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Contenido archivado el 2022-12-23

Supply chain management and contractual relations in transitional food Industries

Objetivo

This research project aims to investigate contract development and supply chain management within agri-food chains in Moldova and the Ukraine. A key question for research is how restructuring and privatisation of the agri-food chain has impacted on competition, the internal and external organisational structures of markets and firms, incentives for innovation, investment and technology adoption and firm level performance. So far only superficial attention has been given to this question despite the importance of the agri-food sectors to total employment, output and trade in Moldova and the Ukraine. Moreover, factors explaining firm level variations in performance at the processing level and the role of supply chain management in leading to these variations in performance have received little attention.

The project will seek to rectify these weaknesses through two stages of research. First the partners will seek to quantify the relationship between firm level performance and supply chain structures, through an econometric analysis of survey data collected during the project, focusing on contractual relationships, transaction costs, and geographical market structures. Second, a series of case studies will analyse the contractual, organisational and supply chain practices of innovative / successful Moldavian and Ukraine agri-food companies. These case studies will focus specifically on the development of contractual arrangements; the forms of contractual enforcement mechanisms and institutions used to support exchange; the impact of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI); the firm and supply chain organisational structures adopted to support and facilitate exchange transactions and stimulus programmes offered.

The analysis will contribute to researchers' theoretical understanding of the problems, causes and implications of contractual and relationship problems and foreign direct investment upon individual economic agents choice of exchange mechanisms, organisational structure, and investments decisions within the agricultural and agri-food supply chain of transition economies. This has been highlighted as a key, if under-researched, issue in both the development and transitional economies literature (European Commission, 1995; Gow and Swinnen, 1998).

This analysis will also be of practical benefit to both food manufacturers (by developing a series of "lessons of best practice" for the development of contractual and business relationships and organisational and supply chain structures) and policy makers (by presenting appropriate recommendations for future market restructuring, regulation, and privatisation).

Convocatoria de propuestas

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Régimen de financiación

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Coordinador

University of Plymouth
Aportación de la UE
Sin datos
Dirección
Drake Circus
PL4 8AA Plymouth
Reino Unido

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Coste total
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Participantes (3)