Antonio Iazzi, Paola Scorrano, Pierfelice Rosato and Balakrishna Grandhi
The purpose of this paper is to verify the preferences for the purchase of rosé wine by Italian and French Millennials, with the aim of allowing Italian companies to acquire…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to verify the preferences for the purchase of rosé wine by Italian and French Millennials, with the aim of allowing Italian companies to acquire knowledge in improving the positioning of this product in both the Italian and French markets.
Design/methodology/approach
The study involved a descriptive survey conducted between December 2018 and January 2019 on Millennials residing in Italy and France, intercepted via Facebook. In total, 500 valid responses to a highly structured self-administered questionnaire were collected. Descriptive and multivariate analysis techniques were used to examine the responses.
Findings
The two groups of Millennials show different preferences in the purchase of rosé wine. French Millennials rarely buy the product, and perhaps only for reasonable prices. Their purchasing process involves no characteristics of particular importance. On the other hand, Italian Millennials buy the product with a higher frequency and show a greater propensity to spend. In general, they attribute greater importance (though not a great deal of importance) to the characteristics of the product, paying attention to both its intrinsic aspects and its territorial origin and the quality certifications.
Research limitations/implications
The main limitation of the research is the small sample size. Future insights into the consumption of rosé wine will be sought in other significant European markets.
Practical implications
This study is of value to academic researchers, wine industry practitioners and other members of the wine distribution channel, as it provides insights into consumer behavior differences.
Originality/value
This research is the first to compare rosé wine preferences of Millennials in France and Italy.
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Paola Scorrano, Monica Fait, Lea Iaia and Pierfelice Rosato
The purpose of this paper is to identify the features that qualify the wine tourism destinations’ (WTDs) image and to deepen analyse the role of the image on the wine tourists’…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify the features that qualify the wine tourism destinations’ (WTDs) image and to deepen analyse the role of the image on the wine tourists’ perception, assuming that it changes from tourist to tourist, depending on who has formed its perception after a real experience or not.
Design/methodology/approach
This contribution fits in the range of studies regarding the measurement of the destination image; the authors suited the Echtner and Ritchie’s model (1991, 1993), as its multidimensionality approach, rarely applied in the area of wine tourism.
Findings
From a comparison between the images of the chosen destination, wine tourists consider Bordeaux the benchmark of WTDs and, in the collective imagery, France is one of the excellences between WTDs. The association territory-wine is less marked, so the biggest contribute is given by the in situ experience.
Research limitations/implications
Despite results can’t be generalised because the samples of convenience, they have provided an overall outline of attributes, benefits and attitudes of wine tourists of Web 2.0.
Practical implications
A managerial lecture of results shows that young destinations (aka new wine regions) have a bigger propensity for destination management as well as the attention to marketing aspects, which are able to influence the competitiveness of destination. Instead, destinations with an ancient tradition (aka old wine regions), although unique for their wines and territories, food traditions and the historic-architectural heritage, need to improve their services.
Originality/value
This research applies the consolidated analysis method of E&R on the theme of destination image to the wine tourism, never used for WTDs, improving the model with a comparison between visitor and no-visitor perceptions.
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Paola Scorrano, Monica Fait, Amedeo Maizza and Demetris Vrontis
The link between wine and tourism is increasingly important for the competitive advantage of the territory and its productions, and it must be adequately communicated, in…
Abstract
Purpose
The link between wine and tourism is increasingly important for the competitive advantage of the territory and its productions, and it must be adequately communicated, in particular, online. Therefore, monitoring the level of convergence between online brand identity and online brand image is increasingly important to implement an efficient strategy of recall of a territory. This paper thus aims to propose an operative framework – assessing Web convergence (AWC) – designed to detect and analyse the online brand image and compare it with online brand identity.
Design/methodology/approach
The AWC framework is designed to extract information from the Web, process it through text-mining techniques – cluster analysis – and interpret it from three perspectives – functional, holistic and sensitive. The operative framework was applied to Napa Valley because it is the most frequently cited wine destination on the top 100 travel blogs.
Findings
The empirical application shows that the proposed logical framework can yield important reflections even in cases such as Napa Valley’s, a destination that already enjoys strong notoriety. In spite of the apparent qualitative homogeneity of the topics discussed, observation of their composition in terms of the three dimensions revealed the existence of a gap on some topics identified between what is communicated by the wine tourism destination and what is perceived and in turn communicated by bloggers.
Research limitations/implications
The limitation of the research is represented by the application of the operative process to a single case study (Napa Valley). The contribution given to managerial studies is the ability of the framework to provide an operative vision of the importance of knowing the blogger’s perception of the brand identity communicated by the company. Testing the framework in other contexts will confirm that the protocol is generalisable.
Practical implications
The identification of the themes that characterise brand identity and brand image in the Web provides a flow of information that, if interpreted according to the functional, holistic and sensitive perspective, transforms the themes into useful knowledge for decisional purposes.
