Paul Custance

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...

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...

Developing a novel health and well-being service: The value of utilising the restorative benefits of nature in the UK

Abstract Research from a number of sources attests to the value that people place on many of the attributes of the countryside, particularly tranquillity and peacefulness. The use of natural settings has been shown to be effective in assisting the restorative process. Some would go further to argue for the development of the practice of active engagement in social and therapeutic horticulture and agriculture as a form of therapy, particularly in regard to the benefits to health, well-being, and improved recovery times. This phenomenon is utilised in the development of a novel service (CaRE – Care and Rural Enterprise) based on collaboration between rural micro-businesses and a UK university, reflecting a national government agenda of linking business with higher education. The approach to this new service development is one of action research, which has been used particularly by health and social care practitioners who wish to improve their practices by a cycle of gradual learning and improvement and the encouragement of reflection. Modern health care provision has come to emphasise delivery of value for patients as consumers, often placing them at the centre of stakeholder networks. This paper reviews the progress of a novel respite care service that linked social provision to rural entrepreneurial activity, and charts development from what was envisaged initially as private-sector niche opportunities in health and recuperative care, evolving into social care in the rural environment. The study resulted in the initiation and development of the CaRE service providing a network of rural community-based care facilities.

Agricultural Multifunctionality and Care Farming: Insight from the UK

The purpose of the article is to provide insight into care farming and the role that it may play in agriltural multifunctionality. The paper outlines three case studies of care farming in the UK to compare and contrast the roles that such organizations may play in multifunctional agriculture. Although the work has the obvious limitation of being based on case-study care farms that are based in the UK, the findings are sufficiently generic to serve as valuable learning material for those interested in the subject and located anywhere in the world. The main finding from this study is that care farming can take many different forms but still contribute to agricultural multifunctionality. The study also confirms the important roles that economic support and favourable legislation play in successful care farming. The paper concludes that care farming is a legitimate form of agricultural multifunctionality but reminds those interested in setting up or promoting care farms of the need for a supportive economic and legislative environment. The paper provides contemporary insight into the concept of care farming as a form of agricultural multifunctionality. A number of generic points are made that should be of value to an international audience of academics researching in this area as well as students studying care farming and agricultural multifunctionality, farmers considering diversifying into care farming and politicians working to create a political and economic environment that may support care farms.