Government and the Food Industry: Economic and Political Effects of Conflict and Co-Operation

This book's purpose is to shed light on the threats and opportunities arising from the incentives and restrictions of governmental actions which food industry managers discover in their search for profits. The food industry, as defined here, includes farmers, their input suppliers, processors and distributors. This text explores how the private sector reacts to the stimulus of public support measures, rules and regulations which are usually motivated by entirely different ends than those desired within the private sector. No current single model of economic behavior as yet adequately encompasses or quantifies these complex vectors and forces. Management is comprised of many factors, most of which can be identified ex post but few of which can be appraised precisely ex ante. The perceptual processes by which managers respond to governments are influenced by culture, aptitudes, individual and collective goals. details of most government/business relationships are discussed Few openly since management and government officials are, understandably, often reluctant to share the decision tree route by which trust is built and understandings are negotiated. Our text differs from others in that we combine both a theoretical and experiential approach to the subject. The insights provided by the case study material give a more macro and yet realistic view than tha t usually offered elsewhere. We indicate the risks and dynamics of the situations faced by management while also showing the importance and strategic relevance of a solid analytical foundation for managerial purposes. Front Matter....Pages i-xiii Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Government and the Food Industry in a Knowledge Creating World....Pages 3-18 Economics, Government and the Food Industry....Pages 19-35 Front Matter....Pages 37-38 Competition and Trade Practice Policies: An Overview....Pages 39-55 The Deregulation of New Zealand’s Food and Fiber Sector....Pages 57-71 Statutory Marketing Organizations: The Elasticities Trap....Pages 73-89 Statutory Marketing Organizations: Management Issues....Pages 91-105 Front Matter....Pages 107-109 Research Policy Challenges....Pages 111-124 Food Industry Research and Development....Pages 125-140 The BST Case....Pages 141-158 Front Matter....Pages 159-160 Worldwide Opportunities to Market Food Safety....Pages 161-178 Communications: Theory and Practice....Pages 179-203 Animal Welfare: The Food Industry and Government....Pages 205-220 Front Matter....Pages 221-222 A Life Ethic for Sustainability Revisited....Pages 223-233 Environmental Issues, Policy, and the Food Industry....Pages 235-256 Agrichemical Disposal: A Case Study of Stakeholder Intervention....Pages 257-277 Use and Control of Agricultural Chemicals in the U.S.: Cost, Productivity and Efficiency Issues....Pages 279-289 Front Matter....Pages 291-293 Public-Private Partnerships for Market Development....Pages 295-309 Managed Trade in Agricultural Markets....Pages 311-326 Can Wine Industry Competition Survive Regulation?....Pages 327-344 Dynamics of Business-Government Relationships: The Case of Nestle in Asia....Pages 345-353 Front Matter....Pages 355-356 Taking the Offense: Anticipating and Managing Issues....Pages 357-383 Governments and Business Strategy: Another Research Agenda....Pages 385-397 The Heterogeneity of Firms: Where Public Policy and Firm Strategy Collide....Pages 399-416 Back Matter....Pages 417-421 The purpose of this volume is to shed light on the linkages between incentives and restrictions of governmental actions which managers of food industry firms find in their search for profits. The food industry, broadly defined, includes farmers, their input suppliers, processors and the distribution sector. No current single model of economic behavior as yet adequately encompasses or quantifies these complex considerations, in part because the perceptual processes by which managers respond to governments are influenced by culture, aptitudes, and individual and collective goals. Government and the Food Industry: Economic and Political Effects of Conflict and Cooperation explores how the private sector theoretically and actually reacts to the stimulus of public support measures, rules and regulations which are often motivated by entirely different ends from those desired by the private sector. Government and the Food Industry: Economic and Political Effects of Conflict and Cooperation combines both a theoretical and an empirical approach to the subject, incorporating case study material to add examples to the macro analysis