Positive Country Image Research Articles

Explaining consumer willingness to pay for country‐of‐origin labeling with ethnocentrism, country image, and product image: Examples from China's beef market

AbstractChinese beef imports have been increasing in recent years. At the same time, Chinese public sentiment toward foreign countries, including those who export beef to China, has been changing. Therefore, this research uses a discrete choice experiment (DCE) to investigate the role of ethnocentrism, country image, and product image on consumer willingness to pay for country‐of‐origin labeled beef. Results indicate, on average, Chinese consumers prefer domestic beef most, and value beef from Australia and the US somewhat similarly. Their willingness to pay varies based on their perceived image of the country that the beef originates from and based on their perception of the safety of the beef, that is, product image. The more ethnocentric consumers are, the more they prefer domestic beef and discount foreign beef. Importantly, the effects of ethnocentrism, country image, and product image are stronger on the willingness to pay for domestic beef than for imported beef. More generally, findings indicate that controlling for ethnocentrism, country image, and product image contributes to understanding consumer willingness to pay for products originating from foreign countries. Overall, findings suggest that stronger ethnocentric tendencies lead to lower willingness to pay for imported beef (with some exceptions), and positive country image and product image increase the willingness to pay for imported beef. Thus, it is important to consider these constructs when estimating consumer willingness to pay for imported products, especially for countries where public sentiment toward exporting countries may be prone to change in a dynamic global environment.

The Decision to Study Abroad at Hungarian University

Globalisation is driving the internationalisation of higher education, promoting open access to universities, enhancing educational programs with an international focus, and stronger presence in the international higher education market. Thus, globalisation stimulates the internationalisation of universities. For universities to attract international students successfully, it is necessary to understand general issues regarding the decision-making process. The study aims to analyse the benefits of studying abroad at a Hungarian university among international students. To fulfil the aim of this study, a questionnaire was administered to 100 international students, aged 18 to 38. The study results showed that international students had been looking for benefits while studying abroad, such as personal development, cultural experience, career prospects, and the possibility of travelling. Some benefits were also related to social and economic factors such as access to unique courses and knowledge, positive country image, safety situation, and affordable living costs in Hungary. The decision to study at a Hungarian university was made according to such benefits, including a desired program of study, comfortable facilities, flexible schedule, admission criteria, opportunity to improve English language skills, good reputation of the university, European degree, supportive environment, related costs, and future career prospects. At the same time, different age groups of international students considered the importance of benefits differently. Also, different groups of international students based on perceived social family status paid attention to different benefits. The findings of this study can be used for the promotion of Hungarian universities internationally to attract more international students with benefits that they look for when studying abroad.

Aesthetics, Technology, and Social Harmony: Constructing a “Green China” Image Through Eco-documentaries

ABSTRACT As China’s environmental problems have been thrust into the limelight of both domestic and international media, the Chinese government is eager to present a positive country image in terms of environmental planning and protection. Against this backdrop, this study aims to investigate how a “Green China” image is constructed through state-sanctioned eco-documentaries. Drawing on the Attitude System in Appraisal theory and multimodal discourse analysis, the study develops an analytical framework to investigate country image as semantic categories, as well as how it is constructed through multimodal resources. The analysis shows that these documentaries create an eco-friendly country image through: (1) highlighting the significance and desirability of the Chinese landscape (appreciation), (2) constructing a positive image of Chinese social actors in terms of environmental protection (judgment), and (3) depicting non-human characters’ happiness and security of living in China (affect). These positive attitudes reflect and constitute China’s green image branding practices shaped by the entangled forces of the Party-state’s rejuvenation of traditional culture, its development of globally competitive green technologies, and its promotion of participatory environmental governance.

Do political actions affect country image and travel intentions? The case of COVID-19

ABSTRACT The existing literature on the intersection between tourism and politics has recognized that tourism planning and development can be a political process in which decisions are made in order to implement specific political policies and goals. However, there has been very little acknowledgment that political actions themselves can shape tourism. The current research seeks to address this gap. Using the COVID-19 pandemic as our context, we explore the potential implications of foreign aid on country image and tourists' travel intentions, we show that participants hold a more positive country image and thus are more likely to visit a country that provides aid to their own country compared to a country that is the recipient of aid provided by their own country. We also show that participants' patriotism in their own country can actually strengthen the country image and travel intentions they hold of the country that sends aid to them. The findings are among the first to show how political actions influence tourism and provide insights to managers and policy-makers in understanding how foreign aid may also influence tourism by improving their country's image.

