Innovative Almond-Growing Strategy in Ukraine: Enterprise Level

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

This paper attempts to investigate an interesting question about the almond market in Ukraine, including the possibilities of Ukrainian nut growing and the formation of production strategies in the new climate conditions. To obtain some novel findings and establish promising areas of production: monitoring, forecasting, generalization, and conceptualization, this paper uses SPSS software and sourced data from reports of the State Statistics Service of Ukraine, the World Nut Association (INC) and USDA, and so on. The theoretical basis for the development and implementation of production strategies in businesses and a SWOT-analysis are also considered and used for factor analysis. Overall, this is an interesting research subject. However, there are some concerns as follows which should be applied:

1. For the Abstract section: The research methods and approaches of this paper in Abstract is too long, which should be simplified. Moreover, the conclusion is short and should be mentioned more briefly and clearly.

2. For the Introduction section: Introduction should be strengthened strongly, the background of this paper is too short, which should be well-organized. In addition, research questions and the contributions of this work should be summarized more clearly in this section. Literature review in Introduction section should not a simple stack of papers, but a comprehensive analysis. In addition, the authors should update the latest literatures in the literature review sections, such as doi: 10.1111/itor.13186 and doi: 10.1016/j.cie.2020.106951.

3. For the Results section, there are a number of methods and approaches in this paper, some of them are taken from published works, and others are developed by the authors. The author should elaborate the connection and difference of the methods used in this paper and those of the published works. Moreover, the main references of some concepts should be mentioned, such as "normal Euclidean distance".

4. For the Discussion and Conclusions section, the author should provide some practical examples or literature comparisons to support your results and findings, which may highlight your contributions.

5. The logic of this paper is not very clear, and the language should be improved. Please check the formula symbols and typos in the paper to ensure that they are correct.

Author Response

Thanks for the detailed review! the authors took all comments into account and made major changes to the manuscript!

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Dear authors of the manuscript!

Your research topic is interesting and important. Nevertheless, I have several very important remarks. All parts of this document need substantial improvement because the manner in which information is presented in each part of the document does not meet the established standards of this journal.

Below you can find my comments. If you decide to resubmit an improved version, maybe I'll find time for the review.

1. The Introduction is interesting and contains a lot of information about various aspects related to the production of almonds. However, sometimes it is difficult to catch a common logical thread between paragraphs. I suggest that the authors present the information in the form of a funnel, that is, from issues on a world scale to the scale of the study. I propose to move some parts of the introduction related to theoretical issues of economics to a separate one, such as, for example, "Conceptual Framework".

Also, it is advisable to organize the sub-objectives of the study in a sequence corresponding to the presentation of their analysis in the "results" and "discussion" sections.

2. Materials and Methods - The presentation of information in this part of the document does not meet the standards. I would say that the section " Materials and Methods" as such is missing.

In the “Methods” section, you should report in detail how the study was conducted (descriptions of the study area; description of the subject of the study; methods of collecting and processing information, etc.). In the same section, all methods/ equations used in the analysis (for example, geographical, statistical, economic), as well as the software used, should be described. It is important to describe all sources of information from which the data was collected. 

The presentation of information should be sufficient to understand and reproduce your research by other scientists.

3. Results - Without a clear and correct "Methods" section, this results section looks chaotic and confusing. 

Most of the information described in this section should be reorganized and placed in the appropriate sections. For example:

• The way in which the cluster analysis results are presented is strange.

• The presentation of the results of the survey does not comply with the rules. Why the survey is only described now and not in the "Methods" section? There are many questions that suddenly arise: How was the survey organized? Why? How many questions did you have? How were respondents chosen? Who were the respondents? Etc.

• The presentation of results of the SWOT analysis could be shortened and presented in the form of tables.

• Comparisons of study results with other countries should be made in the "Discussions" section.

The same pretensions to the sections on "Company conceptualization" and "Road map".

4. Discussion. The discussion section does not correspond to established norms. Nor is the discussion of similar or opposite studies/results from Ukraine or other countries developed. Discussion sections also require you to detail any new insights, think through areas for future research, highlight the work that still needs to be done to further your topic, and provide a clear conclusion to your research paper.

5. Conclusion. Conclusion. Please read the journal rules for writing a conclusion to an article in this journal.

Author Response

Thanks for the detailed review! the authors took all comments into account and made major changes to the manuscript!

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 3 Report

Agricultural activities are a very important research area due to its vital role in the protection, maintenance and development of human existence, and the studies carried out in this field are also very valuable like your work. In addition, if this study is a study conducted in social sciences, it is even more important.

