22 research outputs found
What is the effect of university education on chances to be self-employed in transitional countries?: Instrumental variable analysis of cross-sectional sample of 29 nations
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Strategic use of private standards to enhance international competitiveness: Vegetable exports from Kenya and elsewhere
The paper examines how European retailers are using private standards for food safety and,quality as risk management and competitive tools and the strategic responses of leading Kenyan and other developing country supplier/exporters to such standards. Despite measures to harmonize a 'single market', the European fresh produce market is very diverse in terms of consumer preferences, structural dynamics and attention to and enforcement of food safety and other standards. Leading Kenyan fresh produce suppliers have re-positioned themselves at the high end, including 'high care', segments of the market - precisely those that are most demanding in terms of quality assurance and food safety systems. An array of factors have influenced this strategic positioning, including relatively high international freight costs, the emergence of more effective competition in mainstream product lines, relatively low labor costs for produce preparation, and strong market relationships with selected retail chains. To succeed in this demanding market segment, the industry has had to invest substantially in improved production and procurement systems, upgraded pack house facilities, and quality assurance/food safety management systems. (C) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved
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Global food chains: What is the alternative for developing countries?
ADOPTION OF ISO 9000 MANAGEMENT STANDARD IN EU'S TRANSITION ECONOMIES: THE CASE OF THE BALTIC STATES
This article analyzes the dissemination of the main global management standards, the ISO 9000, within the transition economies of the European Union (EU). In the article, the specific case of the Baltic States is analyzed in depth. The work refers to the diffusion of the ISO 9000 standard in the Baltic States in terms of its certification intensity and sectorial distribution. Likewise, the work refers to the huge increase of certifications achieved by the countries and the other transition economies in the previous years of their adhesion to the European Union in years 2004 and 2007. The conclusions drawn in the article may be of interest both for academic and professional spheres of activity but, overall, for public-decisors