Journal of Business and entrepreneurial
April - June Vol. 7 - 2 - 2023
http://journalbusinesses.com/index.php/revista
e-ISSN: 2576-0971
journalbusinessentrepreneurial@gmail.com
Receipt: 19 November 2022
Approval: 24 January 2023
Page 47-64
Innovation startups: Study of software applications
to optimize home delivery of products.
Startups de innovación: Estudio de aplicaciones
informáticas para optimizar el suministro de productos
a domicilio
Jonathan Enrique Medina Muñoz
*
Marcos Giovanny Orellana Parra
*
ABSTRACT
This research focuses on a comparative study
between the levels of rice exports before and during
dollarization, corresponding to the years 1980-2020;
thus, the information from the World Bank, Central
Bank of Ecuador and SENAE is used as a data base,
which eventually leads us to a non-experimental
research with a quantitative approach and through
the t-test was able to determine the existence of a
significant change in rice exports before and during
dollarization. On the other hand, the coefficient of
determination allows us to appreciate that with
dollarization there is a 10% incidence between price
and export levels, as well as establishing that during
this stage, dependence on international relations and
high production costs influence the degree of
competitiveness of the price of rice.
Keywords: Dollarization, Price, Rice Exports
RESUMEN
La presente investigación se enfoca en realizar un
estudio comparativo entre los niveles de exportación
de arroz antes y durante la dolarización,
correspondientes a los años 1980-2020; es así que se
* Student, Universidad Católica de Cuenca, Ecuador,
jonathanmedina@ucacue.edu.ec, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0825-
1045
* Professor, Universidad Católica de Cuenca, Ecuador,
marcosorellanap@ucacue.edu.ec,
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2976-316X
e-ISSN: 2576-0971. April - June Vol. 7 - 2 - 2023 . http://journalbusinesses.com/index.php/revista
48
recurre a tomar como base de datos la información
del Banco Mundial, Banco Central de Ecuador y
SENAE, misma que eventualmente nos lleva a una
investigación no experimental con enfoque
cuantitativo y que mediante la prueba t pudo
determinar la existencia de un cambio significativo en
las exportaciones de arroz antes y durante la
dolarización. Por otro lado, el coeficiente de
determinación permite apreciar que con la
dolarización hay un 10% de incidencia entre el precio
y los niveles de exportación, así como también se
establece que durante esta etapa, la dependencia de
las relaciones internacionales y los elevados costos
de producción influyen en el grado de competitividad
del precio del arroz.
Palabras clave: Dolarización, Precio, Exportación
de Arroz
INTRODUCTION
New technologies are the precursors of the advancement and development of hardware
and software tools in different productive sectors. In the agricultural sector, the use of
applications adjusted to this environment has made the actors involved in the different
processes: field, production, supervision and distribution, more effective and efficient.
Currently, information and communication technologies make it possible to improve
and optimize agricultural production; however, the marked technological gap due to
geographical location, lack of academic preparation, uncertainty in the results to be
obtained, limits the expansion and progress of precision agriculture in all sectors, despite
this, the need to reach the final consumer is permanent and in order to satisfy the
demand for food, various distribution channels are established, It is here where the
presence of intermediaries between the producer and the consumer generates, among
other aspects, considerable changes in the final price, lack of care in the presentation
and inappropriate asepsis, from this background arises the initiative to develop through
formative research, the study of computer applications to optimize the supply of
products at home, as an alternative of innovation - startup.
The term "startup" is said to have come into use in 1957 when eight engineers left their
jobs at Shockley Labs and created Fairchild Semiconductor with outside funding.
Although startups can belong to any industry, they are usually associated with technology
because of their intensive use of scientific and technological knowledge or their
relationship with the internet and information and communication technologies [ICT]
(Pineda, 2016).
e-ISSN: 2576-0971. April - June Vol. 7 - 2 - 2023 . http://journalbusinesses.com/index.php/revista
49
Likewise, a startup is a temporary organization with the objective of finding a way of
doing business that can be repeated and grow. To achieve this, it is necessary to invest
in research and development to produce something innovative. Most of these companies
provide ingenious solutions to common problems through the use of technology and
unlike traditional companies that are based on imitating already established and
entrenched concepts through proven and accepted processes and technologies; startups
focus on research and development in order to create a final, unique and distinctive
product or service (Escartin et al., 2020).
