The strategic orientation of organic olive oil firms: an empirical survey for a possible systemic integration

The competitiveness of the agro-food SMEs in the global market is limited by the size of the company, by the production capacity and by marketing weaknesses (Contò et al., 2013). The consonance to the competitive environment (Golinelli,2005) of different forms of aggregation and systemic strategic alliance between a large number of SMEs (as a Producers Organization), aimed at obtaining economies of scale and greater bargaining power in the distribution phase and development of innovative capacities of marketing, may depend on the strategic orientation of the businesses and on its level of homogeneity in the network. In the literature there are studies on the conditions that enhance the marketing innovation such as the size and location of the enterprise, as well as research that highlight the relationship between marketing orientation and the achievement of a competitive advantage (which affects, at the same time, marketing innovation), (O'Cass, Ngo, 2011; Naidoo, 2010) and studies that show the relationship between market orientation and business performance (Hult, Ketchen, 2001). The aim of the paper is to identify the strategic orientation of a group of companies producers and/or distributors of organic extra virgin olive oil and to measure the degree of homogeneity of the strategic orientation of observed firms. This element can be considered as a necessary condition for the possible creation of an effective producer organization in the sector, consistent with a systemic approach to the supply chain