Understanding Japanese consumer behaviour and cultural relevance of gift giving

This study examines the consumer in the Japanese market and the importance of gift-giving in Japanese culture as a first-order social practice. Cultural connectedness and relevance represents an area of importance for the marketing of retail products, particularly related to gift-giving. The interviewing of 25 participants was used to study the Japanese consumer and their purchase behaviours for gift-giving. The exploration of the social, cultural and economic constructs in Japan shows specific patterns found which are unique to the Japanese consumer. The emergence of new categories of consumers appearing in Japan through globalization and shifting mindsets influenced by western culture, as well as recent social and economic conditions, contribute to the evolution of the business market

Makkoto umai zeyo, this is truly delicious : the social construction of taste in the region of Kōchi, Japan

La cuisine de Kōchi est bien plus qu’un moyen de subvenir à des besoins alimentaires, car c’est à la fois une manière de diviser le monde social et un atout économique. Basée sur un terrain ethnographique dans cette région rurale du Japon, cette recherche examine comment l’incorporation de croyances et les considérations pragmatiques participent à la construction sociale du goût dans la région de Kōchi. D’une part, cette recherche révèle comment l’incorporation d’éléments culturels qui sont appris, physiquement internalisés et transmis structure le monde culinaire dans cette région. L’habitus, la culture et l’identité sont quelques-uns des outils conceptuels disponibles pour analyser comment les standards gustatifs sont incorporés dans la vie quotidienne des individus. Nous goûtons littéralement le monde social au travers de nos préférences alimentaires. D’autre part, cette recherche étudie comment des considérations pragmatiques qui découlent de préoccupations matérielles immédiates contribuent à façonner la culture culinaire. Considérant que Kōchi et l’une des préfectures les plus pauvres du Japon, le besoin urgent de revitalisation incite les habitants à transformer leur cuisine en une ressource marchande. Les opportunités économiques, la planification stratégique du gouvernement et les forces du capitalisme contribuent à la création de nouveaux plats de même qu’à la promotion de saveurs traditionnelles. Ainsi, les représentations donnant un sens à l’alimentaire et les régimes de valeur attribuant un capital monétaire à l’alimentaire façonnent le palais des résidents de Kōchi. Enfin, une telle analyse doit reconnaitre que les préférences de goût (les choix que nous faisons) et la perception du goût (notre expérience sensorielle) sont fortement liées. La construction sociale du goût fait partie d’un système qui influence à la fois les choix culinaires et les sens. Un modèle analytique combinant ces deux dimensions du goût peut contribuer à une meilleure compréhension de la nature contextuelle de ce qui est jugé délicieux.The food of Kōchi is more than mere sustenance to the inhabitants of the region as it is both a way to divide the social world and an economic asset. Based on fieldwork in this region of rural Japan, this research examines how incorporated beliefs and pragmatic considerations participate in the social construction of taste for emblematic foods in Kōchi. On one hand, this research seeks to uncover how incorporated beliefs, values that are learnt, embodied, performed and transmitted, structure taste in the region. Habitus, culture and identity are some of the tools at our disposal to analyze how standards of taste are incorporated into people’s daily lives. Literally speaking, we taste the social world through the food we eat. On the other hand, this research investigates how pragmatic considerations and immediate concerns brought on by material conditions help fashion taste in Kōchi. In one of the poorest prefectures of Japan, the urgent need for revitalization makes the cuisine of the region a valuable resource for the residents of the region. Economic opportunities, government strategic planning and the forces of capitalism fuel the creation of new dishes and the promotion of traditional flavors. Thus, embedded representations that give meaning to food and regimes of values that ascribe worth to food shape residents palates. Finally, such an analysis needs to recognize that both taste preferences (i.e. the choices we make) and taste perceptions (i.e. how we experience flavor) are closely bound together. The social construction of taste is part of an integrated system that frames culinary choices as well as the sense of taste. A comprehensive model that combines complementary facets of what constitutes taste can further contribute to a better understanding of the contextual nature of deliciousness

データ/テキストマイニングをベースとするサービス産業評価指標の開発

国立大学法人長岡技術科学大

Impacto del omotenashi en el servicio y fidelidad de los clientes en las marcas de lujo.

