RISULTATI RICERCA

Il saggio, utilizzando i dati delle survey nazionali condotte dal 2009 dall’osservatorio sui consumi delle famiglie dell’Università di Verona - SWG, analizza l’andamento delle strategie di acquisto delle famiglie italiane. L’interesse dell’analisi sorge da due fattori: la particolare e critica trasformazione della economia e della società italiana, caratterizzata dalla forte restrizione delle disponibilità economiche delle famiglie, e la ristratificazione in chiave di capacità e strategia di acquisto delle famiglie stesse. L’analisi dei dati ha condotto alla costruzione di tre gruppi di famiglie distinte per capacità e strategia di acquisto, ed il saggio analizza la trasformazione di questi tre cluster dal 2009 al 2012, evidenziando la progressiva ri-stratificazione in atto nella società italiana.

Che si parli di società dei consumi, cultura del consumo o anche capitalismo consumistico, tutti questi concetti sottolineano la crescente importanza del consumo rispetto alla produzione. Questo articolo analizza come l’universo del consumo sia in trasformazione in conseguenza delle opportunità rese disponibili oggi dal web 2.0 e dai social network sites. La virtualizzazione ha un importante effetto sulla percezione da parte del consumatore del concetto di proprietà, che perde a sua volta progressivamente di significato. Accade così che la relazione consumatore, marca, prodotto, si evolva in maniera così rapida da far sembrare che negli ultimi anni il consumatore abbia acquisito un nuovo potere nei confronti degli altri due soggetti. Se i mercati e le marche sono sempre più orientati alle conversazioni con i clienti, significa che richiedono una partecipazione attiva dei consumatori all’interno dei loro discorsi. All’inizio degli anni ottanta Toffler usava il termine prosumer per indicare il momento in cui la produzione e il consumo si incontrano. Questo concetto appare ancora oggi centrale all’interno del dibattito relativo alle modalità di coinvolgimento dei consumatori nei siti di social network. Il termine prosumer oggi però va letto in una prospettiva differente, che consideri non solo le possibilità di un aumento di potere del consumatore, ma anche quelle che si possono considerare come nuove forme di sfruttamento del consumatore stesso.

Drawing on interview data, this article examines how college students experience "the medicated self" in the context of ADD/ADHD. We find that many ADHDdiagnosed students taking psychostimulants are ambivalent users, who actively construct how they are shaped by the behavioral effects of medicine. Pharmaceutical enhancement may be perceived by students as necessary in the context of a competitive academic ethic. In this context something akin to Annette Lareau’s concept of concerted cultivation can thrive, as students themselves practice what we call concerted medicalization in an attempt to literally embody the academic ideal. However, while medicine may enable students to manage academic performance and take control of "disordered bodies, many remain uneasy about the extent to which they feel controlled by a drug. In the context of medical ambivalence, ADHD students engage in reflexive identity management and strategic pharmaceutical use to achieve some semblance of self control and self preservation during their college years. As their college education comes to a close, many prepare to return to what they construct as their authentic, non-medicated selves as they enter the work world.

China is one of the most dynamic economies of the planet. The dramatic economic development in recent decades has greatly influenced the structure and habits of Chinese society. This although still characterized by strong disparities between the poorer classes and the wealthy, shows a growing middle class and an increasingly high-income segment. These segments of society are, as expected, evolving from a cultural point of view beginning to incorporate into the ancient Chinese tradition elements of other cultures, most notably the Western one. As was the case for other new economies, especially the rich part of the population is showing an increasing inclination towards all aspects of Western culture. This opening is also affecting the food consumption habits, transforming the dynamic and vibrant Chinese market into a major destination for European food products. The following research by submitting a questionnaire to 500 Chinese consumers residents in metropolitan areas had a dual objective. The first involved the analysis of the propensity of consumers to enter into the ancient Chinese culinary culture food products from other countries. The second was represented by the attempt to segment consumers, depending on the degree of cultural openness towards non- Chinese food, using both socio-demographic and psychographic variables.

Aware consumers and sustainable development: reflections on food - This paper offers a contribution to the analysis of the processes of transition of the food systems, that are sustained by the innovations introduced by reflexive consumers. After reviewing the literature on consumption as driver of change, the authors propose to explain consumption models and consumers’ identities in the Summaries framework of innovation theories. The analysis is applied on consumers solidarity purchasing groups. Their innovative role is expressed by the capacity of coproduce, together with other actors, new structures, material and immaterial, for everyday life. This implies as well a re-definition of boundaries between consumption and production, commodities and services, private and public, domestic and civic. Key words: innovation networks; transition theory; critical consumption; sustainable development; solidarity purchasing groups; citizens-consumers.

The present paper shows the results of a research carried out on a particular alternative food channel - the Organised Demand and Supply Groups (godo) of Umbria (Italy) managed by the Italian Association for Organic Agriculture (aiab). It is very interesting in terms of management, size (number of firms and consumers members involved) and relative growth rates. The analysis was carried out by systematising data and quantitative information available at godo and by administering questionnaires to consumers members in order to collect information about socio-economic characteristics and consumer behaviour. Then, the consumer profiles have been identified by the application of the Cluster Analysis. At last, the consumer profiles analysis has allowed us to formulate some suggestions in order to improve godo’s organization.

