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This article investigated how consumer choices guided by their underlying microfoundations can either facilitate or hinder socio-technical transitions in the agri-food system. To this end, consumers from five countries (Argentina, Brazil, China, France and Italy) were asked to choose products common to the food basket of these five countries (coffee, yogurt and chicken) with different sensorial and ecological attributes.

To this end, 1,417 interviews were carried out in these countries. Data were collected on four choices (from the most sustainable to the least sustainable) as well as sociodemographic elements and whether or not the price was mentioned. These choices were observed using two logit models (A and B).

The article provides evidence that the propensity to choose ecologically beneficial foods is affected by country, gender, income and level of formal education as well as by the microfoundations of choice, such as individual values and attitudes.

To offer truly sustainable products, it is essential to take into account the role of countries and the microfoundations of their inhabitants’ food choices. By recognizing this crucial element, we can raise the probability of successful eco-friendly products, reducing their impact on the environment and enhancing welfare.

According to the results observed in this paper, to truly offer sustainable products, we must take into account the microfoundation and the sociotechnological transition elements. By doing so, we hope that efforts toward sustainability not only benefit the environment but also the surrounding communities. So, paying attention to consumers' food choice process helps to create products that are truly sustainable in every sense of the word and will benefit very much the society, in other words, will have a greater social implication.

This article makes a significant contribution to the theory by revealing how micro-foundations driving consumers' choices toward sustainable food products can accelerate the ecological sociotechnical transition in agri-food systems. By shedding light on this crucial aspect, we can pave the way for a more sustainable future.

The aim of the study is to capture consumers' conceptualization of ethnic food and ethnic restaurants, focusing on what it takes for ethnic restaurants to be perceived authentic.

Qualitative research, based on semi-structured in-depth interviews which were transcribed and subjected to inductive thematic analysis.

The findings conceptualize what ethnic food and ethnic-authentic restaurant are, leading to formulating the criteria that authentic ethnic restaurant should meet.

Findings have practical implications for restaurateurs interested in establishing themselves as ethnically authentic and for businesses focusing on ethnic food. This study was based on Israeli-Jewish participants; studies with other populations will contribute to the findings' trustability.

This study provides novel and critical insights into ethnic restaurant managements and to the customer conceptualization of the concept of ethnic authentic, demonstrating it being a multifaceted concept.

The purpose of this study is shed light on the underlying forces behind entrepreneurship within a regional innovation system (RIS) in a remote rural region. The authors examine the following questions: Which are the main underlying forces behind the entrepreneurial process in a rural RIS characterized by traditionally low-tech, small-scale businesses? How can the development of a low-tech regional innovation system be conceptualized?

The design of the study is based on entrepreneurship theory. Data analysis followed practices used in phenomenography, a research approach used to analyse and identify commonalities and variations in populations' perceptions of a certain phenomenon. Data are composed using semi-structured interviews and a database composed of company information of all firms in the population.

A proactive mobilization of regional stakeholders and resources can be an important driving force behind the entrepreneurial process and generation of a rural RIS. Innovation can be generated within low-tech industries turning the rural context into an asset. An RIS in a remote rural context can be initiated and orchestrated by regional authorities, but knowledge brokering and orchestration can also be managed by networks of small-scale businesses brought together by mutual benefit and common interests.

Regional innovation systems theory is most often used to study high-tech industries. But by combining regional innovation systems with rural entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship context theory is a fruitful avenue to understand the role of rural entrepreneurship in regional development, even in remote and peripheral regions. Innovation does not need to entail high-tech international environments; it can appear as the result of efforts in low-tech industries in rural and remote environments. The authors’ findings need to be scrutinized; therefore, the authors call for more research on regional innovation systems in rural environments.

It is possible for regional authorities to orchestrate a development process through the actions of a strong regional agent but also by supporting the creation of networks of small businesses that are built on trust and common interests.

This study contributes to the literature with a new perspective to the study of entrepreneurship and of regional innovation systems. Entrepreneurship research with focus on rural contexts most often highlight limits to entrepreneurship and see entrepreneurship as “just running a business”. A perspective that starts from innovation and innovative behaviour, despite the rural context and embedded resources, helps to generate new knowledge that can enrich the understanding of entrepreneurship and also be the foundation for more precise business development policies in rural settings.

This paper reports on a project looking at consumer perceptions of terroir in the UK, using cheese as a stimulus for the data collection.

Data collection was based on a consumer survey using a discrete choice experiment which included a number of cues to, and stories about, terroir. Analysis of preferences produced three latent classes with varying attitudes towards terroir cues for cheese. There was also an open-ended question giving rise to a qualitative analysis of respondents understanding of the work “terroir”.

When faced with the terroir cues most used some positively to make their choices. A PDO label and stories about the production region and method and business structure all generally offered positive utility.

