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.     

The expansion of branding in international marketing: The case of olive oil, 1870s–1930s

Abstract

Drawing on a variety of sources, this article investigates the emergence and expansion of branding in the international olive oil markets prior to World War II. It documents the rapid growth of the world trade in packaged olive oil from the 1870s onwards and shows that the main destinations of this consumer-ready product were in the Americas. In this respect, it complements previous findings based on the use of trademark registration figures. The article then argues that the expansion of canned and branded olive oil exports to the New World was the result of three interconnected factors: the mass migration of southern Europeans in the late nineteenth century and the formation of a new market on the other side of the Atlantic; significant transformations in the commodity chain of the product in the Americas during the first third of the twentieth century; and the problems of quality uncertainty and fraud in the emerging New World markets for olive oil. By analysing these factors, this study also provides evidence to further the debate on the purpose of branding and modern marketing.     

Broadcasting cookery: BBC radio programmes in the 1920s and 1930s

The development of British radio broadcasting technology in the 1920s and 1930s and, equally importantly, the progressively widespread purchase and use of radio sets established a new platform from which to engage and influence the population on a number of matters. The British Broadcasting Corporation's public service principles of programmes to inform, educate and entertain gave rise to various content experiments at a time when there were very few precedents. One such innovation was the cookery talk. This was broadcast live, accomplished without the possibility of practical demonstration, and constituted a new, and abstract, form of communication primarily designed for women in their own homes. In this, women were the earliest and most frequent contributors, and their broadcast content differed from that provided by men. By reference to archive material, this article examines the social context and the thinking behind those early years of radio cookery talks and documents the contributors who were to establish this now‐familiar genre of broadcasting.     

The strategies of the Spanish cotton textile companies before the Civil War: The road to longevity

This study, based on family business theories, offers an innovative vision of the Spanish cotton industry. It proves that Spanish cotton companies – just like their European counterparts – implemented a strategy that was consistent with their nature as family businesses and went beyond the economic-institutional frames within which they developed. The article identifies this strategy as ‘conservative’, because its main objectives were longevity and family control and because it was based on a high percentage of own resources, low levels of indebtedness and organic growth, thus sacrificing profitability for the sake of security.     

Family,life cycle and consumption of services: the Spanish case

This article presents an analysis of service consumption patterns in Spanish homes, based on different stages in the life cycle of a family, using cross-section data from the Encuesta Continua de Presupuestos Familiares (Ongoing Survey of Family Budgets). The study's main objective consists of establishing a taxonomy of services consumed by the home by estimating income elasticity. The results obtained classify services as inferior, necessary and luxury and also point the public sector in the direction of some economic policy measures involving a more balanced distribution of income.     

Food chains and the retailing revolution: supermarkets,dairy processors and consumers in Spain (1960 to the present)

On the basis of an analysis of the retailing of dairy products in Spain from 1960 onwards, it is argued that the rise of supermarkets was conditioned by developments taking place in the food system, and not just by macro-scale socioeconomic change. Upstream, supermarket expansion depended on dairy processors’ capacity to push raw milk out of the consumer market. Downstream, the expansion was favoured by the transition towards a demand pattern that featured little aggregate dynamism and much product diversification. This case suggests that a food chain perspective might contribute to the historical study of the retail sector, especially by making the study of conditional causality more systematic.     

A study of e‐retailing management: analysing the expectations and perceptions of Spanish consumers

This article analyses various elements that influence the purchasing behaviour of online consumers. These elements include the aesthetic aspects of a web site and the interactive processes that take place at the time of purchase. The study analyses the expectations and perceptions of a sample of Spanish online customers. On the basis of these attitudes, the sample of respondents is segmented. In addition, the main factors that determine online service satisfaction are identified. The segments of respondents are then positioned with respect to these identified factors in online service quality. The analysis thus allows differentiation of both customers and service quality. The paper concludes with recommendations for online retailers who wish to operate a successful ‘virtual’ retail outlet.     

Jealous Monopolists? British Banks and Responses to the Macmillan Gap during the 1930s

By the end of World War I successive merger waves had producedan oligopolistic, tightly cartelized, English banking system,which was widely viewed as having restricted lending to small-medium-sizedfirms—the famous ‘Macmillan Gap’ in industrialfinance. We explore the reasons behind the failure of marketentry to bridge this gap. The clearing banks are shown to haveacted as ‘jealous monopolists’, obstructing theactivities of the Credit for Industry Ltd (CFI), the only significantfirm established to breach the gap (rather than narrow its upperlimit). By poaching many clients it had vetted and approved,the banks blocked CFI's growth, deterring further market entry,and thus, preserving their monopoly position.     

