Local and organic food on wheels: exploring the use of local and organic food in the food truck industry

An exploratory study approach was used in this research to examine the use of local and organic food in Toronto’s food truck industry, the rationale for its use, and the challenges that food truck owners face in sourcing it. Results showed that all-but-one of the food trucks sourced local or organic food for their menu and were motivated by fresh taste/quality, social responsibility and customer preference. While there were challenges with utilizing organic/local food due to seasonality and cost, food trucks found they can derive benefits by way of increased patronage, menu differentiation, and competitiveness.     

Exploring the social value of organic food: a qualitative study in France

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether organic foods are used to signal social identity, class or status, i.e. if they have social value. Our analysis is based on two sociological approaches: Bourdieu's theory of social reproduction and symbolic interactionism. This paper analyses three research questions: (1) does organic food have social symbolism?; (2) does the social value of organic food depend on the venue where it is obtained?; (3) are other symbols associated with the social value of organic food? To answer these questions, we gather qualitative data from organic food shoppers' perceptions of the social value of organic food, using a qualitative study, with four group interviews in Montpellier (France) with a total of 20 participants. Results indicate that organic food has a social value for the participants in our group interviews. This social value depends on the venue (community‐supported agriculture, market or supermarket) where organic foods are purchased and also on whether consumers or producers exhibit additional green behaviours to validate their commitment to sustainability. Our results imply that a quantitative study on social value of organic food would be useful to investigate these findings in a larger sample since these findings have several marketing and advertising implications.     

Making a little go further: Capital and the New Zealand entrepreneur

Using case analysis, this article examines the sources of start-up and development capital for 133 entrepreneurs who began commercial enterprises in New Zealand between 1880 and 1910. Though capital markets were immature, entrepreneurs overcame this limitation by employing capital economizing techniques to start firms, and then continued to exert managerial control by reinvesting profits rather than borrowing. The results of this investigation offer a comment on the prevailing firm structure in New Zealand, as well as providing a partial explanation for the capacity building noted by other economic historians during this recessionary period in New Zealand economic history.     

Managerial Perceptions of Country-of-Origin: An Empirical Study of New Zealand Food Manufacturers

This study investigates food manufacturers’ motives for featuring country-of-origin (CoO) symbols, statements, and other indicators on their product packaging and labeling. Unlike the majority of CoO studies that employ survey and experimental methods, a qualitative approach is taken. Sixteen in-depth interviews with key informants of packaged food companies in New Zealand revealed five categories of themes as reasons why manufacturers indicate and often emphasize CoO associations—cognitive function, affective function, conative function, tangible benefits, and intangible benefits. Overall, the findings reveal that managers perceive that CoO associations deliver them benefits, but they do not measure the outcomes of these investments.     

Chinese relationship management: a qualitative study of banking in New Zealand

This study investigates the relational factors and motivations of Chinese migrant consumers towards financial service providers in New Zealand. Using convergent interviews, a deeper understanding is developed of immigrants’ relational behaviour with service providers. These relationships with service providers are significantly influenced by traditional Chinese values and guanxi and relational embeddedness plays an important role in how they are developed. The research contributes a better understanding of the interplay between Eastern and Western cultures in service relationships among immigrant groups. A general theory of the Chinese perspective of customer relationship management is developed. The implications for how marketing practitioners manage their relationships with migrant customers are explored.     

Consumer reactions to the availability of organic food in discount supermarkets

The market for organic food products in industrial countries has changed significantly. Conventional grocery stores have entered this market in recent years and now present an alternative point of purchase to farmers’ markets and specialized health food shops. In Germany, the main newcomers in this field are the discount supermarkets. The question is whether the increased supply of organic food products leads to sustained effects on consumer behaviour. In other words, can a first‐time purchase of organic products at a discounter act as an ‘icebreaker’ and induce further purchases? This question is addressed here. A consumer survey (n = 231) indicates that an initial purchase of organic food in a discount store is indeed very likely to lead to follow‐up purchases. The link shown is statistically significant. Furthermore, customers are very interested in the availability of locally grown products, reliable information and easy comparison with non‐organic products. Important recommendations concerning organic product range, display and information, especially for retailers, can be deducted.     

