Much has been said about the nature of the agro-food supply chain. Yet, the consequences of reforming supply chain institutions have less often been studied, especially from an…
Abstract
Purpose
Much has been said about the nature of the agro-food supply chain. Yet, the consequences of reforming supply chain institutions have less often been studied, especially from an empirical perspective. The purpose of this paper is to examine the economic consequences of a radical reorganisation of the system of exchange in the agro-food sector in Central and Eastern Europe, during the process of transition from a centrally planned economy to a market economy. By considering a historical example from the dairy sector in Poland, the author provides evidence that the disorganisation of vertical linkages between upstream and downstream producers can be very costly. The most conservative estimates suggest that the dislocation of inter-firm relationships accounted for approximately 20 per cent of the drop in milk production observed in the early-transition phase in question.
Design/methodology/approach
The empirical approach is based on econometric analyses. The empirical strategy the author adopts is similar in spirit to a standard difference-in-differences method. More specifically, to study the outcomes of the disruptions in supply chain the author adopts an event-study approach. Thus, the author compares the relative changes in milk production in the post-treatment period relative to pre-treatment period between regions more or less exposed to disruptions to supply chain.
Findings
The most conservative estimates suggest that the dislocation to inter-firm relationships accounted for approximately 20 per cent of the fall in milk production observed in the early-transition phase.
Originality/value
Two key features distinguish the approach from the previous studies. First, through the use of a more direct measure of problems affecting vertical relationships between farmers and processors the author has access to higher quality proxies for the supply chain disruptions. To this end, the author focuses on the dislocation to milk procurement system that arose in the very early phase of transition, manifesting itself in the break up of vertical linkages between farmers and dairy industry. Second, in contrast to the existing studies which exploit variation between transition countries, the author focus on within-country evidence. To best of the author knowledge, this paper is the first to investigate agricultural output during transition using within country variation.
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Recent literature has considerably improved our understanding of vertical relations in the food chain. One area which has received relatively little attention however relates to…
Abstract
Purpose
Recent literature has considerably improved our understanding of vertical relations in the food chain. One area which has received relatively little attention however relates to the resilience of an agro-food supply chain, that is its ability to face and, if needed, to recover after a major disruption. The purpose of this paper is to study what factors, including characteristics of vertical links between upstream and downstream sectors, may make farmer-processor relationships more or less resilient to adverse shocks.
Design/methodology/approach
To do so, the author uses a unique region-level data set on disruptions to dairy supply chain in Poland during the transition from a centrally planned economy to a market economy. More specifically, using between-region variation, the author investigates why in some regions supply chain disruptions, measured as the breakdown of relationships between farmers and processing industry, were smaller than in other regions.
Findings
The findings suggest that the supply chain which the author analysed was less resilient to crisis, i.e. the author observed larger disruptions to supply relations, when the supply base was more fragmented and when farmers had better outside options to market their produce via direct sales to consumers. In addition, dairy supply chain in Poland seemed to be less resilient in regions with larger share of the state-owned land.
Research limitations/implications
The results come with several caveats. First, the empirical evidence comes from Poland during the specific period and thus it may not be easily generalised. Second, the results are based on historical correlations. Therefore, although they are robust across various specifications which the author estimates, they may not establish causal relationship due to some omitted variables or potential endogeneity issue. Finally, what the author uses here are region-level data. One may argue therefore that farm-level data would give more fine-tuned focus for testing impacts and theories regarding supply chain resilience.
Originality/value
To the best of the author’s knowledge, this paper is the first to provide some evidence on agro-food supply chain from this perspective.
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Iryna Reshetnikova, Katarzyna Sanak-Kosmowska and Jan W. Wiktor
The purpose of this paper was identification and empirical assessment of the differentiation of consumers' attitudes in Ukraine and Poland to Russian brands and other brands…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper was identification and empirical assessment of the differentiation of consumers' attitudes in Ukraine and Poland to Russian brands and other brands offered on the Russian market after Russia’s aggression against Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
Design/methodology/approach
The main research methods include a systematic literature review and the authors' own surveys conducted in November 2022. The research sample comprised 950 consumers – 67% of them were Poles, 30% – Ukrainians and 3% from other countries.