The mediating role of emotional intelligence on the impact of perfectionism on problem-solving skills: an application for tourist guides

PurposeIt is understood that the personality traits and intelligence levels of the tourist guides directly or indirectly affect their ability to solve the problems they encounter on tours. This study aims to test whether emotional intelligence has an intermediary effect on the problem-solving skills of professional tourist guides with perfectionist personality traits.Design/methodology/approachField research was conducted within the study to analyze suggestions on the interaction of variables on an empirical basis, and data were collected using interview, document review and survey technique. Thus, the mixed-methods approach was used in the study. Within the scope of this study in which 410 professional tourist guides were surveyed, a substantial part of the research data was obtained through the application of the survey technique. Besides, interviews were carried out with 12 professional tourist guides. The clues obtained by the qualitative study were transformed into hypotheses within the scope of the quantitative study, and the intermediary effect was tested.FindingsA relationship between the main themes, sub-themes and codes was determined within the framework of the qualitative method. As a result of the mediation test, it has been revealed that emotional intelligence has an intermediary role in the relationship between perfectionism and problem-solving skills. According to the results of bootstrapping, the indirect effect of emotional intelligence on perfectionism and problem-solving skills was found out to be significant.Practical implicationsThe study acknowledged that positive perfectionism, high emotional intelligence and problem-solving skills contributed to the professional tourist guides being willing to provide better service. In tune with the assumption that the more the quality of the tours carried out through agencies increases, the more satisfied tourists are; the study implicated that it would be advisable for agencies to prioritize the trainings provided for their tour guides to enhance their positive perfectionist, emotionally intelligent personalities and problem-solving skills. Given that professional tourist guides may create a positive country image with the quality service they provide, the significance of such trainings stretch beyond the benefits of such organizations.Originality/valueRelevant variables were analyzed with a mixed method and applied on professional tourist guides.

Did the Volkswagen Emissions Scandal Harm the “Made in Germany” Image? A Cross-Cultural, Cross-Products, Cross-Time Study

Over the past years, the Volkswagen emissions scandal has been part of an enduring discussion in the Western media on corporate responsibility (or lack thereof). With its slogan “Das Auto,” the world’s second-largest automobile producer had successfully positioned itself as a German company in both the domestic and foreign markets, with the aim of benefitting from Germany’s positive country image. The emissions scandal, however, may have harmed not only the VW brand but also the “Made in Germany” label in general. This exploratory article shows that there are strong signals that this transgression indeed has led to a reverse country-of-origin effect, compromising Germany’s positive image. The authors demonstrate that this effect varied across product categories and customers’ cultural affiliations and that the perceived impact of the brand transgression on the country image increased over time.

AT THE ROOTS OF THE ‘FINLAND BOOM’

Finland enjoys a positive country image in Japan, where, reportedly, enthusiasm for things Finnish reached the state of a ‘boom’ during the 2000s–2010s. What is this positive visibility based on? To shed light on the foundations of Finland’s visibility in Japan, this article tracks Finland’s national imaging there from a historical perspective. Through an empirical study of Finnish diplomatic archives, the article looks beyond nation branding – the latest mode in the official promotion of states to foreign audiences – and opens a window into the past practices of Finland’s official promotion in the distant East Asian case. In the 1960s, the Press Bureau of Finland’s Foreign Ministry drafted an image policy to support Finland’s neutrality and to broaden the country’s interaction with the West. The policy was implemented through Finland’s embassies, and therefore Finland’s newly defined characteristics also became actively promoted in Tokyo. As a result of this intensification of Finnish public diplomacy in the Cold War, many of the modern aspects of Finland’s later nation branding in Japan were introduced. Of the redefined official autostereotype, cultural and commercial dimensions proved the easiest to promote, whereas its foreign political dimension was met with the most local contradiction.

