Ownership Structure and Branding Strategies The Case of Agri-Food SMEs

• Published in: International journal of entrepreneurship and innovation Vol. 16; no. 2; pp. 85 - 95
• Main Authors: Bakkour, Mahmoud, Fort, Fatiha, Mione, Anne
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England SAGE Publications 01.05.2015; Sage Publications Ltd; IP Publishing
• Subjects: Agricultural industry; Agricultural production; Agrofood industry; Business administration; Corporate image; Food products; Humanities and Social Sciences; Market strategy; Marketing; Organizational structure; Ownership; Small & medium sized enterprises-SME; Small and medium sized enterprises; Studies; Western Europe; France; ownership structure; agri-food SMEs; entrepreneur; branding strategies; governance; gouvernance; enterprise strategy; stratégie de l'entreprise; pme; entreprise agroalimentaire; marque; contractors; marketing; entrepreneuriat; agri-food SME; strategy; branding strategy; stratégie
• ISSN: 1465-7503; 2043-6882
• DOI: 10.5367/ijei.2015.0179

The brand is the most important asset for enterprises. In a competitive marketplace, brand is considered the best way to differentiate products, to build corporate image and to develop bargaining power with retailers. Branding strategies are therefore a key aspect of corporate decision making. In this paper, the authors analyse the relationship between the ownership structure of agri-food SMEs and branding strategies. A conceptual model of how these variables are related is proposed and empirically tested using data from two surveys (2003 and 2010) of a representative sample of agri-food SMEs in the Languedoc–Roussillon region (South of France). The results show that ownership structure influences branding strategies in SMEs. This finding might be considered a challenge to the relevance of applying agency theory to a very particular form of enterprise and sector of activity.