Chinese aquatic farmers' participation in modern marketing channels

摘要

Purpose - The study uses survey data obtained in Jiangsu province, China, in June and August of 2012 to analyse the causal relations between aquatic farmers' relationship networks and trust, specific asset investments, joining in cooperatives and modern marketing channels participation. Design/methodology/approach - The authors used the structural equation mode to analyze the variables' causal relationships. Findings - The research results show that Chinese aquatic farmers' relationship networks can positively impact their participation in modern channels through the mediators of trust, specific assets investments and joining in cooperatives. Research limitations/implications - Two constructs are measured by a single item. Further study to incorporate multi-item constructs would be valuable. Practical implications - The policy implication is that the government should pay attention to farmers' relationship networks and can provide them with more public goods, especially channel and price information, to assist their evaluations and decision-making, which can help them to access modern marketing channels. Originality/value - The authors gave the answers that whether farmers' relationship networks affect their marketing channel selection decision and the function mechanism.