Infant as a consumer: what to consume?

Infancy is the period in life from birth to the age of 1 year. An infant becomes a child and then an adolescent, passes through his/her parents’ lives and disappears into adulthood, a fully fledged person, with a life and a future all his/her own. What an infant eats at this stage is crucial to his/her future health. There are several feeding practices pertaining to infants, including breast‐feeding, artificial feeding, mixed feeding, formula feeding and weaning. A detailed comparative study of these feeding practices concludes that breast‐feeding is the best practice for infant feeding. It makes a unique fundamental contribution to the health and nutrition of infants. The ideal food for the young infant is human milk. It has specific characteristics that match the growing infant's nutritional requirements during the first year of life.     

Older consumer opportunities: small firm response in a selected group of UK service sector markets

Socio-demographic trends mean that the 50+ age group are wealthier and now enjoy high per capita incomes. Some large firms are now exploiting the opportunities within this market. This study aims to assess whether small UK service firms are also revising their marketing practices in response to socio-demographic change. A survey suggests most small firms have not yet recognised the opportunities available. The exceptions are the more entrepreneurially orientated small firms. Discussion is provided on the need for further research to small firm behaviour in the 50+ market.     

Consumer involvement and acceptance of biotechnology in the European Union: a specific focus on Spain and the UK

Biotechnology stands out as a clear‐cut example of an industry where legislation on new technologies has been shown to be linked with public attitudes. Indeed, consumer consultation has played a leading role in the acceptance of genetically modified (GM) food as well as in government policy and legislation. This paper examines the issue of consumer consultation by analysing how public opinion has conditioned the acceptance of GM food in the European Union in general and specifically in Spain and the UK. We draw upon the evidence of two Eurobarometer surveys (46.1 and 52.1) to argue that consumer decision making on new technologies is an information‐dependent factor explaining consumer rejection to non‐transparent introduction of GM food. Individuals feel ill‐prepared to make decisions and rely on trusted information advisors such as consumer organizations. Findings suggest significant information dependency as well as widespread heterogeneity in attitudes towards the applications of biotechnology. Finally, the role played by information channels indicates that consumer participation should precede the adoption of communication policies, as they might need to adapt to the specific cultural characteristics of each country.     

Thiscompanysucks.com: the use of the Internet in negative consumer‐to‐consumer articulations

The Internet has provided a forum through which consumers who are dissatisfied with various companies can vent their anger towards these corporations. A number of World Wide Web (WWW) sites have cropped up on the Internet, their specific aim being the fomenting of negative communication about companies: these are known as corporate complaint WWW sites. Little research has been conducted on negative on‐line consumer‐to‐consumer articulations and the possible impact that these might have on consumers' perceptions and attitudes. This paper attempts to foster discussion on the use of the Internet in facilitating consumer‐to‐consumer communication, particularly negative communication. First, background information on corporate complaint WWW sites is provided. Then, a survey that was conducted in order to glean information on consumer knowledge of and responses to these kinds of WWW sites is discussed. The results indicate that, among the population used in this study, the awareness of corporate complaint WWW sites was moderate. However, when respondents were aware of them, they were likely to visit them. Social influence plays a role in influencing awareness and prompting visits to corporate complaint WWW sites. In addition, an individual difference factor, attitudes towards complaining, influenced the kinds of activities in which the respondents engaged when they visit corporate complaint WWW sites. Future research directions are proposed.     

Consumer participation in the design and realization stages of production: How self-production shapes consumer evaluations and relationships to products

Psychological responses of consumers to specific stages of self-production activities are investigated in four studies. Findings reveal that consumer participation in the realization stage (physical production) enhances affective commitment to the product. However, physical production without opportunity to express choice or creativity during the production process does not change the symbolic meaning of the product (how self-expressive it is) and, therefore, does not result in identification with the product. Participation during the design stage (input-specification) enhances identification, leading to affective commitment, which in turn enhances evaluation of the self-made product. Finally, engaging consumers in both the realization and design stages of the production process does not create value for consumers over and above the main effects created by a high level of participation in either stage.     

