The Economics of Agro-Food Value Chains

Description

This course will teach you how the agro-food value chain approaches the challenge of constantly improving its competitiveness by producing high-quality food and products while also striving for greater sustainability. This course covers the following topics: 

• The concept of quality in food and agricultural products, as well as consumer value.
• Conducting market research in this field.
• Labeling, branding, and pricing strategies, as well as agro-food sector innovation
• How corporate social responsibility can be used to gain a competitive advantage through sustainability.
• The function and various types of industrial standards.
• The various forms of chain coordination, particularly in the retailing and distribution sectors.

Syllabus :

1. Introduction

• Challenges and Trends
• Food Quality
• The Food Value Chain

 

2. Quality and Consumers

• Quality and Consumer Value
• Strategies for Value Creation

 

3. Market Research

• Introduction to Market Research
• Data Types and Data Collection
• Data Analysis

 

4. Asymmetric Information about Quality

• Asymmetric Information and Market Failures
• Product Attributes and their Classification

 

5. Food Labeling

• Solving Market Failures
• Trust and Signaling

 

6. Pricing Strategies and Implications

• Basic pricing strategies
• Psychological Pricing
• Retailer pricing behaviour

 

7. Consumer Behavior and Brand Personality

• Consumer's purchasing process
• Consumer characteristics
• Segmentation, positioning, and brand personality

 

8. Geographical Indicators

• Part 1: Geographical Indications (GI): concept, relevance and protection
• GIs and market efficiency

 

9. Innovation and Quality

• Definitions and Types of Innovation
• Models and Diffusion of Innovation
• Drivers and Barriers of Innovation

 

10. Corporate Social Responsibility in the Agro-Food Sector

• Definition of Corporate Social Responsibilities and the “Corporate Social Performance Model”
• Corporate Social Responsibilities in the Agro-food Sector
• CSR Study - Coca-Cola

 

11. Coordination in the Agro-food Value Chain

• Introduction to Coordination
• Contracts and the Incentive Problem

 

12. Coordination, Quality and Modern Retail

• Modern Retail
• Coordination in Modern Retail

 

13. Industrial Standards

• Vertical Coordination and Transaction Costs
• Quality and Vertical Coordination
• What are Standards?
• Meta-standards and Meta-systems

Show more