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For beef exporters, one of the important questions in the Korean beef market is why Korean consumers are willing to pay almost three times more for domestic Korean beef than they pay for imported beef. To answer this question, we surveyed 1,000 shoppers in Seoul, Korea, and conducted a conjoint analysis on consumers' willingness to pay (WTP) for country equity of domestic vs. imported beef and quality attributes of marbling, freshness, genetically modified organism (GMO)-free feed ingredients and antibiotic-free production. Among all factors contributing to the price differentials, the most important factor seems to be the country of origin followed by the use of GMO feeds and antibiotics in beef production, marbling grade and freshness. This study finds that Korean consumers value origins of imported beef approximately $14/lb less than the Korean origin. Korean consumers' valuation of beef quality and country of origin differs by some demographic groups: older vs. younger generations, homemakers vs. non-homemakers and consumers who prefer to purchase packaged beef vs. consumers who prefer to purchase butcher shop beef. Our empirical findings suggest that the top priority for beef exporters who wish to increase sales and value of their beef in the Korean market must be to counter Korean consumers' strong ethnocentrism by improving the value of their country of origin. Copyright (c) 2009 The Authors. Journal compilation (c) 2009 The Agricultural Economics Society.

This study compares preference shares of stress-tolerant, low-maintenance, and low-cost turfgrass attributes in five states (Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Texas) in the southeastern and midsouthern United States using the discrete choice experiment (DCE) and the best–worst method (BWM). An online survey was conducted and a mixed logit model (MLM) was used to determine the homeowners’ relative preferences for turfgrass attributes. The results of a survey of 1179 household consumers indicate that the most preferred attribute using either of the methods was low maintenance cost in all the states. Although the relative importance (preference share) by the DCE and the BWM for each attribute is statistically different, both methods yield a similar preference ordering for low-maintenance, drought-tolerant, and saline-tolerant turf, but a different ordering for shade-tolerant and low purchase–price turf. This study provides a framework for turfgrass researchers and producers to invest and expand outreach on desirable turfgrass attributes for homeowners.

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This article focuses on two important issues faced by researchers working on choice experiments: how to find the optimal number of alternatives in each choice set and the number of choice sets in each survey. The authors first develop survey instruments with different numbers of choice sets and alternatives. Then, a heteroscedastic logit model is developed to relate the varying number of alternatives and choice sets to changes in the error term by parameterizing the scale factor of the heteroscedastic logit model. The authors study the effects of two simultaneous forms of complexity on the consistency of respondents' choices, i.e., the number of choice sets per questionnaire and the number of options per choice set. Their findings suggest that respondents' choices do vary with the amount of information given resulting in an optimal five options and six choice sets per survey. Results from the marginal effects and willingness to pay (WTP) estimates indicate that varying the number of alternatives and choice sets can also affect consumers' marginal WTP estimates. [EconLit citations: Q110; Q130; Q180]. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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