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Licenciatavhandling Linköping : Linköpings universitet, 2005.

A discussion of reward, coercive, expert, legitimate, and referent power bases was the initial focus of this research. A review of the power sources literature suggested that vertical integration within a channel of distribution was a crucial precursor to develop a structure to facilitate the use of power without creating a significant conflict among channel participants. Elements of transaction cost analysis (TCA) were offered as being suitable for determining the existing level of vertical integration among respondent firms. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to develop a tentative model to determine proper use of power within varying levels of vertical integration.

Drawing on the marketing, strategic management, and supply management literature, this dissertation develops and empirically tests a theoretical model that delineates knowledge sharing and collaboration between competing suppliers in serving a buying organization. Data were collected through the means of a conjoint-decision study and a survey of suppliers in the optics and the automotive industries. One hundred and forty-six executive MBA students participated in the conjoint-decision study, and one hundred and ten companies participated in the survey. Statistical analysis results from both studies show strong empirical support to the theoretical model. This dissertation advances our understanding of the relative impacts of different factors in promoting or constraining knowledge sharing between competing suppliers when they collaborate with each other to create superior value for the customer. This dissertation demonstrates that a focal supplier's transfer of knowledge to its counterpart hinges not solely on the characteristics of the collaboration. More importantly, knowledge sharing between two competing suppliers is related to different facets of the customer's relationship with the focal supplier. In conclusion, this dissertation provides substantial insights into the role and influences of the customer on competing suppliers' knowledge sharing and collaboration, as well as the value of knowledge sharing to the strategic outcomes of the inter-supplier collaboration.

Distribution channel activities account for a large share of economic activity, and innovation in distribution is recurrently shown to hold great potential for efficiency-improvement and restructuring. In recent years, there has been a resurgence of interest in innovations and their role in economic change. A growing body of work uses an evolutionary economic approach to these questions. Empirically, this research has primarily been directed towards innovation in product design or production processes, while innovation in distribution channels has remained a relatively unexplored area of study within evolutionary economics.This study was inspired by the possibility to use the emerging evolutionary economic theory to improve our understanding of innovation in distribution channels. The evolutionary framework is combined with theory on distribution channels, and the adapted framework applied to two cases of innovation in Swedish grocery trade. These two innovations, the introduction of the self-service format and the development of a vertically and horizontally coordinated, channel organisation, the so-called all-channel, have both been important in shaping distribution channel structures.In addition to providing some new insights into these historical developments, the study makes a contribution to the theory of distribution channels with regard to innovations. The role of the environment in shaping the characteristics of the innovation is an addition to conventional views of innovation in channel theory. The interdependent nature of actors and processes in distribution channel is acknowledged, and the possibilities for modularising the system is advanced as an important strategic tool in facilitating the adoptability of distribution innovations. However, the success or failure of an innovation is found to depend on the adopting actors’ ability to mobilise system-wide effects. / Diss. Stockholm : Handelshögskolan, 1998

This study investigates how innovation in distribution models at the base of the pyramid overcomes the impact of institutional and infrastructural voids in the base of the pyramid (BOP) markets. The research was based on the qualitative assessment of successful companies currently operating in the healthcare, pharmaceuticals, fast moving consumables, beverages and financial, consulting and telecoms services space in BOP market in Africa and India. The research establishes that successful distribution is not possible without consideration of the needs and values of the lower income consumer in terms of understanding where they live, what they purchase and how they behave. Offerings to this market require the application of frugal engineering principles to address product specification, production cost and cost to access. Companies were then researched and the findings interpolated to create a distribution model that describes how companies’ route to market can take the form of either an active or passive mode of distribution. A case for best practise was then developed to describe the most innovative, successful approaches applied to the unique distribution problems in the BOP. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

