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Revista mexicana de ciencias pecuarias
On-line version ISSN 2448-6698Print version ISSN 2007-1124
Rev. mex. de cienc. pecuarias vol.10 n.4 Mérida Oct./Dec. 2019 Epub Apr 30, 2020
https://doi.org/10.22319/rmcp.v10i4.4799
Articles
Comparison of the direct and indirect routes of human values’ influence on consumption of two traditional cheeses from Chiapas, Mexico
a Universidad Autónoma Chapingo. Departamento de Ingeniería Agroindustrial. Km 38.5 Carretera México-Texcoco. 56230, Chapingo, Estado de México, México.
Product preference can be influenced by specific human values and individual beliefs, among other factors. An analysis was done to identify the direct and indirect influence of human values, as mediated by tangible attributes, on acceptance of Ocosingo Bola and Chiapas cream cheeses. Surveys were applied to samples (n1= 200; n2= 230) of Chiapanecan consumers of each cheese variety. Correlation coefficients (R1) were generated from selected factor regressions from a factorial analysis of tangible attributes and consumption frequency. Calculations were done of R2 for the consumption regressions and selected human values factors, along with residual factors of tangible attributes. Human value-only factors and cheese consumption provided R3. The direct influence of human values on cheese consumption was determined by subtracting R2 from R1 (change in R), and the indirect influence was the difference between the R3 coefficient and the change in R. Direct influence was not significant in Ocosingo Bola cheese, but did affect preference for Chiapas cream cheese. The values for the latter cheese therefore predicted its consumption at a level beyond that of importance of tangible attributes. The most important motivational values in both consumer samples were Benevolence and Security. Chiapas cream cheese consumers also manifested Power and Universalism as supplementary values, while among Ocosingo Bola cheese consumers Hedonism was a supplementary value.
Key words Chiapas; Human values; Intangible attributes
La preferencia de productos puede ser influenciada por valores humanos específicos y creencias individuales, entre otros factores. El propósito de la investigación fue identificar la influencia directa e indirecta de los valores humanos, mediados a través de los atributos tangibles, sobre la aceptación de los quesos Bola de Ocosingo y Crema de Chiapas. Se aplicaron encuestas a muestras (n1= 200; n2= 230) de consumidores chiapanecos, para cada variedad de queso. Se obtuvieron coeficientes de correlación (R1) de regresiones de factores seleccionados de un análisis factorial de atributos tangibles y la frecuencia de consumo. Se calculó el R2, de las regresiones del consumo y los factores seleccionados de los valores humanos, junto con factores residuales de atributos tangibles. Los factores de solo los valores humanos y el consumo proporcionaron el R3. La influencia directa de los valores humanos en el consumo del queso se obtuvo restando R2 de R1 (cambio en R) y la influencia indirecta de la diferencia entre el coeficiente R3 y el cambio en R. La influencia directa no resultó significativa en el Queso Bola de Ocosingo, pero sí en el Queso Crema de Chiapas, por lo que los valores predijeron el consumo de este último queso más allá de la importancia de los atributos tangibles. Los valores motivacionales importantes en ambas muestras de consumidores fueron Benevolencia y Seguridad, adicionalmente, los consumidores del queso Crema de Chiapas presentaron el Poder y el Universalismo; mientras que los del queso Bola de Ocosingo mostraron al Hedonismo, como un valor suplementario.
Palabras clave Chiapas; Valores humanos; Atributos intangibles
Introduction
Among the myriad traditional cheeses made in Mexico are two raw milk cheeses made in the state of Chiapas: Chiapas cream cheese and Ocosingo Bola cheese1,2. Traditional foods are defined as “a product frequently consumed or linked to a celebration or season, normally transmitted from one generation to another, made in a specific way based on culinary heritage, with or without processing, recognized and known due to its sensory properties, and associated with a certain area, region or country”3. Artisanal cheeses are produced using methods that are unique, non-industrial, small-scale, and minimally mechanized4. Thirty-one traditional artisanal cheeses have been described in Mexico2. These are associated with small-scale animal production systems, and are often produced by farmers as a way of saving money and ensuring family well-being5,6.
