The internationalization of Chinese companies is a new reality. This is even more innovative if we isolate Chinese private firms and in particular those having businesses in developed countries as targets. If the first internationalizations of Chinese private firms to developed countries showed us less than optimal results; the latest show mixed outcomes. Interestingly, some of the latest firms with positive results are breaking through stable and complex global value chains, such as the automotive industry, to become first tier suppliers to transnational assemblers and even acquire large and apparently more capable first-tier global suppliers in developed countries. Based on the relevant literature, namely: automotive global value chain (Holweg et al., 2009; Humphrey & Memedovic, 2003; Sturgeon & Lester, 2004; Sturgeon & Van Biesebroeck, 2011; Thun, 2001); developing countries firms internationalization (Boisot & Meyer, 2008; Buckley et al., 2007; Child & Rodrigues, 2005; Dunning, 2006b; Luo & Tung, 2007; Mathews, 2006); and Chinese business system (Redding & Witt, 2009; Whitley, 1992, 1999b; Witt & Redding, 2013a, 2013b; Zhang & Whitley, 2013); this is not expected. This is why we decided to thoroughly understand the dynamic capabilities of one of such firms. Using an in-depth case study the analysis was performed with an integrative tri- perspective approach using institutional, industrial and firm levels. The starting point was on the understanding of the dynamic capabilities that the Chinese firm had since its incorporation until become a first-tier supplier to a transnational assembler followed by its internationalisation. Delving deeper into the internationalisation of the organisation, the study analysed, using the business system framework, how the Chinese firm was able to acquire and manage its new acquisition, which had superior tangible and intangible capabilities, and successfully overcame the predictable clashes that such a setting creates. This is in line with the call for exploratory research (Deng, 2012; Meyer, 2014; Narula, 2012; Ramamurti & Singh, 2009) due to the still infancy of the problem under study, the anecdotal descriptions, and the lack of reliable quantitative data. Our findings show us a Chinese firm with specific and divergent dynamic capabilities since its incorporation, when compared with the expected and typical companies, that should have emerged from the Chinese business system. A clear focus in a unique industry associated with the ambition, yet constraints, to become a global company, combined with the necessity of an industrial upgrade, and a deliberate strategy that allowed the firm to become a turnover company of €1 Billion in less than ten years. Furthermore, the long-term vision of the group and the use of a supportive partnering strategy for the post- acquisition period has been an essential component of the firm's success. Finally, we found that the firm has been joining disperse competences and resources it was lacking, using different dynamic capabilities, by grouping and directing them into a specific well-stated vision. From a theoretical perspective, these findings are particularly important since they do not support the institutional arbitrage literature nor accommodate the current different theoretical extensions on international business literature. From an empirical sense we explain that firms are not fate to integrate in a post M&A period and describe how this can be achieved.

<p>Smallholder farmers have been at the center of the development discourse not only because they represent a significant portion of the world's extreme poor but because of their potential role in food security, climate change and gender equality. Smallholders account for 70% of global food production but most of them in the developing world operate in the informal markets. Market formalization is accelerating even in the least developed countries, however, and formal market channels are gradually displacing informal ones. Global value chain based formal markets may also offer opportunities for smallholders to tap into fast growing international markets for high value agricultural products.</p><p> One of the key challenges policymakers, the development community and agribusinesses face, however, is smallholders' limited formal organization ("producer organizations") that aggregate their production and demand for goods and services in order to enable more effective market participation ("aggregation"). Only 5-10% of farmers globally are estimated to participate in formal producer organizations. This is despite the fact that such organizations have been supported by both policymakers and the development field as a way of tackling poverty and addressing market failures. </p><p>The shift towards food production being organized based on global value chains and production networks and the fast dissemination of supermarkets and other modern food retail outlets around the world is creating increased need for smallholders to partake in some form of aggregation mechanism in order to become contributors to the global food system.</p><p>Agribusinesses that buy agricultural products have therefore also been encouraging producer organizations as a way to improve their ability to source from smallholders. Nonetheless, of the producer organizations that do exist in emerging economies, only a negligible portion have been able to achieve stable access to the growing global market of high value agricultural products.