The Effects of Consumer Ethnocentrism and Country of Origin on Polish Consumers' Evaluation of Foreign Manufactured Products

The admission of Poland to the European Union may be perceived as the symbolic crowning of a long period of economic transformation. Poland today is not only an emerging market but an emerging culture experiencing a strong economic development wherein old ideals are confronted with new Western values. On this background, the objective of this research is to assess the level and impact of consumer ethnocentrism and the effect of country of origin on consumers’ evaluation of and buying intentions toward foreign manufactured products. Medium-expensive consumer durables—design furniture and fashion clothes—imported from Denmark are examined. Findings show consumer ethnocentrism is present and that more than one-fifth of consumers are highly ethnocentric but also that ethnocentrism has no direct effect on the evaluation of product quality or on buying intention for either of the products from Denmark.     

Measuring Consumer Ethnocentrism: An Assessment of Reliability,Validity and Dimensionality of the CETSCALE in a Developing Market

ABSTRACT

Based on 305 surveyed consumers in Zimbabwe’s two major cities (Harare and Bulawayo), the study sought mainly to measure consumer ethnocentrism and to test psychometric properties of the CETSCALE in Zimbabwe using structural equation modeling. It was established that the construct of consumer ethnocentrism comprises two dimensions, namely negative influence of foreign products, and preference for domestic products. Consumer ethnocentrism was found to be moderately high. The psychometric properties of the CETSCALE tested above the required thresholds. Consumer ethnocentrism was found to negatively influence consumer attitude towards imported poultry products. The study has implications for managers and future researchers.     

Managing Opportunism in China: The Roles of Guanxi,Environmental Uncertainty,and Management Culture

ABSTRACT

This cross-cultural comparison aims to understand whether the influence of consumer ethnocentrism (CE) on consumer preference for domestic versus foreign products is product category and country-of-origin dependent. Three countries with dissimilar cultural orientation and economic status—China, South Korea, and the United States—were examined. American consumers were found to be more ethnocentric than Chinese and South Korean consumers. CE was found to significantly and positively predict American and Korean consumers’ preference for domestic products across product categories, while Chinese consumers’ CE did not translate into their preference for Chinese products. In addition, the relationship between CE and purchase preference varied across product categories as well as countries of origin.     

Ethnocentric tendencies of Indian consumers: impact on preference for domestic versus foreign products

India is witnessing a plethora of foreign and domestic products competing against each other in its retail market. In order to understand how ethnocentrism among Indian consumers leads to attitudes toward foreign/domestic products, this study aims to understand the antecedents (socio-psychological and demographic) of consumer ethnocentric tendencies (CET) among Indian consumers, the impact of ethnocentrism on attitude toward domestic versus foreign product and service, and the impact of a moderator (perceived economic threat) on the relationship between ethnocentrism and attitudes. Using a sample of 800 Indian consumers, the relationships among variables were analyzed by means of structural equation modeling (SEM) using one product (soap) and one service (mobile phone service) category. The findings suggest that Indian consumers who are ethnocentric prefer domestic product/service to foreign product/service. Ethnocentrism of Indian consumers is influenced by education, income, cultural openness, and collectivism. The relationship between ethnocentrism and attitudes was moderated by perceived economic threat. Implications are provided for both Indian and foreign marketers to successfully promote their products to Indian consumers.     

Disentangling country-of-origin effects: the interplay of product ethnicity,national identity,and consumer ethnocentrism

The country-of-origin (COO) of products has been shown to affect consumer choice, especially in situations where the origin has a stereotypical association with particular products and depending on certain consumer traits (e.g., national identity, consumer ethnocentrism). However, little is known about how these phenomena are related. Two controlled experiments conducted in two different countries and product categories reveal that product ethnicity moderates the impact of national identity but not of consumer ethnocentrism. National identity is found to influence consumer preference only if the foreign product ethnicity is higher but not lower than that of comparable domestic products. Furthermore, while consumers with a low national identity are positively affected by a high product ethnicity of foreign products, this effect vanishes with increasing levels of national identity. This research has implications for academics and practitioners alike, as it examines important boundary conditions of country-of-origin effects that have been undiscovered so far.     

