"Evolution of competitiveness levels in companies in the Region of Valencia"
The percentage of highly competitive companies in the Valencia Region has grown by 0.4 percentage points in the last decade, to 23.7%.
On Thursday 18 January, the Chair of Family Business (CEFUV) promoted by the Valencian Association of Entrepreneurs (AVE), the School of Entrepreneurs (EDEM), the Valencian Institute for the Study of Family Business (IVEFA), the Institute of Family Business (IEF) and the Universitat de València (UV), and sponsored by CaixaBank and Broseta, participated in the presentation of the analysis of the GECE observatory by CaixaBank and the Ivie.
This research note highlights that highly competitive companies contribute 53.8% of GDP, but their weight has decreased by 4.4 percentage points since 2014, when they generated 58.2% of the added value of the Valencian economy. The same occurs in the case of employment, since while in 2014 the most competitive companies generated 48.4% of private sector employment, in 2021 it is reduced by 5.4 percentage points, to 43.8%.
Overall, the percentage of highly competitive companies in the Valencia Region has grown by 0.4 percentage points in the last decade, to 23.7%, according to the latest report by the Observatory on Corporate Governance, Strategy and Competitiveness (GECE).
Specifically, the document, prepared by Ivie researcher Alejandro Escribá and economist Carlos Albert, concludes that Valencian companies show a slightly lower level of competitiveness than that observed at the national level in Spain. Business size in the region is a long-term structural challenge. Moreover, an increase in the level of competitiveness is observed in some knowledge/technology intensive sectors. Despite this, Valencian companies manage to improve their levels of competitiveness and maintain a higher relative position than their national equivalents.
The presentation of the report was attended by Felipe Pulido, Commercial Director of CaixaBank Companies in the Valencia Region, who stressed that "competitive companies require significant investment, generating wealth and employment". Joaquín Maudos, Ivie Deputy Director of Research and Professor at the Universitat de València, was also present, highlighting that the Observatory's report will help to address two key questions: "How has the competitiveness of Valencian companies evolved, and how do factors such as size, sector specialisation and type of ownership influence them?
Afterwards, Alejandro Escribá, head of the GECE Observatory at the Ivie, presented the key conclusions of the report. This was followed by a discussion moderated by Enrique Nogués, Director of CaixaBank's Valencia Business Centre, with the presence of representatives of two family businesses from different sectors: Jumel Alimentaria, represented by its CEO Sofía Frasquet, and Sp-Berner, with the participation of Jorge Escarpa, CEO of the company.
Both speakers explained the functioning of their corporate governance structures, the generational handover protocol and the way in which they preserve competitiveness and promote innovation within their respective companies.
You can access the full press release via this link:
And, to download the full research note, click on this link: https://www.ivie.es/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Documentos-GECE-2_2023.pdf