According to the new organic (Regulation (ec) No 834/2007, a mandatory eu logo for organic food was introduced as well as new guidelines to label organic products. In the new labelling the indication of origin of the raw materials is compulsory: ‘eu Agriculture’, ‘non-eu Agriculture’ or ‘eu/non-eu Agriculture’. When all agricultural raw materials came from the same country, the terms ‘eu’ and ‘non-eu’ can be replaced or supplemented by the name of that country. The name of the Organic certifier can be also signalled to final consumers by the product labelling. In some eu countries (Denmark and Germany) the product label based on a third-party certification, private or public, make them trust the underlying certification scheme. Although consumers often lack knowledge on organic certification and organic farming practices in general, several studies highlight that scepticism and uncertainty towards organic logos and certification prevent consumers from buying more organic food. The present study analyses how consumers perceive some of the most important aspect of the new labelling regulation (the origin of raw materials and the organic certifier for organic food). Few studies exist on consumer views on organic labelling for organic food and willingness to pay for trust in the organic food quality (Burrell et al., 2006). The recommendations drawn from our findings can help stakeholders in the Italian organic sector. 415 consumers in three Italian locations (Ancona, Milano, Bari) participated to a survey in March 2010. The results show that the organic consumers prefer organic products from Europe and trust products certified by Italian (more than from foreign countries) and public certification bodies (more than private). These findings suggest the need for transparency of the complexity of the organic certification and accreditation system, unknown to most of the consumers. There is a need to make them clear what the new label characteristics stand for and remove consumer concerns of the standards and the trustworthiness of the inspection system.

Critical consumption, Ethics, Responsibility, Sustenance, Supermarket activism. These are just a few of the terms spread around in recent years which attempt to describe a new reality, that we may consider as the most interesting form of a rising participation, for some reasons copying and then, as a result there is a lack of trust in economic institutions. A phenomenon not so obvious to the onlooker gives civil society a central role, which is the main actor. This main actor maintains relationships with public institutions together with the market. New forms of citizenship are created and new forms of co-operation between different actors are created. As not clearly identifiable by the onlooker, this is a process of mutual contamination.

Come reagiscono gli individui, in quanto consumatori, ai comportamenti irresponsabili o dannosi delle imprese? Le reazioni cambiano in contesti culturali diversi? Cercando di integrare l’approccio cross-cultural allo studio degli effetti delle crisi aziendali sulle risposte dei consumatori, il volume propone spunti di grande interesse sia per l’originalità dell’approccio teorico sia per le evidenze empiriche capaci di fornire momenti di riflessione alle aziende internazionali che operano in mercati diversi e che si possono trovare nella necessità di gestire scandali in contesti culturali distanti e differenti.

Literature recommends that companies should try to understand consumer evaluations and reactions so as to meet their needs properly. This study focuses on consumers’ evaluations of and behaviors toward reshoring companies, and identifies two interacting elements useful for this general purpose. The influence of attitude towards reshoring on consumers’ evaluations of, and behaviors toward, reshoring companies is better itemized by the moderating role of perceived motives for reshoring. We propose, and test, the influence of the two variables on consumer willingness to pay for the products of a reshoring company.

Despite the organic food sector production and market potential organic farming is weakly developed in Albania. The sector faces several constraints related to legislation, institutional and private sector capacities. A major challenge for the development of the organic food demand for organic food in Albania is the limited awareness of Albanian consumers regarding organic products. This paper provides insights into consumer awareness and preferences concerning organic food, applying descriptive and segmentation analysis based on a structured survey conducted in Tirana, Albania. According to the study results, there is an overall strong preference for organic food, as organic food is perceived to be safer and healthier compared to conventionally produced food, while environmental considerations of how organic food is grown are not as important in consumers’ view. Despite this overall preference for organic food, most consumers have limited understanding about organic food which should be addressed with awareness campaigns by the private sector and policy makers.

This work assesses the role of consumers in the transition towards a circular economy, taking into account four sectors: clothes, household electrical appliances, paper and food. It relies on a sample of 700 respondents to a specifically designed survey. The sample is divided into two subsamples, in Italy and Sweden, to evaluate a potential geographical bias. The work is developed through three research questions. First, in each of the four sectors, people meditate upon the environmental impact of a good in different moments of what this work defines personal lifecycle, i.e. the stages when they actually come into contact with the product (purchase, utilisation and disposal). The results show that individuals display environmental concerns in the disposal stage, rather then when buying or using a product, but there is evidence of a possible geographical bias. Then, the work econometrically evaluates the determinants behind green behaviours, in terms of attitudes (pro-environmental self-identity), knowledge (of environmental labels) and culture (individualism). Individuals that claim to be green seem to actually behave correctly; knowledge of green labels positively affects behaviours in sectors where these labels are widespread; there is no evidence for individualism to act on green behaviour. Age affects behaviours on appliances and clothes. Being female positively influences behaviours. Lastly, the work econometrically assesses variables affecting the propensity toward circular products. Being careful to environmental issues positively affects the willingness to buy such goods. Individualism negatively impacts on the propensity to circularity in sectors characterised by design and fashion. Age, education and gender do not affect propensity to these goods.

This paper investigates the impact of company offshoring decisions on consumer intentions to boycott the company. To this end, the study proposes and empirically tests the moderated mediation process underlying such consumer reactions. Results verify (1) the mediating role of consumer attitude towards boycotts in the relationship between the perceived egregiousness of the company offshoring decisions and the consumer intention to boycott the company, and (2) the moderating role of consumer ethnocentrism. Acknowledging that boycotts following offshoring decisions can pose a serious threat to companies in today’s marketplace, this study attempts to analyze in depth this phenomenon and provide helpful suggestions on how to deal with it.