Products are a collection of tangible and intangible attributes. The tangible refers to objectively verifiable elements of a product, and the intangible to that which does not alter a product’s physical form but helps construct its symbolic meaning7. Thomson et al8 noted that when processing sensory information consumers obtain functional, emotional and abstract conceptualizations. However, they also seek to build symbols, and manifest more favorable attitudes towards products when these symbolize the values consumers endorse9,10. Values and beliefs are the units with which attitudes are built in consumers11. Human values are desirable purposes that transcend situations, vary in importance, and serve as guiding principles in an individual’s life or other social entity12,13. They have been used in the study of food consumption behavior14,15 in different cultures, such as India16, China17 and Europe18.
The expectation-value model has been used to explain attitudes towards the consumption behavior of a product, be it food in general19 or a specific product such as meat20,21. It uses tangible attributes as mediators of the influence of human values on preference. Lindberg, et al22 found that preference for a product was a function of beliefs that the product should completely reinforce human values and their importance. Keaveney and Hunt23 argued that although the perception of intangible attributes is embedded in the set of perceptions of tangible ones, perception of intangible attributes is greater than the sum of perceptions of tangibles. They state that the distinction between these should be the consequence of the influence of human values, mediating between both kinds of attributes, to influence product preference. When consumers evaluate the utilitarian meaning of a product, human values can influence the importance of its tangible attributes, which in turn indirectly influence product preference. But when consumers assess symbolic meaning through affective holistic judgment, human values can directly influence product preference, employing tangible attributes as mediators. In the indirect route the product serves an instrumental psychological function and in the direct route it serves an expressive function24. Under these assumptions, when choosing some traditional cheese varieties native cheese consumers use intangible attributes more than tangible ones to express their consumer behavior. For other cheese varieties, however, consumers will only be able to use tangible attributes to make their decision. The present study objective was to identify the influence route of human values on consumption frequency of Chiapas cream cheese and Ocosingo Bola cheese.
Material and methods
Descriptive closed-response surveys were used to collect data19,25, which was processed with the Microsoft Access 2016 program (Microsoft Corporation, USA). For Chiapas cream cheese, a sample of 230 consumers was used which included natives of three municipalities in the state of Chiapas: Pijijiapan, Tuxtla Gutiérrez and Comitán de Domínguez. For Ocosingo Bola cheese, a sample of 200 consumers was used who were natives of the municipality of Ocosingo, Chiapas. In both cases, respondents were consumers over the age of 40 and equally balanced between genders. Sampling was convenience type for an infinite population, and sample size was calculated using maximum variance, with 95 % reliability and a 7 % margin of error. The surveys included three sections. In the first section for Chiapas cream cheese each respondent was presented with a list of ten tangible attributes (the color yellow, the color white, firmness, moistness, crumbliness, milk aroma, soar milk aroma, fat aroma, acid flavor, salty flavor) and the separate attribute “affordable price”. For Ocosingo Bola cheese the first section also addressed “affordable price” plus fourteen tangible attributes: two for the rind (yellow color and moisture), twelve for cheese filling (cream color, moisture, milk aroma, soar milk aroma, fat aroma, acid flavor, salty flavor, bitter flavor, spreadability, softness, crumbliness, and graininess). Attributes were evaluated on a ten-point scale (1 “not important” and 10 “very important”) based on the importance assigned to each attribute by the respondent when deciding to buy the cheese.
For both cheese types the second section was intended to identify the importance respondents assigned to human values. Participants first read a printed sheet with a list of forty human values and their meanings (Table 1); any doubts were resolved by the pollster. Initially they were asked to select the thirteen most important human values, and then to select the thirteen least important values. A worth of 3 was assigned to the values chosen as the most important, a worth of 1 to those deemed least important, and a worth of 2 to those not chosen by the respondent. This methodology is based on a study by Schwartz12 involving people from twenty countries (n ≥ 200 per country), including all the continents, thirteen languages, and eight religions, as well as atheists. The study used eleven motivational values and 56 human values, all previously agreed to by experts in the discipline. The results produced recommendations for the use of forty human values associated with ten motivational values, and proposed a model for the structure of relationships between types of motivational values which is widely used in human values research14-18. In the third section of each survey consumers were asked how often they had consumed either of the two studied cheeses in the previous three days.