</p><p>The objective of this dissertation is to contribute to the understanding of this paradox and to identify factors that may improve the likelihood and effectiveness of aggregation. The structure of this work is as follows: first the research problem and the gap in the literature (Chapter 1) will be defined, followed by the review of existing scholarship on smallholder agricultural producers, the globalization of agribusiness and global value chains as well as the literature on the aggregation of smallholder production, producer organizations and their access to global and modern value chains (Chapter 2). </p><p>Next a conceptual framework will be proposed based on which a model for smallholder global-value-chain-relevant aggregation (Chapter 3) will be developed that takes into account the producer organization types, the services offered by the producer organizations, producer organizations' access to financing and the requirements of global value chains. </p><p>The model will be tested first using the population of Hungarian producer organizations, and then a sample of Central American and Peruvian producer organizations (Chapter 4), utilizing the following hypotheses:</p><p>1. "Collective identity narratives", manifesting themselves in Collective Identity Activities, play an important role in facilitating the growth and competitiveness of POs.</p><p>2. Services, including access to financing for farmers, provided by POs play an important role in facilitating scaling.</p><p>3. Cooperatives are at a disadvantage compared to other producer organization (PO) forms in achieving the conditions of global value chain access.</p><p>The empirical analysis has five main findings. First, because trust is so important in enabling farmer participation in collectives, shared narratives that establish collective identity may play a role in ensuring not only farmer loyalty but also may help improve producer organizations' performance, particularly as organizations grow. Second, organizations that offer more services to farmers are more likely to scale and hence achieve global value chain access. However, this study found that considerable variation among services, some having much more significant relationship to the ability to scale than others. Third, cooperatives, the producer organization form most often supported by policymakers and the development field, on average were found less effective than other forms of producer organizations in their ability to connect farmers to global value chains. Having said that, it is important to highlight that the study also identified several cooperatives and some common patterns among them that outperformed both their cooperative and non-cooperative peers. Fourth, while this study adds to the evidence that smaller farmers within the smallholder group are at a disadvantage when it comes to PO participation and may, therefore, require differentiated support when it comes to interventions, it also identified several POs that work with some of the smallest farmers and still outperform their peers. Fifth, the study found that POs' access to financing is important for modern market access, in addition to meeting quantity and quality requirements.</p><p>The policy implications of these findings are considerable and recommendations for interventions conclude the paper (Chapter 6) after the discussion of this study's limitations (Chapter 5). The key policy findings include that cooperatives are not the panacea for development and policymakers should also consider other forms of producer organizations for support. Importantly, policymakers should rather consider linking their support to certain aggregator characteristics and activities, including services offered since some services appear to have stronger relationships than others with POs' ability to succeed. Among these services access to finance for farmers as well as research and development and innovation play crucial role and therefore deserve heightened attention from policymakers while access to finance at the PO level has also been found to be important. In addition, PO activities that help build collective identity are associated with POs' productivity and ability to scale.</p><p>In terms of the arguable trade-off between sustainability and smallholder inclusion, a finding of the present work is that smallholders have the potential to achieve significantly higher productivity than their larger counterparts and their POs can successfully access modern markets as long as they are provided with the necessary support related to sustainable intensification of their production and access to capital for making the necessary investments.</p> / Dissertation

