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The main objective of this study is to answer the question of how farmers' networking behaviour and their ability to acquire, assimilate, transform and exploit external knowledge is related to their level of innovativeness and profitability. These relations were tested on the basis of structural equation modeling using 444 questionnaires completed by large-scale pig farmers in the Netherlands. Previous studies on the relation between network structure and innovativeness retained the absorptive capacity 'black box' by using proxies for absorption of knowledge. The present study addresses this shortcoming by studying absorptive capacity in terms of organizational capacities (routines and processes) of farmers to use their networks and absorb external knowledge. The findings show that frequency of contact in a specific network range affects innovativeness positively, but also indirectly through acquisition and assimilation capacity. Assimilation capacity turns out to be the most important dimension of absorptive capacity for the innovativeness of pig farmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to investigate the joint effects of small-scale farmers' guanxi networks and buyer-seller relationships on their marketing behavior in China. A survey of 167 vegetable farmers shows that farmers' guanxi networks have significant effect on trusting relationship building with buyers and on their investment behavior for transactional specific assets. Guanxi networks also help to improve farmers' participation in modern high-value markets (e.g., supermarkets and international markets) and encourage relational transactions. Farmers' modern market participation will be further enhanced by trusting buyer-seller relationships with buyers and complying with buyers' quality requirements. The application of formal contracts, on the other hand, is closely related to farmers' trusting relationships with buyers and transactional specific assets for vegetable transactions. Some policy implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we aim to identify those network subgroups that enhance the collaborative governance in a focal buyer-supplier relationship. We argue, that partners in a focal buyer-supplier relationship can be seen as embedded in a broader network of business relationships with network subgroups, (e.g. other buyers, buyers customers), which pro-vide information that can support the collaborative governance, assessed by flexibility, joint planning and joint problem solving, by lowering the level of information asymmetry between the partners. Empirical evidence was gathered through a mailed questionnaire returned by 175 Dutch suppliers of potted plants and flowers. Our results show the importance of the information provided by the network subgroups to manage the focal buyersupplier relationships and ultimately the impact on performance. Interestingly, although five network subgroups were mentioned in the questionnaire, suppliers only obtained reliable information for their focal relationship from the downstream subgroups of other buyers (i.e. merchant-distributors) and buyer's customers (i.e. supermarkets and flower shops). In order to avoid redundancy, managers in seeking information in their business network should not consider the network as a whole, but rather the downstream subgroups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]