Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2010. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains viii, 100 p. : ill. Vita. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 58-60).

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This thesis presents an analysis of finished beef marketing in the UK using Transaction Cost Economics (TCE). Transaction costs fall into three broad categories: information costs, negotiation costs and monitoring or enforcement costs. The key insight provided by TCE is that economic activity will be organised, <I>ceteris paribus</I>, so as to minimise the costs of carrying out transactions. Empirical applications of TCE have not kept pace with theoretical developments partly due to data limitations; in particular, there have been few applications of TCE by agricultural economists. Data on the transaction costs which farmers face when marketing finished beef cattle are collected through a survey of beef producers in N.E. Scotland. These data are analysed using Tobit analysis - a limited dependent variable econometric technique. A number of transaction cost and farm characteristic variables are found to be significant in influencing a farmer's decision whether to sell cattle through the live-ring auction or direct to abattoirs. The influence of transaction costs on abattoirs' cattle procurement preferences are then examined using conjoint analysis. This technique allows the joint effect of two variables on a dependent variable to be measured. Procurement channels are described in terms of four key transaction cost attributes. Data from a survey of UK abattoirs allows the extent to which respondents are willing to trade-off attribute levels, and therefore, the relative importance of the transaction cost attributes, to be determined. Conjoint analysis is also used to measure the relative importance of transaction costs in the procurement decisions of retailers, through a small-scale survey of UK supermarket meat buyers. The main contribution of this study is to demonstrate that measuring the importance of transaction costs to the parties to an exchange is a fruitful avenue of research.

Thesis (M.S.)--Michigan State University. Dept. of Agricultural Economics, 2008. / "Major professor, Dr. Glynn Tonsor"--Acknowledgements. Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on July 30, 2009) Includes bibliographical references (p. 199-206). Also issued in print.

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2006. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains ix, 106 p. Vita. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 77-81).

The primary objective of this dissertation is to perform an analysis of the South African beef supply chain ‘from farm to fork’. This will contribute towards a better understanding of the beef supply chain, aiding collaboration, transparency and supply chain strategies to enhance national industry competitiveness. Currently, the industry, and the supply chain is facing pertinent challenges such as globalisation, the declining consumption of beef, the disconnection of the farmer from the supply chain, illegal slaughtering, a lack of quality and inadequate hygiene practises in some lower throughput abattoirs, the rising food safety concerns (BSE, E.coli, and FMD), and the competitiveness of substitute products (chicken, pork, etc.). A simple and systematic approach is used to analyse the South African beef supply chain ‘from farm to fork’. The information has been discussed with industry experts, via interviews and discussion, to ensure the analysis reflects reality. It is evident that the South African beef supply chain is long, complex and involves various handoff points between role-players and industry governing bodies, as well as various permutations of this supply chain. The red meat industry evolved from a highly regulated environment to a totally deregulated one. The deregulation changes the ‘rules of the game’, and the ‘new rules of the game’ result in additional complexity within the current chain. The supply-side issues play a critical role in creating a sustainable competitive advantage, against substitute products. This highlights the importance of having accurate cattle herd numbers to facilitate proper supply chain planning, in an industry with a cyclical nature and a dependence on uncontrollable factors, such as natural forces and biological factors. This is indeed an issue of concern for the industry. Demand-side issues are influenced by the income of consumers, the availability and price of substitute products, consumer taste and preferences, and consumer expectations. In addition, the effect on demand, of price and income elasticity, and per capita expenditure by different population groups, adds to the complexity of the South African beef supply chain operation. viii The beef supply chain cost analysis -- the weaner cost model -- aims to assign cost, and resources, to each role-player to understand how value and margin is added, within the South African beef supply chain. The analysis revealed some interesting facts, regarding the ‘margins’ and ‘mark-up percentages’. This highlights, in simplistic terms, that some sectors are making more money than others, and examined together, with the cyclical nature of the industry, it is a given that supply chain management principles (collaborations, integration, contracting, etc.) will play an ever increasing role in the future of food supply chains. Eight supply chain management strategies are discussed, to initiate and kick-start the change process to transform the local beef supply chain into a leading-class player. The strategies are: (i) Crafting a supply chain vision; (ii) Traceability, transparency and quality assurance; (iii) Knowledge management and the learning supply chain; (iv) Transformation and AGRIBEE; (v) Measuring performance: supply chain metrics and diagnostics; (vi) Concepts of collaboration in food supply chain management; (vii) Synchronising operations and uncovering hidden opportunities; and, (viii) National agribusiness framework and red meat framework. The South African beef supply chain no longer has an option: it must ‘adapt to survive’. Benefits, in non-food systems, are well documented, with the implementation of supply chain management principles. The analysis concludes by summarising the strategies into meaningful and manageable options recommended for implementation. The recommendations are: · Create a national and red meat agribusiness structure and craft a local supply chain vision · Ensure product quality and establish a positive red meat message that drives demand · Implement productivity gains across the South African beef supply chain · Share market information across the South African beef supply chain · Promote innovation across the South African beef supply chain · Implement research and development initiatives for success. / Prof. J.H. du Plessis

