Abstract
The aim of this study was to analyze the relational social structure of the cheese factories based on an agribusiness territory of Mexico through social network analysis (SNA) in order to understand how different types of agroindustries coexist and endure. Participant observation and semi-structured interviews were carried out in 17 cheese agribusinesses located in the area of San José de Gracia, Michoacán (Mexico), in order to get insight into the family, inter-company, commercial and technical ties they have built. The SNA showed that in the community there is a meso-system where different cheese companies that produce either natural, imitation or both cheeses converge and coexist. These agroindustries make up a complex social structure composed of 1717 actors, comprising a dispersed network with low connectivity (density ˂0.5%) due to the commercial nature of the relationships (95.9%). Simultaneously, an underlying network with a higher density (1.73%) was also evident, enriched by kinship and friendship ties that create cooperation and trust among the parties through 136 reciprocal tangible and intangible exchanges. Despite the differences and asymmetries of cheese agribusinesses in this community, the social structure they form behaves like a ‘local neighborhood’ where everyone knows everyone, and everyone coexists, competes and shares with one another, allowing them to be sustainable in the marketplace. This study provides important lessons for institutions that promote competitiveness and local development, because it shows that in order to achieve sustainability of agroindustrial companies, it is important to recognize and promote long-term social structures based on trust, friendship and reciprocity.
Highlights
The establishment of the neoliberal model around the world brought an unsustainability to socioeconomic structures by privileging economic issues that encourage the accumulation of capital [1]
In order to contribute to an understanding of the coexistence and sustainability of the diversity of companies in the competitive cheese market, this study aims to analyze the relational social structure of the different cheese agroindustries in San José de Gracia, Michoacán, Mexico, which could teach important lessons about institutions that promote competitiveness and local development
The social network analysis (SNA) shows that the cheese agribusinesses based in San José de Gracia form a meso-system where different cheese companies converge and coexist, forming a complex social structure composed of many actors (1717)
Summary
The establishment of the neoliberal model around the world brought an unsustainability to socioeconomic structures by privileging economic issues that encourage the accumulation of capital [1] These societies are defined by (1) an extreme deregulation of economic activities; (2) complete or partial state withdrawal from fulfilling social needs and demands, leading to privatization and individualization of society; and (3) the creation of individuals and companies with no social reference points, except for commercial reference points [2,3,4]. This results in an enterprise survival rate achieved only by a small group of companies, which have been able to build certain management reticular capacities that would be worth analyzing and replicating in less fortunate cases In this context, the Mexican cheese industry, a generator of MSMEs, has complex and structural qualities that could teach important lessons for local development
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