Online reputation of agri-food companies and determining factors: an empirical investigation

Abstract

In an increasingly technology-oriented society, companies should ensure not only that they have an Internet presence but also that they are conveying the right image. According to the resource-based view, online reputation is a key intangible asset for successful technological business change. The aim of this research is to analyze the online reputation of companies in the agri-food sector, identifying the factors that have an impact on it. For this purpose, fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis is used. The results show that online reputation is conditioned by legal form and attributes associated with the company website. Such attributes include website quality, the presence of information associated with corporate social responsibility, the use of a secure connection, and the sale of organic products. The results provide strategic guidelines for public and private decision makers to exploit the full potential of ICTs.