Country Of Origin Information Research Articles

Ethics of Data Publication in the Context of Asylum Claims

This article addresses the question of how ‘Country of Origin Information’ (COI) reports — that is, research developed and used to support decision-making in the asylum process — can be published in an ethical manner. The article focuses on the risk that published COI reports could be misused and thereby harm the subjects of the reports and/or those involved in their development. It supports a situational approach to assessing data ethics when publishing COI reports, whereby COI service providers must weigh up the benefits and harms of publication based, inter alia, on the foreseeability and probability of harm due to potential misuse of the research, the public good nature of the research, and the need to balance the rights and duties of the various actors in the asylum process, including asylum seekers themselves. Although this article focuses on the specific question of ‘how to publish COI reports in an ethical manner’, it also intends to promote further research on data ethics in the asylum process, particularly in relation to refugees, where more foundational issues should be considered.

Examining Country of Origin Effect among Lebanese Consumers: A Study in the Cosmetics Industry

This study aims to investigate the impact of country of origin (COO) on Lebanese female consumers’ attitudes and perceptions toward skincare and cosmetics products made in France or China. Structured questionnaires were used. Samples were collected using an online data collection method. Three hundred respondents fully completed the survey. One-way ANOVA, multinomial logistic regression, single and multiple regression analysis, and chi-square tests were adopted to test several hypotheses. The study found that consumers’ level of involvement influences consumers’ attitudes toward country of origin. COO information search and change in the perception appear not to be correlated in the case of China, contrary to that of France. The paper compensates some of the deficiencies in the literature concerning examining the effect of COO within the context of the cosmetics industry in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, particularly in Lebanon. It also delivers marketing insights for Chinese and French cosmetics and skincare companies pursuing to expand in the Lebanese market. Managers can use these insights to inform their future market communication and entry strategies.

Does Country of Origin Matter for Chocolate? Ethnocentrism, Involvement, and Perceived Risk for Turkish University Students

ABSTRACTThe goal of this study is to explore the importance of country of origin (COO), ethnocentrism, perceived risk, and product involvement on consumers’ chocolate preferences, and also to reveal the interrelationships between these factors. Using taste test and survey, a quantitative method was employed to reveal whether the taste perception of respondents for the same chocolate will be differentiated with regard to the COO information and whether the buying intention of respondents for the same chocolate will be differentiated with regard to the COO information. Also, the role of consumer ethnocentrism, perceived risk, and product involvement on COO effect was tested. Turkish university students constituted the sample for the study. Univariate and multivariate statistical methods were used. With important implications for COO research, results help to improve our understanding for situations in which COO effect, ethnocentrism, and other variables can become effective for chocolate products. To our best knowledge, this is the first study that has empirically demonstrated the role of COO on taste perception and explored the underlying factors of COO, product involvement, consumer ethnocentrism, and perceived risk interaction for chocolate products.

A Legal Analysis of a Crucial Element in Country Guidance Determinations: Country of Origin Information

Abstract This article examines the use of Country of Origin Information (COI) by the Immigration and Asylum Chamber of the United Kingdom Upper Tribunal in country guidance determinations. The article assesses which standards regarding the use of COI are set by the Tribunal. Furthermore, it examines how these standards are applied by the Tribunal while it assesses the general situation or the situation of a particular group of persons at risk in Iran, Somalia, and Sri Lanka. The examination of country guidance determinations shows that the Tribunal’s assessments are based on a comprehensive range of COI, including information from expert witnesses, governmental agencies, United Nations agencies, non-governmental organizations, and news agencies. However, the country guidance determinations would benefit from a more uniform, structured approach to improve the transparency of the assessment of the reliability of information and the balancing process of COI. This would ensure a visibly ‘effectively comprehensive’ decision.1

Stateless Syrians in Europe: Navigating the 'Knowledge Gap'

In certain European contexts, the lack of understanding about statelessness among government officials is compounded by the absence of references to statelessness within the most up-to-date Country of Origin Information (COI) on Syria. For example, the latest Syria Country Information and Guidance report by the UK Home Office (from August 2016) does not make a single mention of the issue of statelessness despite its continued significance.

