Food supply chains : are efficiency and responsiveness mutually exclusive?

Abstract

This article presents the empirical results of a study of strategic change in 291 organisations operating in New Zealand food supply chains. Firms in food-related businesses have been increasingly responsive to changing customer demands and competitive pressures and have introduced substantial product and process changes. This research considers firm-internal and supply chain relationship characteristics as the cause of strategic change. Using structural equation modelling, significant relationships between firm resources and strategic change were sought. Multi-group analyses were used to identify moderating effects of supplier and customer collaboration. The results indicate that resources have an effect on product and process changes. Supplier and customer collaboration were not found to have any moderating effects. The results have important implications for both supply chains and firms in terms of strategic change and the benefits of supplier and customer collaboration.