Male eco‐fashion: a market reality

With the fashion industry striving for competitive advantage, eco‐fashions provide an opportunity to distinguish environmentally friendly products from other fashion products. However, the viability of these eco‐fashion brands is questionable. An exploratory study is conducted to explain men's differences, particularly, as clothing styles vary for men and women. The research examines if men's purchase intent would make a difference to the eco‐fashion industry. A random sample is collected to examine men's purchase intentions for eco‐clothing by product attributes, environmental concerns and sustainable behaviour. Partial least squares is used to empirically test the sample. A conceptual model is developed. It was found that there are four significant exogenous variables, environmental concern, sustainable pricing, sustainable behaviour and sustainable branding with a moderately strong, negatively signed coefficient path. Perceived consumer effectiveness and faith in others are not found to be significant moderators. This defined male segment makes several theoretical contributions as well as generating useful recommendations for marketing practitioners.     

Getting ready for megatrends in travel attractions

Better use should be made of tourist attractions. Clare Gunn, Professor at the Recreation and Parks Department, Texas A&M University, shows why development, management and promotion of attractions should be geared to the relevant type of tourist and should provide the type of satisfaction expected.     

Cooperation and conflict between industrial sales and production

This study examines the potential for cooperation between the sales and production functions in the composite can and tube industry. The interfunctional communications perceptions, role-partner choices, and personal value attributions of incumbents in four key positions are examined. While perceptions, choices, and attributions are found to interact differently in different positions, the overall effect suggests a greater potential for conflict and dominance than for cooperation.     

Problems of defining a cooperative as an economic organisation

Abstract

Despite its importance in terms of volumes and value, little previous work has been undertaken to model quantitatively the UK timber market. This article sets out to provide a simple econometric analysis of this market, considering the influences of both home‐grown and imported production, and in so doing to define an economic model which is robust to alterations in data period and which provides us with useful forecasting capabilities.     

The impact of reserve prices on the perceived bias of expert appraisals of fine art

We examine whether expert appraisals provided to bidders before major art auctions are unbiased indicators of value. Despite a strong grounding in theory, this aspect of optimal auction design has been frequently challenged in previous empirical research, particularly in the market for fine art. We adopt a valuation benchmark that incorporates sellers' reserve prices as well as high bids, and recognize censoring of works that fail to make reserve. Although the auction houses never divulge reserve prices, we exploit the fact that they can be observed indirectly via their impact on buy‐in rates. Using the set of French Impressionist paintings brought to auction from 1985 to 2001, we estimate the distribution of reserve prices, establish their link to a proper valuation benchmark, and isolate the selection bias due to bought‐in works on the perceived market value of fine art works. After controlling for the impact of reserve prices, and considering all works brought to auction, we find no evidence of bias in the experts' pre‐sale estimates. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Preferences of Scotch malt whisky consumers for changes in pesticide use and origin of barley

In a case study related to Scotch malt whisky production, this study analyses consumers’ perceptions and preferences regarding two aspects that have emerged in the debate on sustainable production and consumption, and on environmentally responsible food choice, namely (i) the use of pesticides in agriculture, and (ii) the provenance of food ingredients. We carried out a choice experiment to investigate preferences and estimate Willingness to Pay of Scotch malt whisky consumers for pesticide use restrictions and the potential impact on the production of one of its essential ingredients, barley. Using latent class models, we find that about half of the respondents are non-demanders with respect to both attributes, and only a third of the sample population are willing to pay for further pesticide restrictions. Demand for more environmentally responsible production of Scotch malt whisky is therefore limited, indicating that in the case of Scotch malt whisky, consumers are not likely to be key to driving sustainable production. With respect to barley provenance, being able to claim a 100% Scottish product could be a plausible commercial option for some producers to pursue in a competitive market. Methodologically, the scale-adjusted latent class model proved to be successful in uncovering preference heterogeneity and its sources, in including non-demanders in the analysis and in accounting for differences in scale amongst respondents.     

The dog that didn't bark in the night?: competitive tendering and industrial relations in the NHS

This article examines how competitive pressure impacts upon managerial approaches to industrial relations in the public sector. From a study of competitive tendering in the NHS, it is suggested that competitive pressure does not precipitate a particular direction of change, but rather prompts a review of managerial approach.