Thesis (MBA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / Wine is not the alcoholic beverage of choice for the average South African. South Africa‟s wine consumption per capita is much lower than in other wine producing countries. It would be hugely beneficial to the South African wine industry if our domestic market were beter developed. This study aims to improve our understanding and knowledge of the South African wine market by exploring the purchasing behaviour and preferences of the South African wine consumer. This objective is attained by identifying whether a correlation exists between demographic variables and wine purchasing behaviour in the South African market. A literature review of international research indicated that various demographical, behavioural and other determinants significantly influence a consumer's decision to buy wine. This information was used to formulate a data collection strategy. A quota sampling strategy was used and the data was collected with the help of an online questionnaire. This study used the chi-squared test of a contingency table to determine if a relationship exists between any of the variables and the Cramer‟s V test was used to measure the strength of the association. This study produced similar results as other international studies conducted on the factors influencing wine purchasing behaviour. The male survey respondents tended to spend more on average on a bottle of wine and had on average a higher wine knowledge when compared to the female survey respondents. The older survey participants consumed more wine and tended to spend more per month on wine compared to their younger counterparts. The respondents in the higher income groups tended to spend more per month on wine and purchased wine that is more expensive when compared to their counterparts in the lower income groups. This study found significant relationships between wine knowledge and wine purchasing variables. Higher levels of wine knowledge often lead to higher wine consumption levels. Furthermore, the respondents in the higher wine expenditure groups generally possessed a higher wine knowledge compared to the respondents in the lower expenditure groups. This study found a number of significant relationships between the purchasing behaviour and the preferences of the survey respondents. The respondents in the higher consumption groups preferred red or white wine and had an adverse preference for wine in the “other” category. Furthermore, most red and sparkling wine consumers preferred a natural cork while most dry white wine consumers preferred a screwcap as closure method. The respondents displayed a possible willingness to pay more for a bottle of red wine than for a bottle of white wine. Furthermore, the respondents favoured screwcap in the lower average price category and preferred a natural cork in the higher average price categories. The survey participants tended to purchase wine at different price points and did not only buy wine in one price bracket.

Notre problématique aborde de manière générale la question des déterminants de la valeur perçue par les consommateurs de l’attribut biologique dans le cas d’un produit comme le vin. Plus spécifiquement, nous nous interrogeons sur : (1) quelles sont les déterminants psychosociaux (e.g., attitudes, valeurs, croyances, etc.) du consentement à payer pour l’attribut biologique ? ; (2) combien les individus sont prêts à payer pour l’attribut biologique ? Le cadre théorique de la recherche s'appuie sur trois grandes théories : (1) la théorie du comportement planifié ; (2) la théorie de phases de l'action ; et (3) la théorie des valeurs personnelles. Notre approche épistémologique est hypothético-déductive. Ainsi, afin de tester les hypothèses obtenues à partir de notre cadre théorique, nous avons développé trois études de terrain complémentaires. Notre méthodologie combine des analyses statistiques multivariées (AFE et AFC), ainsi que l'analyse économétrique (Modèles de choix discret et panel de données) / The general goal of this thesis is the question of the consumer perceived value in the case of organic wine. More precisely, this dissertation try to answer three research questions: 1st what are the social and psychological determinants of willingness to pay for the organic attribute of a product; and 2nd how much the consumers are willing to pay for. Our main theoretical framework includes: 1st the planned behavior theory, 2nd the action phases theory, and 3th the personal value theory. Methodologically we have a classic hypothetico-deductive model approach. Our hypothesis were tested using multivariate statistics models and econometric models.

Social media has been getting more and more attention from common users as well as businesses. Although the level of social media adoption varies by sector and geographical location, all companies strive to understand which social media platforms adopt and how to effectively use them. There is a specific position for the winery sector, which is widely recognised as traditional. However, more and more people search for information, share information and purchase goods or services online, which made presence on social media inevitable even for wineries. There is a body of literature concerning wineries' social media adoption and usage, however there is none of such kind to be found in the Czech Republic. Thus, this paper's aim is to fill this gap and to find out to what extent do Czech wineries use social media and why. This paper investigates 96 responses from wineries from all regions of the Czech Republic. The evidence is that the common communication channels of Czech wineries are rather traditional, being it personal communication, email or phone. However, the level of social media adoption in comparison with Australia, Germany or New Zealand is rather high. Although Czech wineries value social media, there is a significant lack of knowledge in how to use them efficiently.