Country Equity: An Integrative Review, Conceptualization, and a Proposed Model

Abstract

This paper aims to present a proposed model for measuring and managing county equity based on customer equity theory. An integrative literature review-approach has been used in this research; it allows going further than analysis and synthesis of primary research findings and offers new insights and concise knowledge about the research topic 'country equity'. The review reveals rare of published research on this topic; thus, the review was extended to reviewing the published research papers in the last 20 years. Despite the importance and interest of the country equity-a topic not only for entering export markets but also for attracting tourists, foreign direct investment and talented people, the current literature in marketing doesn't present a high progress in this area of international marketing-discipline. The current body of marketing literature suffers from inadequacies in presenting a clear theoretical framework of country equity. Grounded on the previous, we conceptualize country equity as an international marketing system that works to maximize the country's cash flow (products, direct investment, tourism, etc.) through organizing the global marketing processes and activities based on increasing loyalty and retention of its customers in the global market. On the other hand, a proposed model for measuring and managing the country's equity is based on customer equity and conceptualization.