West Timor Mandarin Marketing Case Study—Implications for Supply-chain Management in Developing Countries

Abstract

Changes in the external environments in food and fibre products in developed countries have brought increased interest in supply-chain management. The global competitive environment is one impetus driving demands for cost-effective food and fibre supply chains. In addition, quality requirements, strict product specification, and food safety issues can be achieved only if food supply chains are transparent and traceable all the way to retail chains. In spite of the interest in developed countries, little supply-chain research has been done in the context of developing countries. This study looks at marketing in the mandarin industry in West Timor, Indonesia and outlines potential participants in supply chains in the industry. With the assistance of non-government organisations, the social constituents of West Timor, like many other developing countries in Asia, can be utilised to foster supply chains, even though their drivers are different from those in developed countries. Traders rather than retailers are often the channel managers and are able to appropriate more values from the chain.