Diversity and consumer dispositions towards foreign countries in an emerging market

Abstract

PurposeThe current study builds on social identity theory and realistic conflict theory aims to identify the relationships amongst consumers' ethnocentrism, animosity, discomfort with differences – a factor of universal-diverse orientation (UDO) – and reluctance to purchase German (RELG) and French automobiles (RELF) in the Turkish automobile market which is dominated by foreign brands.Design/methodology/approachEmpirical data were collected via face-to-face surveys from 400 respondents in the emerging market Turkey. Structural equation modelling was employed to examine the direct and indirect effects between the variables.FindingsThe main predictors of the RELG are consumer ethnocentrism, discomfort with differences and economic animosity towards Germany, respectively. Furthermore, RELF in the Turkish market is positively affected by consumer ethnocentrism, war animosity towards France and discomfort with differences, respectively. Discomfort with differences mediates the relationship between consumer ethnocentrism and RELG and RELF.Practical implicationsInternational collaborations with local manufacturers have huge strategic impacts when establishing reliable relationships with Turkish consumers. Foreign companies can initiate socially responsible projects that will relay the message of similarities between cultures to decrease perceived cultural differences. Highlighting the similarities of Turkish consumers with a foreign company in promotional campaigns will be much beneficial.Originality/valueDespite there are many studies regarding antecedents and consequences of consumer ethnocentrism, extant research overlooks the effect of animosity on this concept. Additionally, studies examining UDO in the marketing literature are scarce. This paper integrates UDO, consumer ethnocentrism, animosity and reluctance to purchase foreign products in one study.