Title: Entrepreneurial strategies of Etna wine farms

Authors: Salvatore Tudisca; Anna Maria Di Trapani; Enrica Donia; Filippo Sgroi; Riccardo Testa

Addresses: Department of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, 13 (Ed. 4) – 90128 – Palermo, Italy ' Department of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, 13 (Ed. 4) – 90128 – Palermo, Italy ' Department of Economic, Business and Statistic Sciences, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, 13 (Ed. 13) – 90128 – Palermo, Italy ' Department of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, 13 (Ed. 4) – 90128 – Palermo, Italy ' Department of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, 13 (Ed. 4) – 90128 – Palermo, Italy

Abstract: Viticulture, as well as agriculture in general, performs an environmental and landscaping function and it encourages rural development through the creation of income and job opportunities in the areas where wine is produced. The wine sector, in fact, is of great social and economic importance within the Sicilian agriculture and food industry, because of the job opportunities it provides and due to Sicilian pedoclimatic peculiarities, variety of grape wines cultivars and production process. The present study aims at assessing the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises that cultivate wine grapes in the Etna area. In particular, it has been examined a sample of wine farms that produce Etna wine controlled designation of origin (DOC), a product with high value added, in order to assess their strategies adopted to compete in an increasingly wide and globalised market.

Keywords: SME competitiveness; controlled designation of origin; DOC; economic growth; farm multifunctionality; local development; marketing strategies; rural areas; small and medium-sized enterprises; SMEs; environmental sustainability; supply chain management; SCM; wine markets; entrepreneurial strategies; Etna wine farms; Italy; entrepreneurship; viticulture; sustainable development; Sicily.

DOI: 10.1504/IJESB.2014.059470

International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, 2014 Vol.21 No.2, pp.155 - 164

Published online: 31 May 2014 *

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