The ivory tower and the street: How researchers defined country image over four decades and what consumers think it means

Lu, Irene R. R.; Kwan, Ernest; Heslop, Louise A.; Thomas, D. Roland; Cedzynski, Marzena

doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.07.030

Cited by 11 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…Country of origin image is the foundation of country reputation, attractiveness, and brand image. Positive country or origin image contributes to the economic, social, and political power of the country (13). Country of origin image is conceptualized as the attitude towards a country (14).…”

Section: Country Of Origin Imagementioning

confidence: 99%

Analyzing Attitude towards COVID-19 Vaccine in the Context of the Health Industry: The Role of Country of Origin Image

Aydın

Çizer

Köse

2021

Düzce Tıp Fakültesi Dergisi

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Aim:The aim of this study is to investigate individuals' attitude towards the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine, and explain vaccination intention in the framework of the theory of reasoned action. The study extends the theory of reasoned action with country of origin image variable. Material and Methods: The data of the study were collected by survey method. The survey consists of a total of 48 items, including individual innovativeness, subjective norms, attitude towards COVID-19 vaccine, intention to get COVID-19 vaccine, country of origin image, demographic characteristics, and general opinions about the vaccine and COVID-19. 333 participants answered the surveys. Data were analyzed by structural equation modeling using SPSS v.21 and AMOS v.23 package programs. Results: Attitude towards German COVID-19 vaccine (β=0.888, p<0.001) and German's country of origin (β=0.436, p<0.001) variables have significant and positive relationships with intention to get German vaccine. Subjective norms (β=0.750, p<0.001), China's country of image (β=0.265, p<0.001), attitude towards Chinese COVID-19 vaccine (β=0.198, p<0.001), variables have significant and positive relationships with intention to get Chinese COVID-19 vaccine. Country of origin image is significantly and positively related to both attitude towards German COVID-19 vaccine (β=0.690, p<0.001) and Chinese COVID-19 vaccine (β=0.461, p<0.001). Conclusion:The most important factor associated with the intention to get German COVID-19 vaccine is the attitude towards the COVID-19 vaccine. The most important factor associated with the intention to get Chinese COVID-19 vaccine is the subjective norm. Country of origin image is a significant variable for both countries.

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Section: Country Of Origin Imagementioning

confidence: 99%

Analyzing Attitude towards COVID-19 Vaccine in the Context of the Health Industry: The Role of Country of Origin Image

Aydın

Çizer

Köse

2021

Düzce Tıp Fakültesi Dergisi

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“…From a theoretical point of view, this work first identifies the cognitive nature of country reputation attained from the systematic literature review performed by Lu et al (2019). Affective and conative components that have been mixed in previous research, which was performed on a confused theoretical basis, have, therefore, been isolated in order to measure country reputation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite the interesting aspects of this study, it is necessary to bear in mind a series of limitations that may, in turn, be useful for future research in this area. First, the conceptualisation of country reputation followed in this research is focused principally on the Spain's reputation in China cognitive aspects of image (Lu et al, 2019), although the Reputation Institute (2017) suggests that these aspects are implicitly interrelated with the affective dimensions of reputation: esteem, admiration, trust and feelings. In this respect, the inclusion of a direct or explicit mediation of the emotional components of country reputation may be useful, since the affective aspects of country image or reputation are key aspects in the case of hedonic products (Costa et al, 2016).…”

Section: Limitations and Future Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, Lu et al (2019) complemented their analysis of the content of the definitions existing in academic literature with a study of the definitions proposed for the general populations of four countries, one of which was China. These authors used this as a basis to obtain those aspects of a country that stimulate or determine its reputation, and concluded that its economy, its government, its social characteristics, its culture and its people are, according to the Chinese academics and population surveyed, the most important conditioners of a country's image.…”

Section: Country Reputation: Concept and Componentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Spain's reputation in China: analysing its effects on attitudes towards Spanish olive oil

