Food System Dynamics (E-Journals)
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The Coexistence of PDO and Brand Labels: The Case of the Ready-sliced Parma Ham
Get PDFThe general purpose of the paper is to investigate consumer's attitude towards high quality agri-food products. The research analyses PDO labelled products packaged by law in the production area. Within the same area, the Producers' Group imposes the use of the Consortium label as a quality sign. As consequence, collective labels as well are find on a product packaging, by virtue of the fact that not only they graphically and symbolically represent quality, but they also inform customers about the properties of a specific PDO good. Moreover, on the same package other labels (industrial and private ones) are displayed on the same package. At this purpose, the research analysis of the customers' perception of such particular labels combination focusing the case of the ready-sliced Parma ham. The analysis gives the opportunity of evaluating, from an economic perspective, aspects related to the use of multi-labelling strategy
Empirically Testing for Dynamic Causality between Promotions and Sales Beer Promotions and Sales in England
Get PDFWe devise a decision tool to help economic researchers select a causal detection method compatible with real-world dynamics of an economic system under investigation. We apply it to test for dynamic causality between promotions and sales of a case-study beer brand in England. We find evidence that promotions and sales data for the brand are generated by a nonlinear deterministic dynamic system. Under these circumstances, conventional Granger Causality detection methods impose unreasonable restrictions on real-world market dynamics, and thus must give way to recently formulated Cross Convergent Mapping (CCM) methods. Our application of CCM methods provides strong evidence that promotions and sales for the brand are bi-causal. Promotions have a long-term impact on sales, and sales have a long-term impact on promotion decisions
Supply Chain Control Principles in Local Food Production: A Norwegian Case Study
Get PDFBased on an analysis of the supply chain of four producers of local specialty foods, we explore how planning and control principles can be applied to align supply chain capabilities and market requirements. It has been shown that local food struggles with market access, and that the supply chain is one of the obstacles preventing local food producers from gaining a solid market position. We identify a number of features of the local food chain, analyse the obstacles and develop generic designs and control principles for local food producers
Worldwide Evidences in the Relationships between Agriculture, Energy and Water Sectors
Get PDFWater, food and energy (WFE) are strongly interconnected: each depends on the other for a lot of concerns, spanning from guaranteeing access to services, to environmental, social and ethical impact issues, to price relations.The development, use, and waste generated by demand for these resources drive global changes and fears of resource scarcity. To date, a new approach to the concept of sustainable development is emerging and a joint analysis of these three areas is needed. “Demand for water, food and energy is expected to rise by 30-50% in the next two decades, while economic disparities incentivize short-term responses in production and consumption that undermine long-term sustainability. Shortages could cause social and political instability, geopolitical conflict and irreparable environmental damages. Any strategy that focuses on one part of the WFE relationships without considering its interconnections risks serious unintended consequences” (World Economic Forum, 2011).In the last years international organizations have organized several conferences to raise awareness of the WFE nexus (IISD 2011, footnote p.6) and some studies have addressed this issue trying to provide a theoretical integrated view aimed at understanding how to tackle these complex relationships when identifying policies and actions (Brazilian et al. 2011, Elobeid et al. 2013, Howells et al. 2013). These studies have analyzed the technical connection that exists between the three elements in order to highlight the need for joint policy designed to ensure a sustainable development. From an economic point of view, there are still very few analysis that utilize empirical approaches to support recent theoretical literature (Peterson et al. 2014, Curmi et al. 2013).This area is clearly massive and an economic analysis of the link aimed at understanding the interactions and correlations on a global scale is still needed. Such an analysis can be conducted using price relationships
Absorptive Capability and Knowledge Tacitness in the Transfer of Knowledge in the Agrifood Cluster of the Southeast of Spain
Get PDFThe OECD (1997) conceives a national innovation system (NIS) as “technology and information among people, enterprises and institutions are key to the innovative process” (p. 7). Innovation is conceived as the result of complex set of relationships among actors in the system, which includes companies, universities and research centres. In actual knowledge-based economies, industry-links are essential for economic development and progress (Ahrweiler et al., 2011). They are essential for building up networks of relationships that are necessary for any firm to innovate (Freeman 1987, 1992). In particular, many influential studies have identified the links between firm innovation and competitive advantage at the national level (Porter, 1990). Lundvall (1992) describes characteristics of NIS, emphasizing the importance or learning and how small countries, with limited public budgets and few large corporations, have selected areas of innovation strength and are able to absorb knowledge and innovations from elsewhere (Cooke et al., 1997). Thus, the vision of a NSI is just beyond the technological advances, “but is more broadly on the factors influencing national technological capabilities” (Nelson & Rosenberg, 1993: 4)
Improved Process Quality through Certification Systems: An Assessment of Selected Animal Welfare Labels
Get PDFThe process quality of food products is currently the subject of increased attention. In the area of meat production, public discussion has centered on perceived low standards of animal welfare. Besides an increase in legislative regulations, improved animal welfare standards are most frequently achieved through the establishment of so-called animal welfare labels. So far these labeling concepts have not been substantially evaluated in terms of how well they carry out their goal of improving process quality in agricultural animal husbandry. This paper will use a recognized list of criteria to evaluate selected animal welfare labels Results show that competing labels vary strongly regarding the improvement of process quality. This has far-reaching effects not only for consumers and other label users, but also for companies that want to enter the animal welfare segment of the meat market
What do German Consumers Expect from Sustainable Aquaculture?
