A pilot study on the impacts of European Union integration on Bulgarian commercial producers buying behavior for capital equipment

Clemens, Lance

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/50642 Copy

Description

Title

A pilot study on the impacts of European Union integration on Bulgarian commercial producers buying behavior for capital equipment

Author(s)

Clemens, Lance

Issue Date

2014-09-16

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Goldsmith, Peter D.

Department of Study

Liberal Arts & Sciences

Discipline

European Union Studies

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

M.A.

Degree Level

Thesis

Keyword(s)

• Capital Equipment
• Commercial Producers
• Market Segmentation
• Purchasing
• Bulgarian Agriculture
• Decollectivization
• EU Integration
• Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)

Abstract

The fall of Communism abruptly ended collectivized farming and Agro-Industrial Complexes in Bulgaria, paving the way for modernization, privatization, consolidation and new markets through European Union (EU) integration. With integration came the rise of the Bulgarian commercial producer, resulting in new market opportunities for suppliers of capital inputs. Understanding how Bulgarian commercial producers buy capital equipment is extremely valuable to suppliers who hope to develop new selling and retention strategies in an emerging agricultural marketplace. This information is also beneficial to researchers who are concerned about various factors that influence and drive economic decisions on Bulgarian farms. This thesis presents an exploratory pilot study utilizing a mixed methods approach integrating survey and interview data using a convergent parallel design of agricultural commercial producers in Bulgaria. Quantitative data was collected from responses to the 2013 Large Commercial Producer (LCP) survey by Purdue University’s Center for Food and Agricultural Business followed immediately by interviews with seven commercial farmers. The results show that when buying capital inputs, Bulgarian commercial producers have a strong loyalty to their current brands of capital equipment but not an overall loyalty to the brand itself. Market power favors the commercial producer making it a buyer’s market rather than a seller’s market. Producers indicated preferences characteristic of the Performance buyer segment wanting quality, reliability, durability, and good service when buying commercial equipment but they are also price sensitive. This pilot study has been a first step in better understanding the decision-making processes and motivation regarding how Bulgarian commercial producers buy capital equipment.

Graduation Semester

2014-08

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http://hdl.handle.net/2142/50642

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2014 Lance Clemens

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