Investigating the effect of factors and variables of international competitiveness for food industry companies in Iran with a futures research approach (Case study: Khuzestan food industry)
Subject Areas : Futurology
hossein ghobeishavi
1
(سازمان صنعت، معدن و تجارت خوزستان)
abdolkhalegh gholami chenarestan olia
2
(Islamic Azad University Yasooj)
Mohammad Haghighi
3
(University of Tehran)
Keywords: Competitiveness, Food Industry, structural equation modeling, Futures Research Approach, Competitive advantage, Competitiveness approach,
Abstract :
The purpose of this study is to investigate and analyze the factors and variables which can influence on international competitiveness of food industry companies in Khuzestan province. This research is an applied, descriptive and correlational research, and the futures research approach is performed for it. Research hypotheses have been achieved from a qualitative stage that uses theories and experiences of food industry experts. The data required to test the hypotheses were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire. The statistical population of this research consists of business, marketing and export managers of Khuzestan food industry companies, which are sufficiently familiar with market and industry conditions and specifications of foreign buyers. The number of these experts was 250. Using a Georgian and Morgan formula and cluster sampling method, a sample of 157 people has been selected. The validity of the questionnaire was verified by referring to a prototype and its reliability was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha. The research results indicate that 8 factors including the cost of products, product quality, to have advanced technology in company, the presence of expert human resource, efficient marketing management, to have famous brands in the company, high quality packaging, and easy access to high quality materials can have effect on creating an effective competitive advantage for food industry companies of Khuzestan Province. Also, according to these results, the effect of competitive advantage on international competitiveness of companies has been approved.
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Anderson, C. (2008), The Long Tail Revised and Updated Edition, Hyperion.
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Baaij, M., Greevena, M. and Dalen, J.V. (2004), “Persistent Superior Economic Performance, Sustainable Competitive Advantage, and Schumpeterian Innovation: Leading Established Computer Firms, 1954– 2000”, European Management Journal, Vol. 22 No. 5, pp. 517-531.
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Barney, J., M Wright and Ketchen D.J.(2001), The Resource-Based View of the Firm: Ten Years after 1991, Journal of Management, 27,625-641
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Buysse, K., & Verbeke, A. (2003). Proactive environmental strategies: A stakeholder management perspective. Strategic Management Journal, 24(5), 453–470.
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Ceccagnoli, M. (2009), “Appropriability, Preemption, and Firm Performance”, Strategic Management Journal, Vol. 30 No. 1, pp. 81-98.
Chesbrough, H. and Rosenbloom, R.S. (2002), “The role of the business model in capturing value from innovation: evidence from Xerox Corporation's technology spin-off companies”, Industrial and Corporate Change, Vol. 11 No. 3, pp. 529-555.
Cisneros-Reyes ,Y. D., Caldera-Gonzalez, D. C., Arredondo-Hidalgo3 ,M. G.(2020). Internationalization of SMEs; Evidence from Mexican Leather Footwear Industry, Technium Social Sciences Journal Vol. 6, 160-166, April 2020 ,ISSN: 2668-7798.
Delmas, M., Hoffmann, V. H., & Kuss, M. (2011). Under the tip of the iceberg: Absorptive capacity, environmental strategy, and competitive advantage. Business and Society Review, 50(1), 116–154.
Dhanraj, C., & Beamish, P. W. (2003). A resource based approach to the study of export performance. Journal of Small Business Management, 41, 242-261.
Ezeala-Harrison, F. (1999), Theory and Policy of International Competitiveness, Praeger Publishers, Westport, CT.
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Fraj, E., Matute, J., & Melero, I. (2015). Environmental strategies and organizational competitiveness in the hotel industry: The role of learning and innovation as determinants of environmental success. Tourism Management, 46, 30–42.
Hair, J., Black, C., Babin, J. and Anderson, E. (2010). Multivariate data analysis. Prentice Hall, USA.
