The Korean Wave has taken the world by storm and Korean beauty (K-beauty) has in extension to this become a global phenomena. K-beauty has reached this popularity with the help of authentic and natural ingredients and a combination between tradition and modernity creating a competitive advantage on the market. Despite this popularity a lack of research has been identified on how the “​Made in Korea”​ label affects consumer’s perception of Korean products and in specific K-beauty products. The current study addressed this opportunity in examining how consumers perceive K-beauty products in addition to country-of-origin affects their purchase intention. To examine this a qualitative approach was taken consisting of 11 email interviews with millennial women residing in Sweden. The empirical data derived from the interviews was divided into four themes (1) Made in Korea, (2) Image, (3) Quality and (4) Effect. The findings were then analyzed in regards to the country-of-origin effect (COE) and previous research on the topic. The results identify two main attributes as driving factors in consumer perception of K-beauty products on the Swedish market. These two attributes are image and quality. Korea was in this study found to carry a strong cognitive country image (CCI) and is as a result perceived to be on the forefront of the beauty industry creating an attraction towards Korean products. Although K-beauty is found to be driven by the CCI a connection to the Korean Wave and an affective country image (ACI) is found creating a separation in the country image. This was further found to suggest that the Korean Wave facilitates the spread of Korean culture through all Korean products. Future research directions are additionally discussed.

Background: This study will be beneficial for Swedish companies that wish to enter the French market and will also benefit companies in France that have something to do with Sweden or that are playing on the Swedish origin. The outcome of this study will give a perspective on Swedishness in Swedish companies, brands and products with French consumers.References to places and countries such as French wine, Hollywood movies, and Russian roulette are examples of how the origin of countries can create associations influencing consumers' product evaluation and buying behaviour. In the process of understanding French consumers' product country image in relation to Sweden, it is important to map their buying behaviour and associations to Swedish companies, brands and products. The consumer perception of the country of origin can together with other attributes add brand equity to a company, brand or a product. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to understand how Swedishness in Swedish brands and products influences the perception of quality and to assist companies in their decision making on how to market in France. Conclusion: French consumers are influenced by global and national perceptions of countries of origin. Swedishness and Scandinavia have a particularly good reputation with French consumers. This influence is high and influences the consumers' quality-perception process through various influencers. Presentation of figures that can be used as generic figures when considering the influencers of your country's image when marketing cross-nationally.

<p><strong>Background: </strong>This study will be beneficial for Swedish companies that wish to enter the French market and will also benefit companies in France that have something to do with Sweden or that are playing on the Swedish origin. The outcome of this study will give a perspective on Swedishness in Swedish companies, brands and products with French consumers.References to places and countries such as French wine, Hollywood movies, and Russian roulette are examples of how the origin of countries can create associations influencing consumers' product evaluation and buying behaviour. In the process of understanding French consumers' product country image in relation to Sweden, it is important to map their buying behaviour and associations to Swedish companies, brands and products. The consumer perception of the country of origin can together with other attributes add brand equity to a company, brand or a product.</p><p><strong>Purpose</strong>: The purpose of this study is to understand how Swedishness in Swedish brands and products influences the perception of quality and to assist companies in their decision making on how to market in France.</p><p><strong>Conclusion</strong>: French consumers are influenced by global and national perceptions of countries of origin. Swedishness and Scandinavia have a particularly good reputation with French consumers. This influence is high and influences the consumers' quality-perception process through various influencers. Presentation of figures that can be used as generic figures when considering the influencers of your country's image when marketing cross-nationally.</p>

The aim of this study is to examine if there are any factors that influence young Swedish consumers' willingness to participate in the cross-border e-commerce market. Another aim is to examine the perceived risks associated with e-commerce in Sweden and overseas. The authors generated ten hypotheses to test this. The authors employed a quantitative approach and sent a survey to 162 people, with questions based on applicable theories, to investigate if there are factors that affect young Swedish consumers when they transact on the cross-border e-commerce market. The questions were sent through the authors’ social media. The findings suggest that seven factors influence young Swedish consumers’ decision-making when conducting cross-border e-commerce. Furthermore, the findings show that these factors have an impact on young Swedish customers, such as opinions from friends and family, perceived risk, loyalty to their own country, all of which affect when young Swedish consumers opt to use the cross-border e-commerce market.