Consumers' evaluation of imported organic food products: The role of geographical distance

Country-of-origin (COO) effects and consumer evaluation of organic food products are rarely studied in combination. The aim of this study was therefore to investigate organic consumers' preferences for imported organic food products from different origins and the underlying reasons for these preferences, including how consumers' COO preferences depend on the geographical distance to the COO. We employed a multi-method, qualitative approach consisting of in-store interviews (N = 255) and focus groups (six, N = 38) with organic consumers in three German cities located in the north (Hamburg, close to Denmark), west (Münster, close to The Netherlands) and south (Munich, close to Austria). The interviews confirmed the well-known preference for domestic (also for) organic products. It also revealed a preference for geographically close countries as origin for imported organic products. The main reason for this preference is the perceived negative environmental impact of transportation, followed by trust in the country and general country image. Implications for exporters of organic food products are discussed, underlining the importance of building trust and supporting a positive country image, especially in geographically close export markets.

A Study on Linking Korean Wave and Corporate Image on Country Image, Perceived Quality

This study examines the linkage between Korean wave, corporate image and country image, perceived quality of products made in the country. To close a gap lacking empirical studies on impacts of corporate image to country image and to further understand impacts of Korean wave, this study conducts survey over Chinese consumers to test the effects of corporate image, Korean wave to the country image, and verify on its effects to perceived quality of the products made in the country. The results show that both corporate image and Korean wave influences to form positive country image of Korea, and perceived quality of Korean made products. The size of effects varies upon products type and stimuli. This study could provide policy makers insights how to promote country image as well as support SMEs for developing overseas markets. Also, it could give marketers valuable implications to develop effective global marketing strategies using cultural assets, country image and salient corporate image.

Revisiting Country Image – Examining the Determinants towards Consumers' Purchase Intention of High Technological Products

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this study is to investigate consumers' perceptions towards a developed country image (e.g. USA) and a developing country image (e.g. China) in relation to evaluating and buying high technological products, more specifically, smartphones. In addition, the research also examines the effects of consumer aspirations and product knowledge as consumption traits towards buying behavior. A self-administered questionnaire was employed for this study using established scales with the questions formulated around two countries, USA and China. It was administered through a mall intercept method and a particular focus will be associated to the comparison of China and USA. The stark contrast between the two countries in terms of their image and stature presents an insightful inquiry into the relevancy of country image and country of origin image importance in modern day context. The results show that country image as an evaluation cue is still pertinent in a generation where globalization is present. Results further highlights that although possessing a positive country image leads to a positive evaluation of the product country image, it however does not ensure a successful purchasing intent. Additionally, it is beneficial to note that the results for both USA/IPhone and China/Xiaomi showed a significantly greater path coefficient as compared to other causal paths. Potential moderating factors such as product involvement or pricing can also be explored. Future research should attempt to account for socio economic or demographic factors such as important controls for education, social status and income that are bound to impact on the relationships at the heart of the proposed research hypotheses.

Cluster Approach as Tourism Development Factor

Tourism is one of the most important ways influencing social and economic land use development. Tourism industry development has multiplicative effect and helps to advance different business areas, such as tourism companies’ services, hospitality facilities, transportation, trading and catering, souvenir manufacturing, folk craft and art production, agriculture, building and construction. Thereby tourism development is very important for society and government in total as well as for regional and municipal units in particular. Modern Russian reality makes tourism industry development one of the most important government social and economic goals. Russian Federation has enormous resources to advance the tourism sphere. Most territories could become recreation and tourism areas. However, tourism development in Russia is currently being restrained by different social and economical problems such as tourism infrastructure underdevelopment, tourism services quality and prices incompatibility, lack of science-based strategy of creating positive country image, local budgets deficit, low level of tourism services differentiation, lack of professionals involved in tourism industry. According to the authors, these problems solution lays in using cluster approach in tourism. Introduction of such modern method as tourism cluster makes it possible to develop every type of tourism, provide differentiated services and solve some of social and economic problems currently existing on some of Russian territories

Country image formation, stability, and change: a longitudinal assessment of consumers’ image of Azerbaijan

ABSTRACTIn 2012, Azerbaijan hosted the Eurovision Song Contest. For this emerging tourism-oriented country, the cultural mega-event represented a unique opportunity to present itself to a broad international public and construct a positive country image. The present longitudinal study explores how consumer images of Azerbaijan as a country were formed and changed as a result of the nation’s hosting of this event. By measuring the same respondents’ country image evaluations before and after the event, the present findings shed light on consumers’ processes of country-image formation and illuminate the event’s impact on Azerbaijan’s country image.

