Barriers and enablers impacting the innovation life cycle of food and beverage start-ups: Evaluation within a system dynamics framework

Abstract

Start-ups and technological innovations in the food and beverage industry are two important complementary factors needed for the sustainability of the industry. However, start-ups in the industry face a lot of barriers that eventually impact the dynamic sustainability of the industry. The barrier and enabler factors that impact start-ups’ innovation life cycle are identified as themes from relevant extant literature. The paper focuses on using the identified barriers and enablers to innovation life cycle to develop a System Dynamic (SD) framework that would provide the required direction towards the sustainability of start-ups in the industry. A system dynamic methodology is used to develop the causal loop and stock and flow diagrams for the four phases: (opportunity, refine, establish, decide) of the innovation life cycle in which the drivers that impact the life cycle are the identified barriers and enablers. The resulting system dynamic framework developed for the paper assists in putting into context the developed feedback loops for the drivers that influence the innovation life cycle of start-ups in the food and beverage industry. The developed innovation life cycle framework creates a research gap that should allow for further research into the development of a system dynamic model that can be executed within a simulation environment.