Cooperatives are commonplace in the dairy sector throughout the developed world. A cooperative is an organization whose patrons are those who contribute the capital. Two features that distinguish a cooperative are: profits are distributed by member patronage, and member control is democratic. In theory, this organizational form cannot sustainably capture economic rents. Members adjust their production until any captured rents are eliminated, restoring the competitive solution. In British Columbia, the dairy industry is regulated by supply management. Production quotas control output, while fanner returns are guaranteed by restricting imports and administering the price. All milk is pooled, and processors need not deal directly with dairy producers. A simple model of the BC dairy industry, with farm production or processor input as the only variable, shows that the ‘competitive yardstick’ is not maintained. The industry wide milk pool decouples the cooperative from its membership. When this cooperative maximizes its patronage dividend, supply management totally separates it from its members incentives. Given that the administrative price is not set to eliminate all processing rents, the positive patronage dividend is an incentive for all farmers to join the cooperative. Simultaneously, a competing IOF can capture rents because it is buying milk at the pooi price and does not compete with the cooperative for its input needs. The financial statements of the Fraser Valley Milk Producers Cooperative Association lend support to the model. Based on performance ratios, this cooperative is behaving similar to other firms in the dairy industry, and may be capturing rents on behalf of its members. The one area of discrepancy is in the source of financing, and this can be largely explained by changing member investment preferences. Our model predicts that in B.C. the price of quota should be dependent on the return generated by our theoretical cooperative. We find that the present perfonnance of the cooperative is not a useful predictor of the quota price. However, quota price appears to be closely linked to indicators of future economic performance, and the sign of this linkage is consistent with our model.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--West Virginia University, 2005. / Title from document title page. Document formated into pages; contains 1 v. (various pagings). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references.

O objetivo desta dissertação é contribuir para o entendimento do conceito de customer service e como ele pode ser uma ferramenta útil para o desenvolvimento de estratégias logísticas. Para tanto, estabeleceu-se um aprofundamento teórico do conceito, baseado na literatura sobre customer service e logística. Também estão presentes conceitos como o de valor, o de preço e qualidade, os tipos de relacionamento e os canais de distribuição. Por fim, aborda-se o setor varejista e o seu comportamento de compra. Foi conduzida uma pesquisa exploratória, mediante um estudo em uma empresa do setor de laticínios refrigerados. Nesta empresa, foi analisada apenas a logística de seus produtos refrigerados. Os resultados da pesquisa indicaram que a empresa não domina o conceito de customer service. Foi constatada, ainda, uma grande desvantagem competitiva da empresa com relação à empresa líder do mercado. Verificou-se, ainda, que a empresa deve reformular totalmente suas estratégias logísticas se ela pretende ser uma empresa competitiva e que satisfaça seus clientes e acionistas. Concluiu-se que customer service pode ser uma importante ferramenta no processo de estabelecimento de uma estratégia logística competitiva que agrega valor aos produtos da empresa. / The aim of this dissertation is to contribute for the understanding of the concept of customer service and how it can be a useful tool for the development of logistic strategies. Indeed, the theory used was based on customer service and logistics literature. Concepts of value, price, quality, type of relationship among companies and channels of distribution are also present. Moreover, the retail sector and its purchase behavior are studied. An exploratory research was conducted as a case study in a company of dairy products industry. In this company, only the logistics of its refrigerated products was analyzed. The outcome of this research pointed out that the company doesn’t have enough knowledge about the concept of customer service. It was verified that the company has a great disadvantage if compared with the leading company of the industry. Therefore, the company should enhance its logistics strategies if it intends to be a competitive company that brings satisfaction to its customers and stockholders. So, customer service could be an important tool in the process of establishing a competitive logistics strategy that adds value to its products.

Cooperatives are commonplace in the dairy sector throughout the developed world. A cooperative is an organization whose patrons are those who contribute the capital. Two features that distinguish a cooperative are: profits are distributed by member patronage, and member control is democratic. In theory, this organizational form cannot sustainably capture economic rents. Members adjust their production until any captured rents are eliminated, restoring the competitive solution. In British Columbia, the dairy industry is regulated by supply management. Production quotas control output, while fanner returns are guaranteed by restricting imports and administering the price. All milk is pooled, and processors need not deal directly with dairy producers. A simple model of the BC dairy industry, with farm production or processor input as the only variable, shows that the ‘competitive yardstick’ is not maintained. The industry wide milk pool decouples the cooperative from its membership. When this cooperative maximizes its patronage dividend, supply management totally separates it from its members incentives. Given that the administrative price is not set to eliminate all processing rents, the positive patronage dividend is an incentive for all farmers to join the cooperative. Simultaneously, a competing IOF can capture rents because it is buying milk at the pooi price and does not compete with the cooperative for its input needs. The financial statements of the Fraser Valley Milk Producers Cooperative Association lend support to the model. Based on performance ratios, this cooperative is behaving similar to other firms in the dairy industry, and may be capturing rents on behalf of its members. The one area of discrepancy is in the source of financing, and this can be largely explained by changing member investment preferences. Our model predicts that in B.C. the price of quota should be dependent on the return generated by our theoretical cooperative. We find that the present perfonnance of the cooperative is not a useful predictor of the quota price. However, quota price appears to be closely linked to indicators of future economic performance, and the sign of this linkage is consistent with our model. / Land and Food Systems, Faculty of / Graduate

The general problem to be dealt with in this thesis is that of determining whether the antitrust laws of the state of Texas fulfill their aim of maintaining competition through the prosecution of conspiracies in restraint of trade. The specific problem is the determination of the effect of the antitrust laws on the dairy industry in Texas.

Despite continued pursuit of development interventions to improve people’s livelihoods and reduce poverty, intended and actual outcomes of developments interventions may differ. Some scholars attribute this variation to flawed conceptualisation of development interventions while others view this divergence as evidence that implementation processes are complex and actual outcomes result from adaptations of the interventions by actors. To move beyond the discursive approaches to analysis of development interventions, this thesis addresses the question how do actors adapt them, why and with what outcomes in the long run? Empirically, it looks at how project officers and farmers adapted the National Dairy Development Project (NDDP), a dairy intervention implemented in Kenya between 1980 and 1995, and its long run outcomes. The intervention promoted zero grazing, intensive management of dairy cattle whose implementation by farmers was expected to increase land productivity as a means to address land scarcity, increase milk production and reduce poverty through generation of incomes from milk sales. The methodology of this thesis links mechanisms, contexts, and outcomes, three elements of realist explanation, to understand adaptations and outcomes of development interventions. Through thematic synthesis of in-depth interviews and analysis of project documents, this thesis explains adaptations and long run outcomes of the NDDP. Findings reveal that developers and farmers adapted several components of the intervention. With close reference to context, incentives and continuity pressures, this thesis utilises intervention effectiveness and matching mechanisms to explain how project officers adapted the NDDP. Further, through fit and resistance mechanisms, this thesis explains how farmers adapted zero grazing in the context of inadequate fodder, labour shortage and lack of resources to invest in dairy. In the long run, findings show that the intervention diminished as evident in coexistence of indigenous and modern dairy technologies and non-implementation of any dairy technologies by farmers. Despite adaptations of zero grazing by project officers and farmers, intensification of dairy cattle management has diminished in the context of resource constraints, neoliberal policies and labour shortage. Consequently, the objective to increase land productivity through intensive dairy cattle management, the rationale for initiation of the intervention, remains unresolved. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2014.

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