García

Ruíz

2021

BFJ

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PurposeThe objective of this paper is to analyse the elements that influence Spain's reputation among Chinese consumers, and to evaluate to what extent this country's reputation has an impact on their perceived quality of Spanish olive oil (SOO) and their intentions to purchase and recommend SOO.Design/methodology/approachThis study was carried out by surveying 399 potential olive oil consumers in China (256 of whom were familiar with olive oil and 143 of whom had no previous familiarity with the product, although they stated their intentions to consume it). The proposed hypotheses were tested using covariance-based structural equation modelling (CB-SEM).FindingsThe results show that: (1) Spain's reputation among Chinese consumers can be principally explained by its appealing environment and advanced economy; (2) reputation does not have a direct impact on intentions to purchase and recommend SOO (summary construct effect), but rather has an indirect impact thanks to the perceived quality of SOO (halo effect), and (3) familiarity with olive oil moderates these relationships.Originality/valueNo previous study has analysed this question for this food product category (olive oil), country of origin (Spain) and target market (China). This study, therefore, provides new empirical evidence regarding the formation process of Spain's reputation among Chinese olive oil consumers and the effect of the country of origin on the Chinese olive oil market. These results provide countries' policymakers with criteria for competitive country reputation management.

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“…The 14 items reflected cognitively oriented aspects of CI, such as level of economic development, forms of government, levels of industrialisation and associated levels of education and standards of living. Aside from its established use in previous studies (Lu et al , 2019), this measure was deemed appropriate in a product-harm crisis context as these aspects of CI have been shown in previous studies to impact perceptions of product safety and reliability (Siu and Wong, 2002; Tse, 1999). Part two presented one of the six crisis scenarios formatted such as a newspaper clipping (Appendix).…”

Section: Overview Of Research Design and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigating country image influences after a product-harm crisis

Crouch

Pourazad

et al. 2020

EJM

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Purpose Although international product-harm crises have become more common, the influence of the country image (CI) associated with foreign goods in such crises remains under researched. This study aims to investigate the extent to which the CI of a foreign made product influences consumers’ attribution of blame and trust and, ultimately, their future purchase intentions after the product is involved in a crisis. Design/methodology/approach A 2 (country) × 3 (crisis type) quasi experimental design was used, with data collected from Australia (n = 375) and China (n = 401). Findings CI can influence attribution of blame, subsequent levels of trust and likely purchase intentions. Australian and Chinese consumers have different views when it comes to trusting a company or placing blame, depending on the country of origin or the type of crisis. The direct and positive effect of CI on consumer purchase intentions following a product-harm crisis is sequentially mediated by attribution of blame and trust. Trust is the most powerful influence on future purchase intentions in both samples. Research limitations/implications In this research, only one type of crisis response strategy (no comment) was used. Thus, the results of this study must be viewed with caution when considering outcomes relating to other response options. Additionally, the testing was limited to only two samples, focussing on three countries (England, China, Vietnam), and one product context using a hypothetical brand. Further, despite our reasonable sample size (N = 776), the number of respondents represented in each cell would still be considered a limitation overall. Practical implications When developing crisis response strategies, managers should take into account the influence of a positive/negative source CI in driving attribution and trust. To minimize the impact of crisis on future purchasing decisions, organizations can leverage positive biases and mitigate negative ones, aiming to maintain or restore trust as a priority. Originality/value The study provides cross-country understanding about the significant role of CI during a product-harm crisis in relation to subsequent consumers’ blame attribution, their trust in the focal organization and ultimately their future purchase intentions.

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The ivory tower and the street: How researchers defined country image over four decades and what consumers think it means

Cited by 11 publications

References 42 publications

Analyzing Attitude towards COVID-19 Vaccine in the Context of the Health Industry: The Role of Country of Origin Image

Analyzing Attitude towards COVID-19 Vaccine in the Context of the Health Industry: The Role of Country of Origin Image

Spain's reputation in China: analysing its effects on attitudes towards Spanish olive oil

Investigating country image influences after a product-harm crisis

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