El servicio al cliente es la forma con la cual una empresa satisface las necesidades del consumidor. En algunos sectores, dichos planes son más sensibles que otros, porque su valor está en esa estrecha relación con los usuarios. El sector de lujo, por ejemplo, muestra que estas estrategias son de vital importancia porque no sólo las hacen ser más competitivas, sino que les aumenta la posibilidad de retener más usuarios y aumentar su rentabilidad. En este estudio, el Omotenashi convierte la satisfacción en deleite: lo que genera mayor rentabilidad y crea la lealtad de los clientes.1. Marco teórico ; Neuromarketing ; Servicio al cliente ; Omotenashi ; Marcas de lujo ; Estado del arte ; 2. Marco metodológico ; Criterios ; Diseño de la investigación ; Fase 1. Entrevistas a expertos ; Fase 2. Diagnóstico. (encuestas a consumidores y empleados) ; Fase 3. Conocer la percepción real del cliente para transferir el concepto Omotenashi ajustado al mercado seleccionado ; Resumen diseño de investigación ; Diagrama ; Matriz de consistencia ; 3. El principio Omotenashi en la búsqueda del Deleite del cliente ; Comparación entre satisfacción y deleite ; El deleite ; Modelo Kano ; ¿Cómo se mide el deleite? ; Del deleite a la lealtad ; Implementar un programa estratégico hacia la lealtad ; 4. Retención del cliente en resultados económicos ; ¿Cómo aumentar el valor de una empresa? ; Retención y Fidelización ; Retención y resultados económicos ; Servicio al cliente y retención en marcas de lujo ; 5. Percepción actual en el mercado y oportunidades de mejora ; Encuestas a clientes de las marcas de lujo en Colombia ; Entrevista con Testuya Sakata, experto en Omotenashi ; Casos de éxito con Omotenashi ; Shiseido ; Hoteles Belmond ; Conclusiones y recomendaciones.Administrador de EmpresasPregrad

The Effects of Japanese Ryokan Attributes on Perceived Values and Purchase Intention

The increasing demand for spa and hot spring resorts, particularly within the luxury markets, provides an opportunity for new types of accommodations. This study focused on Ryokan which is described as traditional Japanese hotels with hot springs. Despite the recent trend of expanding Japanese Ryokans in the global market, most extant research had only focused on perceptions of customers who have experienced Ryokans. Therefore, this study explored what attributes of Japanese Ryokans are important to potential customers and to what extent these attributes could enhance perceived values toward Japanese Ryokans. A total of 983 usable responses were collected through an online self-administrative survey on Qualtrics. The results of this study identified four major dimensions of Japanese Ryokan\u27s attributes (i.e., hotel attributes, hot springs and spas, Japanese servicescape, and Japanese culture) and two major dimensions of perceived value (i.e., functional & hedonic value and symbolic & financial value). Overall, Japanese servicescape, Japanese culture, and hot springs and spas had a significant positive effect on both value dimensions, while hotel attributes positively related to functional & hedonic value. In addition, the two dimensions of perceived value significantly mediated the relationship between Ryokan attribute dimensions and purchase intention. This study contributes to the theoretical foundation in the lodging literature by identifying dimensions of Japanese Ryokan attributes which reflect the unique characteristics of Japanese Ryokans within the luxury hot spring hotel/ resort context. Furthermore, the results of this study revealed potential consumers\u27 value perceptions toward luxury Japanese Ryokans and their effects on purchase intention. Overall, this study provided useful guidelines for Japanese Ryokans to create value-based marketing strategies

The Kyoto Brand: Protecting Agricultural and Culinary Heritage

Farmers, chefs, government officials, and consumers in Kyoto, Japan have worked to protect their gastronomic heritage and promote the local food industry using place brands that allow them to engage with outside actors and resources, resulting in a comparatively open and inclusive localism. Stakeholders in Kyoto’s agricultural and food sector have sought to minimize the negative impacts of globalization not by trying to close their borders or enact rules that strictly define and demarcate Kyoto’s food culture as separate, pure, and resistant to change but rather by allowing for the development of multiple place brands that can help better position Kyoto’s agriculture and food industry on the global stage. Kyoto’s place brands tend toward inclusiveness and fluidity, enabling overlapping and nested place brands to co-exist and supporting the incorporation of objects, ideas, and people from outside of Kyoto. At scales that vary from neighborhoods to the entire prefecture, these brands draw on Kyoto’s appeal as Japan’s “ancient imperial capital,” a trope that has helped make Kyoto one of Japan’s most powerful place brands according to recent consumer surveys. This research pays particular attention to place brands for three different products: heirloom vegetables, green tea, and local cuisine. In this dissertation, I analyze data obtained from fieldwork conducted in Kyoto in 2012-3, including semi-structured and informal interviews and participant observation at events centered on Kyoto’s food culture, from farmers’ markets and culinary research meetings to annual events like the prefectural and national agricultural fairs for tea. I also utilize discourse analysis of government documents, marketing materials, and various media. By demonstrating how people treat place as a brand and analyzing the repercussions this has, this research adds a new dimension to the theoretical literature on place. It also provides an ethnographic case study about boundary maintenance to the literature on branding and place brands. Kyoto’s example also holds lessons for local economies seeking to strategically position themselves in the face of new challenges, demonstrating the power of place brands as well as the insight that openness and flexibility can serve to protect and revivify local industry and tradition