A C T A U N I V E R S I T A T I S L O D Z I E N S I S FO LIA OECONOM ICA 17, 1982
Bogdan Gregor *
D ISTR IB U TIO N SYSTEM O F AG RICU LTU RA L PR O D U CTIO N M EANS AND SERV ICES IN PO LAN D
1. RESEAR CH TA R G ET AND SOURCES
P ro d u ctio n and tra d e services for a g ric u ltu re re p re s e n t a k e y ele-m en t of th e agrobusiness coele-m plex in Poland. W eakness of th is sphere is usu ally a ttrib u te d to in ad eq u ate in v estm e n t outlays and in su fficien t su p p ly of a g ric u ltu ra l production m eans and services. S im u ltan eo u sly th e re pass unnoticed o th e r eq u ally im p o rta n t circum stances. We should point h ere, first of all, som e d raw b ack s of the d istrib u tio n system , being rev ealed am ong oth ers in excessively long ro u te of p ro d u cts flow from th e p ro d u ce r to th e e n d u se r (w hich increases social costs of fu n ctio -ning of th e system ), incoordinated activ ities of in stitu tio n s responsible for p ro d u ct supply, lack of a d ju s tm e n t of a g ric u ltu ra l m ark e tin g to sp a tia lly d iffe re n tia te d conditions of ag ricu ltu re.
T his p a p e r aim s a t assessm ent of organization of d istrib u tio n in the field of a g ric u ltu ra l p ro d uction m eans and services. Each organizatio-nal solution in th e m a rk e tin g sp h ere should be ad ap ted to objective m a rk e t conditions. A ccordingly, we shall tr y to point out specific cha-rac teristics of th e analyzed m ark e t. A gainst th is background, th e re should be u n d e rlin ed disproportions b etw een th e p re se n t organization of th e m a rk e t and d istrib u tio n system on one h an d and ch a ra c te ristic s of th e m a rk e t on th e o th e r hand. This should allow to d e te rm in e possi-b ilities and im provem ent directions of th e a g ric u ltu ra l d istripossi-b u tio n system .
M ain rese a rc h e ffo rt w as focussed on th e m a rk e t of sp are p a rts for a g ric u ltu ra l m achines. S election of th is b ran c h w as n ot accidental as th e situ a tio n in tra d e in spare p a rts is h ig h ly un satisfacto ry . T h eir
strib u tio n system has m any w eaknesses and its socio-econom ic effec-tiveness continues to be m uch low er th a n it w ould be desirable.
The analysis w as based on in fo rm atio n com ing both from p rim a ry and secondary sources. In fo rm atio n of p rim a ry type w as collected on th e w ay of em pirical research es carried out in com panies re p re se n tin g all levels of tra d e in spare p a rts for a g ric u ltu ra l eq u ip m en t (in d u strial sales, w holesale, and retailing). This was, for th e m ost p a rt, q u a lita tive analysis. In te rv ie w s conducted by us w ere to pative th e w ay for id en -tification of th e p re se n t d istrib u tio n system and d e te rm in a tio n of its basic shortcom ings. O ur in te rv ie w s encom passed also 27 farm ers, w hom we m et in stores selling spare p a rts for a g ric u ltu ra l m achines 1.
2. M ETHODOLOGICAL PRO BLEM S OF R ESEAR CH ES ON THE D ISTR IB U TIO N SYSTEM IN TH E M ARKET FOR A G R IC U LTU R A L PRO DU C TIO N MEANS AND
SERVICES
D istrib u tio n channels of a g ric u ltu ra l production m eans and services o perate w ith in th e fra m ew o rk of th e agrobusiness com plex. T hey form a system being d e term in ed by n um erous in te rn a l and e x te rn a l condi-tions. These conditions can be e v alu ated from d iffe re n t angles: of the end user, m icroeconom ic, m acroeconom ic and social.
