Marc Dressler and Ivan Paunović
The purpose of this paper is to empirically derive a typology of sustainable business models in the food & beverage (F&B) industry and explore the competitive profiling via…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to empirically derive a typology of sustainable business models in the food & beverage (F&B) industry and explore the competitive profiling via sustainability.
Design/methodology/approach
Primary data were collected through an online survey for small- and medium-sized wineries (N=125). A principal component analysis (PCA) was used for inducing the F&B sustainable business model typology as an empirical basis for building a conceptual framework.
Findings
The analysis has identified seven strategic business models of the German wineries in regards to sustainability. Three models are at the forefront of sustainability, two are characterized by managerial focus on social opportunities and innovation and two of the identified business models are characterized by an administrative approach to social and environmental requirements and therefore rather rudimentary approaches to sustainability.
Research limitations/implications
Main limitations of the study are the focus on wine industry as well as on one country. Furthermore, the deployment of PCA method does not safeguard from neglecting other relevant business models.
Practical implications
Successful business models allow to differentiate in competitive markets in the F&B industry via sustainability. Such models need strategic ambition, positioning and realization but allow to win new clients safeguarding from market squeeze out.
Social implications
The research facilitates scaling up of sustainability initiatives to the benefit of the wider society.
Originality/value
Business model typology for sustainability has been derived mainly conceptually. The empirically based typology of sustainable business models provides a more rigorous foundation for a transition of business models toward sustainability.
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Ivan Paunovic, Nóra Obermayer and Edit Kovari
Both Hungary and Germany belong to the old-world wine-producing countries and have long winemaking traditions. This paper aims at exploring and comparing online branding…
Abstract
Purpose
Both Hungary and Germany belong to the old-world wine-producing countries and have long winemaking traditions. This paper aims at exploring and comparing online branding strategies of family SME (small and medium sized enterprises) wineries at Lake Balaton (Hungary) and Lake Constance (Germany), as two wine regions with similar geographic characteristics.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper, based on a total sample of 37 family wineries, 15 at Lake Balaton and 22 at Lake Constance, investigates the differences in brand identity on the website, brand image in social media and online communication channels deployed in both wine regions. The study applies a qualitative methodology using MaxQDA software for conducting content analysis of texts in websites and social media. Descriptive statistics and t-test were conducted to compare the usage of different communication channels and determine statistical significance.
Findings
At Lake Balaton, the vineyard, the winery and the family, while at Lake Constance, the lake itself and the grape are highlighted regarding family winery brand identity. The customer-based brand image of Hungarian family wineries emphasizes wine, food and service, with the predominant use of Facebook. In the German family wineries, the focus of brand identity is on wine, friendliness and taste and includes more extensive usage of websites.
Originality/value
The paper deploys a novel methodology, both in terms of tools used as well as geographic focus to uncover online branding patterns of family wineries, thereby providing implications for wine and tourism industries at lake regions. It compares the share of selected most-used words in the overall text in websites and in social media, and presents the key findings from this innovative approach.
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Marc Dressler and Ivan Paunovic
The purpose of this study is to provide insight into characteristics of visitor demand for a regionally oriented vinotheque (wine bar and shop) at a UNESCO world heritage…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to provide insight into characteristics of visitor demand for a regionally oriented vinotheque (wine bar and shop) at a UNESCO world heritage destination in Germany. The research especially focuses on expected offer components for a wine bar and shop, including wine-related products and services, to test the theoretical notion of blurred division between product and service offerings. The literature review has revealed that implications of this conceptual notion on wine bar and shop offer creation could be profound as there are different types of wine bar and shops with different product–service combinations. Moreover, the offer creation needs to take into account the overall needs of wine bar and shop visitors and consider them as experience seekers and not necessarily utility-maximizing players. In this sense, the paper expands previous research on vinotheques that primarily took the wine retail perspective.
Design/methodology/approach
The study deals with wine-related sales, offer design and the importance of tourism and hospitality for wine sales in a non-growing wine market. However, the concept of increasing wine sales through tourism and hospitality brings to the forefront the issues of creating integrated offerings of products and services. This is why, the study deploys the concepts of hybrid products and experience economy. The primary data have been collected via self-administered, paper-based questionnaire (Appendix 2) amongst visitors at the St. Goar/Loreley tourist destination. The goal has been to reveal the importance of a wine bar and shop as a wine sales channel, whether visitors are interested in visiting a wine bar and shop, what major expectations they have entering a vinotheque, as well as what major offer components of products and/or services are they interested in. Total sample size was N = 400. Major statistical procedure deployed was descriptive statistics, as well as PCA (principal component analysis) of expectations and offer analysis in regards to products and services.
Findings
By deploying the PCA on the data regarding interest in buying wine-related products and services, three offer configurations have been extracted, out of which only one is purely related to products, whilst the other two are hybrid products, meaning a combination of wine-related products and services. Relevance of architectural design illustrates that visitors also seek experience. These findings confirm previously discussed theories on the importance of integrating products and services into hybrid products and creating experience with a suitable combination of products and services.
