A Qualitative Analysis of Innovation Adoption in the Olive Oil Extraction Process
Journal
International Journal of Food and Beverage Manufacturing and Business Models
Date Issued
June 2019
Author(s)
DOI
10.4018/IJFBMBM.2019010103
Abstract
Pressures on the Italian olive oil sector have increased over the past few years due to
seasons of bad weather, small innovation capacity and limited long-term investment
plans. Thus, it is of interest to explore signs of positive attitude towards innovation
investment in the agricultural sector. The focus has been on technologies employed
in the extraction process, since yield and quality of olive oil are mostly affected by
this stage. To define the determinants of innovation adoption, 13 managers were
interviewed. Questions covered organisation factors, personal factors, social factors,
the impact of the olive oil value chain and the cost of the extraction machinery. The
results of the thematic analysis showed that determinants of innovation adoption were:
perceived usefulness, personal innovativeness, prior experience, influence of peers,
training and managerial support, and the relative importance of quality, while major
challenges are the lack of financial funds, demand pressure from customers, and lack
of early warning systems to tackle bad weather conditions.
seasons of bad weather, small innovation capacity and limited long-term investment
plans. Thus, it is of interest to explore signs of positive attitude towards innovation
investment in the agricultural sector. The focus has been on technologies employed
in the extraction process, since yield and quality of olive oil are mostly affected by
this stage. To define the determinants of innovation adoption, 13 managers were
interviewed. Questions covered organisation factors, personal factors, social factors,
the impact of the olive oil value chain and the cost of the extraction machinery. The
results of the thematic analysis showed that determinants of innovation adoption were:
perceived usefulness, personal innovativeness, prior experience, influence of peers,
training and managerial support, and the relative importance of quality, while major
challenges are the lack of financial funds, demand pressure from customers, and lack
of early warning systems to tackle bad weather conditions.