Consumer ethnocentrism in evaluations of superior foreign brands and inferior domestic brands : a study of Polish consumers

In recent years, there has been a great deal of research exploring the concept of consumer ethnocentrism, although little has been done in Eastern Bloc countries. In these countries, foreign brands are often clearly superior to domestic alternatives. This study applied the CETSCALE in a survey of 218 Polish consumers with respect to attitudes and beliefs for one domestic and two foreign gas station brands. The findings suggest that, in a situation where foreign brands are superior to domestic ones, consumer ethnocentrism is displayed in more positive perceptions of the domestic brand, with little or no effect on perceptions of foreign brands. Moreover, the effect of consumer ethnocentrism on evaluations of different types of product qualities (search vs. experience) is explored. The results support the prediction that consumer ethnocentrism has greater impact on evaluations of experience qualities than on search qualities. Managerial implications and future research directions are suggested

Norsk reformasjonsfeiring. Tilbakeblikk ved inngangen til eit jubileumsår

In 2017 a jubilee will be held in memory of the outset of the Reformation that occurred 500 years ago. Both international and national events will take place, and people are also encouraged to celebrate the Reformation with a local historical perspective. This article focuses on similar jubilees in previous centuries here in Norway. Seven Norwegian jubilees are discussed briefly, while the jubilee in 1817 is given a more thorough attention, as that celebration in many respects can be regarded as typical, and it became a model for subsequent events. The perception of the Reformation has changed during the years, and the way they chose to celebrate at different time periods reveals important aspects of the official view of the Reformation at the time. In depth understanding of the changes must however be studied on a broader basis than the source material that has been available for this presentation. All the celebrations were influenced by the time in which they occurred. They were initiated and instructed by the central state power in cooperation with the official church authorities and were to a lesser extent influenced by local interests. An interesting question regarding the forthcoming celebration in 2017 is whether the stated intention of collaboration with local cultural institutions will be realised, and if so, how such an approach might shed light on the way the Reformation affected local societies in Norway in the past.publishedVersionOpen Access article. Published by Universitetsforlaget 2016

Emballasjens påvirkningskraft. Hvordan kan emballasje påvirke forbrukerens smaksopplevelse og betalingsvilje?

I denne studien har vi undersøkt i hvilken grad en emballasje kan påvirke forbrukeren. Oppgaven fokuserer på hvordan emballasjens preg av luksus påvirker forbrukerens smaksopplevelse og betalingsvilje. Videre ble det tatt hensyn til respondentenes designfølsomhet, som kan være tenkt å ha en innvirkning på emballasjens påvirkningskraft. Begrepet omfatter betydningen visuell estetikk har for en bestemt forbruker i han eller hennes relasjon med et produkt. Det teoretiske rammeverket ble brukt til å utvikle fire hypoteser som skal belyse oppgavens problemstilling: “Hvordan kan emballasje påvirke forbrukerens smaksopplevelse og betalingsvilje?” For å teste hypotesene ble det benyttet en kvantitativ forskningsstrategi med et eksperimentelt undersøkelsesdesign. Det ble gjennomført et laboratorieeksperiment i klasserom og grupperom, med studenter og ansatte ved Høyskolen Kristiania som deltagere. Resultatene fra analysene viser at emballasjens preg av luksus har en signifikant påvirkning på forbrukerens smaksopplevelse og betalingsvilje. Effekten er størst på forbrukerens betalingsvilje. Vi fant ingen signifikante modererende effekter av designfølsomhet. Dette tyder på at effektene våre er relativt generelle og i liten grad påvirket av forbrukernes individuelle følsomhet for emballasjedesign

Consumers’ Use of Country-of-Manufacture Information? Norway and the United States: Ethnocentric, Economic, and Cultural Differences

The influence and use of the country-of-manufacture (COM) information on purchase decisions is examined in Norway and the USA in a nonlaboratory setting. Ethnocentrism, dependence on imported products, market size, and cultural difference are variables that may have led to differences in measured behaviors between Norway and the USA. Respondents in Norway showed less ethnocentrism, were less aware of COM, and showed no difference in the rating of COM importance, but cited self-reported COM as a purchase influencing factor more frequently than consumers in the USA. The overarching finding is that COM is rarely used by the studied consumers in actual purchase decisions with little difference found between Norway and the USA. © 2017 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

Building Brand Relationships Online: A Comparison of Two Interactive Applications

-Due to its potential for interactive communication, the Internet is considered a promising tool for relationship marketing. In this study, two of the most common applications for interactive communication - personalized websites and customer communities - were experimentally compared for their ability to develop consumer-brand relationships as measured by the Brand Relationship Quality (BRQ) framework of Fournier (1998). Moreover, the moderating role of Internet experience was investigated

Nordmenns holdninger til legalisering av dødshjelp

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Cues adopted by consumers in examining corporate website favorability: an empirical study of financial institutions in the UK and Russia

The purpose of this paper is to explore, reconcile and depict corporate website favorability (CWF), its antecedents and consequences in the financial setting in the UK and Russia context. To achieve the goals of this study, the research adopted a mixed method research design by using a survey, which is supported by insights from in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and Structural equation modeling (SEM) were applied to gain insight into the various influences and relationships. The paper develops and empirically validates the framework of CWF antecedents and consequences. The paper indicates essential guidance for cross-functional managers and designers regarding the integrated and holistic utilization of building favorable corporate websites as part of the corporate identity management. The paper adds to the understanding of CWF and discusses the antecedents of CWF by drawing upon the existing literature. Furthermore, it offers possible consequences of CWF and provides a framework for future testing