Assessing consumer attitudes and perceptions towards food authenticity

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify and assess the factors that consumers evaluate significant in the assessment of food authenticity and guide them to make safe food choices.Design/methodology/approachIn this respect, a mixture model for consumer preferences, namely CUB, was employed due to the ability of discriminate features that are rated similarly allowing the detection of significant similarities and differences in consumers’ judgments. Moreover, introducing covariates in CUB models allow studying the influence that consumers’ socio-demographic characteristics have on the importance of the attributes used in the assessment of food authenticity.FindingsThe results demonstrate that organic certificate, traditional and homemade production practices, origin certificate as well as information about product’s origin country and raw materials production region are significant quality cues enable consumers to judge food authenticity. In addition, consumers further segmentation according to socio-demographic characteristics indicate that country of origin information are mainly used by middle-aged consumers, highly educated and paid, whereas production techniques and organic certification constitute the most effective indicators for judging food authenticity by older consumers.Originality/valueThe paper confirms that consumers can use extrinsic and intrinsic quality cues to judge food’s authenticity.

Role of Tribes in Current Libyan Conflict

The article explores tribal aspect of Libyan policy. Cases of Warfalla and Tuareg tribal groups show an important role of tribal entities in modern Libya. In focus are activity of Social Council of Warfalla Tribes as an influential political actor with its own armed force and successful fight of Tuareg militias over control of huge El Sharara oilfield as well as their confrontation with Tubu tribal militias. The main sources for the research are information from such Internet-journals as Reuters, The Economist, Al-Monitor, The Libya Observer, etc. as well as reports from expert groups such as Country of Origin Information (COI) and Global Security. The research led to the conclusion that tribal political actors play an independent role in the process of civil confrontation in Libya. By the manipulation of loyalties and maneuvering among official political actors they protect their own kind of “hidden sovereignty” over territories and resources. Main political leaders of the country, Khalifa Haftar and Fayez al-Sarraj, are actually dependent on complicated mosaic of tribal interests which determines changing loyalties of tribal actors. At the same time tribal actors often have links over the borders of the state. Tuareg are fine example of this phenomenon, while Tuareg tribal militias are allied with armed tribal movements of their kinsmen in Mali and Niger. The case of Social Council of Warfalla Tribes appears to be very helpful example. The institutions of governance as well as network of alliances developed by tribal actors in fact create a spontaneous institutional alternative to a project of centralized nation-state in Libya. Representatives of these unofficial non-state institutions work in different social spheres on a grassroots level.

A Comparative Study on the Fol owing-Consumption of Korean Brand by Chinese Consumers

본 연구는 중국소비자들을 대상으로 한국산 브랜드의 추종소비행동을 살펴보고자 하였다. 지금까지의 연구들은 제품 측면에서의 평가, 문화적 측면에서의 평가, 원산지에 따른 평가 등 다양한 평가기준들을 적용하여 중국소비자들의 소비행동을 파악하였다. 하지만, 이상의 연구들의 많은 공헌에도 불구하고 최근 중국시장에서 일어나고 있는 과도한 추종소비행동을 설명하기에는 다소 부족해 보인다. 본 연구는 이와 같은 현상을 설명하기 위한 도구로 고립공포감(FoMO)에 주목하여 브랜드 추종소비행동에 관한 논의를 성숙시키고자 하였다. 본 연구의 검증결과, 원산지에 대한 정보보다 고립공포감이 소비자들의 감정적 소비심리를 자극하고 추종소비행동까지 이끌어낼 수 있다는 점을 알 수 있었다. 또한 20대와 30대의 청년층은 40대 이상의 장년층에 비해 고립공포감이 높게 나타나 브랜드에 대한 추종소비성향도 강하게 나타남을 알 수 있었다. 한편, 제품의 지식수준이 낮은 소비자일수록 원산지정보나 고립공포감 등의 외부자극에 큰 영향을 받지 않는다는 점을 발견할 수 있었다.The purpose of this study is to examine the following consumption of Korean brands for Chinese consumers. Many studies have been conducted to verify acceptance of Korean brands for Chinese consumers. However, existing studies seem to be somewhat lacking in explaining excessive following consumption behavior in the Chinese market. As a tool to explain this, we focused on the phenomenon of Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) and tried to mature the discussion about the following consumption of the brand. As a result of this study, it was found that consumers are more likely to following consumption in emotional aspects such as FoMO than cognitive information like country of origin. In addition, FoMO is higher in the 20s and 30s than in the 40s, which shows that the following consumption is strong for the brand. On the other hand, it was found that consumers with low product knowledge level are not significantly influenced by external stimuli such as country of origin information or FoMO.

