FRANCISCA CASTILLA POLO
University of Jaén
Francisca Castilla-PoloShe is Associate Professor in the Department of Financial Economy and Accounting, Faculty of Social and Juridical Sciences of the University of Jaén. Address: Campus Las Lagunillas s/n, 23071 Jaén, (Spain). E-mail: fpolo@ujaen.es. Her research interests are focused on Intellectual Capital, Corporate Social Responsibility, Voluntary Disclosures and Social Sector.
Reputation is currently an asset of unquestionable value for companies due to its key role in differentiation strategies (Lee and Roh, 2012). Moreover, a good reputation translates into a significant set of advantages for... [ view full abstract ]
Reputation is currently an asset of unquestionable value for companies due to its key role in differentiation strategies (Lee and Roh, 2012). Moreover, a good reputation translates into a significant set of advantages for companies due to its role as an intangible element that, as such, is inimitable, irreplaceable, and strategically important (Keong 2008).
With the importance of reputation established, we should note that, surprisingly, the studies that have been conducted to date have been inconclusive regarding the relationship between reputation and financial outcome. In this research context, we propose extending the study of the value of reputation, comparing it with the variable of performance, which includes traditional financial outcomes and other non-financial variables. Simultaneously, we analyze a peculiar context, cooperatives, and, within it, the specific case of cooperatives that produce olive oil or olive oil mills. We should note that reputation is a vital asset for this sector in light of companies’ need for differentiation when marketing their product.
Specifically, our goal is to analyze the relationship between reputation and performance through an empirical study applied at the cooperative level and to observe how the four factors of innovation, certification systems, awards, and SR impact reputation, which is the independent variable in our work, understanding that reputation is a second-order construct that cannot be measured directly (Remke, 2013). In doing so, we contribute to the existing literature on the multidimensional nature of reputation and its relationship with performance by introducing variables that have not been addressed until now in explaining what reputation depends on in the cooperative olive oil production field.
The outcomes obtained for a representative sample of the sector (76 cooperatives) in Spain, which is the world's largest producer of olive oil, demonstrate that reputation is a reflection of the variables incorporated in the model and that reputation is indeed directly and positively related to cooperative performance. The impact of these outcomes on reputation management in the cooperative field is important because variables are offered that are related to improving the performance of these businesses.
Keong K. 2008. Intellectual capital: definitions, categorization and reporting models. Journal of Intellectual Capital, 9(4): 609-638.
Lee J, Roh JJ. 2012. Revisiting Corporate Reputation and Firm Performance Link. Benchmarking: An International Journal, 19(4): 649-664.
Remke R. 2013. Corporate reputation and the discipline of organizational communication. The handbook of communication and corporate reputation John Willey and Sons.
