• Asia Marketing Journal
• /
• v.20 no.1
• /
• pp.69-87
• /
• 2018

This study examines the linkage between Korean wave, corporate image and country image, perceived quality of products made in the country. To close a gap lacking empirical studies on impacts of corporate image to country image and to further understand impacts of Korean wave, this study conducts survey over Chinese consumers to test the effects of corporate image, Korean wave to the country image, and verify on its effects to perceived quality of the products made in the country. The results show that both corporate image and Korean wave influences to form positive country image of Korea, and perceived quality of Korean made products. The size of effects varies upon products type and stimuli. This study could provide policy makers insights how to promote country image as well as support SMEs for developing overseas markets. Also, it could give marketers valuable implications to develop effective global marketing strategies using cultural assets, country image and salient corporate image.

• Journal of Korea Trade
• /
• v.23 no.6
• /
• pp.33-51
• /
• 2019

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to provide practical implications for Korean companies searching for new market opportunities. From the experimental analysis, the impact of country image on product-country image and purchase intention of Korean products are measured. In addition, this study disaggregates the impacts of country image and product-country image and purchase intention among ethnic groups in South Africa for searching further useful implications. Design/methodology - To examine South African consumers' country image and product-country image towards Korean products, data were collected between June and July 2019 through an online questionnaire, and 335 questionnaires were used for analysis. Firstly, the multivariate analysis was conducted to examine the general tendency of South African consumers' perceptions of country image to Korea, product-country image, and purchase intention among three ethnic group consumers. Then in order to verify the country image model and hypotheses of the study, we analyzed the structural models for each of the three ethnic groups and compared the sizes of the path coefficients for each groups. To compare the difference of path coefficients across ethnic groups, configural invariance, metric invariance, and scalar invariance tests were conducted sequentially. Findings - In the black and white ethnic groups, the country image had a statistically significant impact on product-country image, but it did not affect the purchase intention to Korean products. The product-country image showed a statistically significant impact on the purchase intention to Korean products in both ethnic group. However, in the coloured ethnic group consumer, the country image had a significant effect on the product-country image, but it did not affect the purchase intention of Korean products. In addition, the product-country image did not have a significant influence on the purchase intention of coloured ethnic group consumers unlike black and white ethnic group consumers. The results of this study suggest that even though differences in terms of the impact of CoI on PCI and PI were investigated for the sample of white, coloured, and black respondents, the groups seemed to respond in a reasonably comparable manner. Originality/value - South Africa occupies more than 20% of Africa's total GDP in sub-Saharan Africa and is a hub for Southern African logistics as a hub for Korean companies to enter Africa. However, it is rare to find a study focused on the determinants of consumer behavior in South Africa. In particular, this study disaggregates the impacts of country image and product-country image on consumer behavior across ethnic groups in South Africa. Therefore, this study could provide practical implications for Korean firms which desire to diversify their export markets and pioneer future markets.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
• /
• v.6 no.4
• /
• pp.159-170
• /
• 2019

The paper aims to understand the mediating effect of Country Image (CI) on the relationship between consumer cosmopolitanism and consumers' purchase, visit and investment intentions towards a foreign country, considering the moderating effects of ethnocentrism, materialism, product familiarity, and visits to a country in a global market. The study extends research on the global and local consumption by simultaneously analysing the influence of country image dimensions and several moderating effects on consumers' behavioural intentions. Four hundred and fifty-seven valid responses from international consumers were collected through a questionnaire measuring country image dimensions. Findings indicate that cosmopolitanism has a significant and positive effect on foreign consumers' behavioural intentions and country image dimensions mediate this relationship. Moreover, a moderating effect was found for ethnocentrism, materialism, product familiarity, and visits to a country on the relationship between country cognitions and the intentions to visit the country. This study shows the importance of considering cosmopolitanism as a potential segmentation variable in international markets. The results can help managers and policymakers to better understand the image that foreign consumers hold about Portugal, their intentions to buy or invest in the country, as well as to think of Portugal as a tourism destination.

• International Commerce and Information Review
• /
• v.8 no.4
• /
• pp.323-341
• /
• 2006

IThis research meets with empirical results in pursuit of aim as below mentioned. Firstly, it gets a line on two-way effects which have an effect on both (the country image and corporate image) by using the corporate image for the study of the country image. After making an analysis of the empirical test, found out that the corporate image has influence upon the country image significantly. Also found out that the country image has an effect on the corporate image powerfully. Therefore, it effects an inspection of evidence that the country image and corporate image have significantly positive concern, each other. Secondly, it is offering the way to use the culture marketing as grasping the mediating effects, which culture difference has influence upon the country image and the corporate image. The mediating effects show that the country image has influence on the corporate image more as culture difference is bigger.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
• /
• v.5 no.3
• /
• pp.65-72
• /
• 2018

The purpose of this paper is to understand the influence of country personality dimensions and product involvement on European consumers purchase and visit intentions, considering the Portuguese context. The increasing economic globalisation has resulted in the reducing of trade barriers between nations and the availability of more foreign products and services across borders. Therefore, the place associations of these products and services might be regarded as a potential competitive differentiator in their respective markets. Despite the proliferation of literature devoted to assessing the effects of country-of-origin, the symbolic dimension of a country's image remains understudied. A questionnaire measuring country personality dimensions, product involvement, and consumer's purchase and visit intention was passed on a sample of 335 European consumers. Country personality indeed matters both positively and negatively. Findings show that while assiduousness positively influences consumer's visit intentions, wickedness has a negative influence on consumer's purchase intentions. Findings also reveal that product involvement has a positive significant influence on consumer's purchase and visit intentions. On developing marketing strategies, international marketers and governmental decision-makers should consider product involvement attributes and specific country personality traits to provide the country's products with a competitive edge, as well as to promote the country as a travelling destination.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
• /
• v.32
• /
• pp.283-292
• /
• 1997

