Ales Kuhar

Subjective knowledge as a determinant of young adult consumers wine behaviour

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide additional insight into how the level of subjective knowledge (SK) related to wine explains differences in the wine-consumption behaviour of young adults. Particular attention was given to information search strategies employed by young adult wine consumers. Design/methodology/approach – A web-based survey was carried out on 287 young urban wine consumers who were recruited in specialised wine shops and at wine festivals. The key variables presenting the consumers’ wine searches were measured using the best-worst scaling method. Latent class cluster analysis (LCA) was used to segment the respondents into clusters based on their level of SK of wine. Findings – The study identifies three consumer segments with corresponding levels of SK related to wine. The segments present considerable differences in the wine-consumption-related behaviours and information search strategies. Research limitations/implications – Understanding young adults’ SK of wine will assi...

Firm Level Restructuring in the Slovenian Food Industry

During the 1990s Slovenia has moved toward a more market-based economy with a greater role for the private sector in asset ownership, production and price determination. The Slovenian food industry comprises a small number of producers operating in a comparatively modest market. Primary and secondary data analysis indicates that firms are largely oriented to a domestic market that is significantly protected. This has augmented profitability in the sector, albeit with substantial variations between branches. Profit levels (measured as cash flow as a percentage of turnover) are relatively high. If Slovenia joins the EU, food manufacturers operating in an enlarged European Single Market will not be afforded the degree of protection they currently receive and this heralds a substantial challenge to enterprise managers.

Influence of consumer regiocentrism on perceived value of wine

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify which dimensions of perceived value of wine dominate in the perception of wine consumers from two distinctive wine producing regions and to examine how their respective regional identity, consumer regiocentrism (CR) and perceived value of wine are inter-related in determining consumers’ preference of wine. Design/methodology/approach A sample of 221 wine consumers from two Slovenian wine regions with contrasting wine-related and social specificities responded to an online questionnaire. Besides the wine-related consumer behaviour variables, the questionnaire contained CR, regional identity and consumer perceived value measurements, based on adapted CETSCALE, regional identity and PERVAL scales. The scales were validated, and structural equation modelling was used to evaluate the relationships between the constructs. Findings Perceived value of wine was found to consist of three dimensions: emotional-social, quality-price and terroir, which differ from those previously observed among wine consumers from the USA. Regional identity was found to be a direct antecedent of CR, and CR directly affects all three dimensions of perceived value of wine; these findings were evident in the original model and in both studied wine regions. Research limitations/implications Future research should extend the model to include other possible antecedents of CR and study its effects on different consequences, especially purchasing intent. Future studies would benefit by adding more indicators into scales to measure CR and regional identity to improve the model fit. Originality/value This study contributes to a better understanding of perceived value of wine and extends the current knowledge of how social and psychological phenomena interact when evaluating wine. The results herein should enable marketers to develop more sophisticated positioning strategies and support their decision making for an appropriate market approach.

Determinants of Purchasing Behaviour for Organic and Integrated Fruits and Vegetables: The Case of the Post Socialist Economy

Modern food consumer is highly concerned about the safety and quality of the food products purchased. This concern goes simultaneously with their awareness of the relation between the production practice and quality of food products, as well as environmental concern in regards to food (Thogersen & Olander, 2002). Moreower, the awareness has contributed towards growing demand for food from non-conventional production practices as well as an increasing consumer interest in having a closer relationship with the food producer (Thompson, 1998; Wier et al., 2003; Vermeir & Verbeke, 2006; Botonaki et al., 2006). This change has been especially significant in the demand for organic foods, since the global annual organic sales are estimated at around 38.6 billion US Dollars in 2006 which is double figure in comparisons with the figure in 2000 (Willer et al., 2008). Consumption of organic food is highly concentrated in North America and Europe since these two regions comprise 97% of the global demand (Sahota, 2008). Consumption in these two markets is growing at close to 20% annually (Wier and Calverley, 2002; Halberg et al., 2006). Fruit and vegetables is the largest segment in the European organic food market with almost one forth of total organic food sales in 2006. Moreover, organic fruit and vegetables represented about 2 percent of all fruit and vegetable sales in Western Europe (Willer et al., 2008). This pattern is related particularly with the increased awareness of the importance of a healthy diet and positive perception of fruit and vegetable in this respect (Connor, 1994; Viaene et al., 2000; William & Hammit, 2001, Lambert N. 2001; Belows, et al., 2008). Response towards these trends on the supply side is also evident, since organic agriculture is one of the most rapidly developing market segments in both developed and developing countries (Halberg, 2006). Land area under organic agriculture has increased from 16.9 million hectares in 2000 to 30.4 in 2005 globally, whereas the growth in Europe was even faster (Willer et. al. 2008). In 2005 the organic area made up 3.9% of the total utilised agricultural area in the European Union, and the highest proportions were recorded in Austria with 11.0%, Italy with 8.4%, and the Czech Republic and Greece both with 7.2% (Eurostat, 2007). Simultaneously the global organic food chain has been transformed from a local network of producers and consumers to a highly coordinated and formally regulated supply system (Raynolds, 2004).