Marketing Strategy Lessons from the Mondragon Agricultural Cooperatives in Spain

This article presents a study of a unique organizational structure and marketing/managerial orientation developed by the Mondragon Cooperatives in the Basque province of Spain. This approach focuses attention on the "whole person," where improving productivity is accomplished by an incentive structure rather than elaborate job controls. The study examines the strategy Mondragon Cooperatives practice, as perceived by the workers, in order to isolate those factors which have led to their marketing success. A mail survey was conducted on a sample of 400 cooperative and 400 private enterprise workers, with a fifty-two percent (52%) response rate. The results of the survey are presented and strategic marketing implications are provided as a concluding focus of this effort.     

Productivity and Environmental Performance in Marketing Cooperatives: An Analysis of the Spanish Horticultural Sector

The paper analyses the productivity of marketing cooperatives incorporating environmental inputs/outputs. In the European agriculture, expectations for attaining sustainable and competitive agriculture rely to a great extent on the cooperative sector's ability to adapt to new market conditions. These challenges have led marketing cooperatives in the fruit and vegetables sector to consider improvements in productivity and sound environmental performance. The study analyses the total factor productivity related to environmental variables in this sector using a parametric‐stochastic approach and panel data on Spanish cooperatives over the period 1994–2002. Additionally, the determinants of environmental productivity are examined econometrically. The estimates obtained show an increase in efficiency for the period under study and a relationship between productivity changes and management factors, such as labour quality, capital intensity and environmental spillover.     

山东省供销合作社组织体系创新研究——基于网络组织理论的视角

本文从网络组织理论的视角对山东省供销社组织体系创新的理论和实践进行了初步研究一是围绕供销社应运营经营性与公益性相结合的新型服务体系平台的指导思想,明确各级供销社的地位与功能,通过供销社自身的组织创新,发挥各自的网络结点优势;二是充分利用系统内垂直和水平合作优势,采取多种方式构建有效顺畅的网络流通渠道,通过经济链创新形成涵盖农资、日用品和农产品的农村现代流通网络。     

"农户-龙头企业"的农产品渠道关系稳定性:理论分析与实证检验

渠道的稳定性是营销渠道管理的重要课题,"农户?龙头企业"的农产品渠道模式是我国农产品营销渠道的主流模式,探讨这种渠道模式的形成与稳定机制是解决目前我国农业领域中"小农户"与"大市场"矛盾的重要方面。文章从理论上分析了影响"农户—龙头企业"渠道关系稳定的因素,并运用Logistic模型检验了这些因素对渠道稳定的影响程度,最后提出了渠道关系稳定的机制。     

东南亚农业合作社与欧美合作社的比较研究

在东南亚国家,农业合作社是沟通基层农民和政府的桥梁,是国家传达和执行农业和农村政策的工具。农业合作社发展在农业经济发展中作用很重要。以泰国和越南为代表的东南亚农业合作社区别于欧美国家的专业合作社模式,有自己独到的特点。本文探究了东南亚农业合作社和欧美合作社的区别,为东南亚国家农业合作社发展汲取了经验。     

依托型农村专业合作社制度创新分析

以供销社为依托的农村专业合作社和现存的供销合作社相比 ,具有制度创新的特征。依托型专业合作社“依托”供销社 ,存在着对供销社的“路径依赖”现象 ,由此引发了一系列内在矛盾。依托型专业合作社制度再生产必须以成本—收益分析为基础 ,由政府选准制度创新的可行区域 ,推行合作教育 ,转变“初级行动团体” ,真正实现社员自主选择制度。     

On the Reform of Rural Supply and Marketing Cooperatives in China

As a bridge between city and countryside, industry and agriculture, producer and consumer, Rural Supply and Marketing Cooperatives (RSMCs) play a key role in distributing commodities and purchasing rural products for some 800 million people in China. While overall national economic reform started in 1978, the reform of RSMCs began 4 years later in 1982 with greater emphasis on recovery rather than reform. This paper reviews the development of RSMCs, describes their operation and appraises the reform underway since 1982. It concludes with some policy suggestions relative to further reform of the RSMC system.     

Drivers of Trust: Some Experiences from Hungarian Agricultural Cooperatives

This article examines the drivers of trust in the machinery-sharing cooperation arrangements of Hungarian field crops farms. Our research has focused on the role of 2 factors on the basis of the widely referred trust model: faith in loyalty and capability. The empirical results clearly confirm the hypothesis of the theoretical model, namely, partners will trust each other if their faith is high both in loyalty and in competence. Our research has also pointed out that the level of trust between partners is determined differently by the 2 examined factors: it is statistically proven that the impact of faith in loyalty is higher.     

农业产业链管理理论与实践研究综述

本文详细介绍了产业链管理理论的发展过程和基本观点，着重分析了现有研究的长处与不足。并在此基础上，概述了国际上在农业产业链管理理论和实践两个方面的最新成果。作为一项关于农业产业链管理的综合性研究，本文对我国实施农业产业链管理以实现农业产业化目标具有一定的指导作用和借鉴意义。     

供销社改革目标模式的几点思考

供销社经过21年的改革，与办成真正农民的合作经济组织还有很大距离。主要原因是在改革目标设计上混淆了长远目标与近期目标的关系。1999年以来，供销社改革转向以扭亏增盈为重点，以“企业化”为核心，截止2002年底连续三年扭亏为盈，改革与发展已经站在新的起点上。今后要努力构建以企业化的供销社为基础，以连锁经营为纽带，沟通城乡，联系国际，覆盖全国的现代流通网络，以专业合作社为载体 的经营性服务体系和以农产品行业协会为载体的协调性服务体系。     

日本农协面临的改革难题及对中国的启示

日本综合农协在增加农民收入、缩小城乡差距方面有效地发挥作用主要是在二战后到20世纪80年代之间。其原因之一是农协是政府粮食管理制度的实施者，即农协的经营业务有了保障；原因之二是农协将有利润的金融、生命财产保险、生产资料购销等业务全部集中于一体。但是，上世纪90年代以后，随着金融领域竞争的加剧、粮食管理制度的取消等，综合农协有效发挥作用的环境发生了根本变化。日本农协改革对中国的启示是，综合农协的模式不符合目前中国的国情，中国需要扶持经营型的农民专业合作组织。     

Agricultural Marketing in Belgium and the Netherlands

Agriculture in Belgium and the Netherlands has a strong export tradition and has been market oriented for a long time. In this article agricultural markeling in Belgium and the Netherlands is analyzed on the basis of the concepts structure, conduct and performance. In our review of market structure attention is paid to the structure of agriculture, the food consumer, food retailing, government policies, competition and marketing channels. Afterwards market conduct with respect to product, price, promotion and distribution is discussed. Finally some qualitative observations are made on marketing performance. It is concluded that agricultural marketing policies in Belgium and the NeIherlands are increasingly focusing on value added to the agricultural product. As a result vertical marketing systems/food chain and marketing management become familiar concepts to agicultural marketing.     

Bridging the Gap between Millennial Consumers,Social Media,and Agricultural Branding Programs: A Qualitative Assessment

With a growing trend for geographical branding efforts within the United States, particularly for individual states, the need to better understand how consumer groups respond to these efforts becomes prevalent, particularly for agricultural brands. The current study analyzes Millennial consumer response to agricultural branding programs within the United States and the effects of social media on this process. Using the Generational Cohort Theory (GCT) and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (HoN) as key foundations, a qualitative assessment was completed on Millennial consumers across various university campuses within one U.S. state. Results revealed that five key themes emerged relating to locally produced foods (definition, users, access, experiences and marketing/branding) while four themes emerged from the discussions on social media (applications, activity, advertising and information flow/communication). From these themes, a new conceptual ‘hierarchy’ is proposed that can be used to explain how Millennial consumers can become better connected with agricultural programs and branding messages moving forward. Implications and future research directions are provided.     

