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This paper aims to conduct case studies in companies of different branches of the agribusiness sector to analyze the degree of adherence to lean production system, considering the use of techniques and tools, and how the specificities of the agribusiness system work.

By contributing to the refinement of the theory, multiple type case studies were conducted in eight agribusiness units from different branches by applying structured interviews, on-site visits and document analysis. The comparative analysis of the cases occurred focusing on the degree of adherence to lean production system; use of techniques and tools; and influence of the specificities of agribusiness systems.

The adoption of lean production system occurs as an improvement mechanism of organizational performance. However, it is necessary to advance in the formalization of the actions, which need to encourage the creation of new leaders who spread the organizational philosophy. When comparing the degree of adherence to lean production with the use of techniques and tools, it was observed that there is no direct relationship, indicating that each organization should select only the techniques and tools that will improve their own organizational performance. At last, the specific characteristics of seasonality of consumption, quality and health surveillance and sociological aspects of the food have high influence on surveyed agribusiness systems, and its effects can be minimized by the techniques and tools associated with lean production system.

The analysis is valid for the universe investigated due to the specific characteristic of the case study.

The literature regarding the lean production philosophy is vast; however, the agribusiness segment, one of the major sectors of the global economy, features a large gap in literature. This study is one of the first original papers to report this reality.

The rise of CSR followed a demand for CSR standards and guidelines. In a sector already characterized by a large number of standards, the authors seek to ask what CSR schemes apply to agribusiness, and how they can be systematically compared and analysed.

Following a deductive‐inductive approach the authors develop a model to compare and analyse CSR schemes based on existing studies and on coding qualitative data on 216 CSR schemes.

The authors confirm that CSR standards and guidelines have entered agribusiness and identify a complex landscape of schemes that can be categorized on focus areas, scales, mechanisms, origins, types and commitment levels.

The findings contribute to conceptual and empirical research on existing models to compare and analyse CSR standards. Sampling technique and depth of analysis limit this research, but the authors offer insights into patterns of CSR standard development in agribusiness and point to important research avenues.

These findings can help agribusiness managers to select and analyse CSR standards and other forms of CSR guidance.

Standard and guidance setting activities can be expected to have real‐life effects on CSR outcomes. These effects need to be better understood by policy makers and stakeholders. The authors' meta‐analysis contributes to further research on who or what influences standard development.

Models to compare CSR schemes are rare and often focus on a small number of cases. The authors provide decision makers and researchers with insights into structural conditions through a meta‐analysis of a larger number of CSR schemes.

The purpose of this paper is sixfold: first, to know the ability of area carrying capacity to the development of downstream oil palm industry; second, to know the potential for the development of downstream oil palm industry in efforts to improve the community through employment and business opportunities in the regions; third, to find eco-friendly institutional arrangement strategies of oil palm farming in order to spur economic growth and development; fourth, to formulate strategies for potential environmental impact as a result of institutional arrangement and development of downstream oil palm industry, both in regional and national scope; fifth, to predict the economic multiplier effect as impact of institutional arrangement and development of oil-palm-based downstream industry; and sixth, to include production centers and development areas of oil-palm-based downstream industry in potential areas.

Research location was in potential areas of oil palm plantation development, either in the form of plasma through state-owned enterprises (BUMN) and private-owned enterprises (BUMS), or in the form of self-supporting by community. The research locations were divided into two parts, namely the land area and the coastal area. The land area of Riau consisted of Kampar, Rokan Hulu and Kuantan Singingi Regency, while the coastal area of Riau consisted of Pelalawan, Siak, Bengkalis, Indragiri Hilir, Indragiri Hulu and Rokan Hilir Regency. Both research areas had different productivity which was caused by differences in soil fertility. The required data were primary and secondary data.

Plantation activities have increased the mobility of goods in the villages, causing plantation activities to also open business and employment opportunities for people who are able to accept these opportunities. Since post-1998 crisis, the growth of oil palm plantation area in Riau increased sharply, namely in 1998, the area of oil palm plantations was 901,276 ha, in 2012, 1,119,798 ha and increased to 2,103,175 ha at the end of 2017. Through economic activities that produce goods and services required during the plantation process and the development, downstream industries will have backward linkages. The development of oil palm plantations in Riau has had an impact on economic activities in rural areas. The result of the research in the field is that the average income of farmers in the plantation subsector (especially oil palm) is Rp4,576,696 per month or $5,781.09 per year. The impact on investment in the estate subsector has been felt by rural communities. This condition also affects the purchasing power of the people, resulting in the increase of mobility of goods and people. During the period 2009–2016, rural communities enjoyed a high level of prosperity. During this period, the price of fresh fruit bunch at the farm level was quite profitable. On the other hand, the production of the plantation area also increased compared to the previous period. The impact of rising prices and increasing production of farmers is that the farmers’ welfare index in the countryside had a positive value of 0.43. This index showed the increase of farmers’ welfare from the previous period by 43 percent.

