Information logistics in agri-food supply networks

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Agri-food enterprises face numerous complexities due to globalization, rising international competition, and the prevalence of small- and medium-sized businesses. These factors, along with national and cross-national food crises, create uncertainties for consumers and enterprises, leading to varying public and private requirements. Transparency regarding products and inter-enterprise processes is crucial for competitiveness and trust. Timely access to product- and process-related information is essential for identifying critical situations in distribution, necessitating efficient organization and coordination of inter-enterprise communication. However, achieving transparency and a shared understanding of information remains a challenge. This thesis aims to develop a generic framework for business information services that connect distributed information sources within agri-food enterprises along the supply network. It addresses stakeholders' information needs by outlining service alternatives for both static and dynamic information, service activation patterns, and supportive technology components. The framework is applied to the fresh-fruit and vegetable supply network, where three service alternatives are developed to provide decentralized product-quality and process-related information, helping users identify deficient products or critical issues. An economic decision model is included to guide technology selection based