Rodney J. Cox

At-Home Meat Consumption in China: An Empirical Study

The remarkable economic changes occurring within China since 1978 have resulted in a striking alteration in food consumption patterns, and one marked change is the increasing consumption of meat. Given China’s large population, a small percentage change in per capita meat consumption could lead to a dramatic impact on the production and trade of agricultural products. Such changes have major implications for policy makers and food marketers. This paper concentrates on meat consumption patterns in the home in China. A censored linear approximate almost ideal demand system model was employed in the study, and major economic parameters were estimated for different meat items. Data used in this study were collected from two separate consumer surveys – one urban and one rural in 2005.

Transaction costs and cattle farmers’ choice of marketing channels in China: A Tobit analysis

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine key factors that affect cattle farmers’ selection of marketing channels and draw implications for Chinas beef supply chain development.Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire was designed and face‐to‐face interviews were conducted with a random sample of 153 farmers located in three major cattle producing regions across China.Findings – Several variables related to transaction costs (chiefly, in the form of negotiation costs and monitoring costs), as well as socio‐economic factors, were identified as of significant influence on farmers’ choices of cattle marketing channels.Research limitations/implications – Further research should be conducted to measure the effects of risk preference in marketing decisions. Caution needs to be exercised when generalising the findings of this study to cattle farmers in other regions that are significantly different from the surveyed ones.Practical implications – This study will contribute to a better understanding ...

An agile supply chain analysis of Australian beef wholesalers and retailers

The objective of this research was to develop a method to judge the extent of agility in the supply chain management of the Australian beef wholesale and retail sector. Based on the responses to a survey of managers, regression analysis was used to develop a model linking management actions to supply chain practices and competitive advantage. The strongest and most consistent relationships observed were from commitment and trust, information quality and strategic supplier partnerships to competitive advantage. Although commitment and trust were seen to support agile supply chain management, information quality and strategic supplier partnerships were more related to developing food quality in an industry where customer relationships are important. Agility of Australian beef supply chains can be improved through, for example, enhanced communication between retailers and their suppliers and better internal teamwork in retail firms. There has been virtually no previous research on the performance of Australian beef supply chains. The paper is an attempt to fill this gap. Also the methods are innovative and could be applied to similar agribusiness supply chains in other countries.