Geographical co-location, social networks and inter-firm marketing co-operation : the case of the salmon industry

This study looks at the factors that influence the development of marketing co-operation among cluster-based firms. It examines data from SMEs operating within the salmon farming industry in two different regions: Scotland and Chile. Analyses indicate that informal social networks help explain the observed relationship between geographical proximity and inter-firm marketing co-operation, especially for firms located in peripheral rural communities. A theoretical model is proposed for further research in the field that, until recently, has been traditionally analysed only by economists. Practical implications are suggested for practitioners and policymaker

Innovation Challenges in Latin America

Innovation emerges as an option for companies to achieve growth and sustainability in a dynamic, complex and increasingly competitive environment. Thus, the innovation process has been analyzed from different perspectives, finding different definitions and classifications (Porter, 1998; Cooke, 2008; McCann and Ortega-Argiles, 2015; Geldes et al, 2017a).However, most innovation studies have focused on developed economies. In fact, in the case of Latin America, studies started late and are relatively scarce (Ketelhöhn and Ogliastri, 2013; Olavarrieta and Villena, 2014). In addition, it has been established that business innovation is determined by internal and external factors that are specific to each industrial sector and country, so those general recommendations can only be made to promote innovation in developing or emerging countries (Brenes et al, 2016; Geldes et al, 2017a; Heredia et al, 2018a). Moreover, there are specific variables in Latin American and emerging economies that affect innovation processes such as high levels of informal competition, low levels of inter-organizational cooperation, differences between companies in regions and capitals, among others (Pino et al, 2016; Brache and Felzensztein, 2017; Geldes et al, 2017b; Heredia et al, 2018b).Given the above, we propose this "special issue" of the Journal of Technology Management and Innovation (www.jotmi.org), with the purpose of contributing to the discussion of the challenges to promote innovation in Latin America. With the purpose of orienting the research proposals, we propose the Global Index of Innovation[1] as a framework, considering the disaggregation of its dimensions and components. It will allow shedding light on topics that can be addressed for this special issue oriented to the firm´s innovation, such as:InstitutionsEase of starting a businessEase of resolving insolvencyHuman Capital and ResearchResearchersGlobal R&D companiesInfrastructureUses and access of Information and Communication TechnologiesISO 14001 environmental certificatesMarket sophisticationEase of getting creditIntensity of local competitionDomestic market scaleBusiness sophisticationThe percentage of females employed with advanced degrees out of total employedUniversity/industry research collaborationIntellectual property paymentsResearch talent in business enterpriseKnowledge and technology outputsPatent applications by originNew business densityTotal computer software spendingHigh-tech exportsCreative outputs.Cultural and creative services exportsMobile app creation [1] https://www.globalinnovationindex.org/Hom

Economic geography and business networks: creating a dialogue between disciplines An introduction to the special issue

This introductory article presents an outline of the papers accepted for this special issue. The Guest Editors provide an overview of the work within industrial marketing where synthesis between economic geography and industrial marketing literature has occurred. A discussion of the most synthesised areas of economic geography is advanced and each article is then discussed, compared and contrasted with other articles in the special issue and with articles within industrial marketing that have previously synthesized concepts drawn from economic geography. Within this narrative, the Guest Editor’s propose an agenda for future interdisciplinary research at what they refer to as the ‘nexus of interest’ between the disciplines

