Consumers Values of Italian Foods in Japan

Abstract

The objective of this research is to quantify why it is that Italian cuisine is so popular amongst consumers in Japan. It focused in particular on examining the values and emotions experienced during the consumption of Italian cuisine from the perspective of consumption behavioural analysis. The research is based on Holbrook’s (1999) Consumer Value Framework and the imaginary that consumers in Japan have towards Italy and its cuisine. Holbrook (1999) classified the Consumer Value into three different dimensions: self-oriented/other-oriented, intrinsic/extrinsic and active/reactive. Value is self-oriented when the product has a personal meaning. In contrast, value is oriented towards others when the product possesses a social meaning and/or affects one’s relations with others, or when the consumption of a product creates a new interaction with others. The intrinsic value is when the consumption experience is appreciated as an end in itself. The extrinsic value is when consumers have achieved a purpose as a mean. In other words, things are "instrumental" consumptions. Active value is involved when the consumer finds value by actively using things. On the other hand, reactive value occurs when the consumer responds to things. The Japanese consumer’s attraction to Italian cuisine is due to the 8 consumer values as follows: (1) playful/fun: Due to it’s light-hearted nature, by eating Italian food the consumer tends to enjoy himself. (2) aesthetics: by eating Italian food the consumer feels stylish. (3) efficiency: by eating Italian food the consumers attain efficiency. (4) excellence: by eating Italian food the consumer attains excellence. (5) ethics: by eating Italian food the consumer reaches ethics. (6) spirituality: by eating Italian food the consumer reaches spirituality. (7) status: by eating Italian food the consumer attains a higher status. (8) esteem: by eating Italian food the consumers self-esteem is boosted. Chapter I describes the background of research, the research question and the structure of the paper. Chapter II reviews the existing research and constructs the hypothesis of this paper. The literature review includes Japanese, American and Italian researches which used the economic, historical, sociological and marketing prospective. Chapter III is devoted to the explanation of the Research Methodology. The questionnaires are to be sent and completed via the Internet by both male and female consumers in Japan between the ages of 18-60. Chapter IV analyses all gathered data. The final chapter compares and contrasts the findings of this paper and argues both the practical and theoretical contributions, in addition to pointing out the various limitations of this research.