José Manuel García-Gallego

Disintermediation has been proposed as a possible strategy to enhance the competitiveness of small farmers. This paper examines consumers’ interest in using e-marketplaces to purchase fresh food directly from smallholders, employing a focus groups methodology. Unlike previous studies that have focused on current users of e-marketplace platforms, this research explores the views of potential consumers responsible for food purchases in their households, specifically regarding their willingness to participate in such e-marketplaces. 41 consumers participated, grouped into 6 different groups. Focus group discussions were transcribed and analyzed using content analysis, keywords-in-context, and discourse analysis to obtain the main results. Although there is a widespread understanding of the challenges faced by smallholders, a shift towards direct purchasing and e-marketplace usage is not yet widely embraced by consumers. Cultural changes appear necessary before consumers fully accept e-markets as a direct sales channel for fresh produce. Nevertheless, based on participant opinions and observations of several e-marketplaces, the study offers specific recommendations to improve consumers’ perception of these platforms.

This paper presents the SMALLDERS project, a European initiative aimed at transforming smallholders’ business models through an innovative technological platform. The platform functions as an e-marketplace that connects small farmers directly with consumers while simultaneously promoting environmental sustainability and collaboration across the agri-food value chain. The study evaluates the platform’s commercial viability and acceptance through a mixed-methods approach, incorporating qualitative and quantitative data. Research methods include focus group sessions, interviews with key stakeholders—such as transport companies, large distributors, and public administrations—and a consumer survey assessing intentions and attitudes toward the e-marketplace. Results indicate limited overall consumer readiness to adopt the platform; however, 48.6% of respondents expressed willingness to use it provided competitive prices and personal benefits are assured. Smallholders regard e-commerce as a promising opportunity, yet they face significant barriers, including limited resources, low digital literacy, and logistical constraints. Stakeholders generally view the platform positively, emphasizing that its success depends on achieving a critical mass of business volume. To foster adoption, SMALLDERS proposes three business models for smallholders: sustainable, cooperative, and technological. The platform includes a user-friendly feature to assist smallholders in transitioning among these models, complemented by training and support services designed to encourage more resilient and innovative agricultural practices.

This paper describes the SMALLDERS project, a European initiative focused on designing and implementing new business models that strengthen the position of smallholders in the agri-food supply chain. Small farmers are considered the weaker link in the agri-food supply chain, and their vulnerability has been aggravated by recent crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. In this context, SMALLDERS project aims at designing and implementing a technological platform which, among other functionalities, will provide the small-scale farmers with innovative business models to improve their resilience. Various methodologies have been employed to achieve this objective: a systematic literature review to identify trends in agri-food business models, focus groups, surveys and in-depth interviews to gather perceptions from key stakeholders. As a result, three innovative business models were identified to be implemented in the platform by using the CANVAS methodology. Such implementation will allow to identify specific opportunities for smallholders and offer a valuable basis for strategic decision-making by all agents involved in the agri-food supply chain. Ultimately, the project provides an innovative and replicable approach to boost the economic and social sustainability of small farms in Europe.

Purpose: The aim of this study is to identify the way in which research on new business models in agri-food sector has been developed, in order to identify the main lines of work followed and determine a future research agenda in this field.Design/methodology/approach: A systematic review of the literature is carried out, by applying the PRISMA method to identify and classify the main articles published on agri-food business models in journals included in the Web of Science Core Collection database.Findings: The systematic literature review has identified three main forms of business models in the agri-food sector: sustainable business models, technology-based business models and cooperative business models. The three types of new business models are complementary and can sometimes be adopted together. The identification of these types of business models and the variants included in each of them is a valid starting point for new developments in this field.Research limitations/implications: The limitations of this study are those typical of any literature review and derived from the methodology used. The establishment of criteria relating to time, language, type of publication or database chosen means that this review may have left out relevant studies in this field of research. It is therefore recommended that new reviews be carried out with different criteria in the coming years in order to supplement the results obtained in this study.Originality/value: Some research gaps were identified that should be further explored in the future. First, the relationship between digitisation and technological innovation in agri-food business models and the level of implementation of sustainable objectives in these business models has not been researched thoroughly. In addition, and despite the fact that the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has boosted innovation in agri-food business models, the authors have detected a lack of papers focused on solving problems arising from the shortage of raw materials or labour, possible energy crises or external dependence on local markets when it comes to meeting demand. The war in Ukraine has demonstrated the limitations of international markets, mainly the European market, when it comes to dealing with problems arising from this type of crisis.

