The effects of the degree of produce perishability and the choice of procurement channel on supplier opportunism: empirical evidence from the food processing industry

Abstract

Opportunism is an important topic in supply chain management and distribution channels. The emergence of this behaviour in buyer-supplier relationships tends to reduce performance while diminishing value creation in the effected relations. Different transactions call for different control levels depending on the gravity of opportunism in the transaction, with the need for control being higher as opportunism increases. In this regard, it is important to understand the factors that give rise to opportunism to apply appropriate control mechanisms. This study, therefore, explores the effect of the degree of the perishability of the transacted produce on supplier opportunism. Additionally, this study treated the choice of procurement channel as a control mechanism; therefore, we compared the effect of perishability on opportunism in direct and indirect procurement channels. In this study, cross-sectional survey data collected from 239 food processor-produce supplier relationships served as source of empirical evidence. The empirical findings support our hypotheses, and demonstrate that perishability is positively associated with supplier opportunism, with the effect being significantly lower in the direct procurement channels than in the indirect procurement channel.

Why Have Package Tour Itineraries Been Homogeneous? Insights From Industry Subgroup Relations

“…Furthermore, the perishability of these services necessitate quick sale to maximize revenue (Guilding & Ji, 2022). Consequently, suppliers seeking to sell their services must maintain long-term relationships with tour operators, particularly those with excellent sales records (Kanani & Buvik, 2018). On the other hand, as supplier prices determine the overall cost of a package tour, tour operators should also maintain a close relationship with suppliers in order to secure discounts (Klemm & Parkinson, 2001).…”