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1 – 10 of over 2000Indika Fernando, Jiangang Fei, Roger Stanley, Hossein Enshaei and Alieta Eyles
Quality deterioration in bananas along the supply chain (SC) due to cosmetic damage has been a persistent challenge in Australia. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the…
Abstract
Purpose
Quality deterioration in bananas along the supply chain (SC) due to cosmetic damage has been a persistent challenge in Australia. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the incidence of cosmetic defects in bananas across the post-harvest SC and determining the causes of the diminished fruit quality at the retail stores.
Design/methodology/approach
The study quantified the level of cosmetic damage in 243 cartons of Cavendish bananas across three post-harvest SCs in Australia from pack houses to retail stores and identified the risk factors for cosmetic defects.
Findings
The level of cosmetic damage progressively increased from pack house (1.3 per cent) to distribution centre (DC) (9.0 per cent) and retail (13.3 per cent) and was significantly influenced by package height and pallet positioning during transit. Abrasion damage in ripened bananas was influenced by the travel distance between DC and retail store. The study also revealed a range of risk factors contributing to the observed damage including weakened paperboard cartons due to high moisture absorption during the ripening process.
Research limitations/implications
This study only investigated damage incidence in three post-harvest banana SCs in Australia and the damage assessments were confined to packaged bananas.
Originality/value
This study assessed the quality of bananas along the entire post-harvest SC from farm gate to retail store. The study provided knowledge of the extent of the quality defects, when and where the damage occurred and demonstrated the underlying factors for damage along the SC. This will enable the development of practical interventions to improve the quality and minimize wastage of bananas in the retail markets.
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Eva Collins, Kate Kearins, Helen Tregidga and Stephen Bowden
Chris Morrison and two partners introduced the first Fairtrade bananas in New Zealand in a bid to improve the social and environmental impacts of banana consumption. The trio…
Abstract
Synopsis
Chris Morrison and two partners introduced the first Fairtrade bananas in New Zealand in a bid to improve the social and environmental impacts of banana consumption. The trio started All Good Bananas in 2010. Using social media as a key marketing tool, the startup had grown to take a 5 percent market share in a fiercely competitive industry dominated by big players. In 2012, the entrepreneurs needed to decide the best way to increase sales of ethically sourced products under the All Good brand. Should they expand their share of the banana market or diversify into drinks?
Research methodology
The case is primarily based on tape-recorded interviews by the authors with the founding entrepreneur and three employees of All Good from May to July 2012 and an analysis of the company’s website and social media activities. Other publicly available information sources were drawn upon, and a discussion held with a New Zealand national grocery chain CEO.
Relevant courses and levels
This case has been written for use in classes in undergraduate and graduate level entrepreneurship, strategic management and sustainability. The case can be used to illustrate how very small resource-constrained startups can compete in an industry dominated by large multinational corporations, and how Fairtrade might provide a worthy differentiation focus. It is open to a consideration of judo economics. While several of the questions ask students to consider the New Zealand context in which this case is set, knowledge of New Zealand and the various industries beyond what is offered in the case is not necessary.
Theoretical bases
At a broad level the case illustrates how a small, resource-constrained startup can compete against much, much larger players through a niche Fairtrade product focus and the use of alternative marketing strategies such as guerrilla marketing and social media. In relation to the competitive dynamics within an industry, this case can be used to illustrate the concept of judo economics (also referred to as judo strategy). Both the utility and potential limits of judo economics can be demonstrated through the case by considering current activities and potential future dynamics.
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Just prior to the recent millennial transition, The Observer polled a cross‐section of British celebrities about their perceptions of paradise. Most of these were suitably vague …
Abstract
Just prior to the recent millennial transition, The Observer polled a cross‐section of British celebrities about their perceptions of paradise. Most of these were suitably vague – perpetual joy, renewed relationships, blissful state of mind etc. – but the anarchic comedian Mark Thomas archly described Heaven as “smelling of bananas”. Off‐hand possibly, flippant undoubtedly, yet Thomas’s remark is strikingly apt, since bananas are the original “forbidden fruit” of the Garden of Eden. Apples are mere interlopers, latter‐day arrivistes that have prospered thanks to the spin‐doctoring tactics of the wily Serpent. This paper, therefore, aims to set the record straight by telling a tall banana tale and explaining how bananamarketing is the future of our field.
