Quality assurance programs and access to international markets: the case of horticultural processors in Vietnam

Mergenthaler, Marcus; Weinberger, K.; Qaim, Matin

doi:10.1108/13598540910980279

Cited by 18 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…It is evident from the literature, that partnerships are important when managing the business of making chocolate. Consequently, there have been many developments towards partnerships and certification for enhancing both quality (Mergenthaler et al , 2009) and sustainability (Hamprecht et al , 2005). The most relevant ones identified in our research are the WCF, the ICI (2013), ISEAL Alliance (2013) and Fairtrade Certifications (Fairtrade, 2011).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Benchmarking self-declared social sustainability initiatives in cocoa sourcing

Lalwani

Nunes

Chicksand

et al. 2018

BIJ

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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the self-declared sustainability initiatives of the world’s four largest chocolate manufacturers (Ferrero, Mars, Mondelez and Nestlé) and the measures they take to tackle social problems within the context of establishing sustainable sourcing of cocoa in Ghana and the Ivory Coast. Global cocoa supply chains are under continuous media and public scrutiny. Recent incidents of malpractice in supply chain management have left global chocolatiers vulnerable in terms of how they deal with social issues across their global supply chain networks. Critics have argued that there is a lack of consistency and transparency between what companies say and do in upholding sustainable practices across their supply chains. Design/methodology/approach The authors draw from the sustainable supply chain literature to develop our theoretical parameters and undertake a case-based analysis of the existing sustainability practices of these chocolatiers. Using the insights from this analysis, the authors propose a conceptual framework for a rigorous comparative assessment of self-declared sustainable sourcing initiatives of global agricultural supply chains. The methodology is qualitative and the research method is a secondary-data case study. Findings Four main parameters were identified and used to compare self-declared initiatives, namely: social sustainability certification from respectable bodies; code of conduct for suppliers; partnerships with the primary supply chain stakeholders; and supplier collaboration programme and improvement initiatives. The case companies chosen have implemented several initiatives, but the most prominent seem to indicate the reliance on third-party certification. Not all companies adopted a supplier code of conduct. The partnerships and collaboration programmes with different associations are presented as efficient for companies as well as farmers. Improvements in the conditions of farmers are advocated as a key result. Research limitations/implications This paper is based on self-declared secondary data. Subsequently, it is possible that the case companies did not document some practices; or that companies do not do what they claim. Practical implications This paper provides a comprehensive framework for agricultural businesses to compare their sustainability efforts and improve the performance of their supply chains, particularly those who belong to the cocoa supply chains. The proposed framework allows an assessment of initiatives at policy, strategic, tactical and operational levels to improve social sustainability of supply chains. Social implications This paper may help companies to think more clearly about greater transparency and provide the impetus for dealing more effectively with serious social issues in agricultural supply chains such as: child labour, child trafficking, modern slavery, etc. It may also instruct consumers to better understand what companies do as part of their sustainability agenda, alongside the communication of other features of their products, such as quality. Originality/value The framework adds value by providing a novel way to systematically compile and analyse data around self-declared sustainable initiatives. Actors within agricultural supply chains can use the framework to assess and drive their sustainability efforts and practices, leading to ways to improve the social performance of their global supply chains.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Benchmarking self-declared social sustainability initiatives in cocoa sourcing

Lalwani

Nunes

Chicksand

et al. 2018

BIJ

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“…Henson and Reardon (2005) discussed about various quality standards both in industrialized and developing country context. Mergenthaler et al (2009) showed that how the implementation of different quality assurance programs affects international market.…”

Section: Conceptual Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perishable food supply chain quality (PFSCQ)