Um dos maiores desafios encarados pelo produtor rural, e em especial o de hortaliças, é a comercialização de seus produtos. Percebe-se ser necessário esquematizar formas de se obter o melhor controle da qualidade dos produtos, mitigar as perdas de pós-colheita, agregar valor ao produto e distribuir melhor o lucro pela cadeia produtiva, assegurando a sustentabilidade da mesma. Surgem, então, as questões de quais são as transações e modelos de gestão existentes nos canais de distribuição de produtores de hortícolas. Qual modelo de gestão seria o mais adequado para os membros da cadeia? Na tentativa de contribuir com a solução deste problema, o presente estudo tem o objetivo de caracterizar as transações e modelos de gestão existentes entre produtores de hortícolas, intermediários e varejistas, e propor um novo modelo de gestão. Utilizaram-se entrevistas em profundidade para caracterização da cadeia de hortaliças e o estudo de caso único integrado de produtores de hortaliças, em especial o tomate, intermediários e varejistas na região metropolitana de Goiânia, Goiás. A análise dos dados foi por meio da triangulação do referencial teórico com os modelos de canais de distribuição de produtos perecíveis e com a descrição do caso. Os resultados do estudo indicaram que existem modelos de canais de distribuição eficientes, para a cadeia de produtos perecíveis na literatura; que os modelos caracterizados, na região de Goiânia, são passíveis de melhorias para atender as mudanças nos padrões de consumo e regulação dos canais de distribuição; existe, pois congruência e sinergias entre a teoria e modelos de canais de distribuição de produtores de hortícolas; e que esses permitem a elaboração de modelos organizacionais mais adequados, entre produtores de hortaliças, intermediários e varejistas. Com a proposição desse modelo, espera-se contribuir com uma estrutura organizacional que auxilie nas atividades de planejamento e gestão dos canais de distribuição de produtores de hortícolas, por gestores e especialistas, com transparência, sinergismo e satisfação de todos envolvido nos elos da cultura de tomate / One of the biggest challenges faced by the rural producer, and in particular one of the vegetables, is the commercialization of its products. It is necessary to outline ways to obtain better control of product quality, mitigate postharvest losses, add value to the product and better distribute the profit through the production chain, ensuring the sustainability of the same. The question then arises of which transactions and management models exist in the distribution channels of vegetable producers and which management model would be the most appropriate for the members of the chain? To contribute to the solution of this problem, the present study has the objective of characterizing the transactions and management models existing among horticultural producers, intermediaries, and retailers and propose a new management model. We used in-depth interviews to characterize the vegetable chain and the single integrated case study of vegetable producers, especially tomato, intermediaries and retailers in the metropolitan region of Goiânia, Goiás. Data analysis was done through triangulation of the theoretical reference with the models of channels of distribution of perishable products and with the description of the case. The results of the study indicated that there are models of efficient distribution channels for the chain of perishable products in the literature; that the models characterized in the region of Goiânia can be improved to meet the changes in consumption patterns and regulation of the distribution channels; that there are congruence and synergies between the theory and models of distribution channels of horticultural; and that these allow the elaboration of more appropriate organizational models among vegetable producers, intermediaries, and retailers. With the proposal of this model, it is hoped to contribute with an organizational structure that will assist in the planning and management of the vegetable distribution channels by managers and specialists, with transparency, synergism, and satisfaction of all involved in the production chain of tomato culture

Os distribuidores de insumos têm desempenhado um papel importante na comercialização e distribuição de insumos aos consumidores finais (agricultores). Além de vender os insumos, essas empresas são fornecedores de serviços importantes e também participam no processo de desenvolvimento de novas tecnologias, conhecimento de mercado e, especialmente, de fornecimento de crédito. O planejamento é necessário para que o futuro seja levado em consideração, e o sistema de gestão é essencial na organização, tornando-se um diferencial competitivo e uma ferramenta de sucesso na implementação de estratégias. O diagnóstico das práticas de gestão nos canais de distribuição de insumos permite identificar os principais pontos de melhoria, e esses merecerão todos os esforços de tempo e investimento dos gestores. O presente trabalho busca responder à seguinte pergunta: como fomentar o processo de planejamento estratégico de um canal de distribuição de insumos agrícolas utilizando projetos previamente estruturados que podem ser aplicados dependendo do nível de gestão encontrado no canal? Para tanto, lança mão de uma pesquisa exploratória qualitativa que analisa cinco estudos de casos. Como resultado, foi proposto um modelo de classificação do nível de gestão de canais de distribuição de insumos agrícolas que subsidiou as análises dos projetos estratégicos relacionados com o nível de gestão existente no canal; e também uma gama de projetos estratégicos previamente pensados em função do nível de gestão. Percebe-se uma lacuna na proposição dos projetos estratégicos e o nível de gestão, sendo importante que no exercício do planejamento estratégico, tenha-se o conhecimento prévio desse. / Agricultural input dealers play an important role in the commercialization and distribution of the inputs to final users (growers). Besides selling inputs, these companies supply important services and participate in the development of new technologies, in sharing market knowledge and specially in funding growers\' activities. Planning is necessary to bring light to the future while the management system is essential for the organization, becoming a competitive advantage and a successful tool for the implementation of the strategy. The diagnosis of management practices in input dealers allows identifying the main improvement points which should deserve time spending and investment by the firms\' managers. This research aims to address the following question: how to promote the strategic planning process of an agricultural input dealer by using previously structured projects that could be applied based on the level of management standard? In order to do so, this qualitative and exploratory research analyzed five case studies. It resulted on a framework for classifying the level of management standard of agricultural input dealers, which was used to analyze the strategic projects related to the existing management standard of each dealer. It also resulted on a range of strategic projects previously thought according to the level of management standard. It became evident that there is a gap between the proposed strategic projects and the level of management standard, being important that managers have a previous knowledge of such level for planning the firm\'s strategies.