understanding the challenges of supplier development in organic grain production and offering model based solutions
Open Access
Author:
Ruta, Gino Francis
Area of Honors:
Supply Chain and Information Systems
Degree:
Bachelor of Science
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Charles Frederick Nicholson, Thesis Supervisor Dr. John C. Spychalski, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
Supply Chain Organic Food Retail
Abstract:
Consumer preferences create an ever-changing business world. To compete in the markets and satisfy customers, businesses continually adjust the goods and services provided to their end consumer. In a globally competitive atmosphere, companies face the decision of what to supply and who to source their goods and services from. These procurement decisions can serve to reduce supply chain costs, increase margins, and find new and innovative ways to meet the needs of customers. This report will address a specific problem in food retail concerning rising demand for organic products. Customers have shown a willingness to buy more organic product, however organizations have not been able to procure the necessary grains at the farm level to fill their customer’s expectations. The tool was assessed by farm operators and analysts and judged to adequately represent the structure of the key costs and returns. The tool and related analysis can be useful to promote the development of a supplier base that better meets the needs of purchasers of organic grains.
