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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact of reference effects on online purchase intention (OPI) of agricultural products in B2C context and to examine how consumers’ food safety consciousness (FSC) moderates that impact. Design/methodology/approach An empirical survey was used to test the hypotheses. Data were collected from a total of 297 online consumers in China. A structural equation modeling is utilized to assess the relationships proposed in the research model. Findings The findings of this study show that reference effects have a significant impact on OPI of agricultural products. Both perceived value (PV) and perceived risk (PR) play a mediating role in the relations between reference effects and OPI, but the mediating effect of the PV is found to be significantly greater than that of the PR. Consumers’ FSC significantly and positively moderates the impact of reference effects on OPI, meaning that the more attention consumers pay to food safety, the greater the impact of reference effects on OPI will become. Research limitations/implications First, this study mainly analyzes the positive impact of reference effects on OPI. Future research could discuss the negative impact of reference effects and compare the differences between them. Second, this study only takes the PV and PR as mediators into the research model. Future research could consider adding trust, attitude, and other variables and further explore and clarify the influencing mechanism between reference effects and OPI. Third, this study examines the moderating role of consumers’ FSC but does not fully discuss the moderating role of product categories. Further research could compare the influence of reference effects among multiple product categories. Practical implications This study provides valuable insights for agricultural enterprises and online vendors that reference effects are one of the most important factors to influence OPI. It suggests to agricultural enterprises and online vendors that reference effects can be used as a new instrument to influence consumers’ online purchase decisions. Originality/value This study for the first time defines reference effects in an online setting and introduces the perspective of reference effects to establish a theoretical model to explain consumers’ OPI of agricultural products. The study reveals the influencing mechanism of reference effects on OPI and thus enriches the theory of online purchase behavior.

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As China moves from a command economy to one more directed by customer demands, its enterprises must acquire an entirely new understanding of the purpose of business. The marketing concept appears to offer an approach to management that is dramatically new to China but much needed in its current state of development. Reports the results of an empirical study concerning the market orientation of various types of Chinese enterprises based on their size, location, ownership and sector. The data suggest substantial differences between the various types of operations. Since the existing literature relating to market orientation is devoted almost exclusively to Western business settings, this study provides benchmark data that may be used to track the evolution of an economy that is in the midst of a dramatic economic transition.

Entrepreneurial activity by women in the People's Republic of China has become more active in recent years with much greater attention being paid within and outside of China. Academic research has sought to describe current conditions and future trends; however, there has been little systematic research done in this area. The aim of this article is to provide a clear picture of the general background and characteristics of Chinese female entrepreneurship based on Eastern cultural features. In addition, an entrepreneurial conceptual model about mainland Chinese women's entrepreneurial activity is presented and a case study is used for illustration.

In drawing attention to certain important gaps in the export marketing literature, this paper reports on a systematic study of critical factors for export success of small and medium-sized manufacturing firms in Canada. In this ethnocentric context, an attempt is made to investigate the presence of potentially significant differences in perceptions of key export success factors based upon export development, firm size, and product type. The study results point to the importance of the level of export development, product type and, to a lesser extent, company size in influencing exporter perceptions of factors contributing to export success. The implications of the findings for business practitioners and public policy makers are discussed, and avenues for future research outlined along with the limitations of the study.

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From the perspective of gender roles, this study uses social capital as the intermediary variable to study female entrepreneurs’ willingness to choose external financing. We combine social and behavioral sciences and financing theory to explore interactions between gender roles, social capital, and willingness to choose external financing. We elaborate on the intermediary role of social capital between gender roles and external financing. We find differences in gender role types among female entrepreneurs that significantly impact their willingness to choose external financing. Further, the differences among gender role types of female entrepreneurs significantly impact their social capital, which in turn is a significant but not sole factor that mediates their willingness to choose external financing.