This papers objective is to analyze the main differences between financial management in family and non-family small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the textile industry. It considers variables such as sales growth and implementation of management control systems (MCS) as strategic and sustainable factors of business competitiveness. In this regard, the paper uses agency theory (Fama, 1980), which identifies that family enterprises have fewer agency costs because ownership and management are held by family members, and contingency theory, which is based on the study of MCS and their related performance (Otley, 1980; Tiessen and Waterhouse, 1983; Chenhall, 2003). The results show that family SMEs have lower sales growth than non-family SMEs and that there is no direct relationship between the implementation of MCS and performance.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a model of competitiveness for the bovine livestock industry in the state of Yucatan, Mexico, by considering factors such as innovation, marketing, and finance (Perea and Rivas, 2008). Design/methodology/approach Owners of 30 cattle ranches were included in the state surveys, with each ranch having at least 1,000 head of cattle. The study was quantitative, and used the method of thresholds (Pengfei, 2006), stratification of Dalenius and Hodges (1959), Pearson’s correlation, and multivariate regression analysis. Findings The level of competitiveness in the livestock industry in Yucatan, and a model for its determination obtained as results reflect a similar importance for the three factors, with marketing and innovation being considered relatively more important. Research limitations/implications It is worth nothing the context in which this information can be applies. Originality/value This study is unique because the results obtained have important practical implications for the sector. The livestock industry in Yucatan represents one of the main strategic activities of the state, and now faces serious problems of competitiveness.

This chapter's objective is to show that finance, marketing and innovation could be considered as factors of competitiveness. Owners of 30 cattle ranches were included in the state surveys, with each ranch having at least 1000 head of cattle. The study was quantitative and used a multiple linear regression model. The results were that the use of financial information, the profitability and funding are components of finance factor. The product and the process innovation are components of innovation factor and the market positioning, the knowledge of the competition and customer satisfaction are components of marketing factor, being the profitability, the market positioning, the customer satisfaction, the product and the process innovation, relatively more important.

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