A ny decision concerning changes in th e d istrib u tio n system m ust tak e into account all points of view. N onetheless, th e e n d -u se r’s point of view is of utm ost im portance, as it is th ro u g h th e en d -u se r th a t all in d irect effects of organizational solutions a re achieved. It should be added h e re th a t th e e n d -u se r’s po in t of view is d iffe re n tia te d , and thus e.g. th e re a re differences b etw een detailed preferen ces of th e a g ric u ltu ra l farm , and th e in stiltu tio n p urchasing spare p a rts to provide r e -p a ir services of th e a g ric u ltu ra l equi-pm ent. As a rule, th e e n d -u s e r’s point of view corresponds to th e social view point. In th e lo nger ru n , the p ro d u cer of production m eans and f u rth e r d istrib u tio n links not only m u st increase th e ir a d ap ta b ility to th e m a rk e t situ a tio n b u t th ey m u st also stim u la te preferen ces of en d u sers in th is m ark e t. T his s ta -tem e n t produces tw o practical consequences.
‘ R esearch, fin d in g s w e re p re se n te d in : J. D i e t l , В. G r e g o r , W ybrane
p ro b le m y obrotu częściam i za m ie n n y m i do ciąg n ikó w i m a szy n ro ln iczych w św ie-tle badań e m p iry c zn y c h — raport (Selected P ro b lem s of T ra d e in S p a re P a rts
for F acto rs a n d A g ric u ltu ra l M achines in th e L ig h t of E m p irical R esearches — a re p o rt on 14 pages of ty p e so rip t); J. D i e t l , В. G r e g o r , E k sp e rty za
odnosząca się do p ro je k tó w s y s te m u d y s try b u c ji części za m ie n n y c h do m a szy n i u rzą -dzeń rolniczych (E x p e rtise C oncerning P ro je c ts of th e D istrib u tio n S ystem for
F irstly , needs and p referen ces of e n d u sers m u st be tre a te d as su -p erio r in rela tio n to -p referen ces of -p roducers and d istrib u to rs. And accordingly, th e y should co n stitu te a s ta rtin g point in co n stru ctio n of each solution p e rta in in g to d istrib u tio n channels. It can be added a t th is point, th a t th e re exists a high s u b stitu tio n b etw een production and d istrib u tio n (m arketing) costs and social costs being a re s u lt of a freeze of production m eans (inventories). A p a rt from th a t th e re tak es place a su b stitu tio n betw een costs in cu rred by p a rtic u la r d istrib u tio n links as w ell as in te rb ra n c h su b stitu tio n w ithin th e agrobusiness com plex. T h e re -fore, a n a rro w ly understood p ro fitab ility account of a n y organizational solution is of secondary and not p rim a ry ch aracter.
Secondly, each proposition of changes in organization of d istrib u tio n channels and each econom ic calculus, providing a basis for th is p ro -position, m u st include an elem en t of risk connected w ith deficit of d is-cussed products at a given place or tim e. H ence e.g. unequestionable benefits resu ltin g from reduced in ventories of m ost production m eans m ay be elim inated by th e above m entioned risk. We m ig h t even form h e re a thesis th a t „ceteris p a rib u s” th e re exists a m u tu a l correlation b etw een inven to ries of production m eans and th e e x te n t to w hich th e pro d u ct flow is d e term in ed by th e inform ation, and — to some degree — negotiation flows. A ccordingly, if ap p ro p riate inform ation is not secured and ap p ro p riate conditions, in w hich th is in fo rm atio n w ill provide a basis for decisions concerning th e flow of p ro ducts (sales, deliveries), a re not created th e n red u ctio n of in ventories and th e ir sp atial concen-tra tio n m ay produce such a big risk th a t it w ill u n d e rm in e all ben efits re su ltin g from red u ctio n of these inventories.
If w e w a n t to take into account d iffe re n t points of view w e m u st ap p ly d iffe re n t c rite ria of evaluation.
