Editorial

Citation

Bruwer, J. (2014), "Editorial", International Journal of Wine Business Research, Vol. 26 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJWBR-05-2014-0021

Editorial

Article Type: Editorial From: International Journal of Wine Business Research, Volume 26, Issue 2

The International Journal of Wine Business Research (IJWBR) has developed into a journal that "draws from many disciplines and accepts many different approaches to knowledge creation" [....] in the words of its former editor, Ulrich Orth. I want to use this opportunity to thank Ulrich for his seven years of sterling work as an editor during which he took IJWBR from what was originally the International Journal of Wine Marketing to where it is today [....] not only a name change, but a quantum leap in quality. The most recent acknowledgment of IJWBR's quality has come in the fact that it is now also recognised in Scopus. This is the first edition of IJWBR over which I have presided as editor-in-chief since my appointment earlier this year. Although it will be difficult to fill Ulrich's shoes, I am excited and look forward to the challenges that are ahead.

Over the next year or two, you will notice changes to the journal, some small and subtle and some far less so. I also want to use this opportunity to state upfront my bona fides regarding publishing my own work in IJWBR. As it turned out, in this edition, there are two papers which I authored [....] and both of these were accepted by Ulrich when he was still in his role as editor. My 'policy' is not to publish my own work in this journal while I am the editor (there is only one other paper of mine left in the system after this). Instead, I believe that my core role is to increase the quality of published papers, to help others get published and to improve IJWBR's citation metrics and impact factors.

IJWBR takes pride in its multi-disciplinary nature and this issue also reflects its diversity in terms of coverage by publishing papers from Germany, Japan, the USA and South Africa. Starting this issue is an exploratory study on the use of social media in the German wine industry by Szolnoki et al. This is a fully developed version of what was adjudged the best paper from the 2013 Academy of Wine Business Practitioners (AWBR) Conference in Canada. Among the findings are that majority of German wineries communicate via social media with their customers. Consumers using Facebook stood out as the heavier buyers of wine. Although this is the only paper from the 2013 AWBR Conference that made it through IJWBR's review process, I want to acknowledge the efforts of Antonia Mantonakis from Brock University in Canada, who acted as guest editor for selected papers from the conference which were earmarked for a special edition.

Japan's wine market is one on which the literature base is sparse. The paper by Bruwer et al. not only provides fresh insights into Japan's market but it also breaks new ground in the developing of a country-of-origin (COO) brand loyalty measurement scale, used to examine the loyalty of Japanese consumers to (COO) wine brands and how this affects their purchasing behaviour. Japanese wine consumers have moderate levels of COO brand loyalty; with high levels of satisfaction; moderate-high levels of inertia and price sensitivity; and moderate levels of word-of-mouth, emotional attachment, commitment and purchase intent. A practical implication of the research is that wine exporters should focus greater marketing efforts on Japanese women, including more wine-specific education.

Next, Govindasamy and Kelley explore the US mid-Atlantic region's consumer's willingness to participate in an agri-tourism wine tasting event. A logit model was developed to predict their participation in wine tasting activity at winery tasting rooms. These consumers are more likely to be those who learnt about agro-tourism events through newspapers, thought that product variety and price was better and learnt about a wine tasting event through billboards and roadside stands. While billboards are often positioned along interstate roads, it may be possible that speed limits or traffic may deter participants from noticing these advertisements.

Last but not least, we are given the opportunity to expand our knowledge about the South African wine market, whereon, to date, not much has been published in the academic literature. Engelbrecht et al. explored the effect of certification of region-of-origin (ROO) on the wine label in consumers' purchase decision-making. They found that the ROO of wine plays a secondary role in influencing consumers when faced with a purchase decision. On the other hand, it plays a major role in influencing consumers' decisions when forming part of the composite regional variable, comprised of grape variety, region and wine style. Also, consumers with a high involvement and interest in wine assign a higher degree of relevance the certification of the ROO of wine.

I want to remind you of the 8th Conference of the AWBR, hosted by the Department of Business Administration and Market Research of Geisenheim University in Geisenheim, Germany, on 28-30 June 2014. This conference offers a great opportunity for wine business researchers and industry practitioners to meet and share their experiences and knowledge. I will be attending and look forward to meeting you and discussing ideas for papers that you'd like to submit to IJWBR.

Johan Bruwer