Research limitations/implications
Data collection has taken place in a confined timeframe (two summer months). No active measures have been taken to ensure the validity of the sample through quotas or similar techniques. The research sample and location are somewhat limited for making conclusions in other geographical regions, but replicating the study in different contexts can add to the comparability of the results on the level of Germany, but also internationally. The empirical evidence for superior customer value of hybrid offerings and integrating services into product-centric offer design is of paramount importance for selling wine in a highly competitive market in absence of market growth. Wine bar and shop allows to differentiate the offer by creating wine-related experience through a combination of product (wine and wine-related products), hospitality/gastronomic services and tourism services. The insights also illustrate the idea of new market opportunities via connecting converging industries.
Practical implications
The study contributes to close a gap identified in the literature review that German wineries lag wine-tourism activities. It provides advice in regards to offer design and hybrid offerings and an experiential experience supported by architectural design. Such an approach offers the potential to win market share in a non-growing market – an ambition of the players in the market but also an obvious challenge.
Social implications
The findings contribute to regional development. Furthermore, arguments for cooperative behavior are provided. This should also help to minimize free ridership and its negative social implications.
Originality/value
The paper adopts a multidisciplinary approach to the creation of wine bar and shop offer. The results point out that offerings should be created around a core wine tourism product – regional and cellar door offer – and be expanded by “food design” – components, attractive architectural elements, as well as web shop services, thereby creating an advanced wine-related experience. It confirms the importance of theoretical concepts such as experience economy, hybrid products and solution provision in the case of wine bar and shop, by testing these concepts on the group of visitors at a German wine and cultural destination.
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Marc Dreßler and Ivan Paunovic
The purpose of this paper is to explore brand innovation practices in small and medium enterprise (SME) wineries to found mid-range theory of brand innovation and to explain the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore brand innovation practices in small and medium enterprise (SME) wineries to found mid-range theory of brand innovation and to explain the interaction between upstream and downstream brand innovation during brand (re)launch.
Design/methodology/approach
This study deploys a qualitative research method. Data was collected through semi-structured telephone interviews with winery owners and managers from 20 German wineries. The approach explored both product and product line brands, organizational brands regarding upstream and downstream innovation and their mutual interaction.
Findings
The analyzed wineries provide evidence for up- and downstream brand innovation in the wine industry, thereby confirming previous findings that the wine industry is increasingly driven not only by tradition but also by innovation. The cases demonstrate that upscale SME wineries are able to distinguish between upstream and downstream innovation and integrate them in a meaningful way. Furthermore, the results point to the importance of team knowledge sharing and professional networks for successful upstream brand innovation, as well as social media for downstream brand innovation.
Originality/value
This paper presents a novel mid-range theory of brand innovation in winery SMEs, where resource constraints and a frugal approach to innovation demand for an integrated, hands-on approach.
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Marc Dressler and Ivan Paunovic
Industry 4.0, the integrated digital process world in production, is an under researched area. Especially for the wine industry, 4.0 theoretical base up to date is weak, impeding…
Abstract
Purpose
Industry 4.0, the integrated digital process world in production, is an under researched area. Especially for the wine industry, 4.0 theoretical base up to date is weak, impeding further digital transformation of the wine industry. Some basic-level digital capabilities exist in most of the researched business models, which is why further digital transformation requires strategic redefining of business models in order to further transform the whole industry.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative research approach based on the concept of business model innovation (BMI) has been deployed in order to identify business models and consensus building between industry´s stakeholders. Semistructured interviews delivered primary data.
Findings
The diversity of existing business models in the wine industry as well regarding BMI is confirmed, where each one occupies a specific place in the innovation ecosystem for Industry 4.0.
Research limitations/implications
This qualitative research is exploratory and directed toward theory building. The findings confirm the importance of environmental scanning and market sensing for convergent technologies as well as the need to develop core value proposition.
Practical implications
This study has important implications for companies and their capabilities inside wine industry 4.0, while its main practical value being a systematical organization of weak signals to support small entrepreneurs’ transition to digitalization and Industry 4.0
Originality/value
The paper nourishes the theory on innovation trajectories for Industry 4.0 by including previously unidentified BMIs and a convergence–divergence continuum on the example of wine Industry 4.0.
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Ivan Stevovic, Jovana Jovanovic and Svetlana Stevovic
The purpose of this paper is to analyze sustainability of the constructed projects (Djerdap 1 and 2) and feasibility of the planned ones (Djerdap 3) on the river Danube in the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyze sustainability of the constructed projects (Djerdap 1 and 2) and feasibility of the planned ones (Djerdap 3) on the river Danube in the region of Iron Gate, with multi-criteria focus on technical, economical and environmental parameters.
Design/methodology/approach
The main objectives were achieved by using the methodology of a holistic multi-criteria approach. Electra method was applied. The design of the three projects on the international Danube River were analyzed, from technical, economical and environmental point of view, with the goal to manage a higher involvement of renewable resources.
Findings
The results of the research imply that the most profitable technical solutions cannot reach its realization and construction if the environmental quality criteria are not fulfilled and included in the multi-criteria optimization model. At the same time, the most sustainable and environmentally friendly technical solutions, such as the renewable hydro pump storage scheme, cannot be realized without proper project management and investment.
Research limitations/implications
The results and conclusions are valid for all the structures and projects of renewable resources, where there is a conflict to the environment. This research has implications to all decision-making processes focusing on holistic analyses of conflicted techno-economical and environmental parameters.
Originality/value
The value of the paper and research is in proving the necessity of simultaneous analyses of technical, economical and environmental impacts on the projects. All the results of the research are beneficial for stakeholders who intend to invest in renewable hydro energy resources, in the function of sustainable development.