David A. Cohen

Investigating differences between domestic and international winery visitors in New Zealand

Purpose – Since the early 1990s, New Zealands wine industry has experienced significant growth, including the much larger volume of grapes being produced, more wineries being open to the public and more wines being exported. However, this growth has not been accompanied by published academic research on topics related to the wine industry, such as wine tourism. This paper aims to report the findings of a study conducted in New Zealand wineries that investigated differences between domestic and international winery visitors on characteristics related to their winery experience.Design/methodology/approach – The study focuses on the ways in which different winery visitor groups may differ, or whether relationships exist between these.Findings – The results indicate that there may well be differences between these two groups in several dimensions, including their winery expenditures.Originality/value – While some sampling aspects reduce the generalisability of the results, the findings may have useful implic...

A cross-cultural examination of the general theory of marketing ethics: Does it apply to the next generation of managers?

Confirms the empirical test of Hunt and Vitell’s general theory of marketing ethics by Mayo and Marks across four cultures. Uses path analysis to show the core relationships of the general theory of marketing ethics were successfully replicated using over 1,500 students from seven universities in the USA, Canada, the Netherlands, and Australia. States that tomorrow’s managers appeared to use a more deontological approach to making ethical judgements about personal selling. Extends its original research by confirming the positive relationship between the probability and the desirability of consequences. Concludes that, although the model was originally intended to explain management ethical decision making, the study shows that it may be possible to generalize as to how individuals make ethical life decisions.

Seasonality and the lifestyle "conundrum": An analysis of lifestyle entrepreneurship in wine tourism regions

This study explores the importance of non-economic, personal and family lifestyle goals in the establishment of rural wine tourism operations and how these lifestyle goals influence the decisions and actions of owners as they relate to seasonality management, particularly surrounding wine tourism involvement. It also explores the ways in which lifestyle-oriented operations may be deemed “problematic” at the destination level in relation to managing for tourism seasonality. The wine and tourism industries provide particularly useful contexts to explore entrepreneurial lifestyle motivations and how these play out in efforts to manage seasonality. Both the wine and tourism industries are highly seasonal, and rely on cooperation for regional initiatives to manage seasonality, through events or marketing, particularly when the businesses are small scale and located in peripheral areas. However, if the lifestyle or personal goals of some owners are at odds with the profit maximization goals of other owners, then developing a cohesive regional strategy can be a problem. The trends identified here reflect the challenges faced in many wine regions and in other rural areas that attract a diversity of business owners, including lifestyle-oriented business owners.

Food and Wine Production Practices: An Analysis of Consumer Views

This study was designed to ascertain the degree to which consumers are concerned about human health and environmental issues arising from both food and wine production. In particular, this study sought, for the first time, to compare consumer perceptions regarding food production practices and wine production practices. Interviewer-administered questionnaires were completed with 109 consumers inside supermarkets, general liquor stores and specialty wine stores in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand. In general, consumers expressed a high level of concern regarding the effects of agricultural (food) production practices on both their own health and on the health of the environment. Consumers were found to be less concerned about the effects of wine production practices on their health and the environment, but a large segment reported that they did not know how wine was produced and thus had not, as yet, formed either positive or negative views about the effects of wine production practices. At a practical level, this paper suggests that wine marketers have a window of opportunity in which to positively influence the large number of consumers who currently do not hold any views regarding the effects of wine production on their health or the environment. This paper is of significant value because it provides a unique comparison of consumer views regarding food production and wine production and it has added to our knowledge of the ‘green’ consumer.

Does age matter? How Age Influences the Winery Experience

Purpose – To investigate differences among winery visitors of different age groups in New Zealand, as well as the commercial potential of these groups.Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire was designed to obtain information of winery visitors, including demographic characteristics and their expenditure at the winery. A total of 43 wineries located in all wine regions of New Zealand accepted the invitation to participate in this study by distributing questionnaires in their facilities. In all, 609 usable responses were obtained.Findings – The study provides information about winery visitors in New Zealand, and confirms clear differences among different age groups in several dimensions, including their winery expenditures.Research limitations/implications – One potential limitation is that because several participating wineries were much larger in physical size and restaurant seating, the percentage of responses obtained in this study might have been disproportionately large, or unrepresentatively s...

