• Journal of the Economic Geographical Society of Korea
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.372-388
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• 2013

A series of coffee middlemen has come to be regarded as an exploitative force in the lives of small and poor coffee farmers, which is called 'coyote', controlling production, paying unfair prices for labor and goods, and participating in fraudulent practices to maximize their own profits. However, the reality of gains captured by coffee middlemen in the value chain might be exaggerated and even unfair. Therefore, the main aim of this paper is to reconsider the implication of coffee middlemen for the development of coffee value chain in Vietnam. It also attempts to identify their characteristics by investigating relations among coffee farmers, middlemen and processing/exporting firms. In terms of middlemen's margin in the coffee sub-sector, their margin is quite small when compared to other actors higher in the value chain. Rather, coffee middlemen in Vietnam have played a critical role as an intermediary of change in local economies. More specifically, coffee middlemen in Dak Lak has played a significant role as a market facilitator by stimulating the access of farmers to markets by providing buyers for farmers thanks to changes in institutional environment. Also, they have played a critical role as an agent of sustainable coffee production by encouraging sustainable coffee production in accordance with the demand of processing and exporting firms.

• The Journal of Fisheries Business Administration
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.31-48
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• 1982

Though modern banking organs were established in Korea with the Kanghwa Treaty as a momentum, the benefit of financing at that time, which was mainly given to merchants and industrialists and traders, was extremely limited to the fishermen. The fishermen who were out of favor with the benefit of financing of modern banking organs were forced to rely on high interest loans, a category of usury capital, issued by the middlemen (the Kaekju) who lent them the deficit of their necessary funds. The fact was that in the field of fisheries the middlemen who issued usury capital played the leading part in fisheries financing of the Late Yi Dynasty. The middlemen, however, sqeezed a part or all of surplus products and on occasion even necessary products out of the fishermen by means of outward compulsion of economy. Moreover they put the fishermen further in trouble by putting-out system. In order to keep on with the production of aquatic products, the fishermen with little capital and no property established the antinomic rotations with the middlemen whose disadvantageous terms they were inevitably to accept. Thus the middlemen who did business with the fishermen exercised their authority over them, securing a strong activity foundation in the field of fisheries. But the traditional form of the Kaekiu was transformed and gradually declined in the field of fisheries according as the market rules were proclaimed in 1914.

• Journal of the Economic Geographical Society of Korea
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.399-416
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• 2016

The main aim of the research attempts to identify value relations appropriated and realized in the coffee frontier of Vietnam by investigating the ways in which it is integrated into coffee global value chains driven by multinational companies, and to provide some implications of the integration of the frontier into sustainable coffee global value chains for creating shared value in Dak Lak, Vietnam. Recently Dak Lak has gone through the transition of value relations from exploitative value chains based upon conventional coffee production into shared value chains relied upon the production of sustainable or certified coffee in Dak Lak. The transition has been expected to result in sustainability in the creation of value by enhancing regional competitive advantages and regional bargaining power in global value chains driven by multinational companies. However, the reality has shown the intensification of hierarchical profits allocation among stakeholders such as farmer, middlemen, and multinational companies in the region. The main reasons for this could be found in two perspectives. Firstly, the formation of exclusive relations among farmers, middlemen, and processors has led to stakeholders to secure market, but resulted in the intensification of hierarchy among them in global value chain, because multinational companies could control indirectly over the farming system through exclusive middlemen. Secondly, social and ecological costs imputed by multinational companies to coffee farmers in the name of creating shared value has deteriorated the economic profits of stakeholders such as farmers and middlemen. As a result, it has led to the configuration of systematically hierarchical and subordinated global value chain in Dak Lak.

• The Journal of Fisheries Business Administration
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.15-30
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• 2016

Changes in marketing environment have made it feasible for functions and roles of marketing subjects who participated in marketing routes to be changed. However, there has not been a study to prove it or to deal with newly required functions. Hereupon, this study has specifically investigated and analyzed marketing functions and performance on marketing associates for seafood in Busan in order to identify how marketing functions influenced on marketing performance. Marketing function might differently influence on the performance depending on the difference of business type. Results of verifying the hypothesis are as follows. As for variables that influenced on wholesaler groups, marketing, product development+investment, information-sharing, and trade functions turned out to be influential. Among wholesaler groups, marketing, sorting, collection, market frontier+product development, integral distribution, information-sharing, and finance functions turned out to be influential. In addition to these basic results, another difference industries, restrictive range of activities, the differences in handling goods, such as by correspondence of the results to changes in the distribution environment, from the results of the present study it is possible to guess.

• Journal of Distribution Research
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.67-92
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• 2004

This study investigates the effects of relationship characteristics on the adoption of online distribution channels in Korea. A questionnaire survey of 81 domestic manufacturing companies revealed that relationship characteristics have no effects on the range of products sold through online channels. In terms of functional usage, manufactures' dependence and their perceptions of middlemen's opportunism were found to affect the extent of adoption of online channels. Overall, these two variables were significantly related to such functions as delivery, refunding, and A/S that have been traditionally considered efficient when implemented by the middlemen. None of the relationship characteristics was found significantly related to the adoption of online channels as a tool of information provision. The authors discuss the theoretical and practical implications of the findings.