Motivational values | Human values | Definition |
---|---|---|
Self-direction | Choosing own goals | Ability to determine one’s own destiny |
Self-direction | Self-respect | Self-esteem |
Self-direction | Creativity | Bold, creative |
Self-direction | Independent | Self-confident, self-sufficient |
Self-direction | Freedom | Independence, free choice |
Benevolence | True friendship | Close Friends |
Benevolence | Mature love | Spiritual and sexual intimacy |
Benevolence | Caring | Affectionate, tender |
Benevolence | Honest | Sincere, believable |
Benevolence | Indulgence | Desire to pardon others |
Benevolence | Responsible | Worthy of confidence, trustworthy |
Benevolence | A spiritual life | Saved, eternal life |
Benevolence | Helpful | Work for the good of others |
Conformity | Self-disciplined | Restrained |
Conformity | Politeness | Courteous, Good manners |
Universalism | Equality | Each person gratified according to the amount s/he has done |
Conformity | Obedient | Has obligations, respectable |
Stimulation | An exciting life | A stimulating, active life |
Stimulation | Daring | Stands by convictions |
Hedonism | Cheerful | Not serious |
Hedonism | Happiness | To feel content |
Hedonism | Pleasure | Agreeable, relaxed life |
Hedonism | A comfortable life | A prosperous life |
Achievement | Ambitious | Hard work, aspire |
Achievement | Capable | Competent, effective |
Achievement | Intelligent | Intelligent, thoughtful |
Achievement | Logical | Consistent, rational |
Achievement | A sense of attainment | Lasting contribution |
Power | Social power | Position of authority and importance |
Power | Social recognition | Respect, admiration |
Security | Clean | Orderly, neat |
Security | Family security | Care for loved ones |
Security | National security | Protection from attack |
Tradition | Respect for tradition | Acceptance and commitment to customs |
Universalism | Inner harmony | Free of inner conflicts |
Universalism | Equality | Community, equal opportunity for all |
Universalism | Social justice | Rectitude, non discrimination |
Universalism | Broadminded | Open-minded |
Universalism | Wisdom | Mature understanding of life |
Universalism | A world at peace | Free of war and conflict |
Source: Schwartz12.
Statistical analysis
Analyses were run to identify any direct and/or indirect influence of human values on the frequency of consumption of Chiapas cream cheese and Ocosingo Bola cheese. The data for each cheese type was analyzed separately. The first step in each case was to apply one factorial analysis without rotation, using the principal components method, for human values and another for tangible attributes with the goal of reducing the number of variables (forty human values and cheese tangible attributes). Chosen factors were had eigenvalues equal to or greater than one (≥1). Subsequently, a multiple regression (block one) was run using the selected factors for the tangible attributes (independent variables) and the frequency of cheese consumption (dependent variable). A second regression (block two) was done using the frequency of cheese consumption and selected human value factors, along with the residual factors of tangible attributes (i.e. those with eigenvalues less than one); these were treated as independent variables. A third and final multiple regression was run with the selected human values factors and frequency of cheese consumption, called the human values-only regression. Multiple regressions were done using the step-by-step method with an α= 0.1 to both include and exclude independent variables. Variance analyses and multiple regression coefficients (R) were done for each regression and each cheese. All analyses were done with the XLSTAT ver. 2014 program (Addinsoft, USA).
The direct influence of human values on cheese consumption frequency, with tangible attributes as mediators, was quantified by subtracting the R of the block one regression from the R of the block two regression (i.e. change in R). The significance of the change in R was evaluated by transforming the regression coefficients to Fisher’s z (z')26, then applying a z-test to evaluate the null hypothesis that an R is equal to a specific value (φ1=φk). These analyses were run with the SAS ver. 9.4 program (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC). The indirect influence of human values on the consumption frequency (using tangible attributes as mediators) of each cheese was calculated from the difference between the human values-only regression coefficient and the change in R19,24.
Results
Factorial analysis of cheese tangible attributes and human values
For Chiapas cream cheese the factorial analysis for tangible attributes produced three factors (eigenvalues ≥1), which explained 49.86 % of total variation in the data. For Ocosingo Bola cheese five factors (eigenvalues ≥1) were identified that explained 62.04 % of total variation in the data.
The factorial analysis of human values in consumers of Chiapas cream cheese identified fourteen factors that explained 60.4 % of total variability. For Ocosingo Bola cheese, fifteen factors were identified which explained 64.2 % of total variation in the human values data.
