Assessing the Impact of Ethnocentrism in the Food Buying Decisions of International University Students

This study assesses the influence of ethnocentrism on food buying decisions by a specific group of sojourners—namely, international university students—by distinguishing the results observed in relation to gender differences from those detected without any consideration of gender differences. On the basis of an exhaustive review of relevant literature, this study offers several research hypotheses pertaining to the influence of ethnocentrism on evaluations of alternatives, choices, and post-purchase stages. To test these hypotheses, the authors collected data from a sample of university foreign students enrolled in a Spanish university, and then submitted these data to diverse principal components factorial analyses and linear parametric regressions. The results show that a consideration of gender makes a great difference, in that the influence of ethnocentrism is much greater in the food buying decision process for male sojourners. These results have major implications for key stakeholders such as food manufacturers, importers, retailers, and universities.     

Considering Technological Impacts When Selecting Food Suppliers: Comparing Retailers' Buying Behavior in the United States and Europe

Purpose: The research investigates the impact of emergent technologies, specifically supply-chain technology and food-production technology (i.e., genetically modified organisms [GMO]), on global food retailers' supplier decisions.

Methodology/approach: Qualitative research is conducted to examine technology-related vendor selection criteria of food retailers in 5 European countries comparing to those in the US.

Findings: Our findings show that global food retailers view supply-chain technology as a competitive advantage and is integrated as an important selection criteria; however, selection criteria differ for food-production technology between the United States and the European countries. European food retailers explicitly oppose food-production technology (GMO), while U.S. food retailers implicitly accept food-production technology. Emerging from this opposing view, global food retailers establish similar criteria for organic food (non-GMO) supplier selection: reliability, distance, consistent quality, and relationships with suppliers.

Research implications: Applying the supplier choice criteria framework (Lehmann and O'Shaughnessy 1982 Lehmann, D. R. and 'Shaughnessy, J. O. 1982. Decision criteria used in buying different categories of products. Journal of Purchasing and Materials Management, 18: 9–14.  [Google Scholar]) to further analyze organic food suppliers, we find that reliability (adaptive criterion), distance (integrative criterion), consistent quality (performance criterion), and relationships with suppliers (economic criterion) are essential, but price is not.

Practical implications: This study suggests that to sustain competitiveness in the global food market, food suppliers not only need to ensure technological compatibility in supply-chain, but also adapt to the local food-production restriction (GMO) and organic food selection criteria preferences.

Originality/value/contribution: Supply-chain technology is strategically important and is adopted by global food retailers for competitive advantage; yet, there are dramatic differences regarding the acceptance of food production technology. This research contributes to the better understanding of how technologies exert significant and strategic weight in the food supplier selection process.     

Marketing Sustainable Consumption within Stores: A Case Study of the UK's Leading Food Retailers

Sustainable consumption is a core policy objective within the UK Government's Sustainable Development Strategy and there is a growing awareness that retailers have a vital role to play in promoting more sustainable patterns of consumption. This article explores how the UK's top ten food retailers are communicating sustainable consumption agendas to their customers within stores in the towns of Cheltenham and Gloucester. The findings reveal that while these retailers are providing customers with some information on sustainable consumption the dominant thrust of marketing communication within stores is designed to encourage consumption. The article concludes with some reflections on how sustainable consumption fits into the large food retailers' business models.     

Corporate Social Responsibility and Marketing Communications Within Stores: A Case Study of U.K. Food Retailers

ABSTRACT

The U.K. Government has argued that more transparency in the ways that companies address and manage environmental, economic, and social issues can help improve relationships with employees, customers, and other stakeholders and U.K.'s large food retailers are increasingly keen to report their commitment to CSR. This paper offers a preliminary examination of the extent to which the U.K.'s major food retailers currently use CSR as a means of communicating with customers within their stores.     

Understanding Local Food Consumers: Theory of Planned Behavior and Segmentation Approach

Purpose: The objectives of this study were to examine the antecedents and consequence of consumer attitudes toward local food and to segment these consumers using their food-related lifestyle (FRL) attributes. Using the Theory of Planned Behavior, we proposed three factors to impact attitude toward local food (health consciousness, concern for the environment, and concern for local economies) along with subjective norm and perceived behavioral control to influence intentions to purchase local food.

Methodology: Data were collected from 502 local food consumers measuring the following: antecedents and consequence of attitude toward local food; FRL; demographic information.

Findings: Health consciousness, concern for the environment, and concern for local economies were found to be significant predictors of attitude toward local food. Attitude toward local food and subjective norm, but not perceived behavioral control, were found to have a significant effect on intention to purchase local food. Further, segmenting based on their FRL yielded four types of consumers (Impromptu Novelty Explorer, Uninvolved Connoisseur, Involved Information Seeker, and Apathetic Local Food Consumer). An ANOVA provided a snapshot of several demographic and psychographic differences between segments.     

