Young-adult consumers (aged between 18 and 30 years) have been attracting increasing attention by scholars and marketers (Cardoso Pinto, 2010; Xie & Singh, 2007; Kjelgaard & Askegaard 2006). They are interesting because they already have spending money, a desire to spend, have less financial obligations, and are increasingly autonomous in their purchasing, in spite of their young age (Grant & Waite 2003; Gronhoj 2007). They further influence purchasing decisions of their households (Grant & Waite 2003), and often act as fashion conduits and/or trend setters for other consumer groups (Leslie et al. 2001). In terms of cross-country variability young-adult consumers have been described as global citizens at the “forefront of globalization” (Strizhakova et al. 2012, p. 43), who are (more) universally cosmopolitan (Thompson & Tambyah 1999), characterized by a common global culture (Fabris 2003), are believed to have quite unified tastes (Guido 1992), and a similar life-style (Stapinski 1999). Despite a growing research interest in young-adult consumers and their decision-making styles, we know far less about young-adult consumers in non-Western markets than Western markets (Strizhakova et al., 2012; Zhou et al., 2010; Wong et al., 2008). While calls for more research on young-adult consumer decision-making styles have been mainly focused on large emerging markets, like China and Russia, the same call could also be applied for smaller transitional and post-transition markets of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). This research is set against the backdrop of a highly regionalized nature of international business and marketing (Oh & Rugman, 2014), and looks at young-adult consumers in a specific Western Balkan regional marketing context. In particular, we conduct an exploratory analysis of consumer decision-making styles across university student matched samples from Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Web-based data collection took place at a leading university in each of the countries by employing Fan & Xiao’s (1998) survey instrument, a variation of the Kendall & Sproles’ (1986) Consumer Styles Inventory (CSI). To the best of our knowledge this is the first such multi-country comprehensive analysis of young-adult consumer decision-making styles in the Western Balkans, complementing more general analyses of consumer characteristics in Western Balkans by Žabkar, Kolar & Sunko (2009), or specific country studies of young-adult consumer decision-making styles for specific Western Balkan countries, like Bosnia and Herzegovina (Anic, Piri Rajh & Bevanda, 2012), Slovenia (Raskovic, 2011), and Croatia (Anic, Piri Rajh & Rajh, 2010). Our results challenge the universal consumer identity and intra-regional universality of young-adult consumers in the Western Balkans. They show certain distinctive consumer characteristics (Žabkar, Kolar & Sunko, 2009) and support a glocal consumer identity perspective instead (Douglas & Craig, 2011); also within a specific intra-regional context. By conducting exploratory factor analyses and cluster analyses we describe and compare different young-adult consumers segments across the four countries and outline important implications for marketers targeting young-adult consumers in the region.

This paper focuses on dimensions of the perceived service quality measurement for business schools. We propose an adapted SERVQUAL measure of expected and perceived quality, where employees at business schools are split into two groups: faculty and administrative staff, and assessed separately. This measure represents a tool for comparable service quality assessment at business schools. Empirical data were collected among undergraduate students in a developing economy. A total of 282 respondents were used to assess the overall fit of the proposed model and to test the differences between the expectations and the perceptions of service quality in a business school. The results support usability of the proposed adapted SERVQUAL measure. Therefore, the study contributes to the existing literature reporting the findings on service quality in an educational context.

The present study proposed and tested a conceptual model incorporating perceived service quality, customer-perceived value, and repurchase intention in a higher-education context. The main purpose was to empirically investigate the relationships between these concepts; thus, three hypotheses were postulated. Empirical data were collected among undergraduate students in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia. A total of 735 cases were used to assess the overall fit of the proposed model and to test hypotheses using covariance-based structural equation modelling. The results support the proposed conceptual model, showing that perceived service quality and customer-perceived value have a positive and significant influence on repurchase intention, as well as that perceived service quality has a positive and significant impact on customer-perceived value. Therefore, the study contributes to the existing literature reporting the findings on quality and value in an educational context, with evidence from South Eastern Europe. Implications of the results are discussed, and recommendations for future research are made.

Much scholarly work has explored the benefits firms accrue from innovation activities. Although some research has shown that firm innovativeness is associated with enhanced export success, the conditions under which firm innovativeness activities are most and least beneficial are not well understood. The authors take a contingency perspective and use social capital theory to investigate how internal channel networking capability and structural factors as well as external environment factors affect the innovativeness–export performance relationship. Analysis of samples of exporting firms from Ghana and Bosnia and Herzegovina indicates that innovativeness is most beneficial for firms operating in competitive and dynamic export markets; those in less competitive and static markets do not benefit from their innovation activities to the same extent. Stronger networking capabilities and a more organic structure also enhance the innovativeness–export performance relationship. The findings imply that the management of firm innovativeness is not a straightforward task in which greater emphasis on innovation activities is always beneficial for firms; rather, exporting organizations must match firm innovativeness levels to external environmental conditions and internal capabilities and structures.