Local consumer well-being in a multicultural marketplace: From conflict to engagement

This study offers a nuanced understanding of how local consumers experience, interpret and acculturate to expatriates' practices within a multicultural marketplace. We adopt Demangeot et al. bridge framework and its marketplace domains (security, visibility, opportunity, utility, intercultural competence and cultural navigability) to unpack locals' consumption patterns and experiences that produce multicultural tensions or multicultural engagement that contributes to locals' well-being. Data were collected via 2 focus groups and 20 in-depth interviews with local consumers in Qatar. The findings offer several theoretical and managerial insights that could enrich the scant literature on acculturation of local minorities within multicultural non-homogenous societies and enhance our understanding of how local consumers engage with culturally different experiences.     

Large format retailing in the US: a consumer experience perspective

Proponents of relationship marketing seek to develop and maintain long-term ties to their customers in the hope of having a loyal customer base. In this paper we examined large format retailing from the perspective of consumers’ experiences in these stores. Focus group interviews were conducted in two major US metropolitan areas and one medium size market. After analyzing the focus group content, several themes emerged related to patronage of large format retailers. These included the accuracy of prices when products were scanned and loyalty to store personnel based on familiarity. Large format supercenters were especially chided for their bigness and potential negative impact on smaller retailers. Attending to the details of the food retail business (accurate pricing, product availability, continuity of personnel) are ways in which consumers’ experiences in retail stores might be improved. Numerous choices and a diverse array of retail formats are available to consumers in the US market. Managerial implications are discussed in the light of a changing retail landscape.     

Gatekeepers to consumer markets: the role of retailers in international trade

This study explores how recent developments in the retail sector affect trade in consumer goods. It focuses on three developments in the retail sector: (i) internationalization; (ii) market structure; and (iii) the growing market share of retailers' private labels. Using gravity model estimation techniques it is found that the foreign operations of a retailer are positively related to imports from the host to the home country of the retailer. Imports are negatively related to ownership concentration, while the market share of private labels is negatively related to imports of food and positively related to imports of non-food consumer goods. For both product categories private labels shift sourcing towards poor countries. The trade response to trade liberalization is higher both at the extensive and intensive margin in countries with lower retail concentration.     

Social expertise: a new view to explain spatial divergences in personal consumer loan prices

The objective of this paper is to explain geographical divergences in interest rates on personal loans to households using aggregated consumer knowledge-related metrics as predictors. The researchers quantitatively test their approach in countries in the Eurozone and in the Italian and Spanish regions. Social expertise explains between 69% and 84% of variance in household loan market prices at an international and inter-regional level. The approach taken is tested using real market data established after real service encounters and not published or recommended prices.     

Private certification schemes as consumer protection: a viable supplement to regulation in Europe?

In the European single market, most product certification schemes are privately organized. This paper considers the goals and pitfalls of private certification as a form of market‐based and multi‐stakeholder consumer protection that relies on the transparency of information and the possibility of consumers choosing accordingly with their preferences.     

Evaluating the urban consumer with regard to sourcing local food: a Heart of England study

This paper critically explores consumer perceptions and trends regarding purchasing locally produced food. Until recently, much of the research in this area largely focused on regional consumers where rural consumers had reasonable access to locally produced food and were usually in close proximity to the producers within, or close to, their immediate community. Here, the objectives of the primary research focused instead on urban attitudes and perceptions of local food within the Greater Birmingham conurbation in the West Midlands region of the UK. Birmingham is by far the most highly populated urban area of the region, and with ample opportunities to promote local food. Consumers, based mainly in Birmingham and Wolverhampton, were questioned on their locally produced food‐buying habits and attitudes in order to determine any differences in urban perceptions and buying attitudes compared with rural counterparts, and also to identify any new and potential opportunities for local food producers. Originally, 1000 questionnaires were obtained from across Greater Birmingham and Wolverhampton. However, for the purposes of this paper, it was decided to focus on two urban city centres – Birmingham and Wolverhampton, with 148 questionnaires. The results indicate that urban consumers are generally confused about what the term ‘local’ food means. The reasons for purchasing local food, while generally consistent with national patterns, differed in that supporting the local producers was not regarded as important. Barriers to purchase were largely unsurprising for an urban area, as the top choices were ‘too expensive’ followed by ‘not readily available’ and ‘no time to find it’. Understanding, information, availability and access to local food emerge as the biggest challenges to urban consumers in buying local food.     