Choice of Distribution System in the New Zealand Life Insurance Industry

Using 1988–93 panel data drawn from the New Zealand life insurance industry, this paper examines empirically the notion that the choice of distribution system is an efficient contracting solution to incentive conflicts between owners, managers and sales agents in life insurance firms. Consistent with what was hypothesised, the empirical results suggest that choice of distribution system is distinguished by organisational form, firm size, and sales commission. However, contrary to expectations, the variables representing product diversity and asset specificity were found not to be statistically significant. The empirical results thus lend mixed support for prior predictions.     

The effects of age cues on preferences for organic food: The moderating role of message claim

Organic food, a form of green consumption, is a growing industry, with consumers purchasing for both altruistic and egoistical motives. However, there is limited research into how marketers can develop advertising strategies to promote organic food. The present research examines how age cues influence consumer preferences for organic food. Across two experimental studies, this research demonstrates that consumers exposed to a younger cue show higher preferences for organic fruits when evaluating an altruistic claim. More importantly, this research draws upon psychological reactance theory to test the opposite effect, such that consumers exposed to a younger cue show lower preferences for organic fruits when evaluating an egoistic claim. Further, the emotions of compassion and anger are established as the mediators of the interactive effect between age cue and message claim on consumer preferences for organic food. These findings thus offer theoretical and managerial implications for the use of age cues and motivational claims, specifically in promoting organic food.     

建立中国-新西兰自由贸易区的经济效应

在区域经济一体化的背景下,中国和新西兰亚启动了建立自由贸易区(FTA)的谈判。如果两国正式建立FTA,将会进一步提升两国经贸关系。中新两国的经济具有互补性特征,FTA的建立对两国的货物贸易、服务贸易和投资都将产生正面效应。     

The role of trust in the relationship between consumers,producers and retailers of organic food: A sector-based approach

Given current environmental concerns, the organic food market is an important issue in terms of sustainability. The consolidation of this market is based on trust. Many consumers rely on partial information to assess the quality of organic food and cannot determine its authenticity with certainty. They are led to trust the actors of the organic food chain and the government. In addition, numerous industrial and sanitary scandals have highlighted the need for the actors of the sector to establish relationships based on trust and transparency in order to guarantee the traceability of products and to protect the health of consumers. This research examines the impact of trust and confidence in producers and retailers on the intention to purchase organic food. To address this research issue, we conducted an online questionnaire survey of 316 organic food consumers in France. The results show the central role of quality as a strategy for building and maintaining trust with producers and retailers. They show for the first time the positive impact of trust in producers on trust in retailers. The results of this research allow us to provide advice to growers and retailers to maintain trust and promote purchase intent.     

The role of newly emergent wholesalers in the food and drink industry in Japan,c.1880 to 1940: Focusing on the case of Kokubu

Abstract

This article explores the historical development of Japanese wholesalers in the food and drink industry in modern Japan. Despite many criticisms of Japanese wholesalers as being “multi-layered,” “old-fashioned,” and “outmoded,” there were historical reasons for the existence of wholesalers. While the traditional wholesalers remained even after the Meiji Restoration, the new wholesalers emerged by dealing with new products that appeared for the first time in modern Japan. Utilizing the historical conditions of both producers and retailers, the newcomers such as Kokubu boosted their development by innovative activities and gradually superseded the traditional wholesale market, firmly establishing their position as general wholesalers before the Second World War.     