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Looks at the concept of supply chain management, discussing the theory and its relevance to the distribution and marketing of fresh produce. Vertical co‐ordination has seen an…
Abstract
Looks at the concept of supply chain management, discussing the theory and its relevance to the distribution and marketing of fresh produce. Vertical co‐ordination has seen an accelerated introduction in the context of UK food retailing and the major food retailers are increasingly demanding dedicated supply as their influence grows. Looks at three main players: J Sainsbury, the second largest UK grocery retailer; Mack Multiples, an operating division of M & W Mack, the UK’s largest privately‐owned importer and distributor of fresh produce; and Noboa, a major family‐owned plantation business in Ecuador.
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Anne Margaretha Rietveld, Wellington Jogo, Samuel Mpiira and Charles Staver
Beer-bananas in Central Uganda are important for smallholder farmers’ livelihoods, especially for those that process the banana into beer and spirits. The purpose of this paper is…
Abstract
Purpose
Beer-bananas in Central Uganda are important for smallholder farmers’ livelihoods, especially for those that process the banana into beer and spirits. The purpose of this paper is to understand how actors in the beer-banana value chain are affected and how they are managing disease has become an important issue since the outbreak of the bacterial banana disease Xanthomonas Wilt.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conducted an exploratory study focusing on producers of beer-bananas; brewers and non-brewers, and on retailers in Central Uganda and in Kampala. The authors conducted surveys with these value chain actors and we used baseline data, collected through a household survey in the project sites.
Findings
Results showed that Banana Xanthomonas Wilt (BXW) has drastically reduced productivity of beer-banana systems, resulting in reduced sales volumes of beer-bananas and processed products and consequently reduced incomes. Application of disease control measures was generally higher among those farmers that brew.
Research limitations/implications
This being an exploratory study, the samples for the different value chain actors were rather small. Future research should address: product quality and opportunities for differentiation; effects of beer-banana processing on rural communities; adoption of BXW control measures.
Originality/value
Beer-bananas are often neglected in research; this paper shows that is unfounded since beer-banana production and processing are important for many people’s livelihood. More insight into what motivates farmers to control the disease is essential to protect these people’s livelihoods.
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The purpose of this paper is to revisit the celebrated conflict that lasted close to two decades and pitted the EU against the USA and against MFN suppliers of bananas. It starts…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to revisit the celebrated conflict that lasted close to two decades and pitted the EU against the USA and against MFN suppliers of bananas. It starts by recalling the major turning points in the dispute and argues that the EU-USA conflict could largely be explained by the changing landscape on trade-policy making on both sides of the Atlantic. As to the EU-MFN grower dispute, it can be largely explained by uncertainty on the distribution of quota rents and on the reluctance to use economic analysis in the panel decisions. Econometric and simulation estimates are given in support of this argument.
Design/methodology/approach
Analytical interpretation of the conflict supported by graphical analysis. Econometric and simulation estimates to support the arguments.
Findings
The paper shows that the EU-MFN grower dispute is largely explained by uncertainty on the distribution of quota rents as result of the move away from region-specific quotas to tarification.
Research limitations/implications
Lack of better data on transport costs and unreliable price data discussed in the paper is an important caveat only partly remedied through simulation analysis.
Practical implications
The use of the simple and transparent models here would have helped the panel reach an informed decisions on what tariff would have preserved the same market shares for MFN growers of bananas.
Originality/value
This is the first thorough political-economy review of the dispute since the often cited paper: Cadot and Webber, (2002) “Banana splits: policy process, particularistic interests, political capture, and money in transatlantic trade politics.”
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Brighton Mvumi, Learnmore Tatenda Matsikira and Jackqeline Mutambara
– The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the banana industry in Zimbabwe focusing on postharvest losses along the value chain (VC).
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the banana industry in Zimbabwe focusing on postharvest losses along the value chain (VC).
Design/methodology/approach
The study evaluated the banana industry in Zimbabwe focusing on postharvest losses along the VC.
Findings
Total postharvest losses for 2011-2012 were estimated to be 24-27 per cent of total production with a minimum economic loss of USD69,983/annum/firm, and a total loss of more than USD500,000/annum between the VCs analysed. The bulk of the losses occurred at farm level during handling and transportation. The major factors contributing to banana postharvest losses were: unreliable transport, poor communication and coordination between producers and processors; lack of or inefficient temperature management and poor sanitation.
