Innovation and experiential knowledge in firm exports : applying the initial U-Model

Focusing on firm export activity as an important field within international business, this study corroborates the importance of experiential knowledge as the initial Uppsala model predicts. The model builds on the belief that experiential knowledge minimizes the risk and uncertainty of export operations. Additionally, the article examines a firm's capacity to widen this knowledge through its dynamic capacities, honing in on a firm's learning function. Thus, this article analyzes the role of innovation in exporting by investigating export product innovation and export market innovation, both strategic activities that allow experiential knowledge acquisition. The article uses a firm-level official dataset from a small developing country, Chile, examining data from 2006 to 2011. The results indicate, firstly, that experiential knowledge resulting from exporting to different and geographically distant markets increases the firm's export activity. Secondly, such export market innovation takes precedence over export product innovation.©2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Materiality matrix use in aligning and determining a firm’s sustainable business model archetype and triple bottom line impact on stakeholders

The materiality matrix is a tool that helps companies understand how the stakeholders’ view of material issues in environmental, social, and economic/governance dimensions influences their value creation process, and creates triple bottom line impacts through shaping their strategic business model elements. Building on the multidimensional definition of materiality, we propose to use the materiality matrix as a tool to aid the transformation of a company’s existing traditional business model into a more sustainable one (inside-out approach), and to enable the identification of the most appropriate business model archetype to incorporate innovation into its sustainable business model (outside-in approach). This paper presents the materiality matrix as a new tool to enhance and transpose a company’s business model towards sustainability—as illustrated through the analysis of the Viña Concha y Toro business model case. This new tool contributes to sustainable business model literature and stakeholder theory by incorporating the materiality matrix as a gateway to business model innovation, and as a tool to explain the dynamics in the sustainable value creation process and concomitant impact on stakeholders.peer-reviewe

A sustainable business model in action : environmental and social performance : a case analysis in the wine industry

The aim of this research is to analyse Viña Concha y Toro S.A.’s (VCT) strategic business model (SBM). A Chilean based company, VCT is considered Latin America's largest wine grower. The case study is focused on two of the three core elements of the value proposition, namely environmental and social performance. Towards this end, we use as a framework for analysis the CSR disclosure index (Gamerschlag et al., 2011), Bocken et al.’s (2014) SBM archetypes, and established GRI sustainability performance indicators as reviewed in VCT’s Sustainability Reports over seven years, between 2012 and 2018. Based on this research strategy, extensive content analysis was undertaken on the company’s annual sustainability reports, followed by a complementary in-depth interview providing for qualitative insights. We can conclude that VCT represents the manifestation of a SBM as defined. Sustainability fundamentals are explicitly present in the vision and mission of the company. The value is created for all stakeholders, and coordinated activities are undertaken and implemented with partners and suppliers – impacting the broader wine industry. Analysis of VCT’s sustainability strategic orientation showed that the company made permanent advances from 2015, with an emphasis on social aspects rather than environmental ones. In 2020, the definition of VCT’s strategic orientation is in progress, with focus directed towards the principles of ethical trade, which involves fair wages and human rights, among other issues. The sustainability performance indicators from GRI reports, show positive results in the environmental and social aspect. The company has different SBMs, which coexist with each other, this confirms the theoretical framework used, which postulates that the services rendered by the firm’s unique bundle of resources and capabilities may lead to value creation, as posited by the Schumpeterian innovation and the Resource-Based View (RBV) fundamentals. The study provides an empirical study on SBM and demonstrates that the generation of SBMs is multidimensional and complex.peer-reviewe

South American export promotion agencies’ lived challenges and experience in COVID-19 times

