Purpose-This paper aims to examine the extent to which the nation branding activities of export promotion organisations (EPOs), investment agencies (IAs), national tourism organisations (NTOs) and embassies follow the principle of coordination that characterises an integrated marketing communications approach. Design/methodology/approach-A qualitative exploratory approach was taken, comprising face-to-face in-depth interviews with key informants from five Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) involved in the implementation of nation branding communications in terms of export promotion, tourism, investment attraction and public diplomacy. Findings-Seven key dimensions of interorganisational coordination in a nation branding context emerge from our results. These dimensions include sector, organisation domicile, mode, strategy formulation, nature, frequency and target audience. Research limitations/implications-The relatively small dataset as well as the restricted geographic scope of the study limits the generalisability of the findings; further research is required to ascertain whether the findings of this study also apply in other settings. Practical implications-Enhanced coordination needs to occur not only between the different governmental organisations engaged in nation branding strategy, but also between those organisations and their respective private sector stakeholders. Originality/value-This paper extends previous work on the need for countries to adopt a coordinated approach to their nation branding activities. The paper is original in its examination of actors' perceptions of the optimal degree of coordination that should occur between a country's EPO, IA, NTO and embassies. The paper is also original in its reporting of findings from a region (ASEAN) that is under-researched relative to other areas, such as Europe and North America.
Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to report an application of the CETSCALE measuring consumer ethnocentrism for high-value consumer goods in the emerging markets of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The study examines how regional markings can be thought of as variants of national markings and then goes on to establish a regio-centric scale, thereby taking up calls for ethnocentrism studies to be conducted across multiple countries that actively trade with one another. Design/methodology/approach -This research is based on an empirical investigation of consumer ethnocentrism (CE) that includes simultaneous manipulation of country-of-assembly and region-based country-of-components. The study surveys a sample of 720 car owners equally divided between the three largest automotive markets of ASEAN: Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Findings -Statistical analysis of this study's empirical results confirms that for the three-country sample of 720 respondents, this newly derived regional ethnocentrism construct is as relevant as the classic country-based construct. The research concludes that regional use of campaigns with a (potentially collaborative) Made-in-ASEAN theme may reach the target group of regio-centric consumers. Originality/value -The study is original in providing a new perspective on the ethnocentrism debate by adding and testing for a regional dimension reflecting realities in the marketplace for a major product category. The study is also one of the few to focus upon the ASEAN region rather than the more commonly studied regions such as Europe or North America.
PurposeSet in the newly emerging hybrid product research stream, and reflecting trends towards multi‐national production and sourcing, this paper aims to present a three‐country study on perceived quality and image of automobiles “made in and for” Southeast Asia.Design/methodology/approachThe authors used a multiple cue design in the stimulus definition, reflecting assembly and component origin plus warranty level. Actual car owners were targeted, thereby adding to a relatively low number of studies requiring actual prior purchase. The related face‐to‐face interviews in the local languages resulted in 720 usable questionnaires.FindingsCountry‐of‐assembly is shown to affect perceived quality as well as perceived image. Warranty extension can moderate the quality effects to some extent, whilst buyers of luxury models display a smaller positive home bias in terms of perceived image than those of non‐luxury models. Such home region bias is not demonstrated to be significant for country‐of‐components.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper contributes towards ongoing theory‐building, especially with regards to an optimum level of origin cue decomposition. It also establishes the importance of adding image perception measurement to the arsenal of origin researchers normally focused on quality effects.Practical implicationsManagers need to make strategic decisions on the decomposition of product origin cues, reflecting consumers' abilities to notice several such cues. The selected product origin cues must then be supported with appropriate communications strategies.Originality/valueFor the first time, origin effects are demonstrated for the Southeast Asia region. The paper establishes the significance of country‐of‐target and contributes to research on the ever more complex product origin construct.
President Bill Clinton is well aware that for American companies to be competitive in the global market, they have to develop employees with excellent skills. Therefore, Mr Clinton's election platform resolves to initiate a vocational training programme similar to the apprenticeship system in Germany. Although the programme proposed by the Clinton administration started with a modest budget, it will probably evolve into a national programme which will require co-operation among industry, government and academia. The aim is to link classroom education with skills required in the work environment.The governor of Maine, John R. McKenna Jr, stated in 1993 at the first national apprenticeship conference in Chicago that the United States should borrow concepts from the German system, otherwise the fabric of American society would be unraveling [1]. Although the focus of this article is on the applicability of vocational training of the United States, other countries may benefit from adopting such concepts.The concern for effective vocational training is also voiced in Britain. In a recent 1995 issue of the European Business Review, the importance of continual training in Europe was highlighted[2]. The comparison of vocational training in France and Britain showed that the British would benefit greatly from adopting France's training philosophy and concepts. The European Union, by eliminating or drastically reducing economic and other barriers, has created a global market in which only the companies with the besttrained workforce can survive[3]. As Fletcher pointed out, Britain's training policies and practices require a careful re-evaluation[3].Training, too often, is considered a cost rather than an investment. She suggested that companies have the tendency to focus on training activities that will bring short-term results. This is not unlike the views of many US managers. While Fletcher proposes France's model for training and development, we suggest the well-developed traditional German apprenticeship training model, not necessarily as being superior to the French approach, but as an alternative. Moreover, we propose a relatively new approach which goes beyond the apprenticeship training: the
Purpose -The paper aims to research the mechanics of voluntary export restraints (VERs). It first develops a comprehensive VER research agenda, subsequently covering a 1991 VER between the European Union (EU) and Japan that established "voluntary" quotas on Japanese cars until 1999. Design/methodology/approach -Reflecting gaps in research, an overall VER research agenda is set up. Then, referring to the only source providing ex ante hypotheses on the specific EU/Japan VER, those hypotheses by Preusse are checked against available ex post data at the time of writing in 2002. Findings -First, Japan has not exhausted any of its yearly quotas during and even accepted a cut of quota in some years -an outcome only partly influenced by lower than expected market growth in the relevant period. Then, the competitive power of the Japanese producers appears overestimated, while the European capability to catch up was underestimated. Potential "escape routes" such as transplants and third-country imports fell short of estimations -providing no particular support for Preusse's efficiency effect hypothesis and competitive effect hypothesis. Research limitations/implications -Typical research limitations such as data source availability and actor accessibility notwithstanding, it is shown that the product upgrading effect often associated with VERs may happen independently of such agreements. Originality/value -This first results-based, hypothesis-driven exploration of particular VER mechanisms supports the authors' call for a dual, actor-driven and multi-disciplinary VER research approach. It holds promise for the potential avenues for related research.
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