Abstract The purpose of this study is to analyze the factors influencing wine consumption of Generation Y consumers in the context of two countries from South-Eastern Europe (Bosnia -Herzegovina, and Croatia). Analysis reveals that self-expression, sociability, tradition and food are significant predictors of wine consumption. Multivariate regressions have been applied in order to explain the influences of the abovementioned factors on wine consumption. Research findings show that specific gender and situational differences exist in the wine consumption behaviour of Generation Y. This paper discusses theoretical, empirical and practical implications, and offers ideas for further research

Wine has been consumed for ages. Throughout history, although its popularity has varied, it has always existed as a drink with a long story behind it. Today, the wine market has become a big regional business. Matt Kramer, an American wine writer, tried to translate the French word “terroir,” which explains wine’s ability to convey a sense of place. He settled on “somewhereness.” The idea behind this is that a good wine should taste like it came from some particular place in the world (Prial, 1992). In some European countries a meal without a glass of wine is not a proper meal. Surprisingly, hardly any studies have been published, until now, that reveal more characteristics of the European wine market, although most of wine is produced and consumed in Europe (OIV, 2008). In our literature review we found very few European studies on the wine market. Those are; a cross-national study with French and Australian consumers (Aurifeille et al., 2002); one that analysed the market in Denmark but used an occasion-based approach (Berni et al., 2005); as well as the one that segmented a portion of the Spanish wine market on geographical basis, albeit with little success, as the authors themselves admit (Sanchez, Gil, 1998). Recently, Brunner and Siegrist (2011) explored the wine market in German-speaking Switzerland, while Cacic, Tratnik, Gajdos, Kljusuric, Cacic and Kovacevic (2011) researched wines with geographical indication awareness among Croatian consumers. Little effort has been devoted to consumer-oriented wine marketing as well (Brunner, Siegrist, 2011). Producers have relied mostly on the reputation of their countries, vineyards or grapes as the main features of differential advantage (Felzensztein et al., 2004). Brunner and Siegrist (2011) wrote that the first step in a more serious approach to wine marketing is to gain a thorough understanding of the wine consumers in a particular market. In terms of world’s wine production, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina are not well known in the production of bottled wines. But, compared to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia has had more success in producing and promoting its wines. In the book Wines of the World (Keevil, 2006), Croatia is mentioned as a wine country together with Slovenia in the Middle and East European group, while Bosnia and Herzegovina is not mentioned at all. One of the reasons for this may lie in fact that, in comparison with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia has a slightly better geographical location for wine production. For the very first time, in 2004, the value of wine import was higher than the value of export from Croatia (CBS, 2008). Wine import into Croatia has even grown in recent years. From five times greater import than export in 2008 (Kneževic, 2009), this ratio has even risen to seven times in 2010. Croatia now imports 15 million liters of wine per year, and exports only 2.5 million liters (Matosevic, 2011). Major wine export partners are Germany and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Although Croatian wines have won a variety of awards at the international and global level, they are still unknown (Kneževic, 2009). As Croatia has different producing regions of wine, there is not any dominant sort of wine produced. The type of produced wine depends on the region of origin. This fact illustrates the opportunity for wine producers of having to produce more expensive wines. This trend is two-sided. On the one hand, more expensive wines yield higher profits through added value, which products have in terms of quality, packing, image etc. But, at the same time, western European markets, which are one of the export destinations for Croatian wines, have a lot of high quality wines which people can afford at low prices (Tasler, 2011). In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the most important wine region is Herzegovina. The origins of wine growing in this area date back to the Roman period. The importance of Herzegovina as a wine growing region is in its geographical location. A Dinaric region with a Mediterranean climate and vegetation, it is sometimes called California of the Balkans with reference to wine (Azinovic, 2010). The best known wine grapes of Herzegovina region are Žilavka and Blatina. Herzegovina’s geographical and historical location indicates a great potential for wine production in Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, some barriers impede the development of wine production in Bosnia and Herzegovina. A major obstacle was the Wine Act adopted in 2008, and revoked shortly after its implementation due to its ambiguity. The new Wine Act should bring more order to the wine market (Nezavisne.com/Bizon.ba, 2010) and should help to reduce the wine black market. Until then, no action at the country level can be taken, such as attending international wine fairs and so on. According to the data of the Chamber of Economy of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the import of wines into Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost five times greater than the export of wines from Bosnia and Herzegovina (Biznis.ba, 2009). Barbaric notes that, in order to overcome this ratio, wine exports will have to rise; this would be possible by making more investments in marketing and promotion, as well as by returning to old export markets on which Herzegovina’s wines are still well known (Vinarija, 2008). The main aim of this research was to follow Siegrist’s (2011) suggestion and to discover attitudes towards wine selection and consumption in neighbouring countries with different cultures and traditions: Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia. These countries were chosen because of their geographical, cultural and historical connections and also because both have natural resources for wine production. The consequences of the recent economic downturn are still very present in both countries. This makes it even more critical for local wineries and marketers to understand the underlying of reasons local consumers’ purchases and consumption behaviours. Consumers in both countries are faced with a choice between familiar regional and foreign wines. What drives their choice? Are they looking for a familiar “somewhereness” or are they being ethnocentric? Therefore, the purpose of this paper is (1) to examine local (in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia) residents’ attitudes towards local wines (Bosnian and Croatian) (2) to examine potential similarities and differences between these two countries regarding attitudes towards wine consumption and selection.

