Country of Origin Effect

Inhaltsangabe:Abstract:

Consumers have significantly different country images or general perceptions about products made in different countries. Consumers use country image in product evaluation because they often are unable to detect the true quality of a country's products before purchase. Extensive research on the impact of country of origin on buyers evaluations of products has been reported in international marketing literature.

This study concerns the German beer industry: threatened by imported 'impure' beer, facing a declining and very competitive domestic market many small and medium sized enterprises are beginning to take exporting as an option into consideration. The question is how German beer is perceived in the UK and whether the country image should be utilised in the promotion of new product offerings.

The first part of this dissertation provides an overview of the country of origin (COO) literature by compiling and discussing findings regarding the way it operates, the factors influencing value and magnitude, and limitations of previous studies. The market attractiveness of the UK beer market was assessed and compared to the situation of the German market.

The primary research of the second part consists mainly of a consumer based attitudinal survey. The sample was restricted to 18-36 years old premium beer drinkers. For this sample COO has only a minor direct influence on the purchase decision. COO should, nevertheless, be communicated because it is likely to have an influence on the quality perception of beer and foreign origin is a prerequisite for being seen as a premium beer.

German beer is perceived as being superior in terms of quality and taste. That is one factor contributing to the attractiveness of the UK market. The market is also attractive in terms of size and future growth. The marketing mix should be consistent with a differentiation strategy of a premium beer. A country image dimension might be part of a unique brand image. Inhaltsverzeichnis:Table of Contents:

Introduction and Objectives1

1.1Introduction1

1.2The need for information2

1.3Research objectives and information needs3

1.4Organisation of this report3

Literature Review5

2.1Introduction5

2.2The Effect of Country-of-Origin6

2.2.1Country-of-Origin as an Extrinsic Information Cue6

2.2.2Halo and Summary Construct8

2.2.3Country image as a multidimensional construct9

2.3Factors Impinging on Value/Direction and Magnitude of COO […]