Practical implications
The study identified production capacity, quality and branding as opportunities and challenges in the banana industry. Currently, there is a 40 per cent unmet local demand for bananas and hence there are no exports. If modern banana handling systems are employed and more research and development is carried out along the VC, postharvest losses can be reduced significantly, resulting in increased income and potential expansion of the industry.
Originality/value
This is the first known attempt to analyse the banana VC in southern Africa and quantify postharvest losses.
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Adam M. Komarek and Fredoun Z. Ahmadi‐Esfahani
Low productivity and the prevalence of marketing and demand constraints are all interrelated problems for banana growers in East Africa. The purpose of this paper is to examine…
Abstract
Purpose
Low productivity and the prevalence of marketing and demand constraints are all interrelated problems for banana growers in East Africa. The purpose of this paper is to examine how different marketing policies can alter the incomes of banana‐growing households in the Ntungamo district of Uganda.
Design/methodology/approach
A partial equilibrium model and a trader profit‐maximisation model are used to analyse changes in banana market equilibrium conditions, marketing costs and market competitiveness.
Findings
The results indicate that increasing supply relative to demand reduces grower returns. It appears that reducing market power and lowering middlemen marketing costs may lead to higher grower returns. Policies facilitating lower marketing costs for traders are proposed in conjunction with strategies that promote banana processing.
Originality/value
Drawing on both primary and secondary data, this paper examines how increasing demand and reducing marketing costs impacts on banana‐grower returns. Furthermore, sources of price movements in the Ugandan banana industry are assessed.
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Gabriel Maschio, Liana Stoll, Rosiele Lappe Padilha, Kelly de Moraes, Fernanda Leal Leães, Roberta Cruz Silveira Thys and Voltaire Sant'Anna
The objective was to evaluate the effect of banana peel into cake (a bakery product that may add bananas) and panettone (a product that never is added to bananas) formulations on…
Abstract
Purpose
The objective was to evaluate the effect of banana peel into cake (a bakery product that may add bananas) and panettone (a product that never is added to bananas) formulations on consumers' acceptance and perceived attributes and the effect on the technological properties of the product.
Design/methodology/approach
Bakery products were produced with banana peel in the formulation and control samples without residue. Volunteers scored their acceptance and checked all attributes applied to the four samples in the blind and informed tests. The texture, color, proximate composition and bake properties were measured.
Findings
The acceptance of both cakes, with and without banana peel, was not affected when consumers were informed that there was a residue in both cakes. Relative risk indicated that information had no influence on acceptance. Panettone with banana pulp showed a reduction in acceptance when volunteers were informed of the presence of banana peel. Risk analysis showed a significant relative risk of product rejection when consumers were aware of information. The addition of banana peel enhanced panettone chewiness and crumb hardness, reduced bake loss of cakes, reduced the volume of both products and changed some color parameters of both products.
Originality/value
Banana peel is a source of functional compounds, but it is not clear how consumers react when informed that the food presents it.
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Per Engelseth, Judith Molka-Danielsen and Brian E. White
The purpose of this paper is to question the applicability of recent industry-derived terms such as “Big Data” (BD) and the “Internet of things” (IoT) in a supply chain managerial…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to question the applicability of recent industry-derived terms such as “Big Data” (BD) and the “Internet of things” (IoT) in a supply chain managerial context. Is this labeling useful in managing the operations found in supply chains?
Design/methodology/approach
BD and IoT are critically discussed in the context of a complete supply chain organization. A case study of banana supply from Costa Rica to Norway is provided to empirically ground this research. Thompson’s contingency theory, Alderson’s functionalistic end-to-end “marketing channels” model, Penrose’s view of supply purpose associated with service provision, and particularities of banana supply reveal how end-to-end supply chains are complex systems, even though the product distributed is fairly simple.
Findings
Results indicate that the usefulness of BD in supply chain management discourse is limited. Instead its connectivity is facilitated by what is now becoming commonly labeled as IoT, people, devices and documents that are useful when taking an end-to-end supply chain perspective. Connectivity is critical to efficient contemporary supply chain management.
Originality/value
BD and IoT have emerged as a part of contemporary supply chain management discourse. This study directs attention to the importance of scrutinizing emergent and actual discourse in managing supply chains, that it is not irrelevant which words are applied, e.g., in research on information-enabled supply process development. Often the old words of professional terminology may be sufficient or even better to help manage supply.
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