The Joint Impact of Supply Chain Integration and Quality Management on the Performance of Pork Processing Firms in China

It is widely acknowledged that competition is no longer between individual firms, but between supply chains. A number of studies have indicated that supply chain integration and quality management have become essential to obtain competitive advantage. The present study tests the relationships among supply chain integration, quality management practices and firm performance in 229 Chinese pork slaughterhouses and processors using structural equation modeling. The most important results are that quality management is positively linked with firm performance. As managers put it "Quality is the life of the enterprise". Pork processing managers that wish to improve their performance are therefore advised to invest in quality management. Equally interesting is the indirect link of supply chain integration through quality management with firm performance. To improve quality of their products and reduce uncertainty in hog supply chains, companies are advised to develop more integrated relationships with their suppliers. However, in contrast to earlier studies, the direct link of supply chain integration and firm performance was not significant. This result may indicate that the Chinese pork processing industry is still in an early stage of SC integration.Supply chain management, quality management practices, pork supply chains, firm performance, China, Agribusiness, Livestock Production/Industries,

Explaining Environmental Management System Development: A Stakeholder Approach

Managerial changes are necessary for companies in the Dutch food industry and agribusiness to lessen the environmental impact of their activities. To identify the opportunities or limits of environmental management systems (EMSs), it is important to first understand what influence stakeholders have on EMS development. In an empirical research we found that developmental levels of internally oriented EMSs, which primarily aim at internal administrative procedures, are explained mainly by the frequency of contacts with governmental authorities. For this kind of EMSs, non-commercial stakeholder groups have a major influence on the corporate environmental policy. Externally oriented EMSs, which focus on joint efforts in supply chains, are influenced by commercial groups in the business network (like suppliers, clients and competitors). The development of externally oriented EMSs requires adjustments in the composition of and interaction with the stakeholder environment by governmental agencies as well as managers in the agri-food sector. Opening up towards the stakeholder environment, by (among others) an adjustment of the information system, integrated (supply-chain wide) auditing and licensing, can enhance cost-efficiency, transparency and sustainability.Environmental management, Stakeholders, Environmental policy, Information system, Environmental Economics and Policy,

Key Success Factors of Innovation in Multinational Agrifood Prospector Companies

The Wageningen Innovation Assessment Tool (WIAT) assesses a company’s drivers and barriers to innovation and benchmarks the critical success and failure factors of its innovation projects with data of agrifood prospector companies around the world. The present paper discusses its application in 12 multinational agrifood prospector companies in the Netherlands and France. It is concluded that WIAT by uncovering the tacit knowledge of the innovation project team creates opportunities for substantial improvement of the innovation process, and that agrifood companies should specifically pay attention to market and product related up-front activities.innovation, assessment tool, agrifood prospector companies, Agribusiness, Agricultural and Food Policy, International Relations/Trade,

The role of Guanxi networks in vegetable supply chains: Empirical evidence from Jiangsu Province, P.R. China

This study at tempt s to empirically investigate the effect of guanxi networks on buyer - seller relationships and on firm performance in vegetable industry in P.R. China. We interviewed 167 vegetable producers and 84 companies to test our conceptual relationship mo del. Results demons t rate that guanxi networks significantly improve buyer - seller relationships regarding interpersonal trust and transaction specific investment s. Buyer - seller relationships show significant impacts on chain performance. Results imply that the effects of guanxi networks differ for producers and companies in the chains. Study also revealed that transaction related at tributes (risk, channel requirements and transaction conditions) also influence buyer - seller relationships and chain performance jointly with guanxi networks. Paper ends with several managerial implications regarding the use of guanxi networks in business practices.Guanxi Network, Buyer - Seller Relationship, Performance, Vegetable, China, Agribusiness,

The Impact of Downstream Network Subgroups on Collaboration and Performance: A Survey of Buyer-Supplier Relationships in the Dutch Flower Sector

