IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/soceco/v40y2011i3p327-333.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Product differentiation and cooperative governance

Author

Listed:
  • Borgen, Svein Ole

Abstract

The increasing demand for more differentiated consumer products is a challenge for agri-food sales cooperatives. Many cooperatives try to adapt to novel consumer demands by engaging more in product development, with the aim of manufacturing and selling more differentiated products. The article discusses which governance problems that are likely to unfold as cooperatives engage more in the development, production and sales of differentiated end-products. The idea to be advanced is that the nature of the governance problems is contingent on where in the cooperative's production chain the main sources of uniqueness and product differentiation have their origin. When the uniqueness of the end-product is created at the raw-commodity level (on-farm), haggling over appropriable quasi-rent between members and the cooperative is likely to emerge, leading to a hold-up situation. When the uniqueness of the differentiated end-product is created at the cooperative level, the cooperative community is likely to be exposed to consequential incentive problems related to motivation and control.

Suggested Citation

  • Borgen, Svein Ole, 2011. "Product differentiation and cooperative governance," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 40(3), pages 327-333, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:soceco:v:40:y:2011:i:3:p:327-333
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6W5H-51TPVS9-1/2/122770f2621113895c8cbcbcdd21f7a4
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Gibbons, Robert, 2005. "Four forma(lizable) theories of the firm?," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 58(2), pages 200-245, October.
    2. Feng, L. & Hendrikse, G.W.J., 2007. "On the Nature of a Cooperative: A System of Attributes Perspective," ERIM Report Series Research in Management ERS-2007-093-ORG, Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM), ERIM is the joint research institute of the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University and the Erasmus School of Economics (ESE) at Erasmus University Rotterdam.
    3. Michael Boehlje, 1999. "Structural Changes in the Agricultural Industries: How Do We Measure, Analyze and Understand Them?," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 81(5), pages 1028-1041.
    4. Kyriakos Kyriakopoulos & Matthew Meulenberg & Jerker Nilsson, 2004. "The impact of cooperative structure and firm culture on market orientation and performance," Agribusiness, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 20(4), pages 379-396.
    5. Pinhas Zusman, 1982. "Group Choice in an Agricultural Marketing Co-operative," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 15(2), pages 220-234, May.
    6. Grossman, Sanford J & Hart, Oliver D, 1986. "The Costs and Benefits of Ownership: A Theory of Vertical and Lateral Integration," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 94(4), pages 691-719, August.
    7. George Hendrikse & Jos Bijman, 2002. "Ownership Structure in Agrifood Chains: The Marketing Cooperative," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 84(1), pages 104-119.
    8. Nilsson, Jerker, 2001. "Organisational principles for co-operative firms," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 17(3), pages 329-356, September.
    9. Harris, Andrea & Stefanson, Brenda & Fulton, Murray E., 1996. "New Generation Cooperatives and Cooperative Theory," Journal of Cooperatives, NCERA-210, vol. 11, pages 1-15.
    10. Steven J. Holland & Robert P. King, 2004. "Trading Mechanisms for New-Generation Cooperative Stock: The Architecture of Organizational Formation and Demise," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 86(5), pages 1262-1268.
    11. Stefanson, Brenda & Fulton, Murray E., 1997. "New Generation Co-Operatives: Responding To Changes In Agriculture," Miscellaneous Publications 31772, University of Saskatchewan, Centre for the Study of Co-operatives.
    12. Klein, Benjamin & Crawford, Robert G & Alchian, Armen A, 1978. "Vertical Integration, Appropriable Rents, and the Competitive Contracting Process," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 21(2), pages 297-326, October.
    13. Borgen, Svein Ole, 2004. "Rethinking incentive problems in cooperative organizations," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 33(4), pages 383-393, September.
    14. Jeffrey S. Royer, 1995. "Potential for cooperative involvement in vertical coordination and value-added activities," Agribusiness, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 11(5), pages 473-481.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Walter Perpétuo Ribas & Bruno Pedroso & Leandro Martinez Vargas & Claudia Tania Picinin & Miguel Archanjo de Freitas Júnior, 2022. "Cooperative Organization and Its Characteristics in Economic and Social Development (1995 to 2020)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-22, July.
    2. Theo Benos & Nikos Kalogeras & Frans J.H.M. Verhees & Panagiota Sergaki & Joost M.E. Pennings, 2016. "Cooperatives’ Organizational Restructuring, Strategic Attributes, and Performance: The Case of Agribusiness Cooperatives in Greece," Agribusiness, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(1), pages 127-150, January.
