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The purpose of this paper is to profile the consumers who are likely to eat seaweed products in Australia.

The study was conducted as an online survey among 521 Australian consumers. Binary logistic regression modelling was used to profile the consumers.

The paper identifies education, familiarity, food neophobia (FNeo), symbolic value of food consumption, health consciousness, as well as snacking behaviour as significant predictors of likelihood to eat seaweed products. Consumers with a university degree (i.e. undergraduates and postgraduates) are four times more likely to eat seaweed products, and those familiar with seaweed products have a 7.6 higher likelihood to eat seaweed products. FNeo makes the largest contribution to the consumer’s likelihood to eat seaweed. A one unit increase in the FNeo score is associated with a 77 per cent decrease in the predicted odds of eating seaweed products in the next 12 months. The symbolic value of food consumption and health consciousness both doubled the likelihood of eating seaweed products. Snacking behaviour increases the likelihood by 185 per cent. The study reveals that early adopters of seaweed food products in western societies are people with higher educational levels, who are adventurous in their food choices and perceive seaweed consumption to have symbolic value. They are also health conscious “snackers”.

This study is one of the first attempts to provide insights about consumption of seaweed products; and also reveals the consumer groups in western societies that are most likely to eat seaweed products and who can be targeted as potential early adopters.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate Chinese food retailers' positioning strategies. Specifically, retail segments and critical factors related to the nature of the food supplier relationships that may be influenced by the positioning strategies are investigated.

The retail markets in Guangzou and Chengdu are investigated. Data are collected by means of observation and survey and then combined in the analyses. Observational research (i.e. expert assessments) is conducted in 152 retail outlets in order to assess their positioning strategies. The purchasing managers in the same retail outlets are personally interviewed by means of structured questionnaires.

A three‐cluster solution for the positioning strategies is revealed: down‐market stores, middle‐range stores, and up‐market stores. The annual sales and the number of self‐service counters are highest among up‐market retailers. They are also typically joint ventures, supermarkets and department stores, and members of a retail chain. A broad range of brands and products and also marketing support from the suppliers are most important for the up‐market stores.

The study is limited to two regional retail markets and should therefore be cross‐validated with other retail sectors and markets. Thumbnail sketches of the retailer segments enable food suppliers to make better and more informed decisions about how to position their product offer and marketing mix.

Although positioning strategies are at the core of modern marketing, relatively little research has been conducted addressing how retailers in general and Chinese retailers specifically include their retail buying behaviour and structural characteristics in the positioning strategy. This study contributes to filling this gap in knowledge.

This study aims to investigate the direction and strength of the relationships between school reputation, parent satisfaction and parent loyalty.

The paper reports the findings of a survey of 325 parents from three primary schools across Norway. Building on previous work examining corporate reputations, a new measure of school reputation, as viewed by parents, was developed. Structural equation models were used to validate the new reputation measure and to test the proposed relationships. Relationships linking school reputation to parent satisfaction and loyalty were tested.

Support for a four‐dimensional scale for assessment of parent‐based school reputation was found, using the following dimensions: parent orientation, learning quality, safe environment and good teachers. Parents' satisfaction significantly affected all reputation dimensions. Views of schools as having a parent orientation and good teachers affected parents' loyalty.

The study is limited to parents from three primary schools in a country‐specific context and should therefore be validated with other schools and in other contexts.

Parent‐based school reputation can be easily assessed through a frugal measurement instrument. School managers can address parent satisfaction in order to achieve a good school reputation. A carefully crafted and implemented program for increased parent satisfaction and school reputation would be an important tool for attracting future pupils.

Although reputation is at the core of modern school management, relatively little research has been conducted that addresses the appropriate conceptualisation and measurement of school reputation. Additionally, there has been little work on potential relationships to antecedent and consequent factors. This study contributes to filling this gap in the research.

This study aims to examine grocery shoppers' beliefs about store attributes as antecedents to shopping value by exploring whether dimensions of store attribute beliefs have differential effects (i.e. strength and direction) on hedonic versus utilitarian shopping value.

