Jeremy I. Abel, Cheryl L. Buff and John C. O’Neill
The purpose of this research is to investigate the extent to which actual and ideal self‐congruities (image) are associated with health club patronage, a conspicuous consumption…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research is to investigate the extent to which actual and ideal self‐congruities (image) are associated with health club patronage, a conspicuous consumption situation. Previous studies which have examined the applicability of the image congruence hypothesis to consumer behavior have scarcely examined its effect in the services industry. An integrative model of self‐concept, self‐congruity and health club image provides the foundation for hypotheses development.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey‐based methodology was employed in the current investigation, as paper‐and‐pencil surveys were administered on‐site at several local health clubs and an on‐line version of the questionnaire was made available to college students.
Findings
Consumers’ actual self‐image, rather than ideal self‐image, was more strongly associated with their perception of their health club's brand image and, thus, served as a stronger indicator of health club patronage.
Practical implications
Health club members exhibited a greater tendency to match the image they currently held of themselves with the brand image of their patronized health club. Health clubs would do well to develop and promote a brand image that is aligned more closely with members’ actual self‐images rather than attempting to develop a brand image that correlates more strongly to members’ idealized self‐images.
Originality/value
The current investigation evidences the applicability of the image congruence hypothesis to a particular service product that has not been examined in prior image congruence studies.
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Abel Duarte Alonso, Seng Kok and Jeremy Galbreath
The purpose of this study is to investigate about women involved in the wine industry of emerging economies, including their journey, perceived progression in the industry, their…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate about women involved in the wine industry of emerging economies, including their journey, perceived progression in the industry, their impact and required characteristics to adapt to this industry. Because of its significance in the context of this research, social cognitive theory (SCT) will be adopted.
Design/methodology/approach
Face-to-face, in-depth on-site interviews were conducted with 15 female winery owners and managers in three separate South American wine regions.
Findings
While overall participants recognised persistent barriers for women to work in the wine industry, they also acknowledged increased opportunities for females, which have led to stronger roles for women. Importantly, sensitivity, by being detail-oriented in service encounters while practicing subtlety in winemaking, was revealed as a key differentiating trait. Further, fundamental tenets of SCT, particularly self-efficacy, became apparent when participants reflected on their own journeys, as well as on how future female entrants could successfully adapt to the wine industry.
Originality/value
The study draws on SCT’s underpinnings to examine an under-researched area, notably, the journey of entrepreneurial women in the wine industry of emerging economies. Apart from the gathered empirical evidence concerning such a journey, a proposed framework extends SCT, thereby highlighting the role of self-efficacy, a determinant factor in enhancing women’s presence and involvement in the wine industry. This presence is closely linked to women’s progression and journey in the industry, where determination contributes to their adaptation, learning and accumulation of knowledge, with important implications for their future and the future of other female entrants.
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Abel Duarte Alonso and Jeremy Northcote
Wine is an integral part of so‐called “Old World” nations, amalgamating with the local history and landscape, and providing a powerful “origin branding”. To date, however, these…
Abstract
Purpose
Wine is an integral part of so‐called “Old World” nations, amalgamating with the local history and landscape, and providing a powerful “origin branding”. To date, however, these dimensions have been discussed to a very limited extent in emerging “New World” wine regions, where the lack of a traditional heritage of wine making presents special challenges in terms of origin branding. The focus of most previous research has been on the viewpoints of consumers, not those of producers. This study seeks to explore these dimensions among small wine growers.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a qualitative approach, 42 interviews with winery operators from several emerging Western Australian wine regions were conducted.
Findings
In the absence of historical wine pioneers and traditions, winery operators in emerging wine‐producing regions use alternative means for “origin branding” that emphasise heritage and landscape characteristics centring on the wider “rural idyll”. These associations serve to forge a “vintage” identity for their industry, which essentially masks its youth for their region.
Research limitations/implications
In view of the more than 200 small wineries operating in Western Australia the number of respondents in the study may not allow for making generalisations of the state's wine industry.
Practical implications
The current growth in the number of wineries in the regions studied and the increasingly acknowledged quality of their wine product may help towards the establishment of their history and identity, thus contributing to origin branding over time.
Originality/value
The study explores the importance of history and landscape among winery operators in promoting their wineries and their wine products in the context of emerging wine regions, an area for the most part ignored in contemporary research.
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The purpose of this paper is to explore an important nexus of formal/informal economic activity in Russia: “normative” workers (in waged formal employment) by virtue of a strongly…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore an important nexus of formal/informal economic activity in Russia: “normative” workers (in waged formal employment) by virtue of a strongly embedded work‐related social identity and characterized by a significant number of weak social ties, move with little “effort” between formal and informal work.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper presents extensive ethnographic data from the Russian provinces on workers and diverse economic practices. It utilizes participant observation and semi‐structured interviews from periods of fieldwork over the course of a year (2009‐2010).
