Informal trade barriers to market access

Objective

The primary research question addressed in this study is:

What informal barriers to trade do Norwegian seafood exporters experience as hinderance to market access in different markets?

Background

Today, businesses operate in increasingly complex global environments. Using a market-as-network perspective, research in this project is undertaken with the assumption that the seafood business environment consists of actors and stakeholders that are interconnected and mutually dependent.

In meeting with industry contacts, we understood that a number of Norwegian seafood companies believe “market access” to be beyond their control and scope of enterprise responsibility, having to do with formal trade agreements, linked to customs and tariff regulations.

From Nofima’s consolidated studies across various disciplines however, we outline how “market access” can be viewed in a much broader perspective, in such a manner that can be applied to business processes along the seafood supply chain.

Project synopsis

The project consists of three parts:

1

The first part involved establishing an understanding of how the term “market access” is used and understood in academia and business practices in the seafood industry. Establishing an understanding of how the term is used, or if it is used at all will help identify academic and industry knowledge and practice gaps.

The study compared the use of the term “market access” across various disciplines and industry sectors. The findings indicated that in general, some industries such as the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry, worked with and applied relatively mature models and practices of “market access”.

While the seafood industry is different from that of the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry, the findings indicate that “market access” is a concept that remains under-researched as a subject in academia for the Norwegian business context. Within the context of seafood from Norway, “market access” with continued support, holds promise for developing towards a more mature application and management for Norway’s seafood business enterprises.

2

Cultural sensitivity is important when conducting international trade.  The second part of the project has been to establish relevant research-based knowledge related to the development of e-commerce for seafood. Here we have explored opportunities and challenges for Norwegian seafood producers/exporters, related to the steadily growing e-commerce trade in China.

Does this market channel provide other conditions for market access than the traditional channels such as other preferences, requirements, logistics solutions, and possible changes in power dynamics in the value chain that affect access?

3

Norway’s seafood industry is continuously working towards developing stronger market access channels and towards reaching its sustainable goals. Based on the combined findings of the first and second part of the study, the third part is focused on understanding how Norwegian seafood quality and sustainability are being communicated business to business (B2B) as well as business to customer (B2C).

What are current industry strategic successes thus far? Are there any differences between the different branches of seafood industry (aquaculture, whitefish, pelagic etc.) and between companies of different sizes?

Publications

An Integrated Economic Sociology Approach to Market-as-Network: The Example of a Shared Business Environment between Norway and China

Journal of East-West Business, 2021 Academic article

Emerging Management Concepts in an Era of Global Transitions: Co-Management of Natural Resources and the Swedish Management Style

2021 Academic chapter/article/Conference paper

Market entry to the Chinese market – possibilities and challenges related to trading with China and entering Chinese e-commerce channels

2020 Nofima’s reports

A corpus-based approach to understanding market access in fisheries and aquaculture international business research: A systematic literature review

Aquaculture and Fisheries, 2019 Academic article

Interfirm Relationships in Emerging Markets: The Importance of Relationships and Cultural Sensitivity

Journal of East-West Business, 2017 Academic article

• Cordeiro, Cheryl Marie (2021). Covid-19 changes in the office: Digital activities that endured, Today’s Manager, Digital Nomadism – How Ready is Asia? Issue 2, 2021. Published by the Singapore Institute of Management, Singapore. Internet webpage at shorturl.at/mvxJZ
• Cordeiro, C. M. (2021). Farm-to-fork marketing strategies adopted by Norwegian seafood businesses for greater market outreach in Southeast-Asia, Today’s Manager Issue 1 2021, Covid-19 The Ultimate Disruptor, Singapore Institute of Management, Singapore. Internet resource at https://m360.sim.edu.sg/Publications/todays-manager/Pages/Issue-1-2021.aspx. Accessed 3 March 2021.
• Cordeiro, C. M. (2020). Diversity in a Conservative Environment: Nordic Entrepreneur Chefs, Today’s Manager Issue 4, SIM (Singapore Institute of Management). Available at Diversity in a Conservative Environment: Nordic Entrepreneur Chefs (sim.edu.sg), accessed 7 Dec. 2020.  
• Cordeiro, C. M. (2020). Cultivating Home-Bias Through Regional Branding – An Example From Northern Norway, Today’s Manager Issue 3, SIM (Singapore Institute of Management). Available at Cultivating Home-bias Through Regional Branding—An Example From Northern Norway (sim.edu.sg), accessed 7 Dec. 2020. 
• Cordeiro, C. M. (2020). Bi-lateral learning in natural resources co-management and the Swedish management style, Cheryl Marie Cordeiro Academic Reflections. Available at Bi-lateral learning in natural resources co-management and the Swedish management style – Cheryl Marie Cordeiro, accessed 7 Dec. 2020 
• Cordeiro, C. M. (2020). Experiential dining onboard the M/S Bjørnvåg, Tromsø, Northern Norway, Cheryl Marie Cordeiro Academic Reflections. Available at Experiential dining onboard the M/S Bjørnvåg, Tromsø, Northern Norway – Cheryl Marie Cordeiro (cmariec.com), accessed 7 Dec. 2020