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The literature provides mixed empirical evidence on the trust–performance relationship. The purpose of this paper is to shed additional light on this relationship, using organizational ambidexterity as an explanatory variable.

A structural equation technique was used to examine survey data obtained from 377 Spanish organic agro-food industries.

The results obtained provide support to show that organizational ambidexterity has a mediating role in the relationship between organizational trust and firm performance, in the organic agro-food industry.

This study used a sample taken from only one industry and country. Future research could expand the model to other countries and industries.

This study suggests that managers could use tools to enhance organizational trust that would help to improve firm performance, given that trust can cause employees to adopt behaviors related to ambidexterity. Therefore, managers can use trust as a mechanism to encourage more stable relationships, increase the transfer of existing knowledge, facilitate experimentation and express ideas to promote organizational ambidexterity, thus benefiting firm performance.

This research paper offers a new insight into how ambidexterity affects the organizational trust-firm performance relationship. Even though there is growing theoretical importance given to the concepts of trust and ambidexterity, the empirical evidence that demonstrates how both variables are related to firm performance, especially in emerging sectors, is scarce.

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the role of quality management on the development of organisational exploration.

Partial Least Square was used on a sample of 350 companies within the Spanish organic agro-food industry.

The study results provide empirical evidence of the positive and significant impact that quality management has on the development of organisational exploration.

Causal relationships cannot be applied to this study due to cross-sectional data being used rather than longitudinal data.

Quality management must be considered by managers an essential tool to the development of organisational exploration. As a systematic approach, that moves towards to the development of policies, attitudes and behaviours which foster and boots the development of organisational exploration.

Quality management is a widely used management approach, which organisations use to improve the quality of their products, services and their overall performance. Organisational exploration is seen as a fundamental tool to ensure sustainability, profitability and the future survival of organisations; however, there is disagreement throughout previous research. Some authors point out the importance of quality management in developing activities that promote organisational exploration, whereas other authors see quality management as an inhibitor. Given the great controversy in previous research, our study clarifies the role of quality management in the development of organisational exploration.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of quality-oriented human resource practices (QHRP) on organizational ambidexterity. Furthermore, the mediating role of ambidextrous culture in the relationship between QHRP and organizational ambidexterity was assessed.

Drawing on data from 350 green agro-food companies with two respondents in each company, structural equation models were used.

This paper has been drawn up to provide some responses to the needs of the companies to be ambidextrous while applying QHRP. The findings show that there is a positive effect of QHRP on organizational ambidexterity. In addition, ambidextrous culture mediated the relationship between QHRP and organizational ambidexterity.

This research reveals key managerial aspects for QHRP implementation that facilitate firms to be more ambidextrous, and thus more efficient and innovative.

The authors illustrate the connection between quality-oriented human resource practices (QHRPs) and organizational ambidexterity under the dynamic capabilities theory. The findings contribute to the empirical evidence on the antecedents of organizational ambidexterity, and suggest that these specific QHRPs influence an organization's baseline beliefs and values and support the development of ambidextrous capabilities by means of an ambidextrous culture.

本文擬探討以質量為本的人力資源實務對組織雙元性的影響; 本文亦擬評定雙元性文化在以質量為本的人力資源實務與組織雙元性之間的關係上所扮演的中介角色。

數據取自350間綠色農產食品公司,而每間公司則有兩名應答者; 研究人員以結構方程模型進行分析。

草擬本文的目的,是要為那些於採用以質量為本的人力資源實務時需要成為雙元性的公司提供回應。我們的研究結果顯示,以質量為本的人力資源實務,對組織的雙元性是有積極和正面的效應。研究結果亦顯示,雙元性文化在以質量為本的人力資源實務與組織雙元性之間的關係上,起著中介調和的作用。

本研究展現了、若企業欲推行以質量為本的人力資源實務,以促進其雙元性,繼而成為更有效率和更具創新能力的企業,它們需致力於哪些關鍵性的管理事務呢?

我們闡明了在動態能力理論下,以質量為本的人力資源實務與組織雙元性之間的關聯。我們的研究結果,就組織雙元性的先例,提供了經驗性證據,就此,研究作出了貢獻。研究結果亦暗示,有關的特定以質量為本的人力資源實務,不僅會影響組織的基線信念和價值觀,還會通過雙元性文化,為雙元能力的發展提供支援。

This case study aims to analyse dyadic empirical relations within food supply chains. The categories of market, hierarchy or power, network and social relations were used to disclose the coordinative structures on the chain level and connect these with the chain development.

The actors of three vegetable supply chains were interviewed. The coordinative relations of actors were identified and the coordinative structures on the chain level were made visible by combining the ego networks of chain actors. The “story of supply chain development” was intertwined with the analysis.

The studied food supply chains were coordinated mostly by duplex or multiplex relations, combining market, hierarchy or power, network and social relations. In addition to the strategic network, presented in literature, the study identified a coordinative structural mode of socially overlaid network. In general, the network relation was found to be used as an effective “glue” within all coordinative structures. Both coordinative structural modes exhibited substantial growth, on the condition that agricultural base and buyers enabled enlargement.

Economic sociological perspective has been used in explaining food supply chain development by making visible the coordinative relations and structures on the chain level. The chain level phenomena appear as a promising field of study.