 

Point 1	Line 205	What does ACS mean? Abbreviations are usually made to easily express word groups that will be very repetitive and to prevent ambiguity. Abbreviations are unnecessary for word groups that will be mentioned only once in the manuscript.
Point 2	Line 410	The expression Turkey is no longer used in the international arena, instead the expression “Türkiye” is used.
Point 3	Line 620	Why is the literature that can be compared or supported in the discussion section not included?
Point 4	Line 652	In the conclusion part, the purpose of the study should be briefly stated again.
Point 5	Line 655-657	“The inclusion of premium nut products in bakeries, confectionery, beverages, and other processed foods has provided consumers with a variety of options that are both wholesome and delicious.” This sentence should be included in the introduction. The conclusion section should further elaborate the findings and recommendations of the research.
Point 6	Line 664-667	“With the SPSS calculations allowing for the sample adequacy measure of Kaiser-Meyer 0.516>0.5 and the significance was 0.000<0.05 there was SWOT analysis held, which resulted in a list of strategic priorities for an agrarian enterprise. The SWOT-analysis model serves as the foundation for determining the enterprise's scenario, strategic directions, and goals.” These sentences are explained in the method section, so the findings of the study obtained by this method should be included in the conclusion section.

Author Response

Thanks for the detailed review! the authors took all comments into account and made major changes to the manuscript!

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

The paper has been revised according to the suggestions, and it is recommended to accept.

Author Response

Point 1. English language and style are fine/minor spell check required

Response 1. We had our manuscript edited by a professional translation agency and received the affidavit during previous expertise. All documents are attached to our response and sent to the editorial office. Please check if you were handed the proper version of the paper.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Please see the attached file.

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

Dear Reviewer 2, We appreciate your in-depth and prudent revision of our humble work. We believe that it will help us to be more precise when preparing our consequential papers. This experience is of great value, and we are pleased to consider all your suggestions.

Point 1. Introduction - Although the authors have stated that they have significantly changed the way the information is presented in this part of the document, I unfortunately do not have that feeling. For example, a general description of the market for nuts and butter is mixed with reflections on strategic management in general. The authors could first describe what they think about the potential of almond cultivation in Ukraine, the prospects and difficulties of marketing the product, etc. And only after that, move on to thinking about strategic management, its strengths and weaknesses and its application in this production (growing and marketing almonds).

 

Response 1. We have changed the parts of introduction around so as to create the section about the potential of almond cultivation in Ukraine, the prospects and difficulties of marketing the product, etc. (48-108 in version from the original text downloaded from my personal account, 48-108) and the section about strategic management (115-169, 115-158).

 

Point 2. Language mistakes and slips in lines 49, 65, 67, 69, 73 to 625-626.

 

Response 2.

49 - According to → By previous standards – DONE

65 - The relevance of the this work is - DONE

67 - for the diversification of domestic – THIS WAS CORRECTED IN PREVIOUS VERSION

69 - of covering areas → of covered areas - THIS WAS CORRECTED TO “coverage” IN PREVIOUS VERSION, JET DONE

73 - A confusing phrase. How can a strategy be criticized for its rational approach? We meant that the approach of Ansoff is currently outdated. “However, many scholars have criticized corporate strategy for its commitment to the rational approach of its time. The evolution of strategic planning and strategic management is described”. - DONE

74 - G. Mintzberg and D. Waters [7] →Cite only the surnames of the authors of the articles. – DONE (117)

Delete everywhere in the text the first letter and the dot that indicates the name of the author. – DONE (122, 125, 128, 131, 132, 140, 145, 148, 149, 151, 152, 173, 199, 207, 209, 212).

83 - in part, which provides an increase – CHANGED TO “in part that provides an increase” IN THE PREVIOUS VERSION (125).

102 - that further clarifies and clarifies management competencies ←? CHANGED TO “that further clarifies management competencies” (144-145).

123 - found out that – DONE IN THE PREVIOUS VERSION

132 - to the integrated - DONE IN THE PREVIOUS VERSION

137 – As an For example, an E-commerce - DONE

148-152 and 159-163 These phrases describe repetitive information. Can you present this

information/idea in a more coherent way? – WE COULDN`T HAVE RECOGNISED THESE REPETITIONS

Table 1 - The easiest way to outperform and outperform ←Why is the same concept used in the

same sentence twice in a row? – CHANGED TO “The easiest way to outperform competitors in the market is to provide high value to customers.”

204 - of the sequence - DONE

255-256 - A confusing phrase. What exactly was studied, strengths or weaknesses? – WE HAVE CHANGED THE EXPLANATION TO THE LIST IN ROWS 253, 254

257-286 - Here my doubt is the same as the previous one comments. For example, write that

these were the key questions, and that the respondents' answers helped the authors understand

their level of status/influence (weak or strong). – WE HAVE ADDED YOUR SUGGESTED QUOTE TO THE LINES 285, 286.