Findings
This study traces the theoretical debates on the informal economy from 1989 to 2008 and argues for a substantivist position on household reproduction that focuses on the interdependence of social networks, employment, class‐identity and (informal) work. The findings demonstrate significant performative and spatial aspects of embedded worker identity, including the workspace itself as a contested domain, that facilitate movement between formal‐informal work.
Originality/value
The originality of the paper resides in its ethnographic approach to informal economies under post‐socialism and the substantivist evaluation of diverse economic practices in Russia as supported by formal work‐based shared identities.
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Brian P. McCullough, Natasha T. Brison and Anne Dietrich
Athletes have leveraged their social platform and reach to advocate for a variety of social causes. Most recently, given the persistent impacts of climate change on sport, the…
Abstract
Athletes have leveraged their social platform and reach to advocate for a variety of social causes. Most recently, given the persistent impacts of climate change on sport, the sport sector has been leveraged to engage and educate fans, sport participants, and athletes to promote climate action while consuming sport and in their everyday lives. This chapter conceptualizes the term sport eco-activism and presents a rich history of the early stages of this form of activism and its interaction with sport. Specifically, we provide historical context and examples of how athletes and activist sport organizations (e.g., Surfers Against Sewage, Protect Our Winters) have drawn attention to the impacts of climate change on sport. We also highlight how these entities encourage spectators and participants to change their behaviors and further advocate for collective climate action. In addition, we offer insights on future directions of eco-activism within sport and how such activists can best resonate with their target audiences to create positive change through sport.
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Abel Duarte Alonso and Jeremy Northcote
Multifunctional agriculture, including value-added agriculture, has drawn the attention of different stakeholders (government, farmers) interested in maximising the potential of…
Abstract
Purpose
Multifunctional agriculture, including value-added agriculture, has drawn the attention of different stakeholders (government, farmers) interested in maximising the potential of farming operations and strengthening rural communities. This preliminary study aims to investigate value-added agriculture, including the extent to which food growers consider, or are involved in, this aspect of multifunctional agriculture, from the perspective of orchard operators located in different Australian states.
Design/methodology/approach
Orchard operators were contacted through regional growers' associations and by mail. A total of 80, the large majority of whom are small orchardists, participated in the study, completing a questionnaire designed to collect both quantitative and qualitative data.
Findings
Overall, there is moderate interest among the participating orchard operators in adding value to food production. Respondents also indicate barriers in the form of added expenses, lack of time, knowledge, and markets, to sell value-added products.
Research limitations/implications
This study has only provided preliminary data from a limited number of participants; future research could broaden the scope to gather the insights of more orchard operators or even study other rural food-growing sectors.
Practical implications
With increasing pressures on the farmland, the findings have several implications, in particular, the need to understand the cost-benefits involved in value adding activities and potential cost-savings strategies.
Originality/value
In the case of Australian agriculture, little has been discussed about the extent to which value-added food production is being considered among food growers, for instance, using commercial kitchens to process foods that do not sell as “premium.” The present study examines this unexplored dimension and seeks to provide useful preliminary information.
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Phew! What a scorcher. And while I've been observing trains closely from the beach at Cannes (or it may only have been train‐spotting at Dawlish) a whole slew of new movies and…
Abstract
Phew! What a scorcher. And while I've been observing trains closely from the beach at Cannes (or it may only have been train‐spotting at Dawlish) a whole slew of new movies and old videos has hit the streets. You'll be panting to know which in‐flight movies to look out for, and which videos to slip into the beach bag for a rainy day. And why not.
Outdoor arts festivals have been proposed as a means of rehearsing democratic practices and of placemaking interventions in the space time of contemporary capitalism. I consider…
Abstract
Outdoor arts festivals have been proposed as a means of rehearsing democratic practices and of placemaking interventions in the space time of contemporary capitalism. I consider whether they are really able to repurpose civic and pseudo public space and challenge the production and reproduction of that space as a colonial and neoliberal territory, or are they merely examples of the ‘pseudo-fête’ prolonging such structures by other means?
This chapter uses case studies of two outdoor arts festivals in the United Kingdom, at which I have performed rhythmanalyses, to explore festivalised spaces and the extent to which they might empower people. Empowerment here relates not only to individual agency, autonomy and self-determination but also to the development of shared, social identity within crowds. The role of festival management, the arrangement of festival space/times and the codification of behaviour are of particular relevance to these effects. I use time-lapse videography to capture data around flows and accretions of audiences, combined with my embodied presence in the lived space of the festival, sensing its rhythms and atmospheres.
Using the concept of polyrhythmia to comprehend and unpick complex durational patterns, I focus on how public spaces are transformed when animated by performances and how public space can redefine both performance and audience dynamics. The adaptation and application of rhythmanalysis in this project has revealed patterns of behaviour and evidenced characteristic qualities of outdoor arts which were previously ignored or only assumed.
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Film provides an alternative medium for assessing our interpretations of cultural icons. This selective list looks at the film and video sources for information on and…
Abstract
Film provides an alternative medium for assessing our interpretations of cultural icons. This selective list looks at the film and video sources for information on and interpretations of the life of Woody Guthrie.