The agri-food system and its components: supply chain; vertical and horizontal integration processes.
The Supply Chain. Definition. Analysis approaches. Food consumption.
The purchasing decision-making process. The variables that influence the purchasing process. Consumption models.
The agri-food company. Modern distribution. Distribution formulas. Organizational structure. Strategies. Commercial brands. Relations with the food industry. Relations with agriculture. Case studies.
The food industry. Strategic lines of development. Strategic positioning of the main competitive players.
Regulation of quality in agri-food and Geographical Indications: qualitative attributes of the agri-food product; problem of information asymmetry, moral hazard and adverse selection; voluntary certification; economics of typical or traditional products (e.g. DOP/IGP). Case studies.
Food safety policies: food safety standards in the European Union; EFSA and traceability. Coordination mechanisms in the agri-food system.
Forms of integration: by ownership, by contract, cooperative.
Individual contracts.
The interprofessional agreement.
The role of cooperatives in the agri-food system Cooperative integration.
The cooperative enterprise. Types of cooperative enterprises. The organization of cooperatives.