Siddh

Soni

Jain

2015

Journal of Advances in Management Research

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Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a literature review of the perishable food supply chain quality (PFSCQ). It includes all the products/process from the farm to folk of perishable food (milk, meat, vegetable, grains and butter). Design/methodology/approach – The methodology of a structured literature review involves selection of a representative sample of articles followed by classification of articles on the basis of research methodology and content of PFSCQ in the paper. Findings – Research toward PFSCQ has risen in last five years. Fewer articles are addressing issues of developing countries then developed countries. Majority of the articles involved multiple as entity of analysis (combination of supplier, distributor, manufacturer, retailer and consumer), information as element of exchange and chain as the level of analysis. A large number of articles involved “agri-food,” “dairy” and “pork” as perishable products. Majority of articles used “case study” methodology. Statistical analysis as a tool for problem solving was used in majority of articles. Performance measurement aspect is also on growth in PFSCQ literature. Information sharing, logistic management, strategic management, demand forecasting and integration among the various stakeholders of PFSCQ are some of the critical issues. Originality/value – Many literature reviews that aim at critical examination of supply chain literature are reported but none of them focussed exclusively on content of PFSCQ. Another unique feature of this paper is that the sample size of articles with respect to number of papers (481 papers) as well as number of journals (141 journals) is quite large. The paper spans a longer time span of 20 years (1994-2013) as well.

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“…It can clearly be seen that relationship management is an important activity within food logistics, because it was studied in 54 of 104 papers. One reason for this number Downloaded by [University of West Florida] at 14:29 02 January 2015 Zaharieva, Gorton, and Lingard (2003), Ahtonen and Virolainen (2009), Acharya, Kagan, andManfredo (2009), Hamprecht et al (2005), Cox, Chicksand, and Yang (2007), Whipple, Voss, and Closs (2009), Mergenthaler, Weinberger, and Qaim (2009), Dzever, Merdji, and Saives (2001, Ryder and Fearne (2003), Voss et al (2009), andTatsis et al (2006) Production 6 Van Donk and Van Dam (1996), Nakhla (1995), Van Wezel, Van Donk, and Gaalman (2006), Oke (2005), French and LaForge (2006), and Du et al (2009) Distribution is that SCMIJ, which persistently focuses on relationship management, contributed 46 papers to the study of relationship management. However, given the scope of the journals, very few papers focus on procurement issues.…”

Section: Descriptive Analysismentioning

confidence: 95%

“…Whipple, Voss, and Closs (2009) and Voss et al (2009) study how food producers go about securing quality and traceability from their suppliers and how they determine what trade-offs they are prepared to take in order to improve this. For example, the UK beef industry has several sourcing strategies (Cox, Chicksand, and Yang (2007), and horticultural processing firms can improve their access to international export markets by implementing a quality system (Mergenthaler, Weinberger, and Qaim 2009). Two more papers study procurement processes and how these can be improved through redesign or through the implementation of e-procurement (Tatsis et al 2006).…”

Section: Single Actorsmentioning

confidence: 98%

Capturing food logistics: a literature review and research agenda

Fredriksson

Liljestrand

2014

International Journal of Logistics Research and Applications

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How to feed the world is a vital question and likewise the importance of food logistics. This paper presents a literature review of the food aspects in logistics research. A total of 159 published papers were identified from 9 logistics and supply chain management journals, whereof 104 focused on food logistics. The papers were categorised into the type of logistics activities studied from the perspective of different food supply chain actors and actor constellations. The papers were also grouped according to which food product characteristics they had highlighted as impacting logistics activities. It was noticed that food products have unique characteristics and that food supply chain actors work in a specific context. Thus, this paper puts forward a comprehensive definition of food logistics: Food logistics analyses logistics activities within a food supply chain context by problematising food product characteristics and by examining the constellation of food supply chain actors.

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Quality assurance programs and access to international markets: the case of horticultural processors in Vietnam

Cited by 18 publications

References 26 publications

Benchmarking self-declared social sustainability initiatives in cocoa sourcing

Benchmarking self-declared social sustainability initiatives in cocoa sourcing

Perishable food supply chain quality (PFSCQ)

Capturing food logistics: a literature review and research agenda

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