The participation in regional networks is an important factor in explaining the food companies’innovation capacity which – in turn - is an important driver of competitiveness (Gellynck et al.,2006a; Gellynck et al., 2007). Further, it is argued in cluster theory that intensive networkingbetween...

The locus of innovation is not the individual firm anymore but increasingly the network in which the firm is embedded. Hence, in this paper innovation is investigated in the broader context of networks and applied to the traditional food sector. Networking refers to a process of identifying and...

In an increasingly globalising market, innovation is an important strategic tool for micro, small,and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to achieve competitive advantage (Avermaete et al.,2004a; Gellynck et al., 2007; Murphy, 2002). Innovation can be defined as an ongoing processof learning, searching and...

Bread contains a wide range of importantnutritional components which provide a positive effect on human health. However, the consumption of bread in Belgium is declining during the last decades. This is due to factors such as changing eating patterns and a increasing choice of substitutes like...

In the New Economy, the network is considered as more important than the firm itself. In this paper the focus is on chain networks which include vertical networks among chain members, horizontal networks with peers, and networking with third parties. Networks have an important role in the...

Every now and then, astonishing success stories can be observed on the food market.Many of the recent examples make reference to health characteristics and arguments. Inorder to analyse the possibly underlying success factors, an empirical case studyapproach was chosen. 27 successful European...