Keith Walley

Quality assurance and the consumer

In recent years, quality assurance schemes have grown considerably in number and scope. Several useful benefits have been claimed for them including their value as marketing advantages. However, there appears to be a paucity of published research to support this claim. This paper, therefore, seeks to substantiate the claim that quality assurance schemes represent useful marketing advantages as well as determining the magnitude of the advantage. The study is based on conjoint analysis as it is argued that this is a more realistic and therefore, appropriate research technique than the direct elicitation approach embodied in simply asking consumers for their opinions concerning quality assurance schemes. The paper concludes that quality assurance is an influence on the consumer decision process for mince beef and in addition provides an indication as to its relative importance. It also speculates on the implications for quality assurance schemes in general.

The importance of brand in the industrial purchase decision: a case study of the UK tractor market

Purpose – With brands being an important source of competitive advantage, knowledge of branding is needed to inform their management. After reviewing the literature, the article aims to report the findings of a case study that investigated the role of branding in the industrial purchase of agricultural tractors in the UK. The studys overall conclusion is that branding can play an important role in industrial purchase decisions.Design/methodology/approach – Various attributes, together with levels of these attributes, were identified from the literature and a series of semi‐structured interviews with three farmers and farm contractors. Subsequently, conjoint analysis was employed to reveal how purchasers made their purchase decision. A total of 428 farmers and farm contractors (a 28.7 per cent response rate) ranked 25 cards that had been constructed to profile various hypothetical tractor designs.Findings – Five attributes appeared from the literature review and interviews – brand name, price, dealer prox...

UK consumer attitudes concerning environmental issues impacting the agrifood industry

Consumer concern for the environment has been on the increase in recent years. This concern has created many opportunities, as well as threats, for all businesses but particularly for those involved in the agrifood industry. These concerns can and do change considerably in a short space of time so it is essential that consumer surveys are conducted on a frequent basis to monitor these changes. This paper presents the findings of one such survey based on the findings of a consumer attitude study concerning environmental issues relating to the agrifood industry. The data is subjected to a cluster analysis in order to segment the respondents and make the findings more meaningful. The paper concludes that there are four groups of consumers (the ‘angries’; the ‘not-quite-so-angries’, the ‘anxious-but-amiables’ and the ‘Panglossians’) and that while a number of subjects constitute issues for consumers the one that unites most consumers, and which will probably have the greatest impact on the environment, is genetic modification. Consumer resistance to genetic modification is found to be high and it is suggested that as a result farmers will continue to employ traditional farming practices in the future. Copyright

The key dimensions of luxury from a UK consumers’ perspective

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report the findings of a research study that sought to identify the key dimensions of luxury from a UK consumers’ perspective. Design/methodology/approach – The project was empirical in nature and based on a two-stage methodology that involved a series of depth interviews with consumers and a street intercept survey of 131 consumers in the UK. Findings – The project found that UK consumers appear to recognise five dimensions of luxury (affect, characteristics, status, gifting and involvement). Research limitations/implications – The main limitation was a small sample size and limited statistical significance. Practical implications – The paper should usefully focus the attention and efforts of managers of luxury brands, managers of ordinary brands who desire to develop them into luxury brands, and managers who are considering creating luxury brands in the UK. The findings should inform management decisions relating to product development, advertising, promotion an...

Crisis brand management in emerging markets

Purpose – This paper seeks to address a gap in the literature relating to crisis brand management in emerging markets.Design/methodology/approach – The study is based on secondary research and 15 qualitative depth interviews with mothers living in Beijing.Findings – The study found that the Chinese infant milk powder incident significantly reduced confidence in domestic brands, altered perceptions of domestic brands, and had a profound effect on buying behaviour.Research limitations/implications – The study is based primarily on a consumer perspective and the findings cannot be generalised to a wider population with known levels of statistical significance because of the qualitative methodology and small sample size.Practical implications – The paper concludes that while crisis brand management requires managers to undertake similar actions whether they work in an emerging or a developed market, the cultural environment may cause them to actually take different actions.Originality/value – This paper makes...

