Farmers’ Satisfaction and Intention to Continue as Members of Agricultural Marketing Co-operatives: A Test of the Neoclassical and Transaction Costs Theories

Agricultural marketing co-operatives are one among a myriad of options that farmers have to market their products, making survival of the co-operative formula to depend on its capability to compete for the farmers’ satisfaction and membership. This research uses Neoclassical Theory and Transaction Costs Theory to propose a number of antecedents of the farmers’ satisfaction with the co-operative and their intention to remain members in the long term. With data obtained from a sample of 320 producers of fruits and vegetables, members of agricultural marketing cooperatives operating in the fresh fruit and vegetable chain, the results obtained show that 1) the liquidation price is more important to predict the farmers’ satisfaction with the co-operatives than their intention to remain members; 2) transaction costs are important to explain satisfaction and to a larger degree the intention to continue the relationship with the co-operatives; and 3) that liquidation price is more effective upon satisfaction and continuity if transaction costs are lower.Agricultural co-operatives, Transaction Costs Theory, Neoclassical Theory of the firm, satisfaction, continuity, liquidation price, safeguards, adaptation, performance evaluation., Agricultural and Food Policy, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

COmportamiento del cosumidor espanol de productos hortofruticolas

La creciente competencia a la que se enfrentan las empresas hortofruticolas en el mercado, agravada por el enorme poder de negociacion de la gran distribucion y la tendencia a sustituir las frutas y hortalizas por el consumo de otros productos, hace la viabilidad de estas empresas este condicionada por la aceptacion que tienen sus productos entre los consumidores. En este contecto, el objectivo de este trabajo es analizar el comportamiento que el consumidor adopta con relacion a la compra y uso de los productos hortofruticolas, asi como las variables que lo condicionan. El conocimiento de este comportamiento es de gran utilidad paraa que las empresad hortofruticolas adopten las estrategias comerciales que les permitan incrementar la demanda de sis productos y mejorar su competitividad. Entre estas estrategias destaca la innovacion dirigida a dotar a las frutas y hortalizas de las caracteristicas que demanda el consumidor y que les permitan diferenciarles de los competidores. Para lograr esta diferenciacion no basta con innovar, ademas, las empresas deben dar a conocer los atributos diferenciales de su oferta al consumidor, para lo que resulta imprescindible desarrollar una autentica politica de marca y acciones de comunicacion. para implantar estas acciones las empresas hortofruticolas debreran dotarse de recursos humanos bien formados e incrementar su tamano mediante acciones de integracion con otras empresas...Firms commercialising fruits and vegetables are facing increasing levels of competitive rivalry in their markets, situation that is aggravated by the power of negotiation exhibited by the large retailing chains, along with he consumers' tendency to substitute the consumption of fruits and vegetable with other products. This leads to the conclusion that the future of these firms is conditioned by the level of consumers' acceptance of their products. In this context, this article's purpose is to analyse the behaviors that consumers adopt when they buy and consume fruits and vegetables, along with the variables that affect them. The knowledge of this is important for the firms to design and implement strategies to increase the market demand of these products and, finally, to improve their productivity. Among other strategies, innovation must be of critical importance. It must be directed to endow fruits and vegetables with the characteristics the consumers do prefer all attributes that must allow to differentiate a firm's offer from competition. Moreover, and along with innovation, the firms must also communicate their offers to the consumers, what will impose them the necessity of developing authentic policies of branding and communication. To implement these actions the companies must access to human resources well-trained and experienced and to increase their size through integration with other firms

Farmers’ Satisfaction and Intention to Continue as Members of Agricultural Marketing Co-operatives: A Test of the Neoclassical and Transaction Costs Theories

Agricultural marketing co-operatives are one among a myriad of options that farmers have to market their products, making survival of the co-operative formula to depend on its capability to compete for the farmers’ satisfaction and membership. This research uses Neoclassical Theory and Transaction Costs Theory to propose a number of antecedents of the farmers’ satisfaction with the co-operative and their intention to remain members in the long term. With data obtained from a sample of 320 producers of fruits and vegetables, members of agricultural marketing cooperatives operating in the fresh fruit and vegetable chain, the results obtained show that 1) the liquidation price is more important to predict the farmers’ satisfaction with the co-operatives than their intention to remain members; 2) transaction costs are important to explain satisfaction and to a larger degree the intention to continue the relationship with the co-operatives; and 3) that liquidation price is more effective upon satisfaction and continuity if transaction costs are lower