Direct and indirect influence of human values on consumption of Chiapas cream cheese and Ocosingo Bola cheese
A Kolmogorov-Smirnov test of normality27 was applied to the observation coordinates of each selected tangible attribute factor for each cheese variety and of each selected human value factor of the two consumer samples; in all cases the hypothesis of an assumption of normal distribution (P>0.05) was not rejected. Of the three multiple regressions for Chiapas cream cheese (Table 2), the three-factor regression including tangible attributes and consumption frequency identified factor two (T2) as a significant variable (P<0.1). The regression using fourteen human value factors, the residuals of intangible factors (RT4 - RT11) and consumption frequency as a dependent variable provided four significant variables (P<0.1), three human value factors (V3, V4, and V5) and a residual factor of tangible attributes (RT8). The block three multiple regression, including the fourteen human value factors and cheese consumption, identified three variables or factors (V3, V4 and V5). Of the Ocosingo Bola cheese multiple regressions (Table 3), the five-factor regression containing tangible attributes and consumption frequency identified three significant variables (P<0.1), which were T1, T2 and T3. The regression including the fifteen human value factors plus the intangible factor residuals (RT6 - RT13) and consumption frequency as a dependent variable provided three significant variables (P<0.1), two human value factors (V7 and V13) and a residual factor of tangible attributes (RT8). Finally, the multiple regression that included the fifteen human value factors and cheese consumption as a dependent variable identified two significant variables or factors (V7 and V13).
Source | Coefficient value (B) | Standard error | t | Pr > |t| | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Regression of tangible attribute factors and cheese consumption | Intersection | 3.530 | 0.111 | 31.708 | < 0.0001 | |
T1 | 0.000 | 0.000 | ||||
T2 | 0.268 | 0.084 | 3.200 | 0.002 | ||
T3 | 0.000 | 0.000 | ||||
Regression equation (R1) | Consumption = 3.530+0.268*T2 | |||||
Regression of tangible attribute residuals factors plus the human values and cheese consumption factors | Intersection | 3.530 | 0.109 | 32.428 | < 0.0001 | |
RT4 | 0.000 | 0.000 | ||||
RT5 | 0.000 | 0.000 | ||||
RT6 | 0.000 | 0.000 | ||||
RT7 | 0.000 | 0.000 | ||||
RT8 | -0.505 | 0.136 | -3.710 | 0.000 | ||
RT9 | 0.000 | 0.000 | ||||
RT10 | 0.000 | 0.000 | ||||
RT11 | 0.000 | 0.000 | ||||
V1 | 0.000 | 0.000 | ||||
V2 | 0.000 | 0.000 | ||||
V3 | -0.124 | 0.073 | -1.703 | 0.090 | ||
V4 | -0.135 | 0.077 | -1.758 | 0.080 | ||
V5 | 0.159 | 0.081 | 1.953 | 0.052 | ||
V6 | 0.000 | 0.000 | ||||
V7 | 0.000 | 0.000 | ||||
V8 | 0.000 | 0.000 | ||||
V9 | 0.000 | 0.000 | ||||
V10 | 0.000 | 0.000 | ||||
V11 | 0.000 | 0.000 | ||||
V12 | 0.000 | 0.000 | ||||
V13 | 0.000 | 0.000 | ||||
V14 | 0.000 | 0.000 | ||||
Regression equation (R2) | Consumption = 3.530-0.505*RT8-0.124*V3-0.135*V4+0.158*V5 | |||||
Regression of human values and consumption factors | ||||||
Intersection | 3.530 | 0.112 | 31.549 | < 0.0001 | ||
V1 | 0.000 | 0.000 | ||||
V2 | 0.000 | 0.000 | ||||
V3 | -0.127 | 0.075 | -1.689 | 0.093 | ||
V4 | -0.132 | 0.079 | -1.667 | 0.097 | ||
V5 | 0.171 | 0.083 | 2.054 | 0.041 | ||
V6 | 0.000 | 0.000 | ||||
V7 | 0.000 | 0.000 | ||||
V8 | 0.000 | 0.000 | ||||
V9 | 0.000 | 0.000 | ||||
V10 | 0.000 | 0.000 | ||||
V11 | 0.000 | 0.000 | ||||
V12 | 0.000 | 0.000 | ||||
V13 | 0.000 | 0.000 | ||||
V14 | 0.000 | 0.000 | ||||
Regression equation (R3) | Consumption = 3.530-0.126*V3-0.131*V4+0.171*V5 |
