抄録
The purpose of this paper is to clarify trends in channel management of medium-sized egg producing companies in Yamaguchi, Shimane, and Tottori prefectures. The Japanese egg market can be characterized by low and stable prices and a tendency toward oversupply. In recent years, the cost of producing eggs has increased due to rising global feed prices. These factors are likely to cause conflicts between egg producing companies that intend to raise the wholesale price of eggs and retailers that intend to maintain a stable retail price. This paper investigates direct transactions between medium-sized egg producing companies and local supermarkets in the same prefecture, and analyzes the power structure and cooperative relationship between the organizations. The results of the analysis are as follows. First, the cases investigated in this paper have built up trust and communication over many years of trading. As a result, they manage their channels not only through use of power but also through cooperative relationships. Second, if local supermarkets rely heavily on egg producing companies for purchasing quantities, they are also restrained from becoming more heavily retail-driven in their transactions. Third, egg producing companies absorb the uncertainty of the local marketing environment by creating cooperative relationships with local supermarkets．
