Closer vertical co‐ordination of supply chains is becoming a prevalent feature in the agri‐food sectors of many countries. Presents a framework within which to analyse these changes. The framework links drivers for change to product characteristics, which in turn affect transaction...

As a result of several high profile food scares in recent years, the practices of key players in the UK food industry have been called into question on ethical grounds. These practices include a range of operational activities including those concerned with supply chain management which form the...

Analyzes the nature of purchase decision making and buyer‐seller relationship development in the French food processing industry. It is the result of a detailed empirical study undertaken among 30 firms and international suppliers, and part of a larger research project. Intensive...

Argues that the Internet does not signal the end of relationships nor level the playing field for powerful buyers and traditionally weak sellers in the perishable foods industries. The Internet and e‐commere are regarded by some as potential barriers to the continued development of vertical...

A model of an electronic data interchange (EDI) enabled ingredient supply chain for a food processing company was developed, the model was simulated and its performance was compared with a simulation model of the current ingredient supply chain process of a US food processing company. The...

Looks at the way in which a pizza manufacturing company, supplying both branded and own‐label products to the Irish and UK retail markets, undertook a major restructuring of its procurement and manufacturing processes. Numerous sub‐processing activities were having adverse effects on...

This article presents a conceptual framework for the analysis of vegetable supply chains in a South East Asian context and the role wholesale markets play in these chains. Following a review of the literature on food marketing systems in developing countries and preliminary fieldwork in South...

Polarica is a company in northern Europe buying, refining and selling wild berries and other specialty foods. During the last couple of years the volume of wild berries, mostly blueberries, has increased a lot. This expansion forces Polarica to consider investments in freezing‐in capacity and...

Strategic alliances, one component of a total quality management program, break down linkages of a supply chain and help alliance partners to address new markets that could not be economically satisfied by a single firm. In recent years, through numerous press releases and anecdotal references,...

Purpose – To place the research on radio frequency identification (RFID) usage in supply chains within a specific business and market context; in this case, the grocery industry. Design/methodology/approach – This paper considers RFID research within the context of the grocery industry and...