This paper first analyses the direct effect of quality management practices (QMPs) on organisational ambidexterity (OA). It then analyses the mediating influence of the values of ambidextrous culture (AC). A novel theoretical model is tested in a quantitative study of the organic agri-food sector.

Quantitative methods and an online survey were used to collect and analyse 239 valid questionnaire responses. The data analysis method was partial least squares (PLS).

There is a relationship between QMPs and OA. AC partially mediates this link, strengthening the direct relationship between the two variables.

The proposed model is novel and creates opportunities for new lines of research. The concept of QMPs is considered in all its dimensions (processes, people, customers and suppliers). The study reaffirms the importance of the novel concept of AC in the literature. In this study, OA is defined in terms of the balanced processes of exploitation and exploration. The choice of sector is another original feature of the study.

In this chapter we discuss the dynamics of convergence-divergence between organic and non-organic farming systems. We are specifically interested in how and in what ways organic systems emerge into a new system that synthesizes the diverse qualities of competing systems. Or, will these systems continue to diverge because of their path dependencies and contradictory, unresolvable logics? Alternatively, are we confronted with conversion? Following a discussion of the origin of organic agriculture and the IFOAM Principles, we explore differentiation of two agricultural paradigms that was developed more than 20 years ago before the rise of GMOs. This comparison identifies the key features of both systems and a first interpretation on the potential of convergence-divergence. Third, we take a macro-look at agro-food chain that offers insights on the convergence-divergence potential in the context of global, economic, market, political, and societal dynamics. Fourth, we discuss convergence-divergence at the production level comparing the four agricultural systems. Finally, we reflect and assess on the explanatory potential of our study for the future development of organic and non-organic agriculture/farming. We conclude that there is more evidence for conversion than for convergence.

The purpose of this paper is to identify the factors driving the adoption of “green innovations” notably green food and certified organic food and to examine the attitudes of Chinese consumers towards genetically modified food.

A mixed methods approach was used. A total of 402 consumers responded to a structured questionnaire and 58 consumers responded to a survey designed to gather qualitative data. Data analysis involved content analysis, the probit model, frequency distributions and the t-test for two unrelated means.

This study shows that affluent, middle class Chinese citizens are opting out of the conventional food market. There is a gender divide, with men showing a preference for green food and females showing a preference for certified organic food. Certified food purchase is associated with demographic variables, such as income, education, age, gender, presence of young children, household size, living in developed cities and overseas experience. A follow-up study shows that the absence of genetically modified organisms (GMOs ) motivates the purchase of organic food. Overall, the results suggest that Chinese consumers are turning towards certified food for health reasons and are sceptical about genetic modification (GM) food.

This paper provides some insights into how Chinese consumers view innovations in the food sector. The study found that almost half of the sample is unaware that the concept of green food is different to that of organic food. The priority for the certified organic industry is to address this lack of knowledge and clearly explain what certified organic food is and how it differs from green food. Small-scale farmers could use consumer aversion to GMOs as a promotional tool. The ultimate goal of this paper is to help marketers better promote certified organic food, but inferences can be drawn in terms of Chinese sustainable consumption. Negative attitudes towards genetically modified foods exist due to human health concerns. Hence, Chinese policy makers need to confront these perceptions, real or perceived, if they wish to maintain public trust in biotechnology.

Based on the qualitative data, stressing the GM-free status is likely to enhance sales since there appears to be a segment of consumers that distrusts GM technology.

The contribution of this research lies in examining what drives the adoption of “green innovations”, notably green food and certified organic food in China. This research is important given that little is known about what Chinese consumers think of, and how they react to, innovations in the agro-food value chain.

This paper is concerned with the impact of e‐commerce on agro‐food marketing. First, a theoretical framework is specified for the Internet as a marketing tool with emphasis on the agro‐food and organic food sections. Subsequently we present the results of a survey that was conducted in order to investigate how Cretan agricultural cooperatives use or tend to use the business methodology of e‐commerce. Consumers and managers of cooperatives in Crete reveal their expectations from the new technology. From this survey valuable information is gained about the practical relations between e‐commerce and the agro‐food market on the island, and divergence from the theoretical framework is noticed.

Using the behavioural perspective as a theoretical complement of rational models, this paper examines factors that influence the decision of producing organic wines.

Based on a quantitative analysis of 687 wineries belonging to Denomination of Origin in Spain, the authors empirically examine the sequential relationships between manager's personality and winery and institutional level factors, on organic wine production activity and winery export performance.

This paper investigates the direct and indirect sequential relationships between wineries' factors including an organic production activity and two dimensions of export performance, namely: volume-based and value-based performance. The results of a sequential model provide evidence that openness to experience, a manager's personality trait, has a positive causal relationship with organic wine production.

This paper offers richer insights into the factors leading wine production managers to change from conventional to organic production methods. Specifically, the study shows that wine production managers are susceptible to make decisions to whether produce organic wine or not that may not be consistent with the current theoretical models based on economic efficiency (i.e. comparing costs and benefits). Instead, these decisions are, in part, based on their personality traits. Future research could study how the functional attribute affects the willingness to produce organic wines.

This study contributes to a new strategic implication of organic wine production activity and export performance linkage in behavioural and traditional theoretical perspectives. These findings are valuable for policy makers in the wine sector, as they can better inform and guide policies directed to identify organic production support programs.