Loading...
Please wait, while we are loading the content...
Similar Documents
Italian country image: the impact on business models and relations in Chinese business-to-business markets
| Content Provider | Semantic Scholar |
|---|---|
| Author | Cedrola, Elena Battaglia, Loretta L. |
| Copyright Year | 2012 |
| Abstract | The paper aims to verify if the Country of Origin effect matters in industrial sectors, particularly in business relations between firms belonging to markets with high cultural distance. The study were carried out on a sample of 338 firms (quantitative phase) and on 14 firms in the subsequent qualitative phase. INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES Italy is renowned around the world for its design, fashion, Mediterranean cuisine and other Made in Italy products. These products are often associated with known and famous brands, especially in the luxury sector, but many less well-known Italian firms operating in more technical industries, such as in the mechanical or electronic sectors, have a major presence in international markets. These traditional Made in Italy sectors as well as the specialized product sectors create the so-called "4 Fs" of Italian excellence (Fortis, 2005). The first group together traditional consumer goods linked to the person and the home. In almost all these areas, Italy has become the style setter, fostering virtuous synergy between the artisanship of luxury with its Renaissance tradition and entrepreneurial creativity. By penetrating the middle and upper-middle ranges of the various markets, a strong collective image has gradually established itself around the world. Specialized product sectors include the automation, mechanical, rubber-plastics sectors. Despite offering excellent quality products in these sectors, Italy has a lower perceived image than other countries such as Germany. Country of Origin (COO) literature is mainly focused on consumer sectors (Nebenzahl, Jaffé & Usunier, 2003; Bilkey & Nes, 1982; Papadopoulos & Heslop, 1991; Peterson & Jolibert, 1995; Agrawal & Kamakura, 1999; Usunier & Lee, 2009; Giraldi, 2009; Godey B, Pederzoli D., Aiello G., Donvito R., Chan P., Oh H., Singh R., Skorobogatykh I.I., Tsuchiya J., & Weitz B., 2011; Sharma & Shimp, 1987; Schaefer, 1997; Han, 1989; Hsieh, 2004; Graby, 1980). Even in industrial markets, despite the technical language is universal and less subject to country specific cultural influences, stereotyping linked to the country of origin of the party involved may create difficulties or lead to increased tension in the relationship between parties. The assessment of the product’s COO is influenced by all the specific cultural elements of the countries involved in the relationship. Verlegh and Steenkamp (1999) contradict the fact that the COO effect is more relevant for consumer goods than for industrial goods, although many researchers over time have argued the opposite, asserting that industrial customers that operate in a more informed way are less likely to be influenced by information on the COO of the good (Ahmed, D’Astous, 1995). This present contribution falls within this debate, with the aim of verifying if the COO effect really matters in BTB, particularly in business relations between firms that belong to markets with high cultural distance. China has been selected as reference to this |
| Starting Page | 81 |
| Ending Page | 107 |
| Page Count | 27 |
| File Format | PDF HTM / HTML |
| DOI | 10.4337/9781781955611.00012 |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | https://u-pad.unimc.it/retrieve/handle/11393/130412/2330/Cedrola_Battaglia_Elgar_atti_divisione.pdf |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | https://u-pad.unimc.it/retrieve/handle/11393/112031/2127/Cedrola_Battaglia_SEOUL_def_extabs.pdf |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | https://doi.org/10.4337/9781781955611.00012 |
| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
