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Starting from a territorial development project in Western Honduras (Copán and Ocotepeque), farmers aimed to increase and add value to agricultural production by producing and commercializing granulated brown sugar (panela). The Western Honduras sugar market was studied, from the supply and demand side, in order to particularly understand consumer preference which is considered a key to increase smallholder farmers’ income in rural areas.

The research included a qualitative study by means of six visits for observation and data compilation to stores, four face-to-face open semi-structured interviews with store owners and a focus group with local producers to acquire a global picture of the main regional sugar market characteristics from the supply side. Moreover a quantitative analysis applying a Choice Experiment to study consumer preferences was performed acquiring higher knowledge from the demand side.

First, it was found that Honduras sugar market could be experiencing monopolistic practices and white sugar to 9 lempiras per pound was the most popular product according to the qualitative study. Second, for consumers who knew dulce de panela, granulated brown sugar was preferred over refined white sugar. Consumers who had a high level of education, came from rural areas, considered brown sugar to be healthier and read nutritional information were more prone to consume granulated brown sugar. On the other hand, the estimated selling price was around 16 lempiras/pound, but consumers were willing to pay at the most 11.59 lempiras/pound. Nevertheless, market share simulation showed a market niche to comercialize granulated brown sugar – panela.

This research is of academics, farmers and policy makers value. There are no studies analyzing consumer behavior regarding granulated brown sugar in Honduras. The results provide information about the previous steps which need to be given for smallholders in order to commercialize this novelty product; and it stressed the necessity of highlighting health claims on panela which would involve political actions.

This chapter is about an analysis and reflection on the actions, programs, and regulatory frameworks of the Mexican government for the promotion of entrepreneurial activity during the twentieth century. A documentary review is presented based mainly on the presidential reports available in the virtual legal library of the National Autonomous University of Mexico, the Center for Documentation, Information, and Analysis of the Chamber of Deputies (Cámara de Diputados), and various publications of experts on economic history, considering the twentieth century: from the year 1900 with the end of the Porfiriato until the six-year term of Ernesto Zedillo that ended in 2000. The public policies of these 100 years were reviewed and based on this, was analyzed the importance assigned to the creation, development, and consolidation of companies and their importance in public policies. Special emphasis is given to instruments for the creation of new businesses or the development and strengthening of small- and medium-sized enterprises.

The purpose of this paper is to design a system for measuring the level of internationalisation of companies in the field of developing countries, through latent variables based on multiple indicators, external and internal orientation.

From a sample of 112 international companies in Colombia, the methodology of latent variable analysis (LPA) is applied to a series of complementary tools, such as a model of structural equations, regression models and cluster analysis of companies.

The paper allows to verify the identification of six latent variables and their relationships, as well as to identify four levels of internationalisation from the structure of latent variables identified.

This is the first application of this recent and sophisticated statistical technique to the field of measuring the level of business internationalisation, especially indicated in the Latin American area, where an increasing number of companies are advancing in their process of international expansion.

Diseñar un sistema de medición del nivel de internacionalización de las empresas en el ámbito de los países en vías de desarrollo, mediante variables latentes basadas en múltiples indicadores, de orientación externa e interna.

A partir de una muestra de 112 empresas internacionales de Colombia, se aplica la metodología de Análisis de Variables Latentes (LPA) unod a una serie de herramientas complementarias, como un modelo de ecuaciones estructurales, modelos de regresión and análisis cluster de empresas.

Que permite verificar la identificación de seis variables latentes and sus relaciones, así como identificar cuatro niveles de internacionalización a partir de la estructura de variables latentes identificadas.

Se trata de la primera aplicación de esta reciente and sofisticada técnica estadística al ámbito de la medición del nivel de internacionalización empresarial, especialmente indicada en el ámbito latinoamericano, donde un creciente número de empresas están avanzando en su proceso de expansión internacional.

First things first: being an entrepreneur is not all glory, flexible hours, and being the owner of your own time. As a matter of fact, it is quite the opposite, at least in the early years. The stories we read about successful entrepreneurs are quite compelling and cause an urge and desire in people to pursue that kind of life. What is often left out of those great stories and news are all the businesses that have failed along the way. The odds of being one of those renowned entrepreneurs are extremely low. This is not to dissuade people of starting his or her own business, but for them to be aware of the reality and challenges of starting a new business. This chapter will focus on the different types of entrepreneurship.

The purpose of this paper is to understand in-depth how consumers create value in their lives using WhatsApp, the leading mobile instant messaging (MIM) application.

The study adopts the perspective of customer-dominant logic (CDL) and uses a qualitative multimethod design involving 3 focus groups and 25 subsequent in-depth interviews. The research setting was Ecuador, a Latin American country.