In th e case of th e m acroeconom ic point of view th is c rite rio n w ill be m axim ization of u tilization of economic resources. P ra c tic a lly it encom -passes th re e m ore d etailed criteria. F irstly , creation of conditions for m a rk e t eq uilibrium a t a given place and tim e. This im plies in practice, th a t from th e m acroeconom ic view point a d esirable d istrib u tio n system is such w hich, w ith o th e r conditions unchanged, en su res c o n tin u ity of sales and full range of p ro ducts for all en d -u sers (and not only e.g. th e asso rtm e n t receiving p referen ce of a given branch). Secondly, m an ip u -latio n of grow th, in ten sity , and specialization of a g ric u ltu ra l production. T he th ird d etailed c riterio n being m ost closely connected w ith th e m i-croeconom ic point of view rep re se n te d by a given b ran c h is th e capi-tal frozen in in ventories of p ro d uction m eans and m easu red by th e index of average inven to ries fo r trade.
-duction m eans and services as reg a rd s th e ir q u a n tity and assortm ent. A gen eral preferen ce fo rm u lated in such a w ay is com patible w ith the m acroeconom ic point of view. One m ore point rem ains, how ever, and th a t is th e so-called u tility of purchase. This u tility due to th e c h arac-te r of th e purch ase corresponds in m ost cases to th e social point of view. Its q u an tificatio n is, nonetheless, difficu lt due to su b jectiv e and objective variab les com posing an ev alu atio n expressed by th e en d - -user. It can, fu rth e rm o re , be added th a t in as m uch as e.g. p u n c tu a lity of d e liv e ry or rep a ir, fre q u e n c y of deliveries, th e ir form etc. a re a r e -su lt of d istrib u tio n channels organization, o th er product ch a ra c te ristic s effecting the ev alu atio n of th e e n d -u se r e.g. q u a lity and price a re loose-ly connected w ith organization of d istrib u tio n .
P ro fitab ility of a given organizational solution provides a decisive c riterio n w h en w e tak e into account th e m icroeconom ic point of view, both fra g m e n ta ry (of a given d istrib u tio n link) and overall (of th e w hole branch). T he cost accounting should c o n stitu te a basis fo r its e stim a-tion. It is not easy in p ractice and th a t not only due to lack of in fo rm ation, b u t also due to th e need of application of concept of h y p o th e -tical costs, and th u s costs w hich w ill be in cu rred or w ill sp rin g up at th e tim e tj, t 2, ... t n as a re su lt of organizational changes introduced in th e period t 0. T he problem w ould be q u ite sim ple if changes in size and s tru c tu re of costs could be analyzed only in th e sp h ere of new ly form ed organizational stru c tu re s a n d flow s w ith in d istrib u tio n c h a n nels. In practice, how ever, each change in th e d istrib u tio n system p ro -duces:
— changes in rela tio n s and re m u n e ra tio n of production facto rs (ca-pital, labour) w ith in th e fra m ew o rk of p a rtic u la r links of th e d istri-bution system and b etw e en these links;
— considerable degree of su b stitu tio n in rela tio n to organizational changes b etw een costs in cu rred by p a rtic u la r d istrib u tio n links (inclu-ding also th e pro d u cer and th e end-user) and tra d e links;
— b etw een th e d istrib u tio n system tre a te d as a m eans of stra te g y and tactics of a com pany and o th e r activ ities (e.g. prom otion, prices) th e re ex ist su b stitu tio n a l a n d co m p lem en tary ties. Hence, changes in th e d istrib u tio n system m ay be reflec ted in changes of prices or p ro -m otion. It is difficu lt to -m ake provisions fo r it in th e cost accounting. Besides th e above discussed p ro fita b ility account an a d d itio n a l c ri-terion, in a w ay q u a lita tiv e one, w ill be provided by capacity or effectiv-eness of im p lem en tatio n of tasks im posed upon a given d istrib u tio n link. A ccepting th e p rinciple of m an ag em en t th ro u g h objectives (these objectives a re outlin ed in th e com pany p lan s by th e c e n tra l plan) we should a sk a q u estion w h e th e r th e com pany’s capacity fo r im p lem en
ta-tio n of these objectives w ill be increased or decreased as a re s u lt of in troduced organizational changes. O nly th is com bined w ith th e p ro fi-ta b ility calculation allow s to p e rfo rm an evaluation from th e m icro- econom ic view point.