Wrapped in the Flag: Food Choice and Country of Origin Labelling

SummaryThe growth in country of origin (COO) food labelling is part of the ongoing proliferation of information provided to consumers. However, the implementation of COO labelling means that consumers can sometimes end up more confused than informed. This concern raises questions regarding how COO information should be provided, along with what information needs to be given to consumers. We begin by discussing what COO actually indicates. This is followed by a review of the evidence on consumer use of COO information. Then turning to current policy issues, we draw attention to how COO information can be used to promote consumer ethnocentrism as well as inadvertently causing trade tensions both between trading countries and within the EU single market. We then consider how developments in information technology like blockchains or smart labels might change how COO information is collated and used. In particular, we observe that any increase in the use of this technology will depend on whether or not consumers trust these new digital sources of information. Potentially, the convenience with which COO information could be verified by consumers using information technology is a logical development given consumer demands for convenience in general.

Explicit Versus Implicit "Halal" Information: Influence of the Halal Label and the Country-of-Origin Information on Product Perceptions in Indonesia.

Halal refers to what is permissible in traditional Islamic law. Food that meets halal requirements is marked by a halal label on the packaging and should be especially attractive to those Muslims who follow the set of dietary laws outlined in the Quran. This research examines the role of the halal label (explicit cue) and the country-of-origin (COO) (implicit cue) in predicting positive product perceptions among Muslim consumers. We hypothesized that when an explicit sign of “halalness” (i.e., halal label) relating to a particular product is accompanied by an implicit sign of anti-“halalness” (i.e., non-Islamic COO information), Muslim consumers who pay attention to the dietary laws of Islam would have negative perceptions of such a product. We tested our assumptions in an experiment conducted among Indonesian participants who declared themselves as Muslims (n = 444). We manipulated: (a) exposure to the halal label, and (b) the COO information. Religion-based purchase behavior was measured as a moderator variable. Positive product perceptions were measured as a dependent variable. The results showed that the halal label itself had limited influence on product perceptions. However, we found that positive product perceptions significantly decreased among people who were high in religion-based purchase behavior in response to exposure to non-Islamic COO information accompanied by a halal label. In conclusion, people who are high (vs. low) in religion-based purchase behavior do not seem to trust halal-labeled food produced in a country with other than an Islamic tradition.

The Eligibility Guidelines Examined: The Use of Country of Origin Information by UNHCR

This article focuses on the use of Country of Origin Information (COI) by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in the Eligibility Guidelines, which assess the protection needs of specific groups of asylum seekers. The article assesses the standards set by UNHCR regarding the use of COI and whether, and how, UNHCR applies these standards in the Guidelines. The analysis is based on a study of the Eligibility Guidelines assessing the protection needs of asylum seekers from Afghanistan, Somalia, and Sri Lanka. Analysis of these Guidelines shows that UNHCR does not adhere to its own standards for the cross-checking of information and that this process lacks transparency. UNHCR statements are not consistently based on a variety of sources, and it appears that UNHCR does not consistently verify the COI it relies on. UNHCR's assessment of the reliability of sources, and the way it balances supporting and contradictory information, also lacks transparency. Moreover, the extent to which UNHCR field offices contribute to the Guidelines is not clear. Due to this lack of transparency, the reliability of UNHCR Eligibility Guidelines cannot always be presumed to be beyond doubt. As a result, each set of Guidelines should be assessed on its own merits and accorded appropriate weight in the process of balancing all available evidence during the assessment of a need for international protection.