Submitted by Adriana Alves Rodrigues (aalves@espm.br) on 2017-11-21T14:50:55Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Luis_Eduardo__Maturano_Cipolla.pdf: 1592066 bytes, checksum: d6aa39817cd4a326f137a2b23765d205 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Alves Rodrigues (aalves@espm.br) on 2017-11-21T15:09:06Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Luis_Eduardo__Maturano_Cipolla.pdf: 1592066 bytes, checksum: d6aa39817cd4a326f137a2b23765d205 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Ana Cristina Ropero (ana@espm.br) on 2017-11-22T12:59:49Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Luis_Eduardo__Maturano_Cipolla.pdf: 1592066 bytes, checksum: d6aa39817cd4a326f137a2b23765d205 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-11-22T13:00:00Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Luis_Eduardo__Maturano_Cipolla.pdf: 1592066 bytes, checksum: d6aa39817cd4a326f137a2b23765d205 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-03-31 / The process of internationalization of emerging economies´ companies, from the point of view of insertion in the Global Value Chain, is the object of study of several researchers. The companies seek insertion in Global Value Chain through capability for the international market, using several Upgrade mechanisms, among them, improvements in product, in process, or in the expansion of the technological functions in the company's activities or inter-sectoral. This dissertation´s objective is to analyze the upgrade mechanism, using as a case study the company Bodega Catena Zapata. Through knowledge´s accumulation, the company added value to its products and the interpretation of these results is presented based on the Matrix of Competences, developed by Sato and Fujita (2009). The empirical study was done through a single, multilevel, exploratory case study (YIN, 2005), in a wine company located in Mendoza, Argentina. The main contribution of this dissertation is the interpretation of the results using the Matrix of Competences of Sato and Fujita (2009) in two different moments. The evaluation was elaborated for the stage that the company was in the 1990s and in 2016, describing the company´s evolution in relation to the knowledge accumulation process. It was verified that these processes are related to the company's performance in the international market, which gradually seeks to be included in the Global Value Chain of the wine sector. / O processo de internacionalização de empresas de economias emergentes, sob o ponto de vista de inserção na Global Value Chain, é objeto de estudo de vários pesquisadores. As empresas buscam a inserção por meio de capacitação para o mercado internacional, utilizando-se de vários mecanismos de Upgrade, dentre eles, melhorias no produto, no processo, ou na ampliação das funções tecnológicas nas atividades da empresa ou inter-setoriais, dentro da cadeia de valores. O objetivo desta dissertação é analisar o mecanismo de Upgrade, usando como Estudo de Caso a empresa Bodega Catena Zapata. Por meio de acumulação de conhecimentos, a empresa agregou valor aos seus produtos e a interpretação desses resultados é apresentada com base na Matriz de Competências, desenvolvida por Sato e Fujita (2009). A empiria foi feita por meio de um estudo de caso único, multinível, em caráter exploratório (YIN, 2005), em uma empresa do segmento de vinhos localizada em Mendoza, Argentina. A principal contribuição desta dissertação está na interpretação dos resultados com o uso da Matriz de Competências de Sato e Fujita (2009) em dois momentos distintos. A avaliação foi elaborada para o estágio que a empresa se encontrava na década de 1990 e no ano 2016, para descrever a evolução da empresa com relação aos processos de acumulação de conhecimentos. Verificou-se que esses processos estão relacionados com a atuação da empresa no mercado internacional que, gradativamente, busca se inserir na Global Value Chain do setor vitivinícola

In the context of globalisation and liberalising economies, an increasing number of local firms based in developing countries and emerging markets are encouraged to internationalise their business activities and thus participate in foreign trade. Their sustained success is founded on two key factors; their ability to access potential foreign markets, and their ability to upgrade their capabilities and thus improve their positioning in global markets. This thesis investigates the internationalisation process and upgrading prospects of Indian Garment Manufacturers (IGMs). It begins by examining how IGMs gain access to foreign markets and discusses the factors that help or hinder their progress. The thesis subsequently explores the ways in which IGMs upgrade their activities to higher value-added activities and investigates the contributory factors that drive and shape their upgrading prospects. Existing studies employ the concept of ‘Diaspora networks’ or ethnic ties to explain how local firms from emerging markets are able to internationalise their business activities. These studies highlight the integral role played by Diaspora networks in enabling this internationalisation. Diaspora networks help connect local firms with foreign, world class buyers (or ‘lead firms’) using the Diaspora’s own pre-established ties and links with such lead firms. Similarly, Global Value Chain (GVC) proponents assume the upgrading prospects of these local firms can be enhanced as a result of linking up with ‘lead firms’ because of the benefits that can be derived from knowledge and technology transfer imparted through working with world class buyers. The extant literature however is vague on the internationalisation processes of IGMs. Furthermore, it does not adequately address the extent to which IGMs utilise Indian Diaspora networks to access foreign markets and to internationalise their business activities. It is also unclear what mechanisms are employed to impart knowledge