Raúl Compés López

Quality assurance in the maritime port logistics chain: the case of Valencia, Spain

The provision of port services is an important link in international logistics. Historically, ports have constituted a bottleneck in maritime transport. Moreover, the quality of port services has been compromised by the complex internal port organisation and the considerable number of bodies that participate in the transfer of goods between ships and inland transport vehicles. The efficiency of port services affects not only the port authorities, service providers and customers, but also the port hinterland through the multiplier effect on the regional economy. The problems of port organisation are explained using principal‐agent concepts. The authors then explore the concept of quality in relation to port services, and discuss certification of service providers as a means of signalling quality to their customers. Finally, the accreditation system of the port of Valencia, Spain, is presented as a model, one that is superior to the accepted ISO standards, whereby port service quality and efficiency may be enhanced.

Ethical Certifi cation in the Spanish Agrifood Industry: An Alternative Paradigm?

The agrifood sector belongs to traditional industries often supported by the national governments. The quality of the output is directly related to human health and, therefore, several initiatives within the EU have been introduced. These initiatives support the consciousness of the broad public, including the individual agrifood businesses. Besides the marketing standards, geographical indications and organic farming, there are also national and private certification schemes. All these tendencies aim to promote the socio-ethical principles of the business to support the non-monetary issues related to the agrifood sector. This paper provides a closer exploration of the socio-ethical aspects of companies in the Spanish agrifood sector. Any awareness of these principles in the daily business routine can be considered as a potential competitive advantage for an individual company. The objective of the paper is to examine whether there are significant differences among individual sub-industries within the Spanish agrifood sector in terms of social and ethical aspects. A sample of 66,047 different agrifood companies in the year 2012 was examined. Results of empirical tests prove that there are significant differences between the agricultural producers, manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers.