Outbreaks of animosity against the West in China: effects on local brand consumption

2017 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 514-535 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Heinberg

Purpose Local brands in emerging markets suffer from fierce competition and chronic disadvantages. The purpose of this paper is to investigate if outbreaks of animosity against the West (AAW) might benefit local brands by raising consumers’ willingness to pay (WTP) and willingness to buy (WTB). Design/methodology/approach The study employed 2 methods: structural equation modeling (n=244 Chinese students); and experiment, multiple regression (n=676 Chinese students, different sample than those included in study 1). Findings AAW is different from ethnocentrism and the measurement has good validity and reliability. After an outbreak of animosity, AAW increases Chinese consumers’ WTB local products. The WTP is also enhanced by AAW in such a situation. Under “normal” circumstances, there is no effect of AAW on the WTP. This might be due to the cost of substituting western goods for local ones (e.g. inferior perceived quality and other-signaling value). An outbreak of animosity presents a risk to consumers and thus lowers their overall WTP. Originality/value The study introduces the construct “AAW,” which stretches the animosity construct to an inter-regional level. On such a level, it is possible to find consequences of animosity on local brand consumption, which have not been the focus of previous studies. Additionally, this research introduces the concept of WTP to animosity research. The measurement is built on a real economic exchange and better represents the cost aspects of substituting one brand for another.

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 670-690 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Kashif Javed ◽  
Ma Degong ◽  
Talat Qadeer

Purpose Most business-related studies on ethics focus on consumers in developed western economies but ignore developing economies. Therefore, to fill this void in the literature and address the concerns of prior studies, the purpose of this paper is to examine the ethical perceptions of Chinese consumers as an example of effective and efficient management of company/brand strategies in an economy experiencing rapid socioeconomic growth. Design/methodology/approach This study examines 328 Chinese consumers’ purchase intentions based on their ethical perceptions toward Apple and P&G through mediating (i.e. consumer–corporate identification (CCI) and brand trust) and moderating (i.e. consumer gender, age, education and residence) effects. Structural equation modeling is used to analyze the constructs and overall model. Findings The ethical perceptions of consumers translate into purchase intentions, both at the corporate and product brand levels. Similarly, a significant direct relationship between CCI and brand trust reveals that corporate-level ethical identification is a trivial matter to customers, although these perceptions do apply to product brands under a corporate umbrella. Furthermore, to identify target groups of Chinese consumers who are receptive to ethical appeals, moderating variables were found to be useful. Originality/value The results confirm that the mediating role of CCI is more influential in the context of Chinese consumers’ ethical perceptions, followed by brand trust. In relation to demographics, ethical perceptions affect CCI and brand trust more positively in females and highly educated consumers in China. Similarly, the relationship between consumers’ ethical perception and their trust in brand is revealed more influential in urban residents than they do in rural. This broadens the applications and contexts of this research model. The results provide managerial guidance on enhancing potential ethical perceptions.


2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 816-836 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nizar Souiden ◽  
Riadh Ladhari ◽  
Liu Chang

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine ethnocentrism and animosity in a special context of two societies that share cultural, historical, ethnic and geographical characteristics. In particular, it first investigates the relationships between Chinese ethnocentrism and animosity toward Taiwan, and then it examines the impact of these two factors on the Chinese perception of Taiwanese brand quality and their purchase intent. Design/methodology/approach Based on a sample of 605 respondents from China, data were analyzed by structural equation modeling. Findings The results show that although Chinese animosity toward Taiwan is moderate, it is significantly driven by ethnocentrism, which has a significant and negative effect on willingness to buy, but not on the perception of Taiwanese brand quality. The Chinese animosity toward Taiwan, however, has negative and significant effects on their perception of Taiwanese brand quality and their intention of purchasing Taiwanese brands. Research limitations/implications The immense size of the country has impeded the representativeness of the authors’ sample and the generalizability of the results. Also, the study covers only one type of product. Practical implications Forming partnerships with local Chinese businesses and developing strong ties with local communities could be considered as a solution to minimize or circumvent the effect of animosity and might help foreign companies appear more “local.” Originality/value In contrast to past studies that investigated ethnocentrism and animosity in the context of countries presenting several differences (e.g. China vs USA), this study investigates the effect of ethnocentrism and animosity in the context of two countries (China and Taiwan) that share cultural, historical, ethnic and geographic characteristics. Despite the strong ties between the two countries, the Chinese have a certain animosity, though moderate, toward Taiwan and consequently are less inclined to buy Taiwanese brands. This implies that Chinese animosity toward a country may be toned down or pronounced, depending on whether they have strong or weak ties with that country.


2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 1615-1631 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashutosh Muduli ◽  
Jeegnesh J. Trivedi

PurposeRecruiters’ decision to use recruitment methods (RMs) depends on several expected outcomes such as number applications, quality of applicants, speed of filling up vacancy, post joining job performance, absenteeism, commitment and satisfaction of the applicants. RMs may vary from each other in terms of its capability to communicate different type of information. The current research aims at exploring recruiter's intention to use RMs like job advertisement (JA), online recruitment (OLR) and social media in reference to several recruitment outcomes (ROs). Further, the role of information credibility and sufficiency (ICS) on recruiter's intention to use has been studied.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 242 recruiters from the manufacturing and service sector of India. The survey instrument consists of RMs, recruitment outcome and credibility and satisfaction that are identified following the theory of planned behavior (TPB). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used for a simultaneous assessment of overall and specific elements of measurement validity and reliability. Structural equation modeling (SEM) is used to test the hypothesized model.FindingsThe result shows that RMs significantly relates with ROs. In detail, social media recruitment (SMR) significantly relates with pre ROs and post ROs; OLR significantly relates with pre ROs and post ROs and JA significantly relates post ROs. Only JA insignificantly relates with pre ROs. The result also supports the hypothesis that ICS acts as a mediator between the influences of RMs on ROs.Research limitations/implicationsThe result of the study has important theoretical and managerial implications. The theoretical implication is explained from the perspective of signaling theory (ST) and elaboration likelihood model (ELM) theory.Originality/valueThe study is unique as multiple RMs have been studied with reference to both pre and post ROs using the data collected from the recruiters.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Byoungho Ellie Jin ◽  
Heesoon Yang ◽  
Naeun Lauren Kim

PurposeBuilt on the prototype and cue theories, the purpose of this study is to understand how a country's prototypical brand, a corporate brand that most consumers associate with a country (e.g. Samsung), contributes to forming two dimensions of country image – overall country image (i.e. macro country image) and product-specific country image (i.e. micro country image) – and how country image impacts the product quality evaluations of Korean cosmetics, along with the moderating effect of national culture.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 491 US and Chinese consumers ages 20 and older and analyzed using structural equation modeling.FindingsThe findings confirmed the positive influence of prototypical brand image on macro and micro country image. Macro country image also had a positive effect on micro country image. However, only micro country image yielded a positive influence on the quality evaluations of Korean cosmetics. Analyses of the moderating effect of national culture showed that the positive influence of prototypical brand image on macro and micro country image was found to be stronger in China than in the US.Originality/valueThese findings provided new theoretical perspectives for country image studies, and practical insights for companies and governments, especially those in countries whose country image is less distinctive, to help develop effective marketing strategies.


2020 ◽  
Vol 62 (5) ◽  
pp. 543-558
Author(s):  
Wai Ming To ◽  
Jane W.Y. Lung

PurposeAn internship is an essential part of vocational-oriented degree programs because it enhances the employability of graduates and prepares them for career development. Thus, it is important to understand how students view internships and whether they are satisfied with their internship experience. This paper explores the effects of organizational and individual factors on internship satisfaction.Design/methodology/approachBased on a literature review on internship, we propose a theoretical model in which organizational factors, including supervisor support and task clarity, and individual factors, including interns' perceived functional value and perceived social value, can lead to internship satisfaction while task clarity, perceived functional value and perceived social value can affect interns' self-initiative behavior. The proposed model was tested using responses from 161 Chinese students in Macao SAR.FindingsThe results of structural equation modeling indicated that supervisor support and perceived social value had direct and significant impacts on internship satisfaction while task clarity and perceived functional value had direct and significant impacts on interns' self-initiative behavior. Additionally, supervisor support significantly influenced task clarity, perceived functional value and perceived social value.Originality/valueThe paper identifies that supervisor support has a strong and significant impact on internship satisfaction. Additionally, the current study indicates that organizations should pay great attention to appoint the right work supervisors who are able to assign appropriate tasks to interns, provide clear guidance and facilitate social interaction between interns and other people.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Raphael Papa Kweku Andoh ◽  
Daniel Yeboah Mensah ◽  
Emmanuel Afreh Owusu

Purpose Training cannot be effective if trainers are not pedagogically competent. However, the influence of trainers’ pedagogical competencies on employees’ knowledge and skill acquisition during training is not given the needed attention in the training literature. This study aims to examine the influence of trainers’ pedagogical competencies such as delivery, trainees’ involvement, use of visual aids and body language on trainees’ assimilation of training content. Design/methodology/approach The data are analyzed from 425 respondents in an online survey. This study uses structural equation modeling in testing the hypotheses following validity and reliability tests. Findings This study finds that trainers’ pedagogical competencies such as trainee involvement and body language have a significant influence on trainees’ assimilation of training content, but others such as the trainers’ delivery and use of visual aids do not have a significant influence on assimilation of training content. Practical implications Professionals responsible for training should endeavor to use trainers who have been proven to be pedagogically competent, especially involving trainees during training and use of body language and not just experts in the topics/areas they provide training. Trainers themselves should on their part do well to acquire pedagogical skills in addition to the content knowledge they possess to enhance their training effectiveness particularly, trainees’ assimilation of training content. Originality/value As a phenomenon rarely given attention, this study urges learning and development researchers and practitioners as well as human resource management professionals to give attention to the pedagogical competencies of trainers during training and trainees’ learning.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Faruk Anıl Konuk

PurposeThe main purpose of the study is to examine the moderating influence of motherhood on the linkage between feeling guilty and willingness to buy organic food.Design/methodology/approachThe data were collected using a questionnaire from female consumers and analyzed with structural equation modeling.FindingsThe structural equation model results revealed that food safety concern and environmental concern influence feeling guilty about buying conventional food products. The empirical findings also supported the positive effect of feeling guilty on willingness to buy organic food. Additionally, for mother consumers, the impact of food safety concern and environmental concern on feeling guilty was greater than non-mother consumers. Similarly, moderator analyses revealed that the influence of feeling guilty on willingness to buy organic food is significantly higher for mothers.Originality/valueReferring to the attitude-behavior-context (ABC) theory, the current research aimed at filling the knowledge void by examining how motherhood moderates the relationship between feeling guilty and willingness to buy organic food. Hence, understanding the moderation role of motherhood provides newer insights into consumer behavior and marketing literature. The results of the research can help both organic food producers and retailers to develop successful marketing strategies.


2018 ◽  
Vol 120 (12) ◽  
pp. 2868-2884 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ou Wang ◽  
Simon Somogyi

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the impacts of innovation-adoption characteristics on Chinese consumers’ adoption of online food shopping. It also examines consumers’ online purchase preferences for specific food categories and the consumer segments shopping for food online in China. Design/methodology/approach The data were collected through a web-based survey (n=643, in three cities: Beijing, Guangzhou and Chongqing). Descriptive analysis, cluster analysis, factor analysis and structural equation modeling were employed for data analysis. Findings Participants had strong online purchase intentions toward snack and imported food, while they had weak online purchase intentions toward fresh food products such as meat, eggs, vegetables, fish and seafood. Two consumer segments were found: online-food-conservative (42 percent) and online-food-pioneer (58 percent). Factor analysis resulted in an adjusted factorial structure of the innovation-adoption characteristics, which was considered more appropriate within the context of Chinese consumers when shopping for food online. Path analysis found that Chinese consumers’ attitudes and/or purchase intentions were positively linked to their perceived incentives and negatively associated with their perceived complexity for online food shopping. Originality/value This is the first study to explore consumer segments, consumption psychology (innovation-adoption characteristics) and product preferences related to online food shopping with a sample from China, the largest e-commerce country. The findings can help food producers and marketers to better understand Chinese consumers’ online food shopping behaviors in order to meet the needs of consumers and have further success in this major market.


2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (7) ◽  
pp. 832-846 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hakim Meshreki ◽  
Christine Ennew ◽  
Maha Moustafa Mourad

Purpose Country of origin (COO) is well established as an extrinsic product cue that influences buyer behavior in the business-to-business (B2B) context. However, non-product-specific attitudes to a COO, including the notion of animosity, have received rather less attention. This paper aims to investigate COO as a multi-dimensional construct and animosity as a normative dimension of buyers’ attitudes and intentions. Design/methodology/approach The work is based on data collected from industrial buyers in Egypt and Canada to enable a comparative perspective between developing and developed countries. Structural equation modeling was used to test the study’s hypotheses. Findings Country of manufacture was an antecedent of perceived quality and a determinant of brand evaluation in both countries. Price was an antecedent of perceived risk and value in Egypt, while its impact on perceived risk was less pronounced in Canada. Perceived value was the strongest determinant of willingness to buy, while animosity played a significant role in this respect in Canada but not in Egypt. Research limitations/implications Country of brand was not included as a dimension to be investigated; industry type was not controlled and may confound the results; and generalization of the results is limited given the cross-sectional approach. Originality/value The study’s contribution lies in four main elements, viewed individually and in combination: investigating a large number of COO constructs that have not been studied within a single research context in B2B before; including the animosity construct in a B2B setting; contrasting “benefit received” and “sacrifice given” constructs that help to shape industrial buyers’ purchase decisions; and carrying out the research in two very different countries to help improve the generalizability of results.


2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (10) ◽  
pp. 1496-1519 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmad Herzallah ◽  
Leopoldo J. Gutierrez-Gutierrez ◽  
Juan Francisco Munoz Rosas

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between quality ambidexterity (QAMB), competitive strategies (cost leadership, differentiation, and focus), and firm performance in Palestinian industry, and to analyze the combination of quality exploitation (QEI) and quality exploration (QER) (QAMB) associated with the different levels of each competitive strategy. Design/methodology/approach Using data collected through a survey of 205 Palestinian industrial firms, the study conducted structural equation modeling to test the proposed relationships. Additional statistical analyses were applied to the combinations of QEI and QER for each competitive strategy. Findings The results show a positive and significant relationship between QAMB and three competitive strategies, and between competitive strategies and financial performance, focus strategy excepted. Balanced combination with similar levels of QEI and QER is found to be more suitable for higher levels of competitive strategies implementation, whereas an excess of QER over QEI is associated with lower levels of strategies implementation. Research limitations/implications Although Palestine has two regions, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, all survey respondents were from the West Bank. The data used in this study come from the industrial sector only. Originality/value This study is the first empirical test to examine the impact of QAMB on financial performance through competitive strategies. The study results may help managers to implement QEI and QER practices in order to allocate resources effectively and ultimately improve financial performance.


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