Originality/value
The managerial literature has highlighted, as in today’s communication environment, a strong brand can be created and maintained by strengthening the linkage between identity and image. The proposed framework may be considered an important protocol because it allows a tourism destination to increase the flow of information on which to build or strengthen the brand identity by aligning with the brand image. This could be particularly useful for smaller and less-popular destinations.
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Paola Scorrano, Elena Borin, Alkis Thrassou, Federica Cavallo and Giovanni Mastroleo
The paper aims to interpret sustainable regional development (SRD) as an exchange ecosystem in which stakeholders provide reciprocal access to resources, benefiting both…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to interpret sustainable regional development (SRD) as an exchange ecosystem in which stakeholders provide reciprocal access to resources, benefiting both individual and systemic levels. This paper suggests that knowledge, as a shared and value-transcribed critical resource, nourishes a community’s motivational system (CMS), orienting it toward SRD. This inherently raises questions regarding the nature of social business models (SBM) that can best support community’s motivational system, as well as their sustainable regional development derivatives.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper employs the Fuzzy Expert System (FES) to analyze companies participating in the three most representative Italian consortia, aiming to empirically address the knowledge gap regarding the influence of social business model on sustainable regional development.
Findings
Applying our theoretical framework to Agro-food Protection Consortia – a specific type of hybrid social, regional value-oriented business organization – this paper demonstrates that knowledge sharing along environmental, social and economic dimensions enhances sustainable regional development. Using the IF (condition) → THEN (action) logic of fuzzy method, the study identified knowledge exchange as a key condition motivating actors to contribute to sustainable regional development. This dynamic approach enables better alignment between stakeholders and regional goals.
Originality/value
This paper presents practicable participatory strategic guidelines that balance informal and formal governance mechanisms with the catalytic and enhancing connection of strategic business initiatives for Sustainable Regional Development.
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Lea Iaia, Demetris Vrontis, Amedeo Maizza, Monica Fait, Paola Scorrano and Federica Cavallo
The purpose of this paper is to identify the distinctive elements of CSR communications that characterize the communications models of family businesses in the Italian wine…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify the distinctive elements of CSR communications that characterize the communications models of family businesses in the Italian wine industry, and to compare them with nonfamily businesses.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a case study approach, a sample of large and medium companies practicing corporate social responsibility was identified. The content of their websites was examined using content analysis and text mining (correspondence analysis techniques and word association analysis using the T-Lab software).
Findings
The analysis indicates that the ownership structure nature makes a difference in the online CSR communications process. The cultural identity in both family and nonfamily businesses is founded on intangible factors such as tradition; however, being a family business is a fundamental driver in the online CSR communications process, no longer forming a bond among players in the wine industry, but rather linking with other wine family businesses.
Research limitations/implications
One limitation of this work is the small size of the investigated sample. An added value it contributes is its focus on the Italian wine industry. The paper provides the essential elements that family and nonfamily wine businesses should consider in customizing their CSR communications with the brand’s specific details.
Originality/value
The authors highlighted the similarities and differences of family and nonfamily wine businesses in terms of their online CSR communications. The authors also observed how the family wine business identity, in its multidimensional construct, has common factors with what we call “familiness.” This research could establish a starting point for further work within this important sector.
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Monica Fait, Valentina Cillo, Armando Papa, Dirk Meissner and Paola Scorrano
The main aim of this paper is to demonstrate that “volunteer” employees’ perception of dimensions of intellectual capital (IC) – human, structural and relation capital – creates a…
Abstract
Purpose
The main aim of this paper is to demonstrate that “volunteer” employees’ perception of dimensions of intellectual capital (IC) – human, structural and relation capital – creates a motivational environment to enhance knowledge-sharing intention (KSI) and stimulates “volunteer” employee engagement (VEE). The model is applied on the non-profit organizations (NPOs) sector that base their path on sharing values with volunteers and employees in relation to which they have to implement engagement strategies that are beneficial to both developing and deploying individual and organizational human capital.
Design/methodology/approach
To verify the existence of relationships between the constructs of IC, KSI and VEE a partial least squares structural equation model on a sample of 300 “volunteer” employees of NPOs was tested to verify the research hypotheses, as this could explain the causal relationships.
Findings
The results confirm that KSI is positively and directly influenced by the favourable environment resulting from the motivations below the dimensions of IC. The improvement of KSI, determined by IC, has a positive effect on VEE.
Research limitations/implications
Despite the limitation created by the peculiarities of NPOs and the role of volunteers, this paper suggests a strategic approach that the management could implement to create an environment based on the exchange of knowledge and to increase engagement in the value co-creation process.
Originality/value
The ability of a company to adopt sharing strategies depends on the existence of an environment in which individuals are willing to exchange knowledge realizing mutual benefits. The work broadens this perspective by providing governance with a behavioural model that creates a direct relationship between IC, KSI and VEE.
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Lea Iaia, Paola Scorrano, Monica Fait and Federica Cavallo
The purpose of this paper is to deepen the web marketing strategies used by wine family businesses (FBs) with the aim to identify the role assigned to websites, the online models…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to deepen the web marketing strategies used by wine family businesses (FBs) with the aim to identify the role assigned to websites, the online models and the competitive strategies implemented through them.
