Productivity Management and Business Competitiveness in Women Entrepreneurial Networks: An Andean Study in South America
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36881/ma.v4i1.1157Keywords:
female entrepreneurship, productivity management, business competitiveness, business networks, innovation, Andean regionAbstract
This research analyzes the relationship between productivity management and competitiveness within networks of women entrepreneurs in the Andean region (Peru, Colombia, and Bolivia) during 2024. A quantitative, non-experimental, descriptive-correlational design was adopted, with a probabilistic random sample of 245 entrepreneurs. The variables were operationalized into five dimensions: resource management (8 items), financial efficiency (7 items), innovation (6 items), cost control (5 items), and overall productivity (10 items), resulting in a 36-item instrument. Content validity was established through expert judgment by five specialists selected based on doctoral training, at least five years of experience in women’s entrepreneurship, and indexed publications in the field. Reliability was verified using Cronbach’s alpha (α = 0.88 for resource management, α = 0.85 for financial efficiency, α = 0.91 for innovation, α = 0.82 for cost control, and α = 0.89 for overall productivity). Three complementary statistical techniques were employed: Pearson’s correlation to measure bivariate linear associations, multiple linear regression to estimate the predictive contributions of each dimension to competitiveness, and moderation analysis to identify interaction effects among variables. The results reveal a significant positive correlation between productivity management and competitiveness (r = 0.681, p < .001). Innovation and financial efficiency explain 62% of the variance in competitiveness (R² = 0.62, F(5,239) = 79.3, p < .001), with innovation being the strongest predictor (β = 0.41, p < .001). Cost control positively moderates the innovation–competitiveness relationship (β_interaction = 0.18, p = .02). It is concluded that strengthening open innovation capacities, financial efficiency, and cost control represents a key strategy for scaling the competitiveness of Andean women entrepreneurs in international markets.
Downloads
References
Aguilar, O. (2023). El impacto de la dirección en el desempeño en las micro y pequeñas empresas: un análisis sistémico. Contaduría y Administración, 68(3), 46-78. https://doi.org/10.22201/fca.24488410e.2023.3295
Al Omoush, K. S., Table, A., & Alkhatib, K. (2024). Fostering women entrepreneurs: Exploring the drivers of social commerce adoption. SAGE Open, 14(3), 21582440241282952. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440241282952
Álvarez, R., Bravo Ortega, C. y Navarro, L. (2011). Innovación, inversión en I+D y productividad en Chile. IDB. https://doi.org/10.18235/0011332
Álvarez, S. A., & Barney, J. B. (2007). Discovery and creation: Alternative theories of entrepreneurial action. Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, 1(1‐2), 11-26. https://doi.org/10.1002/sej.4
Barney, J. (1991). Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage. Journal of Management, 17(1), 99-120. https://doi.org/10.1177/014920639101700108
Benites, L., Ruff, C., Ruiz, M., Matheu, A., Inca, M., & Juica, P. (2020). Análisis de los factores de competitividad para la productividad sostenible de las PYMES en Trujillo (Perú). Revista de Métodos Cuantitativos para la Economía y la Empresa, 29, 208-236. https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=7426429
Cabana, S., Narea, H., & Orrego, R. (2018). Factores determinantes de la conducta intraemprendedora en pequeñas y medianas empresas (PyMes) de la región de Coquimbo en Chile. Información Tecnológica, 29(4), 167-178. https://doi.org/10.4067/S0718-07642018000400167
Chesbrough, H. (2003). Open innovation: The new imperative for creating and profiting from technology. Harvard Business Review Press.
Chesbrough, H. (2020). To recover faster from COVID-19, open up: Managerial implications from an open innovation perspective. Industrial Marketing Management, 88, 410-413. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2020.04.010
Chesbrough, H., & Bogers, M. (2014). Explicating open innovation: Clarifying an emerging paradigm for understanding innovation. In H. Chesbrough, W. Vanhaverbeke, & J. West (Eds.), New frontiers in open innovation (pp. 3-28). Oxford University Press.
