Leila Hamzaoui-Essoussi

Canadian Organic Food Consumers' Profile and Their Willingness to Pay Premium Prices

Organic food (OF) consumers are concerned with health, safety, and quality of food they eat. However, not all OF consumers are equally “organic.” This article aims to offer more insights into the organic consumers’ profile by clustering Canadian OF consumers into market segments based on their usage rate and psychographic characteristics. Results show 3 distinct segments of OF consumers varying significantly in their motivations to buy OF in their lifestyles but not in their demographics. The article also investigates these consumer segments’ willingness to pay (WTP) premium prices for OF products. WTP is thus not only determined by food category but also by type of consumer. Results also point out significant linkages between psychographic characteristics and WTP for OF.

Technological Complexity and Country-of-Origin Effects on Binational Product Evaluation: Investigation in an Emerging Market

ABSTRACT Research into the impact of the country of origin (COO) dimensions on product perceived quality in emerging markets is limited and does not distinguish between technologically complex/simple products. This paper investigates country-of-design (COD) and country-of-manufacture (COM) effects through their two subconstructs (global country image and the perceived capacity of the country to design/manufacture products), on the perceived quality of four products varying in their level of technological complexity. Findings indicate that consumers are more sensitive to COM than COD for complex and for simple products, and that COD only affects product quality for products carrying symbolic meaning. The findings have marketing implications for binational products entering emerging markets.

Nation branding for foreign direct investment: an Integrative review and directions for research and strategy

Purpose This study aims to address a heretofore neglected area in research, nation branding, for the purpose of attracting foreign direct investment (FDI). It compares and contrasts the well-established literature on decision-making and location choice in FDI with studies in the nascent field of nation branding, with a view to developing directions for future research that result from the identification of research gaps at the intersection point between the two areas. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on a systematic and integrative review of several streams within the relevant literatures, from the theory of decision-making in FDI to the similarities and differences between advertising, promotion, branding and marketing for investment on the part of nations and sub- or supra-national places. Findings Each of the two areas is characterized by lack of consensus as to the principal factors that affect investor and nation decisions and actions, resulting in several knowledge gaps that need to be addressed by new research along the lines suggested in the study. Research limitations/implications A large number of avenues for potential future research are identified, from assessing the importance of target country image in location choice to the adverse effects arising from the emphasis on “promotion” rather than “marketing” on the part of places engaged in nation branding efforts. Practical implications The study examines several problems that affect the practice of nation branding for FDI and points to alternative approaches that may enhance place marketers’ effectiveness in their efforts to attract foreign capital. Originality/value Notwithstanding the global growth of FDI in volume and importance, and the omnipresence of nation branding campaigns to promote exports or attract tourism and investment, there has been virtually no research to date on the core issue, nation branding for FDI. The study uses a strategic perspective that highlights key nation branding issues related to FDI, and FDI issues related to nation branding, and suggests a comprehensive agenda for research in the future.

The Organic Food Market: Opportunities and Challenges

Nowadays, most environmental challenges that humanity is facing relate to unsustainable consumption patterns and lifestyles. Sustainability is seen in this context as a consumption pattern that meets the needs of present generations without compromising the needs of future generations (Bruntland, 1987). This is also related to basic needs such as food. The present food chain is mainly based on food scarcity, GMOs, use of pesticides and antibiotics, and industrialization of the agricultural system. Growing consumer demand for organic food (OF) is based on most of these facts (Davies et al., 1995; Chryssohoidis and Krystallis, 2005). Organic production combines best environmental practices, preservation of natural resources, animal welfare standards while ensuring no use of genetic engineering, pesticides, additives, or fertilizers; each stage of the organic food production being controlled and certified. On the other hand, there are some unique challenges to the cost and logistics of moving locally or regionally produced organic foods to the market. Of particular interest is the concept of food mileage1 and the situation of small and medium size farms. At this time production of such farms is rather limited amounting to a few hundred tons. Such a volume will be of little interest to mainstream grocery chains. Moreover, consumers seem to be ambivalent about channels of distribution. Trust/mistrust emerge as an important factor in deciding not only where to buy OF products but even whether to buy OF products or not. Therefore, food mileage, price, and the certification process could contribute significantly to OF consumers’ consumption decisions of OF products. Finally, the challenge that the organic food sector is currently facing is a gap in the knowledge that spans between the marketing system in place, the value chain, and the value delivery network in the organic food system. This chapter introduces the current literature and current market realities of the OF industry and presents a supply-demand model. This model integrates both demand and supply side key factors and is built to answer the questions of what, how, where and why consumers buy organic. The authors also attempt to show how the combination of (1) behavioral factors such as knowledge and trust orientations, (2) lifestyle factors such as principle oriented standard of living and sustainability, and (3) local food/food mileage factors such as

Consumer Animosity: A Comparative Perspective

Consumer animosity, first posited some 15 years ago, is an emergent construct that is attracting considerable research attention. Nevertheless, several knowledge gaps remain, including, among others, that almost all past studies: (a) have considered only one country as the potential target of enmity, thus possibly overestimating the importance of animosity; (b) have focused on animosity and product measures for the target country, without accounting for the country’s overall image; (c) have dealt with developed countries and China, leaving other potentially important inter-country enmities unexplored; and (d) are limited to studying old enmities, such as those arising from events during WWII. This study aimed to address these gaps, specifically by focusing on a major emerging country other than China, considering a current intra-country enmity situation, including overall country measures (i.e., not only “product” ones), and, most importantly, assessing animosity in a comparative context by including not only the “target” country but also benchmark ones. This conceptualization resulted in selecting India for sampling, Pakistan as the animosity target, and the U.S. and South Korea as the benchmarks. The research instrument was designed to obtain global evaluation of products and of the countries themselves and their people for Pakistan, India, the U.S., and South Korea, and to assess Indian animosity toward the other three countries. The sampling took place in Delhi using a roll-out design, a self-administered questionnaire with scales validated extensively in past studies, and the drop-off/pick-up approach for the fieldwork. A total of 253 usable questionnaires were returned.

Production and Distribution of Organic Foods: Assessing the Added Values

Looking at the present food chain, concerns are related to anxiety among consumers about the quality of the food they eat, GMOs, use of pesticides and antibiotics, and industrializa‐ tion of the agricultural system. Growing consumer demand for organic food (OF) is based on most of these facts [1, 2]. Although OF is generally considered to present less risk than conventional foods, this debate has been re-launched as a direct consequence of rising con‐ cerns related to risks associated with intensive agricultural production, food industrializa‐ tion, and the effects of food technologies and food scares [1, 3]. An increasing number of organic brands, certification labels, and wider range of organic product categories has been observed in terms of efforts to provide higher food safety and food quality. But these factors do not seem to have increased consumers’ perceived value of organic food products nor trust in OF. Moreover, consumers seem to be ambivalent about channels of distribution as trust/mistrust appears to be an important factor in deciding, not only where to buy prod‐ ucts, but also whether to buy OF products or not [17].