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Business competitiveness in Costa Rica: a multidimensional approach

Author

Listed:
  • Alonso, Suyen

    (Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica)

  • Leiva, Juan Carlos

    (Costa Rica Institute of Technology)

Abstract

This article evaluates the competitive efficiency of 67 Costa Rican small and medium-sized businesses for 2017. Building on the resource-based view postulates, the proposed competitiveness index is based on the methodology developed by Lafuente, Leiva, Moreno and Szerb (2019b) in which ten interconnected competitive pillars shape business competitiveness. By employing a non-parametric model (Data Envelopment Analysis, DEA) with a single constant input and one output (competitiveness index) the results of the empirical application reveal that, on average, the analyzed Costa Rican SMEs can improve their competitive efficiency by 54.45%. Additionally, the findings indicate that businesses in manufacturing and service sectors present the highest competitive efficiency levels, which is explained by the pillars linked to product innovation and business networks. The proposed competitiveness index is a valuable tool that can support businesses’ decision-making processes as well as the design of specific strategies that contribute to improving resource allocation processes and the configuration of competitive pillars at business level.

Suggested Citation

  • Alonso, Suyen & Leiva, Juan Carlos, 2019. "Business competitiveness in Costa Rica: a multidimensional approach," TEC Empresarial, School of Business, Costa Rica Institute of Technology (ITCR), vol. 13(3), pages 28-41.
    • Handle: RePEc:ris:tecemp:1910
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Lafuente, Esteban & Vaillant, Yancy & Alvarado, Marco & Mora-Esquivel, Ronald & Vendrell-Herrero, Ferran, 2021. "Experience as a catalyst of export destinations: The ambidextrous connection between international experience and past entrepreneurial experience," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(1).
    2. Lafuente, Esteban & Vaillant, Yancy & Rabetino, Rodrigo, 2023. "Digital disruption of optimal co-innovation configurations," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
    3. Lafuente, Esteban & Araya, Manuel & Leiva, Juan Carlos, 2022. "Assessment of local competitiveness: A composite indicator analysis of Costa Rican counties using the ‘Benefit of the Doubt’ model," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).

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