This paper aims to provide an assessment of the growth in marketing contracts in the US pork industry as an efficient means to control pork quality and reduce transaction costs.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to provide an assessment of the growth in marketing contracts in the US pork industry as an efficient means to control pork quality and reduce transaction costs.
Design/methodology/approach
Information collected from pork quality and safety summits sponsored by the National Pork Producers Council in cooperation with the National Pork Board, published surveys of large packers related to contract use, and 15 contracts submitted by producers to the Iowa Attorney General's Office from 1996 to 2001 were examined. The theoretical framework used combines branches of the industrial organization literature.
Findings
The paper provides information documenting the growing importance of addressing pork quality problems in the 1990s and how marketing contracts between packers and producers can help address these problems. Recognizes their role in reducing transaction costs associated with carcass pricing programs, reducing pork quality measuring costs, providing quality control, and reducing costs of adapting to quality uncertainty.
Research limitations/implications
The list of contracts examined is a small collection of contracts voluntarily submitted by producers, and pertains to a specific geographic section of the USA. Thus, they may not be representative of the entire industry.
Practical implications
The paper provides background information on quality issues faced by the US pork industry and a framework for better understanding the potential role of marketing contracts in addressing these issues.
Originality/value
This paper provides rather unique institutional background information on important changes occurring in the US pork industry in the 1990s and the role of the growth in marketing contracts in addressing related pork quality issues over time. Given the proprietary nature of specific contract terms, a small sample of long‐term marketing contracts is analyzed to better understand contract design.
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Uses the conflicting viewpoints that the “aim of marketing is to make selling unnecessary” (Drucker) and “the heart of marketing is selling” (Hersey) as the basis for discussion…
Abstract
Uses the conflicting viewpoints that the “aim of marketing is to make selling unnecessary” (Drucker) and “the heart of marketing is selling” (Hersey) as the basis for discussion. Observes that, certainly in many organizations, the prime responsibility for implementing the marketing strategy rests with the field salesforce “at the sharp end”. Notes that some organizations have been characterized as “selling oriented”, implying that organizational success is heavily reliant on achieving sales budgets through the efforts of aggressive sales teams. Focuses on the sales presentation ‐ the heart of the interface between company and customer ‐ describing the persuasion process used by an organization selling time share holidays, based on a real situation. Provides a vehicle for analysis of the sales process and particularly the means used for gaining customer commitment.
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History since the Industrial Revolution shows an accelerating trend of change driven by changes in enabling technologies. Such changes give rise to a Darwinian evolution in…
Abstract
History since the Industrial Revolution shows an accelerating trend of change driven by changes in enabling technologies. Such changes give rise to a Darwinian evolution in commerce. The companies most likely to survive are those which can most quickly adapt to such enabling technologies. The World Wide Web provides a potent infrastructure for dispersed but cooperative information sharing. The emergence of powerful and cheap PCs and broadband communications challenges the orthodox organisation of business models. The possibility of dispersed but tightly integrated companies has become a reality. Individual facilities managers may opt to: plan careers outside FM; compete for the remaining work; seek to develop FM to encompass the changed nature of commerce and the facilities provided. Institutions are not exempt from such changes. Academic qualifications need to be date‐stamped. A ten‐year old degree may be of little value when a decade of technological progress has eroded its academic base.
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This article considers some of the implications of research findings into relational conflict and couple violence and suggests links with elder abuse. An outline of a research…
Abstract
This article considers some of the implications of research findings into relational conflict and couple violence and suggests links with elder abuse. An outline of a research design to study elder abuse from an attachment perspective is discussed.
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Abstract
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Marischal College Buildings, i.e. the second and more modern portion of the University are situated in Broad Street; Aberdeen. Their site is the same as that which they originally…
Abstract
Marischal College Buildings, i.e. the second and more modern portion of the University are situated in Broad Street; Aberdeen. Their site is the same as that which they originally occupied, viz.: the conventual buildings and grounds of the Grey Friars or Franciscan Monastery, which accounts for the proximity of the Grey‐friar's Church within what is now the College Quadrangle. The Library of this Quadrangle, entering the central door of the Mitchell Tower, thus reaching the vestibule in which the famous stone (the only remnant of the original College Buildings in the new Town) with the inscription passing up the flight of stairs leading to the Picture Gallery and Mitchell —“they haif said : quhat say they: let them say,” is to be seen, thence Hall—the latter being a piece of architectural excellence well worth a visit. The library door is on the left of the landing at the head of the stairs already mentioned, and the books contained in it belong to the Departments of Agriculture, Law, Medicine, and Natural Science.
THE literary gift is not one that should be buried in a napkin and hidden in the back garden. It should be farmed out in some remunerative way.
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Sarah Schiffling, Claire Hannibal, Yiyi Fan and Matthew Tickle
By drawing on commitment-trust theory, we examine the role of swift trust and distrust in supporting coopetition under conditions of uncertainty and interdependence in the setting…
Abstract
Purpose
By drawing on commitment-trust theory, we examine the role of swift trust and distrust in supporting coopetition under conditions of uncertainty and interdependence in the setting of humanitarian disaster relief organisations.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper presents findings from case studies of 18 international humanitarian relief organisations based on 48 interviews and the analysis of publicly available documents.
Findings
We find that both swift trust and swift distrust support coopetition. As coopetition is simultaneous cooperation and competition, in this study we show how swift trust and swift distrust also occur simultaneously in coopetitive contexts.
Research limitations/implications
Coopetition as a strategic choice is well-researched in the private sector, yet has received less attention in the nonprofit sector, particularly in contexts that are shaped by interdependence and uncertainty. We show the importance of swift trust and swift distrust in coopetitive relationships by drawing on commitment-trust theory.
Practical implications
In focusing on a competitive environment in which cooperation is essential, we find limited choice of coopetitive partners. Humanitarian relief organisations must often simply work with whichever other organisations are available. We highlight how trust and distrust are not opposite ends of a spectrum and detail how both contribute to coopetitive relationships.
Originality/value
Our findings contribute to commitment-trust theory by explaining the important role of distrust in forging coopetitive relationships. Furthermore, we contribute to prior work on coopetition by focusing on an uncertain and interdependent nonprofit environment.