In economic theory, innovation is a key tool for the growth of a company, allowing access to new markets and long-term sustainable development. Companies, driven by increased competition from global markets and unprecedented levels of interest in sustainable development practices, are seeking to implement more advanced sustainability practices and, at the same time, to maintain high-value products and services through innovation. Literature recognizes that companies adopting and developing innovations are more likely to thrive in highly competitive environments and that entrepreneurial figure, collaboration channels, and adopted marketing strategies play a fundamental role in these mechanisms. Among the most competitive environments, the agri-food sector is certainly receiving a significant attention, stressing the ability of agri-food companies to move from a traditional production sector focused on raw materials to an innovative and consumer-oriented approach. On the other hand, nowadays consumers are increasingly aware that their choices strongly influence both their health and sustainability in a broad sense. Food is no longer seen only as a source of livelihood, but there are also other reasons behind a purchase, such as health concerns, help to local economies, attention to animal welfare and interest for environmental protection. This has contributed to the development of important trends in food consumption, shedding light on the growing interest of consumers towards organic products. However, it is not clear which type of sustainable innovations are preferred by consumers in the food sector, and which entrepreneurs’ psychological antecedents are mainly responsible for adopting innovation in food enterprises. According to recent studies, it emerges that consumers are more attentive to their food choices, but the drivers of such choices are various; at the same time, there are several factors that can influence the successful adoption of innovation within food companies. This Ph.D. thesis addresses the above issues and provides a multi-level research framework consisting of six complementary research articles. These papers provide a broad perspective on open innovation, analyzing different types of innovation in sufficient depth to enrich the literature on sustainable innovation adoption. In particular, six case studies are analyzed, three concerning the antecedents to the innovation of producers and three focusing on consumers. These researches are based on archival information, experiments and investigations and take into account Italian, Hungarian and Chinese markets. In this thesis, the study of open innovation at different levels, the multiple theoretical perspectives, the use of qualitative and quantitative data, and different methods of analysis ease future research opportunities. For this reason, this thesis concludes with recommendations for further academic researches on open innovation, for links to established literature and new methods and insights for managers interested in adopting open innovation in their companies.

(2021). UNDERSTANDING SUSTAINABLE INNOVATION ADOPTION IN THE FOOD SECTOR. THE PERSPECTIVES OF ENTREPRENEURS AND CONSUMERS.

UNDERSTANDING SUSTAINABLE INNOVATION ADOPTION IN THE FOOD SECTOR. THE PERSPECTIVES OF ENTREPRENEURS AND CONSUMERS

RIZZO, Giuseppina
2021-05-18

Abstract

In economic theory, innovation is a key tool for the growth of a company, allowing access to new markets and long-term sustainable development. Companies, driven by increased competition from global markets and unprecedented levels of interest in sustainable development practices, are seeking to implement more advanced sustainability practices and, at the same time, to maintain high-value products and services through innovation. Literature recognizes that companies adopting and developing innovations are more likely to thrive in highly competitive environments and that entrepreneurial figure, collaboration channels, and adopted marketing strategies play a fundamental role in these mechanisms. Among the most competitive environments, the agri-food sector is certainly receiving a significant attention, stressing the ability of agri-food companies to move from a traditional production sector focused on raw materials to an innovative and consumer-oriented approach. On the other hand, nowadays consumers are increasingly aware that their choices strongly influence both their health and sustainability in a broad sense. Food is no longer seen only as a source of livelihood, but there are also other reasons behind a purchase, such as health concerns, help to local economies, attention to animal welfare and interest for environmental protection. This has contributed to the development of important trends in food consumption, shedding light on the growing interest of consumers towards organic products. However, it is not clear which type of sustainable innovations are preferred by consumers in the food sector, and which entrepreneurs’ psychological antecedents are mainly responsible for adopting innovation in food enterprises. According to recent studies, it emerges that consumers are more attentive to their food choices, but the drivers of such choices are various; at the same time, there are several factors that can influence the successful adoption of innovation within food companies. This Ph.D. thesis addresses the above issues and provides a multi-level research framework consisting of six complementary research articles. These papers provide a broad perspective on open innovation, analyzing different types of innovation in sufficient depth to enrich the literature on sustainable innovation adoption. In particular, six case studies are analyzed, three concerning the antecedents to the innovation of producers and three focusing on consumers. These researches are based on archival information, experiments and investigations and take into account Italian, Hungarian and Chinese markets. In this thesis, the study of open innovation at different levels, the multiple theoretical perspectives, the use of qualitative and quantitative data, and different methods of analysis ease future research opportunities. For this reason, this thesis concludes with recommendations for further academic researches on open innovation, for links to established literature and new methods and insights for managers interested in adopting open innovation in their companies.
18-mag-2021
Open innovation; Organizational innovation; Marketing Innovation; Process innovation; Product innovation; Antecedents to innovation; Entrepreneur; Consumer
(2021). UNDERSTANDING SUSTAINABLE INNOVATION ADOPTION IN THE FOOD SECTOR. THE PERSPECTIVES OF ENTREPRENEURS AND CONSUMERS.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/10447/499476
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