Cornejo Manrique, C. (2020). Capital social, competitividad y pymes. Ekz, 4(2), 52-67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2020.04.010
Dini, M. (2010). Competitividad, redes de empresas y cooperación empresarial. Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL). https://repositorio.cepal.org/entities/publication/2cc0d37d-20f6-4cf0-a8c5-72f4de429bf9
Esser, K., Hillebrand, W., Messner, D., & Meyer-Stamer, J. (1995). Competitividad sistémica. Textos de Economía (CEPAL), 6(1), 171-203. https://repositorio.cepal.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/928e863f-9ee3-4b53-8b4b-f3cfbc7de4fb/content
Esser, K., Hillebrand, W., Messner, D., & Meyer-Stamer, J. (1996). Competitividad sistémica: nuevo desafío para las empresas y la política. Revista de la CEPAL, 59, 39-52. https://repositorio.cepal.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/928e863f-9ee3-4b53-8b4b-f3cfbc7de4fb/content
Foray, D. (2004). The economics of knowledge. MIT Press.
Gamero, J., & Pérez, J. (2020). Perú: Impacto de la COVID-19 en el empleo y los ingresos laborales. Organización Internacional del Trabajo. https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---americas/---ro-lima/documents/publication/wcms_756474.pdf
Global Entrepreneurship Monitor. (2024). Women's Entrepreneurship Report 2023/24: Reshaping economies and communities. GEM Consortium. https://gemconsortium.org/reports/womens-entrepreneurship
Hernández, R., & Mendoza, C. (2018). Metodología de la investigación: las rutas cuantitativas, cualitativas y mixtas. McGraw-Hill Education.
Ketels, C., Recent research on competitiveness and clusters: what are the implications for regional policy? Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, 6(2), 269-284, https://doi.org/10.1093/cjres/rst008
Lundvall, B. Å. (2003). The economics of knowledge and learning. In J. Fagerberg, D. Mowery, & R. Nelson (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of innovation (pp. 312-342). Oxford University Press.
Mayanja, S. S., Dey, B., & Mokaya, S. O. (2025). Entrepreneurial networking and sustainability of women-owned enterprises. International Journal of Sustainability in Business and Innovation. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSBI-08-2024-0039
Meier, A., Walter, F., & Wiklund, J. (2025). Creating competitiveness in incumbent small- and medium-sized enterprises: The role of operational efficiency and strategic focus. Journal of Business Research, 176, 114320. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0148296324005320
Ministerio de la Producción. (2021). Anuario estadístico industrial, MiPyme y comercio interno 2021. https://share.google/GUUgNxYbuZmhsna9C
Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). (2024). SME policy index: Latin America and the Caribbean 2024. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/ba028c1d-en
Pérez, C., & Sulluchuco, J. (2019). Calidad y productividad y su influencia en la competitividad del sector agroindustrial en el departamento Lima [Tesis de maestría] Universidad Nacional del Callao. http://repositorio.unac.edu.pe/handle/20.500.12952/3870
Porter, M. E. (1990). The competitive advantage of nations. Free Press.
Porter, M. E. (2020). The microeconomic foundations of economic development. In the Global Competitiveness Report 2020 (pp. 43-56). World Economic Forum.
Powell, W. W., & Snellman, K. (2004). The knowledge economy. Annual Review of Sociology, 30(1), 199-220. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.soc.29.010202.100037
Quintero Sepúlveda, I. C., Briones Peñalver, A. J., & Bravo Ibarra, E. R. (2023). Innovation capabilities, innovation strategies, and financial performance: An empirical analysis in SMEs. Technology Analysis & Strategic Management. https://doi.org/10.1080/09537325.2023.2280523
Ruiz, M., & Villanueva, I. (2023). El liderazgo femenino y su influencia en la competitividad empresarial de las Mipymes de la Asociación de Mujeres Empresarias del Perú al año 2021 [Tesis de licenciatura], Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos. https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12672/19496
Schwab, K. (2020). The global competitiveness report 2020: How countries are performing on the road to recovery. World Economic Forum.
United Nations Development Programme. (2025). The power of entrepreneurship: Women transforming the region with courage and vision. https://www.undp.org/latin-america/stories/power-entrepreneurship-women-transforming-region-courage-and-vision
World Economic Forum. (2019). The Global Competitiveness Report 2019. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_TheGlobalCompetitivenessReport2019.pdf
World Economic Forum. (2020). The global competitiveness report 2020: How countries are performing on the road to recovery. https://www.weforum.org/reports/the-global-competitiveness-report-2020
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
The content of the publications is the responsibility of the authors. The journal allows authors to maintain copyright on published articles and documents. The license used is Commons Attribution-NonCommercial International License. CC BY NC