Titel: Harmonisering av global hållbarhetsredovisning - vilka möjligheter och hinder finns det? Nivå: Examensarbete på grundnivå (kandidatexamen) i ämnet företagsekonomi Författare: Emma Magnfält och Martina Bäckstedt Handledare: Asif M. Huq Datum: 2024 – Maj  Syfte: Studiens syfte är att undersöka möjligheter och hinder för harmonisering av global hållbarhetsredovisning med utgångspunkt i intressenters remissvar till IFRS General Requirements for Disclosure of Sustainability-related Financial Information (IFRS S1). Metod: I denna studie har en kvalitativ metod med en abduktiv forskningsansats tillämpats, som innefattar en innehållsanalys av 39 remissvar avseende feedback på första utkastet av IFRS S1. En jämförelseanalys av utkastet och den utfärdade standarden IFRS S1 har utförts. Resultat och slutsats: Resultatet visade att det finns både likheter och skillnader i de åsikter intressenter har på utkastet till IFRS S1. Skillnader mellan geografiska områden kan hänföras till institutionella faktorer vilka bottnar i tvingande isomorfism och länders olika utvecklingsgrad, medan skillnader mellan intressentgrupper hänförs till normativ isomorfism. Likheter hänvisas till tendenser av normativ isomorfism. Det visade sig även att ISSB kategoriserar intressenter och till viss del tillgodoser intressenternas behov. Examensarbetets bidrag: Studien bidrar med ett aktuellt perspektiv över förutsättningarna för harmonisering av global hållbarhetsredovisning. Bidrag ges även i form av teoretiska insikter i hur såväl tvingande som normativ isomorfism påverkar möjligheterna till harmonisering av global hållbarhetsredovisning. Studien möjliggör ett bredare perspektiv av ISSB:s standardsättarprocess. Förslag till fortsatt forskning: Framtida forskning kan undersöka intressentgruppers synpunkter mer djupgående än vad denna studie fick möjlighet att göra, samt undersöka utfallet av den globala hållbarhetsredovisningen som efterföljer den utfärdade IFRS S1.  Nyckelord: Harmonisering, hållbarhetsredovisning, intressentteorin, institutionell teori, isomorfism, country-of-origin effekt / Title: Harmonization of global sustainability reporting - what are the opportunities and obstacles? Level: Student thesis, final assignment for Bachelor Degree in Business Administration Author: Emma Magnfält and Martina Bäckstedt Supervisor: Asif M. Huq Date: 2024 – May  Aim: The purpose of the study is to investigate opportunities and obstacles for harmonizing global sustainability reporting based on stakeholders' comment letters to IFRS General Requirements for Disclosure of Sustainability-related Financial Information (IFRS S1). Method: In this study, a qualitative method with an abductive research approach has been applied, which includes a content analysis of 39 comment letters regarding feedback on the first draft of IFRS S1. A comparative analysis of the draft versus the issued standard IFRS S1 has been made. Results and conclusions: The results of the study showed similarities and differences in the feedback stakeholders left for the draft of IFRS S1. Differences of opinions in geographical areas stems from institutional factors created by coercive isomorphism and countries' different developmental stages. Differences between stakeholder groups relate to tendencies of normative isomorphism. Similarities of opinions also depend on normative isomorphism. The study also revealed that ISSB categorizes stakeholder groups and accommodates stakeholder needs to a certain degree. Contribution of the thesis: The study contributes with an updated perspective of harmonizing global sustainability reporting. Theoretical contributions are given through the insights in how coercive and normative isomorphism affects the possibilities for harmonizing global sustainability reporting. The study brings insights into ISSB's standard-setting process. Suggestions for future research: Future research can examine the views of stakeholder groups in more depth than this study was able to, as well as investigate the outcome of global sustainability reporting that follows the issued IFRS S1. Key words: Harmonization, sustainability reporting, stakeholder theory, institutional theory, isomorphism, country-of-origin effect

Syftet med denna uppsats var att identifiera hur Filippa K arbetar med sitt svenska ursprung för att skapa konkurrenskraft på internationella marknader samt hur Filippa K:s huvudkontor styr företagets internationella verksamheters arbete med att särskilja varumärket från konkurrenter. Litteraturgenomgången berörde vad forskning tidigare sagt om varumärkes värde och varumärkesidentitet, ”country of origin” samt styrning av ett internationellt företag. Studien realiserades genom en kvalitativ forskningsmetod i form av en fallstudie och insamlingen av material skedde med hjälp av fyra intervjuer med respondenter representerande för olika position och geografiska placering inom företaget. Studien visade att COO används av Filippa K eftersom det differentierar varumärket och skapar konkurrenskraft. Däremot skiljer sig användningen inom företaget då huvudkontoret anser att det svenska ursprunget genomsyrar alla element som utgör varumärkesidentiteten, något som de internationella verksamheterna inte anser i lika stor utsträckning. Filippa K:s verksamhet karaktäriseras av en koordinerad företagsstruktur där de internationella verksamheterna styrs genom både kontroll och självständighet, något som möjliggjort COO betydelse för de internationella verksamheterna.