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Hulland, J.(1999). Use of partial least squares(PLS) in strategic management research: a review of four recent studies. Strategic Management Journal&20(2),195-204.
Johanson, J. and Vahlne, J.E. (1977), “The Internationalization process of the fin – a model of knowledge development and increasing foreign market commitment”, Journal of International Business Studies, Vol. 8, Spring/Summer, pp. 23-32.
Kim, D. and Marion, B.W. (1997), “Domestic market structure and performance in global markets: theory and empirical evidence from US food manufacturing industries”, Review of Industrial Organization, Vol. 12 No. 3, pp. 335-354.
knowledge development and increasing foreign market commitment”, Journal of International Business Studies, Vol. 8, Spring/Summer, pp. 23-32.
Lampel, J. and Shamsie, J. (2003), “Capabilities in motion: new organizational forms and the reshaping of the Hollywood movie industry”, Journal of Management Studies, Vol. 40 No. 8,pp. 2189-2210.
Ma, H. (2000), “Competitive advantage and firm performance”, Competitiveness Review: An International Business Journal incorporating Journal of Global Competitiveness, Vol. 10 No. 2, pp. 15-32.
Mathews, P.”The Role of Mentoring in Promoting Organizational Competitiveness” Competitiveness Review, 16(2), pp. 158- 169, 2006.
Matzler, K., Bailom, F., von den Eichen, F.S. and Kohler, T. (2013), “Business model innovation: coffee triumphs for Nespresso”, Journal of Business Strategy, Vol. 34 No. 2, pp. 30-37.
O’Shannassy, T. (2008), “Sustainable competitive advantage or temporary competitive advantage: Improving understanding of an important strategy construct”, Journal of Strategy and Management, Vol. 1 No 2, pp. 168-180.
Pascucci, F.2018.The export competitiveness of Italian coffee roasting industry. British Food Journal, https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-05-2017-0306
Pitts, E. and Lagnevik, M. (1998), “What determines food industry competitiveness?”, in Traill, W.B. and Pitts, E. (Eds), Competitiveness in the Food Industry, Blackie Academic & Professional, London, pp. 1-34.
Porter M, E. (1979), “How competitive forces shape strategy”, Harvard Business Review, Vol.57, No.2. Pp.137-145
Porter, M. (1990), the Competitive Advantage of Nations, the Free Press, New York, A Division of Macmillan
Porter, M.E. (1985), Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance, The Free Press, New York, NY.
Porter, M.E. (1998), The Competitive Advantage of Nations, Free Press, New York, NY.
Porter, M.E. and Stern, S. (2001), “Innovation: location matters”, MIT Sloan Management Review, Vol. 42 No. 4, pp. 28-36.
Porter, Michael E.(2007), “The Microeconomic Foundations of Prosperity: Findings from Business Competitiveness Index", The Global Competitiveness Report 2007-2008, World Economic Forum
Porter: Evolution of Competitiveness Theory, World Scientific, Singapore, New Jersey, London, Hong Kong, 21. Clark, Andre (2000), Organizations, Competition, and the Business.
Rumelt, R.P. (2003), “What in the world is competitive advantage?”, Working Paper No. 2003-105, The Anderson School, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, August 5.
Sagheer, S. Yadav, S.S. Deshmukh, S.G. “Developing a Conceptual Framework for Assessing Competitiveness of India›s Agrifood Chain” International Journal of Emerging Markets, 4(2), pp. 137 – 159, 2009.
Schumpeter, Joseph A. (1950), Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy (3 edition). London: Allen and Unwin. 48. Scott, B.R.(1985), "National Strategies: Key to International
Singh, D. A., & Gaur, A. S. (2009). Business group affiliation, firm governance and firm performance: Evidence from China and India. Corporate Governance: An International Review, forthcoming.
South, S.E. (1981), “Competitive advantage: The cornerstone of strategic thinking”, Journal of Business Strategy, Vol. 1 No. 4, pp. 15-25.
