Environmental Scanning in Thai Food SMEs: The Impact of Technology Strategy and Technology Turbulence

Abstract

Purpose – Some small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Thai food industry put a lot of effort into keeping up with changes of consumption patterns locally and in the South East Asia region. To see how successfully they are able to create competitive advantage, aims to examine the impact of environmental scanning practices on new product development (NPD) outcomes among SMEs in the Thai food industry. The technology strategy of the company influences how much it uses environmental scanning, and technology turbulence can play a role in exactly how critical is good knowledge of the external environment.

Design/Methodology/Approach – Qualitative research was conducted using semi-structured in-depth interviews with food experts and SME owners.

Findings – Results suggest that SMEs that practice environmental scanning are better able to develop appropriate new food products. Technology strategy plays a role in how much scanning they use, with a more proactive technology strategy requiring more extensive scanning. Environmental turbulence, including changes in technology, can cause failure in NPD if scanning does not keep companies aware of the situation.

Originality/Value – A simple conceptual model is proposed to show how technology strategy, technological turbulence, and environmental scanning affect NPD performance.

JEL Classification: Marketing environment, Food technology, Product development, SMEs, Thailand