Food System Dynamics (E-Journals)
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Uncovering Value Creation Factors in Organic Food Supply Chains
Get PDFAppropriate value creation processes play a key role in the success of organic food supply chains in terms of effective response to consumer requirements and sustainability goals. In this study we explore key drivers for value creation in the Spanish organic olive supply chain taken as representative case study. A business model survey was conducted with the participation of a highly qualified panel of experts to provide innovative options for value generation in the organic olive oil industry. Elicited expert judgements relate to the identification of the potential sources of adding value along the supply chain as a whole and among its different actors, as well as the factors that influence positively and negatively the adding-value formation. Findings contribute new ideas and pathways to develop innovative, effective and sustainable business models capable to generate value for companies, customers and the society as a whole. Results can be readily applied in real-world case studies to improve existing company business models
Consumer Personality and Local Food Specialties: The Case of Norway
Get PDFIn studies of consumption of local food specialties (LFSs), individual personalities are rarely mentioned. In this article, we want to expand on and provide a nuanced explanation of the characteristics of these consumers of these products, asking: Are there any personality traits that characterize these consumers?We use the Big Five personality model to unpack the relationship between individuals' personalities and choices of LFS in the Norwegian context. The model consists of the following five personal traits: extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness to experience. These personality traits are latent, but through questions regarding behavior, the traits may be revealed. To construct latent variables to measure these traits, we apply the graded response model. Furthermore, socioeconomic variables are combined with personality traits inlogistic regression models to find the relationships between personality and choice of Norwegian LFSs.Our results show that in all models the latent variable Openness to experience was one of the most important predictors of all the choices of LFS made by individuals. Openness to experience is characterized by fantasy, aesthetic sensitivity, attentiveness to inner feelings, preference for variety, and intellectual curiosity.The consequence of the connection between Openness to experience and LFS is that stakeholders may take this into account when seeking to increase sales
Organic Farming as a Rural Development Factor in Poland – the Role of Good Governance and Local Policies
Get PDFThe main goal of this article is to assess the conditions under which market-oriented and formally organised organic farming might become a factor for local development. The main question is: to what degree is the impact of this factor (organic farming) due to local policies and the quality of local governance? Based on research carried out in 2013 and in 2016 in various parts of Poland, the authors demonstrate when and under what conditions and circumstances organic farming may improve farmers’ social and economic conditions as well as the overall development of areas with a significant organic agricultural sector (proportionally to the local scale). The preliminary findings underline that local authorities in rural areas are an institution that can significantly contribute to the maintenance and development of organic farming in Poland
Oliver E. Williamson, a Brief Summary of his Life
Get PDFTribute to Prof. Oliver E. Williamson, 2009 Nobel Ptize winner in Economcs
Utilization of Food Quality Labels Included in the European Union Quality Schemes
Get PDFThe paper deals with European Union quality schemes of Protected Designation of Origin, Protected Geographical Indication and Traditional Speciality Guaranteed labels. This paper aims to analyse the share of PDO, PGI and TSG labels in EU countries, selected product categories and their structure, and explains the relationships between country of product origin and number of registered product names. Secondary data from the Database of Origin and Registration are used. As the results show, the highest number of product names is registered under the PDO label, followed closely by the PGI label. The dominant country is Italy followed by other Mediterranean countries such as France, Spain, Portugal and Greece
Food-Scanners as a Radical Innovation in German Fresh Produce Supply Chains
Get PDFOriginally advertised as tools for end-consumers, portable food-scanners have recently reached a high level of awareness and show potential as instruments for quality assessment along fruit and vegetable supply c hains. The current study explores preferences and concerns of chain actors regarding the implementation of this technology through semi-structured interviews. Results indicate that food-scanners could facilitate quality control at different levels of the fresh produce supply chain by providing fast, non-destructive and objective measurements. Concerns about the application of food-scanners could be identified with respect to potential additional requirements of fruit wholesaler resulting in more pressure on producers. To further a goal-oriented and user-directed development of this new technology, future research should be directed at its impacts on perception of fruit quality along the chain as well as end-consumers’ readiness to use these devices in everyday life
Anticipated Futures for Modern Rural Economies ‐ a Request for Guidance by Research, Policy and the Business Community
Get PDFThis paper builds on a review of literature and EU policies for rural development, innovation, entrepreneurship and the bio‐based economy. It provides a basis for conceptualizing modern rural economies dealing with food, biobased value chains, and valorization of ecosystem services regarding future conditions for rural entrepreneurship (including agriculture), remote areas (including those in coastal areas), and urban‐rural integration. It will outline emerging opportunities to promote diversification, shared values, innovation, and resource conservation, and toreach a common understanding of the solutions to set up a “Modern Rural Economy” in different conditions. In general, there are many opportunities for rural development, many of them linked to emerging technologies which reduce the relevance of distance in marketing, sales and many other activity domains and to business opportunities evolving within the bio‐economy and ecosystem services. However, it becomes obvious that the realization of opportunities needs to build on the simultaneous engagement of various stakeholders in business development, research, and public administration. Successful developments require an integrated development approach which combines opportunities into a comprehensive development program
Market failures in supplying animal welfare: some conceptual thoughts for future research
Get PDFProviding adequate levels of farm animal welfare is a challenge in today’s societies. Economic research shows that neither market valuation for credence attributes in opaque markets, nor transparency improved market valuation with labelling schemes, nor non-market valuation in hypothetical markets to take account of non-use values, nor non-monetary valuation in an ethical context will suffice to provide adequate levels of farm animal welfare. Monetary and non-monetary valuation problems stem from the complex concept of farm animal welfare and ethical challenges in utilitarian and anthropocentric approaches. Animal centred valuation of farm animal welfare is suggested as one future venue of economic research requiring to leave behind speciesism
Agrokor Case: The Recent Past and The Uncertain Future of The Big Agribusiness Conglomerate In Croatia
Get PDFThe leading agribusiness group Agrokor is one of the biggest in Croatia today with respect to number of integrated companies, employees, and revenues. Its constant growth was based on acquisitions and mainly financed through borrowing. Although questions about Agrokor indebtedness were raised occasionally, the first time the problem was taken seriously was in 2017. Hence, the special national law was adopted according to which Extraordinary Administration and government commissioners were appointed with the role to maintain day-to-day activities, and conduct settlement procedure and restructuring. The objective of this paper is to determine the nature of unfocused growth of Agrokor and its consequences on the business results. For that purpose, financial analysis of main Agrokor member companies was performed. The results reveal decrement in revenues, and increment in costs for the period 2012-2016, which caused lowering of profitability and rise of indebtedness. Altman Z-score showed that all companies are one step to bankruptcy. Furthermore, the main idea is to determine supply chain models through which the company is embedded in the national agribusiness
Defining a Conceptual Model for Market Mechanisms in Food Supply Chains, and Parameterizing Price Functions for Coffee, Wheat, Corn, Soybeans, and Beef
Get PDFThe contribution of the study presented in this paper is twofold. Firstly, to add to the present body of knowledge of food supply and demand model dynamics and the associated economics, based on system analysis. It describes a new approach for dealing with price mechanisms in models based on causal links and dynamic feedbacks. It has been applied to some main global food commodities, but has also been used for metals and materials in a parallel study. The price mechanism is described in a way to be useful for other modelers dealing with price mechanism, and it enables modelers to make dynamic price endogenous in models. Secondly, it presents price function curves for different food commodities, parameterizing a fundamental property of the commodity trade