http://www.loc.gov/mods/v3 http://www.loc.gov/standards/mods/v3/mods-3-2.xsd
Three essays of agribusiness in transition
xii, 149 leaves : illustrations ; 28 cm.
At first glance, procurement and pricing practices in the beef packing industry, mergers and acquisitions in the food industry, and an analysis of fat intake seem to have no commonality. Upon further inspection, at the core of each issue is an industry in transition. While it is true all industries metamorphose over time, none has done so more rapidly than the food and fiber or agribusiness industry. The agribusiness industry has evolved from many small family operations producing bulk commodities with little value added in the marketing chain to an industry characterized by multinational conglomerates, vertical integration, rapidly changing technology and changing consumer preferences. Although a multitude of transitions in the agribusiness industry could be identified, this dissertation makes inroads into understanding two of the most dramatic transitions, increasing concentration, as measured by the four-firm concentration ratio, and changing consumer preferences. Three separate analyses were conducted to gain understanding of these two significant changes in the agribusiness industry. The first paper analyzes the determinants of concentration in the food industry. The second paper examines the effects of increasing concentration on the procurement and pricing practices of the beef packing industry. The third paper investigates the impact of changes in dietary behavior on intake. The three analyses conducted in this dissertation add considerably to the empirical work on transitions in the agribusiness industry. Concentration in the beef packing industry was found to have some influence on procurement and pricing practices of beef packers. However, other factors such as characteristics of the lot and seasonality were found to be equally or more important. Economic growth and growth of firms, as measured by profitability, were found to be key determinants of mergers and acquisitions in the food industry. This result indicates the number of mergers should be expected to increase during periods of economic growth. Changes in consumer dietary behavior were found to have mixed influences on actual fat intake, Substitution of low fat products for high fat products, avoidance practices, and modification practices lower fat intake as measured by the percentage of calories from total fat.
"Major Subject: Agricultural Economics".
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Includes bibliographical references: pages 143-147.