Economic Value of Country Image: Evidence from International Trade and Implications for China

AbstractThis paper examines the economic value of country image from the perspective of export prices through matching the CEPII export price data with the British Broadcasting Company country image data from 2006 to 2013. The estimation results show that positive country image has an “elevating” effect and negative country image has a “depressing” effect on export prices. The results also indicate that the lower the level of economic development of an export or import country, the stronger the export price effect of country image. As distances between export countries and trading partners increase, the elevating effect of positive country image on export prices becomes weaker. However, the depressing effect of negative country image does not become weaker over greater distances. We find that export prices are depressed by negative country image to a greater degree for China than for other countries. Therefore, it is necessary for China to prevent the occurrence of incidents detrimental to country image.

Speak my language or look like me? – Language and ethnicity in bilingual customer service recovery

This research examines the influence of verbal (language) and non-verbal communication (ethnicity) of service providers on customers' perceptions of service recovery. Drawing insights from speech accommodation theory and inferiority complex, this study uses between subject experimental design to explore conditions under which language convergence and divergence are effective ways to build rapport. Results show that the influence of ethnicity and language cannot be interpreted without considering the ethnic composition of customers and service providers. Results also show that language can trigger stigma with positive country image that interact together to create a more favorable rapport.

The Impact of Korean Wave on the Purchase Intention of Korean Cosmetics of Thai People in Bangkok and Chonburi, Thailand

Nowadays Korea is well known by its popular culture, such as, TV dramas and pop music, called as Wave, which the Korean government has considered as soft power for enhancing exports. This study aims to investigate the impact of Korean wave on the purchase intention of Korean cosmetics. Korean wave in this study consists of three variables which are sympathy and empathy induced by Korean dramas, the attractiveness of Korean celebrities. The country image of Korea, brand awareness and brand equity of Korean cosmetics are also examined as mediating variables. 398 data were collected from women in Bangkok and Chonburi, Thailand. They have experienced Korean wave. A survey questionnaire method was employed. Pearson correlation was used to test the hypotheses. The results show that Korean wave has a positive impact on the country image of Korea, and positive country image can increase the purchase intention of Korean cosmetics. Thus, Korean wave can be a soft power of Korea which can promote country image and exports. These findings can be used as guidelines for the Korean government and Korean companies for sustainable growth of industries related to Korean wave.

An international comparison of “Made in Italy” in the fashion, furniture and food sectors: An observational research study in France, Russia and The United Kingdom

The aim of this paper is to analyze how Made in Italy products are retailed in the international markets. The research investigates the level of coherence between Italy country image and the image of the stores where Italian brands are sold abroad; the focus is about the internationalization process of Italian firms producing and distributing high value goods in the fashion, furniture, food sectors with an explicit Italian Country-of-Origin (COO). The existent literature has considered and analyzed the relationships between Brand and COO and its effect on consumers' perceptions and behavior. However, less attention has been devoted in the understanding of the interaction between COO and point of sales. On the empirical side, using an observational methodology, the research investigates nine mono-brand and multi-brand retail stores in three international markets (France, Russia and The United Kingdom). Main findings show various degrees of the coherence level between the point of sales and Italian country image. In terms of managerial implications, the authors suggest value offer proposals with a positive Country image should emphasize not only brand and COO explicit connections but also recall the Country image in the store.

