Innovation in Agro-Foods: A Comparative Analysis of Value Chains

Abstract

The innovative activity of firms has been linked to the introduction of a new product or process associated with the development or application of new technological knowledge. New products generally contain innovative techniques that increase the quality of goods. New processes are based on the use of new technologies to increase the efficiency of production. However, the exclusive link between technology and innovation has been criticized for various reasons. It provides a restrictive vision considering innovation as part of the manufacturing and services sectors. Innovation in firms affects not only the development and application of new technologies but also the adoption and the reorganization of business processes, internal organization, external relations, and marketing. The literature in the field of management emphasizes the importance of integrating product, process, and organization to translate new ideas into market success. Thus, to obtain a complete picture of the innovative efforts of firms in the agrofood industry, the concept of innovation has been extended to both technological and nontechnological innovations. This analysis provided evidence of innovations used by agro-food firms. It also identified latent demand for future innovation.

Tradition, innovation and relationships: emergent profiles from agro-food Italian industry

“…Current studies show that AFFs are increasingly open to innovation (Kastelli et al , 2018; Del Giudice et al , 2017; Vrontis et al , 2016). The IT leads emerging trends in open, networked and dynamic innovation in the AFS (Bresciani, 2017; Santoro et al , 2017; Trivelli et al , 2019; Caiazza et al , 2016; Banterle et al , 2010) and some innovations revitalize the identity of the territories and the relations with the communities (Bresciani et al , 2016a; Franceschelli et al , 2018), allowing economic, social and environmental benefits and improving general well-being (Gellynck and Kühne, 2010). However, apart from a few exceptions, less attention has been paid to the implications deriving from the introduction of ITs in the AFFs, with particular regard to the impact on external relations (Dal Mas and Paoloni, 2019) and on intangible resources of the territory (Cillo et al , 2019a; Fait et al , 2019; Iaia et al , 2019; Vrontis et al , 2016).…”

“…The ITs allow to develop new agro-food products (Caiazza et al , 2016) or to influence their differentiation through the design of shelf layout based on the emotional preferences of customers (Banterle et al , 2010). In the production of fresh agro-food products, a high level of technology is a necessary, but not sufficient, condition to achieve sustainable competitiveness (Bresciani et al , 2016b) and the companies with a broad knowledge base have a high propensity to undertake alliances to advance technological research in the field of food biotechnology (Santoro et al , 2017; Kale et al , 2000).…”

“…An acceleration of the Industry 4.0 innovation process may also derive from technological changes in other sectors, which can affect the entire value chain of the food industry (Caiazza et al , 2016). In fact, the application of IT allows to act on the organoleptic and nutritional characteristics of food, to increase production efficiency and the quality of products, therefore, to respond efficiently to changes in consumer behavior (Usai et al , 2018).…”

“…The literature review showed that in recent years, the ITs paradigm has aroused growing interest, in both the academic field and in practice, addressing emerging trends in open, networked and dynamic innovation in the AFS (Bresciani, 2017; Santoro et al , 2017; Trivelli et al , 2019; Caiazza et al , 2016; Banterle et al , 2010). Several studies focus on the ITs capacity to make intangible assets for the territory in which agro-food companies operate (Cillo et al , 2019a; Fait et al , 2019; Iaia et al , 2019; Vrontis et al , 2016), while others investigate the contribution of territorial intangible resources on growth, development and value of AFFs (Bresciani, 2017; Del Giudice et al , 2017; Franceschelli et al , 2018; Bonfanti et al , 2018; Vrontis et al , 2016; Iaia et al , 2019; Collins and Hitt, 2006).…”

Marketing Activities of Local Food Producers in E-Commerce

“…Implementation of innovations is very often an effective strategy for achieving sustainable development in this industry [3,4]. The success of introducing innovations in the field of products and processes in the food industry (especially in small food companies) is often the result of the marketing abilities presented by entities [5,6]. Marketing activities in contemporary globalization, computerization and the dissemination of social media are designed to increase the awareness of consumers and enable them easy and quick access to the necessary knowledge about food products [7].…”