Consumer Preferences for Quality Foods from a South European Perspective: A Conjoint Analysis Implementation on Greek Olive Oil

The objective of the present study is to describe the preferences of younger, more educated and higher income Greek consumers for "quality" olive oil brands - quality being defined as a bundle of extrinsic quality cues such as quality assurance labels, health-related information, country-of-origin indication, bottling material and price. The aim of the research is, with the implementation of a conjoint analysis task, to describe and analyze consumer preferences using a random, stratified, sample of urban consumers. The extrinsic quality attributes of olive oil, strongly linked to a previous qualitative, Means-end Chains (MEC) analysis survey, is used as starting points for the development of conjoint profiles. Special emphasis is given to the development and evaluation of different quality marketing mixes and the analysis of the importance consumers attach to the series of extrinsic quality cues used. The identification of different consumer segments in terms of this importance and the development of their socio-demographic and behavioral profile is also mphasized. The final step of the research is the measurement of demand for quality through the calculation of potentially larger market shares across segments of different quality hypothetical) brands in comparison to the common (real).Quality extrinsic cues, Conjoint analysis, Segmentation, Market shares, Consumer/Household Economics, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

Fit for the future

Tackling the UK government's four Grand Challenges requires governance structures able to cope with uncertainty over the next three decades

One size does (obviously not) fit all: Using product attributes for wine market segmentation

The intense competition affecting the wine industry in recent decades has forced wineries and retailers to reshape their marketing strategies on the basis of consumer preferences. The current study aims to identify such preferences and the effects they might have in influencing consumer decisions. Preferences for different wine attributes as well as the psychographic traits of respondents were revealed through a web-based questionnaire administered to 504 wine consumers living in the wider metropolitan area of New York. Best-worst scaling (BWS) was used to detect consumer preferences for eleven wine attributes. Based on individual best-worst scores, a latent class segmentation analysis was implemented to classify consumers into four segments on the basis of psychographic characteristics such as involvement, subjective knowledge, innovativeness and loyalty proneness. The four segments identified (i.e. experientials, connoisseurs, risk minimizers and price-sensitive) differ significantly in terms of their preferences towards wine and psychographic characteristics, suggesting that a mass marketing approach is no longer suitable. Accordingly, managers need to adapt their marketing strategies to meet the preferences of different target groups. The results provide broad implications for marketers, wineries and retailers interested in successfully targeting consumers in a highly competitive market

Normalizing White-Collar Wrongdoing in Professional Service Firms

There is extensive literature on top managers committing wrongdoing, but few studies examine white-collar wrongdoing. Drawing on the experiences of a professional service firm, we examine why and how engineering consultants normalize wrongdoing. Leveraging bounded rationality theory, we find that organizational myopia promotes inadequate administrative systems that hold consultants prisoner to their rules and procedures, leading to normalized wrongdoing. Our theoretical contributions are threefold: (1) we contribute to the literature on wrongdoing, presenting the relation between organizational myopia and normalized wrongdoing, (2) we contribute to the administrative systems literature, showing their link with poor project performance, and (3) we show how administrative systems and normalized wrongdoing play a role in project scope creep. We introduce an iceberg model to show that the failed project (the tip of the iceberg) is due to organizational myopia and inefficient administrative systems that need to be addressed before starting any project

Charting the path towards a long-term knowledge brokerage function: an ecosystems view

Hybrid networks of actors such as policymakers, funders, scholars, and business practitioners are simultaneous producers and consumers of evidence use. While this diversity of evidence use is a strength, it also necessitates greater collaboration among interested parties for knowledge exchange. To address this need, we investigate how ecotones, which are hybrid networks operating in the transitional area between two distinct ecosystems, such as academic research and policy ecosystems, must involve, disseminate, and integrate different types of knowledge. Specifically, our research aims to unpack how an ecotone’s knowledge brokerage function evolves over its lifecycle. This paper presents the findings of a phenomenological investigation involving experts from the policy and academic research ecosystems. The study introduces a three-stage maturity transitions framework that outlines the trajectory of the brokerage function throughout the ecotone’s lifecycle: i. as a service function, ii. a programme-partnership, and iii. a network of networks. The paper contributes to the theory of knowledge brokerage for policy-making. We reflect on our findings and discuss the theoretical contributions within an ecosystem approach and their associated research and policy implications

Normalizing White-Collar Wrongdoing in Professional Service Firms

There is extensive literature on top managers committing wrongdoing, but few studies examine white-collar wrongdoing. Drawing on the experiences of a professional service firm, we examine why and how engineering consultants normalize wrongdoing. Leveraging bounded rationality theory, we find that organizational myopia promotes inadequate administrative systems that hold consultants prisoner to their rules and procedures, leading to normalized wrongdoing. Our theoretical contributions are threefold: (1) we contribute to the literature on wrongdoing, presenting the relation between organizational myopia and normalized wrongdoing, (2) we contribute to the administrative systems literature, showing their link with poor project performance, and (3) we show how administrative systems and normalized wrongdoing play a role in project scope creep. We introduce an iceberg model to show that the failed project (the tip of the iceberg) is due to organizational myopia and inefficient administrative systems that need to be addressed before starting any project

Futureproofing Complex Infrastructure Projects Using Real Options

Existing project performance measures in the infrastructure sector focus on construction performance (time, cost, quality) and pay less attention to lifecycle performance. The consequence of this shortsighted perspective is that decisions taken early lead to poorer solutions. Infrastructure that should last centuries quickly becomes inadequate, leading to costly reconfigurations. Real options reasoning can help managers to overcome this issue by unlocking lifecycle performance thinking in complex infrastructure projects. Real options reasoning enables managers to explore the value of flexibility by employing futureproofing strategies during the development process. From analysis of interviews with experts in healthcare infrastructure, we observed that projects that led to obsolescence were developed using tight design briefs and were focused on capital targets, and decision-makers were less invested in the concept of futureproofing. On the other hand, projects that were futureproofed followed a loosely-defined design brief and shifted focus towards whole-life targets. We make five recommendations for futureproofed infrastructure

Adding more value to added-value. An exploration of consumers’ perceptions of improved animal welfare standards in organic production processes

Recent studies reveal that consumers respond favourably to “organic plus” products with additional ethical attributes. The aim of the current study is to explore whether consumers would notice and value further improvements in the animal welfare standards than those imposed by the organic regulation. The results of a qualitative concept test reveal positive attitudes towards the proposed production process. The discussions about fewer standards being sufficient or about options “in-between” conventional and organic standards indicate that the difference in production processes is noticed, yet it is probably valued less than expected. The added attributes need to be thoroughly considered when developing and marketing “organic plus” products, as their effect on other product characteristics (e.g. high prices) can detract from their added value

Cybernetics in Project Management: a conceptual framework to analyze and enhance the performance of alliances via the application of Viable System Model

Large infrastructure projects are becoming increasingly complex with ever-growing challenges ahead. To date, productivity growth in the infrastructure sector has been slow, when compared to manufacturing, but there are sector exemplars that have developed innovative approaches to delivery. Alliancing is one such approach that has showed promise in tackling some of the problems of poor infrastructure productivity. It is where all parties coalesce to form a project enterprise where they can share risks and rewards and remove transactional costs. This paper aims to investigate what is known about project alliancing, by reviewing it through the lens of a Viable System Model (VSM) and Cybernetics. As such it will explain and analyze the viability and capability of alliances in self-organizing and adaptability. This paper proposes a new approach and establishes a framework for project-based enterprises that will help them face challenges and adapt to environmental uncertainties