3. FAC TOR S D ETER M IN IN G D IS T R IB U T IO N OF A G R IC U LTU R A L PRO DU C TIO N MEANS AND SERVICES
O rganization of th e d istrib u tio n system is d e te rm in e d b y m an y factors. S till basic im portance should be a ttrib u te d to th re e factors:
a) product,
b) ch a ra c te ristic s of dem and and p referen ces of end-users, c) m a rk e t situation.
A p ro d u ct — according to J. D ietl — is a n y object of sale or p u r-chase. This m ay be a physical object or s e rv ic e 2. In th e m a rk e t for a g ric u ltu ra l production m eans and services w e can d istinguish th re e k inds of products: physical objects (e.g. tra c to r or fodder concentrate), services (e.g. ploughing, sow ing, th reshing), and a physical object com -bined w ith a service (e.g. p la n t p ro tectio n m eans and th e ir spreading). A sso rtm en t of p ro d u cts is e x tre m e ly wide. P a rtic u la r products d iffe r b etw een them selves bo th as reg a rd s th e ir physical and chem ical p ro -p erties, fre q u e n c y of -purchases and tim e in w hich th e y are used. F rom th e su p p ly po in t of view , of g re a t im p o rtan ce is division of p ro ducts in to in v estm e n t goods (e.g. a g ric u ltu ra l m achinery) and those fo r r u n -ning p ro d uction (e.g. m in eral fertilizers). The fo rm e r a re p u rchased m ore seldom and th e ir u n it price is higher. T his ju stifies a ra tio n a l co n cen tratio n of tra d e in these products. Size of p ro d u cts satisfying p ro d uction needs of a g ric u ltu re and th e ir specific c h a ra c te ristic s call for considerable individualization of organizational solutions in th e d i-strib u tio n system w ith in th e fra m ew o rk of each branch.
As it has a lre ad y been m entioned, a sta rtin g point in construction of ev ery d istrib u tio n system should be th e end u ser an d his needs. In Table 1 th e re a re p rese n ted ch a ra c te ristic s of dem and fo r th e analyzed p ro d u cts and th e ir significance fo r organization and m an ag em en t of th e a g ric u ltu ra l m arketing.
F e a tu re s w hich e ssen tially d iffe re n tia te d em and fo r a g ric u ltu ra l p ro d uction m eans and services fro m dem and fo r o th e r p ro d u cts in clu -de: its close co rre la tio n w ith a g ric u ltu ra l p ro d uction conditions, ty p e of consum ers an d /o r en d -u sers rep re se n tin g num erous d iffe re n tia te d and
2 J. D i e t l , M arketing. W yb ra n e zagadnienia (M arketing. S elected P roblem s), W arszaw a 1977, p. 126.
T a b l e 1 C h a ra c te ristic fe a tu re s of d em an d for a g ric u ltu ra l p ro d u ctio n m eans a n d services a n d th e ir b ea rin g on p ro g ra m m in g , o rg an iz atio n a n d m a n ag e m en t of th e
p ro d u ctio n sp h e re of a g ric u ltu ra l m a rk e tin g
Characteristics of demand Consequences for marketing sphere
1. Basic, direct and growing in time demand
2. Spatial differentiation of demand
3. Differentiation of volume and structure of demand between individual farms
4. Strong concentration of demand for definite products in time (seasonality of demand) 5. Time correspondence between
needs, demand, and purchase (satisfaction of needs) — absence of phenomenon of delayed demand for most production means and services
6. Direct relationship between demand, agricultural production process and socio-economic situation of
village
7. Complementarity and substitutio- nality of demand for production means and services
8. Differentiated elasticity of demand in relation to product type or end user
Rational deconcentration (services) and con-centration of marketing (selected production means)
Elimination of indirect links between seller and buyer of services (provision of services directly to a farm and shortening of flow routes for production means between industry and end user)
Maintenance of properly big service potential and storage base for trade in production means, able to satisfy demand in periods of its special intensification.