The asymmetric influence of cognitive and affective country image on rational and experiential purchases

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to differentiate and examine how country image (cognitive and affective image) has different impacts on product judgment and purchase intention in rational versus experiential purchases. Design/methodology/approach – A large-scale survey involving over 1,200 consumers was conducted in China. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data and test hypotheses. Findings – Empirical results show that the impact of country image on consumer purchase intention is mediated by general and category product image. In particular, the impact of cognitive country image on category product image is fully mediated by general product image in both rational and experiential purchases, whereas the affective country image has a direct impact on category product image in experiential but not in rational purchases. Research limitations/implications – This research extends the extant country-of-origin literature and shows that the product image dimension of the country-of-origin construct mediates the effect of the country image dimension of the country-of-origin construct on consumer purchase intention, and demonstrates the different effect of affective country image on product image in rational versus experiential purchases. Practical implications – The findings of this research can help multinational marketers, exporters and retailers to better decide when to benefit from their positive country image and avoid the potential pitfalls associated with negative country image. Originality/value – This study differentiates between cognitive and affective country image and between general and category product image. Thus, it provides insight to further understand how country image can influence consumer product judgment and purchase intention differently in rational and experiential purchases.

Use, abuse or contribute!

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the use of a positive country image (CI) by companies. First, it examines how organisations embed dimensions of a positive country image into their external marketing communications. Second, it examines the alignment between the countries’ image dimensions and those of the company and how company values and actions could act to either use, abuse and detract from an established CI. Design/methodology/approach – A two-part methodology was adopted. Two countries with strong positive CIs were chosen for comparison purposes. Content analysis of web sites, together with interviews with company representatives, were undertaken. Findings – The use of the CI/country-of-origin framework is extended from an extrinsic “made in” cue for consumers, to being part of the value offering of a particular product or service from an organisational perspective is extended. Evidence is structured into a framework of companies which use and/or contribute to the CI. Research limitations/implications – The two chosen countries both have positive CIs: future research should examine this relationship in countries with different images. The sample size is relatively small and future research should determine the generalisability of the proposed typology. Practical implications – Generating, communicating and maintaining a CI requires co-ordinated efforts from policy makers but needs to be built on solid foundations of reality: companies using CIs should be cognisant of the alignment between their actions, messages and the CI. Originality/value – This study extends prior work by examining the relationship between CI, company strategy, products and services offered and the manner in which companies action's can affect CI.

Can Experiences With a Country's Foods Improve Images of That Country?

ABSTRACT This study examines how experience with other countries’ foods affects people's images of those countries, as well as the strength of such images. The findings show that foods are effective cultural elements that can enhance country images. People who have eaten a country's foods reveal more favorable country images than those who lack such experiences. Country images are even more favorable when people have more positive and many food experiences. Furthermore, positive country image effects are greater for people in opposite-hemisphere countries than for those in neighboring countries. Finally, people who prefer certain attributes of a country's foods provide more favorable ratings for related product attributes from that country, indicating affect transfer from food experiences to other product categories. These findings have key implications, especially for policy makers and researchers who seek effective ways to improve country images.

An Exploratory Study on the Relationship between Country Image and the Evaluation of Fashion Products Influenced by the Ethnic Dress of Asians

Our study was designed to provide some insights on positive country image and the mechanisms of influence that Asian fashion industries can draw upon for future benefit. We focused on a country image and fashion products with Asian ethnic influence. Asian traditional costume elements reflected in contemporary fashion products may be important representative tools for national cultural identity. This study qualitatively investigated how and to what extent country image and additional information influence the evaluation of fashion products influenced by Chinese, Japanese, and Korean traditional dress. We conducted four focus-group interviews (FGI) with 30 students from a fashion program at a university in the United States. We analyzed the evaluation of fashion products influenced by Chinese, Japanese, and Korean traditional dress, and their associations with country image. Our qualitative analysis offered more developed empirical evidence for the various paths through which country image affects the evaluation of fashion products influenced by the ethnic dress of Asians. The results of our study showed that the more direct the source of prior knowledge, the larger the influence on product evaluation. This study showed that certain cues in the evaluation of fashion products with Asian ethnic influence induce changes in the affective state (that stem from the psychological and social nature of fashion products) and illustrate the necessity of considering the affective processes involved in the appropriate use of the country image. In the fashion industry, extrinsic properties such as the country image significantly influence the attitude and purchasing decisions of consumers. The significance of this study lies in its verification of the relationship between the country image and additional information. Modular and situational-contextual influences are also revealed as important factors that deserve more attention, as well as considerations regarding the dimensions of the country image described in attitude theory.