Research Areas

This report examines the competitiveness of Valencian firms, the possible ways of improving it and the factors that explain their situation. To address this objective, the study combines three methods: quantitative (based on statistical information), qualitative (based on the opinions of entrepreneurs and managers) and the study of specific cases (examples of best practices in business).

The first part of the report compares the competitiveness of the Valencian Community with Spain’s and especially with other more competitive regions (Madrid, Catalonia and Basque Country). The main conclusion is that Valencian firms are in a weak competitive position in relation to the companies of those regions. This weakness is largely due to the loss of relative weight of the Valencian economy in national GDP and its divergence in GDP per capita. Another reflection of this weakness is the region’s struggle to provide a strategic answer to the changes taking place in the increasingly more complex global economic scenario, either through international actions or by attracting foreign investment. Furthermore, the major impact of the crisis on the region confirms that its previous growth model was not generating competitive strength.

The second part of the report carries out a qualitative analysis to discover the causes of this weakness and, based on the study of excellent companies, to identify patterns of good practices, as well as to put forward proposals for the improvement of the firms’ competitiveness.