IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/jincot/v18y2018i1d10.1007_s10842-017-0247-2.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Incentives and Impacts of Vertical Coordination in a Food Production-Marketing Chain: A Non-cooperative Multi-Stage, Multi-Player Analysis

Author

Listed:
  • Jebaraj Asirvatham

    (Southern Illinois University Carbondale)

  • Sanjib Bhuyan

    (Rutgers University)

Abstract

Vertical coordination in the form of contracts and integration is common where changing consumer preferences require producers to adapt to changing market situations that require a steady supply of quality controlled products. We identify two vertical coordination mechanisms that are common in the real world but often ignored by the literature due to their inherent complexity. Using economic models, we measure the incentives and impact of market agents’ strategic behavior and strategies along a hypothetical food production-marketing chain. Our results reestablish the importance and value of open market and contracts in a world where both are gradually replaced by consolidation and integration. We also find that in most types of vertical coordination there is a critical limit to the levels of coordination beyond which it is not profitable to coordinate. We recommend that competitive policies could focus more on market structure where independent firms thrive rather than on the degree of coordination per se.

Suggested Citation

  • Jebaraj Asirvatham & Sanjib Bhuyan, 2018. "Incentives and Impacts of Vertical Coordination in a Food Production-Marketing Chain: A Non-cooperative Multi-Stage, Multi-Player Analysis," Journal of Industry, Competition and Trade, Springer, vol. 18(1), pages 59-95, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jincot:v:18:y:2018:i:1:d:10.1007_s10842-017-0247-2
    DOI: 10.1007/s10842-017-0247-2
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10842-017-0247-2
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10842-017-0247-2?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Chanjin Chung & Em Tostão, 2012. "Effects of horizontal consolidation under bilateral imperfect competition between processors and retailers," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 44(26), pages 3379-3389, September.
    2. Wayne D. Purcell & William T. Hudson, 2003. "Risk Sharing and Compensation Guides for Managers and Members of Vertical Beef Alliances," Review of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 25(1), pages 44-65.
    3. Koontz, Stephen R. & Garcia, Philip, 1997. "Meat-Packer Conduct In Fed Cattle Pricing: Multiple-Market Oligopsony Power," Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Western Agricultural Economics Association, vol. 22(1), pages 1-17, July.
    4. Greenhut, M L & Ohta, H, 1979. "Vertical Integration of Successive Oligopolists," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 69(1), pages 137-141, March.
    5. Pruitt, J. Ross & Gillespie, Jeffrey M. & Nehring, Richard F. & Qushim, Berdikul, 2012. "Adoption of Technology, Management Practices, and Production Systems by U.S. Beef Cow-Calf Producers," Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 44(2), pages 203-222, May.
    6. A. M. Azzam & E. Pagoulatos, 1990. "Testing Oligopolistic And Oligopsonistic Behaviour: An Application To The Us Meat‐Packing Industry," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 41(3), pages 362-370, September.
    7. Zanaj Skerdilajda, 2010. "Successive Oligopolies and Decreasing Returns," The B.E. Journal of Theoretical Economics, De Gruyter, vol. 10(1), pages 1-26, November.
    8. Parceli, Joe L. & Pierce, Vern, 2000. "Factors Affecting Wholesale Poultry Prices," Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 32(3), pages 471-478, December.
    9. Zanaj Skerdilajda, 2010. "Successive Oligopolies and Decreasing Returns," The B.E. Journal of Theoretical Economics, De Gruyter, vol. 10(1), pages 1-26, November.
    10. Martin, Laura L., 1997. "Production Contracts, Risk Shifting, and Relative Performance Payments in the Pork Industry," Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 29(2), pages 267-278, December.
    11. Bhuyan, Sanjib, 2005. "Does Vertical Integration Effect Market Power? Evidence from U.S. Food Manufacturing Industries," Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Southern Agricultural Economics Association, vol. 37(1), pages 1-14, April.
    12. Lusk, Jayson L. & Marsh, Thomas L. & Schroeder, Ted C. & Fox, John A., 2001. "Wholesale Demand For Usda Quality Graded Boxed Beef And Effects Of Seasonality," Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Western Agricultural Economics Association, vol. 26(1), pages 1-16, July.