from lead buyers to suppliers and to what extent the knowledge and technology transferred plays a key role in progressing IGMs upgrading activities; especially in the higher value added functions of design. This thesis contributes by addressing and shedding further light on these unresolved issues. It examines the issues using a combined approach, where theories and concepts from international business (IB) and GVC are employed in analysing the subject matter and thus allows for a more nuanced and comprehensive understanding of the issues under investigation. To explore the above themes a case study based approach was employed. Interviews were conducted with key decision makers/owners of 23 case companies. Further interviews with key industry, academic and government heads were conducted as a means of triangulation. Interviews were, in turn, supplemented with documentary evidence and published material from company websites, industry and academic journals, and newspaper articles, so as to arrive at a more comprehensive understanding of the issues in question. Findings from this study suggest that IGMs rarely use Diaspora networks to access foreign markets. Instead, the majority of IGMs have achieved internationalisation as a result of well-developed networks of formal intermediaries based in India who have facilitated connections with prospective buyers. Furthermore, their manner of internationalisation reveals IGMs tend to access foreign markets initially at a very young age and at a rapid pace. Thus process-based theories of internationalisation seem inappropriate in explaining this rapid pace of internationalisation; insights from the literature on Born Globals and International New Ventures (INVs) seem, at first, to offer better explanations. However, employing concepts such as the ‘mature’ born global and the ‘failed’ born global leads one to re-examine and reconsider these initial findings. Re-examined findings indicate that in fact maturing IGMs are realigning their internationalisation trajectories to be better positioned to take advantage of favourable domestic market conditions. These findings are better explained using a more inclusive definition of internationalisation; particularly, concepts of de-internationalisation and extra-regional expansion from the field of IB. Additional findings, related to the issue of upgrading, indicate that contextual factors, usually related to the domestic economy and the firm’s internal circumstances, play a significant role in affecting the upgrading prospects of IGMs. These findings are contrary to GVC-based explanations of what drives and shapes IGMs’ upgrading activities, which place excessive emphasis on the role of the ‘lead firm’. In particular, GVC-based assumptions regarding the knowledge and technology transfer benefits available to local manufacturers by linking with larger world class buyers or lead firms seem of limited applicability to IGMs; here, firm-specific factors seem more important in determining firm choices concerning upgrading trajectories.

O presente trabalho tem como objetivo investigar os efeitos trazidos pelo padrão 4C para a produção de café no Brasil. Mais especificamente analisar quais tipos de melhorias (upgrading) foram trazidas aos produtores que adotaram o padrão 4C. As melhorias podem ser classificadas em econômicas, sociais e ambientais. Para isso foi utilizada uma abordagem metodológica qualitativa de estudo de caso. A primeira etapa da pesquisa correspondeu a uma revisão sistemática de literatura, em que foi possível formular proposições. Em seguida foram realizadas entrevistas com agentes da cadeia de valor do café - meso-instituições, cooperativas e produtores. Através de entrevistas, análise de documentos e reportagens sobre o assunto publicados em jornais e revistas especializadas, foram levantados dados que foram analisados com o auxílio do software de análise qualitativa Atlas TI. Os resultados indicam que grande parte das melhorias podem ser caracterizadas como upgrading ambiental. Além disso, os resultados mostram que a adoção do padrão 4C fez com que os produtores organizassem melhores seus processos de produção e tivessem maior controle das atividades relacionados ao cultivo de café com padrão 4C. / The present work had as objective to investigate the effects brought by the 4C standard for Brazilian coffee agriculture. More specifically, analyze what types of improvements (upgradings) brought to producers that adopt the 4C standard. Improvements can be classified as economic, social and environmental. For this, a qualitative methodological approach of case studies was used. The first stage of the research corresponded to a systematic literature review, in which it was possible at the end to formulate the propositions. Interviews were then conducted with various agents within the coffee value chain - meso-institutions, cooperatives and producers. Through interviews, document analysis and articles published in specialized journals and journals, data were collected that were analyzed using the qualitative analysis software Atlas TI. The results indicate that most of the improvements can be characterized as environmental upgrading. In addition, the results show that the adoption of the 4C standard made farmers better organize their production processes and have more control of activities related to 4C coffee cultivation.