Teece, D.J., Pisano, G. and Shuen, A. (1997), “Dynamic capabilities and strategic management”, Strategic Management Journal, Vol. 18 No. 7, pp. 509-533.
Tenenhaus M, Vinzi VE, Chatalin YM & Lauro C. (2005).PLS path modeling. Computational Statistics &Data Analysis, 48(1): 159-205.
Unruh, G. C. (2008). The biosphere rules. Harvard Business Review, 86(2), 111–117.
Wang, C.L., Senaratne, C. and Rafiq, M. (2015), “Success trap, dynamic capabilities and firm performance”, British Journal of Management, Vol. 26 No. 1, pp. 26-44.
Welch, L., Luostarinen, R., 2011. Internationalization: Evolution of a Concept. In Journal of General Management 14, 34–55.
Wetzels, M., Odekerken-Schroder,G., & van Oppen, C.(2009). Using PLS path modeling for assessing hierarchical construct models: Guidelines and empirical illustration. MIS Qua Rterly,33,177-195.
Wilkinson, T., & Brouthers, L. E. (2006). Trade promotion and SME export performance. International Business Review, 15, 233-252.
Williamson, Oliver E.(1991), "Strategizing, Economizing and Economic Organization", Strategic Management Journal, Vol. 12, 75 94.
Zahra, S. and Covin, J. (1993), “Business strategy, technology policy, and firm performance”, Strategic Management Journal, Vol. 14 No. 6, pp. 451-478.
Zott, C. and Amit, R. (2008), “The fit between product market strategy and business model: implications for firm performance”, Strategic Management Journal, Vol. 29 No. 1, pp. 1-26.
_||_Alvarez, R. E. (2004). Sources of export success in small-and medium-sized enterprises: The impact of public programs. International Business Review, 13(3), 383–402.
Amit, R. and Schoemaker, P. (1993), “Strategic assets and organizational rent”, Strategic Management Journal, Vol. 14 No. 1, pp. 33-46.
Anderson, C. (2008), The Long Tail Revised and Updated Edition, Hyperion.
Andersson, S., (2000), 'Internationalization of the Firm from an Entrepreneurial Perspective, International. Studies of Management and Organization 30 (1), 63-92
Ansoff, H.I. (1965), Corporate Strategy, McGraw-Hill, New York, NY.
Aragón-Correa, J. A., & Sharma, S. (2003). A contingent resource-based view of proactive corporate environmental strategy. Academy of Management Review, 28(1), 71–88.
Arend, R.J. (2003), “Revisiting the logical and research considerations of competitive advantage”, Strategic Management Journal, Vol. 24 No. 3, pp. 279-284.
Baaij, M., Greevena, M. and Dalen, J.V. (2004), “Persistent Superior Economic Performance, Sustainable Competitive Advantage, and Schumpeterian Innovation: Leading Established Computer Firms, 1954– 2000”, European Management Journal, Vol. 22 No. 5, pp. 517-531.
Barney, J. B. (1991). Firm resources and sustainable competitive advantage. Journal of Management, 17 (1), 99–120.
Barney, J., M Wright and Ketchen D.J.(2001), The Resource-Based View of the Firm: Ten Years after 1991, Journal of Management, 27,625-641
Beamish, Paul W. 1990. The internationalization process for smaller Ontario firms: a research agenda. In A. Rugman, editor, Research in global business management, 1: 77–92. Greenwich, Conn.: JAI Press.
Buysse, K., & Verbeke, A. (2003). Proactive environmental strategies: A stakeholder management perspective. Strategic Management Journal, 24(5), 453–470.
Calof, Jonathan L. ; Beamish, Paul W.1995. International business review : the official journal of the European International Business Academy. - Amsterdam [u.a.] : Elsevier, ISSN 0969-5931, ZDB-ID 11643389. - Vol. 4.1995, 2, p. 115-132.