The Moderating Influence of Country of Origin Information Seeking on Homophily and Product Satisfaction

ABSTRACTThe purpose of the research was to investigate when consumers concurrently select a range of retail products online, what percentage of products need country of origin (COO) identification. Moreover, will COO information seeking positively moderate the relationship between homophily and product satisfaction. Participants were recruited through an online survey platform (MTurk). The results appear to be the first to quantify the number of retail products within a basket that need some form of country of origin (COO) identification. Electronic word of mouth (eWOM, e-reviews) has become an important factor in the purchasing process for consumers. When COO information is unavailable, consumers will search online reviews to determine the COO of products. When reading the e-reviews, consumers will also evaluate the reviewer and the similarities they share. If they are not similar (low in homophily) their satisfaction with the product is low. By contrast, when homophily is high, product satisfaction is high. Specifically, as homophily increases, an individuals' need for COO information seeking has a positive moderating effect on their perceived product satisfaction. Online retailers promoting their products could benefit from sales increases due to their ability to provide COO information at a low cost, which in turn, provides ease, peace of mind and purchase satisfaction for consumers.

A case study of the UK and Russia’s approaches to Syrian refugees

ABSTRACTIn 2015, the United Kingdom recognised 85% of asylum seekers from Syria as refugees, whereas Russia granted this form of protection to only 0.2% of those fleeing Syria. This research is an attempt to look into this dilemma: why did two countries, both signatories of the 1951 Geneva Convention, treat people in similar situations in such drastically different ways? The study of these two meaningfully contrasting cases argues that such factors as a split administrative asylum procedure, the covert nature of asylum policy, the one-sided character of the country of origin information, double-differential risk requirements, and the lack of availability of legal aid can produce a decisive impact on the recognition rate. If implemented, these factors allow the foreign policy of the country to dominate international or national legal obligations in status adjudications. As a result, asylum procedures become dependent on changes in diplomatic relations, opening the door to some groups of ‘amicable’ asylum seekers or shutting it on ‘undesirable’ ones.

The impact of country of origin on context effects in choice

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of country of origin (COO) information as an important/salient categorical attribute on choice context effects. Specifically, this research examines whether the introduction of a unique COO in the choice set will have a differential influence on context effects depending on the relative position of the third option (the asymmetrically dominated option vs the extreme option).Design/methodology/approachFive experiments were conducted in this research. Study 1 had a 2 (set size: two-option core set vs three-option asymmetric dominance set)×2 (competitor’s COO: common vs unique) between-subjects design. Study 2 had a 2 (set size: two-option core set vs three-option extreme option set)×2 (competitor’s COO: common vs unique) between-subjects design. To address the robustness of the effects, Studies 3-5 replicated the results of Studies 1 and 2. The data were analyzed by χ2 tests and logistic regression analyses.FindingsThe current research demonstrates that the attraction effect is attenuated by the introduction of a unique COO information in the competing option, whereas the tendency to prefer a middle option is not significantly affected.Originality/valueThe present research adds to the current understanding and the practical relevance of COO effects and context effects in marketing by examining the impact of COO as an important/salient categorical attribute on context effects.

WTO Case Law in 2012: Appellate Body Report, United States - Certain Country of Origin Labeling Requirements

US – COOL is the latest in a serious of cases dealing with technical regulations. This case arises from the complaints made by Canada and Mexico against the US mandatory COOL requirements for certain meat products. Canada and Mexico claimed that the set of statutory and regulatory provisions requiring retailers to provide country of origin information on the covered commodities that they sell, including beef and pork, are inconsistent with Articles 2.1 and 2.2 of the Agreement on Technical Barrier to Trade (“TBT Agreement”) and Articles III:4 and X:3(a) of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994 (“GATT 1994”). Mexico, additionally, claimed that the COOL requirements violate Articles 2.4, 12.1 and 12.3 of the TBT Agreement.

