Previous research found a positive relationship between concentration and total factor productivity in food manufacturing. One industry (i.e., meatpacking plants [SIC 2011]) was selected for independent analysis due to a relatively sharp increase in concentration in recent years. The methodology chosen was similar to previous studies. Total factor productivity increased 2.4 percent per year, and labor productivity increased 3.3 percent per year for meatpacking plants over the 1958–82 period. Concentration in meatpacking did not positively or negatively affect total factor productivity or labor productivity over the 25-year study period.

Markov chain analysis of changes in the number and size of cotton gin firms in West Texas was conducted assuming stationary and non-stationary transition probabilities. Projections of industry structure were made to 1999 with stationary probability assumptions and six sets of assumed conditions for labor and energy costs and technological change in the non-stationary transition model. Results indicate a continued decline in number of firms, but labor, energy, and technology conditions alter the configuration of the structural changes.

Agro-biotechnology is evolving from a pre-commerical phase dominated by basic research science to a commercial phase oriented around marketing products. In pursuing innovation rents in the commercial phase, firms are reorienting their strategies around complementary marketing and distribution assets. This is impacting vertical and horizontal industry structure. Conversely, industry structure is also impacting firm strategies. Horizontal alliances and consolidation continue from the pre-commercial phase into the commercial phase, while vertical coordination and integration strategies are accelerating rapidly. Interplay between firm strategy and industry structure is too complex for firms to anticipate early in the pre-commercial phase for long-term strategy formulation.

Competitive pressures in the cow-calf sector increased in 1995 because of a decline of 27% in calf prices. Technical, allocative, and scale efficiency measures were used to examine the competitiveness of a sample of Kansas beef cow farms. On average, the farms were 78% technically efficient, 81% allocatively efficient, and 95% scale efficient. Enterprise profitability was correlated positively with the efficiency measures. Inefficiency was related to herd size and degree of specialization. Producers should focus on using capital, feed, and labor more efficiently rather than increasing their size. Increased concentration of the cow-calf sector will not result in large cost savings given the current technology.