298 - Please, improve the table header text and also specify what the column with W-n means. – IN THE LINE 297 WE HAVE CHANGED THE TABLE NAME AND ADDED THE HEADER “Statements”

301-310; 313-317 - I propose to move this information and Table 4 to the Annex part. Leave in

the text of the manuscript only a brief description on the subject. - WITH YOUR KIND AGREEMENT, WE WOOLD LIKE TO KEEP THIS WITHOUT CHANGES

352-357 - How does this description relate to the text in this part of the document? - DELETED

366 - ((1) – DONE

395-400 – This information looks more like results than information from "Methods" – WITH YOUR KIND AGREEMENT, WE WOOLD LIKE TO KEEP THIS WITHOUT CHANGES

403 - consultation seminars → consulting seminars - DONE

404 - Is it supposed to develop the nut industry in Ukraine or improve it? – CHANGED TO “These seminars were aimed at improving the nut industry in Ukraine and had several purposes: …”

410 - What project is this? Can you describe more details? Is it a private initiative project, or

funded by national or European funds?

425-426 – Which is differences between farms who grow 13.6 hectares and 1.3 hectares? – WE LEFT THIS FOR OUR NEXT INVESTIGATIONS

427-435 - Why is the term "Segment" used and not "Cluster" as referred to in the methods?

Please be consistent in using established terms. Adding synonyms makes the document difficult

to read. – WE HAVE CHANGED THE WORD “Segment” to the word “Cluster” THROUGHOUT ALL THE TEXT

437 - Table 8 repeats the information described in the previous paragraph. Either leave the table

and write a short comment on it or present the same information in the form of a map.

447-448 - Indicate the source from which information about this increase in production is taken. - DONE

450 – We believe that Ukraine is a potential region for growing almonds… - DONE

451 - uses either " hectares" or "Ha" – DONE (hectares)

450-452 - Indicate the source from which the information was taken. - DONE

456 - climate change is likely to increase the area under almond cultivation; In describing

Opportunities and Threats, use the same description style for each item. This will make the text

easier to read. – IT IS NOT A PROBLEM TO JUST CHANGE THE TEXT; HOWEVER, WE HAVE SENT OUR QUESTIONNAIRE TO THE EDITORIAL OFFICE WITH THE STATEMENTS FROM THE TABLE. MATCHING THEM MAY BE A PROBLEM IF THEY CHANGE

467-471 - Too sharp a jump in the logic of text construction. Before describing the experience of

other countries, write one or more introductory sentences. – WE HAVE ADDED “Nuts are the wealthiest horticultural category, and the worldwide nut trade represents the most valuable of all fruit products that contribute globally. To elaborate a prudent enterprise strategy, the experience of the superior nut producers on the national level should be considered.”

552 - Too sharp a jump in the logic of text construction. It is not clear why the experience of

other countries is important. The authors immediately moved on to the topic of "product

portfolio" without reflecting on the information in the previous topic. – WE HAVE ADDED “Overall, nuts have a great reputation among processors because of their nutritious content, flavor, and consistency. Tree nuts are often gathered in a very short harvesting season. The gathered nuts must be consumed throughout the year. As a result, it is critical to analyze the production enterprise's product portfolio in order to develop a grasp of income-generating opportunities.”

568 - Too sharp a jump in the logic of text construction. Specify that this is a new sub-part of the

results. – THIS PART HAS BEEN EXCLUDED FROM THE TEXT, TAKING INTO ACCOUNT OTHER RECOMMENDATION.

568-604 - The text includes a lot of information that is not perceived as useful. It is not clear how

exactly it is related to the purpose of this article, namely with the production of almonds in

Ukraine. – EXCULDED FROM THE TEXT

610 – 1) “Strategy for the transformation of the …” ← A very confusing phrase. What exactly

should be done with strategy? Should it be developed or improved?; - WE ADDED “Improving the …”;

2) “The growth of volumes…” ←Too affirmative. Authors should be more careful when expressing their opinions. – WE ADDED “It is likely that …”.

Your research shows that there is potential for this, but you cannot guarantee that it will be 100%

this way.

613 – We believe that the strategic development of agricultural enterprises should be based on

the fact take into account that the cultivation of hazelnuts and almonds in Ukraine is

promising. - DONE

615 - When developing the strategic perspective of an agrarian enterprise, it should always opt

it is recommended to give preference for the region and the obtained in this study cluster for

consideration as this determines the vast number of conditions such as logistical expenses and

governmental support. - DONE

620-621 Confusing phrases. Please rewrite. -  DONE

625-626 - Do not confuse a hypothesis with a statement, they are not synonyms. Please rewrite

this part. – CHENGED TO “statement”

 

Point 3. Part of "conclusions" is missing.

 

Response 3. According to the journal rules for writing a conclusion, a conclusion is not mandatory. We combined conclusions with discussion: “Research manuscript sections: Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusions (optional).” https://www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability/instructions

 

Point 4. And finally, please check the English and grammar of the text. There are sentences in the text with the same words repeated. Other phrases are too long, they can be divided into 2 for easier reading.

 

Response 4. We had our manuscript edited by a professional translation agency and received the affidavit during previous expertise. All documents are attached to our response and sent to the editorial office. Please check if you were handed the proper version of the paper.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf