Management Strategies and Collaborative Relationships for Sustainability in the Agrifood Supply Chain

Juan Carlos Pérez-Mesa, Laura Piedra-Muñoz, Emilio Galdeano-Gómez and Cynthia Giagnocavo
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Juan Carlos Pérez-Mesa: Department of Economics and Business, University of Almería (Agrifood Campus of International Excellence, ceiA3, Mediterranean Research Center on Economics and Sustainable Development, CIMEDES), 04120 Almería, Spain
Laura Piedra-Muñoz: Department of Economics and Business, University of Almería (Agrifood Campus of International Excellence, ceiA3, Mediterranean Research Center on Economics and Sustainable Development, CIMEDES), 04120 Almería, Spain
Emilio Galdeano-Gómez: Department of Economics and Business, University of Almería (Agrifood Campus of International Excellence, ceiA3, Mediterranean Research Center on Economics and Sustainable Development, CIMEDES), 04120 Almería, Spain
Cynthia Giagnocavo: Department of Economics and Business, University of Almería (Agrifood Campus of International Excellence, ceiA3, CIAIMBITAL), 04120 Almería, Spain
Authors registered in the RePEc Author Service: Juan Carlos Pérez Mesa

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 2, 1-16

Abstract: The present article proposes a complete framework for supply chain strategy (SCS) analysis that is adapted to the specific characteristics of the agrifood chain, thereby facilitating the management of the former. As a specific case of analysis, the horticultural supply chain, originating in Spain and ending with the European consumer, was analyzed, taking as a reference the marketing companies at origin (mainly social economy companies, that is, cooperatives). In addition, a survey of marketing companies is conducted to possibly determine which explicit cooperative growth strategies may include horizontal and vertical collaboration relationships with other members of the chain. The aim was to analyze with whom the horticultural commercialization company collaborates within the supply chain and the key points of such a collaboration. A model analyzing the influence of collaboration on company performance was also considered. The results reveal that, in recent years, aspects related to quality and health have been surpassed and replaced by the concept of sustainability within a framework of collaboration with customers. Additionally, upstream collaboration has been found to be, in most cases, more profitable than collaboration with customers. In any case, it became evident that there is a need to expand collaboration within the chain by incorporating the supplier of the supplier, with the aim of making the chain more profitable.

Keywords: supply chain management; sustainability; transport; facilities; quality; innovation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (10)

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