农民专业合作组织与农业社会化服务体系建设

本文论述了农民专业合作组织在农业社会化服务体系建设中,与农业公共服务部门、私人部门相比所具有的独特组织优势.并在此基础上,对农民专业合作组织在完善农业社会化服务体系建设中的作用和未来发展空间做了初步的展望.     

Agricultural and Food Marketing in the United Kingdom

Given the diversity of agrifood marketing in the U.K., in terms of the range of agricultural commodities and value-added products produced, the many and varied marketing structures used, and the numerous legislative and policy instruments involved, it is not possible in this paper to provide a comprehensive coverage of all aspects of the system. The approach has been rather to provide the volume's international readership with a selective view of the U.K. agrifood marketing system, concentrating on some topical issues. This approach has the benefit of allowing more in-deplh consideration of important issues, and a focus on topics where the U.K. exhibits a degree of uniqueness amongst its E.C. partners. The paper therefore presents an international readership with an analysis of truly "U.K. issues."     

农业专业合作组织实施农产品质量控制的运作机制探析——以浙江省部分农业专业合作组织为例

本文在对农业专业合作组织这种新型的农业生产组织形式进行分析的基础上，集中研究了这种合作组织对农产品质量控制的具体措施，进而得出我国现存农业专业合作组织对农产品质量控制具有重要作用的结论。文章最后对合作组织的模式进行了分析比较，揭示了现存的合作组织模式对农产品质量控制的重要意义。     

农民合作社资本约束:基于社会资本理论视角

资本问题关系到中国合作社的未来,农民合作社独特的治理机制导致其存在内生的资本约束困境。本文对农民合作社运用社会资本优势破解资本约束进行了理论分析,然后通过案例检验现实条件下中国农民合作社如何运用社会资本优势破解资本约束困境。研究发现:合作社的价值理念决定了其财务资本获取是基于其社会资本;社会资本是合作社破解资本约束的内在优势资源,合作社利用社会资本可缓解资本约束的内在的成员激励以及现实中的资本控制问题;成员是合作社的根本,提高整体成员融资参与是破解合作社资本约束的根本途径,而实现这一途径的关键在于社会资本与财务资本的有效结合,即重视普通成员的利益诉求以及注意对核心成员资本贡献的激励。     

The Emergence of Agricultural Marketing Boards Revisited: A Case Study in Canada

Canadian milk marketing boards are agricultural institutions tightly linked to the administration of dairy programs and supply management. Using insights from the New Institutional Economics (NIE) literature this paper investigates the factors influencing the emergence of these self‐regulated, “hybrid” institutions that are managed by producers but necessitate governmental intervention to be operational. Our analysis focuses on the case of the Québec milk marketing board. It shows that the Québec milk board ensured transactional security among trading partners, where neither pure private ordering contract enforcement institutions, nor pure public ordering institutions would have succeeded to do so. The empirical case of the Québec milk board thus suggests that marketing boards in Canada may have historically assumed a broader function than merely increasing producers' rents. Au Canada, les offices de mise en marché du lait sont des institutions agricoles étroitement liées à l'administration de programmes laitiers et à la gestion de l'offre. À l'aide de la documentation sur la nouvelle économie institutionnelle, le présent article examine les facteurs qui influencent l'émergence de ces institutions hybrides et autoréglementées, qui sont administrées par les producteurs mais nécessitent l'intervention gouvernementale pour être opérationnelles. Notre analyse s'est penchée sur le cas de l'office de commercialisation du lait du Québec. Notre analyse a montré que l'office de commercialisation du Québec assurait une sécurité transactionnelle entre les partenaires commerciaux, ce qu'aucune institution privée ou publique n'aurait réussi à faire. Le cas empirique de l'office de commercialisation du lait du Québec autorise à penser que les offices de mise en marché au Canada ont peut‐être assumé une fonction plus large que celle d'avoir accru la rente économique des producteurs.