Constanza Bianchi

Consumer‐based brand equity for Australia as a long‐haul tourism destination in an emerging market

Purpose – Although the branding literature emerged during the 1940s, research relating to tourism destination branding has only gained momentum since the late 1990s. There remains a lack of theory in particular that addresses the measurement of the effectiveness of destination branding over time. The purpose of this paper is to test the effectiveness of a model of consumer‐based brand equity (CBBE) for a country destination.Design/methodology/approach – A model of CBBE was adapted from the marketing literature and applied to a nation context. The model was tested by using structural equation modelling with data from a large Chilean sample (n=845) comprising a mix of previous visitors and non‐visitors. The model fits the data well.Findings – The paper reports the results of an investigation into brand equity for Australia as a long‐haul destination in an emerging market. The research took place just before the launch of the nations fourth new brand campaign in six years. The results indicate Australia is ...

An Institutional Perspective on Retail Internationalization Success: Home Depot in Chile

This study utilizes institutional theory to assess the effect of the host institutional environment on the success of internationalizing retailers. According to this framework, retailers succeed in international markets when they adapt their retail format and practices to the salient institutional norms in the host market and achieve legitimation from the relevant social actors. This framework was used in a case study of Home Depots entry into Chile in 1998 and its exit three years later. Findings showed that Home Depot lacked legitimacy in Chile because they failed to offer the range of merchandise and store atmosphere demanded by the traditional family shopping activity, and because their management team did not embed themselves in the broader social network. It was also apparent the competition had anticipated and responded to Home Depots source of competitive advantage and that Home Depots scale was not great enough to command any advantages in the supply chain network.

On importer trust and commitment: a comparative study of two developing countries

Purpose: Relationship trust and commitment are two key dimensions of international exchanges. Both have been extensively investigated from an exporter (as opposed to importer) perspective in developed country (as opposed to developing country) contexts. To address these gaps, this study aims to develop a model of antecedents and outcomes of importer trust and commitment in two developing countries.---------- Design/methodology: The authors test the proposed model using data from Chile and Bangladesh. Hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling (SEM).---------- Findings: SEM analysis revealed that most of the hypotheses were supported in both the Bangladeshi and Chilean context. The findings of this study also suggest that the effects of importer transaction-specific investments on importer commitment are distinct in the Bangladeshi context. Practical implications: Practically, these results show that trust and commitment are essential for enhancing importer relationship performance in developing countries. Importer trust in a foreign supplier is effective when suppliers are competent and provide relatively superior facilities, as opposed to opportunistic proclivity. Importer commitment to a foreign supplier is stronger when importers perceive that the foreign supplier is not opportunistic, but is knowledgeable and experienced with the importer market, and they perceive that it is an advantage importing from that supplier. Cultural similarity between importers and foreign suppliers improves importer trust in both countries. However, importer commitment in Chile increases with importer transaction-specific investment, but this is not found to be the case in Bangladesh.---------- Originality/value: This study contributes to the importer-exporter exchange relationship literature by testing a model of antecedents and outcomes of importer trust and commitment. The tested model is one of few that considers developing country contexts and incorporates two novel antecedents of trust and commitment: importer knowledge and experience, and supplier resource competency.

Risk, trust, and consumer online purchasing behaviour: a Chilean perspective

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate Latin American online purchase behaviour with a specific focus on the influence of perceived risk and trust. While studies of this nature have been conducted quite extensively in developed countries, their application in developing countries, such as Latin America is limited. Our study addresses this gap in the literature with an empirical study conducted in Chile. Design/methodology/approach: The authors develop and test a proposed model of the influence of consumer’s perceptions of risk and trust on their attitudes and intentions to purchase on the Internet. An online survey method is used. The sample consists of 176 Chilean consumers who have made at least one purchase online. The data is analysed using structural equation modelling technique (SEM). Findings: The analysis revealed that of the perceived risk and trust factors examined, trust in third party assurances and a cultural environment of trust had the strongest positive influence on intentions to continuing purchasing online. Perceived risk had an inverse relationship with attitude and consumers’ attitude has a positive influence on intentions to purchase online. Trust in online vendors and a propensity to trust were both insignificant. Practical implications: Practically, these results identity which risk and trust beliefs towards purchasing online have the most effect thereby providing insights into how companies should seek to mitigate perceptions of risk to encourage new and return purchasers. Additionally, this research shows that consumers in a Latin American country, recognised as a collectivist, high risk avoidance culture, are willing to make purchases online despite the risks involved. Originality/value: The study and its results is one of few available that consider a Latin American context. The value of the findings provides insights into the specific risk and trust factors that influence Chilean consumers when considering purchasing online. The tested model adds value not only to the literature on Latin American consumer behaviour but also provides guidance for companies offering online retailing facilities in these less developed countries.

Retail internationalisation from emerging markets: case study evidence from Chile

Research on international retailing has generally emanated from Europe and North America. Nonetheless, retailers from emerging countries can also be important players in some regional markets. The aim of this paper is to explore how retailers from emerging markets can become strong enough to compete internationally. This study examines a longitudinal case study of the internationalisation process of Falabella, a Chilean retailer that has recently become an important player in the Latin America retail industry. Drawing on 32 interviews with company managers, as well as industry data and corporate reports, this paper provides insights into the successful internationalisation process of a retailer from an emerging country. In particular, these findings suggest that specific capabilities and resources, such as local and regional partnerships, organisational learning, innovation orientation, adaptation to the local markets, and an experienced management team, are required for emerging market retailers to internationalise and improve their likelihood of success in foreign markets. This paper explores an underdeveloped topic through the analysis of a longitudinal case study. Thus, it is necessary to further expand this line of research and investigate other emerging market retailers.