Attitudes Toward Consumer and Business Ethics Among Canadian and New Zealand Business Students: An Assessment of 28 Scenarios

Recent initiatives in business curricula have included emphases on global business and ethics. This paper combines these issues by comparing the ethical predisposition of business students in New Zealand with their Canadian counterparts. A sample of 360 students indicated that students in both countries generally hold high expectations for the behaviour of both business and consumers. Of the 28 scenarios evaluated, five exhibited significant differences between the two groups. In four cases, students from New Zealand expressed less tolerance for the questionable business practices, and in the other one the situation was reversed. Despite the relative congruence of attitudes exhibited by the students of the two countries, the fact that differences do exist is testimony to the increased risk inherent to international business.     

Organic food consumers' trade‐offs between local or imported,conventional or organic products: a qualitative study in Shanghai

This paper presents a qualitative study of the trade‐offs made by organic food product consumers in the Chinese Metropolis of Shanghai. More precisely, this article deals with trade‐offs that consumers make between three types of products: (1) locally produced organic food products, (2) products that are locally and conventionally produced and (3) imported organic food products. We used a qualitative methodology using open questions and projective techniques and based on 23 individual interviews. Local organic products are the products best perceived by the Chinese interviewees, who think that organic food is beneficial to health and makes agriculture more environmentally friendly. The fact that food is produced locally is another positive argument for many interviewees who do not perceive any important differences between local and imported, more expensive, organic food products. Local and conventionally produced food products give rise to worries related to health and consumers buy them only because they are much cheaper than organic products. The reasons for choosing organic products are mostly related to health issues. Altruistic motives such as environmental concerns, food miles concerns or support for small producers are only emerging. This study mostly highlighted consumers' trade‐offs between different individual benefits, mainly health vs. economic benefits. However, some trade‐offs between altruistic (environmental concerns) and individual (economic) benefits are apparent, confirming emerging altruistic motives behind organic food consumption.     

Convenience and choice for consumers: the domestic acceptability of canned food between the 1870s and 1930s

Canned food once represented an astonishingly innovative technology although it is now largely ignored in food discourse. As with so much in our lives, familiarity renders an object invisible. To explore the changing social significance of canned food, as the format developed from scientific curiosity to domestic ubiquity, this paper examines reports in The Scotsman newspaper from the late 1870s to the 1930s. Although canned foods were slow to break into the mass market they were little short of revolutionary in the way they brought new tastes from across the world to ordinary British households. A few cans in the larder provided simple storage and reassurance that the unexpected visitor could be fed – perhaps with something a little out of the ordinary. Against this background of quiet assimilation into our food culture, canned food has been controversial and provided an unwitting rehearsal for contemporary food narratives. In these old newspapers, it was somewhat surprising to find reports of disquiet that are recognizable in our own times – the convenience of canned food posed a threat to culinary skills; questions were raised about the nutritional value and safety of processed food; we had become excessively reliant on imported food and disregarded our own produce.     

Organic food corporate image and customer co-developing behavior: The mediating role of consumer trust and purchase intention

The impact of organic food corporate image on customers' surpassing purchasing behavior is absent in prior literature. Based on the S–O-R framework, the current study focuses on organic food member customers to explore the influence of corporate ability (CA) image and corporate social responsibility (CSR) image of organic food company on the consumption behavior and co-developing behavior of customers. The consumer samples came from 269 member customers of an organic food enterprise in southwest China. The results show that organic food company CA and CSR image positively affect consumer trust and co-developing behavior. CSR image enhances consumer trust and co-developing behavior than CA image does. Additionally, consumer trust and purchase intention play a multi-step mediating role in the relationship between corporate image (CA and CSR) and consumers' co-developing behavior. In conclusion, our findings provide new insights for understanding the relationship between the corporate image of organic food and the co-developing behavior of customers. The research results provide support for organic food companies that can effectively promote consumer trust, continuous purchase, and active engagement in the co-development of products and services by creating an image of ability and social responsibility.     