Findings
A respondents' country (Poland and Ukraine) does not impact attitudes to brands offered on the Russian market after Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Moreover, it does not affect and differentiate emotional engagement in the conflict and assistance to war victims. Cluster analysis resulted in identifying two groups on the basis of consumers' declared emotional reactions to the war. The first group was smaller (N = 353, 37.2%), referred to as “indifferent consumers”, and was characterized by a greater inclination to purchase brands offered in Russia. The other cluster, referred to as “sensitive consumers” (N = 597, 62.8%), comprises those engaged in offering assistance to war victims, showing strong emotions in connection with the aggression and military activities and characterized by a clearly negative attitude to Russian and other offered brands and an inclination to boycott these brands.
Research limitations/implications
A short time horizon, the study confined to two countries, difficulties in reaching Ukrainian respondents due to power failures in Ukraine in the period of conducting the survey (November 2022), a non-representative research sample – overrepresentation of people aged 18–25 years.
Practical implications
The research study contributes to the knowledge about consumer brand attitudes and preferences under unique social, economic and market conditions. These conditions were created by Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, as well as the international and global character of the war in Ukraine. The significant implications of the study refer to brand communication policies and companies' CSR-related declarations. A number of consumers' errors were recorded, resulting from wrong brand retrieval, which were rectified at a later stage as a result of international restrictions imposed on Russia, harsh media criticism and social international embargoes imposed on brands offered in Russia. The marketing communication of contemporary global brands should give consideration to the informative function of CSR activities, and the communication process should be continuous. Critical attitudes and an inclination to boycott brands point to the possible consequences faced by inconsistent and ethically doubtful brand policies. This implication is clearly confirmed by the results of the study.
Social implications
The authors also wish to highlight the implications for practice and society. As mentioned earlier, Polish consumers involved in providing aid to victims of the war also expressed their opposition to the war by boycotting Russian products and international brands remaining in Russia. Popularization of the research results obtained by the authors can be a form of sensitizing the public to the need for long-term relief, awakening global awareness of the essence and importance of sanctions imposed on Russia, as well as the possibility of expressing opposition through individual purchasing decisions and boycotting brands still present in Russia.
Originality/value
The study allowed for identifying consumers' differentiated brand attitudes in two countries: a country inflicted by war (Ukraine) and a front-line country, strongly supporting Ukraine (Poland). The research contributes to consumer behavior theories and studies of consumer attitudes and preferences from the perspective of international corporations' CSR activities under the unique conditions of war. Also, it contributes to the knowledge of the mechanism of forming attitudes to Russian and international brands offered in Russia among CEE consumers.
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Business process re‐engineering (BPR) is certainly one of the latest buzzwords and is the subject of great interest and also great controversy. Organizations need to shake…
Abstract
Business process re‐engineering (BPR) is certainly one of the latest buzzwords and is the subject of great interest and also great controversy. Organizations need to shake themselves out of complacency to close competitive gaps and achieve superior performance standards ‐ the reason why many have embarked on huge BPR projects. In view of the high risks associated with radical change, there are, however, many problems associated with BPR. For some BPR is going off the rails before it is properly understood, and many BPR exercises are not delivering the goods. Sometimes, organizations are expecting “quick fixes”, thus displaying their lack of understanding of a complex system. It is unreasonable to expect quick results when so much change is involved, especially when these business processes involve not only machines, but also people. Many believe, such as Mumford, that the management of change is the largest task in re‐engineering. Many people perceive re‐engineering as a threat to both their methods and their jobs. Owing to this recognition, many authors concentrate on the need to take account of the human side of re‐engineering, in particular the management of organizational change.
The purpose of this paper is to introduce a selection of papers on such subjects as: increased application of marketing to modern politics; the perceptions of its effectiveness �…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to introduce a selection of papers on such subjects as: increased application of marketing to modern politics; the perceptions of its effectiveness – particularly in closely contested elections; the escalation in funding of campaigns; and the increase in international collaboration.
Design/methodology/approach
There has been a marked increase in the quantity and quality of research since the first EJM special issue in 1996. Political marketing is now in the mainstream of research in marketing. The themes in the earlier special issues are tabulated to provide a comparison with those in this issue. The contributions in each paper are summarised.
