Dynamics in chains and networks

Book excerpt: "Companies in food- and agribusiness chains and networks are facing ever-faster changes in the business environment, to which they must respond through continuous innovation. Societal concerns regarding animal welfare and environmental issues have to be met in a very competitive, increasingly global environment. The growing concern of consumers regarding the quality, traceability and environmental friendliness of products and processes call for fundamentally new ways of developing, producing and marketing products. New ways of organizing food supply networks, with new ties between firms and even between formerly separate sectors -such as the health and the food sector- are needed to cope with these new demands. This publication focusses on the dynamic response to these changes in chains and networks. Important topics include among others: critical success factors for design and control of innovative chains and networks, globalization of the business environment, effects of institutional and policy change, governance structures, technologies for managing interaction and design of information architectures for chains and networks."