    13. Richards, Timothy J. & Pofahl, Geoffrey M., 2010. "Pricing Power by Supermarket Retailers: A Ghost in the Machine?," Choices: The Magazine of Food, Farm, and Resource Issues, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 25(2), pages 1-11.
    14. Charles R. Knoeber & Walter N. Thurman, 1995. ""Don't Count Your Chickens...": Risk and Risk Shifting in the Broiler Industry," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 77(3), pages 486-496.
    15. Bhuyan, Sanjib, 2005. "Does Vertical Integration Effect Market Power? Evidence from U.S. Food Manufacturing Industries," Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 37(1), pages 263-276, April.
    16. Wayne D. Purcell & William T. Hudson, 2003. "Risk Sharing and Compensation Guides for Managers and Members of Vertical Beef Alliances," Review of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 25(1), pages 44-65.
    17. Buhr, Brian L. & Ginn, Bruce, 2011. "U.S. Meatpacking: Dynamic Forces of Change in a Mature Industry," Choices: The Magazine of Food, Farm, and Resource Issues, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 26(1), pages 1-6.
    18. Jongick Jang & Frayne Olson, 2010. "The role of product differentiation for contract choice in the agro-food sector," European Review of Agricultural Economics, Oxford University Press and the European Agricultural and Applied Economics Publications Foundation, vol. 37(2), pages 251-273, June.
    19. Parcell, Joseph L., 2003. "An Empirical Analysis of the Demand for Wholesale Pork Primals: Seasonality and Structural Change," Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Western Agricultural Economics Association, vol. 28(2), pages 1-14, August.
    20. Stuart D. Frank & Dennis R. Henderson, 1992. "Transaction Costs as Determinants of Vertical Coordination in the U.S. Food Industries," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 74(4), pages 941-950.
    21. Rachael E. Goodhue, 2011. "Food Quality: The Design of Incentive Contracts," Annual Review of Resource Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 3(1), pages 119-140, October.
    22. repec:bla:econom:v:49:y:1982:i:195:p:277-87 is not listed on IDEAS
    23. Hayenga, Marvin L., 2000. "Meat Packer Vertical Integration and Contract Linkages in the Beef and Pork Industries: An Economic Perspective," Staff General Research Papers Archive 10564, Iowa State University, Department of Economics.
    24. Martin, Laura L., 1997. "Production Contracts, Risk Shifting, And Relative Performance Payments In The Pork Industry," Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Southern Agricultural Economics Association, vol. 29(2), pages 1-12, December.
    25. Gervais, Jean-Philippe & Lambert, Remy, 2010. "The Simple Economics of Hog Marketing Reforms in Quebec," Working Papers 102014, Structure and Performance of Agriculture and Agri-products Industry (SPAA).
    26. Parcell, Joseph L. & Pierce, Vern L., 2000. "Factors Affecting Wholesale Poultry Prices," Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Southern Agricultural Economics Association, vol. 32(3), pages 1-8, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Luca Camanzi & Giorgia Bartoli & Beatrice Biondi & Giulio Malorgio, 2018. "A Structural-Functional Theory approach to vertical coordination in agri-food supply chains: Insights from the "Gran Suino Italiano" Inter-branch Organisation," Economia agro-alimentare, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 20(2), pages 169-180.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Rachael Goodhue & Leo Simon, 2016. "Agricultural contracts, adverse selection, and multiple inputs," Agricultural and Food Economics, Springer;Italian Society of Agricultural Economics (SIDEA), vol. 4(1), pages 1-33, December.
    2. Poray, Michael C. & Gray, Allan W. & Boehlje, Michael, 2002. "Evaluation of Alternative Coordination Systems Between Producers and Packers in the Pork Value Chain," Staff Papers 200386, Purdue University, Department of Agricultural Economics.
    3. Tian Xia & John M. Crespi & Kevin C. Dhuyvetter, 2019. "Could packers manipulate spot markets by tying contracts to futures prices? And do they?," Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics/Revue canadienne d'agroeconomie, Canadian Agricultural Economics Society/Societe canadienne d'agroeconomie, vol. 67(1), pages 85-102, March.
    4. Martinez, Stephen W. & Zering, Kelly D., 2004. "Pork Quality And The Role Of Market Organizaton," Agricultural Economic Reports 33973, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    5. Love, H. Alan & Burton, Diana M., 1999. "A Strategic Rationale For Captive Supplies," Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Western Agricultural Economics Association, vol. 24(1), pages 1-18, July.