Source | Coefficient value (B) | Standard error | t | Pr > |t| | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Regression of tangible attribute factors and cheese consumption | Intersection | 3.1100 | 0.1262 | 24.6481 | < 0.0001 |
T1 | 0.0000 | 0.0000 | |||
T2 | 0.0000 | 0.0000 | |||
T3 | -0.3282 | 0.0988 | -3.3216 | 0.0011 | |
Regression equation (R1) | Consumption = 3.110-0.328*T3 | ||||
Regression of tangible attribute residuals factors plus the human values and cheese consumption factors | Intersection | 3.1100 | 0.1251 | 24.8671 | < 0.0001 |
V1 | 0.0000 | 0.0000 | |||
V2 | 0.0000 | 0.0000 | |||
V3 | 0.0000 | 0.0000 | |||
V4 | |||||
V5 | 0.0000 | 0.0000 | |||
V6 | 0.0000 | 0.0000 | |||
V7 | 0.2024 | 0.0995 | 2.0334 | 0.0434 | |
V8 | 0.0000 | 0.0000 | |||
V9 | 0.0000 | 0.0000 | |||
V10 | 0.0000 | 0.0000 | |||
V11 | 0.0000 | 0.0000 | |||
V12 | 0.0000 | 0.0000 | |||
V13 | 0.3544 | 0.1182 | 2.9989 | 0.0031 | |
V14 | 0.0000 | 0.0000 | |||
V15 | 0.0000 | 0.0000 | |||
RT6 | 0.0000 | 0.0000 | |||
RT7 | 0.0000 | 0.0000 | |||
RT8 | -0.3209 | 0.1551 | -2.0696 | 0.0398 | |
RT9 | 0.0000 | 0.0000 | |||
RT10 | 0.0000 | 0.0000 | |||
RT11 | 0.0000 | 0.0000 | |||
RT12 | 0.0000 | 0.0000 | |||
RT13 | 0.0000 | 0.0000 | |||
Regression equation (R2) | Consumption = 3.110+0.202*V7+0.354*V13-0.320*RT8 | ||||
Regression of human values and consumption factors | |||||
Intersección | 3.1100 | 0.1261 | 24.6625 | < 0.0001 | |
V1 | 0.0000 | 0.0000 | |||
V2 | 0.0000 | 0.0000 | |||
V3 | 0.0000 | 0.0000 | |||
V4 | 0.0000 | 0.0000 | |||
V5 | 0.0000 | 0.0000 | |||
V6 | 0.0000 | 0.0000 | |||
V7 | 0.1867 | 0.1001 | 1.8656 | 0.0636 | |
V8 | 0.0000 | 0.0000 | |||
V9 | 0.0000 | 0.0000 | |||
V10 | 0.0000 | 0.0000 | |||
V11 | 0.0000 | 0.0000 | |||
V12 | 0.0000 | 0.0000 | |||
V13 | 0.3534 | 0.1191 | 2.9660 | 0.0034 | |
V14 | 0.0000 | 0.0000 | |||
V15 | 0.0000 | 0.0000 | |||
Regression equation (R3) | Consumption = 3.110+0.186*V7+0.353*V13 |
An analysis of variance of the three regressions for each cheese variety showed the models to be significant (correlation coefficients in Tables 4 and 5). For Chiapas cream cheese the difference (change in R) between the block two and block one regression correlation coefficients was 0.104 (P<0.05). This indicates the degree to which human values predicted consumer acceptance of Chiapas cream cheese. Because it goes beyond the influence of tangible attributes, it represents the direct influence of the human values expressed through the importance of intangible attributes. For Ocosingo Bola cheese, the difference (change in R) between the block two and block one regression correlation coefficients was 0.051 (P>0.05), indicating the degree to which human values (direct route) did not predict consumer acceptance of Ocosingo Bola cheese.
Cheese Variety | Block 1 | Block 2 | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tangible attributes | Human values plus residuals for tangible attributes | Change in R | ||||||||
Introduced Factors a | Coefficients (() | Mutliple R | Introduced Factors a | Coefficients (() | Mutliple R | |||||
Chiapas cream cheese | T2 (yellow color, milk aroma and fat aroma)b | 0.268 | 0.207 F = 10.24 g.l.=1, 228 | RT8 (salty)b | -0.505 | 0.311 F = 6.04 g.l.=4, 225 | 0.104 z = 1.68 p = 0.046 | |||
(p=0.002) | V3 (hedonism, universalism)c | -0.124 | (p=0.002) | |||||||
V4 (benevolence, security)c | -0.135 | |||||||||
V5 (hedonism, power) c | 0.159 | |||||||||
Ocosingo Bola cheese | T3 (affordable price) | -0.229 | 0.229 F = 11.03 g.l.=1, 198 | RT8 (softness)c | -0.142 | 0.280 F = 5.58 g.l.=3, 196 | 0.051 z = 0.76 p = 0.223 | |||
(p=0.001) | V7 (benevolence)c | 0.139 | (p=0.001) | |||||||
V13 (benevolence)c | 0.205 |
a = includes only significant factors (p ( 0.1)
b = Tangible attributes.
c = Motivational values.
