Creating a “best value supply chain”? Empirical evidence from the Greek food chain

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the differences in value outcomes within the Greek food chain by examining its key members and to illustrate which members are contributing, excelling and underperforming towards value creation.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey was conducted with 1,121 companies representing four Greek food sectors and each tier of the chain. These companies evaluated the value outcomes of their supply chain based on four competitive priorities and the subsequent data were analysed by employing appropriate statistical techniques.

Findings

The primary producers were found to have the worst value outcomes, whilst the best outcomes were noted for catering firms. The findings show that the Greek food chain has still many characteristics of a traditional chain and many improvements are required to reach the “best value chain” status.

Practical implications

The results could be used as benchmark points to guide managers towards achieving highest scores in specific business operations. The paper demonstrates a logical methodological process for obtaining these results which can be used by managers.

Originality/value

To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first paper providing an overall view of value outcomes of various chain members altogether and of the chain they are part of. The paper has filled a relevant gap in the literature by providing an empirical comparison of the perceived value outcomes for several tiers in a food chain.

Citation

Bourlakis, M., Maglaras, G. and Fotopoulos, C. (2012), "Creating a “best value supply chain”? Empirical evidence from the Greek food chain", The International Journal of Logistics Management, Vol. 23 No. 3, pp. 360-382. https://doi.org/10.1108/09574091211289228