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| Supply Chain Integration for China’s Grain Industry: A Conceptual Framework of Intra-and-inter- Chain Integration |
| LI Fengting,HOU Yunxian |
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Abstract The purpose of this study is to propose a conceptual framework of supply chain Integration (SCI) for China’s grain industry for the increase of its international competitive power. First, based on literature and examples from grain enterprises, the paper argues that SCI for China’s grain industry should focus on differentiation-integration duality directed by a leading enterprise for the full utilization of internal and external resources. Next, from a new respective, it highlights the process of SCI, not confined to the intra-chain directed by the leading organization, but the intra-and-inter- chains including the leading chain and the cooperative ones. By introducing some new terms, such as Leading Chain and Cooperative Chain, it then describes three types of integration: intra-chain integration, inter-chain integration and intra-and-inter chain integration, which emphasizes the initiating roles of the leading organization, and analyzes the scope, conditions and characteristics respectively. At last, operation mechanism of SCI for China’s grain industry is illustrated and so is the relationship between the integration process, the degree of integration and the integrated performance. The proposed framework may provide theoretical basis and policy suggestions for China's grain enterprise in the construction of an efficient and smooth supply chain.
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Received: 10 October 2013
Published: 15 January 2014
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Corresponding Authors:
LI Fengting
E-mail: lifengting007@126.com
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2014, Vol. 
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