Effects of shared characteristics between eco-labels: A case for organic and local food

Food labels are created to reduce information asymmetry and help consumers make better food choices. However, the labels may have unanticipated effects, especially when they share common characteristics that may introduce confusion in making food choices. This study investigates how perceived relationships between different food labels may affect the price premiums of organic and local attributes for milk and fresh strawberries. Results show that the impacts of perception vary by product and label, and different food labels could positively affect price premiums on organic and local products. Results provide policy implications for better labeling and educational programs to reduce inadvertent confusion and improve consumer decision-making.     

Towards conscientious food consumption: exploring the values of Czech organic food consumers

The effects of the organic consumption are often contested with regard to the motives of consumers. Main goal of the paper is to present a theoretical framework that would encapsulate the motives of consumption and enable to identify the conditions for sustainable consumption. In particular, the paper seeks a new perspective that will not be tied to specific ways of life and that could bridge the complex, and often contradictory, motives of consumers. This framework is applied to map the values of organic food consumers in the Czech Republic with the use of the means‐end approach. The participants identified about 30 attributes related to organic food. Those attributes were divided into 14 basic categories. The study proves that Czech consumers mainly see organics as food ‘without chemicals’ that is favourable to health. At the same time, the identified hierarchical map of values reveals the great importance of the environmentally friendly approach, which results in the reduction of negative impacts and creates an opportunity to balance the relationship between society and nature. Some of the identified motives have pointed out a potential for merging together the egocentric and altruistic motives of ethical consumption in relation to the concept of ‘alternative hedonism’.     

Role of consumer health consciousness,food safety & attitude on organic food purchase in emerging market: A serial mediation model

The study aimed to investigate the direct and indirect impact of health consciousness (HCN) on the purchase intention (PIN) of organic food products in India – a rising hub of organic food consumption. For the indirect effect of health consciousness on the purchase intention, the study added the serial mediation of consumer attitude (ATT) (based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour) and food safety concern (FSC) as major constructs. There is a lack of empirical evidence on the mediating role of FSC in the impact of HCN on ATT or their PIN. Further in a developing country like India, there lacks a comprehensive study considering all the above four factors on organic food consumption. 438 useable responses were collected using the mall intercept method from purchasers frequenting five exclusive organic food stores in a metropolitan city in India. The hypotheses on direct and indirect effect of HCN on PIN and the serial mediation of FSC and ATT was tested using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). CFA/SEM analysis upon establishing the conceptual model's goodness-of-fit, revealed the insignificance of FSC having direct impact on ATT and PIN and having any mediating role in the impact of HCN on ATT. There was also no significant impact of HCN on FSC. ATT too showed no significant mediating role in the impact of FSC on PIN. Nevertheless, both FSC and ATT together as serial mediators significantly influence the impact of HCN on PIN. Retailers and marketing professionals need to devise strategies based on the study's findings, emphasizing on the details of health benefits and improvements consumers will obtain upon consuming their organic products. Practical implications and theoretical contributions are discussed.     

New entrepreneurial ventures in a globalized world: The role of market orientation

The present study examines the performance consequences of a market orientation for new entrepreneurial ventures in a globalized world. We show that market orientation indeed positively impacts the performance of new entrepreneurial ventures, regardless of their geographical setting. While market orientation turns out to be a general success factor in a globalized world, the strength of the performance relationship however is contingent to the national culture as one major differentiator between geographical settings. The effect turns out to be stronger in collectivist and high uncertainty avoidance cultures. Findings are derived based on large samples with German and Thai new entrepreneurial ventures. Partial least square is applied as the method of analysis.

Trust orientations in the organic food distribution channels: A comparative study of the Canadian and French markets

The objectives of this research are to (i) identify supply side factors that determine trust/mistrust in OF products, and (ii) determine the distribution channel strategies to increase trust in OF products. A total of 80 individual in-depth interviews were conducted in Canada and France with managers from superstores, specialty stores, farmers, markets, producers and certification bodies. Results show a clear distinction between the Canadian and French OF distribution structures in terms of trust. Consequently, distributors have to adapt their strategies and tools in order to enhance trust in OF, in their distribution channel and in the overall food supply chain.