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What is the value of public price information systems for wholesale marketing in EC horticulture? Before the advent of today's advanced marketing theory and channelling of information these systems were considered in some quarters to be advantageous but the ramifications of the modern marketing scene and expenditure on modern technology lead some observers to wonder if they are practical and worthwhile. The conclusion here appears to be that in view of their many deficiencies horticulture will be no worse off without them.

The case for compulsory minimum standards in those cases where the consumer cannot readily assess the quality before purchase is examined. The most common justifications are reduction in search, reduction in risk for the consumer and monopoly profits for producers. The factors relevant to an appraisal are identified. It is shown that generalised conclusions are not possible because of the wide range of market conditions. It would appear likely that in many markets minimum standards which remove dangerous or useless items are cost effective, though basic consumer protection legislation does this for most products. They are also appropriate where costs are public rather than private. Increased levels of minimum standards are progressively less cost‐effective. Labelling can often be a superior alternative.

Comments on the commonly‐observed phenomenon that people frequently judge the quality of a product by its price, assuming that the most expensive item is better, and discusses the reasons for this and its implications. Discusses a typical experiment in which university students were given a set of cards, each card with a description of a product and its price, then asked to choose which product they thought they would buy if they had the choice — analysis showed whether, all things being equal, they were more likely to buy the expensive product. Assesses the results of this and discusses them in depth. Concludes this research programme is exceptional in providing so few results but argues against critics.

In the last four years, since Volume I of this Bibliography first appeared, there has been an explosion of literature in all the main functional areas of business. This wealth of material poses problems for the researcher in management studies — and, of course, for the librarian: uncovering what has been written in any one area is not an easy task. This volume aims to help the librarian and the researcher overcome some of the immediate problems of identification of material. It is an annotated bibliography of management, drawing on the wide variety of literature produced by MCB University Press. Over the last four years, MCB University Press has produced an extensive range of books and serial publications covering most of the established and many of the developing areas of management. This volume, in conjunction with Volume I, provides a guide to all the material published so far.

This paper attempts to understand how the interaction of natural disasters and human behaviour during wartime led to famines in three regions under imperial control around the Indian Ocean. The socio-economic structure of these regions had been increasingly differentiated over the period of imperial rule, with large proportions of their populations relying on agricultural labour for their subsistence.

Before the war, food crises in each of the regions had been met by the private importation of grain from national or overseas surplus regions: the grain had been made available through a range of systems, the most complex of which was the Bengal Famine Code in which the able-bodied had to work before receiving money to buy food in the market.

During the Second World War, the loss of control of normal sources of imported grain, the destruction of shipping in the Indian Ocean (by both sides) and the military demands on internal transport systems prevented the use of traditional famine responses when natural events affected grain supply in each of the regions. These circumstances drew the governments into attempts to control their own grain markets.

The food crises raised complex ethical and practical issues for the governments charged with their solution. The most significant of these was that the British Government could have attempted to ship wheat to Bengal but, having lost naval control of the Indian Ocean in 1942 and needing warships in the Atlantic and Mediterranean in 1943 chose to ignore the needs of the people of Bengal, focussing instead on winning the war.

In each of the regions governments allowed/encouraged the balkanisation of the grain supply – at times down to the sub-district level – which at times served to produce waste and corruption, and opened the way for black markets as various groups (inside and outside government ranks) manipulated the local supply.

People were affected in different ways by the changes brought about by the war: some benefitted if their role was important to the war-effort; others suffered. The effect of this was multiplied by the way each government ‘solved’ its financial problems by – in essence – printing money.

Because of the natural events of the period, there would have been food crises in these regions without World War II, but decisions made in the light of wartime exigencies and opportunities turned crises into famines, causing the loss of millions of lives.

Explores the importance of effective labeling in marketing concerning the abilities and motivations of consumers to understand and make decisions by using the information made available to them on the labels of the products which they purchase. Reports on focus group studies where the respondents’ attitudes and evaluations suggested that, as consumers, they have difficulty in processing information on labels due to the complexity of phraseology, the coding of chemical constituents, the lack of standardization in the presentation of contents and misleading claims about products.

The purpose of this study was to analyze the role of consumer perceived value relative to home furnishing case good (i.e. furniture made of wood and not upholstered) consumption choices.

A qualitative approach to data collection and interpretation was used. A semi-structured depth-interview and focus group schedule was created based on an extant review of literature and consisted of open-ended questions about shopping for and purchasing home furnishings case goods.

A thematic interpretation of interviews and focus groups led to the development of emergent themes: the key factors influencing participant's value perceptions were quality, comfort, and price; participants decorated first for themselves; a welcoming, attractive environment for family and friends/guests was important; and desires and wants were more salient than needs. Themes were then categorized according to Sheth, Newman, and Gross' five consumption value dimensions.

Limitations of the study include a focus on Southeastern US consumers and a focus on home furnishings case goods.

Although the findings of this research are market specific, they have important implications for the home furnishings case goods industry. Overall, this study provides product developers, manufacturers, and marketers with a greater understanding of the home furnishings case goods consumer, which could allow sellers to create lead times and provide consumers with more tailored offerings/selections that would better suit their needs and desires.

This paper offers insight into the role of consumer perceived value relative to home furnishing consumption choices to product developers, manufacturers, and marketers.

This paper illustrates how an understanding of consumer models, psychological processes and the appropriate use of marketing research techniques can help in the design of food packaging and label copy to provide a company with a competitive advantage. The paper examines the significance of the marketing functions of a pack and the perceptual processes of consumers in their information search concerning pack design and labelling in marketing research. Case study material is introduced to help illustrate the main points.