Terroir is a widely used term in the marketing of (especially) wine, particularly in Europe, offering a form of authenticity and has been very important in policies to sustain the economies of otherwise declining rural areas. It has been adopted by producers in the English-speaking world but is less widely recognised, by consumers. The significance of this study is that it is the first large-scale survey of British consumer perceptions around a key tool for rural businesses – terroir – and one of the first around a non-wine product, and it explores the stories which resonate most effectively with consumers.

Tourists with different cultural backgrounds think and behave differently. Accurately capturing and correctly understanding cultural differences will help tourist destinations in product/service planning, marketing communication and attracting and retaining tourists. This research employs Hofstede's cultural dimensions theory to analyse the variations in destination image perceptions of Chinese-speaking and English-speaking tourists to Xiamen, a prominent tourist attraction in China.

The evaluation utilizes a two-stage approach, incorporating LDA and BERT-BILSTM models. By leveraging text mining, sentiment analysis and t-tests, this research investigates the variations in tourists' perceptions of Xiamen across different cultures.

The results reveal that cultural disparities significantly impact tourists' perceived image of Xiamen, particularly regarding their preferences for renowned tourist destinations and the factors influencing their travel experience.

This research pioneers applying natural language processing methods and machine learning techniques to affirm the substantial differences in the perceptions of tourist destinations among Chinese-speaking and English-speaking tourists based on Hofstede's cultural theory. The findings furnish theoretical insights for destination marketing organizations to target diverse cultural tourists through precise marketing strategies and illuminate the practical application of Hofstede's cultural theory in tourism and hospitality.

This study aims to adopt a replication strategy based on Cherchem (2017), and hence this study investigates how generational involvement moderates the relationship between organizational culture and entrepreneurial orientation (EO) in Brazilian family businesses, disentangling each of the EO dimensions.

This study developed a survey with 107 Brazilian family businesses operating in the textile and clothing industries. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SmartPLS-SEM).

The results for the direct paths indicate that clan and hierarchical cultures are positively related to EO. As for the moderating effect, only one generation of the family involved in management tends to stimulate a stronger relationship between the clan culture and the EO. In contrast, when multiple generations exist, the positive relationship between the EO hierarchical culture becomes stronger. Furthermore, this study found different relationships between organizational culture and each of the EO dimensions (proactiveness, innovativeness, risk-taking, competitive aggressiveness and autonomy) and differences in the moderating effect of generational involvement.

Unlike the findings of Cherchem (2017), the authors observed that, in addition to clan culture, hierarchical culture can also act as an enhancer of entrepreneurial strategies. On the other hand, generational involvement influences the relationship between organizational culture and the level of EO (and its dimensions), reinforcing those internal family characteristics that can foster entrepreneurial strategies in family businesses, whose findings align with Cherchem (2017). Moreover, it contributes to the investigation of each of the dimensions of EO separately.

As humans are influenced by their environment, this study explores how different construal levels of ambient scent temperature affect consumers’ food choices.

This study employed a series of experimental methods from three studies, totalling five experiments. The experiments involved both laboratory and field settings, as well as neuroscientific techniques, thus generating empirical evidence.

Three studies were conducted to investigate how construal levels of both ambient scent temperature and tasks influenced food choice. Study 1 found that the construal level of ambient scent temperature significantly affected the type of food consumed. Study 2 included the task’s construal level as another factor to examine whether it interacted with the ambient scent temperature construal level. Both factors were significant, but only when perceived by the participants simultaneously. If the task’s construal level was manipulated before exposure to the ambient scent temperature, the latter did not have a significant effect. Study 3 employed a neuroscientific method to explore the mechanism behind the match between ambient scent temperature and food choices based on construal levels. The congruence of ambient scent temperature and food choice based on construal level enhanced positive emotions.

The sample size, although in line with other neuroscientific studies, was not sufficiently large for robust generalizability. This limitation can encourage future research to increase the number of participants and thus enhance the accountability of the findings. Another limitation is the participants’ cultural background.

This study’s practical implications are twofold. First, odour intensity was perceived to be the strongest in hot samples (Kähkönen et al., 1995), and we confirmed how ambient scent temperature can influence one’s food choice. Thus, food business operators can use warm ambient scent temperatures to promote hedonic food or snacks. Second, participants’ positive emotions were enhanced by the congruence of ambient scent temperature and food choice.

The association between ambient scent temperature and food choice has been extensively researched. However, this study provides an empirical explanation for the application of CLT. Accordingly, we performed a series of laboratory and field experiments using behavioural and neuroscientific approaches. The results confirmed that the construal level of ambient scent temperature significantly affected food choice. Moreover, the FAA revealed that one’s positive emotions would be prompted if there was congruence in the construal levels of ambient scent temperature and food choice.

This study has theoretical and managerial value because people’s poor understanding of food selection is affected by ambient scent temperature. Moreover, its novelty lies in the application of a neuroscientific approach to one experiment.

This study aims to increase knowledge of the ability of nutrition labels to guide consumer choices in real-life environments.

