The role of knowledge‐intensive service activities (KISA) in basic agro‐food processes innovation: The case of orange packers in Eastern Spain

Abstract

Summary The relevance of innovation in services has been outlined by the knowledge‐intensive business services (KIBS) concept, which has been empirically and theoretically developed in the context of service innovation. The conceptual and methodology approach of knowledge‐intensive service activities (KISA) links the production of knowledge to innovative activities, and has become a relevant focus for the analysis of innovation within a firm. Though relatively new, it has been given a great deal of attention by practitioners and academics in the last five years. This paper will explore, analyze, and compare the ways in which knowledge‐intensive activities occur in a small cluster of mature and low‐tech industries: orange and lemon selection in Spain. The paper aims to assess the impact of KISA on the firm's innovation and performance, as well as to analyze whether KISA occurrence is correlated with certain characteristics of firms such as size, organizational profile, market focus, and other characteristics. A model correlating these variables will additionally be proposed and validated.