Against the background of global market liberalization, increasing consumer awareness and concerns and the spreading of complex technology, new ways to produce, distribute and consume food are evolving. The organization of agricultural production and distribution systems need to adapt, including the development and maintenance of sustainable business relationships between farmers, food processors and grocery retailers. While agricultural value chains have been promoted for decades, more attention is needed on how to enable economic agents to develop lasting relationships and trust within value chains.
Using qualitative and quantitative empirical results,
Agri-food Chain Relationships offers an insight into the sustainability of current agribusiness relationships and discusses how these may be improved. Theoretical foundations for analysing agri-food chain relations are considered alongside case studies of different countries, food chains and chain stages regarding the issues of sustainable relationships and trust.
Researchers and students in agribusiness or agricultural economics, agribusiness managers, sector policy-makers and business development organizations.
PART 1: Agri-food Chain Relationships - Context and Theoretical Foundations
Building Sustainable Relationships in Agri-food Chains: Challenges from Farm to Retail - Luis Miguel Albisu, Klaus Frohberg and Monika Hartmann
Collaborative Advantage, Relational Risks, Contracts and Relationship Sustainability: a Literature Review - Christian Fischer and Nikolai Reynolds
Inter-organisational Relationships in Agri-food Systems: an Integrated Transaction Cost-Network Analysis Framework - Fabio Chaddad
Behavioural Economics and the Theory of Social Structure: Relevance for Understanding Relationship Sustainability - Johannes Simons and Monika Hartmann
PART 2: Empirical Evidence on Relationship Types, Relationship Sustainability, Trust and Use of Contracts
Trust and Relationship Types in Agri-food Chain Relationships in Selected European countries - Maeve Henchion, Azucena Gracia, Philip Leat and Christian Fischer
The Determinants of Relationship Type Choice and Relationship Sustainability: a European Cross-country Analysis - Christian Fischer, Monika Hartmann, Nikolai Reynolds, Philip Leat, César Revoredo-Giha, Maeve Henchion, Luis Miguel Albisu and Azucena Gracia
Enhancing the Integration of Agri-food Supply Chains: Challenges in the UK Malting Barley Supply Chain - César Revoredo-Giha and Philip Leat
From Transactions to Relationships: the Case of the Irish Beef and Pigmeat Supply Chains - Maeve Henchion and Bridin McIntyre
Inter-enterprise Relationships as Determinants for Competitiveness in the Agri-food Sector: the Spanish Wheat-to-Bread Chain - Azucena Gracia and Luis Miguel Albisu
Reviewing Relationship Sustainability in the Case of the German Wheat-to-Bread Chain - Miroslava Bavorova and Heinrich Hockmann
Vertical Relationships in the US Agri-food System: the Role of Agricultural Cooperatives - Fabio Chaddad
Guanxi and Contracts in Chinese Vegetable Supply Chains: an Empirical Investigation - Hualiang Lu, Jacques Trienekens, Onno Omta and Shuyi Feng
A Review of the Trust Situation in Agribusiness Chain Relationships in the Asia-Pacific with focus on the Philippines and Australia - Peter Batt
How Buyer-Supplier Relationships Can Create Value - the Case of the Australian Wine Industry - Lynlee Hobley and Peter Batt
PART 3: Implications and Recommendations
Best Practice in Relationship Management: Recommendations for Farmers, Processors and Retailers - Jacques Trienekens, Peter Batt and Christian Fischer
Improving Agri-food Chain Relationships: the Role of Government - Klaus Frohberg, Maeve Henchion, Luis Miguel Albisu and Philip Leat
Lessons Learned: Recommendations for Future Research on Agri-food Chain Relationships - Fabio Chaddad, Hualiang Lu, Christian Fischer and Monika Hartmann
The integration into global and local agri-food value chains requires farmers, food processors and grocery retailers to develop and maintain close and sustainable business relationships with buyers and suppliers. Attention is needed on how to enable economic agents to develop trust and lasting relationships within value chains. Using...
Fischer <b>Christian Fischer<b> is an associate professor of agricultural economics and management at the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano in Italy. At the time of writing this book, he worked at Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand. By training, he is an agribusiness economist, holding a doctorate in agricultural economics from a German university and a specialized master's degree in agro-industrial management from a French business school. He has also earned an Australian postgraduate certificate in international economics and a German MSc in food economics. He has worked in private sector and academic positions. His current research focuses on agri-food chain economics and management, and the marketing of food products.
Hartmann <b>Monika Hartmann</b> is professor for food market research at the Rheinische-Friedrich-Wilhelms-University Bonn, Germany. Prior to her present position she worked as professor at the Institute for Agricultural Development (IAMO) in Halle and at the University of Halle (Germany). She received her PhD from the University of Giessen, Germany. Her research covers qualitative and quantitative market and policy analysis with respect to the food sector. Current work focuses on health and nutrition issues, ethical consumption and on corporate social responsibility in the food sector. She presently serves as the president of the European Agricultural Economics Association.