Description
Book SynopsisAgainst 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.
Table of ContentsPART 1: Agri-food Chain Relationships - Context and Theoretical Foundations 1.1: Building Sustainable Relationships in Agri-food Chains: Challenges from Farm to Retail - Luis Miguel Albisu, Klaus Frohberg and Monika Hartmann 1.2: Collaborative Advantage, Relational Risks, Contracts and Relationship Sustainability: a Literature Review - Christian Fischer and Nikolai Reynolds 1.3: Inter-organisational Relationships in Agri-food Systems: an Integrated Transaction Cost-Network Analysis Framework - Fabio Chaddad 1.4: 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 2.1: Trust and Relationship Types in Agri-food Chain Relationships in Selected European countries - Maeve Henchion, Azucena Gracia, Philip Leat and Christian Fischer 2.2: 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 2.3: Enhancing the Integration of Agri-food Supply Chains: Challenges in the UK Malting Barley Supply Chain - César Revoredo-Giha and Philip Leat 2.4: From Transactions to Relationships: the Case of the Irish Beef and Pigmeat Supply Chains - Maeve Henchion and Bridin McIntyre 2.5: Inter-enterprise Relationships as Determinants for Competitiveness in the Agri-food Sector: the Spanish Wheat-to-Bread Chain - Azucena Gracia and Luis Miguel Albisu 2.6: Reviewing Relationship Sustainability in the Case of the German Wheat-to-Bread Chain - Miroslava Bavorova and Heinrich Hockmann 2.7: Vertical Relationships in the US Agri-food System: the Role of Agricultural Cooperatives - Fabio Chaddad 2.8: Guanxi and Contracts in Chinese Vegetable Supply Chains: an Empirical Investigation - Hualiang Lu, Jacques Trienekens, Onno Omta and Shuyi Feng 2.9: A Review of the Trust Situation in Agribusiness Chain Relationships in the Asia-Pacific with focus on the Philippines and Australia - Peter Batt 2.10: How Buyer-Supplier Relationships Can Create Value - the Case of the Australian Wine Industry - Lynlee Hobley and Peter Batt PART 3: Implications and Recommendations 3.1: Best Practice in Relationship Management: Recommendations for Farmers, Processors and Retailers - Jacques Trienekens, Peter Batt and Christian Fischer 3.2: Improving Agri-food Chain Relationships: the Role of Government - Klaus Frohberg, Maeve Henchion, Luis Miguel Albisu and Philip Leat 3.3: Lessons Learned: Recommendations for Future Research on Agri-food Chain Relationships - Fabio Chaddad, Hualiang Lu, Christian Fischer and Monika Hartmann
