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Abstract
Convenience food is characterized by a value added to the product core that corresponds to fast
changing consumer needs. Thus, convenience food can be considered as an example of one of
the most innovative product categories in the domain of the food industry. Concerning innovative
activities the prevailing perception of convenience food is that all decisive impulses are coming
from the market e.g. are driven by the power of demand. If so, than food producers have
the chance to react on these impulses when developing novel convenience food solutions timely
and close to the market development intent meeting the requirements of the consumers.
In this paper we are going to propose a different viewpoint: firms who are developing, producing
and selling convenience food products may follow a corporate strategy which is not necessarily
and primarily in line with the consumer welfare but is rather oriented to their competitors.
Thus, the strategic dimension is also or predominantly geared to a firm’s competitive environment
when trying to find attractive niche positions and aiming on competitive advantage by
using internal resources and competencies. We understand that convenience food shows clear
distinctive characteristics in comparison to conventional foods. These require a very particular
set of competencies in the sense of how to employ resources and capabilities in a useful way.
Additionally, we argue that the characteristics of convenience food to employ an innovation
strategy based on fast processes of resource reconfiguration.