Deconcentration of management in the sphere of agricultural production marketing
Adaptation of organization and forms of marke-ting, volume and structure of demand to spa-tially differentiated needs and preferences of end users
Co-ordination of activities of institutions dealing with agricultural marketing in horizontal system Basing of programming of development of marketing sphere on knowledge of real demand for agricultural production means and services Active pricing and subsidizing policy in steering marketing sphere — its relationship with price policy in agricultural market
te rrito ria lly sc attere d econom ic units, and e x tre m e ly big seasonality of dem and. A lm ost 3.5 m illion fa rm s a re b u y e rs of a g ric u ltu ra l p ro -du ction m eans and services. T here can be d istinguished tw o m acro-segm ents of th e m ark e t: socialized and individual farm in g u n its w ith th e la tte r am ounting to over 3 m illion. Socialized farm s — due to a la r -ge scale of pro d u ctio n and its cap ital in ten siv e c h a ra c te r — declare a re la tiv e ly high d em and for pro d u ctio n m eans and services. This allow s to ap p ly d ire c t deliveries from w holesale or even in d u stria l com pa-nies. It w ould, how ever, be w rong if w e tre a te d both m acrosegm ents as hom ogeneous system s. T h ey a re h ig h ly d iffe re n tia te d w hich is r e -flected b y th e volum e and s tru c tu re of dem and.
P ro g ram m in g of developm ent and organization of a g ric u ltu ra l m a r-k etin g m u st tar-ke into account th e existing relatio n sh ip s b etw e en
pro-duction m eans and services for a g ric u ltu re . C o m plem entary c h a ra c te r of dem and fo r c e rtain production m eans and services is of special signifi-cance fo r organization of supply. In som e cases w e can even speak ab o u t a jo in t dem and. This re fe rs especially to p la n t p ro tectio n m eans and provision of services connected w ith th e ir sowing. It w ould th u s be ju stified if w e com bined a com m ercial offer (sale of p la n t pro tectio n m eans) w ith an offer for services.
Solutions adopted in th e field of d istrib u tio n a re also d e term in ed by th e m a rk e t situation. L ack of eq u ilib riu m in th e m a rk e t for p ro d u c-tion m eans and services causes, th a t th e capital facto r in a g ric u ltu re is a t its m inim um level and it is this facto r w hich re a lly d ete rm in e s eco-nom ic effectiveness of th e agrobusiness com plex. A ccordingly, it is q u ite im p o rta n t w ho is receiving these m eans and how th e y a re u ti-lized.
Two solutions can be adopted here, and n am ely control of pro d u ct sales a n d fre e sale of p ro d u cts a t prices en su rin g th e m a rk e t eq u ili-brium . B oth form s of d istrib u tio n have th e ir m erits and shortcom ings. Sales control is aim ed at p u rposeful activity. T here are accepted th en in advance som e p rio ritie s w hich can be rep re sen te d by d efin ite b ra n ches of a g ric u ltu ra l p ro d uction or groups of farm s. It is a selective p ro -ced u re as from a m a rk e t for a d efin ite p ro d u ct th e re is au to m a tic ally excluded a c e rtain group of fa rm s not fu lfillin g d e fin ite c riteria . The farm er, m oreover, faces re s tric te d selection of sources and especially size of purchases of production m eans, w hich reduces a d ap tab ility of pro d u ctio n to changes in price relations. In o rd er to p u rsu e th e sales co n tro l it becom es necessary to possess a p e rfe c t know ledge of needs of farm s and th e ir econom ic effectiveness. U n fa m ilia rity w ith th ese needs often leads to w aste of a n u m b er of a g ric u ltu ra l p ro d u ctio n a rti-cles being in sh o rt supply.
