The article explores SME (Small and Medium Sized Enterprises) brand strategies as a means to position and successfully engage in competitive markets. A derived typology of brand strategy types deals with social profiling and sheds light on brand strategy internalization of two current managerial paradigms—sustainability and co-creation. N = 895 German SME wineries were examined, leaning on a netnographic analysis of predominantly websites and social media interactions. A two-step clustering method thereby identified eight winery SME brand strategy types. The importance of sustainability across the identified eight brand strategy types is significant. Co-creation turned out to be a key profiling trait characterizing one brand strategy type. The typology illustrates strategic richness, with brand strategies leaning predominantly on traditional values, on sustainability, on external reputation, or on more innovative customer centric concepts such as co-creation. Hereby, the typology and the identified brand levers invite to strategically design brand management, governance, and sustainability. Wineries which focus on traditional positioning and legitimacy were found to be cautious in deploying co-creation through social media. Winery brands that are characterized by engagement in digital co-creation apparently either tend to expand their scope or partially combine it with traditional values, making them the most diverse type identified. Sustainability obviously needs to be addressed by all brand strategies. Despite industry and country focus, the analyses illustrate the relevance of socially-oriented profiling and highlights that sustainability has reached a status of a fundamental business approach still allowing to differentiate thereon. Furthermore, the business models of the SMEs need to deliver communicated values.
This study advances the research and methodological approach to measuring and understanding national-level destination competitiveness, sustainability and governance, by creating a model that could be of use for both developing and developed destinations. The study gives a detailed overview of the research field of measuring destination competitiveness and sustainability. It also identifies major predictors of destination competitiveness and sustainability and thereby presents destination researchers and practitioners with a useful list of priority areas, both from a global perspective and from the perspective of other similar destinations. Finally, the study identifies two major types of destination governance with implications for research, policy and practice across the destination life-cycle. The research deals with the analysis of the secondary data from the World Economic Forum Travel and Tourism Index (WEF T&T). Major types of destination governance and predictors of belonging to either one of the types, as well as inside cluster predictors have been extracted through a two-step cluster analysis. The results support the notion that a meaningful model of national-level destination governance needs to take into account different development levels of different destinations. The main limitation of the study is its typology creation approach, as it inevitably leads to simplifications.
Purpose This paper aims to contribute to the growing body of literature on wine and tourism, as it explores the value contribution of tourism in the context of strategic grouping of wineries. Design/methodology/approach A panel of three online surveys about the strategic management of German wine estates served to analyze wine and tourism as potential strategic levers. More than 300 German wineries participated in the surveys. Findings Almost 50 per cent of the interviewed wineries planned to extend their tourism services. The implementation rate is high and reaches nearly the level of new product implementation. Tourism is therefore highly relevant. It can serve to profile in the market. Cost leaders and boutique wineries were two strategic groups indicating reluctance to pursue tourism-based strategic initiatives. The data illustrate a potential strategic trade-off between tourism and export management. Research limitations/implications The study is neither representative for the German nor for an international winery population. Data were generated in a broader context of strategic and innovation management research. Descriptive analyses dominate the explorative study. Practical implications Extending services to win tourists helps to differentiate and to attract new clients. For less differentiated strategies (price-value and quality-leadership), tourism can be a strategic lever to sustainably increase profits. Smaller wineries need to strategically assess their growth option. They may face a strategic dilemma whether to export their goods or to add tourism offer components. Fierce international competition and restrictions due to small size represent export barriers, favoring a strategy to exploit market potentials via tourism. Concerted wine tourism efforts require a more sensitive approach considering the individual strategic motivation of wineries. The strategic value depends on the strategic grouping. Social implications Wine and tourism can create regional and thereby social value. Addressing the strategic value of tourism for the individual wineries fosters tourism engagement and encourages a cluster approach. Originality/value Literature universally praises the synergetic value of wine and tourism. This research proposes a more sensitive approach reflecting strategic groupings and individual value contribution of tourism activities for the wine estates.
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to empirically derive a typology of sustainable business models in the food & beverage (F&B) industry and explore the competitive profiling via sustainability. Design/methodology/approach Primary data were collected through an online survey for small- and medium-sized wineries (N=125). A principal component analysis (PCA) was used for inducing the F&B sustainable business model typology as an empirical basis for building a conceptual framework. Findings The analysis has identified seven strategic business models of the German wineries in regards to sustainability. Three models are at the forefront of sustainability, two are characterized by managerial focus on social opportunities and innovation and two of the identified business models are characterized by an administrative approach to social and environmental requirements and therefore rather rudimentary approaches to sustainability. Research limitations/implications Main limitations of the study are the focus on wine industry as well as on one country. Furthermore, the deployment of PCA method does not safeguard from neglecting other relevant business models. Practical implications Successful business models allow to differentiate in competitive markets in the F&B industry via sustainability. Such models need strategic ambition, positioning and realization but allow to win new clients safeguarding from market squeeze out. Social implications The research facilitates scaling up of sustainability initiatives to the benefit of the wider society. Originality/value Business model typology for sustainability has been derived mainly conceptually. The empirically based typology of sustainable business models provides a more rigorous foundation for a transition of business models toward sustainability.
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