The limitations of market driven sustainability: The case of environmental management systems for food production in Australia.

Environmental Management Systems (EMSs) address environmental risks in supply chains and certification of environmental claims. Governments supporting EMSs have encouraged producers to respond to anticipated consumer environmental concerns. Attempts at implementing EMSs have rarely been in direct response to market demand but are usually farmer organisation driven - to forestall increased regulation. In Australia, consumer demand for foods produced to environmentally sustainable standards is minimal because consumers don't believe these products offer special benefits. EMS implementation is expensive and onerous; and the products require a market premium. Food consumers have difficulty differentiating the terms organic, environmentally-friendly, and sustainably-produced in food labelling.EMS, environmental marketing, sustainable food production, eco-labelling, Environmental Economics and Policy,

Limitations of market driven sustainability : the case of environmental management systems for food production in Australia

Environmental Management Systems (EMSs) address environmental risks in supply chains and certification of environmental claims. Governments supporting EMSs have encouraged producers to respond to anticipated consumer environmental concerns. Attempts at implementing EMSs have rarely been in direct response to market demand but are usually farmer organisation driven &ndash; to forestall increased regulation. In Australia, consumer demand for foods produced to environmentally sustainable standards is minimal because consumers don&rsquo;t believe these products offer special benefits. EMS implementation is expensive and onerous; and the products require a market premium. Food consumers have difficulty differentiating the terms organic, environmentally-friendly, and sustainably-produced in food labelling.<br /

Exploring the opportunities for sustainable food labelling : a supply chain perspective

This study examines supply chain members&rsquo; beliefs regarding the opportunities to develop foods produced under an \u27eco-friendly\u27 label. The study involved in-depth interviews with 17 Australian senior managers in food organisations who have marketing responsibilities and who have expert product and consumer knowledge (c.f. Clift and Wright 2000, Peattie 2000). The findings suggest that respondents have widely different beliefs regarding the meaning of \u27eco-friendly\u27 and believe that claims regarding \u27eco-friendly\u27 characteristics are difficult to substantiate. They further suggested that \u27eco-friendly\u27 considerations are not a major influencer of consumer food purchase decisions at present and thus \u27eco-friendly\u27 production was not a strategic focus of their companies. Respondents felt that \u27eco-friendly\u27 labelling would not be successful until consumers&rsquo; value \u27eco-friendly\u27 food attributes.<br /

Environmentally sustainable food production and marketing : opportunity or hype?

Purpose: Identify and analyse the beliefs of value-chain intermediaries regarding the production and marketing of food products conforming to environmentally sustainable standards.Methodology: In-depth, semi-structured, face-to-face interviews with senior managers of food companies across the value chain.Findings: In Australia, the demand for foods that are produced under environmentally sustainable standards has been slow to take-off because (a) customers do not perceive these products as offering any special benefits (b) customers distrust the claims made by organisations (c) these products are much more expensive than traditional products, and (d) the implementation of environmental standards is expensive. Customers claim that the use of different terminologies such as organic, green and environmentally friendly in promotingfood products is confusing.Research Limitations: Findings are not generalisable because the study is based on a small sample.Practical Implications: Value-chain intermediaries are unlikely to voluntarily adopt environmental standards because of low demand for such foods and the high costs of adopting and monitoring environmentally sustainable production and marketing regimes

Strategic experimentation and innovation in rural Australia

This article is a case study of a small-scale family enterprise which successfully introduced a new crop, adopted new farming methods, formed a research, development and marketing alliance with a major international company, and fostered R&D alliance with several government organisations. The study was completed through reviewing government, consultant and industry reports, and in-depth face-to-face interviews of key informants in industry and government. The findings showcase the importance of entrepreneurship (ingenuity to seize opportunities, effectively use personal contact networks, take risks, experiment through trial and error learning, adapt and, notwithstanding immense barriers, to continue with the venture) and a supportive national culture in fostering innovation and business development

Incremental innovation and business performance: small and medium-size food enterprises in a concentrated industry environment

Past studies have analyzed issues pertaining to the definition of innovation, methods of measuring innovation and the relationship between organizational characteristics and innovation orientation. Extant studies have adopted a large business or a technologically intense context of study. By studying the adoption of new products, methods, systems, markets, and supply sources in small and medium-size seafood retail enterprises, this study reviews innovation and the adoption of innovation in a broader and novel context. Seafood retailers in this study operate in a concentrated industry environment where two large supermarket chains account for more than 70 percent of national food retail sales. The seafood retailers operate in a highly competitive environment, the industry is maturing, the firms are not very advanced technologically, and the sector has a disproportionately large number of firms owned and operated by persons of non-English speaking backgrounds. The results of the study indicate that incremental innovation offers substantial competitive advantages to small and medium-size firms, that incremental innovations can be adopted and operationalized rapidly by entrepreneurs with different cultural backgrounds and skills, and that small and medium-size firms that focus on sales and marketing innovations are profitable and are able to compete successfully with large businesses

Using the internet to enhance small to medium sized food businesses

The report discusses the findings of an Information & Communication Technology (ICT) adoption project by five small-to-medium sized (SME) food enterprises in Australia. The project was based on a research-analyse-mentor-implement-review framework that entailed substantial engagement between participating SMEs and the Food Marketing Research Unit (FMRU) of Victoria University. The FMRU and the SMEs jointly analysed and defined individual SME’s business from a customer satisfying perspective and thereafter worked with ICT contractors to identify and introduce ICT infrastructure that aligned with the strategic intent of the SME. The FMRU team mentored and guided the owners and managers of the SMEs through the entire process of evaluating and prioritising the strategic objectives of their business and identifying and introducing appropriate ICT infrastructure that aligned with these objectives

Incremental Innovation and Business Performance: Small and Medium Sized Food Enterprises in a Concentrated Industry Environment

Past studies have analyzed issues pertaining to the definition of innovation, methods of measuring innovation and the relationship between organizational characteristics and innovation orientation. Extant studies have adopted a large business or a technologically intense context of study. By studying the adoption of new products, methods, systems, markets, and supply sources in small and medium-size seafood retail enterprises, this study reviews innovation and the adoption of innovation in a broader and novel context. Seafood retailers in this study operate in a concentrated industry environment where two large supermarket chains account for more than 70 percent of national food retail sales. The seafood retailers operate in a highly competitive environment, the industry is maturing, the firms are not very advanced technologically, and the sector has a disproportionately large number of firms owned and operated by persons of non-English speaking backgrounds. The results of the study indicate that incremental innovation offers substantial competitive advantages to small and medium-size firms, that incremental innovations can be adopted and operationalized rapidly by entrepreneurs with different cultural backgrounds and skills, and that small and medium-size firms that focus on sales and marketing innovations are profitable and are able to compete successfully with large businesses