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For many years it has been recognised that physical distribution is a promising area for the application of system modelling techniques. Freight transportation systems offer a rare combination of tractability and realistic opportunity for improvement. Large‐scale freight network models, for example, can be useful to state and national transportation system planners. Among other uses, the models permit examination of the impact of proposed changes on modal competition and on the flow of traffic over certain routes. Carriers may also find network models useful for their more limited planning purposes, such as determining the consequences of changes in a physical system. For example, facilities or links can be added, deleted, or modified in order to analyse the effects on tonnage and mode of shipment for the affected commodities. Specific routes can be added or eliminated in order to determine the worth of using those routes. Finally, firms can change the commodity tonnage between specific origins and destinations in order to assess future transportation needs.

There is a lack of literature analysing the characteristics and purchasing behaviour of “Tweeners”. This paper aims to focus on components of visual content targeting Tweeners in order to better understand their characteristics and, importantly, so that marketers may better design and deliver effective and appealing communications.

Three components of visual content are studied: outfit, backdrop, and model size. A controlled experiment is used. A Fishbein formulation is adopted with evaluative beliefs being toward visual components and attitude is toward the advertisement, Aad. The key research questions concern the relationships between evaluative beliefs regarding visual components, Aad, and intentions to purchase fashion apparel.

The paper reveals that purchase intentions for most categories of outfits are unaffected by the backdrop of the advertisement. However, a pronounced interaction between outfit and backdrop is found for one category of outfit. In contrast with research using older girls and women, no effect for body size is found.

In order to control model characteristics, a single model image was manipulated to produce the model size treatment. Only four outfits and two backdrop conditions were used. Replications with more models, outfits, and backdrops are needed. This is especially true of backgrounds and outfits, given the strong backdrop by outfit interaction.

The lack of a model size effect and the strong outfit by backdrop interaction suggest generalising research conducted with older groups to the younger cohort may be inappropriate.

This research aims to develop a behaviorally based definition of “locavores”, i.e. a segment of a population that purchases locally grown produce. It describes the locavore segment on a set of attributes representative of those typically used for market segmentation and contrasts the locavore segment with a non‐locavore segment to estimate the impact value of local production over organic production. This paper operationalizes the concept in terms of reported buying behavior for fresh produce. A questionnaire administered to adult primary household food shoppers and residents of a US state included attribute, trial and usage (AT&U) questions focusing on a specific target product, i.e. apples. The paper profiles the segment in terms of marketing relevant criteria and discusses implications of the segment for the marketing of fresh produce.

A quantitative online survey of 1,218 Pennsylvania residents was conducted. The survey included a conjoint experiment where respondents rated their preference for various apples consisting of different levels of key apple characteristics, including physical apple attributes (sweetness, blemishes, size, crispness), credence attributes (conventional versus organic production method, local origin versus product of USA versus imported) and purchase price when buying apples. The data were used to quantify how much consumers are willing to give up in terms of product appearance, price, value of locally produced or other variables. Traditional attribute, trial and usage data were also collected.

The key finding was that the attribute “local” was significantly more impactful in changing preference for apples than “organic”. It was also found that there were three segments of apple consumers: those that most valued the quality of the apple, a second that was most interested in price, and a third most interested in the health and/or life style attributes such as local and organic attributes. Large differences were found between locavores and non‐locavores on marketing relevant criteria, such as price sensitivity, outlet preferences, and media characteristics.

The major limitation was the use of only Pennsylvania residents in the study and produce other than apples might have been used as well. Additionally it would have been more effective if the actual apples could have been available to taste and inspect. A valuable finding is that there is a local segment that values and is willing to pay for a locally produced product. However, that is the smallest segment and must be carefully targeted as most consumers are interested in either taste or price.

USA food retailers that use local supply can tell their customers “that purchasing from local farmers helps the economy in the communities we serve. Local produce can be delivered to your store very quickly and faster shipping means even fresher produce for you. Items can be picked and packed at a more mature stage. This can really bring out the taste of the product. Eating locally grown food also means less fossil fuel burned in preparation and transport – and less energy needed to refrigerate during transportation”. Farmers may wish to promote their local crops and not spend the additional money on organic farming.

The article appears to be the first research paper to tease apart the impact of local from organic via a conjoint analysis.

There is limited published work addressing factors that influence responses to internet surveys. This is due in part to lack of an agreed upon set of relevant theories. Albaum, Evangelista and Medina (AEM) and Evangelista et al. made a step toward filling this gap when they studied the relevance of four theories of survey response behaviour. The AEM study included a survey from a population of survey researchers. Based on their survey, they concluded that all four theories contribute to explaining survey response behaviour. The purpose of this paper is to provide an exploratory extension of AEM by using an extended set of theories in an exploratory content analysis of qualitative feedback to a large internet‐based experiment.

An internet‐based survey using an experimental design was sent to essentially the entire population of student e‐mail addresses at a New Zealand university. The 12,000 questionnaires distributed included open‐end questions that asked about factors related to conducting surveys over the internet, especially potential barriers to response. A total of 841 comments are collected. An extended version of the four theories identified by AEM are used to organise and summarise the feedback provided.

Cost is the most highly mentioned factor and commitment the least‐mentioned factor. Overall, cost, reward, and trust are the most significant factors in survey response, leading to the conclusion that social exchange appears to the most prominent theory for internet‐based surveys and commitment is the least prominent theory.

This is the first study to use qualitative research to assess the applicability of the major theories of survey response behaviour. In addition; the study is the first to apply these theories to internet‐based surveys.

The paper's aim is to illustrate the use of a technique that can help researchers choose which techniques, and at what level, to employ in an internet‐based survey.

A screening experiment, designed as a Plackett‐Burman design, is used to study main effects of 11 techniques for increasing survey response. Three measures of effect used are click rate, completion rate, and response rate. A convenience sample of students at a large university in New Zealand is used.

Follow‐up had significant impact on click rate; incentive and pre‐notification had a significant impact on completion rate; no technique had significant effect on response rate.

Main effects are examined. Also, a limited number of approaches for each technique are studied.

This paper illustrates the use of a methodology that researchers, practitioner, and academics alike, can use to select techniques to employ in an internet survey. This is the first known application of the technique for selecting data collection techniques in marketing.

This issue is a selected bibliography covering the subject of leadership.

The age diversity climate construct is gaining greater attention in the organizational literature due to the demographic changes in the workplace. While the few existing studies on age diversity climate (ADC) are rather encouraging, this construct is still at an early stage of conceptual and operational development. This chapter helps to advance this field of research by analyzing the conceptual issues stemming from the theoretical definition and empirical measurement of the ADC construct. We first review and compare ADC with other age-focused climate concepts, highlighting overlapping and diverging factors regarding their conceptual framework and operationalization. Subsequently, we consider several open issues related to the operationalization of ADC, including the level of analysis, the choice of referent, and the dimensions of analysis. We conclude the chapter by outlining possibilities for future research on ADC.

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