F re e sale of p ro d u cts — in th e situ a tio n of m ark e t d iseq u ilib riu m —• is usu ally accom panied by increase of prices to a level en su rin g some degree of balancing of dem and and supply. This ty p e of a c tiv ity is m uch less com plicated th a n it is th e case w ith controlled sales. It also p a rtly elim inates in form al ties b etw een su p p lie r and buyer. The only selection c riterio n of farm s in th e m a rk e t is a re la tiv e ly high price re p re se n tin g an in stru m e n t forcing farm s to utilize effectively th e p u r-chased products. The problem , how ever, is th a t in case of some farm s w e w ill en co u n ter an incom e b a rrie r. Rise of prices fo r pro d u ctio n m eans w ill, m oreover, increase pro d u ctio n costs and sim u ltan eo u sly d e-crease com petitiveness of these p ro d u cts in re la tio n to o th er p ro d uction factors.
w hich m u st be tak e n into account w hile or ganizing distrib u tio n . Each sy stem is linked w ith o th e r elem en ts of th e econom y and op erates w ith in a given system of economic m an ag em en t and control. All th is form s an en v iro n m en t of a d efinite fra g m e n t of reality.
A basic question arises here: is th e d istrib u tio n system of a g ric u ltu ra l pro d u ctio n m eans and services in Poland ad ap ted to m a rk e t r e -q u ire m en ts, and — accordingly — does it perfo rm its functions? It is d iffic u lt to provide an ex plicit an sw er to this question as th e situ atio n m ay d iffe r betw een d iffe re n t branches. T here are, how ever, im p o rta n t p rere q u isite s ju stify in g a negative estim ation of th e p re se n t d istrib u -tio n system . I w ill in dicate h e re only som e of them :
a) tra d e in a g ric u ltu ra l production m eans is, to a large e x te n t, su b -je c t to v arious form s of control. P rio rity is given here to farm s belon-ging to th e socialized sector. T here a re em ployed tied sales (possibility of purch asin g production m eans for c o n tracted deliveries). Sale of p ro -d u ctio n m eans carrie-d out along such principles is a -d e riv a tiv e of th e m echanism of ag g reg ated rig h ts to th e ir purch ase and not of re a l needs of a g ric u ltu re and p a rtic u la r farm s. T rade co n tro l larg e ly red u ces th e econom ic role played by th e m a rk e t m echanism , p araly sin g one of its m ost im p o rta n t functions — th e allocation function. As a re su lt, p ro -duction m eans do n ot reach, in optim al proportions, these farm s in w hich th e y could en su re th e m ost fav o urable final effectiveness of in cre m e n ts an d th u s prom ote th e hig h est production and incom es effect.
b) T he d istrib u tio n system is too developed in th e v e rtica l system . R outes of p ro d u ct flow s are, as a re su lt, v e ry long w hich raises th e costs of fu nctioning of th e w hole system .
c) The system is c h aracterized w ith expanded n e tw o rk of storage facilities a t all levels of trade. This is due to a conviction th a t only m ain te n a n c e of d efin ite stocks can en su re p ro p er (w ith resp ect to th e ir volum e and tim e) deliveries of a g ric u ltu ra l production m eans. T h at leads, how ever, to sp littin g up of supply, w hich accom panied by lack of know ledge ab o u t needs of farm s and m echanical d istrib u tio n of m eans am ong p a rtic u la r regions produced a situ a tio n th a t th e re w as v e ry often ap p earin g a su rp lu s of d efin ite p ro d u cts in some a re a s and th e ir considerable deficit in others.
d) T h ere is a fa r reach in g u n ificatio n of organization solutions in su p p ly of a g ric u ltu re w ith p ro d uction m eans, w hich h a m p e rs its adap-tatio n to needs and p referen ces of p a rtic u la r m a rk e t segm ents.
