I. Proposed Dissertation Title: The title (tentative) should be precise to allow the reader to comprehend the subject matter of the work.
How modern digitalization techniques in leading countries can be applied to family- owned Agro businesses in Portugal?
II. Research Question or Hypothesis: State clearly what your research interest is. Define your research question/hypothesis and the main objectives of your research (100 words).
The aim of this research is to be able to understand how the agriculture companies have been changing to become more digitalized in the past years. How the changes made in lading countries can be applied to family- owned agro businesses in Portugal.
Main hypothesis:
Can leading digitalization techniques applied in multi nationals attract more customers in the Portuguese market.
Main Research Question:
How could commercial digitalization techniques can be applied to Agro businesses in Portugal?
Research objectives:
– Understand which digitalization techniques were applied and how the Agro Business have benefit from them.
– Identify leading agriculture companies that have been the most successful in this transition to this digitalization and why?
– Determine How business KPI have changed thanks to digitalization.
– How has the digitalization in Agro business in Portugal have made them more profitable?
III. Review of Literature/Background: Make a synthesis of the contributions made in your research field by accredited scholars. Describe how your intended research will complement and expand on the current literature, and what contributions you intend to make to the existing knowledge (500 words).
Note: Should you opt for a Business Plan, then provide a full analysis of the business conditions.
The agriculture sector has the objective to simply feed people and to maximize their production. Since the worlds population is increasing continuously and is expected to continue to grow, the agriculture companies need to be able to supply food for the consumers. According to Pretty, J. (2010) The goal for the agricultural sector is no longer simply to maximize productivity, but to optimize across a far more complex landscape of production, rural development, environmental, social justice and food consumption outcomes.
Taking into consideration the recent global pandemic this last two years companies have understood
that the consumers have changed their habits and the Agro businesses able to explore new ways to adapt. Tasnim (2020) revers that in order to be more transparent to the consumers companies have become more digitalized. This allows them to make major changes with the objective of producing more and have more opportunities to grow.
This Thesis will discuss the digitalization of the agriculture companies to face the problems that have been faced recently and the acceptance of the consumer to this digitalization in the leading European Countries. Companies had the need to constantly adapt to achieve the demand. In this case the need to improve the supply chain, logistics and production are some aspects that agriculture businesses can create advantage by using more digitalized processes (Parviainen, P., Tihinen, M., Kääriäinen, J. and Teppola, S., 2017). Another important aspect is that modern technology allows the consumers to have a more present role in the activities of the company. Since Portugal is a country that still uses old agriculture techniques due to the fact the main sample that works in the Agro Business are older people. With the opportunity to understand digitalization techniques the sector would be able to grow and expand.
According to Burliai (2019) digitalization has changed the agriculture sector with the objective of being more transparent in terms of the consumer to understand better what he is buying but also in the way that the products are produced with more capable resources that allows companies to be more efficient (Burliai, 2019).
Lastly, in this study the research will be conducted by using an academic bibliography with the objective of understanding how the agriculture companies uses the modern technology and which is the impact in the business.
IV. Research Methodology: Clearly indicate the methods and techniques which you are planning to use to gather information and investigate the identified problem.
Primary research:
For this part, two different perspectives will be taken into consideration. First, interview the agriculture companies and then understand the consumer’s perspective. These interviews will focus on two prominent companies: both are Portuguese companies, one is with CEO of a winery in the south of Portugal that has already used digitalization techniques and the other is also with the CEO of a cork company that has few digitalizing techniques. It is crucial to analyze how the progress has been moving as well as, the expectations and concerns of this unexpected world.
A survey will be conducted in order to be aware of the other side of the business. From the client’s perspective. The sample will include 25 participants with the objective of having a more precise poll of results and to understand how the process of digitalization of the agriculture companies is responding to the customer’s needs. It is meaningful for this business area to find out what the clients are still missing and what they expect from the digital growth in this sector.
Secondary Research:
Many studies have been done to understand the movement of the agriculture sector to the online world. These books and case studies will be crucial to compare the findings and conclusions the primary research will provide and afterward draw a conclusion.
Qualitative Data:
The use of Qualitative data such as academic articles and Journals, has a major importance in
validation of the topic. Has the objective of supporting the topic that will be defended.
Quantitative Data:
Tables and charts from other studies will be used to drive more specific conclusions about
findings that other authors have achieved.
V. Selected Bibliography: Please indicate a representative list of the main bibliographical sources you intend to utilize for your dissertation (no more than 20). Please provide full citations
– Ulezko, A., Reimer, V. and Ulezko, O., 2019, May. Theoretical and methodological aspects of digitalization in agriculture. In IOP conference series: earth and environmental science (Vol. 274, No. 1, p. 012062). IOP Publishing.
– Rolandi, S., Brunori, G., Bacco, M. and Scotti, I., 2021. The Digitalization of Agriculture and Rural Areas: Towards a Taxonomy of the Impacts. Sustainability, 13(9), p.5172.
– Kosareva, O.A., Eliseev, M.N., Cheglov, V.P., Stolyarova, A.N. and Aleksina, S.B., 2019. Global trends of digitalization of agriculture as the basis of innovative development of the agro-industrial complex of Russia. Eurasian Journal of biosciences, 13(2), pp.1675-1681.
– Smagulova, S.A., 2020. Digitalization of agriculture in the Republic of Kazakhstan: experience and problems. ???????? ?????????, (1), pp.149-155.
– Nikoli?, T.M., Popovic-Pantic, S. and Muller, I., 2020. 10 The impact of ICT and digitalization on consumer purchase behaviour of Millennials as emerging economic and social force. Society and Technology: Opportunities and Challenges, p.151.
– Kaine, G., 2004. Consumer behaviour as a theory of innovation adoption in agriculture. Social research working paper, 1(04).~
– Rehman, A., Jingdong, L., Khatoon, R., Hussain, I. and Iqbal, M.S., 2016. Modern agricultural technology adoption its importance, role and usage for the improvement of agriculture. Life Science Journal, 14(2), pp.70-74.
– Iqbal, M. and Ahmad, M., 2005, January. Science & Technology based Agriculture vision of Pakistan and prospects of growth. In Proceedings of the 20th Annual General Meeting Pakistan Society of Development Economics, Islamabad. Pakistan Institute of Development Economic (PIDE), Islamabad, Pakistan (pp. 1-27).
– Kamilaris, A., Fonts, A. and Prenafeta-Bold?, F.X., 2019. The rise of blockchain technology in agriculture and food supply chains. Trends in Food Science & Technology, 91, pp.640-652.
– Pretty, J., 2010. The top 100 questions of importance to the future of global agriculture.
– King, A., 2017. Technology: The future of agriculture. Nature, 544(7651), pp.S21-S23.
– Tasnim, Z., 2020. Disruption in Global Food Supply Chain (FSCs) Due to Covid-19 Pandemic and Impact of Digitalization Through Block Chain Technology in FSCs Management. European Journal of Business and Management,.
– Burliai, A., 2019. Ecological Consequences of the Digitization of Agriculture. International Journal of Recent Technology and Engineering, 8(3C), pp.170-175.
– Krupina, G.D., Safiullin, N.A., Kudryavtseva, S.S., Savushkina, L.N. and Kurakova, C.M., 2020. Analysis of the digitalization efficiency in agricultural complex in the Republic of Tatarstan. In BIO Web of Conferences (Vol. 17, p. 00230). EDP Sciences.
– Amentae, T.K. and Gebresenbet, G., 2021. Digitalization and Future Agro-Food Supply Chain Management: A Literature-Based Implications. Sustainability, 13(21), p.12181.
