Voluntary Traceability and Transaction Costs : An Empirical Analysis in the Italian Meat Processing Supply Chain

This paper analyses voluntary traceability effects on the coordination of the food supply chain from the transaction cost perspective. The analysis focuses on Italian firms and makes particular reference to the meat sector. A survey was conducted using a questionnaire to assess the changes in key transaction factors and costs after the introduction of traceability. The results underline an increase in the degree of human, material and site asset specificity, and reveal a reduction in the degree of uncertainty in transactions. Growth in some transaction costs related to monitoring is also observed. Factorial and cluster analysis were used to underline the different organizational solutions of the firms.