    6. Inbae Ji & Chanjin Chung & Jungmin Lee, 2017. "Measuring Oligopsony Power in the U.S. Cattle Procurement Market: Packer Concentration, Cattle Cycle, and Seasonality," Agribusiness, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 33(1), pages 16-29, January.
    7. MacDonald, James M. & Perry, Janet E. & Ahearn, Mary Clare & Banker, David E. & Chambers, William & Dimitri, Carolyn & Key, Nigel D. & Nelson, Kenneth E. & Southard, Leland W., 2004. "Contracts, Markets, and Prices: Organizing the Production and Use of Agricultural Commodities," Agricultural Economic Reports 34013, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    8. Key, Nigel D. & McBride, William D., 2008. "Do Production Contracts Raise Farm Productivity? An Instrumental Variables Approach," Agricultural and Resource Economics Review, Northeastern Agricultural and Resource Economics Association, vol. 37(2), pages 1-12.
    9. Asirvatham, Jebaraj & Bhuyan, Sanjib, 2004. "Economic Impact of Vertical Coordination: A Multi-stage, Multi-player Analysis," 2004 Annual meeting, August 1-4, Denver, CO 20400, American Agricultural Economics Association (New Name 2008: Agricultural and Applied Economics Association).
    10. McBride, William D. & Key, Nigel D., 2001. "Factors Affecting Contractor And Grower Success In Hog Contracting," 2001 Annual meeting, August 5-8, Chicago, IL 20552, American Agricultural Economics Association (New Name 2008: Agricultural and Applied Economics Association).
    11. Yanguo Wang & Edward C. Jaenicke, 2006. "Simulating the Impacts of Contract Supplies in a Spot Market-Contract Market Equilibrium Setting," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 88(4), pages 1062-1077.
    12. Hu, Wu-Yueh & Vukina, Tomislav & Zheng, Viaoyong, 2014. "The Role of Risk and Risk-Aversion in Adoption of Alternative Marketing Arrangements by the U.S. Farmers," 2014 Annual Meeting, July 27-29, 2014, Minneapolis, Minnesota 168930, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    13. Jaenicke, Edward C. & Shields, Martin & Kelsey, Timothy W., 2007. "Food Processors’ Use of Contracts to Purchase Agricultural Inputs: Evidence from a Pennsylvania Survey," Agricultural and Resource Economics Review, Northeastern Agricultural and Resource Economics Association, vol. 36(2), pages 1-17, October.
    14. Martinez, Stephen W., 2002. "Vertical Coordination Of Marketing Systems: Lessons From The Poultry, Egg, And Pork Industries," Agricultural Economic Reports 34051, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    15. Hueth, Brent & Ligon, Ethan & Dimitri, Carolyn, 2007. "AJAE Appendix: Agricultural Contracts: Data and Research Needs," American Journal of Agricultural Economics APPENDICES, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 89(5), pages 1-7, December.
    16. Pritchett, James G. & Liu, Donald J., 1998. "Estimating Backward Integration In A Primary Input Market: The Case Of U.S. Hog Industry," Conference Papers 14480, University of Minnesota, Center for International Food and Agricultural Policy.
    17. Niquidet, Kurt & O'Kelly, Glen, 2010. "Forest-mill integration: A transaction cost perspective," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 12(3), pages 207-212, March.
    18. SANIN, Maria Eugenia & ZANAJ, Skerdilajda, 2007. "Environmental innovation under Cournot competition," LIDAM Discussion Papers CORE 2007050, Université catholique de Louvain, Center for Operations Research and Econometrics (CORE).
    19. Dubois, Pierre & Vukina, Tomislav, 2009. "Optimal incentives under moral hazard and heterogeneous agents: Evidence from production contracts data," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 27(4), pages 489-500, July.
    20. GABSZEWICZ, Jean J. & ZANAJ, Skerdilajda, 2007. "A note on successive oligopolies and vertical mergers," LIDAM Discussion Papers CORE 2007074, Université catholique de Louvain, Center for Operations Research and Econometrics (CORE).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Vertical coordination; Vertical contract; Vertical integration; Tapered integration; Non-cooperative oligopoly; Strategic behavior; Production-marketing chain;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L13 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Oligopoly and Other Imperfect Markets
    • Q13 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Agricultural Markets and Marketing; Cooperatives; Agribusiness

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:kap:jincot:v:18:y:2018:i:1:d:10.1007_s10842-017-0247-2. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.