Food consumption and plate waste data were collected from two self-service restaurants (SSR) with different customer groups over six observation days: three control and three intervention (with nutrition labelling) periods. Study Group 1 consisted of vocational school students, mostly late adolescents (N = 1,710), and Group 2 consisted of spa hotel customers, mostly elderly (N = 1,807). In the experimental restaurants, the same food was served to the buffets during the control and intervention periods.

The nutrition label in the lunch buffet guides customers to eat fewer main foods and salads and to select healthier choices. Increased consumption of taste enhancers (salt and ketchup) was observed in the study restaurants after nutritional labelling. Nutrition labelling was associated with a reduction in plate waste among the elderly, whereas the opposite was observed among adolescents.

The results provide public policymakers and marketers with a better understanding of the effects of nutrition labelling on consumer behaviour. Future studies should further evaluate the effects of nutrition labelling on the overall quality of customer diets and the complex environmental, social, and psychological factors affecting food choices and plate waste accumulation in various study groups.

Of the studies covering culinary tourism and traditional culture, Generation Z remains an underexplored group despite being the primary consumers of future tourism. Research into young consumers’ motivations is hoped to clarify, protect, and sustain Hong Kong Tong sui among this generation. As such, this study focuses on Generation Z to understand the types of novel experiences Tong sui can create for them, and it is worth exploring in depth the diet that young people are interested in from the perspective of traditional food.

Based on Creswell’s guidelines for quantitative research, we investigated the relationships among multiple elements of Hong Kong Tong sui and Generation Z tourists. A corresponding questionnaire was designed to gather information for statistical analysis and contains five sections. The first part solicited basic respondent information. Sections 2–5 presented several key terms (nostalgic emotion, food authenticity, FCV, and purchase intention) to frame the questionnaire in terms of our hypotheses. Items were scored on 7-point Likert-type scales for ease of processing in SPSS 26.0.

All hypotheses were supported, with nostalgia having the most significant influence on Generation Z’s purchase intentions. Besides, young generations are willing to buy traditional food when exposed to the restaurants or enterprises have nostalgic elements and inspire nostalgia in consumer. Generation Z’s thoughts about food authenticity notably played a more significant role than FCV in terms of the nostalgia of traditional food. In addition, food authenticity and FCV were found to indirectly mediate the relationship between nostalgic emotion and purchase intention.

Examining these types of campaigns geared toward Generation Z tourists to advertise traditional food has enriched this tactic’s applicability. The approach also constructs a foundation to scrutinize the appeal of traditional dishes among young consumer groups to potentially strengthen such food’s influence.

This study highlights the importance of leveraging nostalgia and understanding the emotional connection that Generation Z has with traditional cuisine. It suggests that enterprises can develop new products or revive traditional recipes that cater to the nostalgic preferences of Generation Z. Marketing innovations, such as using social media influencers, can also be employed to create awareness and generate interest in traditional food. Traditional food can contribute to tourist destinations' promotion and differentiate them from competitors, boosting the tourism and catering industries and creating employment opportunities.

The promotion and preservation of traditional food can contribute to the preservation of cultural identity and heritage. By engaging local communities in culinary initiatives and fostering community pride, traditional food tourism can strengthen the connection to cultural heritage and encourage the preservation of traditional culinary practices. This engagement can lead to sustainable development by promoting local traditions and ensuring the participation of the local community in tourism activities.

This study offers novel theoretical insights into traditional food consumption and food marketing, thus narrowing gaps in research on young consumers and traditional food. Results enrich the understanding of Generation Z’s intentions to purchase traditional food by highlighting tourists’ preferences. Guidelines are also provided for the operators on creating nostalgic campaigns that appeal to young generations.

The purpose of this study was to examine the global perceptions of social equity in the fine dining business model as a result of the surprise announcement for the 2024 planned closure of the Michelin three-star restaurant, Noma.

This study used critical discourse analysis to inductively analyze 91 source documents retrieved through a lexical database search. The analysis yielded five overarching themes and six subthemes.

Findings from this study serve as a benchmark in retrospect for capturing a rapidly accelerating global conversation from January to March 2023 around the long-term viability and social sustainability of the fine dining business model.

Against the backdrop of labor challenges in the restaurant industry due to the Covid-19 pandemic and its aftermath, the announced closure of Noma precipitated criticism of the stage (unpaid intern) system and the intense pressures of attaining and maintaining Michelin star status.

Results from the discourse analysis suggest certification for fine dining restaurants, perhaps through the Michelin Guide, for demonstrating a commitment to social sustainability as a qualifier to achieve a Michelin star.

Findings from this research reveal a palpable change in societal tolerance for a more socially sustainable fine dining restaurant business model that advances equitable solutions for its workers while assuring the economic sustainability of restaurants.

This study drew upon a foodscape lens to reveal a juxtaposition between well-executed environmentally sustainable initiatives in the fine dining business model and the threats to the social sustainability among its workers.