Sign of the times: Testing consumer response to local food signage within a casual dining restaurant

The study examines the impact of variations in locally produced food signage on consumer attributes within a casual buffet-style restaurant. A baseline period followed by three treatments were conducted to test signage effects on the constructs of product involvement, servicescape perception, pleasure, perceived product quality and revisit intention. Moderation effects from product involvement were also investigated on the proposed structural paths. Results suggested that the largest effects occurred on the constructs when local identification, farm name, and pictures of the farm were included. Product involvement showed no moderation effects on the proposed relationships. Implications for academics and practitioners were provided as were future research directions.     

The right to be heard and to be understood: a conceptual framework for consumer protection in emerging economies

In many emerging economies and developing countries, comprising consumers from different cultures and with varying degrees of sophistication (knowledge and skill) concerning consumer protection, the promotion of consumers' rights to develop a consumer‐oriented culture remains a very big challenge. One way of protecting the consumer, especially the consumer that has not been fully socialized to execute informed decisions when purchasing expensive durables, is by establishing a redress environment that would ensure fair redress as well as an understanding and appreciation of the consumer. Manufacturers and retailers are often not aware of the performance failures that consumers experience concerning their products because many people do not communicate their dissatisfactions to them. However, unless and until manufacturers and retailers fully comprehend their customers' complaint behaviour, their reasons for engaging in specific complaint behaviour and the reasoning (cognitive processes) and emotional processes behind their behaviour, they will not recognize the link between complaint handling and customer loyalty and profits. The purpose of this paper was to develop a theoretical conceptual framework that would enable consumer scientists, consumer consultants, consumer behaviour researchers and those with the responsibility of handling consumer complaints to explore and understand consumer complaint behaviour in its entirety. We argue that, to be able to establish and manage a redress environment that is characterized by an understanding of the specific consumer as well as by effective complaint behaviour handling, it is of the utmost importance that the manufacturer, retailer, consumer consultant and all those that work with consumers' complaints understand the entire complaint process, including the underlying cognitive and emotional processes as well as the consumer's post‐complaint perception of justice and his/her satisfaction with the complaint handling. It is also important to understand the role that consumer‐, product‐ and redress environment‐related variables play in consumer complaint behaviour. The consumer who blames the retailer for the problem and who probably feels angry about the situation and decides to complain will expect redress. From a consumer's viewpoint, complaint‐related justice is, however, not only a matter of economic calculus but also a matter of procedure and interaction. We therefore argue for a holistic approach where consumer complaint behaviour is addressed in its entirety. Practical suggestions that could enhance customer satisfaction are given for manufacturers, retailers and those who deal with consumers' complaints.     

New developments in global consumer behavior and marketing strategy: Introduction to the special issue

This special issue of the Journal of Business Research features ten articles selected from the papers presented during the seventh meeting of the Royal Bank International Research Seminar which took place in Montreal (Canada), September 22–24, 2011. The papers cover topics relating to new developments in online research, acculturation/socialization research, research methodology, and marketing strategy.     

Internal marketing: a qualitative study of culture change in the UK banking sector

This paper discusses the findings of a qualitative study carried out in the UK retail-bank sector on the implementation of Internal Marketing (IM). While the overall aim of Internal Marketing is the creation of a unified culture around the values of customer service, employee empowerment and service quality, the evidence suggests that Internal Marketing is perceived and enacted in ways that at times contradict such managerial rhetoric. The paper sheds light on what internal marketing is (its underlying principles within the organisations studied), the ways in which the banks studied use it in order to change their organisational culture as well as the difficulties encountered in implementing IM as a culture change agent. It concludes that the implementation of Internal Marketing in the banks under the study is problematic and does not result into a unified organisation culture. Indeed, implementing Internal Marketing is a process fraught with difficulty, which at times leads to divisions, ruptures and ambiguity in the newly created organisational culture.     