• Journal of Distribution Research
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.173-198
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• 1996

Distribution of farm produce in Korea is known to be inefficient due to the numerous stages that exist in the distribution channel. This has resulted in dissatisfaction for both farmer and consuers; farmers sell their produce at low prices to middlemen while consumers pay high prices for them because of price increases that occur in the distribution chain. We apply Spengler's theory of double marginalization to show that price increases are inevitable as the length of the farm distribution chain increases. We then show that the negative effects of double marginalization can be contained by setting up a physical distribution center. The physical distribution center effectively reduces the stages in the distribution from 5 or 6 stages to 3 or 4 stages. We also lay out the design and major characteristics of the distribution center, as well as the expected cost savings.

• Journal of Distribution Research
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.197-222
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• 1996

The objective of this study is to investigate the determinants of trust between the producer and the distributor, focusing on relational norms (mutuality, flexibility, and solidarity) and environmental munificence, in agricultural marketing channels. More specifically, followings are investigated in cucumber marketing channels ; (a) the effects of environmental munificence on relational norms, and (b) tile effects of relational norms on trust. The major findings of this study are as follows ; (1) The cucumber producers' perceived output sector munificience positively affected the mutuality and solidarity of the relational norms. (2) The mutuality and solidarity of the relational norms positively affected the trust. Therefore, the efficient marketing transaction system, mutual efforts for a fair regard between producers and middlemen, and the development of sound moral and trading custom are required in the Korean agricultural market. And also the active roles of government to develop the infrastructure of agricultural marketing and the proper roles of agricultural cooperatives to keep transaction activity fair should be clarified and proactively conducted.

• The Journal of Fisheries Business Administration
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.1-14
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• 2001

The research on the price-volume relation in the market is very important because it examines into regular phenomenon revealed by market participants including producers and middlemen. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between price and trading volume in the oyster producing market. In order to accomplish the purpose of this study, the contents of empirical analysis include the time series properties of price and trading volume, the short-term and long-term relationships between price and trading volume, and the determinants of trading volume. The data used in this study correspond to daily price and trading volume covering the time period from January 1998 to April 2001. The empirical results can be summarized as follows : First, price and trading volume follow random walks and they are integrated of order 1. The first difference is necessary for satisfying the stationary conditions. Second, price and trading volume are cointegrated. This long-run relationship is stronger from trading volume to price. Third, error correction model suggests that feedback effect exists in the long-run and that price tends to lead trading volume by about five days in the short run, that is, to be required period by digging, conveying, and peeling oystershell for selling oyster. Fourth, price and price volatility is a determinant of trading volume. In particular, trading volume is a negative function of price. It is believed that the conclusion drawn from this study would provide a useful standard for the policy makers in charge of reducing the oyster price volatility risk caused by trading volume(selling quantities).

• The Journal of Fisheries Business Administration
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.61-71
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• 1981

This essay examines the marketing of Fishermen's Cooperative in Korea, and in particular considers the marketing channel of fisheries products, No company can perform by itself all the activities involved in the production and distribution of its products and services to its final markets. It must work with other firm to get the job done. Thus marketing channel firms of the fisheries products include primarily the Fishermen's Cooperative the licensed dealers and tile merchant middlemen, The goal of marketing is in matching of segments of supply and demand. Every producer seeks to the link the marketing channel firms that will help it accomplish its objective best. Therefore this study surveys the three types of marketing channels through tile central market That. is, they are a marketing channel through the terminal market, a marketing channel through the fishermen's cooperative terminal market, and a marketing channel through the private fish market. Consequently the Fishermen's Cooperative can choose to improve in any of tile marketing channel as follows: \circled1 The Fishermen's Cooperative is nominated wholesaler in the terminal market. \circled2 It is abolished to sell by double auction in the production district terminal market and the consuming city terminal market of Fishermen's Coopertive. \circled3 The steady wholesalers in private fish market are entitled to the licensed dealers. \circled4 The Fishermen's Cooperative sponsored voluntary chains join with retailer, supermarkets, consumers' society. Therefore the study of marketing channel of fisheries products can appropriately referred to satisfying needs and wants through exchange process.

• The Korean Journal of Franchise Management
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.113-129
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• 2013

The realization of agricultural modernization, the solving of the "three rural" issue as well as the increment of farmers' income is one of China's top priority. Thus, under the support and encouragement of government's relevant policies, China has introduced the "Supermarket-Farmer Direct Purchase" which is a new mode for the supply of agricultural products. This is an innovative of agricultural products circulation mode, and the comprehensive promotion will help supermarkets get cheap goods directly from the hands of farmers, thus forming price competitiveness; farmers can also get profits and subsidies from supermarkets which can eliminate middlemen's profit, thus increasing their revenue; consumers can both get a guarantee of food safety and save expenses, and the win-win situation for the supermarkets, farmers, and consumers will be achieved. However, the dilemma between "farmers having difficulty in selling" and "supermarkets having difficulty in buying" is still frequent. So in this thesis, through theoretical research and situation analysis, each relevant part of the "Supermarket-Farmer Direct Purchase" mode will be studied as a whole. Moreover, effectiveness will be evaluated and relevant problems will be identified. Then, based on foreign experience and our national conditions, new modes and advice will be provided for users in different circumstances.