El Impacto de la Innovación en la Competitividad de las Empresas Cárnicas de Cuenca

novation, when considered from the perspective of market interests, aims at the in-troduction of novelties in a product or the development of a new one. However, with regard to technology, innovation must be viewed beyond the practices of continuous improvement merely focused on process transformation. Instead, it should be seen as a value-generating contribution that drives competitiveness. Meat organizations should follow the same innovation processes as other companies, implementing technological, organizational, financial, or commercial alternatives. Nevertheless, some meat compa-nies often fail to differentiate themselves from competitors due to a lack of application of innovative strategies or processes. In this context, the research presents the reality of meat companies in Cuenca, for which a survey was conducted to determine the influen-ce of their innovation on value management related to competitiveness. The validation process of variable behavior was carried out using the Shapiro-Wilk statistic, and sub-sequently, through a relational scope and the Spearman test, the relationship between the study variables was demonstrated. The main results show that, statistically, business innovation has a significant impact on the competitiveness of Cuenca’s meat companies and that these companies are indeed constantly innovatingKruskal-Wallis), and formulation of recommendations through a FOAR analysis. Among the main results, it was found that the venture stands out for its skilled labour, competitive design and strong sense of identity in its products, although there are areas for improvement in the use of national and eco-friendly raw materials. Likewise, strategic aspirations were identified aimed at the internationalisation of suppliers, product diversification and the adoption of new technologies to strengthen its competitiveness and long-term sustainability.