Cavusgil, E., Seggie, S. and Talay, M.B. (2007), “Dynamic capabilities view: foundation and research agenda”, The Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, Vol. 15 No. 2, pp. 159-166.
Cavusgil, S. T. & Zou, S. (1994). Marketing strategy-performance relationship: An investigation of the empirical link in export market ventures. Journal of Marketing, 58 (January), 1-21.
Ceccagnoli, M. (2009), “Appropriability, Preemption, and Firm Performance”, Strategic Management Journal, Vol. 30 No. 1, pp. 81-98.
Chesbrough, H. and Rosenbloom, R.S. (2002), “The role of the business model in capturing value from innovation: evidence from Xerox Corporation's technology spin-off companies”, Industrial and Corporate Change, Vol. 11 No. 3, pp. 529-555.
Cisneros-Reyes ,Y. D., Caldera-Gonzalez, D. C., Arredondo-Hidalgo3 ,M. G.(2020). Internationalization of SMEs; Evidence from Mexican Leather Footwear Industry, Technium Social Sciences Journal Vol. 6, 160-166, April 2020 ,ISSN: 2668-7798.
Delmas, M., Hoffmann, V. H., & Kuss, M. (2011). Under the tip of the iceberg: Absorptive capacity, environmental strategy, and competitive advantage. Business and Society Review, 50(1), 116–154.
Dhanraj, C., & Beamish, P. W. (2003). A resource based approach to the study of export performance. Journal of Small Business Management, 41, 242-261.
Ezeala-Harrison, F. (1999), Theory and Policy of International Competitiveness, Praeger Publishers, Westport, CT.
Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error: Algebra and statistics. Journal of Marketing Research, (Aug:1), 382–388.
Fraj, E., Matute, J., & Melero, I. (2015). Environmental strategies and organizational competitiveness in the hotel industry: The role of learning and innovation as determinants of environmental success. Tourism Management, 46, 30–42.
Hair, J., Black, C., Babin, J. and Anderson, E. (2010). Multivariate data analysis. Prentice Hall, USA.
Henseler, J. & Fassott, G. (2010). Testing moderating effects in PLS path models: an illustration of available procedures. In: Esposito Vinzi, V., Chin, W.W.
Hulland, J.(1999). Use of partial least squares(PLS) in strategic management research: a review of four recent studies. Strategic Management Journal&20(2),195-204.
Johanson, J. and Vahlne, J.E. (1977), “The Internationalization process of the fin – a model of knowledge development and increasing foreign market commitment”, Journal of International Business Studies, Vol. 8, Spring/Summer, pp. 23-32.
Kim, D. and Marion, B.W. (1997), “Domestic market structure and performance in global markets: theory and empirical evidence from US food manufacturing industries”, Review of Industrial Organization, Vol. 12 No. 3, pp. 335-354.
knowledge development and increasing foreign market commitment”, Journal of International Business Studies, Vol. 8, Spring/Summer, pp. 23-32.
Lampel, J. and Shamsie, J. (2003), “Capabilities in motion: new organizational forms and the reshaping of the Hollywood movie industry”, Journal of Management Studies, Vol. 40 No. 8,pp. 2189-2210.
Ma, H. (2000), “Competitive advantage and firm performance”, Competitiveness Review: An International Business Journal incorporating Journal of Global Competitiveness, Vol. 10 No. 2, pp. 15-32.
Mathews, P.”The Role of Mentoring in Promoting Organizational Competitiveness” Competitiveness Review, 16(2), pp. 158- 169, 2006.
Matzler, K., Bailom, F., von den Eichen, F.S. and Kohler, T. (2013), “Business model innovation: coffee triumphs for Nespresso”, Journal of Business Strategy, Vol. 34 No. 2, pp. 30-37.
O’Shannassy, T. (2008), “Sustainable competitive advantage or temporary competitive advantage: Improving understanding of an important strategy construct”, Journal of Strategy and Management, Vol. 1 No 2, pp. 168-180.