4. EV ALU A TIO N AND D IR ECTIO N S O F IM PROV EM EN TS IN D IS T R IB U T IO N SYSTEM OF SPA R E P A R T S FOR A G R IC U LTU R A L M ACHINERY
The d istrib u tio n system of sp are p a rts for a g ric u ltu ra l m ach in ery show s m ost shortcom ings:
a) T his system is excessively ex p an d ed (see Fig. 1). We a re m eeting h e re a ll levels of tra d e : in d u stria l sales, w holesale, and re ta il trad e. This e x ten d s th e ro u te of flow of sp are p a rts from th e p ro d u cer to th e end user. In m ost co u n tries (especially those h ighly developed) th is system is v e ry sim ple w ith th e pro d u cer of sp are p a rts being sep ara te d from th e e n d -u se r by one tra d e lin k a t th e m ost.
b) T here exist several organizational v e rtica l system s d ealing w ith su p p ly of a g ric u ltu re w ith sp are p arts. Besides, th ese v e rtica l system s som etim es p erform m u tu a lly o verlapping functions. Such solution accom panied by shortcom ings in coordination (m ainly in th e horizon-tal system ) and in effective in fo rm atio n flow can be h a rd ly considered satisfactory.
c) Excessive expansion of d istrib u tio n channels and sp reading of tra d e organization b etw een several organizational system s lead to dis-persion of supply, w hich c o n seq u en tly leads to a freeze of sp are p a rts in th e form of inven to ries (it is estim ated th a t inven to ries of sp are p a rts a m o u n t to 30 billion zloties at p resen t, w hich is eq u iv a len t to th e vo-lu m e of th e ir sales over a tw o -y ea r period).
d) Excessive expansion of th e d istrib u tio n system causes th a t th e m ark e tin g ap p a ra tu s show s sm all elasticity. This is expressed am ong o th ers in th e m ode of booking ord ers (a need of ord erin g sp are p a rts a long tim e in advance). The econom ic calculus often forces com panies to sim plificat on of th e m ode of p urchases and p ro d u ct flow s (often c o n tra ry to binding regulations).
e) S hortages in su p p ly of spars p a rts cause th a t ord ers su b m itte d to pro d u cers of sp are p a rts provide for m uch bigger q u a n titie s th a n a re re a lly needed. The tra d e is a w are of th e fact th a t it w ill obtain, anyw ay, only a p a rt of th e ordered goods. A sim ilar situ a tio n is p re -se n t in contacts b etw een re ta il tra d e and w holesale (or in d u stria l sales). I t o fte n h ap pens also th a t th e confirm ed o rd er does n o t corresp o n d to a ctu al possibilities of delivery. This is due to th e fe a r of su p p lie rs of e v en tu al pen alties for a failu re to effect th e co n tra cte d deliveries. Such a c tiv ity un d o u b ted ly leads to dislocations in th e w hole m ark et.
f) Influence e x e rted in th is b ran c h on th e in d u s try by th e tra d e is insignificant. In the situ a tio n of the m a rk e t disequilibrium , th e p ro d u c er holds m ostly a su p e rio r position in rela tio n to th e buyer. A t p re
-sen t th e in d u stry is n o t m ate r ially in te re ste d in p ro d uction of sp are p a rts. T h eir pro d u ctio n is not com petitive in re la tio n to p ro d u ctio n of finished p ro d u cts (from th e p o in t of view of p ro fita b ility of p ro d u c -tion).