Exploring Wine Tourism in New Zealand: the Visitors' Points of Views

With the remarkable growth of New Zealands wine industry in the last decade, the concept of wine tourism has been gaining in popularity among different groups of travelers to rural areas. Numerous factors can impact individuals decision to visit wineries. Many consumer-related studies emphasize the consumers perceived value of the consumption experience, as well as how to deliver a satisfying experience to consumers. This also applies to wineries seeking to attract visitors and benefit commercially in the process in the form of wine and food sales. This study conducted among New Zealand wineries explores several aspects related to visitors winery experience. These aspects include the most relevant factors impacting on visitors decision to travel to wineries, how visitors discover their chosen winery, the value they place on elements of their winery experience, and their overall satisfaction. The findings suggest the critical importance of word-of-mouth advertising in influencing winery choice. The results also indicate that a rather large number of visitors travel to wineries for reasons other than the wine, including their proximity of the winery, passing by, or on route to another destination. The overall results could have important implications for wineries, particularly in their efforts to market their businesses.

Consumers’ willingness to pay for organic products in Thailand

Purpose - – The purpose of this paper is to investigate factors affecting consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) a premium for organics. Design/methodology/approach - – A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data at five retail stores in metropolitan Bangkok. Exploratory factor analysis and the double-bound contingent valuation method were used for analysis. Findings - – Results indicate WTP premiums of 88, 51 and 51 per cent for kale, jasmine rice and pork, respectively. Analysis indicates that respondents are willing to pay a premium if they have already purchased organic products, have good health, strong ethical and environmental concerns, think that organic products provide greater quality and health benefits, and reside in the city. Respondents with children, however, are less likely to pay a premium for organic products. Analysis also indicates that the price premium hinders purchase. Practical implications - – Efforts should be made by policymakers, together with marketers and producers, to lower the price of organic products to attract more consumers. Originality/value - – To enlarge the organic market, one must understand consumers’ preferences for organic products and the premium they will pay for them. This is not well-researched. Though several studies have investigated consumers’ behaviour towards environmentally friendly products in Thailand, there is little research on WTP. This lack is a major impediment to the growth of organic consumption and the development of organic product markets.

An empirical analysis of homeownership in urban China

Purpose – This paper seeks to investigate the impact of socioeconomic factors of homebuyers such as gender, age, marital status, education, economic status and race on home ownership and loan decisions in urban China. Design/methodology/approach – This paper employs logistic regression to investigate the socioeconomic factors affecting the consumers house purchase decision in urban China and the factors affecting the housing loan application. Findings – Using a structured questionnaire to collect relevant data from household residents (both homeowners and non-home owners) in Nanjing in 2010, the findings document that male respondents who are non-minorities and have higher levels of education are more likely to purchase a house. The results also show that race, educational attainment, size of household and credit card ownership are significantly related to rejection for a housing loan. Research limitations/implications – The findings in this paper provide homebuyers with a better understanding of factors...

The dissemination of information amongst supply chain partners: A New Zealand wine industry perspective

The purpose of this study was to ascertain the degree to which information was shared between wineries and independent grape growers in the New Zealand wine industry. Data was collected from randomly selected wineries and independent grape growers using a self-completed and anonymous questionnaire. Significant relationships were found between the level of information sharing, the level of trust, and the level of overall satisfaction among the supply chain partners. The findings highlight the relationship between information sharing and successful supply chains. The study also suggests that information sharing between wineries and growers in the New Zealand wine industry needs to be increased, which may in turn, improve supply chain trust and satisfaction and increase the effectiveness of marketing strategies. This paper supports previous research highlighting the importance of information sharing in supply chains, and in particular it provides empirical evidence of the link between this variable and both trust and overall satisfaction in supply chains. From a practical standpoint, this paper suggests that improvements in terms of information sharing between supply chain members could provide significant benefit to the New Zealand wine industry.

The evolution of China’s banking system: bank loan announcements 1996–2009

This study investigates China’s evolving banking systems from 1996 to 2009 by testing the market response to bank loan announcements in the China. The results show a significant negative market response to bank loan announcements in the Chinese financial market for the sample period 1996–2004. However, after a series of reforms in the Chinese banking system, the significantly negative market response to bank loan announcements disappears for the sample period 2005–2009.