Neutralization techniques as a moderating mechanism: Ethically questionable behavior in the Romanian consumer context

On the basis of an empirical investigation in the context of Romania, this paper identifies a moderating role of neutralization techniques within ethically questionable consumer behavior. The quantitative study is based on a synthesized model of theory of planned behavior incorporating the factor of perceived unfairness and neutralization techniques. Significantly, neutralization techniques are shown to have a negative, but definite impact on the action to behave unethically. This leads to their consideration as a process of thinking, rather than as static judgment. As such, neutralization techniques are conceptually distinctive to the other factors. The paper analyzes the results specific to the Romanian context, but noting implications for an understanding of the morality of markets with similar historical, political, and economic conditions. Overall, the findings offer a more nuanced reading of consumer behavior. The paper places moral flexibility in terms of a specific cultural context, but also reveals how neutralization techniques can moderate ethically questionable behaviors beyond matters of self‐interest, which, in turn, has implications for how companies can consider their responsibilities in relation to their customers.     

Exploring the elements of consumer nostalgia in retailing: Evidence from a content analysis of retailer collages

This article focuses on consumer nostalgia in the retailing environment to identify the types of nostalgic memories evoked by remembering a retailer and the elements associated with such nostalgic memories. A projective technique involving collage construction enabled informants to reflect their feelings about, memories of, experiences with, or relationships with a retailer that they have selected. The findings uncovered three distinct types of retailer-related consumer nostalgic memories and six elements that comprise retailer-related consumer nostalgic memories. The findings of the study offer a comprehensive understanding of retailer consumer nostalgia. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.     

Strategic responses to extreme institutional challenges: An MNE case study in the Palestinian mobile phone sector

Besides firm-level resources and industrial influences, firms’ strategies have been related to their institutional contexts. Empirical studies have investigated survival strategies in international environments where institutional voids, barriers and violence have had independent influences.This study is the first to analyse strategies in circumstances that combine all these negative challenges. In the Palestinian mobile phone industry, a surviving MNE has faced not only violence, voids and institutional barriers imposed by three different governments, but also the liability of foreignness and its associated uncertainties.In a highly uncertain environment, it is found that being a MNE brings benefits as well as liabilities of foreignness. Furthermore, this MNE discloses many strategic responses to institutional challenges that are associated with positive outcomes, even in a most extreme Palestinian environment that produces the most propitious circumstances for negative responses and outcomes.     

Convergence in the high-technology consumer markets: Not all brands gain equally from adding new functionalities to products

Convergence in the electronics sector has allowed the addition of new functionalities to products (e.g., mobile television to a cell phone). It is proposed that the goal congruence of the added functionality (i.e., whether it has similar or different goals as the base product) would affect the relative gain to high versus lower quality brands. While lower quality brands would gain when a congruent functionality is added, high quality brands would gain from an incongruent addition. The former hypothesis was confirmed significantly and the latter marginally in two experimental studies.

Pleasantly surprising clients: a tactic in relationship marketing for building competitive advantage in the financial services sector

The turbulent environment in which financial institutions evolve motivates strategic thinking aimed at competitive advantage. Drawing from the literature on relationship marketing, one potentially successful strategy at the level of front line service is for financial advisors to behave in a pleasantly surprising way toward their clients (e.g., acknowledging a family member's birthday; covering a parking expense; giving tickets to an entertainment venue). We examine both antecedents and consequences of clients' perceptions of their advisors behaving in a pleasantly surprising way toward them. Antecedents included advisors' customer orientation, knowledge of client, and sense of humour. Consequences included clients' trust, satisfaction, purchase intentions, and word‐of‐mouth intentions. Several strategic recommendations and research avenues following from these findings are offered. Copyright © 2008 ASAC. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.