Amal R. Karunaratna

Self‐congruity and product evaluation: a cross‐cultural study

Self‐image, product image and their combination, self‐congruity, are important concepts in consumer behaviour. They have been hypothesised and found to affect significantly product choice and purchase intention. In this study, two samples from contrasting cultural backgrounds are compared in relation to the importance of self‐congruity with respect to four brands of two products categories of contrasting involvement levels. Unexpectedly, samples from Australia and Malaysia were found to use differently actual vs ideal self‐image in their product evaluation. This confirms overall the role of self‐congruence in consumer’s choice and points to the need for further investigation of this concept in a cross‐cultural context.

Australian Chinese Consumers

Abstract Based on 288 respondents of Australian consumers of Chinese background but who exhibited contrasting degrees of acculturation, this study examined several aspects of consumer behaviour, including information search, product evaluation and purchase behaviour in relation to three product categories of contrasting involvement, namely toothpaste, stereos and cars. The findings, which contributed usefully to a scarce literature concerning the Asian consumer, provided support for several of the hypotheses put forward and, overall, contributed to answering by the affirmative the question of whether acculturation affects consumer decision making.

The Exporter - Import Agent Contract and the Influence of Cultural Dimensions

This paper examines the relationship between an exporter and an import agent in an international marketing channel using agency theory and cultural dimension frameworks, and proposes a research agenda with five testable propositions from this literature. Agency theory provides a way of forming an efficient exporter-agent contract and suggests that efficient contractual conditions are likely to provide the basis of a successful negotiated outcome. Cultural dimensions are elements that are likely to create obstacles to an efficient contractual outcome. This paper presents the concept of the dimensional gap that exporters may need to bridge in order to form an efficient contractual relationship. We suggest that in a cross cultural encounter, a divergence of cultural dimensions between the parties to the contract will impact adversely on agency costs and lead to contractual inefficiencies. By identifying gaps in the cultural dimensions between contractual parties, and taking steps towards reducing these gaps, the potential for such inefficiencies can be reduced, improving the chances of successful contractual outcomes. The dimensional gap considers the influence of four cultural dimensions on contractual efficiency. This paper presents five testable propositions suggesting that cultural gaps within power distance, individualism and masculinity, can be bridged through greater flexibility and adaptability in management decisions acquired through experience and learning, whereas gaps in long term orientation and uncertainty avoidance are less likely to be influenced by such behaviour. Where the latter condition exists, it is proposed that the potential of high transaction costs will result in exporters by-passing intermediaries and using more integrated forms of entry.

Can Country of Origin Branding be a Competitive Advantage for Agri-Products from Emerging Countries?

Country of origin research continues to generated interest and remain relevant in spite of the wide body of existing literature realised from studies generate around the world over many decades. The chapter presents a proposed conceptual framework of consumer decision pathways respective to agriculture based products, particularly those produced in emerging, underdeveloped economies. The proposed model illustrates the possible mediating effects of country of origin cues via low versus high involvement/motivations associated with low tech versus highly technical product endowment. The model further suggests that higher levels of technical product endowment will require more cognitively based assessments by consumers as compared to products based on lower levels of technology (like Agri-products) that will be assessed with a more affective approach. The chapter expands these concepts to present a possible matrix showing some suggested strategic approaches in the use of COO cue in country branding to leverage expected consumer responses and processing modes.

Do Component Systems and Country-of-Origin Information Influence Product-Brand Evaluations?

In 1996, the Ssanyong-Musso, a new Korean-made recreational vehicle, was released into the Australian market. The product, distributed through the Mercedes-Benz retail network, was advertised as having a Mercedes-Benz engine. The link between a new unknown brand and a well-established prestigious one, via the explicit promotion of one component, appears to be critical for the positioning of Ssangyong in the luxury car market Even though this multi-branding strategy does not necessarily represent a trend, it may reflect one consequence of the globalisation of the automotive industry.

Opportunistic Behaviour by International Channel Intermediaries

The relationship between exporters and independent foreign channel intermediaries (FCIs) is complex. The present paper analyses and discusses the potential types of opportunistic behaviour that might be engaged in by foreign agents or distributors (FCIs) using an agency theory approach. A classification framework of opportunistic behaviour is developed and a detailed qualitative examination of the content of five agency-distributor agreements between Australian exporters and their FCIs. A five-category classification scheme for opportunistic behaviour was found that included (1) product, (2) price, (3) information, (4) logistical, and (5) legal opportunism. The implications of each type of opportunism for an exporter are discussed using examples obtained from ways to control opportunistic behaviour are discussed.