If a critical part of your business was knocked out of commission for a few days, would your business survive? What would you do during that time? Close the doors? Take orders by…
Abstract
If a critical part of your business was knocked out of commission for a few days, would your business survive? What would you do during that time? Close the doors? Take orders by hand? Refer people to a competitor? How much business would you lose? How quickly could you recover?
Details
Keywords
This paper provides a clear and simple means of evaluating and managing a portfolio of information technology projects. The ultimate goal being a major reduction in the failure…
Abstract
This paper provides a clear and simple means of evaluating and managing a portfolio of information technology projects. The ultimate goal being a major reduction in the failure rate for such projects. The phrase “alignment of business and technology goals” (or some variation thereof) is widely used. But, how do you go about “aligning” such intangibles? And, what does “alignment” mean when it comes to information technology projects? Most companies struggle with these questions. The real problem is that they are dealing with the issues on an individual project basis when they should be evaluating all projects as a portfolio. For example, financial investors diversify. There is not a single investment that provides complete risk and reward diversification. Likewise, attempting to manage individual projects to meet corporate goals is futile. Manage the project portfolio instead. Many companies have used Project Portfolio Management successfully. While their results vary, there have been clear, definable gains from using one or more of the approaches discussed in this article. Failure rates for information technology projects are much too high. The survival of information technology as a strategic corporate service depends on better management of IT project portfolios. Too much is written about theories of management or concepts for dealing with failure. This paper is different. It is focused on practical ideas and metrics that any corporation can put to immediate use.
Details
Keywords
One of the biggest hindrances to corporate growth lurks in the shadows – emergency disruptions. How companies deal with them will govern how rapidly they are able to grow. There…
Abstract
Purpose
One of the biggest hindrances to corporate growth lurks in the shadows – emergency disruptions. How companies deal with them will govern how rapidly they are able to grow. There is too much emphasis on “major disasters” like floods, earthquakes and terrorist attacks. Meanwhile, there is not enough emphasis on “daily disruptions” like security violations, supply problems and equipment breakdowns. It's the little things that can destroy productivity and leave a company scrambling for survival.
Design/methodology/approach
A comprehensive review of the literature related to business continuity and disaster recovery planning served as a foundation for this article, though the real‐world stories of how companies handled disasters was more valuable.
Findings
Most companies create lengthy manuals full of disaster response information. This material is difficult to understand and maintain. Worst of all, there is little emphasis on prevention.
Practical implications
Companies must separate business continuity planning into three phases: planning and prevention (resolve phase), disaster response (respond phase) and, return to normal (rebuild phase). They must also think about three levels of disruption because disasters vary widely in scope and complexity.
Originality/value
Breaking down business continuity planning into phases and levels is a new approach. Senior executives, middle managers and business owners should embrace the concepts outlined in this article.
Details
Keywords
Massimo Sargiacomo, Christian Corsi, Luciano D'Amico, Tiziana Di Cimbrini and Alan Sangster
The paper investigates the closure mechanisms and strategies of exclusion concerning the establishment and subsequent functioning of the Collegio dei Rasonati, the professional…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper investigates the closure mechanisms and strategies of exclusion concerning the establishment and subsequent functioning of the Collegio dei Rasonati, the professional body of accountants that was established in Venice in 1581 and operated until the end of the 18th century.
Design/methodology/approach
The research design offers a critical longitudinal explanation of the emergence of the Collegio dei Rasonati as a professional body in the context of Venetian society by relying on the social closure theory elaborated by Collins (1975); Parkin (1979) and Murphy (1988).
Findingse
The Collegio dei Rasonati was established to overcome the prerogatives of a social class in accessing the accounting profession. However, the pre-existing professional elites enacted a set of social closure strategies able to transform this professional body into a stronghold of their privileges.
Research limitations/implications
As virtually all of the evidence concerning the admission examinations has been lost over time, the investigation is restricted to the study of the few examples that have survived. The main implication of the study concerns the understanding of some dynamics leading to neutralize attempts to replace class privileges with a meritocratic system.
Originality/value
The research investigates the structure of the rules of social closure revealing the possibility of an antagonistic relationship between different co-existing forms of exclusion within the same structure. Moreover, it highlights that a form of exclusion can be made of different hierarchical levels.
Details
Keywords
Riccardo Vecchio, Daniela Toccaceli, Alessandro Pacciani, Carla Cavallo and Gerarda Caso
The scenario of clean wines is rather articulated, and many consumers perceive diverse types of wines as a homogeneous category, not actually related with the true characteristics…
Abstract
Purpose
The scenario of clean wines is rather articulated, and many consumers perceive diverse types of wines as a homogeneous category, not actually related with the true characteristics of the products. Additionally, most often, individuals turning to these wines are driven either by health concerns or environmental consciousness or by curiosity. The purpose of this study is to understand whether there are differences in monetary preferences for four distinct clean labels and to analyze the level of interest of diverse market segments of regular wine consumers for this specific category of wines.
Design/methodology/approach
This study applied a computer-assisted Web interviewing technique. A survey was administrated in mid-September 2021 by a professional panel provider to a quota-based sample (N = 1,113) of Italian regular wine consumers. Individual willingness-to-pay (WTP) for red wines carrying different claims (organic, natural, low-sulfites and no-additives) and a conventional counterpart were collected. Clean wines’ WTP were subsequently used for hierarchical clustering.
Findings
Among the clean labels presented, respondents reported a higher WTP for organic wine. Cluster analysis yielded three actionable segments: “Easygoing wine enjoyers” (63.7%), “Convenience drinkers” (13.4%) and “Clean wine passionate” (23%). The latter reveals high preferences for all the investigated clean wines.
