Partnership in the agribusiness of shrimp breeding in the perspective of structural embeddedness – the case of the Camanor Produtos Marinhos Ltda

Abstract

This article investigates the partnerships of Camanor, an agribusiness company of farmed shrimp, highlighting the importance of trust, reputation and the role played by strong ties in the formation of these arrangements. It analyzes Camanor’s partnerships with Aquatec and Carrefour and their influences on the company’s competitive behavior. It employs a theoretical framework based on the perspective of embeddedness, particularly structural embeddedness (Zukin and Dimaggio, 1990). According to Gnyawali and Madhavan (2001), there are three types of resources flowing in a network: flow of assets, information and status. The article combines primary data obtained through in-depth interviews and secondary data to explore how the differences between the previous ties and the position in the network affected the flow of resources. The partnership with Aquatec, which is based on previous and strong ties, indicates a constant flow of information and a not-hierarchical relationship. On the other hand, the partnership with Carrefour is characterized by a more hierarchical relationship, with less exchange of information. While the former is predominantly based on trust, the latter is predominantly based on economic reciprocity. In both cases there was a significant flow of assets, such as money, technology and organizational skills; a significant flow of status in terms of an increase of Camanor’s legitimacy and reputation in the international market, as well as among its suppliers; and finally a major flow of information on advances in the techniques of shrimp production and market trends. This flow of resources is a consequence of the partners’ position in the international network of shrimp distribution and production.

Key words: partnerships, inter-actors networks, internationalization.