Purpose: This work tries to shed light on what factors can influence, positively or negatively, the decision to license a patent from a university, in order to offer some recommendations that can contribute to increasing the number of patents licensed from universities.Design/methodology/approach: Based on a sample of researchers at Spanish universities who have already registered patents, this work shows that the individual factors of the researcher outweigh the institutional factors in determining the decision to patent an invention. Likewise, the probability of patenting an invention is higher when the researcher's level of participation in the process is greater.Findings: The results of our study allow us to affirm that, in the Spanish university setting, individual factors play a more important role in one's decision to license a patent than institutional factors. In this sense, the collaboration of companies or experts from outside of academia in the research from which the patent was granted is the most relevant factor.Originality/value: This work, the first study of this type to be carried out in Europe, concludes with a recommendation for reinforcing the structure and functionality of technology transfer offices as a basic policy for the promotion and facilitation of commercial exploitation of innovation in the universities.

Purpose: The aim of this study is to analyse the importance of bottle design in relation to other purchasing criteria, and also to understand which design elements are most attractive to consumers.Design/methodology/approach: A survey of a sample of 437 wine drinkers was carried out in Portugal using non-probabilistic sampling. The technique used was conjoint analysis based on the SPSS conjoint module.Findings: One of the key findings was the low importance of bottle design in shaping consumer preferences compared to other attributes (origin, price and category of wine). In terms of design elements, the label had the biggest influence on consumer choice, followed by the type of bottle, bottle seal and brand name, in that order. Differences in consumer choice were evident according to the level of knowledge of wine and frequency of consumption.Practical implications: The findings of this study provide guidance for Portuguese wineries as regards the marketing and design decisions of their products and packaging.Originality/value: This study sheds new light on the importance of wine bottle design on consumer preferences. Previous studies in the area have proved to be minimal and heterogeneous.

Increasing urbanization and economic activities has intensified the need for logistical processes in cities. This leads to higher levels of urban freight transport, which is associated with negative social and environmental impacts. Advances in urban logistics can help to alleviate these problems; the recent literature suggests that the creation of appropriate lorry park facilities can represent one of the possible solutions to the social and environmental issues connected to freight transport in urban areas. However, in order to be effective, such facilities need to be properly designed; studies which identify critical success factors for lorry park operations are currently lacking. As such, the purpose of this research is to identify the main criteria which lorry drivers consider when selecting a lorry park facility. In order to achieve these aims, a questionnaire survey was designed; responses from 99 lorry drivers operating in the United Kingdom were collected. Through descriptive statistics, followed by the usage of a conjoint analysis, the main results show that attributes related to food, price, and security are the most important to lorry drivers and are likely to determine the success of such initiatives. These results can provide information to policy and decision-makers related to the design of lorry park facilities in order to achieve the desired results in urban areas.

In recent years, the Portuguese market has seen the launch of many new wine brands with novel designs that differ from the traditional products. However, there is not enough information about how the design of the wine bottle influences the brand selection process, nor about which segment of consumers most values this design as a purchasing criterion. In order to enhance the knowledge on this subject, a survey has been conducted on a sample of 437 wine buyers. The results show that taste, aroma and price are the most important criteria, while aspects related to design are less valued. Even so, three different segments of consumers can be identified, with the segment seeking value for money placing the most importance on the design of the wine bottle. Nos últimos anos, o mercado português assistiu ao lançamento de muitas marcas novas de vinho com desenhos inovadores, que diferem dos produtos tradicionais. No entanto, não há informações suficientes sobre como o design da garrafa de vinho influencia o processo de seleção da marca, nem sobre qual o segmento de consumidores que mais valoriza esse design como critério de compra. Com o objetivo de enriquecer o conhecimento sobre este tema, foi desenvolvido um estudo com base numa amostra de 437 compradores de vinho. Os resultados mostram que o sabor, o aroma e o preço são os critérios mais importantes, enquanto aspetos relacionados com o design são menos valorizados. Mesmo assim, foi possível identificar três segmentos diferentes de consumidores, sendo que, o segmento que mais valoriza a relação qualidade/preço, é também o segmento que confere maior valor ao design da garrafa de vinho.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to study how variables such as the region’s overall image, the perceived quality of its financial entities, and consumer ethnocentrism affect the intention to choose regional banks. Special attention is paid to the moderating role played by familiarity. Design/methodology/approach: A structural equation model was used with a survey of 427 bank customers. Findings: The results show direct and indirect effects of regional image, perceived quality of regional banks and consumer ethnocentrism on the intention to choose regional banks. The moderating effect of familiarity is not confirmed. Practical implications: The financial crisis experienced in southern European countries has forced them to carry out a restructuring of the banking sector based on mergers that provide greater solvency and stability. In Spain, this has meant small regional banks merging with each other to form larger national banks. This involves a loss of their regional identity and a change in their positioning to date. It is interesting to understand the value to customers of the regional attribute when choosing a bank and the possible consequences of merging with other banks. Originality/value: Globalisation has made origin an attractive attribute that can be used to differentiate products. However, there are still gaps in this field, especially in relation to region-of-origin (ROO) and the influence of certain moderating variables on this effect. This paper sheds some light on the study of the ROO effect in the financial sector, a field that is still relatively unexplored in this context.