Block 1 = importance of tangible attributes over product acceptability.
Block 2 = human values over remnants of product acceptability, not considered in importance of tangible attributes.
Cheese variety | Human values | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Introduced factorsa | Coefficients (() | Multiple R | Indirect route | |||
V3 | -0.127 | 0.204 | 0.100 | |||
Chiapas cream cheese | (hedonism, universalism)b | F = 3.28 g.l.=3, 226 (p=0.022) | ||||
V4 (benevolence, security)b | -0.132 | |||||
V5 | 0.171 | |||||
(hedonism, power)b | ||||||
Ocosingo Bola cheese | V7 (benevolence)b | 0.186 | 0.242 F = 6.13 g.l.= 2, 197(0.002) | 0.191 | ||
V13 (benevolence)b | 0.353 |
a = only includes significant factors (p < 0.1).
b = Motivational value.
Indirect route: regression coefficient (R) only of value minus the change in R.
Analyses of the variances in human values-only and cheese consumption found them to be significant (P<0.05) (Table 5). For Chiapas cream cheese, the regression correlation coefficient for human values-only (0.204) minus the change in R (0.104) resulted in a score of 0.10. This represents the influence of human values, via the importance of tangible attributes (indirect route), on cheese preference. The regression correlation coefficient for human values-only and consumption frequency of Ocosingo Bola cheese was 0.242; when the change in R (0.051) was subtracted the representation of indirect influence was 0.191.
In the block one regression (Chiapas cream cheese), the tangible attributes (Table 6) with the highest positive correlations to the variable (factor T2) were yellow color, sour milk aroma and fat aroma, while the highest negative correlation was for white color. In the block two regression, the tangible attributes residual variable eight (RT8) was positively correlated with acid flavor, affordable price and moisture, but negatively correlated to salty flavor. The motivational values (Table 7) with the highest correlations to variable three belonged to Power (social power) and Universalism (social justice), while those with the highest negative correlations belonged to Hedonism (joyful) and Universalism (broadminded). Variable four was positively correlated to the motivational values of Benevolence (useful) and Security (clean), and negatively correlated to Achievement (intellectual). Variable five was positively correlated with Hedonism (pleasant) and Power (social power).
T2 | RT8 | |
---|---|---|
Yellow color | 0.815 | -0.049 |
White color | -0.658 | -0.026 |
Firmness | 0.109 | -0.202 |
Crumbliness | -0.005 | -0.171 |
Moisture | -0.167 | 0.241 |
Milk aroma | 0.119 | 0.108 |
Sour milk aroma | 0.547 | 0.062 |
Fat aroma | 0.485 | 0.092 |
Acid flavor | 0.120 | 0.296 |
Salty flavor | -0.041 | -0.572 |
Affordable price | -0.248 | 0.266 |
Motivational value | Human value | V3 | V4 | V5 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Stimulation | Daring | 0.280 | 0.245 | -0.084 |
Benevolence | Helpful | 0.125 | 0.403 | -0.051 |
Stimulation | An exciting life | 0.207 | 0.064 | -0.074 |
Hedonism | A comfortable life | 0.181 | 0.248 | -0.230 |
Achievement | A sense of attainment | 0.168 | -0.078 | 0.018 |
Universalism | A world at peace | 0.173 | 0.276 | -0.149 |
Conformity | Self-disciplined | -0.046 | -0.251 | -0.083 |
Segurity | National security | -0.047 | -0.242 | -0.149 |
Segurity | Family segurity | -0.063 | 0.250 | -0.340 |
Benevolence | A spiritual life | -0.270 | 0.200 | 0.041 |
Universalism | Wisdom | -0.385 | -0.130 | 0.032 |
Benevolence | Responsible | -0.056 | 0.206 | 0.012 |
Power | Social recognition | 0.304 | -0.088 | 0.398 |
Power | Social power | 0.358 | -0.270 | 0.423 |
Hedonism | Pleasure | -0.047 | -0.053 | 0.437 |
Conformity | Obedient | 0.099 | 0.322 | 0.347 |
Universalism | Broadminded | -0.474 | -0.187 | 0.256 |
Achievement | Logical | -0.205 | -0.305 | -0.213 |
Security | Clean | -0.372 | 0.384 | -0.025 |
Self-direction | Freedom | -0.325 | -0.257 | 0.103 |
Universalism | Social justice | 0.384 | -0.183 | -0.021 |
Achievement | Intelligent | -0.035 | -0.386 | -0.243 |
Benevolence | Indulgence | 0.125 | -0.167 | 0.289 |
Self-direction | Independent | -0.027 | -0.296 | 0.272 |
