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This publication contains the proceedings of the 5th international conference on chain and network management in agribusiness and the food industry. Papers will focus on the paradoxes caused by conflicting interests in the fields of economics and ethics, technology and environment, legislation and internationalisation, etc. The modern consumer demands highquality products, in broad assortments throughout the year, and for competitive prices. Society imposes constraints on companies in order to economize on the use of resources, ensure animal-friendly and safe production, and restrict pollution. Together with technological developments and increased international competition, these demands have changed the production, trade, and distribution of food products beyond recognition. Demand is no longer confined to local or regional supply. The food industry is now swiftly becoming an interconnected system with a large variety of complex relationships. This is changing the way food is brought to the market. Currently, even fresh produce shipped from halfway around the world can be offered at competitive prices. These developments are accompanied by national and international regulations and legislation in the area of food quality and safety. In response to these changes, business strategies must now focus not only on traditional economical and technological interests, but also on topical issues such as the safety and healthfulness of food products, animal friendliness, the environment, etc. To effectively address paradoxical demands facing businesses, many problems and opportunities must be approached from a multi-disciplinary perspective, and trade-offs must be made between different aspects of production, trade and the distribution of food.
"This book brings together a rich collection of material on management and organization in agri-food chains and networks. Producers, processors, traders and retailers of agricultural and food products operate in an economic and institutional environment that is increasingly dominated by global developments. Therefore, organizing efficient and effective supply chains as well as managing collaboration among participating firms requires an international perspective. This book presents theoretical and practical insights from many different parts of the world. Topics covered include classical supply chain management issues like logistics, information exchange (e.g. tracking and tracing), quality control, safety assurance, and chain performance. Other timely issues covered are joint innovation, and shared responsibility for sustainability in agri-food supply chains. Special attention is given to issues of governance and organization of chains and networks, for example, by focussing on the role of producer organisations (such as farmer cooperatives) in their effort to combine horizontal and vertical collaboration in the international upply chain. This book is relevant for both academics and managers interested in the latest advances in research on management and organization of international agri-food chains and networks."
"Companies in food- and agribusiness chains and networks are facing ever-faster changes in the business environment, to which they must respond through continuous innovation. Societal concerns regarding animal welfare and environmental issues have to be met in a very competitive, increasingly global environment. The growing concern of consumers regarding the quality, traceability and environmental friendliness of products and processes call for fundamentally new ways of developing, producing and marketing products. New ways of organizing food supply networks, with new ties between firms and even between formerly separate sectors -such as the health and the food sector- are needed to cope with these new demands. This publication focusses on the dynamic response to these changes in chains and networks. Important topics include among others: critical success factors for design and control of innovative chains and networks, globalization of the business environment, effects of institutional and policy change, governance structures, technologies for managing interaction and design of information architectures for chains and networks."
This publication comprises material on recent studies on quality management in agri-food chains. Due to several food crisis’s (e.g. BSE, Foot-and-Mouth disease) and growing demands for food quality and safety, quality management systems and quality assurance schemes have been widely adopted in different countries in recent years. Scientific knowledge about the features, the acceptance and the effectiveness and efficiency of these newly introduced quality management initiatives, has remained scarce until now. The material by experts in the field, focuses on the evaluation of quality management systems and quality assurance schemes. The main issues are the costs and benefits of quality management given the influence of the public sector and consumers' expectations about food quality and safety. Not only are benchmarking and harmonisation methods examined with regard to their impact on the effectiveness of quality assurance schemes, but, also the role of trust, cooperation and integration for efficient quality management is discussed. Different economic theories such as microeconomics, organization and marketing theory as well as advanced statistical methods are applied. Concepts are discussed from the various points of view of industrialised, export-oriented and developing countries throughout the book. The information in this book give a comprehensive review of quality management concepts in food chains and highlight future research directions from a global perspective. This book is of interest to all those who concern themselves with the topic, be it in academia or in the professional sector.
"In the current business landscape, many business firms compete in one project and cooperate in another related project, and they do so at the same time. Even more interesting is that certain members of these firms are involved in both projects. This book examines this new business landscape"--Résumé de l'éd.