Analysis and interpretation of the participants’ stories made it possible to identify and understand the creation of four types of value: maintaining and strengthening relationships; improving role performance; emotional support; and entertainment and fun. In addition, the present study proposes a conceptual model of consumer value creation as it applies to MIM.

Understanding the way consumers create value in their lives using MIM is important not only for organizations that offer MIM applications, but also for those companies that develop other applications for mobile phones or for those who wish to use MIM as an electronic word-of-mouth vehicle.

The current study is one of the first to address the topic of consumer behavior in the use of technologies from the perspective of CDL; this perspective enables an integrated qualitative vision of value creation in which the consumer is the protagonist.

El presente estudio busca comprender a profundidad la forma en que los consumidores crean valor en sus vidas usando WhatsApp, la aplicación líder de mensajería instantánea basada en móviles (MIM).

El estudio adopta la perspectiva de la lógica dominante del cliente y utiliza un diseño cualitativo multimétodo que involucra 3 grupos focales seguidos de 25 entrevistas a profundidad. El escenario de estudio es Ecuador, un país Latinoamericano.

El análisis e interpretación de los relatos de los participantes hace posible identificar y comprender la creación de cuatro tipos de valor: Mantener y fortalecer relaciones, mejorar el desempeño de roles, apoyo emocional y, diversión y entretenimiento. Adicionalmente, el estudio propone un modelo conceptual de creación de valor aplicado a MIM.

La comprensión de la forma en que los consumidores crean valor en sus vidas usando MIM, es importante no solo para las empresas que ofrecen aplicaciones MIM, sino también para las empresas que desarrollan otras aplicaciones para móviles o para aquellas que desean usar MIM como canal electrónico para estrategias boca a boca.

El presente estudio es uno de los primeros en abordar el área del comportamiento del consumidor en el uso de tecnologías desde una perspectiva de la lógica dominante del cliente. Esta perspectiva permite presentar una visión cualitativa integrada de la creación de valor, en la cual el consumidor es el protagonista.

Sustainable transport is often defined according to energy efficiency and environmental impacts. With global approval during Habitat III, however, a set of Sustainable Development Goals have become the focus for human development until 2030, underlining the relevance of health, equity and other social issues.

These goals raise the challenge of achieving significant progress towards ‘transport justice’ in diverse societies and contexts. While exclusion occurs for different reasons, discrimination, based on cultural roles, combines with sexual harassment and other mobility barriers to limit women’s mobility. This makes gender an area of particular interest and potential insight for considering equity within sustainability and its social components.

Using data from Metropolitan Santiago to ground a conceptual exploration, this chapter examines the equity implications of women’s travel patterns and sustainable transport. Key findings underline the importance of considering non-work trip purposes and achieving better land-use combinations to accommodate care-oriented trips. Moreover, barriers linked to unsafe public transport environments limit women’s mobility and, therefore, their participation. Women account for a disproportionately high number of walking trips, a situation that can be interpreted as ‘greater sustainability’ in terms of energy use and emissions, but suggests significant inequalities in access. Environmental and economic sustainability gains may be achieved at a high social cost, unless specific measures are taken.

This study aims to explore the strategic decisions at innovation level implemented by firms to thrive and transform themselves during crises. This study also aims to provide insights to answer the question: Why do some firms decide to implement certain types of innovation during a crisis?

This research was carried out through a multiple case study involving 22 firms. The methods were implemented in three steps to increase rigor and the replication of the study: identification and selection of cases, data collection through interviews triangulated with online information and analysis based on aggregating themes and finding patterns.

In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, the companies analyzed focused their activities mainly on developing new features or functionalities for their products or services. Most of the firms implemented innovations across nearly all ten categories outlined by Keeley et al. (2013). Many of the implemented innovations involved personalized and superior service enhancements, process efficiency optimizations, channel diversification initiatives and new ways to collaborate to generate value. In general, the main drivers that led firms to decide to implement these innovations include reducing costs, enhancing operational efficiency, generating new revenue streams, augmenting sales and enhancing client relationships.

This research significantly advances the convergence of innovation, strategy and crisis in three impactful ways. First, it constructs a pragmatic and evidence-based framework, consolidating the primary catalysts, innovation categories and strategies adopted by firms in response to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 crisis. Second, it offers insights for guiding decision-making processes related to innovation, presenting actionable recommendations derived from the study’s findings. Thirdly, this study highlights critical perspectives that can guide governmental intervention, facilitating the formulation of more tailored and effective policies to assist companies during crisis periods.

This study centers on developing countries, specifically examining Colombian firms, considering their unique characteristics and priorities. Surprisingly, there is a scarcity of studies delving into the innovation and transformation of firms during the COVID-19 crisis in nations sharing cultural, economic and political similarities with Colombia.