The country-of-origin may be used as surro-gate indicator when the consumers do not have confidence on quality evaluation. Since the global sourcing is getting popular in inter-national textile and apparel production the ef-fect of country-of-origin should be examined. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of country-of-origin on product evaluation and its relation to the consumer characteristics. A questionnaire was distribu-ted to 524 respondents aged 18 through 35. The results indicated that the country-of-ori-gin had significant influence on quality evalu-ation. Furthermore product components such as design price fabric and workmanship were also influenced by the country-of-origin. Price was perceived as more affected variable by country-of-origin than design fabric and work-manship. The interest in country-of-origin was different according to the consumer charac-teristics. Among demographics age and in-come turned out to be significant variables to determine the interest in country-of-origin. Shopping habits of respondents such as pur-chasing price of polo-style knit shirt the place to purchase that shirt the number of shirts they have were significantly different accord-ing to the interest in country=-of-origin. The re-spondent had higher interest in country-of-ori-gin were more fashion-conscious more confi-dent on clothing purchase more brand loyal and more sensitive to price of clothin.

• Human Ecology Research
• /
• v.55 no.5
• /
• pp.507-526
• /
• 2017

To infer the true state of a regional product's attributes, consumers use the image they have of the product's region of origin; however, products may have multiple countries of origin in their design, branding, sourcing and manufacturing becuase more products are increasingly a result of multi-firm and multi-country efforts. We examined how the country-of-origin image (country image and product image) affect international consumers' perceived value (function value and symbolic value) and purchase intentions of made-in China goods by extending and deepening the flexible model. Second, to investigate the differences of COO effects according to different types of country-of-origin we divided the traditional country-of-origin into two components: country-of-manufacture (COM) and country-of-brand (COB). We then explore how the impact of China's country image on consumers' perceived value and purchase intentions varies when China is the COM or COB of the same product. Six hypotheses were proposed to test our anticipations. We recruited 800 Korean adult consumers who previously purchased made-in China products to participate in the online investigation. Data analyses were conducted with confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling using SPSS and AMOS. The main results are discussed as follows. First, the effects of China's COO image on Korean consumers' perceived value and purchase intentions vary when China is the COM or COB of a product. Second, a positive effect of the function value and symbolic value on the purchase intentions was found. Literature and practical implications of findings are discussed and suggested in the conclusion.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
• /
• v.59 no.6
• /
• pp.41-57
• /
• 2009

Evaluations of fashion products are often influenced by consumers' knowledge of the country where the products were made in. As globalization progresses, country-of-origin information is widely regarded as a powerful cue on consumers' shopping behavior. The purpose of study was to examine the consumer evaluation of apparel products with uni-national or bi-national country of origin. The effect of price level and gender were also investigated. The empirical research design took 2${\times}$2 factorial design with the country-of-origin coincidence (uni-national vs. bi-national) and price (high vs. low) of gender (male vs. female). Consumers' ethnocentrism and country-of-origin interest were taken into account as covariates in the factorial design. The consumers' evaluation of fashion products was measured in terms of brand attitudes and product attitudes. Data from 514 respondents were analyzed with t-test, one-way ANOVA, two-way ANOVA, and ANCOVA. Results of this study affirmed the importance of price information rather than country-of-origin coincidence in brand attitudes and product attitudes. Only for male consumers, interaction effects of price and country-of-origin coincidence had significant eflects on utilitarian attitude. Effects of two covariate variables included in the study were significant for female respondents but not for male respondents.

• International Commerce and Information Review
• /
• v.12 no.1
• /
• pp.353-373
• /
• 2010

This paper researched on countries effect of country-of origin product of the Korea customer. Also This study was analysis to purchase frequency and purchase place for products of the U.S.A, Japan, China, EU, and Chile in Korea market. That is to say, this study is reviewing on country image subject including country of origin. According to WTO rule, The rules of origin should be administered in a consistent, uniform, impartial and reasonable manner. The objective of this article is to explore the relationship between country of origin and consumer effect using empirical analysis. The country of origin was divided into country of design, assembly, and parts. A survey questionnaire was sent to 250 customer in Korea market, and 220 usable responses were obtained. The 213 samples are analyzed with the countries origin effect. Multiple regression results show that the U.S.A and Japan product are positively affected by the purchase effectiveness of Korea customer's. However, The EU, China and Chile products do not affect effectiveness in Korea market. This article contributes to a understanding of effects of country-or-origin. When the nation image has been made, marketing approaches considering both image of country of manufacture origin and motivational focus can be utilized simultaneously.

• THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE & LAW REVIEW
• /
• v.55
• /
• pp.243-264
• /
• 2012

This study is aimed to analyze problems related to FTA country of origin of goods verification which is increasing from 2006 and thereby to grope for solution of such problems and seek adequate FTA performance administration. It is found, through comparative analysis and statistics of last 8 FTAs so far Korea has concluded that there are major problems such as excessive verification processing due to complicated country of origin regulation etc. This paper suggests following policies of country of origin administration ; (1) Simplification of FTA country of origin rules (2) reciprocal cooperation between each country's Customs Authorities based on trust (3) rational measurement against corresponding country's Customs Authorities' misbehavior (4) enhancement of transparency in relation to processing rule of country of origin verification (5) securing FTA country of origin verification experts. For these improvements, upcoming FTA shall rule country of origin reasonably, simplification and transparency of rule is needed for established FTAs in relation to FTA performance administration with corresponding countries. Also it is necessary to revise FTA preferential tariff law and its related laws, and carry forward policies in accordance with medium and long term plan.