Organic and local food consumer behaviour: Alphabet Theory

Semi‐structured interviews are conducted to understand why consumers buy organic and/or local foods. The interview findings are consistent with existing theoretical frameworks for explaining environmentally significant behaviour: Value‐Belief‐Norm (VBN) theory and Attitude‐Behaviour‐Context (ABC) theory. Findings show that organic food shoppers in particular are motivated by values, beliefs and the creation of norms. However, the interviews indicate that knowledge (K), information seeking (IS) and habit (H) are also important in understanding why consumers choose organic and local foods. Incorporating demographics (D) as well, the resulting VBN‐ABC‐D‐K‐IS‐H or ‘Alphabet Theory’ is presented as a new framework to explain organic and local food purchase behaviour.     

What’s behind organic certification of extra-virgin olive oil? A response from Italian consumers

Organic certification represents a growing business in international food market. In this article, an analysis of the factors influencing the purchase of organic extra-virgin olive oil is done for Italian consumers. A k-means cluster analysis was used to identify market segments. Results showed that it is possible to classify the Italian market into three clusters, respectively, indicating high, intermediate, and low willingness to pay a premium price (WTP) for organic certification of extra-virgin olive oil. Safety, nutritional, and health aspects appear to influence WTP. Factors concerning environmental sustainability and the supports to Italian food system are considered important, but do not play a fundamental role in increasing the consumer’s WTP.     

Which little piggy goes to market? Characteristics of US farmers' market shoppers

The growth in farmers' markets in the US has raised questions about whether they are a niche market or appeal to a broader population. Using a simple, random sample of US food shoppers, this study uses a test of means to examine whether there are differences in characteristics between those who shop at farmers' markets and those who do not. A key finding was that there was no significant difference in the level of food expenditures between shoppers and non‐shoppers. In addition, a probit model was used to examine the marginal effects of attitudinal, behavioural and demographic variables on the probability of shopping at a farmers' market. The probability was significantly increased by the following: enjoyment and frequency of cooking, being female and the presence of another adult in the household. Income did not significantly influence the probability of shopping at a farmers' market. However, the probability of shopping at a farmers' market was significantly reduced if respondents perceived that cost was the most important characteristic of food. These characteristics imply limited appeal of farmers' markets currently to convenience‐oriented, single‐person, and single‐parent households.     

Nothing Tastes as Local: Jordanians’ Perceptions of Buying Domestic Olive Oil

To date, little is known about how consumers perceive local and foreign olive oil. This study was conducted with the intention of exploring key trends in Jordanian consumers’ perceptions toward local olive oil and to examine whether they are ethnocentric toward purchasing their local olive oil in the era of the Arab Spring. The research design is a combination of quantitative with a qualitative technique to support and expand on the research findings. Data were collected from a total number of 196 Jordanians who live in Amman city. The results revealed that Jordanians are loyal to their country’s olive oil; they expressed strong ethnocentric tendencies toward purchasing it, and their purchasing tendencies are influenced by nationalism. Jordanians ranked their local olive oil as the best worldwide. This article provides original insights into the development and marketing strategies for local and global olive oil producers in the Jordan market and other Arab country markets.     

在区域经济发展中防患地方市场分割

我国的区域经济发展有比较优势性、市场性、环境决定性和时序性等显著特征。目前,在区域经 济发展过程中出现新一轮地方市场分割现象,严重阻碍了区域经济健康持续发展,因而选择有效的治理 对策是一个亟待解决的问题。     

The Success Factors of Food Events: The Case Study of Umbrian Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Gastronomic events are an important part of the “Made in Italy” and a vital tool for rural development. The aim of the study is to identify the complexity of the factors that determine the success of a food event. The authors, after state-of-the-art analysis of the event marketing, formulate the hypothesis of a causal model and form a data collection during the “open oil mills” in the Umbria region. Through in-depth interviews the participants were asked to express themselves about the importance and interest attributed to some aspects directly related to the theme of the event, and finally to indicate the degree of satisfaction and the likelihood of some of their future behavior. Statistical analysis based on structural equation models allowed the authors to highlight which aspects are significant in order to confirm the assumptions made. Results provide guidance for management decisions and organization of food and wine.     

农业产业链对农户安全生产行为的影响分析

农户生产行为对农产品质量安全具有非常重要的影响。本文以蔬菜种植为例,研究农户加入产业链组织和不加入产业链组织,以及农户个体特征、家庭特征和生产特征等因素对农户安全生产行为的影响。研究表明：加入农业产业链组织的农户安全生产意愿要高于未加入产业链组织农户的意愿,这说明实施农业产业链管理对农户安全生产行为有积极影响。     

Why Do We Buy Traditional Foods?

Consumer behavior toward traditional specialties varies according to the cultural context of consumption. It thus becomes crucial to develop marketing strategies that target segments with different levels of familiarity with food. Our article purposes to analyze the purchase drivers of traditional foods known to consumers because of their reiterated consumption. The importance of the product’s attributes, the purchasing motivations, and the information channels are studied by applying the CUB model, which utilizes a probabilistic structure that simulates the individual’s psychological mechanism in adopting a choice of preference. The case study is that of extra-virgin olive oil in Italy, where this product is a fundamental element of the culinary tradition. The results show that in the ambit of traditional specialties, in contexts of elevated familiarity, the traditional information channels of marketing are less effective and call for strategies based on a more direct connection between consumer and producer.     