Alliances between participants in the beef industry have developed rapidly during the past 10 years. Industry surveys reveal alliances are expected to grow larger in number and become a more dominant part of the beef sector over the next 10 years. This research centers on providing design specific information to managers and decision makers involved with creating alliance organizations, thereby improving the likelihood of future alliance success. A conceptual framework was created to better understand the process of alliance formation. Each participant in the alliance first prioritizes economic motivations for joining, creates unique governance structure designs reflecting motivations, and then assesses results to decide on future participation. Simulations were performed using empirical data from a private beef alliance to analyze various margin sharing and premium allocation designs. Cattle owners were found to prefer equal margin sharing, while packers would prefer to accept a transfer of cattle owner margins rather than share packing margins with owners. Premiums were found to be substantial for cattle grading higher than a Choice YG3 quality level. Premiums averaged $12/head, $8/head, and $4/head when 75%, 50%, and 25% of cattle qualified for premium lines, respectively. Premium rights were found to be good substitutes for equal margin sharing agreements, allowing packers to accept equal margin sharing agreements while maintaining an equivalent level of return from premium rights. Marginal rates of substitution between changes in premium rights and changes in equal margin sharing levels are identified, allowing for more informed negotiations between cattle owners and packers. / Master of Science

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Master of Agribusiness / Department of Agricultural Economics / Elizabeth Yeager / The corn silage market is typically focused heavily on the dairy market and results for corn silage plots are dedicated to the dairy industry specifically to get to the overall answer of $ Milk/Acre. The beef cattle industry is more interested in pounds of beef that can be gained from corn silage. There are roughly 6.2 million acres of corn silage in the US. Within that 6 million acres, roughly half is fed to beef cattle, but the corn silage industry has not focused on this aspect of the market. Within Mycogen Seeds there has been an ever increasing demand to find a way to deliver the corn silage plot data in a useable format for beef producers. By delivering corn silage plot data to beef producers, Mycogen has aspirations of increasing it’s market share of the corn silage market in Kansas as well as across the US, while at the same time increasing the awareness of how quality of a corn silage hybrid can affect a producers operation. This thesis examines corn silage plot info sample analysis and specific feed analysis calculations. With these specific calculations, the corn silage plot will illustrate information in a form that beef producers will understand, $ Beef Produced/Acre. At the same time, this thesis will examine the industry wide concept that tonnage is the only component that is important when selecting a corn silage hybrid. Finally this thesis will examine at what point ($/bushel) in the corn grain market does it make sense to start looking at utilizing corn silage over dry rolled corn by comparing price per MegaCalorie of energy by utilizing 25 year historical corn grain prices and using the Purdue Method of determining the cost of corn silage on a per ton basis.

M.Comm. / A new and more free marketing orientation followed since the deregulation process was implemented in the red meat industry. From this follows consequential structural changes. After the new Marketing Act on Agricultural Products was accepted, all marketing boards had to be phased out, including the Meat Board. The doors for international trade were also opened. Changes in the economic, politicial, social and legal environment, local and abroad, lead to new opportunities, horizons and limitations, to which the beef production and beef marketing system had to adapt. Beef producers were therefore forced to become more involved in the marketing of their products. New questions about the current marketing channels and the different marketing options in the beef industry also developed. With the abovementioned as background and the uncertainty of beef producers about marketing, the objective of this study is to identify the marketing implications for beef producers in a deregulated market and to use this to formulate marketing guidelines which beef producers could use.