This article investigates how measurement ability, trust, and the pursuit of differentiation strategies influence the adoption of plural forms in an agri-food system. We analyze a unique dataset of 314 winegrape sourcing choices from 74 wineries located in five U.S. states, investigating how the pursuit of differentiation influences the likelihood of adoption of a plural form—that is, the simultaneous adoption of a formal arrangement (i.e., vertical integration or long-term formal contract) and an informal arrangement (i.e., informal contracts or spot-market transactions). Consistent with previous studies, measurement ability and the existence of trust are both associated with a higher likelihood of adoption of informal arrangements in comparison to formal arrangements. Moreover, we show that the likelihood of adoption of a plural form increases as the differentiation potential of a winegrape variety also increases. Finally, we find that the use of plural forms is associated with a reduction in the importance of trust in the relationships with external suppliers. This study is important because it sheds light on the role of plural forms in the pursuit of competitive advantage in an agri-food system. Overall, it suggests that the current interpretations of the idea of “vertical coordination” may be enlarged to encompass a greater deal of organizational diversity.

中文翻译：

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农业食品领域的多元形态和差异化战略：来自美国葡萄酒行业的证据

本文研究了衡量能力、信任和追求差异化策略如何影响农业食品系统中多元化形式的采用。我们分析了来自美国五个州的 74 家酿酒厂的 314 种葡萄酒采购选择的独特数据集，调查了追​​求差异化如何影响采用复数形式的可能性——即同时采用正式安排（即垂直整合或长期正式合同）和非正式安排（即非正式合同或现货市场交易）。与之前的研究一致，与正式安排相比，衡量能力和信任的存在都与采用非正式安排的可能性更高有关。而且，我们表明，随着葡萄酒葡萄品种分化潜力的增加，采用复数形式的可能性也会增加。最后，我们发现使用复数形式与降低信任在与外部供应商关系中的重要性有关。这项研究很重要，因为它揭示了多元形式在追求农业食品系统竞争优势中的作用。总体而言，它表明当前对“垂直协调”概念的解释可能会扩大到包含更多的组织多样性。这项研究很重要，因为它揭示了多元形式在追求农业食品系统竞争优势中的作用。总体而言，它表明当前对“垂直协调”概念的解释可能会扩大到包含更多的组织多样性。这项研究很重要，因为它揭示了多元形式在追求农业食品系统竞争优势中的作用。总体而言，它表明当前对“垂直协调”概念的解释可能会扩大到包含更多的组织多样性。