    3. Achilleas Kontogeorgos & Panagiota Sergaki & Anastasia Kosma & Vassiliki Semou, 2018. "Organizational Models for Agricultural Cooperatives: Empirical Evidence for their Performance," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 9(4), pages 1123-1137, December.
    4. Marcelo Ferreira & Clea Macagnan & Daniel Vancin & Ana Toaldo, 2021. "Technical assistance: A determinant of cooperative member loyalty," Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 92(4), pages 649-668, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ortmann, Gerald F. & King, Robert P., 2007. "Agricultural Cooperatives I: History, Theory and Problems," Agrekon, Agricultural Economics Association of South Africa (AEASA), vol. 46(1), pages 1-29, March.
    2. Grashuis, Jasper & Cook, Michael, 2016. "Capital, Ownership, and Governance: Analyzing the Structure of U.S. Farmer Cooperatives," 2016 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Boston, Massachusetts 235677, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    3. George Hendrikse & Li Feng, 2013. "Interfirm cooperatives," Chapters, in: Anna Grandori (ed.), Handbook of Economic Organization, chapter 26, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    4. Hideshi Itoh, 2006. "The Theories of International Outsourcing and Integration : A Theoretical Overview from the Perspective of Organizational Economics," Microeconomics Working Papers 21891, East Asian Bureau of Economic Research.
    5. Oliver Gürtler, 2010. "Haggling for Rents, Relational Contracts, and the Theory of the Firm," Schmalenbach Business Review (sbr), LMU Munich School of Management, vol. 62(4), pages 359-377, October.
    6. Cécile CEZANNE & Laurence SAGLIETTO, 2014. "Human Capital-Intensive Firms and Symbolic Value Creation," Timisoara Journal of Economics and Business, West University of Timisoara, Romania, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, vol. 7(1), pages 70-88.
    7. Paul Walker, 2010. "The (Non)Theory Of The Knowledge Firm," Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Scottish Economic Society, vol. 57(1), pages 1-32, February.
    8. Robert Gibbons & John Roberts, 2012. "The Handbook of Organizational Economics," Economics Books, Princeton University Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 9889.
    9. Karin Hakelius & Jerker Nilsson, 2020. "The Logic behind the Internal Governance of Sweden’s Largest Agricultural Cooperatives," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(21), pages 1-19, October.
    10. George W. J. Hendrikse & Cees P. Veerman, 2001. "Marketing Co‐operatives: An Incomplete Contracting Perspective," Journal of Agricultural Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52(1), pages 53-64, January.
    11. Kvaløy, Ola, 2008. "Do norms matter for firm boundaries?," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 37(3), pages 969-975, June.
    12. Chaddad, Fabio Ribas & Cook, Michael L., 2002. "An Ownership Rights Typology Of Cooperative Models," Working Papers 26032, University of Missouri Columbia, Department of Agricultural Economics.
    13. Christian A. Ruzzier, 2009. "Asset Specificity and Vertical Integration: Williamson’s Hypothesis Reconsidered," Harvard Business School Working Papers 09-119, Harvard Business School.
    14. Bernard Baudry & Virgile Chassagnon, 2012. "The vertical network organization as a specific governance structure: what are the challenges for incomplete contracts theories and what are the theoretical implications for the boundaries of the (hub," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 16(2), pages 285-303, May.
    15. Timothy Bresnahan & Jonathan Levin, 2012. "Vertical Integration and Market Structure [The Handbook of Organizational Economics]," Introductory Chapters,, Princeton University Press.
    16. Hendrikse, George & Jiang, Tao, 2011. "An Incomplete Contracting Model of Dual Distribution in Franchising," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 87(3), pages 332-344.
    17. Mikko Ketokivi & Joseph T. Mahoney, 2020. "Transaction Cost Economics As a Theory of Supply Chain Efficiency," Production and Operations Management, Production and Operations Management Society, vol. 29(4), pages 1011-1031, April.
    18. Jos Bijman & Markus Hanisch & Ger Sangen, 2014. "Shifting Control? The Change of Internal Governance in Agricultural Cooperatives in the EU," Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 85(4), pages 641-661, December.
    19. Dietl, Helmut M. & Franck, Egon & Hasan, Tariq & Lang, Markus, 2009. "Governance of professional sports leagues--Cooperatives versus contracts," International Review of Law and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 29(2), pages 127-137, June.
    20. Giampaolo Garzarelli & Matthew Holian, 2014. "Parchment, guns, and the problem of governance," The Review of Austrian Economics, Springer;Society for the Development of Austrian Economics, vol. 27(1), pages 71-80, March.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:soceco:v:40:y:2011:i:3:p:327-333. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/inca/620175 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.