Actors co-ordination: governance structures and institutions in supply chains of protected designation of origin

Chappuis, Jean-Marc; Sans, Pierre

Actors co-ordination: governance structures and institutions in supply chains of protected designation of origin

2017

Chappuis, Jean-Marc | Sans, Pierre

In the first part of this article, we present the theoretical foundations of Transaction Cost Economics (TCE)(Williamson, 1985 and 1996). Co-ordination in the supply chain is certainly a major aspect for the success of thePDO product (Protected Designation of Origin) and for the competitiveness of the firms producing and marketing it.TCE helps us to have a systematic approach in the comparison of governance structures (how firms organisetransactions) in different PDO supply chains. The attributes of the transactions (asset specificity, frequency anduncertainty) partly explain the encountered arrangements. We show that they are not sufficient to explain all theobserved arrangements because TCE considers governance structures between two private operators (bilateralagreements). It is limited when we come to institutional arrangements set up on a collective basis at a mesoeconomiclevel (multilateral arrangements).In the second part of this article, we highlight the diversity of PDO supply chains regarding the number of firms at thedifferent levels. We give a list of issues which must be co-ordinated at a mesa-economic level in PDO supply chainsand we focus on the influence which a collective management of the supply chain can have on the arrangements ofprivate operators. We thus highlight the strong diversity of responses to problems common to PDO supply chains. Asa conclusion, we call for further research in the field of collective management of food supply chains.

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