Consumer Motivations and Buying Behavior: The Case of the Local Food System Movement

The significant attention and growth surrounding sustainable foods has created a demand for research investigating different factors that can aid in predicting and explaining consumer behavior. This article utilized an attitude-behavior framework, the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), to identify factors that might influence consumer valuation of organic, fair trade, and local labeled food. Approximately 1,000 consumers from a 2008 nationwide survey were used in data analyses. Some TPB determinants proved successful in understanding consumer motivations (behavioral control, social norms). These results can be used by a wide variety of food marketers to connect with consumers to promote effective marketing strategies of sustainable food products     

Antecedents and Consequences of Buying Center Leadership: An Emergent Perspective

ABSTRACT

This paper provides a new model of buying center leadership. It draws upon the theory of emergent leadership to explore the potential for a relatively low-ranked member of a buying center to rise in stature and emerge as the group's de facto leader. It provides a theoretically-based analysis of the antecedents to such a role including communications, negotiating skills, power, and procedural control. It also reviews how these elements may be used to provide the group with two essential leadership functions–relational support and task support. It then examines how these functions, in turn, provide the individual with enhanced influence within the buying center. In this way, this paper provides a new conceptual framework for understanding buying center behavior.     

Segmentation of German Consumers Based on Perceived Dimensions of Luxury Food

Recent trends in the German food sector have shifted and segmented consumer consumption motives toward indulgence, quality, and sustainability. Simultaneously, in Western countries there has been a change in luxury consumption motives, shifting emphasis to hedonism, self-actualization, and quality instead of prestige. These parallel developments give rise to the question of how food is related to luxury. This study investigates the perceived dimensions of luxury food and outlines a number of segmented consumer groups based on these dimensions. By means of principal component and cluster analyes, seven dimensions were revealed, which generated four consumer segments. Six of the perceived dimensions of luxury food correspond to those that are found within general luxury goods and services. Sustainability and authenticity form a further dimension, mirroring new luxury values. In the cluster analysis, two segments can be identified as target groups for classic premium foods, whereby one group is predominated by new luxury values and the other is expected to buy lower-quality food.     

Group Buying: A Strategic Form of Consumer Collective

Existing literature on collective consumption focuses on passionate consumers of particular brands. This research examines group buying (GB), a multi-phase consumer collective activity, that creates value prior to, during and after the acquisition of products and services. Through a two-year, multi-sited, qualitative study, we examine both retailers’ and consumers’ motivations for participating in GB. GB is essentially a consumer collective that centers on consumer needs across brands, activities and lifestyles. This consumer collective is not initiated by brand affiliation or a consumption subculture, but by the need to discover desirable brands and obtain optimal products and services at favorable prices. Furthermore, GB empowers consumers to better protect their rights in an under-regulated market.     

消费者绿色食品购买行为分析

绿色食品代表健康、优质的食品,越来越引起消费者的关注。本文运用合理行为理论,分析影响消费者绿色食品消费的主要因素。首先对成都市消费者绿色食品购买行为的实证调查进行描述性分析,然后运用Logistic模型,对影响消费者购买行为的因素进行回归分析。模型回归结果表明,消费者家庭是否有6周岁以下儿童和消费者对绿色食品的安全感知是决定消费者是否购买绿色食品的主要因素。     

网购食品消费者选择行为的影响因素

利用1 790份网络调查问卷数据,采用相关分析、交叉分析等统计方法,研究网购食品消费者选择行为,分析网购食品市场渗透率不高、用户黏性不足的主要原因,结果表明,消费者个性特征差异会导致对网购食品的不同态度,进而影响消费者对网购食品的选择行为;良好的网购环境、物美价廉的食品、优质的网购服务,是促使消费者选择网购食品的主要因素,对网购食品安全的担忧、习惯于传统购物方式、网购维权难度大,是抑制消费者选择网购食品的主要因素,尤其是网购食品"难维权、维权难"可能会放大消费者对网购食品产生的消极态度。为此,应加强网购食品多主体协同监管,消除消费者怀疑心理和不放心态度;建立以消费者需求为中心的网购食品质量安全供应链管理体系,推动线上市场和线下实体店紧密结合、融合发展;完善网购食品维权制度,畅通维权渠道。     

Organizational Buyer Behavior of Caribbean Food and Beverage Importers

Abstract

This paper examines the behavior of Caribbean importers with respect to the purchase of branded food and beverage products manufactured in the Canadian province of Ontario. The determinants of the import purchase decision are identified, and the import response of buyers to changes in the importance rating of key purchase criteria is quantified. The study is based on personal interviews with forty-eight Caribbean food and beverage purchasing executives. The results indicate that price and requests from local customers are the most important decision criteria used by Caribbean importers. Also, firms with a recent history of importing Ontario food and beverage products place a higher level of importance on brand image and package design. A one-unit decrease in the importance rating of the packaging design variable was found to increase the odds of a firm importing from Ontario by thirty percent.     