Get PDFAquaculture is criticized for its potential negative impacts on the environment and for its consequences on fish welfare. One solution to these problems and a promising development track for the German aquaculture sector is the adoption of sustainable production methods. The establishment of a new market segment for domestic sustainable fish would accommodate to the trend towards ethical consumerism. So far, only little is known about the consumers’ knowledge and perception of sustainable aquaculture. Against this background the present contribution aims to explore perceptions and knowledge of German consumers with regard to sustainable aquaculture, its production systems and related labels by using focus groups. Recommendations for further communication of sustainable aquaculture to consumers are deduced. One central result is that consumers were mainly unfamiliar with aquaculture in general. However, they had some clear expectations towards sustainable aquaculture. The use of drugs should be minimized; production systems should be close to nature and should respect fish welfare. Obviously, participants deduced their understanding of aquaculture from theirs of terrestrial animal husbandry. The study also shows consumers’ low awareness of the existing sustainability labels on the German market
Towards a Smarter Greenport: Public‐Private Partnership to Boost Digital Standardisation and Innovation in the Dutch Horticulture
Get PDFThe horticulture and propagation materials sector has been designated as one of the so-called top sectors in which the Netherlands excels globally and that are a government priority. The top sector approach for further innovation is based on public-private partnerships (PPPs) in which businesses, knowledge institutes and the (national) government are working closely together towards a common vision and action plans (the 'golden triangle'). This paper introduces the Digital Greenport Holland (Dutch: Tuinbouw Digitaal) and its research and innovation programme ‘a Smarter Greenport’. Digital Greenport Holland is the PPP of the horticultural top sector that focuses on digital information management. The business involvement consists of the collaboration between three active industry associations for chain information, i.e. Frug I Com (fruit and vegetables), Floricode (flowers and plants) and EDIbulb (flower bulbs). The activities focus on four main themes: E-standards, E-information-integration, E-business-to-government and E-competence. The programme ‘a Smarter Greenport’ has currently conducted eight projects on these themes
Exploration and Exploitation Innovations in the Food Firms
Get PDFIn a context of increasingly intense competition, creating a unique mix of value through innovation has been considered one tenet for creating a competitive advantage (Porter, 1996). During the past decades, innovation has become a central issue of strategic management (Nag et al., 2007).The literature has identified several problems in relation to firm failure innovation decisions, focusing on the supply-side (organizational competence, Henderson 2006; dependence of actual most profitable customers, Christensen, 1997; out-of-date competence due to technological breakthroughs, Tushman & Anderson, 1986), and on the demand-side (market turbulence, Abernathy & Clark 1985; institutional environment, Chesbrough, 2001).Based on March’s (1991) continuum perspective of exploitation-exploration2, we analyze the effects of knowledge-based innovation strategy on performance, testing the ambidexterity effect and extreme positions. Though both are necessary for survival and evolution (Levinthal & March, 1993; March, 1991), mindsets and organizational routines needed for each one are different. Tensions arise when firms make a simultaneous pursuit of both, being even impossible (March, 1996). Researchers have contributed from various literature streams to the discussion on balancing exploration and exploitation (Raisch & Birkinshaw, 2008; Lavie et al., 2010). The fact that there are tensions among both has led to a relevant research paradigm (Gupta et al., 2006; Raisch et al., 2009). This ambidexterity effect has attracted several researchers examining the tensions between exploitation and exploration.This study analyses how food manufacturers balance their innovation strategies. In particular, we analyze the effects of exploration and exploitation strategies and the type of innovation on performance. Since markets demand new and differentiated products, with high safety and quality standards (Grunert, 2005), innovation is a dominant strategy in this industry (Hauknes, 2001). Since supply chain management is critical, relationship-based innovation between distributors and suppliers has therefore been recognised as a major supply chain trend (Ganesan et al., 2009)
Determinants of Web-based CSR Disclosure in the Food Industry
Get PDFPurpose –Web-based CSR disclosure bears a variety of advantages for firms. Determining factors for web-based CSR disclosure have been analyzed in several papers. However, only limited research has been conducted on both, the food industry and small and midsized enterprises. This paper is one contribution to fill this gap as we investigate web-based CSR communication of food processors including SME.Design/methodology/approach – We analyzed corporate communication on the websites of N=71 food producers from North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany using dictionary-based content analysis. Based on an ordered logit model the relationship between CSR communication and size, profitability, indebtedness and closeness to market was estimated. Economic data were obtained from the commercial database Dafne.Findings – Our results reveal that larger firms provide relatively more CSR information than smaller firms. There was no significant relationship between CSR disclosure and profitability or indebtedness of a company and ambiguous ones with regard to the determinant ‘closeness to market’. Regarding the different areas of communication we found that social compared to environmental aspects were underrepresented.Practical implications – Social aspects of CSR could be used for differentiation at the market. Furthermore as smaller firms provide relatively fewer information on CSR it might be worthwhile to analyze central impediments for CSR communication for those companies.Originality/Value – This paper contributes to the ongoing discussion about firms’ CSR communication. It provides for a convenience sample of 71 food processing firms’, including SME, insight regarding the determinants for CSR disclosure on firms’ websites. With the focus on the food industry and the inclusion of SMEs we contribute with our study to two under-researched areas