Abstract (EN)

In this paper we analyze the way to create and manage value in a relationship between a banana company and its partners in a fair trade market. In the fair trade market a successful business requires some attention for and collaboration from employees, customers, suppliers, communities, and shareholders. Also, some degree of commitment is required from multiple partners to carry on in business and a greater commitment to achieve new levels of performance (Giovannucci and Koekoek, 2003; Henderson, 2008). Our paper examines fair trade bananas and presents the case of Agrofair Company which trades in bananas worldwide using the brand name “oké”. These bananas carry the label of Max Havelaar, the Netherlands member of Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International (Acronym: FLO). The label is the world’s first International Fairtrade Certification Mark. We use previous research on strategic management (Porter, 1985, Barnay 1991; Barnay and Barney and Hansen, 1994), value creation in relationships (Ricardo, 1821; Smith, 1937; Kothandaraman and Wilson, 2001), and moral conception of the firm to study value creation in a fair trade market. We focus on previous works during four years on fair trade bananas (Coulibaly and Sauvée, 2010; Coulibaly, 2008) to analyze the way to create and manage value in a relationship between a banana company Agrofair and its partners. We elucidate the way to create value and we identify the potential sources of conflicts in the transactions. In a fair trade market we show how partners’ actions are conducted to help each actor even though they intend to make a profit. In this context, the fair trade market represents one of the markets which allow value creation by respecting the principle of fair relationships.