Supply chain management, 3rd party logistics & food quality & safety: evidence from Greece

The aim of this study was to examine whether or not the efficiency of the supply chain management affect the food quality & safety. We focused upon transportation, warehousing, and inventory management. We also examined why food companies choose to outsource logistics functions such as transportation and warehousing and to what extent outsourcing affected food quality & safety. We conducted a large scale quantitative survey during January to March 2005. We faxed 400 questionnaires to Greek food companies with more than 5 personnel. We got 79 usable questionnaires (response rate 19.8%). The data analysis showed that food companies have no doubt that improving food quality means increased market share and profits. Transportation & warehousing are the main cost drivers. The most significant problems of the logistics function are: (1) re-occurring failures to quality control (2) overdue expiration date (3) inefficiencies in product sorting and handling. 44% of the companies have a logistics department. 35% of companies reported that prefer to get 3rd party logistics; most of them are SMEs. 50% of Greek food companies have acquired ISO certification in production, transportation and warehousing. ISO 14001 is rarely used. Almost all companies reported that training of personnel is a factor of improving food quality

Cooperatives Quality: evidence from Greece

The study of the role and contribution of ISO 9000 QMS to the corporate strategic development and organisational change and performance improvement of the Greek Agrocoops, as well as the identification and analysis of the drivers and constraints of this system’s effective implementation and efficient use has and/or should have been the subject of increased attention in recent times, as the majority of these organisations face increasing financial and business operating problems over the last three decades, as it was identified in a collective work of Papageorgiou et al, published in “Syneteristiki Poreia” (volumes of years 2000-2003) and the re-configuration of their organisational practices and activities, referring to any management system adapted and applied – e.g. the ISO 9000 QMS, is considered a must for their business survival in the words of Arvanitoyiannis (2001). As a result of the aforementioned facts and due to his current professional status, the researcher decided to focus his DBA research on issues relating to the role and contribution of the quality management systems - and more particularly of the ISO 9000 Quality Management Systems - to the achievement of Greek Agricultural Cooperatives’ corporate strategic goals and organisational performance improvement through the improvement of their business processes. The critical examination of the ISO 9000 – QualityManagement Systems’ implementation process and use purpose by the Agricultural Cooperatives sector in Greece is the broad and general Topic of my Doctorate Research. It is mainly connected with the following two current issues: - on one hand, with the reanimation of the ongoing dialogue and debate concerning the perspectives of the Agricultural Cooperatives in Greece and the future status of the 15% of the country’s active population, which is occupied in the broader agricultural sector (Bank of Greece, 2002), and - on the other hand, with the ever increasing public concern, interest and demand for safer, healthier and quality enhanced food products and services all over the world (ICAP, 2002 and Arvanitoyiannis, 2000)