Pascucci, F.2018.The export competitiveness of Italian coffee roasting industry. British Food Journal, https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-05-2017-0306
Pitts, E. and Lagnevik, M. (1998), “What determines food industry competitiveness?”, in Traill, W.B. and Pitts, E. (Eds), Competitiveness in the Food Industry, Blackie Academic & Professional, London, pp. 1-34.
Porter M, E. (1979), “How competitive forces shape strategy”, Harvard Business Review, Vol.57, No.2. Pp.137-145
Porter, M. (1990), the Competitive Advantage of Nations, the Free Press, New York, A Division of Macmillan
Porter, M.E. (1985), Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance, The Free Press, New York, NY.
Porter, M.E. (1998), The Competitive Advantage of Nations, Free Press, New York, NY.
Porter, M.E. and Stern, S. (2001), “Innovation: location matters”, MIT Sloan Management Review, Vol. 42 No. 4, pp. 28-36.
Porter, Michael E.(2007), “The Microeconomic Foundations of Prosperity: Findings from Business Competitiveness Index", The Global Competitiveness Report 2007-2008, World Economic Forum
Porter: Evolution of Competitiveness Theory, World Scientific, Singapore, New Jersey, London, Hong Kong, 21. Clark, Andre (2000), Organizations, Competition, and the Business.
Rumelt, R.P. (2003), “What in the world is competitive advantage?”, Working Paper No. 2003-105, The Anderson School, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, August 5.
Sagheer, S. Yadav, S.S. Deshmukh, S.G. “Developing a Conceptual Framework for Assessing Competitiveness of India›s Agrifood Chain” International Journal of Emerging Markets, 4(2), pp. 137 – 159, 2009.
Schumpeter, Joseph A. (1950), Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy (3 edition). London: Allen and Unwin. 48. Scott, B.R.(1985), "National Strategies: Key to International
Singh, D. A., & Gaur, A. S. (2009). Business group affiliation, firm governance and firm performance: Evidence from China and India. Corporate Governance: An International Review, forthcoming.
South, S.E. (1981), “Competitive advantage: The cornerstone of strategic thinking”, Journal of Business Strategy, Vol. 1 No. 4, pp. 15-25.
Teece, D.J., Pisano, G. and Shuen, A. (1997), “Dynamic capabilities and strategic management”, Strategic Management Journal, Vol. 18 No. 7, pp. 509-533.
Tenenhaus M, Vinzi VE, Chatalin YM & Lauro C. (2005).PLS path modeling. Computational Statistics &Data Analysis, 48(1): 159-205.
Unruh, G. C. (2008). The biosphere rules. Harvard Business Review, 86(2), 111–117.
Wang, C.L., Senaratne, C. and Rafiq, M. (2015), “Success trap, dynamic capabilities and firm performance”, British Journal of Management, Vol. 26 No. 1, pp. 26-44.
Welch, L., Luostarinen, R., 2011. Internationalization: Evolution of a Concept. In Journal of General Management 14, 34–55.
Wetzels, M., Odekerken-Schroder,G., & van Oppen, C.(2009). Using PLS path modeling for assessing hierarchical construct models: Guidelines and empirical illustration. MIS Qua Rterly,33,177-195.
Wilkinson, T., & Brouthers, L. E. (2006). Trade promotion and SME export performance. International Business Review, 15, 233-252.
Williamson, Oliver E.(1991), "Strategizing, Economizing and Economic Organization", Strategic Management Journal, Vol. 12, 75 94.
Zahra, S. and Covin, J. (1993), “Business strategy, technology policy, and firm performance”, Strategic Management Journal, Vol. 14 No. 6, pp. 451-478.
Zott, C. and Amit, R. (2008), “The fit between product market strategy and business model: implications for firm performance”, Strategic Management Journal, Vol. 29 No. 1, pp. 1-26.