Findings
The paper reveals key issues for research. One is the rapid rise in influence of the internet in the political sphere, particularly in blogging and social networking, although it presents major methodological challenges. There is also a need for more studies crossing cultures and electoral systems and empirical work to establish a firm basis for key constructs and relate those to voter attitudes and behaviour.
Originality/value
Drawing on a number of these papers, key issues for research in political marketing going forward are identified.
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Vimal Kumar, Pratima Verma, Bhavin Shah and Vikas Kumar
Short food supply chains (SFSCs) have been extensively researched for their environmental and economic implications. However, these are now confronted with shortcomings such as…
Abstract
Purpose
Short food supply chains (SFSCs) have been extensively researched for their environmental and economic implications. However, these are now confronted with shortcomings such as supply chain resilience (SLR) and societal livelihood (SL) hindering growth. The purpose of this study is to revisit and critically analyze existing SFSC literature, with a focus on SLR, SL, sustainability and human-centricity elements, to propose redesigning attributes for SFSCs in the era of Industry 5.0.
Design/methodology/approach
The systematic review scope is confined to the SFSC domain with an analysis of contemporary articles published in the British Food Journal (BFJ). The meta-data and research papers are sourced from the Scopus database and the VOSviewer software is used for the analysis. The thematic, diversified geographies and method-wise investigation bring theoretical insights toward building sustainable and resilient SFSCs.
Findings
The study findings could serve as a fitting theoretical framework to redesign the SFSCs for resiliency, sustainability and societal aspects of the economy, environment and human livelihood, respectively. The results also discuss the prior accomplishments and elaborate on avenues for future research.
Research limitations/implications
Emphasizing recent trends, challenges, policy design, conceptual framework and future research directions for the SFSC domain, considering SLR and SL, has extended the literature in line with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals.
Practical implications
This study offers comprehensive guidelines to the concerned stakeholders for redesigning the SFSCs by linking sustainability, resilience and societal livelihood dimensions.
Originality/value
The study derives comprehensive insights into how redesigning SFSCs has contributed to more sustainable and resilient food systems worldwide over 2 decades. It extends the BFJ’s literature body by establishing the linkages between SLR and SL concerning human-centric SFSC.
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That someone can make you feel good is a quality in itself. There has been much talk within British government circles, for example, about “the feel‐goodfactor”, which is…
Abstract
That someone can make you feel good is a quality in itself. There has been much talk within British government circles, for example, about “the feel‐good factor”, which is constantly reminding us that it is just around the corner! Whether or not we can believe in this is another matter, but it certainly displays an awareness that making other people feel good can have positive benefits for you also. How this can be achieved will differ depending on your particular line of business. Having a good quality product does not in itself guarantee success as service quality must also be taken into account. This is where the feel‐good factor comes into play. It is all very well, for example, going to a restaurant to have a top‐class meal (in that the food was good), only to have it thrown at you. Quality, therefore, must not be seen as a separate entity, but more as a package deal.
That someone can make us feel good is a quality in itself. There has been much talk within British government circles, for example, about “the feelgood” factor, which is…
Abstract
That someone can make us feel good is a quality in itself. There has been much talk within British government circles, for example, about “the feelgood” factor, which is constantly reminding us that it is just around the corner! Whether or not we can believe in this is another matter but it certainly displays an awareness that making other people feel good can also have positive benefits for ourselves. How this can be achieved will differ depending on our particular line of business. Having a good‐quality product does not in itself guarantee success as service quality must also be taken into account. This is where the feel‐good factor comes into play. It is all very well, for example, going to a restaurant to have a top‐class meal (in that the food was good), only to have it thrown at you. Quality, therefore, must not be seen as a separate entity, but more as a package deal. Service quality is important if you wish to retain your customer base as acquiring new customers can be both time‐consuming and costly. It quite often takes very little apart from good manners to keep customer loyalty as in the case of the restaurant. Other factors can, however, start creeping into the framework such as efficiency, timeliness and good communication. Is there, for example, a time limit on how long you can reasonably be expected to wait for your meal before it arrives at the table, and if there is a delay is this communicated to you? In other words, we all have expectations as to what is acceptable and what is not. The clever part is for the organization to learn by what criteria the customer judges its service quality performance.