Information sharing in NZ fresh produce supply chains exporting to Asia: An Exploratory Case Study

Abstract

Information sharing enables members of a fresh produce supply chain to coordinate and collaborate, leading to increased level of quality preservation, reduced wastage and reduced cost, which collectively adds value to the entire supply chain. The lack of cooperation and communication among supply chain members was identified as a key challenge in New Zealand’s fresh produce supply chain. There is no academic literature on the type of information required by New Zealand fresh produce supply chain members to collaborate and coordinate their activities. Furthermore, there is no research on the barriers to information sharing that are encountered in the New Zealand fresh produce supply chain. Of course, there is broader literature on these issues outside of the New Zealand fresh produce context, which is reviewed in this study. The study aims to identify the type of information shared or desired, the purpose of sharing or wishing for such information and how it provides value to the New Zealand fresh produce supply chain. The research also aims to identify barriers to information sharing in the same context. A qualitative approach was adopted for this research. Two fruit supply chains, kiwifruit and blueberries, were studied for this research. Data was collected through 12 semi-structured interviews, which included seven interviews from the kiwifruit supply chain and five interviews from the blueberry supply chain. The study identified that the information flow of customer value, inventory information and fruit quality is important in the fresh produce supply chain. However, the specific type of information required in the fresh produce supply chain is determined by the following factors: the supply chain’s operation, the supply chain’s objectives, the supply chain’s stakeholders and their activities, the nature of the fruit and the target market. The study identified that barriers to information sharing are dependent on the supply chain. However, it was evident that long-term partnership between stakeholders is important to reduce barriers to information sharing.