• Journal of Distribution Research
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.1-18
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• 2011

Local assemblers of agricultural products perform important distribution functions such as providing sales outlets, labor forces, market information, and financing, forward contracting, farming, physical distribution, and etc. However, their business activities are not transparent and producers are not effectively protected from unfair practices done by local assemblers. In order to enhance transparency and to increase effectiveness of governmental policies, local assemblers, which are mostly private management, should be organized as corporations. In order to organize corporations, the government should emphasize the importance of education and should provide corporations with governmental funds for improvement of agricultural distribution. Corporations should be developed to marketing cooperatives in the long run, and are requested to form their federations. It is also necessary to have transparent forward contracting system by local assemblers. In order to have transparent system, producers and local assemblers are guided to use standard contract forms and to operate offices handling unfair trade practices by local assemblers. We also need a place to exchange forward contracts, which can be developed to a futures market in the long run. In summary, local assemblers of agricultural products, which are mostly private management, should be developed to corporations and be operated by a transparent manner in order to protect agricultural producers and increase efficiency of trading.

• Journal of Technology Innovation
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.151-183
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• 2004

This paper investigates the evolution of 'inter-firm' technology transfer in the Thai automobile industry, which has gradually been integrated into global production network of some specific automotive models(one-ton pickups). This paper discusses the linkage between the role of automobile assemblers in transferring technology and the way their strategic changes bring about heightened demands on the technological capacity of suppliers and the contents of technology transfer. With higher competition at the global level, local suppliers are required to improve their technical and managerial skills, especially in the area of 'product engineering' capability. The authors examine the ways local firms have adapted to these changes in their environments, as well as the ways they utilize inter-firm relationship with automobile assemblers as a means to improve their own technological capabilities. The dynamic process of capability formation in local parts firms, through intensive efforts and learning inducements brought about by inter-firm relationships, are also discussed.