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Abstract
This study investigates the strategic behaviour of food industry firms. Its two goals are to:
(i) characterise strategies being employed; and
(ii) identify distinct approaches to information-sharing
Data from an interview-format survey of Danish food industry firms are used to characterise
strategy at two levels: 11 “strategic orientations”; each of which is composed of 3-6 of a total
57 “strategic actions”. Principal components were identified and two complementary cluster
analysis techniques were used to assemble clusters that are composed of firms either with distinct
strategies, or sets of strategies occurring in distinct combinations.
Eight clusters emerge, with reasonable procedural performance. The clusters are distinct in a
surprisingly large number of ways, including their strategies for market share, pricing, approach
and response to regulation, exports and use of retailers’ own-label brands. Information-sharing
strategies are closely linked to both marketing strategy and regulation response/anticipation.
Individual clusters identify distinct sets of behaviour regarding information-sharing up and/or
down the value chain, their approach to quality and other aspects of market segmentation, targeting
of export markets, and willingness to compete on price. Clusters’ distinct strategies regarding
regulation featured anticipation, as opposed to several diverse means of passing on
compliance costs: to buyers or to sellers. Such activities were linked to information-sharing
strategies in different ways by different clusters.