Research possibilities of product course integrations

Markovszky, György

The agro-economical approach to product course integration has seen a significant development during the past decades. Vertical integration - the classical notion of the seventies - evolved to the product course models of institutional economics through new methods of scientific approaches, and to the perception of the relational chain of the market as a value chain. Despite the diversity of approaches, until today it became general to define product course integration as a marketing process or marketing channel. This present-day approach is the one that is near the approach outlined in this article, according to which product course integration is a market relational chain, a division of function and labour between the players of the product course based on market foundations and organized by the implements of the market, where the objective of the integration is to improve competitiveness. In this approach integration is an organizational tool in the hands of the players of the product course.

Also, the approach to methodological issues is market-based, based on the deliberation that, regarding food product courses, market consolidation has now reached such a level and maturity from the viewpoint of market economy, which makes analyses with such an approach possible. The concentration of Hungarian food retail market, the increasing level of preparedness of distributors, the development of their data processing systems, their market knowledge and capital strength make them more and more capable for the role of the integrator.

Despite the unconformities of databases and the differences in their contents based on their resources, it is necessary and possible to explore product course relationships, and to present value generation and partial market processes. It is necessary also because there are many unfounded, faulty opinions, and purposeful false information given by the participants representing diverging interests.

As a result of market changes, the range of information necessary for overviewing product course integrations has increased and transformed, data resources have been transferred to new participants, which justifies the review and systematization of information necessary for these analyses as well as the presentation of data resources in Hungary.

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