Consumer ethnocentrism,product necessity and quality perceptions of Russian consumers

Retail buyers in Russia have indicated that some customers have expressed a desire to purchase domestically produced products over imports. Consumer ethnocentrism has been proposed as a measure to provide retail buyers with the information necessary to market to these consumers. The purpose of this research is to determine if perceived product quality of products differs based on country of origin, product necessity and consumer ethnocentric tendency. A repeated measures ANOVA test indicates that perceived quality differs by necessity, by product, by country. A consumer ethnocentrism effect on the overall model, however, was not significant. We conclude that Russian consumers do perceive differences in product quality based on country of origin and product necessity, but that consumer ethnocentrism does not have an effect on perceived product quality.     

Ethnocentrism and Domestic Food Choice: Insights From an Affluent Protectionist Market

This study has investigated the domestic food choices of consumers in an affluent protectionist market, and the role of consumer ethnocentrism in relation to those choices. A short focus group method called CurroCus-groups were chosen for the study. Seven group interviews were conducted with a total of 54 respondents. The data was analyzed using a two level Grounded Theory approach. The analysis resulted in two main categories and five subcategories, all indicating the consumers’ different reasons for choosing domestic food. The two main categories are social involvement and quality whereas the five subcategories are sensory quality, food safety, products, environmental care and Jobs and producers. Consumer ethnocentrism was discussed in relation to the categories and different levels of consumer ethnocentrism were found in some, but not all of the categories.     

Purchase behavior in favor of domestic products in the West Balkans

Despite the long tradition of research on country-of-origin and consumer ethnocentrism, many of the issues remain unresolved in the literature, most notably the relationship between cognitive, affective and normative mechanisms in consumer choice behavior, and generalizability of existing research findings to non-traditional emerging and/or small country markets. This study responds to the current gaps in knowledge in that it examines behavioral manifestations of consumers’ choice of domestic vs. foreign products in four transitioning post-war markets in the West Balkans. Data were collected via personal interviews with 1954 adult urban consumers. The model of domestic purchase behavior was tested using SEM analysis. The results for all four country samples indicate that consumer ethnocentrism has affected domestic purchase behavior both directly and indirectly through domestic product appraisal. Moreover, we found consumer worldliness, a controversial construct in previous studies, to be uniformly negatively related to ethnocentrism. On the other hand, the findings related to the role of national identification as an antecedent to consumer ethnocentrism and domestic product appraisal were inconsistent across the samples. The implications of these findings for the validity and generalizability of existing models of consumer behavior in a new cultural context are considered, and implications for marketers interested in exploiting opportunities in the region are discussed.     

品牌负面曝光事件中的消费者民族中心倾向

近些年越来越多的品牌出现以质量危机为核心的产品伤害事件，对企业的品牌资产、市场份额、财务绩效造成巨大的负面影响。以往研究指出消费者对品牌的情感可以在一定程度上促使个体对产品伤害事件更加包容，缓和产品伤害事件对品牌的负面影响，文章探讨了集体主义的东方人对于基于群体的消费者-品牌情感——消费者民族中心倾向——对产品伤害危机中品牌评价的影响。通过两组实验，分别选取中国样本和韩国样本，研究发现消费者民族中心倾向并不能始终维持消费者对本土品牌的偏爱，品牌负面信息消极程度调节民族中心倾向对品牌负面信息认知的影响：面对一般消极程度的品牌负面信息，相比国内品牌，消费者对国外品牌产生更多的负面情绪和负面品牌评价，但是当品牌出现重大负面信息时，消费者对国内品牌的负面情绪和负面评价均显著高于对国外品牌的负面情绪和负面评价。文章研究发现对于产品伤害危机管理和民族品牌建设具有一定的启示意义。     

Consumer ethnocentrism when foreign products are better

In recent years, there has been a great deal of research exploring the concept of consumer ethnocentrism, although little has been done in Eastern Bloc countries. In these countries, foreign brands are often clearly superior to domestic alternatives. This study applied the CETSCALE in a survey of 218 Polish consumers with respect to attitudes and beliefs for one domestic and two foreign gas station brands. The findings suggest that, in a situation where foreign brands are superior to domestic ones, consumer ethnocentrism is displayed in more positive perceptions of the domestic brand, with little or no effect on perceptions of foreign brands. Moreover, the effect of consumer ethnocentrism on evaluations of different types of product qualities (search vs. experience) is explored. The results support the prediction that consumer ethnocentrism has greater impact on evaluations of experience qualities than on search qualities. Managerial implications and future research directions are suggested. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Effect of Normative and Affective Aspects on Willingness to Pay for Domestic Food Products—A Multiple Price List Experiment

