Skip to main content

LUP Student Papers

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

The power of disruption: A multi-stakeholder exploration of the potential for an eCommerce platform to disrupt power dynamics in the coffee value chain

Purviske, Mareta LU (2023) MIDM19 20231
Department of Human Geography
LUMID International Master programme in applied International Development and Management
Abstract
Many companies have introduced initiatives to achieve environmental sustainability and improve the wellbeing of the producers. This is the goal of the Era of We – an online platform that strives to disrupt the current market practices, promote environmentally sound coffee production and empower farmers. This thesis explores the perceived power dynamics between different stakeholders and how are they affected by this new, disruptive innovation. By engaging in nine semi-structured interviews, it outlines the experienced power dynamics of three stakeholder groups – coffee producers (farmers or their representatives), purchasers (roasters and platform developers) and customers from the hospitality industry. To achieve this, it is grounded in... (More)
Many companies have introduced initiatives to achieve environmental sustainability and improve the wellbeing of the producers. This is the goal of the Era of We – an online platform that strives to disrupt the current market practices, promote environmentally sound coffee production and empower farmers. This thesis explores the perceived power dynamics between different stakeholders and how are they affected by this new, disruptive innovation. By engaging in nine semi-structured interviews, it outlines the experienced power dynamics of three stakeholder groups – coffee producers (farmers or their representatives), purchasers (roasters and platform developers) and customers from the hospitality industry. To achieve this, it is grounded in the power typology proposed by Dallas et al. (2017) which outlines four types of power relationships. The results show that all four types of power are present, but the most often noted and therefore also the platform’s central point of interest is the bargaining power of farmers. Whilst the platform has the potential to achieve a disruptive scale, the research shows that the platform’s future development needs to acknowledge other types of power relationships due to their interconnected nature. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Purviske, Mareta LU
supervisor
organization
course
MIDM19 20231
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
coffee value chain, power dynamics, sustainability, multi-stakeholder perspective, disruptive innovation
language
English
id
9136145
date added to LUP
2023-09-12 13:47:49
date last changed
2023-09-12 13:47:49
@misc{9136145,
  abstract     = {{Many companies have introduced initiatives to achieve environmental sustainability and improve the wellbeing of the producers. This is the goal of the Era of We – an online platform that strives to disrupt the current market practices, promote environmentally sound coffee production and empower farmers. This thesis explores the perceived power dynamics between different stakeholders and how are they affected by this new, disruptive innovation. By engaging in nine semi-structured interviews, it outlines the experienced power dynamics of three stakeholder groups – coffee producers (farmers or their representatives), purchasers (roasters and platform developers) and customers from the hospitality industry. To achieve this, it is grounded in the power typology proposed by Dallas et al. (2017) which outlines four types of power relationships. The results show that all four types of power are present, but the most often noted and therefore also the platform’s central point of interest is the bargaining power of farmers. Whilst the platform has the potential to achieve a disruptive scale, the research shows that the platform’s future development needs to acknowledge other types of power relationships due to their interconnected nature.}},
  author       = {{Purviske, Mareta}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{The power of disruption: A multi-stakeholder exploration of the potential for an eCommerce platform to disrupt power dynamics in the coffee value chain}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}