O presente trabalho analisou os gargalos para a industrialização dos produtos agrícolas derivados da cadeia produtiva da aquicultura no estado do Tocantins, utilizando a ótica da análise de Cadeia Global de Valor - CGV (Global Value Chain). Examinou as características que influenciam na competitividade dos entrepostos processadores de pescado, pois a cadeia produtiva apresenta crescimento de produção e características potenciais para continuidade deste crescimento, tornando-se assim alternativa de geração de emprego e renda e possível agregação de valor por meio da agroindustrialização e fortalecimento dos atores locais. A metodologia aborda o levantamento exploratório, análise e triangulação de dados baseado na abordagem CGV, procurando evidenciar impactos na competição, na compreensão de como e onde os atores se posicionam para ganhar mercado e participação, e na determinação de como atores se utilizam de upgrading para atingir maiores valores de produtos e serviços. Com base nas constatações, observa-se duas características no comportamento dos entrepostos, onde uma parcela dos atores se mostra otimista, visando a intensificação da verticalização da produção, com alto grau de individualismo empresarial, desenvolvendo alternativas de upgrading por meio da adição de valor aos produtos e expansão de mercados, enquanto outra parcela destes atores apresenta estagnação quanto a volumes de demanda e preços de venda. Observa-se ainda que a grande concorrência informal e as características de múltiplos tipos de governança entre as empresas caracterizam grande dificuldade para expansão da agroindústria local, e apresenta ainda considerável ameaça à sustentabilidade econômica da atividade dos entrepostos de pescado inspecionados. / This work analyzed the bottlenecks of the industrialization of agricultural products derived from the aquaculture production chain in the state of Tocantins, Brazil, using the Global Value Chain (GVC) approach. It considered the characteristics that influence the competitiveness of the chain actors, since it presents production growth and potential characteristics for the continuity of this growth, thus becoming an alternative of employment and income generation and possible value aggregation through agro industrialization and strengthening of local actors. The methodology addressed the exploratory survey and interviews, data analysis and triangulation based on the GCV approach, seeking to evidence changes in the competition among companies, in understanding how and where the actors position themselves to gain market and participation and in determining how actors position themselves by means of the upgrading to achieve higher values of products and services. Based on the findings, two characteristics are identified in the behavior of the fish processors, where a portion of these actors is optimistic, aimed at intensifying the verticalization of production, with a high degree of corporate individualism, developing alternatives for upgrading through the products value addition and markets expansion, while another part of these same actors presents stagnation as to volumes and prices. Moreover, it is a market that face great illegal competition and characteristics of multiple types of governance and large informal competition. Such conditions impose great difficulties for the expansion of local agroindustry, and presents a considerable threat to the economic sustainability of the activity of the inspected fish processors.

Submitted by Nara Lays Domingues Viana Oliveira (naradv) on 2015-07-20T13:36:40Z No. of bitstreams: 1 EstefaneBergamoEngProdSistemas.pdf: 736931 bytes, checksum: 54dd1e6f39bddbcfac0c53c2c69f1abb (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-07-20T13:36:40Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 EstefaneBergamoEngProdSistemas.pdf: 736931 bytes, checksum: 54dd1e6f39bddbcfac0c53c2c69f1abb (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010 / Nenhuma / A importância do biodiesel no Brasil não está ligada somente a questões ambientais, mas à inclusão social da agricultura familiar. Com esse objetivo o Governo Federal criou o Programa Nacional de Produção e Uso do Biodiesel (PNPB) que estimulou a produção deste novo combustível na matriz energética brasileira. O Rio Grande do Sul, por ser um dos maiores produtores de soja do País, introduziu esse cultivo como matéria-prima principal para a produção de biodiesel. Este trabalho está baseado em um estudo de caso da governança da cadeia produtiva do biodiesel no Rio Grande do Sul, descrevendo a atual cadeia produtiva do biodiesel no Estado. Para isso, analisa um modelo de governança da cadeia produtiva em dois segmentos: industrial e agrícola, utilizando a metodologia apresentada nesta pesquisa. É importante entender a governança na cadeia produtiva para que uma estratégia de produção possa ser planejada e explorada de forma mais eficaz em cada elo da cadeia. O objetivo dessa pesquisa é caracterizar e analisar a governança dos dois segmentos da cadeia global e da cadeia global de valor do biodiesel no Rio Grande do Sul, identificando que atores têm o papel principal dentro da cadeia produtiva. A pesquisa é um estudo de caso único por ser analisada somente a cadeia produtiva local e de uma cultura como matéria-prima. Para isso, utilizou-se um questionário específico para cada ator entender a visão de governança individual dos atores da cadeia. Os resultados obtidos com este instrumento são de uma cadeia global de valor conduzida pelo comprador e uma estrutura de governança modular. / The importance of biodiesel in Brazil is not only related to environmental issues, but it is also linked to the social inclusion of family farming. In order to achieve social inclusion, the Federal Government created the “Programa Nacional de Produção e Uso do Biodiesel – PNPB” (National Program of Biodiesel Production and Use) which promotes the production of this new fuel in the Brazilian energy matrix. Rio Grande do Sul, as one of the largest producers of soybeans in the country, has introduced this vegetable as the main raw material for biodiesel production. The current project is based on a case study of governance of the biodiesel productive chain in Rio Grande do Sul, which describes the current biodiesel production chain in the state. For this, this paper analysed a model of governance of the production chain into two segments: industrial and agricultural using the methodology presented in the research. It’s important to understand the governance in the production chain, so that a strategy of production can be planned and explored more effectively at every link in the chain. The objective of this research is to characterize and analyse the governance of two segments of the global value chain as well as the governance of global value chain of biodiesel in Rio Grande do Sul. In addition, the project intends to know which actors play the leading parts within the production chain. The research is a unique case study because it only studies the local production chain and one kind of raw material that belongs to this chain. In order to understand the view of governance of each of the leading actors in the chain and characterize the production chain as a whole, it was used a customised questionnaire for each actor in the chain. A global value chain driven by the buyer and a structure of modular governance were the results obtained with this instrument.