Self-direction | Creativity | -0.261 | 0.143 | -0.353 |
Universalism | Equality | 0.373 | -0.087 | -0.022 |
Benevolence | Honest | -0.028 | 0.283 | 0.146 |
Hedonism | Happiness | 0.046 | 0.329 | 0.136 |
Universalism | Equality | 0.257 | -0.271 | -0.228 |
Conformity | Politeness | 0.023 | 0.234 | 0.046 |
Benevolence | Caring | -0.140 | 0.138 | 0.156 |
Achievement | Capable | 0.188 | -0.041 | -0.159 |
Self-direction | Self-respect | 0.034 | -0.035 | -0.093 |
Self-direction | Choosing own goals | 0.023 | -0.287 | -0.193 |
Tradition | Respect for tradition | -0.209 | 0.077 | 0.155 |
Universalism | Inner harmony | 0.142 | -0.064 | 0.084 |
Benevolence | Mature love | -0.360 | -0.170 | -0.211 |
Benevolence | True friendship | 0.142 | 0.160 | -0.029 |
Achievement | Ambitious | 0.238 | -0.098 | -0.418 |
Hedonism | Cheerful | -0.497 | 0.021 | 0.067 |
In the block one regression (Table 8), the highest positive correlations of the tangible attributes of Ocosingo Bola cheese with variable three (factor T3) were affordable price and white color, while the highest negative correlation was with bitter flavor. In the block two regression, variable eight of the residual tangible attributes (RT8) was positively correlated with acid flavor and negatively with white color (Table 8). The motivational values with the highest correlation to variable seven (Table 9) were Benevolence (responsible and honest) and Security (national security), and those with the highest negative correlations were Universalism (wisdom) and Self-direction (creativity). Variable thirteen was positively correlated with Hedonism (joyful) and negatively with Achievement (intelligent) and Power (social recognition).
T3 | RT8 | |
---|---|---|
Yellow color on rind | 0.0838 | -0.0310 |
Rind moisture | 0.0180 | -0.0315 |
Cream color | 0.2442 | -0.1415 |
Moisture | 0.1246 | 0.1670 |
Milk aroma | -0.2932 | 0.2590 |
Sour milk aroma | -0.2383 | -0.0386 |
Fat aroma | -0.4330 | -0.2053 |
Acid flavor | 0.2464 | 0.4768 |
Salty flavor | 0.0405 | 0.1229 |
Sour flavor | -0.6424 | -0.0203 |
Spreadability | 0.2650 | -0.0957 |
Softness | 0.4221 | -0.4709 |
Graininess | -0.2349 | 0.0111 |
Crumbliness | -0.3181 | -0.1116 |
Affordable price | 0.5815 | 0.0868 |
Motivational values | Human values | V7 | V13 |
---|---|---|---|
Stimulation | Daring | 0.0117 | -0.0244 |
Benevolence | Helpful | -0.2558 | 0.3224 |
Stimulation | An exciting life | 0.1042 | 0.2111 |
Hedonism | A comfortable life | -0.2390 | 0.1227 |
Achievement | A sense of attainment | 0.0953 | 0.1028 |
Universalism | A world at peace | -0.0084 | -0.0828 |
Conformity | Self-disciplined | -0.2979 | -0.2645 |
Security | National security | 0.3739 | 0.1018 |
Security | Family security | -0.0940 | 0.1015 |
Benevolence | A spiritual life | 0.2474 | -0.0757 |
Universalism | Wisdom | -0.4311 | 0.0762 |
Benevolence | Responsible | 0.3627 | 0.0568 |
Power | Social recognition | 0.0245 | -0.3019 |
Power | Social power | 0.0602 | 0.0260 |
Hedonism | Pleasant | 0.0289 | -0.0965 |
Conformity | Obedient | 0.0532 | -0.0380 |
Universalism | Broadminded | -0.0529 | 0.0797 |
Achievement | Logical | -0.0754 | -0.2071 |
Security | Clean | 0.0109 | -0.0740 |
Self-direction | Freedom | 0.0721 | -0.0385 |
Universalism | Social justice | 0.0882 | -0.1271 |
Achievement | Intelligent | -0.1513 | -0.4160 |
Benevolence | Indulgence | 0.2883 | -0.0279 |
Self-direction | Independent | 0.2518 | 0.1944 |
Self-direction | Creative | -0.3254 | 0.0974 |
Universalism | Equality | 0.0050 | -0.0330 |
Benevolence | Honest | 0.3191 | -0.3177 |
Hedonism | Happiness | 0.1565 | 0.0689 |
Universalism | Equality | -0.0023 | -0.1587 |
Conformity | Politeness | 0.1183 | -0.0745 |
Benevolence | Caring | 0.2397 | 0.0480 |
Achievement | Capable | 0.0149 | 0.1555 |
Self-direction | Self-respect | -0.2436 | 0.1822 |
Self-direction | Choosing own goals | -0.1547 | -0.1493 |
Tradition | Respect for tradition | -0.0396 | 0.2495 |
Universalism | Inner harmony | 0.1170 | 0.0689 |
Benevolence | Mature love | -0.2948 | 0.0550 |
Benevolence | True friendship | 0.1880 | 0.0277 |
Achievement | Ambitious | -0.1301 | 0.2475 |
Hedonism | Cheerful | -0.2977 | 0.5414 |
