UNDERSTANDING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS AND COORDINATION IN AGRI-BUSINESS SUPPLY CHAINS: AN EXAMINATION OF THE NEW ZEALAND MEAT INDUSTRY

Two phenomena are occurring simultaneously within the agribusiness sector: customers are requiring tighter product specifications and agricultural chains are becoming more coordinated. However, the exact relationship between these two phenomena is not clear. This research explores that relationship. Five New Zealand fresh meat chains were the focus of multiple case-study research, which used a chain-level (multi-dyadic) approach. Chains were assessed as to the nature of product specifications demanded at the end-customer level, as well as to the nature of inter-firm relationships. Interestingly, tighter product specifications in themselves do not lead to more coordinated chains; coordination seems to be linked to the level of effort required to meet product specifications.