Where at home do exporters produce and export?

Foreign growth can induce changes in production structures across domestic regions through international trade. With a two‐country model with the explicit incorporation of two regions in the home country, we show that effects of foreign growth on exports and production to be possibly asymmetric among home regions. This foreign‐growth effect is especially prominent in Asia with China emerging as the largest trading country. We empirically test our theoretical hypothesis with the data set of Japanese regions. We find evidence that the growth of Asian countries leads to a change in the regional structure of exports and production in Japan. With respect to an adjacent Asian country, the growth of a foreign country exerts opposite effects on production among Japanese regions.     

面向区域经济的我国高校创业教育研究

创业教育与学术教育及职业教育同等重要,已经成为素质教育体系的重要组成部分。从国内外创业教育现状出发,分析发现我国创业教育尚处于起步阶段,实施面向区域经济的创业教育具有重大意义,从教育理念、创业课程、师资队伍、创业实践活动、产学研方面对实施创业教育提出了建议。     

我国地方政府债务的区域比较分析

本文以A省与B省为例,对我国地方政府债务情况在规模与结构进行区域比较,同时就地方债务规模与经济总量进行相关分析,表明,地方债务总量呈现区域性特征,其规模大小与当地经济发展高度相关,但债务负担率、偿债率并没有显著的地区差异,甚至出现累退现象,同时也表明,我国地方财政支出对债务具有一定的依赖性。     

地方政府公共政策选择和创新与区域经济的发展

本文认为,地方政府是推动区域经济发展的重要力量,是区域公共政策选择和制度创新的第一行动集团,但由于种种原因,地方政府在区域公共政策选择和制度创新过程中往往存在偏差,导致变异行为,如地方主义、短期行为等。地方政府要科学实施区域公共政策选择和制度创新,着力为区域创新活动提供创新的环境,营造创新的氛围,通过激励性政策、引导性政策、保护性政策、协调性政策等,提供政策支持系统,从宏观上为区域创新创造制度上的条件,从而促进区域经济的发展。     

地方政府公信力：影响区域经济发展的重要因素

作为一种区域软实力,地方政府公信力是影响区域经济发展的一个重要因素。良好的政府公信力能够为区域经济发展营造公平的市场竞争秩序、促进区域内社会稳定发展以及塑造良好的区域形象。目前我国一些地方政府公信力存在下降的趋势,在严重影响社会信用环境及地方投资环境的同时,也妨碍了政府与公众之间良好的互动关系的建构,增加了政府管理成本,制约着地方经济的发展。因此,应提高政府公信力,为区域经济发展营造一个良好的诚信环境。     

Cross-Cultural Consumer Behavior: Use of Local Language for Market Communication—A Study in Region Friuli Venetia Giulia (Italy)

Cross-cultural consumer behavior is of market interest due to globalization of marketplaces, migration, multicultural marketplaces, and diffusion in the EU of many languages. The objective of this study is to check whether the local language used in a marketing communication could affect the consumers’ preferences for food products. The theoretical foundation is the consumer motivational approach that goes deeper into motivations interfering with the consumers’ preference order. The multivariate conjoint analysis is used to evaluate the preferences for attributes described in different languages. A number of students from the University of Udine (located in the northeastern part of Italy) have been submitted to interviews to examine their preferences for a simulated sandwich package reporting information in different languages, distributed by vendor machine. The results suggest that the consumer’s reaction to local language depends on sociodemographic profile, cultural background, language knowledge, and family education, and the local language could actually be used as a market tool for market segmentation. These results are of interest to many EU countries with bilingual communities such as Spain, Belgium, the UK, Switzerland, and most of the Italian regions where local languages are still alive.     

地方政府竞争对区域经济发展的效应

随着社会主义市场经济的不断发展,我国地方政府之间的竞争日趋激烈。这种竞争尽管有利于区域发展环境的改善和区域制度创新,但也会产生一些负面效应,影响区域经济的协调发展。因此,必须采取适当的政策措施,规范地方政府行为,促进区域经济协调发展。     

局部地区冲突冲击了中国石油进口吗

文章利用1992～2018年中国从80个国家石油进口的非平衡面板数据,实证考察出口国发生局部地区冲突对中国石油进口的影响,并对其异质性特征和可能的影响机制予以识别。研究表明,出口国局部地区冲突会给中国石油进口带来显著的负向冲击,该影响主要是局部地区冲突引起出口国石油产量下降所致。局部地区冲突不会通过国际油价和中国石油对外直接投资影响中国石油进口。石油资源禀赋和\"一带一路\"倡议能够在一定程度上对冲局部冲突对中国石油进口的负向影响。局部地区冲突对中国石油进口的冲击具有明显的阶段性特征,并且随着中国石油进口依存度的攀升逐渐增强。在当前国际油市深度调整的现实背景下,该研究为深刻认识一系列国际重大突发事件对中国石油进口的影响、保障中国石油进口安全提供了科学借鉴。