Governments,Exports and Growth: Responding to the Challenges and Opportunities of Globalisation

We live in an increasingly globalised world. Trade has consistently grown faster than GDP and has been an important driver of world growth. What role should government play in this process? This paper considers the rationale for government action and the merits of various policies focusing on the UKs experience: the benefits of openness to trade and overseas investment and the merits of tackling barriers that discourage greater participation by firms in international markets. It also considers whether this approach needs to be adapted given current trends in globalisation, concluding that a continued emphasis on openness and addressing market failures will be welfare enhancing.     

Online/offline (hybrid) consumers and the attention economy

Yoram (Jerry) Wind, Vijay Mahajan, & Robert Gunther. 2002. Convergence Marketing: Strategies for Reaching the New Hybrid Consumer. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. 368 pages. ISBN 0‐13065‐075‐7. Thomas H. Davenport & John C. Beck. 2001. The Attention Economy: Understanding the New Currency of Business. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press. 272 pages. ISBN 1‐57851‐871‐7.     

Consumer reactions to food and drug product recalls: A case study of Hawaiian consumers

A telephone survey of 350 consumers found that one-third to one-half used the recalled food and drug products, and the balance threw them away or returned them to the store. A significant percentage, 16–33%, said they now buy less of these products, and 11–32% stated that they switched brands due to these recalls.

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Verbraucherreaktionen auf Rückrufaktionen bei Lebens- und Arzneimitteln: eine Fallstudie bei Verbrauchern in Hawaii

Zusammenfassung Während die bisherige Forschung die Folgen von Rückrufaktionen vorwiegend im Automobilsektor untersucht hat, geht die vorliegende Studie den Verbraucherreaktionen bei Lebensmitteln und Arzneimitteln nach. Sie wurde 1983 auf Insel Oahu durchgeführt und bezog sich auf einen Zeitraum von einem Jahr. Während dieser Zeit hatte es 13 Rückrufaktionen gegeben. Befragt wurde eine Stichprobe von 350 Konsumenten, die alle mindestens ein Jahr auf Oahu gelebt hatten und in ihrem Haushalt für den Einkauf von Lebensmitteln zuständig waren. Die Interviews wurden telefonisch durchgeführt. Die Ergebnisse variieren von Produkt zu Produkt, zeigen aber im wesentlichen, daß ein Drittel bis die Hälfte der Konsumenten ein zurückgerufenes Produkt weiterverwendeten, wogegen die anderen das Produkt wegwarfen oder zum Händler zurückbrachten. Ein Prozentsatz von 16 bis 33% gab an, von den zurückgerufenen Produkten jetzt weniger zu kaufen und zu verwenden, und 11 bis 32% berichteten, wegen der Rückrufaktionen die Marke gewechselt zu haben.

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Charles F. Keown is Associate Professor of Marketing at the University of Hawaii's College of Business Administration, 2404 Maile Way, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA.     

European vs. American approaches to institutionalisation of business ethics: the Spanish case

This paper reports on a study of the largest Spanish corporations concerning the status of corporate ethics policies. The research project, the first of its kind in Spain, has two parts. First, the types of formal documents the companies use are analysed, including those dealing with ethical values or norms. Three groups of companies are distinguished: the first group has no formal documents dealing with ethical values, and the reasons given for not having any ethical statement are discussed. A second group has one document mentioning ethical values (generally the vision and/or mission statement), and a third group has in place two or more documents (one generic and the other more detailed, such as a code of conduct). The findings show that the latter group is more proactive than the former in implementing measures for promoting business ethics throughout the organisation. In the second part of the research, the study analyses the differences between companies whose headquarters are in Spain, Europe and USA regarding the arguments, the focus and the practices used to formalise business ethics.     

A process leading to strategic alliance outcome: The case of IT companies in China,Japan and Korea

Although theories and research have provided valuable information on strategic alliance, it still seems difficult for practitioners to overview the process and subsequent outcomes of strategic alliance in a single frame. This is because the conditions of alliance are different from one alliance to another, which makes it difficult for practitioners to apply existing research findings to their own cases. One of the ways to overcome such difficulties in practical application would not be focusing on alliance processes with unique or idiosyncratic features of each alliance but instead focusing on elements that exist in most alliances. To find out the process that leads to the outcome in strategic alliance that is easily applicable for practitioners, the current study measured the behavioral direction and relational outcomes of strategic alliance based on benefit and risk perception in information technology (IT) companies in China, Japan and South Korea. Results show that firms set the direction and the intensity of their participation in alliance based on benefit and risk perception. Specifically, while perceived benefits promoted active participation in alliance, perceived risks increased protective participation in alliance. Also, these behavioral directions predicted the relational outcome in strategic alliance such that while active behavioral orientation predicted commitment to the relationship with the partner firms, protective behavioral orientation led to dissolution of the relationship. The present study provides useful insights for strategy associates, and evoke more various and detached academic approaches in the field of strategic alliance discussions.     

