This article examines the reasons individuals would choose electronic self-service delivery methods over more traditional methods of service delivery for government services. The study investigated the factors related to decision making when people consider and evaluate the usage of an online e-government delivery mechanism. The approach taken was based on a combination of attitudinal technology adoption models and the service quality concept, with data gathered via a questionnaire. Trust, financial security, information quality (all adoption barriers), time and money (both adoption benefits) were found to predict potential usage. That is willingness to use the online delivery option will be present if organisations can develop trust relationships with individuals, assure them that their financial details are secure, provide information that is relevant, accurate and up-to-date, and save individuals time and money. The results are significant to the public service manager who needs to consider both the barriers to adoption and the benefits of adoption if they are to develop plans to increase the take-up of their electronic services.

PurposeThe paper seeks to examine Chinese consumers' wine‐purchasing behaviour and, more especially, the importance of country of origin (COO) effects in the evaluation and assessment of wine quality and as it relates to decision making for wine purchases.Design/methodology/approachThe data for this study were collected in 2004 through an interviewer‐administered, structured questionnaire targeted at randomly selected wine buyers in the ChangNing district of Shanghai (China). Chinese consumers tend to purchase wine primarily for sensorial reasons, consuming it on social occasions. Wine has never acquired the connotations of being merely a thirst‐quenching drink as it did in some European countries. They are also attracted to wine for its health benefits.FindingsIt was found that Chinese consumers are more likely to use extrinsic cues than intrinsic cues to evaluate wine quality. Thus, COO information is a significantly more important cue than price for Chinese consumers as a quality cue. However, there appears to be no significant difference in the importance of COO and brand in this regard. Wine is a complex product – small differences in any one of a huge range of variables, from the weather, through the grape, the production method, the storage and even the bottling can affect quality. As might be expected in a market that is relatively under‐developed and which has a smaller experience of wine drinking than some other parts of the world, Chinese consumers pay much more attention to COO when they purchase wine for special occasions, where their choice is exposed to the judgment of others. By contrast, when purchasing wine for their own private consumption, COO assumes a lesser importance.Originality/valueThis research can significantly help wine marketers to develop more effective positioning strategies in China. It will also help in the development of pricing and promotional decisions.

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