customs brokers and technology developer.FindingsDue to the high profit margin and low investment cost, the use of active CA containers for long-haul exports of this highly perishable fruit is found both technically and financially feasible, despite the generally higher operational cost during the pandemic.Research limitations/implicationsThis study looked at three specific export markets: Malaysia, Dubai and Canada. Results here may lack generalizability in other markets, although it is believed that slight deviations would not invalidate the conclusions of this research because short, medium and long distances were all covered therein.Originality/valueThis paper studies the first time that active CA is used for export of atemoyas to expand existing markets.

Selection of markets for textile export using the adequate portfolio

Textiles is one of the largest industries in the world, creating significant volumes of trade, export, and jobs. In the European Union, this industry is essential and attempts to retain and increase competitiveness. Most of the textile and clothing sector production is exported; thus, adequate orientation to export markets is essential. The paper’s objective is to determine the countries suitable for exporting the textile production of Lithuania and similar countries using the adequate portfolio model. The adequate portfolio treats the export possibilities according to three parameters: return, reliability, and risk. Clothing annual average index data across countries obtained from the Eurostat database were used for calculations. After performing the research, three portfolio cases were proposed, and the most profitable export countries and their given return were determined. Research results can be applied to the whole country and for individual textile exporting enterprises.

Public support for climate adaptation aid and migrants: a conjoint experiment in Japan

We examine public support in Japan for overseas climate adaptation assistance via foreign aid and accepting immigrants. Using a survey-embedded conjoint experiment (N=2,815), we focus on seven attributes of an adaptation policy package: (1) the continent in which the country is located; (2) the types of extreme weather event this country faces; (3) the volume of climate aid; (4) the number of climate migrants (5) Japanese exports; (6) Japanese imports, (7) the country’s record of voting with Japan in the United Nations. We find that while respondents are indifferent to aid volume, their support diminishes as the number of migrants increases. Moreover, support is higher for Asian countries, that provide export markets, vote with Japan, and where the effects of climate change are gradual. Importantly, we find that public support is not influenced by benchmarking of Japan’s or peer G7 countries’ past aid or immigration levels.