A review of French consumers purchasing patterns, perceptions and decision factors for poultry meat

In recent years, changing public perceptions and attitudes, as well as a hostile economic climate, have combined to potentially modify French consumer behaviour relating to poultry meat. This paper makes use of a longitudinal dataset that has been constructed through regular surveying of consumers and review information relating to purchasing patterns, perceptions and decision factors in France. These findings will be of interest to marketing practitioners as well as policy makers, academics and others with an interest in the poultry sector.

Service quality in the language training market in China

Purpose – This paper aims to explore the service quality concept in the context of the rapidly growing Chinese language training market.Design/methodology/approach – The study is based on a mixed methodology that includes secondary research, eight qualitative depth interviews, and a quantitative survey of 200 language students studying in Beijing.Findings – The study identified and quantified the key aspects of service quality relating to language training in China and an importance/performance analysis (IPA) finds that management should focus their attention on improving the cost of training, the availability of learning materials, and lectures starting and finishing on time.Research limitations/implications – Although the findings are statistically significant, it is not quite at the level normally considered acceptable for research studies. In addition, because the data was collected in a single geographic location (Beijing), it is possible that the findings may not be representative of the Chinese mar...

Value co-creation in high-involvement services: the animal healthcare sector

Purpose This paper investigates the significance of value c o-creation to the UK animal healthcare sector from the perspective of the key industry stakeholders: clients, veterinarians and paraprofessionals. Design Value co-creation constructs in the sector were identified and measured using a mixed methods approach comprised of qualitative NVivo thematic analysis of depth interviews (n=13) and quantitative Exploratory Factor Analysis n=271). Findings Qualitative results revealed nine underlying dimensions regarding service delivery in the sector: trustworthiness, communication, value for money, empathy, bespoke, integrated care, tangibles, accessibility and outcome driven service. Exploratory Factor Analysis of professional survey data loaded onto seven latent factors, with strong value co-creation dimensions identified. Research limitations/ implications The sampling process is sufficiently representative and diverse to present meaningful and valuable results; however, surveying should be extended to include the client group. Due to the originality of the research replication of the study will be beneficial to the broader understanding and application of value co-creation to the high-involvement services of animal healthcare. Practical implications Recognition of the importance of value co-creation to the sector should encourage professional stakeholders to develop and adopt integrated models of service provision and to provide improved levels of service quality. Originality and value The paper makes an original contribution to knowledge regarding value co-creation in respect of high involvement service provision. Its findings should be of value to academics interested in value co-creation in service sectas well as animal healthcare practitioners seeking to offer better value and quality service provision.

A review of UK consumers’ purchasing patterns, perceptions and decision making factors for poultry meat

In recent years changing public perceptions and attitudes, as well as a dynamic economic climate, have combined to potentially modify UK consumer behaviour relating to poultry meat. This paper reviews information relating to purchasing patterns, perceptions and decision making factors for in-home poultry meat consumption in the UK. The findings will be of interest to marketing practitioners as well as policy makers, academics and others with an interest in the poultry sector.

Young consumers in fast food restaurants: technology, toys and family time

Purpose The purpose of the study was to further our understanding of in-restaurant family behaviors using an ethnographic study of families with children (at least one child from 2 to 12 years old) dining in fast food restaurants. Design/methodology/approach This study includes an unobtrusive, direct observational study of family fast food restaurant behaviour, including use of mobile technology, toys and indoor play area. Ordering and dining behaviours include field notes and enumeration of activity times for 300 families (450 children). Findings The food ordering process was rapid (<6 min), during which personal technology use was minimal, and adult/child interactions were perfunctory. Visits averaged 53 min, and only 18 min on average was spent eating. Families were observed using the fast food restaurant as a “third place” (home away from home) for many activities other than eating food. In-restaurant family behaviours included frequent use of technology (40 per cent of children/ 70 per cent of adults), use of the indoor play area (65 per cent of children/ 33 min of play) and child engagement with a toy (53 per cent of children/10 min of play). Originality/value Studying how time is spent in fast food restaurants expands the knowledge of current family eating behaviours and how young consumers behave in restaurants (i.e. with restaurant-provided activities, toys and indoor play spaces). Shifts in dining practices, from the intrusion of technology during the meal (technoference) to a decline in the use of restaurant-provided toys were noted. Dining visits now include many non-food activities, and the dining time in the restaurant was not a time for extensive family conversations or interactions, but rather a public home away from home.