Applying the Extended Theory of Planned Behavior to Predict Sustainable Street Food Patronage in a Developing Economy

With over 2.5 billion daily street food consumers globally, the consumption paradigm of the urban-informal-sector street food is shifting towards sustainable street food (SSF). This has led to the emerging SSF-market segment. The extended Theory of Planned Behavior (e-TPB), which incorporates the past behavior construct, is used to provide preliminary insight by unraveling behavioral predictors. The e-TPB research framework is premised on five key constructs - attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control and past behavior. The framework was tested using primary data collected from 437 street food consumers drawn from three main urban cities in southeast Nigeria. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) technique was used to analyze data. It is revealed that past behavior/experience does not necessarily connote patronage intention for sustainable street food. This study validates the utility of e-TPB for the prognosis of emerging consumer behavior. Recommendations and implications for marketing-related street food vending strategies are discussed.     

Strategy Development for a Food Company Based on Patterns of Consumer Behavior

This research reveals connections between company strategies and consumer behavior patterns within the proposed method of developing a set of optimal strategies (a multi-component strategy) for a food company under the rapidly changing conditions intrinsic in the polycyclic business environment. This method is a strategic tool providing for efficient adaptation of a food company to current and potential environmental variability based on the polycyclic concept of environmental dynamics and on the suggested definition of strategy as a long-term interactive and proactive response to the influences of the business environment.     

发展黑龙江省外向型食品工业的对策研究

黑龙江省是一个农业大省,而且有丰富的农产品资源,发展食品工业有很大的潜力。食品工业具有投资相对少、见效快、增值多、产业链长、牵动力大、辐射力强的特点。发达国家和我国台湾地区都很重视食品工业的发展,这对他们农业整体升级产生了深远地影响,也促进了该国、该地区的经济发展。加入WTO后,黑龙江省食品工业面临着发展机遇和严峻挑战,必须以国际市场为导向,确立和调整食品工业的有效供需结构,发展外向型食品工业,积极参与国际市场的竞争。同时,还要理性地认识到目前竞争条件和能力以及存在的问题,并提出相应的对策。     

A Research Model for Consumers' Intention of Buying Private Label Frozen Vegetables

This article aims at identifying the factors that affect consumers' intentions of buying private label frozen vegetables, developing a related research model, and testing this model using quantitative data from a consumers' sample in Greece.

The field research was carried out in Athens and the sample comprised 282 consumers. Data analysis was performed using Structural Equation Modeling. The results confirmed that:

• Consumers' intention of buying private-label frozen vegetables is directly affected by consumers' attitudes toward this type of products.

• Consumers' attitudes toward private-label frozen vegetables are directly affected by the perceived benefits and indirectly affected by consumer trust and perceived economic situation.

     

A State-of-the-Art Analysis of Food Consumption Studies

Abstract

A review of empirical food consumption studies is offered in this paper. A large number of recent food consumption studies from the areas of food and nutritional science, psychology, social psychology, sociology, anthropology, and consumer research are brought together. Twelve research themes are identified from the literature review and key findings and their implications are discussed. A heuristic and evaluative classification is developed to get a systematic understanding of the research issues covered by current food consumption research. A few suggestions for future food consumption research are mentioned on the basis of research gaps identified by the classification. To conclude, the theoretical prospects of studying food-related value conflicts and cross-cultural differences in emotional eating are spelled out in detail.     

从营养学角度比较中西餐

分别从中西餐膳食结构、原料选择和搭配、烹调加工工艺三方面,比较中西餐的营养,以期能够促进中西餐互相交流,互相借鉴,共同发展,促进人群健康发展。     

Meanings of Food among Polish and American Young Women

Food carries different meanings across cultures and times. This study aimed to explore the meanings of food among young women in Poland and the United States using a qualitative approach. The findings show that, in both countries, women associate food with health, pleasure, and socializing, but overall Polish women are less emotional about food. More specifically, in the United States, women associate food with love, their identities, and have more conflictual feelings about food, whereas in Poland women associate food with creativity. The study discusses marketing implications of the results.     

食品安全规制主体行为博弈：基于政府网络的考量

文章针对食品安全规制中最重要的主体——政府,研究了在不同的激励约束条件下的中央政府与地方政府、中央政府与地方食品安全规制部门间的行为博弈。文章试图针对网络经济的整体趋势,将政府规制在政府网络的框架下进行分析,在确定政府规制网络架构的前提下,明确政府在食品安全规制方面的责任,分析政府的规制行为。结果表明：中央政府观测到地方政府进行食品安全规制行为的概率是影响地方政府行为及其规制有效性的重要因素;地方政府观测到地方规制部门进行食品安全规制行为的概率;以及地方规制部门加强食品安全规制的概率,这些是影响地方规制部门行为的最重要因素。最后,根据所得研究结论,文章针对政府规制部门提出了确保食品安全并提高规制有效性的政策建议。