Shoppers at three grocery outlets in a Norwegian city were approached. After they had agreed to participate in the survey, they received a package containing an information letter, the questionnaire, and the pre‐paid return envelope. A total of 572 (60 per cent response rate) questionnaires were returned within two weeks of delivery.

Findings from a survey of grocery shoppers suggest that one unique store attribute (e.g. personal interaction) can relate negatively to utilitarian shopping value and positively relate to hedonic shopping value, while others (e.g. physical aspects) may have the opposite valence, or direction to the different dimensions of shopping value.

Future studies should also include not only shopping value antecedents, but also consequences such as repatronage intentions and anticipation, satisfaction, loyalty and positive word of mouth.

Developing adaptive selling techniques and combinations of store layouts may be useful strategies to overcome the differential effects of store attributes on shopping values.

This study shows the differential effects that store attributes can have on shopping value. This research extends previous research, which has focused largely on the main effects of store attributes (i.e. one‐dimensional measures of store attributes), by finding support for significant interactions between the two types of shopping value and dimensions of store attributes.

This paper seeks to examine the differences at international trade shows between exhibitors who participate in joint booths and those who participate in individual booths. The structure, strategy and trade show performance of exhibitors at joint booths and those at individual booths are analysed.

The paper presents an empirical study of 208 exhibitors at an international food and beverage show, focusing on the differences in structure, strategy and performance between individual exhibitors and exhibitors at joint booths. The differences are identified and discussed.

Individual exhibitors place more personnel and products at their booths and they allocate more resources, top management commitment and planning. However, exhibitors at joint booths have more formalised planning and objective setting. The performances of five groups of trade show activities were assessed. Individual exhibitors perform significantly better on image‐building activities at the show. There are no differences with regard to firm characteristics between the two participation modes.

The study is limited by the fact that the sampling frame is made up of exhibitors at a single international food and beverage show, and may therefore be more representative of that kind of show. Despite the limitations encountered, the findings have important implications for exhibitors at international trade shows and export marketing programmes as well as other marketing programmes offering services to international trade show exhibitors.

A broad range of joint booths and strategy variables is investigated. Also, a more comprehensive and theoretical grounded performance measure is adopted compared with previous research.

The purpose of this study is to integrate divergent discussions located within the marketing, economic geography and economic sociology literature about trade fairs and their functions, around an exchange-based view of trade fairs.

Following an integrative review approach and drawing on thematic discussions found in social exchange theory, a large corpus of research articles on trade fairs was systematically reviewed and integrated.

Trade fairs facilitate five major exchange functions: transactional, informational, social, symbolic and cultural. Each of these functions is characterized by a distinctive combination of exchange structures, exchange rules, exchange resources and organizational outcomes.

The study offers practical guidelines regarding how exhibitors, visitors and organizers can develop and benefit from an exchange-based view of trade fairs.

The current study integrates three divergent literature streams into an exchange-based view of trade fairs. In so doing, the study offers a common conceptual foundation upon which future trade fair research can intersect and cross-fertilize.

The purpose of this study is threefold: to investigate how relationship quality affects export performance; to see if and to what extent export performance affects exporter satisfaction; and to determine whether exporter satisfaction ultimately affects the expectation of continuing the export-import relationship in an emerging market.

The paper reports the findings of a survey of 185 respondents from the ready-made garments industry in Bangladesh chosen from a convenience sample. The responding exporters were located in Dhaka city or nearby areas. The data were analyzed using the partial least squares technique.

The results support four out of five hypotheses, indicating that there is a significant relationship between exporter relationship quality and financial and strategic export performance. Additionally, a positive relationship between financial export performance and exporter satisfaction and between exporter satisfaction and the expectation of continuing the relationship are shown. No significant relationship between strategic export performance and exporter satisfaction is found.

The findings have practical implications for managers and policy-makers interested in developing effective strategies for building and maintaining high quality export-import relationships, especially in the context of an emerging market.

In order to accomplish the research goal, the main constructs from two influential streams of literature – social exchange theory and the disconfirmation of expectation theory – are utilized. This is new in the context of an emerging economy perspective.