2009-082 Samen werken aan samenwerking - Lei

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Table 1 Developments and trends in the macro environment around
Aspect of the
macro environment
firms
Major developments
Demographic Growth of the world population; more multicultural characteristics
through increasing immigration
Sociocultural Individualisation; people, planet & profit; food safety & quality; interest
in health; relationship between farmer and citizen
Ecological Climatic change; increasing interest in the environment; depletion of
natural resources (e.g. fossil fuels); the environment
Economic Increasing prosperity; globalisation; liberalisation of markets; emergence
of low-wage countries and new economies (e.g. China and India)
Political-legal More laws and rules concerning the environment, welfare, health,
food safety & nature
Technological Innovations for more sustainability (environment, animal welfare);
mechanisation, automatisation, robotisation
The degree to which trends and developments affect agriculture and pertinent
SMEs differs per sector and per entrepreneur. How well entrepreneurs and
sectors anticipate the developments depends on their innovative power - and
that power can differ enormously.
In two workshops, the participating entrepreneurs and advisers mentioned
expansion, liberalisation, and knowledge management and knowledge construction
as important developments. According to the participants, future-focused
entrepreneurship requires attention to market orientation, expansion, specialisation,
horizontal (across sector borders) and vertical cooperation, chain integration
and multifunctional developments (e.g. mini-campsites on farms, social
healthcare, nature & water management services), increase of turnover or margins,
and public acceptance.
Increasing complexity is putting higher demands on entrepreneurs’ management
and capabilities, for example, on their strategic orientation, network
capabilities, external focus, self-reflection and creativity. Whether individual entrepreneurs
decide to cooperate depends very much on their strategic orientation
and personal drive.
Although competition between entrepreneurs is increasing, this does not
form an obstacle to cooperation; in fact, it is a stimulus. A number of entrepre-