In this paper, we aim to identify those network subgroups that enhance the collaborative governance in a focal buyer-supplier relationship. We argue, that partners in a focal buyer-supplier relationship can be seen as embedded in a broader network of business relationships with network subgroups, (e.g. other buyers, buyers customers), which provide information that can support the collaborative governance, assessed by flexibility, joint planning and joint problem solving, by lowering the level of information asymmetry between the partners. Empirical evidence was gathered through a mailed questionnaire returned by 175 Dutch suppliers of potted plants and flowers. Our results show the importance of the information provided by the network subgroups to manage the focal buyer-supplier relationships and ultimately the impact on performance. Interestingly, although five network subgroups were mentioned in the questionnaire, suppliers only obtained reliable information for their focal relationship from the downstream subgroups of other buyers (i.e. merchant-distributors) and buyer's customers (i.e. supermarkets and flower shops). In order to avoid redundancy, managers in seeking information in their business network should not consider the network as a whole, but rather the downstream subgroups.Industrial Organization,

INNOVATION THROUGH (INTERNATIONAL) FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN DEVELOPMENT: A RESEARCH AGENDA

This paper presents a research agenda on innovation through (international) food supply chains and networks in developing countries. It derives major topics from a multi-perspective view on international food chains (economic, technology, social/legal and environment) and from different theoretical streams dealing with chains and networks (Supply Chain Management, Industrial Organization theory and Network Theory). Three agri-supply chain projects in developing countries (Thailand, South-Africa, Ghana) are analyzed to identify focus areas in supply chain development projects and important gaps. These projects were collaborative actions between companies and research institutes to initiate international supply chain development.Industrial Organization,

Coordinating Clusters: A Cross Sectoral Study of Cluster Organization Functions in The Netherlands

The present paper aims at answering the question how cluster organization functions are implemented in a high‐tech, a medium to high‐tech and a low to medium‐tech cluster. Data were collected by semi‐structured interviews from three clusters in the Netherlands, an agri‐food cluster (as an example of a low to medium‐tech cluster), a green biotech cluster (medium to high‐tech) and a high‐tech cluster. Concerning the cluster organization functions a number of similarities were found. For all three clusters it can be concluded that the network support function is considered to be very important. Sector independence can further be found concerning the innovation process support function, specifically regarding the promotion of the region as an attractive living and working area for highly qualified employees. The results also show anumber of clear differences among the investigated clusters. Only in the low‐to‐medium tech agri‐food cluster there was a clear need for internationalization support for SMEs to reach foreign markets. Only in the green biotech cluster the demand articulation was focused on the region where the cluster is based, which stands in contrast to the highly international orientation of the member companies. Only in the high‐tech innovation cluster technology road mapping was extensively used. This powerful tool, developed to align the innovation process at the company and sector level, impacted further on the execution of the demand articulation/ network formation support functions, and could also be helpful for the green biotech and the agri‐food clusters. Throughout the paper different cluster categorization schemes are besides the tech level are applied and give insights on their limitations and how to possibly deal with them in inter sectorial cluster comparison research

Alliance Performances in the Dutch Biotechnology Sector

 In the biotechnology sector small R&D intensive firms play a fundamental role to keep innovation rates high. With less bureaucratic burdens, low level of hierarchy and high internal flexibility they are able to move fast and to make most efficient use of unique competences. Still their shortage in resources, related to company size, makes them dependent on a strong network of alliances to get access to missing competences and materials. This paper aims at establishing the influence of alliance characteristics on the innovation performance of firms in the biotechnology sector. It presents a conceptual model to clarify the special role of collaboration intensity and how human resource exchange is related to innovation performance of biotechnology alliances

Onno) Omta and Frances T

Abstract This paper aims to analyze the effectiveness of the different cluster organization functions (services, activities and information sources) of Food Valley Organization in the Dutch agifood innovation system, as evaluated by its member companies. It is concluded that, in accordance with cluster organization theory, the networking formation function is the most important one, next demand articulation and innovation process management. However, our findings indicate that also visionary leadership, regional development and internationalization, stimulating entrepreneurial experimentation and providing downstream (market) information should be included in future analyses of cluster organization functions in innovation systems