COVID-19 swept across the world swiftly, disrupting society and businesses globally. Most particularly, relational, mobility and operational containment restrictions also crucially effected international trade and export activity, especially that of SMEs. Worldwide, countries scrambled to urgently draw up policies, together with relief measures and emergency support – in an attempt to help businesses survive. This qualitative paper comparatively explores EPAs’ lived experience, sense-making and response strategies in turbulent COVID-19 times. Focussed on the South American region, we extensively interview three different countries’ EPA managers (Chile, Ecuador and Peru). Studying the realities and perspectives of different EPAs across diverse countries and contexts, while nonetheless still facing similar disruptive pandemic challenges, we seek to better understand the realities faced and shed light on any commonalities and ensuing best practice in pragmatically overcoming challenges, aligned with addressing enterprises’ suddenly troubling and highly volatile critical realities. Besides anticipated scenarios and challenges, our findings observed various context-specific complexities compounding the pandemic’s impact. One key aspect among many that emerge from our research is the resolute enterprising nature of the EPAs, and how in the face of adversity and much reduced resources, they steadfastly and creatively found resource-light approaches and pragmatic solutions to surmount challenges and effectively serve their mission.peer-reviewe

Navigating and selecting voluntary sustainability standards to compete internationally in food exports

With food insecurity an incessant mounting concern, and the present food crisis wrought by current geo-political instability and Russia's invasion of Ukraine; the export of food from South America to Europe is increasingly a strategic axis for the development of international business. Within this context, sustainability and environmental considerations are another fundamental criterion in accessing and competing in international markets. Presently, myriad different standards exist in the context of international business, at both regulatory and voluntary levels. This paper focus on voluntary sustainability standards, which while not required by law, might increasingly be requested, or actively sought by manufacturers, retailers or consumers. The question is how might exporters decide and navigate between multiple voluntary sustainability standards when they want to open a new export market. We propose a method to facilitate selection of the most appropriate standard for a specific product targeting a specific export market, based on information provided by the International Trade Centre through its Standard Map tool. We use as an illustrative example oats exported by Chilean producers, which have export potential in different European Union countries. Our method identifies 10 sustainability standards from a total of 321, which are adjusted for oats products for human consumption from Chile.peer-reviewe

Materiality Matrix Use in Aligning and Determining a Firm’s Sustainable Business Model Archetype and Triple Bottom Line Impact on Stakeholders

The materiality matrix is a tool that helps companies understand how the stakeholders’ view of material issues in environmental, social, and economic/governance dimensions influences their value creation process, and creates triple bottom line impacts through shaping their strategic business model elements. Building on the multidimensional definition of materiality, we propose to use the materiality matrix as a tool to aid the transformation of a company’s existing traditional business model into a more sustainable one (inside-out approach), and to enable the identification of the most appropriate business model archetype to incorporate innovation into its sustainable business model (outside-in approach). This paper presents the materiality matrix as a new tool to enhance and transpose a company’s business model towards sustainability—as illustrated through the analysis of the Viña Concha y Toro business model case. This new tool contributes to sustainable business model literature and stakeholder theory by incorporating the materiality matrix as a gateway to business model innovation, and as a tool to explain the dynamics in the sustainable value creation process and concomitant impact on stakeholders

Cluster Analysis and Macroeconomic Indicators and Their Effects on the Evolution of the Use of Clean Energies

The aim of this research is to relate clean energies, CO2 emissions, and economic variables. Relationships can be generated that characterize countries that manage to relate the use of clean energy with GDP, economic openness, and economic growth. We employ a quantitative methodology that utilizes clustering techniques to identify distinct groups of countries based on their susceptibility to climate change impacts. Subsequently, we employ a generalized linear model approach to estimate the investment behaviors of these country groups in alternative energy sources in relation to CO2 emissions and macroeconomic variables. The clusters reveal that the countries grouped in each cluster exhibit significantly distinct behaviors among the clusters. This differentiation is grounded in the countries under analysis, showing the evolution of the countries in terms of the use of clean energy and the emission of CO2 in relation to macroeconomic variables. According to the conducted research, there are different groups with differentiated behavior in terms of energy consumption and CO2 emissions, which implies the implementation of policies consistent with the development characteristics of the countries and how they cope with climate risk. Moreover, as a result of this research, a recommendation for policy makers could be that sustainable and clean development countries are based in three different sustainability dimensions: environmental, economic, and social