The normative mathematic model is used to analyze the effect of the technology progress on middlemen. The incomes of traders and middlemen in different transaction mechanisms are compared on the base of static transac...The normative mathematic model is used to analyze the effect of the technology progress on middlemen. The incomes of traders and middlemen in different transaction mechanisms are compared on the base of static transaction models which are followed by the dynamic factor of technology progress. It can be found that the indirect trade is dominant in the circumstance where search cost is high. With the technology progress, the search cost trends to decrease. The increase in direct trade will have influence on the middlemen. But the middlemen will not disappear; its market power is dependent not only on the absolute level of the technology, but also on the comparative level of the technology adopted by the different transaction mechanisms.展开更多
A household survey was carried out in Central Malawi to evaluate the goat marketing structure and systems in the rural areas using Nsundwe and Nkhoma areas in Lilongwe District as a case study. The analysis focused on...A household survey was carried out in Central Malawi to evaluate the goat marketing structure and systems in the rural areas using Nsundwe and Nkhoma areas in Lilongwe District as a case study. The analysis focused on identifying marketing systems of goats in Malawi by investigating the role of goats in an average Malawian rural household and how the current goat marketing systems affects that role. Goats play important role in Malawian rural households by way of providing food, income and as a capital reserve to be used in times critical times of food scarcity. The findings indicate that there is potential for goats to generate more income for the rural farmers, which can in turn help to improve household food security. The marketing system however apparently does not favour the farmers. The farmers seem not to know goat prices beyond the rural markets and hence have inadequate negotiating power to sell at optimum prices. Middlemen bought from farmers and finally sold the goats to urban consumers and retail shops. From the analysis, middlemen seemed to control the goat marketing system. Urban butchers sold the goats at 58% more than the value of farmers while retail shops sold at 137% more than the value of farmers. The differences reflect value-adding activities done at butchers and retail shops levels as well as transportation costs and profit margins. Though farmers may not engage in value adding, the finding implies that they would fetch more money if they supplied directly to the retail shops than to the middlemen. With access to more market information, they could also increase their bargaining power information with middlemen and sell the goats at relatively higher prices than the current. This paper details the results of the study.展开更多
文摘The normative mathematic model is used to analyze the effect of the technology progress on middlemen. The incomes of traders and middlemen in different transaction mechanisms are compared on the base of static transaction models which are followed by the dynamic factor of technology progress. It can be found that the indirect trade is dominant in the circumstance where search cost is high. With the technology progress, the search cost trends to decrease. The increase in direct trade will have influence on the middlemen. But the middlemen will not disappear; its market power is dependent not only on the absolute level of the technology, but also on the comparative level of the technology adopted by the different transaction mechanisms.
文摘A household survey was carried out in Central Malawi to evaluate the goat marketing structure and systems in the rural areas using Nsundwe and Nkhoma areas in Lilongwe District as a case study. The analysis focused on identifying marketing systems of goats in Malawi by investigating the role of goats in an average Malawian rural household and how the current goat marketing systems affects that role. Goats play important role in Malawian rural households by way of providing food, income and as a capital reserve to be used in times critical times of food scarcity. The findings indicate that there is potential for goats to generate more income for the rural farmers, which can in turn help to improve household food security. The marketing system however apparently does not favour the farmers. The farmers seem not to know goat prices beyond the rural markets and hence have inadequate negotiating power to sell at optimum prices. Middlemen bought from farmers and finally sold the goats to urban consumers and retail shops. From the analysis, middlemen seemed to control the goat marketing system. Urban butchers sold the goats at 58% more than the value of farmers while retail shops sold at 137% more than the value of farmers. The differences reflect value-adding activities done at butchers and retail shops levels as well as transportation costs and profit margins. Though farmers may not engage in value adding, the finding implies that they would fetch more money if they supplied directly to the retail shops than to the middlemen. With access to more market information, they could also increase their bargaining power information with middlemen and sell the goats at relatively higher prices than the current. This paper details the results of the study.