<p>The aim of this study is to find out the dynamics of rice supply chains and their impacts on the small-scale rice producer in Magugu village. The problem addressed in this study is the changes in the food trading paradigm and how it is shaping power relations at a local level. The empirical material in this study has been collected during a fieldtrip to the Babati district in Tanzania from the 25th of February to the 19th of March (2008). The First Mile Project (FMP) in Tanzania had the purpose to teach farmers how to build more equal and efficient supply chains and linking the producer to the consumer. A comparison between a regular rice supply chain and one involved in the FMP was made to explore how the two was forming in the changing food trade paradigm and how the farmers were adapting to this fact. Several methods were employed in this study. These include: case study method, qualitative methods, and secondary data. The results in this study was analysed with the use of the Global Value Chain (GVC) analysis and the Network theory. The conclusion was that depending on how the networks and the power relations within them, actors in the leading position in the GVC determines how the product is going to be: produced, processed, and marketed, at what time and to what price and establish requirements of the GVC. The rice farmers involved in the FMP were the once most able to adapt to the requirements of the GVC and food trading paradigm because of the cooperation among the group and good relations with other actors along the supply chain.</p>

The production of soy in Brazil has been linked with serious ecological impacts. In order to curbenvironmental problems, there have been established public-private initiatives such as the “Round Tables”,focused on the creation of standards to make value chains of commodities products more sustainable. Thepresent study focuses on identifying the motives and challenges of the adoption of the Roundtable onResponsible Soy (RTRS) certification amongst Brazilian soy producers. The results show the adoption of the RTRS among large producer is mainly driven by potential higher pricesand access to new markets. Medium and small producer adopt the scheme in order to improve their technicalcapacity and ability to meet social and environmental regulation. On the other hand lack of demand for RTRS certified soy seems to be the main challenge for producers to adopt the certification. The gained insights willprovide practioners and academics a basis for exploring possible solutions to overcome such challenges and atthe same time, boost the adoption of the RTRS amongst Brazilian producers.

The aim of this study is to find out the dynamics of rice supply chains and their impacts on the small-scale rice producer in Magugu village. The problem addressed in this study is the changes in the food trading paradigm and how it is shaping power relations at a local level. The empirical material in this study has been collected during a fieldtrip to the Babati district in Tanzania from the 25th of February to the 19th of March (2008). The First Mile Project (FMP) in Tanzania had the purpose to teach farmers how to build more equal and efficient supply chains and linking the producer to the consumer. A comparison between a regular rice supply chain and one involved in the FMP was made to explore how the two was forming in the changing food trade paradigm and how the farmers were adapting to this fact. Several methods were employed in this study. These include: case study method, qualitative methods, and secondary data. The results in this study was analysed with the use of the Global Value Chain (GVC) analysis and the Network theory. The conclusion was that depending on how the networks and the power relations within them, actors in the leading position in the GVC determines how the product is going to be: produced, processed, and marketed, at what time and to what price and establish requirements of the GVC. The rice farmers involved in the FMP were the once most able to adapt to the requirements of the GVC and food trading paradigm because of the cooperation among the group and good relations with other actors along the supply chain.