Exploring Determinants of Country of Origin and Product Category on Perceived Value and Satisfaction: Comparison Analysis of the Newly Emerging vs. Developed Country

While the sustainable growth of newly emerging economics is increasing, how customers perceive the product made in the newly emerging country remains an important consideration. The purpose of this study is to investigate determinants of the country of origin effects by comparing perception on made in the newly emerging and developed country. Study 1 and Study 2 examined determinants of the country of origin effects by considering the moderating role of the product categories based on i) utilitarian vs. hedonic and ii) the perceived degree of the risk. Study 1 applied the perceived acquisition value (PAV) and the perceived transaction value (PTV) to measure the country of origin effects, while Study 2 investigated the effects of the country of origin on customer satisfaction by controlling the effects of a covariate of attitude. This study applied empirical analyses that utilize the factorial Multivariate Analysis of Variance (factorial MANOVA) for study 1and factorial Analysis of Covariance (factorial ANCOVA) for study 2. This study proposes a policy recommendation regarding which product categories should the manufacturing industries of those countries focus in effort to ensure the sustained growth of their economies. This study also provides a managerial implication in that the policy makers of these countries should investigate in minimizing the display of the country of origin information on these products to benefit from greater value added from manufacturing products from such categories, given the intersection between the products without country of origin information and the products from a developed country in study 2 indicating that the undetermined order of consumer satisfaction resulting from the country of origin effects.

EXCHANGE RATE PASS‐THROUGH INTO RETAIL PRICES

We study exchange rate pass‐through and its determinants using scanner data on fast moving consumer goods sold by 1,041 outlets in the United Arab Emirates between 2006 and 2010. The data are augmented with country of origin information. Our main finding is that exchange rate pass‐through varies more across retailers within regions than across regions, and in particular that pass‐through increases with retailer market share. We also find that exchange rate pass‐through is negatively correlated with both product quality and the elasticity of substitution of the product category and positively correlated with the frequency of price adjustment.

Consumer preferences regarding country of origin for multiple meat products

Despite the growing use of country of origin (CoO) information and labels on food, the extent to which consumers really value this information is unclear. In an effort to understand this issue we present results of a hypothetical discrete choice experiment examining consumer willingness-to-pay for CoO information about meat and meat products. Our results reveal that CoO information is positively valued for all the food products we consider. However, it is relatively less important compared to other food attributes for a large number of products such as bacon, pizza and ready meals. Our results suggest that consumers do not value very highly CoO information for many of the food products examined. Therefore, if the associated costs of mandatory CoO implementation are sufficiently high this raises questions about the inclusion of this information on food labels.

Principles Corroborated by Practice? The Use of Country of Origin Information by the European Court of Human Rights in the Assessment of a Real Risk of a Violation of the Prohibition of Torture, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment

This article studies the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) approach to country of origin information in its case law under Article 3 of the European Convention of Human Rights. It will first examine the standard set by the ECtHR on the use of country of origin information, followed by an assessment of the application of these principles by the ECtHR in its case law. The article specifically focusses on the use of country of origin information in expulsion cases of applicants from Somalia, Tamils applicants from Sri Lanka and applicants from Iran. The analysis of the ECtHR’s case law in this article will show that the ECtHR does not apply its own standards in a transparent and consistent manner. This raises questions as to the quality of the ECtHR’s assessment of the risk of a violation of Article 3.

The reciprocal effects of country-of-origin on product evaluation

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the country-of-origin (COO) effect on product evaluation to determine the different effects of COO in Asian nations. Design/methodology/approach – The authors focus on automobiles as the target product category and conduct consumer surveys in three Asian countries – China, Japan, and South Korea – and the USA. Since these four countries are the major global production bases and consumption markets, the authors can examine the reciprocal effects of COO across countries. The authors propose a hierarchical conjoint analysis and estimate parameters. For the attributes of conjoint analysis, the authors incorporate both the COO of products and other functional aspects such as price and fuel consumption to compare their effects on consumer evaluation. Findings – The authors find different tendencies in each country’s COO effect. Further, the authors discuss the factors affecting consumer evaluation in each country based on the country’s culture and general product images. Originality/value – The authors’ contributions to the literature are as follows. First, in the research design, the authors incorporate COO information as an attribute of automobiles. This enables us to compare the COO effect with the effects of other functional aspects. The authors find that the COO effect is substantially the same as the effect of other functional attributes. Second, the authors assume a hierarchical structure in the conjoint analysis and discuss the different preferences in each country. This hierarchical structure enables to extract the reciprocal effects of COO across countries.