There are few previous studies which have comprehensively and specifically reviewed the regional economic empowerment through institutional arrangement and development of oil-palm-based downstream industry. The development of oil palm plantations aims to eliminate poverty and underdevelopment, especially in rural areas. In addition, it also pays attention to equity. In broad sense, agricultural development which is based on plantations aims to improve the welfare of the community so that there is a change in the pattern of life of the surrounding community. On the other hand, the success of plantation development that is based on oil palm agribusiness is expected to reduce income inequality between community groups and between regions.

The paper aims to explore consumer preferences for novel and other quality attributes in processed foods. It focuses on preferences for product origin, certification on food quality and standards and tradeoffs between novelty (fortification and highly processed) and other quality attributes.

In total, 317 consumers were randomly selected at a high-end supermarket and a traditional local market in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Stated and revealed preference approaches were used to investigate their preferences for different attributes in processed foods. A hypothetical choice experiment was used to assess consumer preference for six baby food attributes and the tradeoffs between the attributes, while the revealed preference method included questions on consumer's actual processed food purchasing and consumption habits. In addition, consumers were asked a series of hierarchical questions assessing the motivation underpinning their choices for different products attributes.

When making choices for processed food attributes, consumers are reluctant to choose novel technologies and have a strong preference for natural, nutritious, tasty and quality processed food attributes. However, they are willing to forego their preference for naturalness and to overcome their reluctance to trying novel technologies when the novelty is embedded with such quality benefits as nutrition, but not so when the embedded benefit is convenience. They are also willing to trade off their preference for nutrition for a sensory taste. This suggests that micronutrient deficiencies can be reduced among women and children under five by employing the appropriate strategies in processed food formulation. Further, the preference for product origin highlights the opportunity for national brands to fill the gap created by the increasing demand for processed foods in Tanzania.

The study claims a developing country perspective but is only representing consumers in one city in a developing country. However, this study speculates that consumers with representative characteristics in such context are likely to behave the same. Furthermore, although this study controlled for a hypothetical bias, having a hypothetical choice experiment with non-shoppers (non-purchasers) could have triggered the hypothetical bias, making participants concentrate more on non-price than price attributes.

The paper offers a developing country perspective on consumers' preferences for novelty in processed foods and tradeoffs with other quality attributes.

This research aims to study the economic conditions of fishermen living in the coastal area of Kabupaten Pesisir Selatan.

The method used is a descriptive analysis method supported by a participatory planning method. The importance of primary data is to understand deeply the real problems of fishermen in the field, collected by using a survey method such as field observations, in-depth interviews by gathering fishermen and related stakeholders in the area, undertaking forum group discussion, workshop and seminar. Secondary data are necessary to support the primary data analysis.

The results showed that there is an abundance of marine resources, but the economic condition of fishermen is far from expected. The income from fishing is not enough to feed their family's daily needs due to low catching productivity and raw fish selling price. The regency government and province do not have clear and concrete policies to resolve firmly and thoroughly the economic problems of fishermen living in the coastal areas.

This study succeeds in providing two breakthrough strategic policies to improve the economic conditions of fishermen, i.e. institutional and entrepreneurial innovations.

Both strategic policies have a mutual relationship. Therefore, the implementations have to integrate with one another and be executed simultaneously in a single coastal area management system.

Bupati as a top policymaker in this region must take full responsibility for the successful implementation of these two strategic policies.

Providing new ideas to solve the main problem of fishermen living in the coastal area in Indonesia.

The purpose of this paper is two‐fold. First, is to apply the benchmarking approach to the dates export supply chain (DESC) in Oman and Tunisia (taking Tunisia as a benchmark) to identify gaps in the organizational and operational structures of the DESC in the two countries. Second, is to utilize the information generated to put forward recommendations to improve Omani DESC.

Four benchmarking dimensions are developed, each dimension with a number of key performance indicators (KPIs). The KPIs are then used in the benchmarking exercise.

Results show that Tunisia is performing better than Oman in all the four dimensions.

The study enables the readers and the stakeholders to gain some valuable insights in the subject matter. A careful analysis of the findings should enable Oman policy makers and stakeholders to produce an industry action plan to correct the gaps and take the lead.

The purpose of this paper is to present the contributions of Wroe Alderson to the buyer behavior literature from an historical perspective. His views of the consumer in the 1950s revolutionized the way we now teach and do research in this domain of marketing.

This research relied heavily on Alderson's own published work and the work of others familiar with his work. The historical research tradition of document interpretation was employed and personal interviews were conducted.

The findings revealed that Alderson contributed much to buyer behavior thought than is generally believed. This eminent theorist – practitioner was ahead of his time in his conceptualization of the consumer/household purchasing agent as an information processor and a problem solver in the behavioral process of buying and consuming.

