REGIONAL IMAGES AND THE PROMOTION OF QUALITY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES IN THE LAGGING REGIONS OF THE EUROPEAN UNION

Objective

The aim of this research project is to help public and private institutions to develop strategies, policies and structures to aid the successful marketing and promotion of quality products and services in the lagging regions of the EU. Innovatively, it will link together work on regional imagery and marketing in relation to the relative success and failure of quality products and services, of both an agricultural and non-agricultural nature. The study will use the expertise of geographers, economists, sociologists and marketing analysts, many of whom have already worked together on CAMAR and AIR programmes.
We have four interrelated objectives. OBJECTIVE 1 is to measure the local and regional cost-effectiveness of current marketing strategies and promotional activities among small and medium rural enterprises (SMEs), both farm and non-farm, in selected lagging regions of Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Spain and the United Kingdom. This will involve an assessment of the perceptions of SME owners on existing activities for the promotion of a regional image in relation to particular quality products and services. OBJECTIVE 2 is to explore consumers' perceptions, wants and needs in relation to the purchase of quality products and services from specific lagging regions. This will examine the links between location, quality image and product and service characteristics, as well as identify the social, psychological and economic factors influencing consumer behaviour regarding quality products and services. OBJECTIVE 3 is to examine the marketing strategies, activities and institutional structures developed by both local authorities and development and marketing agencies to improve the marketing of quality products and services in the selected lagging regions. This will help to identify both good practice of quality policies used today and barriers and threats to the image of quality products and services. OBJECTIVE 4 is to provide an overall evaluation of regional marketing initiatives for quality products and services produced by SMEs in the lagging regions of the EU. In particular, this stage will use a prototype expert system to develop and forecast the impact of future regional marketi ' ng strategies for quality goods and services under different scenario and policy contexts. The project will examine the producers and consumers of quality products and services, as well as the institutions marketing them. Information from these surveys will be modelled in an expert system to produce a good guide for the future development of regional images and the marketing of quality products and services in the lagging regions of the EU. The project will last for 33 months.

Fields of science

• social sciences › economics and business › economics › microeconomics
• natural sciences › computer and information sciences › artificial intelligence › expert systems

Programme(s)

• FP4-FAIR - Specific research, technological development and demonstration programme in the field of agriculture and fisheries (including agro-industry, food technologies, forestry, aquaculture and rural development), 1994-1998

Topic(s)

• 4.2.3 - Organizational aspects

Call for proposal

Data not available

Funding Scheme

CSC - Cost-sharing contracts

Coordinator

Coventry University

Address

Priory Street
CV1 5FB Coventry
United Kingdom

Participants (5)

CEMAGREF

France

Address

Domaine De Laluas
63200 Riom

UNIVERSITAT DE VALENCIA - ESTUDI GENERAL

Spain

Address

Avda Blasco Ibanez, 28
46010 Valencia

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE GALWAY

Ireland

Address

University Road
Galway

UNIVERSITY OF HELSINKI

Finland

Address

Keskuskatu, 34
60T00 Seinäjoki

UNIVERSITY OF PATRAS RESEARCH COMMITTEE

Greece

Address

Pillinis, 9 - P.o. Box 140
301 00 Agrinion