Analyzing greenhouse firm performance across different marketing channels

In recent years, supply chain performance measures have been in the spotlight of many authors. Many performance measures have been used. In this paper, efficiency was measured as an indicator of performance in the vegetable supply chain. The study consisted of two stages. In the first, data envelopment analysis (DEA) evaluated technical and scale efficiency of the Dutch vegetable sector relative to the type of final distribution (mixed marketing channels versus traditional auctions). In the second stage, a truncated regression model (TRM) was applied to explain grower efficiency from a managerial point of view. The results of the first stage showed that growers who sell their products through auctions are less efficient. The second stage revealed that variables such as firm size, age, ownership structure, and distribution channel strategy significantly contribute to the explanation of technical efficiency of the growers, while the variables firm location, firm size, and firm age affect their scale. lEconLit citations: Q130, L 100, and D440r © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Agribusiness 22: 267-280, 2006.

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