Listen to the other side: impact of supply chain integration practices on value chain performance of pineapple firms in Ghana

Abstract

Improving the value chain of firms is major source of competitive advantage. Traditionally, firms use their knowledge of customer preferences to propose value to products. Often, these products do not meet customer expectations. While customers are part of a firm's value chain, other actors could provide solutions to existing product issues or launch a new product. Hence, narrowing down on the role of multiple actors can help managerial interventions improve value chain performance. This study explored the impact of supply chain integration practices (internal integration, supplier integration, consumer integration) on value chain performance with the boundary condition of information sharing. A sample of 271 actors in the value chain from pineapple firms in Ghana was used to test hypotheses. As predicted, supply chain integration practices related positively to value chain performance but the effect size differs. These positive relations are amplified by information sharing. The results imply that firms can reconceive products and markets with actors linked to productivity in the value chain. This study is among the earliest to investigate how supply chain integration practices improve value addition to products in the context of pineapple production, processing and consumption.