Generation Y brings new changes and demands to the market and advertisers. Embarking upon wine consumption as inexperienced consumers, Generation Y consumers are confused and overwhelmed when having to choose wine. Generation Y, wine consumption occasions and gender differences in wine consumption represent the subject of research. Consequently, the purpose of this study is to analyse the factors influencing wine consumption of Generation Y consumers in the context of two countries from South-Eastern Europe (Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Croatia). // Quantitative research was conducted using a highly structured, Internet-based questionnaire developed for this research. The online questionnaire was created using LimeSurvey. Special attention was given to the fact that the Bosnian and Croatian languages differ in various nuances that serve as ethnical, religious, social and political differentiation. The non-probability judgment sampling method (n=295 respondents) was identified as being suitable, compared to the goals and objectives of the research. // Research findings show that specific gender differences exist in the wine consumption behaviour of males and females of Generation Y. However, factor analysis reveals that self- expression, sociability, tradition and food are factors that have been recognized as significant for wine consumption. Multivariate regressions have been applied in order to explain the influences of the mentioned factors on wine consumption. // This paper has empirical implications because it gives suggestions on how to create ads to target Generation Y male and female wine consumers in accordance with factors that have been identified as influencing their wine consumption. The managerial implications consider new practical knowledge on Generation Y’s attitudes and habits that the regional wine industry and wine professionals could incorporate into their businesses.

This paper investigates the relationship between moral judgment and salesperson’s intentions to behave ethically for Muslim salespersons. A questionnaire was used to collect data from salespersons in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The statistical results provide support to the proposed hypotheses. A group analysis was carried out to accentuate the relevance of religious reasoning. As predicted, the analysis demonstrated that monolithic religions have a superior effect on salesperson’s intentions to behave ethically. In light of the findings, theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.

Sales of products and services have made a transition from the 20th to the 21st century model of strategic sales organization. Bearing in mind the importance of sales in contemporary organizations, the purpose of this paper is to point out the possibilities of furthering sales efficiency. One of the possibilities is to resolve conflicts that occur within departments and to improve sales and marketing department interaction and cooperation. The aim of creating synergy in creating superior value and satisfying customers would then be accomplished. The research questions posed in this paper were answered through qualitative research by using semi-structured in-depth interviews in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) and the Republic of Croatia (Croatia). Respondents’ selection ensured that companies, which make 40% of their target market share in both countries, were selected. By comparing research results from B&H and Croatia, a lack of intra-organizational coordination between sales and marketing departments was identified.

The paper addresses the important question of how potential students absorb and store data in order to make logical and rational decisions when choosing an undergraduate program and major, what motivates them. Quantitative research using a survey was conducted for analyzing undergraduate program selection among students who completed high school education. Based on the research findings, a qualitative study using a clinical focus group was conducted to analyze the motives that drive business program students in their major selection. Six factors were identified as potential motives: clearly defined life goals, level of student’s curiosity, aspiration, creativity, achievement and socialization. During a period of economic downturn, it is difficult to predict which professions will be popular. Business students are driven primarily by rational motives in undergraduate program decision making, while they are led by emotions in choosing Marketing major. In order to obtain a clearer insight into the results it is necessary to conduct research on a larger sample, which will also purify the research instrument. The paper has great practical implications for university managers and curricula creators.