Against the background of global market liberalization, increasing consumer awareness and concerns and the spreading of complex technology, new ways to produce, distribute and consume food are evolving. The organization of agricultural production and distribution systems need to adapt, including the development and maintenance of sustainable business relationships between farmers, food processors and grocery retailers. While agricultural value chains have been promoted for decades, more attention is needed on how to enable economic agents to develop lasting relationships and trust within value chains. Using qualitative and quantitative empirical results, Agri-food Chain Relationships offers an insight into the sustainability of current agribusiness relationships and discusses how these may be improved. Theoretical foundations for analysing agri-food chain relations are considered alongside case studies of different countries, food chains and chain stages regarding the issues of sustainable relationships and trust.
"International supply chains of vulnerable tropical food products face major problems in the fields of quality performance and coordination between supply chain partners. Degradation and variability of quality, segmentation of supply networks and scattered production by smallholder producers could severely hinder reliable deliveries at required standards. Concerted efforts for improving governance regimes and management practices are required to enhance supply chain performance. This book provides a comprehensive overview of the interfaces between market outlet choice, supply chain governance, quality management and value added distribution. Main attention is given to better incentives and transparency in contracts and bargaining procedures that could contribute to reduced transaction costs and risk, as well as techno-managerial strategies for improving both quality and value added. The editors present an integrated interdisciplinary framework for the simultaneous analysis of technical, managerial and socio-economic dimensions of international supply chain originating in developing countries. Selected case studies based on extensive field research highlight in Costa Rica (mango and pepper), Ivory Coast (pineapples), Kenya (fish), Ethiopia (dairy), Ghana (cocoa), India (cashew) and China (vegetables and pork) provide detailed insights in different options for enhancing integrated quality management and supply chain coordination. Professionals and practioners involved in the design, management and assessment of (inter)national supply chains for tropical products will particularly benefit from this unique collection."
"During the last decade, sector wide crises in agriculture have rapidly followed each other, resulting in serious consumer concerns about the quality and safety of agri-food products. To prevent new crises, governments have developed quality regulations and retailers have introduced quality management standards. However, concerns have been raised about the administrative burdens placed on firms, because they must comply with many private and public quality regulations. Therefore, both government and firms strive for more integration and self regulation of quality management systems. By combining managerial and economic theory, this study builds a framework to demonstrate the impact of integrated quality management on self regulation and performance. Using empirical evidence from the poultry meat, the fruit and vegetable and the flower and potted plant chains, this study shows that integrated quality management systems positively affect performance and self regulation. However, it is necessary to find committed partners that share the firm’s quality objectives. In most cases, too strict enforcement of quality requirements is destructive, initiates conflict and does not lead to higher performance. Furthermore, governmental agencies should focus on innovative approaches to assure quality. Not legislation, but factors such as media attention and corporate social responsibility enlarge the integration of quality management systems. This book is recommended for a broad audience of professionals, practitioners and policy makers who concern themselves with the design, management and assessment of quality management and self regulation in agri-food supply chains."
Globalization of business markets and the rapid development of information technology are making information management more and more important. By combining managerial and economic theory, this book builds a framework to demonstrate facilitating factors for inter-organizational information exchange and the effects of information exchange on supply chain compliance and business performance. We have strong indications, both theoretical and empirical, that such an integrative conceptual framework is needed to grasp the complexity of information exchange between business partners. Using empirical evidence from the poultry chain in Mainland China, this book supports the complementary roles between contractual governance and trust in the process of improving the willingness to communicate. It also proposes that communication quality needs to be broader than information quality. Finally, it illustrates that in order to stand out from main competitors, companies should not only commit to realizing more potential communication benefits for themselves, but also for their main partners. Different solutions for buyers and suppliers in optimizing their business performance are also discussed. This book is recommended for a broad audience of professionals, practitioners and policy makers who concern themselves with information management, supply chain management, channel relationship management and performance management.
Supply Chain Management (SCM) has always been an important aspect of an enterprise’s business model and an effective supply chain network is essential to remaining competitive in a global environment. By properly managing the flow of goods and services, businesses can operate more efficiently while managing most of the workload behind-the-scenes. The Handbook of Research on Global Supply Chain Management is an in-depth reference source that covers emerging issues and relevant applications of information pertaining to supply chain management from an international perspective. Featuring coverage on topics such as the global importance of SCMs to strategies for producing an effective supply chain, this comprehensive publication is an essential resource for academics and business professionals alike interested in uncovering managerial insight and logistics solutions.