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This study seeks to empirically and theoretically show how and why food chain specific advantages along with country-specific and firm-specific advantages impact the development of competences and shape distinct strategies for international growth.

Case studies were conducted with three Brazilian meatpacking firms with solid global operations. Top managers in charge of international operations were interviewed and documents were collected. Data were coded and submitted to triangulation. Content analysis was used as data analysis technique.

Results suggest that a meso-level of analysis is important to understand the development of competences and strategies for internationalization of meatpacking firms. Additionally, it was found that the internationalization process of meatpacking firms are supported by four supportive competences, namely: technical, production, sales and logistics competences. Findings also reveal that these companies tend to pursue either a raw material seeker or local taste supplier strategy.

International business scholars have struggled to incorporate meso-level characteristics into mainstream literature. This paper tries to fill in this gap by incorporating distinctive features from the food supply chain in the analysis. Two novel international strategy typologies were introduced by considering firm-, food chain- and country-specific advantages. It also proposes sound theoretical and managerial evidence to support public and private decision-making.

This research seeks to develop a better understanding of internationalization patterns of agrifood firms and explains why different paths are adopted. Further, a conceptual framework to support public and private decision-making is proposed.

An exploratory qualitative research framework was developed featuring case studies about three highly internationalized Brazilian meat processing firms. Top managers were interviewed, and documents were collected to support the intraand crosscase analyses.

Results suggest that meat processing firms tend to adopt a dual internationalization pattern. Distribution-oriented foreign direct investment (FDI) is normally established gradually, whilst horizontal FDI – the establishment of foreign production facility – tends to be conducted through a fast-paced expansion mode. Interestingly, it was found that food safety issues play a central role in internationalization decisions.

An extension to the Uppsala model was provided by considering agrifood characteristics in the analysis. The results have broad appeal to managers and policymakers. Agribusiness managers could use the theoretical and empirical evidence to support their internationalization decisions. Policymakers can also use this research to gain a better understanding of how agrifood firms expand internationally to either attract or foster FDI.

The purpose of this paper is to identify the risks to which agrifood supply chains are exposed and to analyze how these risks impact the degree of coordination of the chain.

The present investigation was executed in two steps. Initially, a literature review and interviews with slaughterhouse managers were carried out to identify the main risks to which agrifood supply chains are exposed. The second step consisted of a survey involving 66 Brazilian slaughterhouses to identify how the perception of risks influences the degree of coordination in the examined chains.

The study revealed that risks, transaction costs and creation of collaborative advantages are determining factors in defining the degree of coordination in the analyzed agrifood supply chains.

The results allow slaughterhouse managers to more easily recognize the risks to which the supply chains are exposed and evaluate in more detail strategies for relationships with their suppliers. These strategies may be able to avoid conflict and create value for the supplier by stimulating longer relationships and facilitating animal purchase transactions for slaughter. This can lead to quality improvements, lower costs and reduced risk.

Studies of risks in agrifood supply chains are rare in comparison with those developed in other sectors. The present investigation is innovative in identifying the main risks specific to agrifood supply chains and associating those risks with a degree of coordination that minimizes them.

The purpose of this paper is to focus on technology capability and develops a model for measuring it applied agrifood industry companies.

Using a combination of literature review, observation research (expert interviews), AHP multicriteria analysis method and case study research, the paper develops an index model. The proposed model was applied to the case of dairy agribusiness complex in Brazil (180 rural units, five fluid milk processing companies and six cheese factories).

The index model developed includes five macroindexes: resources; technology upgrading; processes and routines; learning mechanisms; and coordination and accessibility. Results show that the model was able to identify the different technology capabilities of the companies studied and generated important information to identify bottlenecks and improvement opportunities for these companies.

The study contributes to understanding of a technological capability in the agribusiness system companies and how it can measure this capability in an integrated and synthetic model. Literature shows any models but no record of an integrated measurement system composed of a multi-attribute applied to assess the agribusiness system companies.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between external integration and innovation outcomes in the Brazilian food companies.

Based on a survey questionnaire with 84 participants from large and non-large food companies of Brazil, the paper has used linear regression to examine the relationship between external integration and innovation outcomes. Next, the paper used the Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney Test to compare the two sets of companies, i.e. large companies (annual sales >US$5 million), and non-large companies (annual sales US$1-5 million).

The paper found that external integration with suppliers and customers is positively related to innovation outcomes in food companies. Besides, radical innovation is directly related to large companies rather than non-large food companies. Furthermore, customer integration is perceived in large food companies rather than non-large. To the best of the knowledge, this is pioneering information in food companies.

This research has been tested based only on participants’ perceptions. Therefore, the findings should also be verified through of a longitudinal fashion or in deep study.

The main practical implication lies with the embedding of these concepts in a research from the perspective of a developing economy. Seen in this light it is noteworthy that such findings may contribute to the understanding of innovation outcomes in other developing countries.

There are few empirical studies that explore the relationship between external integration and innovation outcomes in food companies. Besides, there is little knowledge about differences between large and non-large food companies regarding to incremental and radical innovation. Our research is the first study analyzing these issues in large and non-large food companies in the Brazil.