Collaboration or Control in Food Supply Chains: Who Ultimately Pays the Price?

摘要

Examines the conflicting issues of control and collaboration in food supply chains with particular emphasis on the fresh produce sector in Australia. This paper suggests that the aims of a good integrated logistics system applied within an organisation may need some modification in an inter-organisational supply chain environment where inventory reduction and least total cost should be applicable to all participants, not just to the most powerful in the chain. Balance of power, one of the recognised factors for supply chain success, can be improved through a clear and accurate flow of information enabled by information technologies such as EDI and the Internet.