Discussion
In contrast to Ocosingo Bola cheese, Chiapas cream cheese exhibited a direct influence of human values on consumption. This indicates that consumers of Chiapas cream cheese used intangible as well as tangible attributes to express the influence of values on cheese consumption, with tangible attributes functioning as mediators. The motivational values most involved in affecting preference were those of Power, Universalism, Benevolence, Hedonism, and Security. In Schwartz’s scheme the values of Universalism and Benevolence are adjacent those of Tradition and Conformity, while Hedonism and Power are somewhat opposed to them; this arrangement is to be expected in a traditional community12. These results coincide with previous studies of red meat which show that human consumers use intangible attributes (symbolic and affective) when making choices21. In Brazil, for instance, red meat was found to symbolize social hierarchy and its consumption was linked to the values of Power20. However, in Australia meat consumption was reported to be linked to values associated with Universalism, Power and Security in that people who had a positive attitude towards red meat consumption expressed values related to Power and Security as being important21. In a study done in China of healthy beverages the motivational values identified in a consumer sample were Security, Hedonism, Benevolence and Achievement17. Comparisons can be made of the structures of human and motivational values between consumers from different cultures. For example, consumers who give priority to the values of Conservation and Tradition normally place Achievement and Hedonism in opposition, while consumers who prefer red meat prioritize the values of Power and Achievement over Benevolence and Universalism16,17,20,21.
For Ocosingo Bola cheese the influence of consumer human values fully employed tangible attributes to manifest preference. The main motivational values included in this indirect route were Benevolence, Safety and Hedonism; the first two are adjacent to the values of Tradition and Conformity whereas the third is their opposite12,13. Ocosingo Bola cheese exhibited some similarities with Chapingo cheese28, in that both types have Benevolence as an important motivational value in the selected regression variables, and they manifest the same (indirect) route of the influence of human values on cheese consumption.
Conclusions and implications
Benevolence and Security were the most important motivational values in common between the two consumer samples. Chiapas cream cheese consumers also manifested the values of Power and Universalism, while Ocosingo Bola cheese consumers manifested Hedonism as a supplementary value. The influence of the human values of Chiapanecan consumers on preference for Chiapas cream cheese was direct, meaning they used intangible attributes (affective and symbolic), in addition to tangible ones, in a holistic evaluation of cheese consumption. For Ocosingo Bola cheese, the influence of human values on cheese preference was indirect, indicating that consumers valued only its tangible attributes and gave it a utilitarian meaning. These results imply that during consumption of different varieties of traditional Mexican cheeses the identification of direct or indirect routes can provide information on cheese preference based on parameters beyond mere tangible attributes. This presents the possibility of differentiating and characterizing traditional cheeses based on the type of influence human values exert on consumer preference. These findings can be applied in marketing of cheeses by incorporating distinctive symbols on product labels and planning marketing strategies for sociodemographically differentiated consumer groups to promote greater affective engagement with regional cheeses. In addition to evaluating cheese tangible attributes, identification of the symbolic meanings manifested by consumers towards traditional Mexican cheeses needs to be done using an integrative and interdisciplinary approach.
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Received: March 06, 2018; Accepted: August 29, 2018