Coopetition as improvisation: an exploratory comparative case study investigation into Spain’s natural wine industry

Purpose This paper aims to develop an understanding of cooperation and collaboration in the natural wine industry in Spain as well as a deeper understanding of the challenges facing natural wine producers in the 21st century. Design/methodology/approach Field interviews using a structured questionnaire were conducted with five Spanish producers of natural wine in five different regions during fall 2018 and late spring 2019. Interviewers prompted respondents to expound upon the potential of incorporating cooperative relationships to help producers grow their businesses, share production and marketing techniques and explain how they educate consumers about natural wines. Findings Content analysis among five field-researched case studies reveals common goals and challenges, but Spanish natural wine producers have not reached a consensus on the benefits of cooperative relationships. Respondents acknowledge that their indecisiveness and consumer confusion about natural wines are barriers to working together. Research limitations/implications Generalizations from a sample comprised five companies cannot be made, nor can we claim that respondents were unbiased. Respondents were reluctant to release financial and production data; thus, the outcomes of coopetition strategies were indeterminate. It may be that a coopetition strategy is only positive up to a fixed point, upon which a diminishing-returns effect is manifested. Observations were made during a period when the Spanish wine industry was contracting, as political uncertainty in that country and post-Brexit clouded the future of tourism in and exports from certain Spanish wine regions. Practical implications Collaboration and cooperation would afford Spanish natural wine access to shared resources, networks and farming technology and knowhow to enhance the image and reputation of natural wine in Spain and internationally. Social implications To explore how cooperative and collaborative relationships might be achieved, five case studies of natural wine producers in Spain illuminate their real-life challenges and goals. Cooperative relationships among these producers have the potential to contribute to industry growth and value creation, while creating shared competitive advantages. As these niche producers weigh how to come to a consensus about pooling resources and working together to educate the prospective natural wine consumer, doing so may well lead the next wave of entrepreneurial, innovative activity in an industry that is ripe for change. Originality/value To explore how natural wine producers face the challenge to increase transparency in its production and to help consumer to know what natural wine is. In the Old World, the French Fraud Control Office recognized the category “vin méthode nature” (wine nature method) as a special wine. It was the first step towards helping consumers to reduce the information asymmetries existing between the productive and consumption fields, increasing transparency in natural wines production.

Relationship between the Constructs of Green Wash, Green Consumer Confusion, Green Perceived Risk and Green Trust Among Urban Consumers in India

Increased fervour for green consumerism has resulted in the emergence of Green Marketing as an important tool in the hands of innovative marketers looking for novel ways of satisfying customers. Green Marketing approach is often used by marketers to differentiate their products from those of the competition, based on environment and sustainability related factors. However, one of the biggest downsides of Green Marketing is the emergence of the practice of ‘Greenwashing’. Often organisations claiming to be environment friendly have been found to be indulging in the unethical practice of misrepresenting facts through deceptive and exaggerated claims (Brouwer, 2016). The aim of this paper is to explore the impact of Greenwash (GW) on Green Trust (GT) through the mediating role of Green Consumer Confusion (GCC) and Green Perceived Risk (GPR) by deploying a scale developed by Chen & Chang (2012). The relationship between demographic factors and the four constructs of GW, GT, GCC and GPR is also investigated. Through the deployment of a survey research design, questionnaires were administered to 325 respondents. The results of the analysis bring forth some interesting facts, including Greenwash being negatively related to Green Trust. However, our analysis – in contrast with that of Chen and Chang’s (2012) study - did not show a very strong mediating role played by GCC and GPR. This finding is very pertinent for companies either in the business of selling green products or positioning products on a green or eco-friendly plank.

Consumer confusion: a systematic review and research directions

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to systematically review and analyse extant marketing literature on consumer confusion to propose an integrated conceptual framework and highlight important research gaps. Design/methodology/approach Systematic literature review methodology was followed for article selection. Selected articles were subjected to content analysis to derive thematic as well as descriptive results. Findings Antecedents, consequences, moderators, mediators and application of the construct in the different contexts have been reported. An integrated framework along with research questions and future directions has also been proposed. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is notably the first attempt to systematically review the marketing literature on consumer confusion. The conceptual framework and proposed research questions create a research agenda around the problem of consumer confusion and contribute towards the advancement of extant literature.

Risk of Birth Defects From Vitamin A “Acne Supplements” Sold Online

Background: Dietary supplements are popular among US consumers and claim to address a variety of conditions, including acne. Acne supplements containing vitamin A are of particular interest, due to the potentially teratogenic effects of vitamin A doses over 10,000 IU. Objective: This study examined dosage, pregnancy risks, and labeling of vitamin A-containing acne supplements available online. Methods: An Internet search of acne supplements sold online was conducted between March and May 2020. Supplement labels and websites were analyzed for vitamin A content and pregnancy warnings, and then divided into categories based on dosage and teratogenic risk. Results: A total of 49 acne supplements was found, and of these 26 (53%) contain vitamin A. Three supplements are likely teratogenic, 4 contain vitamin A doses exceeding the daily level of intake that meets the nutritional needs of most people, and 15 have an unknown teratogenic risk. Among the 6 supplements with over 10,000 IU vitamin A, 2 have no pregnancy warning at all, including the supplement with the highest vitamin A dose found in this study. Conclusions: Dietary supplements are not subject to the same stringent regulations as drugs, and as such, consumers may be unaware of pregnancy risks. Furthermore, FDA requirements on labeling of vitamin A supplements may lead to consumer confusion regarding dosage. As such, we encourage stricter labeling requirements for vitamin A-containing supplements, including pregnancy warnings for high-dose supplements and clearer dosage labeling.

Consumer Confusion and Green Consumption Intentions from the Perspective of Food-Related Lifestyles on Organic Infant Milk Formulas

A sustainable lifestyle and green consumption are becoming popular nowadays due to increased awareness of environmental issues and many incidents regarding food safety. This has triggered the rapid development of the marketing of green products and the promotion of many green brands which causes confusion among consumers. This paper’s purpose is to evaluate the relationship between this consumer confusion and different Food-Related Lifestyles (FRLs) tending towards green consumption, taking as a case study organic infant milk formula. This study was based on an online survey which was conducted with 381 Taiwanese parents and carried out from January to February 2019. Through cluster analysis, this study categorized the different FRLs into three groups, i.e., consumers unfamiliar with food product quality, consumers who value food quality, and consumers who value food practicality. This study found that there is no significant correlation between different levels of consumer confusion and different FRLs. Furthermore, different consumers’ FRLs have significant correlations with green consumption intention. This study also found a positive relationship between consumer confusion and green consumption intention.