Grupo Los Grobo

STRATEGY+BUSINESS ISSUE 70  SPRING 2013 By Navi Radjou, Jaideep Prabhu, and Simone Ahuja
The structured approach to innovation favored by mature companies can’t deliver the agility and differentiation they need today

For three generations, Gustavo Grobocopatel’s family had pursued a small-scale, subsistence model of farming in Argentina. Grobocopatel dreamed of growing his farm into a larger, more sustainable enterprise, but his vision was hindered by scarcity. For one thing, he had difficulty accessing large tracts of land. Although Argentina is a vast country, farmland is hard to come by. Only 10 percent of the land is arable, and much of that is controlled by a few owners who are reluctant to part with it. Grobocopatel also faced a shortage of the skilled labor needed to scale up his business—people who could fertilize, sow, tend, and harvest crops. In Argentina, such labor is in limited supply, is not formally organized, is spread out across the country, and can be costly to hire, especially during peak harvest seasons. Finally, he didn’t have the capital to buy the farm equipment he needed. Funding opportunities for bootstrapping new businesses are very limited for entrepreneurs in Argentina.

The member of the Foundations and Companies Group (Grupo de Fundaciones y Empresas) said that firms no longer want to be regarded as “mere donors of economic resources.” Access the Sustainable Development Forum presentations.

By Gustavo Grobocopatel | For La Nación (Arg.)
The visit of Brazil President Dilma Rousseff and her entourage of Brazilian businessmen to the annual conference of the Argentine Industrial Union (UIA) had an unprecedented profound political and strategic meaning in the history of our nations. This is so because of the historic process the Mercosur is undergoing, where the projection of the relation between Argentina and Brazil is necessary for its consolidation and deepening.

The introduction in 1996 of transgenic soy to the domestic market definitely changed the productive mix set in the 1980´s. The soy phenomenon was so strong that it was subject of analysis from various perspectives, both locally and internationally. The massive and rapid adoption of the “closed pack” –transgenic soy combined with glyphosate- helped to achieve several transformations in the agricultural sector as well as in the agribusiness related activities -oil and flower industries-such as the conquest of new production areas (the extension of the agricultural borders, replacement of certain products such as cattle and regional farming), the outsourcing of services –and the proliferation contractors- and an increasing concentration of production…

The results of the 2012 Corporate Reputation Business Monitor (Merco), which assesses the top 100 highest-reputation companies in the country, were disclosed the first days of August. In this third edition in Argentina, Grupo Los Grobo has been considered the highest-reputation company in the Agricultural and Farming sector.

"Amid the significant crisis of global capitalism, learning something about China brings us hope. The "Market Social Economy" is a substantial part of the global process we have been experiencing over the last years. According to the columnists, "this process has granted major benefits to the global society, it has created jobs and wealth and has taken many people from poverty, but it still has huge debts pending". "We have always considered China as a place where to buy or sell things. But it should also be considered as a case from where to learn some things"

By Paula Grobocopatel and Gustavo Grobocopatel | Grupo Los Grobo

Sustainability Reports have become one of the most effective and broadly accepted communication methods worldwide. Sustainability Reports operate as effective tools for the social and environmental assessment and diagnosis of organizations. Grupo Los Grobo has a renowned track record in the submission of Sustainability Reports, and it has now renewed its commitment towards society once again; it has submitted its Report under the standards of the Global Reporting Initiative one more time (the G3, the so-called ‘Third Generation’ of the GRI).

On Thursday May 17 in the auditorium of the WTC - Montevideo, ADP, Agronegocios del Plata was recognized by Deres as one of the best practices of CSR in terms of the Environment.