Purpose: The aim of this study is to analyse the importance of bottle design in relation to other purchasing criteria, and also to understand which design elements are most attractive to consumers.Design/methodology/approach: A survey of a sample of 437 wine drinkers was carried out in Portugal using non-probabilistic sampling. The technique used was conjoint analysis based on the SPSS conjoint module.Findings: One of the key findings was the low importance of bottle design in shaping consumer preferences compared to other attributes (origin, price and category of wine). In terms of design elements, the label had the biggest influence on consumer choice, followed by the type of bottle, bottle seal and brand name, in that order. Differences in consumer choice were evident according to the level of knowledge of wine and frequency of consumption.Practical implications: The findings of this study provide guidance for Portuguese wineries as regards the marketing and design decisions of their products and packaging.Originality/value: This study sheds new light on the importance of wine bottle design on consumer preferences. Previous studies in the area have proved to be minimal and heterogeneous.

Purpose: The aim of this study is to identify the way in which research on new business models in agri-food sector has been developed, in order to identify the main lines of work followed and determine a future research agenda in this field.Design/methodology/approach: A systematic review of the literature is carried out, by applying the PRISMA method to identify and classify the main articles published on agri-food business models in journals included in the Web of Science Core Collection database.Findings: The systematic literature review has identified three main forms of business models in the agri-food sector: sustainable business models, technology-based business models and cooperative business models. The three types of new business models are complementary and can sometimes be adopted together. The identification of these types of business models and the variants included in each of them is a valid starting point for new developments in this field.Research limitations/implications: The limitations of this study are those typical of any literature review and derived from the methodology used. The establishment of criteria relating to time, language, type of publication or database chosen means that this review may have left out relevant studies in this field of research. It is therefore recommended that new reviews be carried out with different criteria in the coming years in order to supplement the results obtained in this study.Originality/value: Some research gaps were identified that should be further explored in the future. First, the relationship between digitisation and technological innovation in agri-food business models and the level of implementation of sustainable objectives in these business models has not been researched thoroughly. In addition, and despite the fact that the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has boosted innovation in agri-food business models, the authors have detected a lack of papers focused on solving problems arising from the shortage of raw materials or labour, possible energy crises or external dependence on local markets when it comes to meeting demand. The war in Ukraine has demonstrated the limitations of international markets, mainly the European market, when it comes to dealing with problems arising from this type of crisis.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to determine the importance that customers give to the origin attribute when selecting a financial entity compared to other features directly related to the service that these institutions provide. In addition, this study aims at analysing what level of brand origin provides a greater utility for customers in their preference structure: regional, national or foreign. Design/methodology/approach: The technique of conjoint analysis is applied via a survey of 427 customers to determine customers’ preference structure when choosing a financial entity. Findings: Of particular note among the main results is the great importance the respondents give to the origin of the entity, preferring regional over national or foreign institutions. The existence of three different segments of customers based on their preference structure is also a remarkable result. Research limitations/implications: Place-of-origin effect is not universal. Due to this fact, the results of the studies focussed on this research topic are difficult to extrapolate to other geographical areas. Practical implications: The current situation in southern Europe financial sector obliges many small financial entities to undertake mergers in order to face the stability and solvency policies established by European Central Bank. In this sense, these institutions must decide whether or not to maintain their regional brand identity. The results of this study show the appropriateness of maintaining and communicating the regional origin of the entities. These findings will contribute to guiding decision making on brand management for financial entities. Originality/value: To the best of the knowledge, there is a lack of research on the place-of-origin through different levels simultaneously. This paper provides a starting point for further research about this effect in the services sector.

Research on the place-of-origin effect has proliferated in recent decades, although there are still gaps in this field, especially in relation to the region-of-origin (ROO) and to the influence of certain moderating variables on the effect. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the ROO effect in the purchase of wine, paying special attention to the moderating role played by familiarity. Via a survey of 427 consumers carried out in the region of Extremadura (Spain), the paper study how variables as the region's overall image, its image as a wine producer, the perceived quality of its products, and consumer ethnocentrism affect the intention to purchase regional wines. To reach that goal, a structural equation model was applied using the Partial Least Square technique to identify the variables that explain and moderate this intention. The results show the region's overall image (2.65% of contribution to the purchase intentions explained variance), its image as a wine producer (8.39%), the perceived quality of its products (22.42%), and consumer ethnocentrism (10.23%) to affect the purchase intentions directly and indirectly. The confirmation of a moderating effect of familiarity in one of the model relationships contributes to give answer to one of the most significant questions in marketing theory about the origin effect. These results have important managerial implications for policy decision-makers, confirming the value of implementing communication campaigns that pursue improvement of the region's image as a brand.

The financial crisis that started in the USA in 2007 has obliged many small financial entities in southern Europe to undertake mergers in order to comply with the stability and solvency policies established by the European Central Bank. In Spain, this situation has led to a profound restructuring of the financial system, obliging many of these institutions to decide whether or not to maintain their regional brand identity after such a merger. The purpose of this study was twofold: on the one hand, to analyze the importance customers attach to the origin of their usual financial institution and the relative utility they give to the three levels of brand origin presented: regional, national and foreign, and, on the other, to assess whether consumers’ level of ethnocentrism modifies their preference structure and, if so, to identify the profile of the individuals composing each segment. The technique of Conjoint Analysis was applied to a survey of 427 customers. The results showed the bank's to be the attribute with the greater importance in forming customers’ preferences than other characteristics of the institution such as the treatment by employees, the location of offices, the electronic banking services, and the number of social activities the entity carries out in the region. In addition, the respondents prefer regional brand origin over national and foreign. Both the importance and the utility attached to the regional brand origin increase with higher levels of consumer ethnocentrism. The findings of this study will serve to these entities as a guide for their decision-making regarding brand management.

Los avances tecnológicos y las aplicaciones web han permitido extender el uso de los simuladores de empresa o business games en la docencia universitaria. Se trata de una metodología docente activa que permite desarrollar en los estudiantes bastantes de las competencias generales y transversales que aparecen recogida en los planes de estudios de las titulaciones relacionadas con la administración y dirección de empresas.En este trabajo se describe el uso del simulador SIMBRAND como metodología docente en el Master en Marketing e Investigación de Mercados de la Universidad de Extremadura y, posteriormente, se presentan las valoraciones que los estudiantes hacen tanto de la actividad como del aprendizaje obtenido. Los resultados son valorados positivamente por los estudiantes y por el profesorado implicado, pero la experiencia también lleva a concluir la necesidad de tener en cuenta algunos aspectos claves para el correcto uso de esta herramienta, tales como la correcta planificación y definición del sistema de evaluación, el continuo seguimiento y orientación del profesor a los estudiantes y la formación previa que los estudiantes deben recibir sobre el funcionamiento del simulador y sobre la gestión de equipos de trabajo.