Research limitations/implications
Sociodemographics and wine-related characteristics of regular wine consumers particularly interested in clean wines are depicted in this study; further analysis should delve on the core drivers of individual preferences.
Practical implications
Wineries should consider the heterogeneous interest of regular wine consumers for clean wines, developing tailored strategies for specific market segments. Stakeholders interested in safeguarding consumers should carefully monitor the landscape of different clean claims entering the wine market.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no previous study has simultaneously analyzed regular wine consumers’ preferences for the four types of clean labels.
Details
Keywords
Giuseppina Migliore, Alkis Thrassou, Maria Crescimanno, Giorgio Schifani and Antonino Galati
The aim of this study is to understand which wine quality characteristics, consumers' attitudes and socio-demographic characteristics affect the consumers' willingness to pay…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this study is to understand which wine quality characteristics, consumers' attitudes and socio-demographic characteristics affect the consumers' willingness to pay (WTP) a premium price for a bottle of natural wine.
Design/methodology/approach
The research is experimental and investigated the purchasing intentions of 613 Italian wine consumers within a hypothetical setting. In order to elicit WTP for natural wine, a multiple price list (MPL) in a comparison with one bottle of conventional wine, with an average price of €5 was adopted. To understand which quality attributes of wine affect the consumers' WTP for natural wine, a Tobit regression model was implemented.
Findings
The findings reveal that drink frequency and occasion, organic production method, the content of sulfites, income and the attitudes towards healthy eating and the environment are positively associated with a higher WTP for natural wine.
Research limitations/implications
The main limitation of this study is related to both the convenient sample and the limited geographical area. However, identifying which quality attributes of natural wine are most appreciated by consumers and which attitudes affect this behaviour is fundamental in order to develop successful marketing strategies for product development and the design of advertising and communication campaigns.
Originality/value
This study is one of the first to analyse the consumer behaviour towards natural wines contributing to enrich that part of the economic literature which states that consumers have a positive attitude towards sustainable wines.
Details
Keywords
Eva Parga-Dans, Pablo Alonso González and Raimundo Otero-Enríquez
The complexity in determining the quality of a credence good like wine increases due to the lack of mandatory ingredient labeling. This has generated a significant information…
Abstract
Purpose
The complexity in determining the quality of a credence good like wine increases due to the lack of mandatory ingredient labeling. This has generated a significant information asymmetry in the wine market, leading consumers to delegate their purchase decisions to expert rankings and wine guides. This paper explores whether expert assessments reduce the information asymmetry caused by the absence of ingredient labeling in the wine market.
Design/methodology/approach
By employing analysis of variance (ANOVA) in a sample of 304 wines included in the Wine Guide of the Spanish Consumers Organization (OCU), this paper assesses the extent to which expert assessments based on sensory evaluations converge with the objective cues provided by laboratory analysis in wine quality evaluations.
Findings
Results reveal a mismatch between expert assessments and laboratory analyses. Chemical aspects such as SO2 levels or volatile acidity, sensorial factors such as intensity and persistence, and extrinsic variables such as the region of origin or wine type play an important role in the quality ranking of wines.
Originality/value
These findings call for the inclusion of objective intrinsic cues in expert sensory assessments to provide consumers reliable information about wines and to resolve the apparent dissonances in wine quality assessments.
Details
Keywords
Martin Quinn, Martin Hiebl, Romilda Mazzotta and Stefania Veltri
This paper aims to draw on a family business perspective to explore the historic accounting records of an Italian liquorice juice business. The applicability of the three-circle…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to draw on a family business perspective to explore the historic accounting records of an Italian liquorice juice business. The applicability of the three-circle model of family business systems to such an historic context is examined.
Design/methodology/approach
Using archival records, the Cassa accounting book of the business is studied. Its transactions are examined to distinguish family and business items over the period from 1875 to 1920.
Findings
Through an analysis of the accounting records, the family, ownership and business systems are shown to overlap more than typically expected in a contemporary setting.
Originality/value
Contemporary literature suggests the three-circle model of a family business is relatively static, but it has not been applied to an historic context. This study suggests that the model can be applied in historic studies, but it is not static over time with its elements needing refinement.
Details
Keywords
Seema Bhardwaj, Ritika Chopra and Eugene Cheng-Xi Aw
The wine market has witnessed intensified competition across all aspects. However, there is a limited systematic assessment of wine marketing literature. This study employs…
Abstract
Purpose
The wine market has witnessed intensified competition across all aspects. However, there is a limited systematic assessment of wine marketing literature. This study employs bibliometric and thematic content evaluation methodologies to present a comprehensive summary and trend of the existing research in wine marketing.
Design/methodology/approach
This integrates bibliometric and thematic content analytical techniques to trace the evolutionary arc of wine marketing research, underpinned by a framework-based evaluation - the 4 Ws (what, where, why, and how) to give a thorough overview of wine marketing literature. We draw on the thematic structure of wine marketing research by conducting keyword co-occurrence, thematic, social network, and cluster-based content analyses. A total of 291 publications from peer-reviewed journals, spanning the years 2001–2023, were examined in the present study.
Findings
The bibliometric analysis is used to determine the most notable journals, authors, nations, articles, and themes, thereby offering a comprehensive understanding of the publication trends within the sphere of wine marketing. Based on the findings, this study advocates a research agenda to extend further contributions to the field of wine marketing.
Originality/value
The study performs a comprehensive analysis of the publication patterns, influential authors, and emerging trends within the wine marketing research field. It provides a unique insight into the evolution and development of wine marketing as a scholarly discipline, facilitating future research directions and knowledge advancement.