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Regulating Buyer Power : Government Intervention in Jamaica’s Coffee Sector
Nik, A.M.Q. (2025) Regulating Buyer Power : Government Intervention in Jamaica’s Coffee Sector.
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| Abstract: | This study explores how government intervention can rebalance power relations in Jamaica’s coffee sector. Despite the premium status and high export value associated with Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee, smallholder farmers remain marginalised in global supply chains. Multinational buyers and regulatory bodies dominate the market, leaving producers with little influence over pricing or access to value-adding stages of the value chain. Using Emerson (1962) Power Dependency Theory, the study explores how dependency arises from high motivational investment and a lack of alternatives. Based on six interviews with smallholder farmers, exporters, and NGO members, the study shows how institutional barriers reinforce power imbalances in the global value chain. Although there are support activities for farmers, they remain limited and inconsistent. The results of this study suggest that buyer-driven supplier development is ineffective in places with extreme power imbalances. The state can act as a non-traditional actor by enforcing minimum price policies and lowering entry barriers. However, institutional reform is crucial to make these changes effective. This study makes an academic contribution to the literature on supplier development by broadening the focus beyond firm-driven initiatives and adds to the field of Purchasing and Supply Management by framing buyer power as a core structural issue within global agri-food value chains. The study concludes that buyer power can be regulated if institutional structures are reformed to prioritise transparency, inclusivity, and producer autonomy. |
| Item Type: | Student Thesis (Bachelor) |
| Faculty: | BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences |
| Subject: | 85 business administration, organizational science, 88 social and public administration |
| Programme: | International Business Administration BSc (50952) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/106691 |
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