Defending the local market against foreign competitors: the example of Chilean retailers

South American countries have experienced the arrival of large American and European retailers that attempt to occupy important position in these markets. Nonetheless, the situation in Chile differs from its neighbouring countries. The largest retailers in Chile are local family businesses that have established themselves as legitimate organizations and are well regarded in the Chilean business community. Based on an analysis of the three major sectors of retailing in Chile, this paper describes the actions taken by Chilean retailers to defend themselves effectively against the attempts of foreign retailers to operate in their market, and the outcomes resulting from this process. By having to deal with strong local and foreign competition, Chilean retailers imitated the best practices of foreign competitors and learned to adapt their retail offer to satisfy the local customers’ needs.

Destination Brand Equity for Australia Testing a Model of CBBE in Short-Haul and Long-Haul Markets

The study of destination brand performance measurement has only emerged in earnest as a field in the tourism literature since 2007. The concept of consumer-based brand equity (CBBE) is gaining favor from services marketing researchers as an alternative to the traditional “net-present-value of future earnings”’ method of measuring brand equity. The perceptions-based CBBE model also appears suitable for examining destination brand performance, where a financial brand equity valuation on a destination marketing organization’s balance sheet is largely irrelevant. This is the first study to test and compare the model in both short- and long-haul markets. The article reports the results of tests of a CBBE model for Australia in a traditional short-haul market (New Zealand) and an emerging long-haul market (Chile). The data from both samples indicated destination brand salience, brand image, and brand value are positively related to purchase intent for Australia in these two disparate markets.

An exploratory study of the factors enhancing and inhibiting export growth in the Chilean wine industry

This exploratory study investigates the main drivers that enhance and inhibit the export performance of Chilean wineries. The findings of this study suggest that the main constraints within the Chilean wineries in developing exports is the lack of financial resources, limited quantities of stocks for market expansion, managements lack of knowledge and experience, and the high cost of traveling and participating in trade shows. The main drivers of wine export performance according to the respondents are high quality of the wines, well-established network of international distributors, and marketing skills. The major inhibitors of developing wine exports are exchange rate variability, problems in selecting a reliable international distributor, and limited government support to promote wine exports. This study also shows that export managers of Chilean wineries have high educational levels and have international experience. The findings have important implications for export development efforts of both governments and managers.

Inward internationalization of consumer services: lessons from Australian firms

Purpose - The aim of this paper is to explore the inward internationalization process of consumer services. A review of the service internationalization literature is conducted and the resource-based view of the firm is used as a theoretical approach. Design/methodology - Case study methodology is used to explore the internationalization process of five different consumer service sectors: tourism, education, accommodation, transport and entertainment. The main data collection method was interviews conducted with top managers of 12 Australian consumer service firms from these sectors. Findings - Findings of this study show that inward internationalizing services confront most of their barriers, such as immigration policies, exchange rate fluctuations, and cultural differences, in the domestic market where the service is provided. The findings also suggest that superior intentional performance for consumer service firms combines firm-specific resources and capabilities, such as market orientation, service quality, cultural sensitivity, international communicational activities, partnerships and networks, with country-specific resources and capabilities, such as country-of-origin image and government support. Research limitations/implications - This is one of the few studies in the academic literature that directly addresses the issue of inward internationalization of consumer services. Limitations derive from the qualitative nature of this study. Practical implications - The process of inward internationalization applies to a broad range of service industries and can assist firms to develop more effective international marketing strategies. Originality/value - This study contributes to the international services literature by identifying the main barriers and drivers of international performance for inward internationalizing consumer service firms, which is a topic that has been neglected in the literature.

Drivers of local food consumption: a comparative study

Purpose The aim of this paper is to empirically explore antecedents of local food purchase intention in two food producing countries with different cultural backgrounds. Design/methodology/approach An online survey was employed to collect data from consumers located in Chile (n=283) and Australia (n=300). A proposed model is tested with structural equation modelling (SEM). Findings Attitude towards consuming local food is a strong and direct driver of intentions to purchase local food in both countries. Attitude toward supporting local agri-businesses and consumer ethnocentrism are found to positively impact attitude towards consuming local food in both countries. Attitude towards local agri-businesses also has a direct effect on intentions to purchase local food in Australia, but not in Chile. Interestingly, subjective norms are not found to affect intentions to consume local food in either country. Research limitations/implications The paper examines factors affecting the attitude toward and behavioural intention regarding local food consumption and develops an extended model of local food consumption. An outcome of this new model is the inclusion of personal variables, which influence local food purchasing behaviour. Practical implications Producers and retailers need to develop campaigns explaining how consuming local food supports local businesses and farmers, which will reinforce personal values associated with local consumption. Originality/value This is the first study to demonstrate that positive attitudes toward local foods are important drivers of local food purchase behaviour, independent of the cultural characteristics or level of economic development within a country.