Design/methodology/approach
In order to examine the content and structure of the information found on the website of selected FBs, an ad hoc analysis model was designed and validated with the support of marketing and industry experts through an inspecting focus group (Mich, 2007).
Findings
The subsequent observation of the websites of the businesses studied showed that family-run Italian wineries use their websites mainly to present information about the business and as a relational tool through edutainment activities; FBs yet neglect the potential of e-commerce.
Research limitations/implications
The study highlights the importance and the attention that FBs, among others, should dedicate to the role of web communications within their communications strategy. Although this path has allowed the traits essential to launch effective online communications for FBs, the small number of businesses surveyed (ten) does not permit a theoretical generalisation of the results. Thus, we expect to integrate the information obtained from this preliminary study with in-depth interviews with the digital strategists for the companies examined or by increasing the number of FBs studied.
Originality/value
The paper provides an evaluation model to effectively organise the websites’ contents; wine businesses should consider and customise these essential elements with the brand’s specific details.
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Monica Fait, Paola Scorrano, Giovanni Mastroleo, Valentina Cillo and Veronica Scuotto
Nowadays, the agri-food sector is facing several challenges due to a rapid technological change which calls for knowledge sharing (KS) practices to enhance businesses’…
Abstract
Purpose
Nowadays, the agri-food sector is facing several challenges due to a rapid technological change which calls for knowledge sharing (KS) practices to enhance businesses’ performance. This has spurred a collaborative approach and the creation of networks. Since there still is a paucity of research on the quality degree of KS, the purpose of this study is to offer an empirical research on the quality degree of KS by exploring outcome expectations and social exchange dimensions. Theoretically, it is examined by a double lens of social capital and social cognitive theory.
Design/methodology/approach
This study offers an empirical analysis of 313 directors of 11 “consortia” in the agri-food sector in Italy by using the fuzzy expert system. The model allows to aggregate multi criteria dimensions of KS and rates its quality.
Findings
As resulted, the quality degree of KS is influenced by outcome expectations – personal and community expectations – and three forms of dimensions of social exchange: structural, relational and cognitive. The paper ends with a discussion of research findings, its limitations and implications.
Originality/value
As there is still a paucity of research on the determinants of quality degree of KS, the research adopts a double lens of social capital and social cognitive theories to explore what are these determinants.
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Valentina Ndou, Paola Scorrano, Gioconda Mele and Pasquale Stefanizzi
The wide development of digital platforms permitted the birth of new financing modalities, namely, crowdfunding, where the crowd of individuals and investors can supply the…
Abstract
Purpose
The wide development of digital platforms permitted the birth of new financing modalities, namely, crowdfunding, where the crowd of individuals and investors can supply the necessary financial resources for venture creation and growth. While the extant literature has focused on analyzing the dynamics and features of crowdfunding campaigns, few studies have focused on understanding how crowd investors decide which ventures to invest in and which factors influence their decision-making process. Due to this gap, the purpose of this paper is to analyze the factors influencing the choice to invest in an equity crowdfunding campaign, by defining a set of indicators useful to evaluate the risk of the campaign.
Design/methodology/approach
An empirical research study of Italian equity crowdfunding campaigns has been conducted to identify quantitative indicators useful for evaluating the risk in a crowdfunding campaign.
Findings
Findings demonstrate that the risk indicators proposed to represent important gauges that investors can usefully consider ex ante to assess the degree of riskiness of the investment in the equity crowdfunding campaign.
Research limitations/implications
The limitations of the study regarding the size of the sample that is small due to the necessity to extract enough information in pre and post-equity campaigns. Also, the lack of historical data is another limitation.
Originality/value
The originality of the studies relies on the proposal of quantitative indicators for the evaluation of the risk in equity crowdfunding campaigns for “crowd” investors to reduce information asymmetries.
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Lea Iaia, Amedeo Maizza, Monica Fait and Paola Scorrano
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the experiential dimension of certain Italian agrofood products’ websites, which are seen as exemplifying best practices in the terms…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the experiential dimension of certain Italian agrofood products’ websites, which are seen as exemplifying best practices in the terms of the representation of the brand-land relationship, including their link with the territory of origin in the sense of terroir.
Design/methodology/approach
The study was conducted after the conception and experimentation of a model (called SObER), the fruit of detailed studies of experiential marketing (Schmitt, 1999a, b). The model was tested using the user-based focus group technique (Mich, 2007) and verified with reference to certain consortia brands considered to reflect best practices in communication of the brand-land connection.
Findings
The analysis made it possible to identify the key elements for expressing both the experiential dimension and the brand-land relationship of traditional agrofood products, ensuring their effective online communication.
Research limitations/implications
Although the research uses a benchmarking technique, it focuses on specific case studies; thus, the outcomes can be generalised by means of an extension of the analysis.
Originality/value
The value of the analysis carried out lies in the creation of a model aimed at the assessment of agrofood products and, more generally, their link with the territory of origin in the online context. In addition, the marketing literature on the experiential dimension applied to website tools is still limited. For this reason, this work may stimulate future in-depth analysis with reference to the proposed model.