It is th u s an obvious m a tte r th a t th e p re se n t d istrib u tio n system of spare p a rts does n o t fu lfil p ro p e rly its functions. C hanges in th e d i-s trib u tio n i-syi-stem i-should, firi-s t of all, ten d tow ardi-s:
— sh o rte n in g of th e flow ro u te of sp are p a rts fro m th e p ro d u cer to th e e n d -u se r and su b sta n tia l acceleration of circu latio n of products. T h ere e x ist feasible possibilities for elim in atio n of th e w holesale level w ith sh iftin g th e c e n tre of g ra v ity to w a rd s in d u stria l sales points. This concept calls fo r developm ent of tra n s p o rt base (su b stitu tio n of storage facilities w ith tra n s p o rt facilities). In th e case of p a rts fo r h a rv e s te r com bines and new types of tra c to rs (e.g. M asseyFergusson) w e p o s tu -la te in tro d u c tio n of th e service system . The p ro d u cer should ta k e over m ain ten an ce services of these m achines. It is th e m ost m o dern and m ost com m only applied solution in h ig h ly developed countries. I t en su -re s th e h ig h est in te g ratio n of activ ities of all lin k s in th e d istrib u tio n channel, w ith th e p ro d u ce r being relieved of resp o n sib ility for the w hole organization of a m a rk e t fo r a given com m odity. T his solution prom otes increased confidence of th e e n d -u se r to w ard s th e p ro d u ce r and supplier. The p ro d u cer m ay p e rfo rm th e role of th e m a rk e t lead er in th re e form s. The firs t consists in d ire c t provision of services. The second one encom passes opening of a u th o rized stations. A nd fin a lly th e th ird form is rep re se n te d by franchising. T h ere should be prom oted d ev elopm ent of re p a ir statio n s o p eratin g on prin cip les of franchising, and r u n b y a g en ts being equipped b y th e p ro d u cer w ith re p a ir equip-m ent, know -how , and spare parts.
— consolidation and d ev elopm ent of th e ro le played by th e in fo r-m ation flow , and th a t not only w ith in th e fra r-m ew o rk of a d istrib u tio n channel b u t m ain ly b etw e en th e channel and its e n v iro n m en t. This concerns especially in fo rm atio n re fe rrin g to su p p ly (production possi-bilities) and dem and (inform ation fro m th e end-user) and en su rin g m o-tiv a tio n of th e p ro d u ce r and en d-user. T he in fo rm atio n flow should con-s titu te a v a riab le d e te rm in g th e p ro d u c t flow. Thicon-s in fo rm atio n m u con-st provide a basis fo r decision-m aking, and in som e cases in fo rm atio n tra n s m itte rs should be of d irectiv e c h a ra c te r. This calls fo r essential changes in th e negotiation flow and, m oreover, g e n e ra lly in th e m an a g em ent system s. This view can be tra n s fe rre d in a sta te m e n t th a t m an -agem ent of a com pany should be id entified w ith m an a g e m e n t of th e in fo rm atio n flow.
b etw een d istrib u tio n channels and e n v iro n m en t allow ing to accelerate a d a p ta b ility processes.
— assurance of a w ide asso rtm e n t offer fo r th e e n d -u se r an d such red u ctio n of his risk of failing to receive sp are p a rts w hich w ould re -lease a psychological effect allow ing to decrease th e p re se n t d istru st of in stitu tio n s dealing w ith a g ric u ltu ra l m arketing.
B ogdan G regor
SY STEM D Y STRY BU C JI ŚRODKÓW PR O D U K C JI I U SŁUG DLA ROLNICTW A W POLSCE
W o p rac o w a n iu p o d ję to p ró b ę oceny o rg an iz acji d y s try b u c ji środków p ro d u k c ji i usług dla ro ln ic tw a. Na te j p o d sta w ie w sk azan o n a m ożliw ości i k ie -r u n k i je j u sp -raw n ie n ia. D uży n ac isk położono n a p-ro b lem y m etodologiczne b a d a ń n a d sy stem em d y stry b u c ji o m aw ian y ch p ro d u k tó w . K ażde ro zw ią zan ie o rg a n izacy jn e w sferze o b ro tu w in n o być dostosow ane do istn ieją c y c h o b ie k ty w n ie w a -ru n k ó w ry n k u . S tą d też zw rócono u w ag ę n a odręb n o ści ry n k u śro d k ó w i usłu g p ro d u k c y jn y c h dla ro ln ic tw a, sta n o w iąc e d e te rm in a n ty sy stem u d y stry b u cji. Na tý m tle p o d kreślono d y sp ro p o rc je m iędzy istn ie ją c ą o rg a n iz a c ją ry n k u i sy ste m em d y stry b u c ji a cecham i ry n k u od stro n y p o p y tu i p otrzeb. Szczegółowe s tu -d ia przep ro w a-d zo n o n a p rzy k ła -d zie b ra n ż y części zam ien n y ch -do m aszy n r o l-niczych.