Startups, being based on research and development projects, aim to create new and
unique products or services, however, innovating involves certain risks, so it is not
always suitable for all organizations, however, companies that manage to adapt, not only
improve their competitiveness and grow economically, also allows to give their products
or services a unique and non-transferable added value, in addition, it is necessary to
accompany the innovation with an effective marketing strategy to make the proposal
known to the market and ensure that it is accepted. Failure to do so risks wasting time,
resources and money (Muñoz & Espinosa, 2018).
Innovation is fundamental to success, it is the basis for the emergence of new companies
and the key to their long-term survival and growth. To achieve this, the organization
must implement innovation activities and have the ability to adopt new technologies,
based on several criteria that are related to organizational change: product innovations,
process innovations, organizational innovations and marketing innovations.
Figure 1. Types of innovation
Each type of innovation can have a significant impact on the company and its industry,
and it is important to identify and prioritize the areas most in need of improvement to
achieve a sustainable competitive advantage (Sanchez & Juan, 2011).
E-Commerce
E-commerce is a way to buy, sell or exchange goods, services and information over the
Internet. It offers many options for acquiring products or services from suppliers around
the world. Buying goods or services online is attractive because of its convenience and
Innovaciones de
producto
Cambios
significativos
En los bienes o servicios
ofrecidos por la empresa
Innovaciones de
proceso
Optimización y
mejora
Métodos de producción y
distribución.
Innovaciones
organizativas
Nuevos enfoques
En la estructura,
funcionamiento y
relaciones de la empresa
Innovaciones de
marketing
Nuevos métodos de
comercialización
Diseño y envase de los
productos
Promoción y plaza de los
productos
Métodos de asignación
de precios
e-ISSN: 2576-0971. April - June Vol. 7 - 2 - 2023 . http://journalbusinesses.com/index.php/revista
50
ease. Throughout history, commercial transactions have evolved from ancient exchanges
to the present day where time and space barriers have disappeared thanks to the
internet. Thus, anyone anywhere in the world can buy or sell products from other parts
of the world in an instant with just an internet connection.
There are three different types of e-commerce: B2B business-to-business, B2C business-
to-consumer and C2C consumer-to-consumer (Torres Castañeda & Guerra Zavala,
2012).
The elimination of intermediaries in e-commerce allows direct interaction between
companies and customers, which improves product or service distribution and reduces
delivery time. This results in significant savings in terms of time and efficiency (Murillo
Silva, 2009).
At the same time, the disappearance of physical forms and the automation of procedures
reduces transaction costs and avoids duplicate orders, resulting in a significant decrease
in operating costs; e-commerce provides a level of convenience, allowing the purchase
of products and services from the comfort of home, as well as access to a wide variety
of offers through a faster and more efficient process.
Startups can take advantage of the benefits of e-commerce to reach a global audience,
increase their visibility and improve their operational efficiency, as well as offer a
personalized and convenient shopping experience to their customers, which leads to an
increase in sales. The effects of the use of e-commerce are reflected in improved quality,
cost reductions and a more perfect competition, facts that finally have a direct impact
on the price of products (González Rodríguez, 2015).
Agricultural products from Ecuador
In Ecuador, the agricultural sector is of great importance for the economy, since it is the
main source of employment in the country, currently representing 29.4% of the
economically active population. In the economic sphere, agriculture is considered one
of the main activities that generates large revenues to the economy of Ecuador. The
participation of this sector in the GDP has made it one of the main pillars of the national
economy. In 2015, through the implementation of government policies, access to
agricultural inputs was facilitated, which allowed Ecuadorian producers to have a
favorable market (Chuncho et al., 2021).
However, due to the growing population, environmental pollution, land erosion, scarcity
of water, soil and energy, it has become necessary to improve crops and agricultural
processes to achieve a sustainable and profitable activity (Boza et al., 2021). This
particularity has encouraged innovation by including technologies in various aspects of
this sector. Ecuador is a country with an agricultural tradition and a great variety of
crops; among the main products grown and exploited inside and outside the country are
bananas, cocoa and sugarcane.
Banana production is one of the most profitable and widely cultivated crops in Latin
America and the Caribbean. In addition, it is the main agricultural export product in
Ecuador and the main source of economic income in the agricultural sector. The demand
for bananas is based on its quality, which has made it a very popular fruit.