A detailed account of Alderson's contributions to the then emerging science of consumer behavior is unique especially in the context of thought contributions originating from other sciences.

The purpose of this paper is to examine empirically, an industry development paradox, using embryonic literature in the area of strategic supply chain management, together with innovation management literature. This study seeks to understand how, forming strategic supply chain relationships, and developing strategic supply chain capability, influences beneficial supply chain outcomes expected from utilizing industry-led innovation, in the form of electronic business solutions using the internet, in the Australian beef industry. Findings should add valuable insights to both academics and practitioners in the fields of supply chain innovation management and strategic supply chain management, and expand knowledge to current literature.

This is a quantitative study comparing innovative and non-innovative supply chain operatives in the Australian beef industry, through factor analysis and structural equation modeling using PAWS Statistical V18 and AMOS V18 to analyze survey data from 412 respondents from the Australian beef supply chain.

Key findings are that both innovative and non-innovative supply chain operators attribute supply chain synchronization as only a minor indicator of strategic supply chain capability, contrary to the literature; and they also indicate strategic supply chain capability has a minor influence in achieving beneficial outcomes from utilizing industry-led innovation. These results suggest a lack of coordination between supply chain operatives in the industry. They also suggest a lack of understanding of the benefits of developing a strategic supply chain management competence, particularly in relation to innovation agendas, and provides valuable insights as to why an industry paradox exists in terms of the level of investment in industry-led innovation, vs the level of corresponding benefit achieved.

Results are not generalized due to the single agribusiness industry studied and the single research method employed. However, this provides opportunity for further agribusiness studies in this area and also studies using alternate methods, such as qualitative, in-depth analysis of these factors and their relationships, which may confirm results or produce different results. Further, this study empirically extends existing theoretical contributions and insights into the roles of strategic supply chain management and innovation management in improving supply chain and ultimately industry performance while providing practical insights to supply chain practitioners in this and other similar agribusiness industries.

These findings confirm results from a 2007 research (Ketchen et al., 2007) which suggests supply chain practice and teachings need to take a strategic direction in the twenty-first century. To date, competence in supply chain management has built up from functional and process orientations rather than from a strategic perspective. This study confirms that there is a need for more generalists that can integrate with various disciplines, particularly those who can understand and implement strategic supply chain management.

Possible social implications accrue through the development of responsible government policy in terms of industry supply chains. Strategic supply chain management and supply chain innovation management have impacts to the social fabric of nations through the sustainability of their industries, especially agribusiness industries which deal with food safety and security. If supply chains are now the competitive weapon of nations then funding innovation and managing their supply chain competitiveness in global markets requires a strategic approach from everyone, not just the industry participants.

This is original empirical research, seeking to add value to embryonic and important developing literature concerned with adopting a strategic approach to supply chain management. It also seeks to add to existing literature in the area of innovation management, particularly through greater understanding of the implications of nations developing industry-wide, industry-led innovation agendas, and their ramifications to industry supply chains.

The purpose of this paper is to determine which financial record‐keeping system farmers use, as well as what system attributes farmers value and to what degree.

This research uses a choice experiment to examine farmer's demand for attributes of financial record‐keeping systems. A sample from the general Michigan farm population is compared to samples from university and agribusiness record system clients.

Results reveal that university and agribusiness clients are willing to pay considerably more for a farm‐specific record system to backstop their farm management decisions.

The results provide an understanding of farmer demands for farm financial record systems and can be used to position record‐keeping systems to meet those demands.

This paper describes and analyzes farm financial accounting system use and preferences by type.

This study aims to describe in detail, a system dynamics-based study that was used to show how a large vertically integrated aquaculture company should approach its stepwise capacity expansion program, without undermining its financial performance or affecting the performance of the value chain.

The company and its aquaculture value chain are used as case study. A system dynamics model is developed on the basis of generic end-to-end agribusiness and aquaculture supply chain models. The model includes the unique dynamics relating to an aquaculture supply chain. Also modelled is the working capital management rules of the company, with the effects of the capacity expansion program on its working capital, market share and its supply chain obligations. The model is used to determine the long-term impact of the company’s working capital management under different modes of financing and rate of expanding the capacity.

For a large vertically integrated company that wants to increase its capacity, there is a systematic approach to working capital management that can be used to avoid financial distress or value chain distortion.

Extended the scope of system dynamics modelling within multiple disciplines, namely, agribusiness supply chain finance, supply chain capacity investment, financial management in large companies, supply chain working capital management and aquaculture value chain.

The developed model can be used to manage supply chain working capital in large vertically integrated agribusinesses, and also to assess supply chain financial risk.

To enhance the model build, discrete event simulation was used to model aspects of the system. The eventual system dynamics-discrete event simulation model is a form of hybrid simulation modelling that was used to provide a deeper understanding of how supply chain financial decisions affect an entire value chain system.