Innovation Challenges in Latin America

Innovation emerges as an option for companies to achieve growth and sustainability in a dynamic, complex and increasingly competitive environment. Thus, the innovation process has been analyzed from different perspectives, finding different definitions and classifications (Porter, 1998; Cooke, 2008; McCann and Ortega-Argiles, 2015; Geldes et al, 2017a). However, most innovation studies have focused on developed economies. In fact, in the case of Latin America, studies started late and are relatively scarce (Ketelhöhn and Ogliastri, 2013; Olavarrieta and Villena, 2014). In addition, it has been established that business innovation is determined by internal and external factors that are specific to each industrial sector and country, so those general recommendations can only be made to promote innovation in developing or emerging countries (Brenes et al, 2016; Geldes et al, 2017a; Heredia et al, 2018a). Moreover, there are specific variables in Latin American and emerging economies that affect innovation processes such as high levels of informal competition, low levels of inter-organizational cooperation, differences between companies in regions and capitals, among others (Pino et al, 2016; Brache and Felzensztein, 2017; Geldes et al, 2017b; Heredia et al, 2018b). Given the above, we propose this "special issue" of the Journal of Technology Management and Innovation (www.jotmi.org), with the purpose of contributing to the discussion of the challenges to promote innovation in Latin America. With the purpose of orienting the research proposals, we propose the Global Index of Innovation[1] as a framework, considering the disaggregation of its dimensions and components. It will allow shedding light on topics that can be addressed for this special issue oriented to the firm´s innovation, such as: Institutions• Ease of starting a business • Ease of resolving insolvency Human Capital and Research• Researchers • Global R&D companies Infrastructure • Uses and access of Information and Communication Technologies • ISO 14001 environmental certificates Market sophistication • Ease of getting credit • Intensity of local competition • Domestic market scale Business sophistication • The percentage of females employed with advanced degrees out of total employed • University/industry research collaboration • Intellectual property payments • Research talent in business enterprise Knowledge and technology outputs • Patent applications by origin • New business density • Total computer software spending • High-tech exports Creative outputs. • Cultural and creative services exports • Mobile app creation [1] https://www.globalinnovationindex.org/Hom

Do economic freedom, business experience, and firm size affect internationalization speed? Evidence from small firms in Chile, Colombia, and Peru

This paper focuses on SMEs from the Latin American region and aims to build on existing literature on the emergence of the institution-based view in combination with the resource-based view. We contribute to existing literature by extending the application of the aforementioned theories to firms in three under-researched countries in this region. Specifically, we contribute to the extant literature by providing empirical insights on how home country–specific resources and firm-specific resources can affect the internationalization speed of SMEs in Latin American region. In order to achieve our objectives, we empirically examine the role of economic freedom (EF), prior business/international experience, and firm size on speed of internationalization. We use a dataset of Latin American SMEs, employing Poisson and negative binomial (NB) regression techniques. Our data cover three main Latin American Pacific Rim economies—Chile, Colombia, and Peru—with similar economic specializations, geographical borders, and economic growth dynamics. We find that (1) some parts of Economic Freedom Index (EFI) accelerate the speed of internationalization, whereas other areas slow it down or have no effect. Specifically, the closer to full EF the home country is in terms of regulations and government, the shorter the time to internationalize. (2) More experienced management teams are more likely to translate their knowledge into faster international market entry, but this pays off only for larger sized SMEs in contrast to smaller ones due to complementarities between managerial resources and physical, financial, and organizational resources. (3) Finally, industry, firm location, and country destination can only weakly explain the speed of internationalization. The findings add to the literature on SME internationalization in emerging markets and point towards potential policies to stimulate growth by SMEs in these markets

Exploring features and opportunities of rapid-growth wine firms in Chile

While much has been studied regarding the wine industry in Spain and France, little has been studied in developing countries. The aim of this work is to study the characteristics of dynamic wine firms in Chile. This paper presents qualitative research and reports six cases of wine companies, where several vari- ables are analyzed according to Barringer, Jones and Neubaum framework. These variables include prior experience, founders’ knowledge regarding large company management, the use of strategic-planning systems and the use of new technology in the majority of its production. The results of this research could prove insightful for wine entrepreneurs looking to enhance their growth, based on greater differentiation and innovation, and not only on being competitive in pricing

Internal and external determinants of export performance: Insights from Algeria

The internationalization of small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) has been the focus of numerous studies. However, while the attention has thus far been on SMEs operating in developed countries, firms evolving in a developing context, including Africa, have been largely neglected. To address this, and drawing on a dual resources‐based and network‐based view, this study simultaneously investigates the importance of internal and external resources for firms’ export performance and regularity in the context of North African SMEs. Using a sample of Algerian exporters, the study reveals the superiority of discrete resources for boosting export performance and export regularity. These findings provide directions to Algerian SME managers and policymakers as to important factors driving the internationalization process in the developing Algerian context