1,720,988 research outputs found
The motivation behind drinking craft beer in Italian brew pubs: a case study
No full textDespite Italians being “light drinkers” of beer, they are interested in specialty beers, with concern for craft-made beers, for taste, authenticity, uniqueness and sense of local identity. This study adopts a revised model of the Theory of Planned Behaviour incorporating self-identity and desire for unique consumer products, to understand the motivation to drink craft beers in a sample of two hundred and thirty four recipients, in ten different brew pubs of Emilia-Romagna region – Italy. Data was analysed using three-stage least squares (3SLS) estimator. Results show the major role played by self-identity on the intention to drink craft beers, and the key role played by ‘tastiness’ and the presence of facilitating factors. Social pressure is of secondary importance, and the desire for ‘uniqueness’ is not a relevant aspect. Implications are discussed for further research developments within the context of the “experience economy” for crafted food products
Food "buycott" as an ethical choice against Mafia in Italy
No full textPurpose - As indicated in Italian law (No.n°109-1996), agri-food co-operatives can also play a role in combatting Mafia-type systems by choosing to grow their food products in lands confiscated from Mafia-type organisations.These food products provide individuals with a new opportunity to fight criminal organisations on the marketplace. The purpose of this study is to explore how people react to a social marketing initiative devoted to promoting food “buycotting” to counteract Mafia-type organisations in Italy.
Design/methodology/approach - The data were obtained from a convenience sample of 339 Italians, and the study adopted a model inspired by the General Theory of Marketing Ethics. A structural equation model was applied to estimate both the parameter and coefficient functions.
Findings - Individuals recognize the ethical value of “buycotting”.. However, they perceive this form of critical choice as not yet being fully effective in counteracting Mafia-type systems in Italy.
Practical implications - The results suggest that promotional and psychological approaches from marketing literature can be effectively used to influence the consumer’s ethical judgement by selectively communicating and emphasizing the benefits of the critical consumption investigated.
Originality/value - This is one of the first studies to address consumers’ ethical judgments and their reactions towards buycotting food as a critical choice to reward socially responsible corporations
Consumers’ perception of food product craftsmanship: a review of evidence
Full text linkThe understanding of what the consumer considers as craftsmanship is a sensitive question in the food sector. Despite food label regulations on this issue having undergone partial harmonisation, revealing what the consumer perceives as a craft food is a feat that has yet to be achieved. Drawing upon a review of literature in the field of consumer research, this investigation addresses this knowledge gap. In the light of the Alphabet Theory framework, the review offers a systematic overview of the motives affecting individuals’ perception of food product craftsmanship, as well as of the key factors affecting consumer behaviour towards craft foods. The findings provide useful insight to add to the body of extant literature and to discuss the possible directions of research. Moreover, the results can also have relevant importance to support legislators in designing appropriate regulations on craft foods
Motivations Behind Craft Beer Online Buying Habits among Italian Millennials
No full textFew published studies have examined which values and motives might encourage the purchase of craft beer (CB) over the Internet by Millennials. This study aims to investigate the motivations behind CB online buying habits among Millennials, and the chosen context is Italy. Adopting a revised model of the Alphabet Theory, a questionnaire-based consumer survey was designed. The data were collected in Italy, between January and April 2020, from a convenience sample composed of 273 interviewees aged 25–39. A structural equations model was estimated using a three-stage least squares regression. The interviewees were segmented into two groups based on their habits of purchasing CB online, using a triadic split procedure. The findings confirm the significant role played in Millennials’ attitudes towards CB online purchasing habits. Specifically, within the whole sample, our concern was with the essential role played by online product availability. The impulsive desire to discover a moment of pleasure is the principal aspect influencing Millennials’ attitudes (among those who are more inclined to purchase CB online). Whereas, for consumers less inclined, sensorial aspects, self-identity and local identity remain relevant. Given the lack of research on Millennials in this purchasing context for CB, this study breaks new ground to better understand this group and the CB consumer culture in this evolving sector. These findings shed new light on making and selling CB, as well as on the interests of beer consuming communities. The findings may help marketing managers develop appropriate marketing strategies based on a better understanding of Millennial-specific needs
Social representations of craft food products in three European countries
Full text linkDespite the growing interest in craft food products (CFPs), their social representation remains a conundrum. In light of social representation theory, this study aims to understand the meaning of CFPs in three different countries.
Data were collected in Italy, Germany and the United Kingdom from 458 interviewees between November 2018 and January 2019. Using a free word association approach, participants had to state the first four words that came into their mind using “craft food products” as inductor terms. Afterwards, interviewees had to rank the four evoked words based on their importance and rate the valence of each of them. Data were subjected to textual and prototypical analysis to identify the core and peripheral areas of the concept investigated. The occurrence of associations’ frequencies was analysed through correspondence analysis to find possible differences according to age groups.
Results showed that the social representation of the CFPs differs across cultures. The British saw them as luxury or gourmet foods. Germans equated them to natural foods relying more on institutional signals. Italians, instead, conceived of them as genuine/authentic foods in which human intervention does not alter the sensorial aspects of the ingredients. Furthermore, results showed that the mental representation of the CFPs is fragile and substantially exposed to the deceptive marketing practices known as “craftwashing”
Relationship between ethics and Fair Trade supply chain organisation and performance: the case of Italian Alternative Trade Organisations (ATO’s)
No full textFair Trade related import from developing countries is quickly growing although it still represents a small share of the total import. Its influence on the development of rural areas in developing countries is related to both quantitative growth and the respect of its ethical code. Large food multi-national companies are increasingly interested in Fair Trade; part of the Fair Trade movement considers the risk of a related loss in the products’ identity; others consider the refusal of a more “professional” approach to Fair Trade management as a constraint to its growth. This debate is particularly felt in Italy. The goal of this paper is to
evaluate how the most important Italian Fair Trade importers (ATO’s) business models influenced their growth strategies; transaction costs analyisis and logistics performance indicators were adopted to measure the supply chain coordination efficiency and
performance. The results showed that the ATO’s growth strategies, and logistics performances, seemed more influenced by their value propositions, than the lack of managerial skill
What Grounds Our Loyalty towards “Authentic Brand Activism” of a Sustainable Food Brand?
Full text link“Authentic brand activism” is an under-researched area of study, and it suffers from a clear lack of understanding concerning the effectiveness of its practices. This study aims to assess how consumers’ evaluations of a brand regarding brand reputation, competence, credibility, and benevolence affect consumers’ brand trust and brand loyalty. This research focuses on the Italian brand “Libera Terra” (“Free Land”), an organisation that uses assets confiscated from the mafias for the production of environmentally and socially sustainable agri-food products. Based on a sample of 366 randomly chosen consumers in a supermarket in the urban district of Bologna (Italy), the results show that consumers’ perceptions of brand performance contribute to their perceived levels of brand trust. The brand trust subsequently impacts consumers’ brand loyalty. This research confirms that alignment between an organisation’s values, business practices, and marketing strategies ensures that authentic brand activism is effective, highlighting the need for businesses to consciously adopt brand activism and avoid “woke washing” practices. The theoretical and managerial implications arising from this research are also presented
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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