There is limited knowledge about which factors underlie consumers’ preferences for domestic food products. We used a non-hypothetical multiple-price list experiment to investigate the effect of affective (product-related emotions) and normative (consumer ethnocentrism and subjective norms) factors on consumer willingness to pay for domestic food products. A total of 166 Croatian consumers were given a choice between domestic and foreign food products with different price premiums for domestic food. The results indicate that consumers are willing to pay a premium for both low- and high-involvement domestic food products. Consumer willingness to pay for domestic products is influenced by ethnocentrism, product-related emotions, and sociodemographic variables, but not by social norms.     

Communicating with American consumers in the post 9/11 climate: an empirical investigation of consumer ethnocentrism in the United States

The present study examines the extent to which American consumers’ political attitudes translate into their economic preferences in the post-September 11 climate. Specifically, nationalism, patriotism, and internationalism as antecedents to consumer ethnocentrism are investigated. A web-based survey was carried out on a sample drawn from a population of known internet users in the USA. Results from this study show that nationalism and internationalism are good predictors of American consumers’ ethnocentric tendencies. In addition, demographic characteristics such as gender, age, income, and education exhibit significant effects on consumer ethnocentrism. Male, younger, higher-income and better-educated consumers tend to be less ethnocentric. Suggestions are made to help both domestic and foreign firms and marketers understand how the post-September 11 political climate affects American consumers’ economic preferences. Results from this study also provide useful insights for further theory development on consumer ethnocentrism in today’s global marketplace.     

Consumer Ethnocentrism and Country-of-Origin Effects in the Moroccan Market

ABSTRACT

Differences in consumer values exert a powerful impact on product acceptance. Morocco is no stranger to this phenomenon. While this country's consumers have easy access to world markets, consumer ethnocentrism can restrict choice. The objective of this research has been to investigate ethnocentric behavior of Moroccan consumers and the extent to which domestic products might be preferred to foreign products or vice versa. Data were collected via face-to-face interviews with 400 consumers in four major Moroccan cities. A questionnaire was developed for this purpose using a version of the Consumer Ethnocentrism Scale (CETSCALE). Opinions about four products were solicited. The four products were jeans, cars, shampoo, and juice. The interviewees were asked their opinions about product attributes and about various countries-of-origin. Their responses were analyzed also on the basis of their most essential demographic characteristics. Logistic regression models were developed to analyze the data.     

How Consumer Ethnocentrism (CET), Ethnocentric Marketing,and Consumer Individualism Affect Ethnocentric Behavior in China

This study investigates how the value of consumer ethnocentrism (CET) and ethnocentric marketing affect consumers' purchase intentions for domestic and foreign brands in China. In predicting ethnocentric consumer behavior, past research has tended to focus on consumers' ethnocentric values rather than ethnocentric marketing stimuli. In addition, this study examines how the consumer value of individualism and collectivism (IC) affects ethnocentric choice behavior. An experimental study was conducted on 220 Chinese millennials, using fictitious advertisements. The study found that the CET value has moderate effects on consumer purchase intentions for foreign brands, while it strongly influences consumer purchases of domestic brands. In addition, the findings suggest that ethnocentric advertising may not encourage purchases of domestic brands, but can discourage foreign brand purchases. More significantly, individualistic consumers were found to show a greater preference for foreign brands and also their brand choices were less affected by the CET value and ethnocentric advertising.     

Ethnocentrism and Its Effect on the Chinese Consumer: A Threat to Foreign Goods?