Opportunism and Long-Term Contracting: Transactions in Broken Hill Zinc Concentrates in the 1930s

The essay examines the design and operation of a long-term contract at the centre of the Anglo-Australian zinc industry during the 1930s. All the parties to this contract invested in durable assets that were highly specific to transactions in Broken Hill zinc concentrates. Under such conditions, according to transaction cost economics, an efficient contractual response would entail the vertical integration of exchange or, at the very least, some long-term arrangement under which the parties make sizeable credible commitments in support of exchange. The basis of the transaction cost argument is that such an arrangement is necessary to protect the parties against the risk of opportunistic behaviour by exchange partners. The contract examined here, however, did not possess such protective devices, yet, by all accounts, performed extremely well in the most testing of circumstances. Close analysis of the design and operation of this contract gives reason to question the generality of the transaction cost assumption that parties structure their institutional arrangements with a view to protect themselves against the hazards of opportunism. The parties to this contract did not anticipate a high degree of opportunism and this was reflected in the design of their contract. From the analysis of the way the contract actually operated it is clear that this expectation was more than justified and exchange in Broken Hill zinc concentrates was characterised by close co-operation and forbearance rather than opportunism.     

Sustainable consumption: consumption,consumers and the commodity discourse

This paper examines the concept of sustainable consumption by focusing on the consumption habits of Irish consumers. The key research findings fit into three broad and interrelated categories. Firstly, whilst recent sustainable consumption literature suggests that new research should focus on the issue of consumption, in and of itself, our study shows that consumers themselves view environmental problems from a supply and not a demand perspective. They focus on issues such as recycling and waste and not consumption itself. Secondly, our study shows that consumers have green opinions about very diverse issues and these are directly related to the individuals' lifestyles. Finally, our research shows that “material green” consumers are buying into a particular image in their consumption practices. This is very much connected to the meanings of their consumption that are derived from the communication value they attach to commodities. As such our study provides support for earlier conceptual research which suggests that in order to encourage less consumption we must use existing commodity discourse to achieve such ends.     

Productivity growth and cyclical behaviour in service industries: the Spanish case

A longstanding basis of empirical economics is that average labour productivity declines during recessions and increases during booms, and thus behaves procyclically. In the short run, in many countries output growth and productivity tend to move together and across a wide range of industries. In recent years, this observation has gained increased prominence as each proposed explanation for the observed procyclicality has important implications for modelling the business cycle and measuring the technical change. By filtering out the influence of business cycles, it is possible to isolate changes in the long run, or structural rate, of productivity growth and so assess the importance of any source for economic growth. Nevertheless, the focus of these empirical works has been the aggregate economy or manufacturing industries, and not the services sector. The novelty of this paper is the focus on the patterns within the services sector. The aim of this paper is to better understand short-run changes in productivity growth within the service sector industries, which are necessarily different from those existing within the manufacturing sector. Another goal of this research is to assess whether this observed procyclicality remains if the service sector is the scope of analysis, and whether this is homogeneous among the different activities within this miscellaneous sector or not. Empirical evidence for the Spanish economy since 1980 is presented.     

The transformation of global luxury brands: The case of the Swiss watch company Longines, 1880–2010

Abstract

This article discusses the transformation of global brands between the 1880s and the early twenty-first century, through the example of the Swiss watch company Longines. It shows that the concept of ‘global brand’ changed over time and was related to the nature of the product. Until the 1970s, luxury was linked to precision. Manufacturers focused on the production of movements and adapted the design of end products to each market. Yet the paradigm shift brought about by electronics led to a new definition of luxury during the 1990s, a change which led to a new generation of global brands.     

20世纪30年代末以来英国居民收入差距的历史变迁及现状评价

20世纪30年代末以来,英国的居民收入差距经历了一个先缩小后扩大的U型变化过程。20世纪70年代末以后英国居民收入差距开始持续扩大,不过进入20世纪90年代该趋势得到控制,收入差距趋于稳定,当前,英国收入差距并不大,在世界范围内处于中等偏低水平。英国居民收入差距的变化意味着居民收入差距的变化趋势不会固定不变,也说明政府政策的取向和干预力度对居民收入差距有着重要的影响。     

Women,men and organic food: differences in their attitudes and willingness to pay. A Spanish case study

The main purpose of this work consists of displaying the different attitudes of men and women towards organic food, and their willingness to pay for it, in three different consumer intensities: usual, occasional and potential consumers. Several surveys have been carried out to obtain a representative sample of regular food purchasers living in Castilla‐La Mancha (Spain). Statistic analysis previously detecting significant differences with regard to gender and type of consumer has been conducted by univariate analysis to describe attitudes, and multivariate analysis, through ‘logit’ models, to calculate maximum willingness to pay. Results show that women have a more favourable attitude (directly related to their lifestyle) to the purchase and consumption of organic food than men, whereas men are inclined to pay a higher price for organic food than women. In general, men are disposed to pay a higher increase in price than women.