Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 94 Document Number: C07201
Notes:
American Journal of Agricultural Economics PhD recipients, Evans, Davis, CA: University of California, 1990. 154 p. (2 microfiche) (Ph.D. dissertation)
Chain coordination is growing in importance for those in the food industry to maintain access to global markets and competitive advantage. Information communication facilitates coordination and is seen as the glue that holds organisational chain relationships together. This paper describes how Australian food processors have been exchanging information to coordinate customers and suppliers in their chains along with changes over time. The most frequent information exchanged was to resolve problems. Operational issues were only discussed when exceptions arose and this was decreasing over time, as problems were resolved and processes improved. For the organisations studied, they were increasingly formalising processes to review progress and performance. A wide range of organisational departments were involved in communications with customers and suppliers, especially to resolve problems and develop new products. While the traditional telephone and face-to-face communication methods were the most popular, e-mails were replacing faxes. There were also moves to increasing use of reports, electronic data interchange and intranets for more well developed relationships with larger customers and suppliers. These changes in communication systems were the source of some increased satisfaction with information systems by improving timeliness and depth of information shared. However, there was perceived to be some room for further improvement.
Introduction
Reisner, INTERPAKS, Information flow among research and extension organizations has traditionally been portrayed as emanating from the research system. An alternative perspective of information flow in the research and extension system expands the number of participants in the model to include farmers, agribusiness people, legislators, government officials, and scientists. This perspective adds three dimensions previously neglected: the researcher is seen as producing research in response to demands of clients; it is recognized that some clients have more access to the research system than others; diffusion is seen largely as giving certain clients what they initially requested. This perspective is illustrated by the information flows that must take place in sorghum research.
AGRICOLA IND 92017543; Proceedings of the VIII World Congress of IAALD: Information and the End User, May, 1990, Budapest, Hungary, Special requirements for delivering information to the mountain farmer and the role of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in Nepal is discussed. The need to preserve "local knowledge" to let the system evolve and to introduce the technology that matches the physical and intellectural capabilities of the target group is expressed. The appropriate media to transfer the technology is presented in light of the geographic terrain of the target groups.