This study examines ethnocentric tendencies including consumer ethnocentrism, country of origin, product judgments, willingness to buy, and animosity toward foreign products among a sample of economically progressive Chinese college students in a coastal port city in northern China. Survey results suggest that these Chinese consumers held a rather positive view of, and little animosity toward, the United States. They also did not show high levels of ethnocentrism or country-of-origin effects. These results would suggest openness toward foreign products. While Chinese consumers report little animosity or ethnocentric tendencies toward U.S. products, animosity, country of origin, and ethnocentrism are significantly correlated with willingness to buy. This suggests managers need to carefully position foreign products with respect to Chinese consumer expectations. Impacts of traditional collectivist views of the Chinese culture are suggested as an avenue for future research with respect to ethnocentrism and willingness to buy foreign products.     

Consumers’ response to weak unique selling propositions: Implications for optimal product recommendation strategy

We use a multi-method approach (analytical model and behavioral experiment) to investigate product recommendations based on less-important attributes (weak unique selling proposition, USP). We consider multiple scenarios in which a recommender’s level of expertise (knowledge about product attributes and their importance) and bias (preference for the firm as opposed to consumers) operate as cues for consumers to evaluate the recommender’s message.Results show that optimal messaging behavior is a function of an interactive process involving recommender characteristics and the relative importance of product attributes to consumers. The results identify conditions that determine when weak USPs are likely to increase or decrease a consumer’s propensity to buy the recommended product and when a recommender might optimally communicate weak USPs or avoid sending such a recommendation.     

How consumer ethnocentrism modulates neural processing of domestic and foreign products: A neuroimaging study

Consumer services literature offers substantial evidence that ethnocentric consumers tend to prefer domestic over foreign products. Yet no research to date has delved into the question how consumer ethnocentrism (CE) modulates the neural processing of products. This is the first study resorting to neuroimaging to explore to what extent CE levels affect the processing of domestic (Spain) and foreign (USA and China) products. The brain data yielded by neuroimaging reveal that highly ethnocentric consumers experience a greater degree of activation in brain regions linked to self-reference and reward when considering to purchase domestic products and a greater activation in brain regions related to risk in the case of foreign products.     

From banger to classic – a model for sustainable car consumption?

Cars are the most complex of consumer durables, yet they are not as durable as one may expect. Each year, millions of cars are scrapped, many still roadworthy or easily repairable. As with other consumer durables, consumers increasingly lose their emotional attachment with their old car in favour of a younger model. Is it possible to remedy this failure of consumer–product relationships in the interest of greater product durability and hence greater environmental sustainability? This paper explores this question in the context of the classic car market and suggests there may be some lessons there that could lead to a more sustainable new car consumption culture.     

Mitigating consumer ethnocentrism via advertising and media consumption in a transitional market

Consumer ethnocentrism is considered an important barrier to consumption in the global marketplace. Although the concept of consumer ethnocentrism has been investigated over many years in developed markets, there is little research addressing the mitigation of consumer ethnocentrism in transitional economies, which are becoming increasingly important in the global marketplace. One such market, Russia, represents a major potential investment opportunity for global marketers. In this study, we undertake an exploratory study investigating consumer ethnocentrism’s negative influence on Russians’ attitudes towards foreign products and their frequency of purchase of foreign products. We also demonstrate that the influence of consumer ethnocentrism on the frequency of purchase of foreign products is moderated by consumers’ exposure to mass communication (i.e. exposure to television, exposure to foreign movies) and by marketing communication efforts (i.e. exposure to foreign product advertising, involvement with foreign product advertising). In addition to extending theoretical research to a transitional, non-Western context, the empirical results also provide implications for international advertising practitioners.     

How anticipated regret influences the effect of economic animosity on consumers’ reactions towards a foreign product

We use regret theory to explain the negative effect of economic animosity on consumers’ reactions towards a foreign product (i.e., product judgment and reluctant to buy). We conduct our study in Taiwan by collecting data via an online survey. Our results show that consumers’ economic animosity increases their anticipated regret towards purchasing a foreign product originating from a target market of animosity. Specifically, anticipated regret is found to mediate the link between economic animosity and foreign product judgment, which in turns affects consumers’ reluctance to buy. Our study is the first to consider the role of anticipated regret in explaining the negative effect of economic animosity on consumers’ reactions towards a foreign product. We also contribute to research by introducing two antecedents of economic animosity: perceived economic competition and consumer ethnocentrism.