This research is a study of purchasing intentions and behaviors in China. Consumers from four key cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, and Guangzhou were studied and differences in intentions and behavior as well as influences on behavior were analyzed. The results of the study provide greater depth to understanding consumer behavior in China and insight into likely responses to marketing strategies. Interviews with Chinese marketing experts were conducted and surveys were administered to samples of the target populations. Interviews assisted in understanding many of the general stereotypes held with respect to various ethnicities and helped with explaining some of the reasons for differences found. The study’s results are categorized into five areas. First, with respect to general purchasing intentions the study found that Chinese consumers from key cities differ significantly with respect to most of the purchasing intentions measured including inclination to try to new products, brand loyalty, use of discount cards, and willingness to purchase substitute brands. Based on five measures of conservatism, Beijing and Shanghai consumers were found to exhibit more conservative consumption behaviors than Chongqing and Guangzhou consumers. Chongqing and Guangzhou consumers are more likely than consumers in Shanghai and Beijing to wait for a friend's recommendation before buying a new brand. Second, with respect to brand choices, the study found that Beijing consumers tend to be more ethnocentric in their purchasing behavior in comparison to consumers from other key cities. The study also found a moderate association between ethnicity and brand purchase repertoire in most product categories. Third, with respect to reasons for purchases, the study found that generally there was only limited association between ethnicity and the reason for selecting brands. Consumers most often cited quality as the main reason for purchase. Fourth, with respect to actual brand purchase frequencies, the study found that Beijing consumers made more frequent purchases more often than other consumers in half of the categories studied. Chongqing consumers tend to purchase favorite brands less frequently than consumers from other key cities. Fifth, with respect to knowledge of country of origin and country of manufacture and their influences on intentions, the study found that for most product categories (nine of twelve studied) country of origin was an important consideration in the purchase decision. In general, many Chinese consumers are misinformed about brands’ country of origin. The research provides insight into important purchase cues and moderators impacting brand choice behavior.

This study's primary aim is to explain Urban Adult Chinese Consumers' preference between foreign and Chinese products. It examines how Country of Origin (COO), Consumer Ethnocentrism (CE) and Consumer Animosity (CA) influence Urban Adult Chinese Consumers' product preference and willingness to buy. The existing knowledge is divided on this issue. By reviewing the relevant literature, it is clear that there are two completely different approaches of investigating the impact of COO on Chinese consumers. The researcher of this current study classified the two opposing methods as 'the simplistic approach' and 'the cautious approach'. Studies follow 'the simplistic approach' firmly believe Chinese consumers overwhelmingly evaluate foreign products positively and they have a strong preference for foreign products. Research follows 'the cautious approach' argues that Chinese consumers' complexity and internal differences cannot be ignored, some of them prefer Chinese products and they cannot be simply considered as in favour of foreign products. Past studies all concluded that Chinese consumers hold low to moderate level of CE beliefs. However, two investigations concluded Chinese consumers harbour strong animosity towards the Japanese. This study follows the philosophical understanding of pragmatism. The research questions are the most important factors that determine the research strategy and quantitative and qualitative methods can complement each other to address the research problem. This study employs a concurrent embedded mixed methods research strategy that consists of a street survey and semi-structured interviews. Due to the distribution pattern of the quantitative data, this study used non-parametric analysis methods including: Chi-Square Test for Independence, Spearman's Rank Order Correlations, Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal-Wallis Test. The qualitative section of the investigation focuses on four issues: how Urban Adult Chinese Consumers (UACC) determine whether a product is foreign or Chinese, sources and background of animosity, the impact of domestic alternatives and areas for Chinese products to improve. This study discovered that UACC's preference between foreign and Chinese products remain divided. They cannot be simply considered overwhelmingly in favour of foreign products or prefer Chinese products. For those UACC have a preference for foreign products, quality and design are the main two reasons. Desire to support China's domestic industry and patriotism are the main driving forces behind some UACC's preference of Chinese products. UACC holds low to moderate level of CE beliefs, which suggests they are worldminded consumers that capable of evaluate foreign products based on merits, without strong negative bias. UACC have strong animosity towards the Japanese, but antagonistic sentiments towards the Americans and French are relatively low. There are complex sources of animosity and this study identified a wide range of factors that contributed to UACC's strong animosity towards the Japanese. The main area of original contribution of this study concentrates on Consumer Animosity. It discovered a wide range of sources of animosity towards the Japanese and constructed an enhanced animosity model.

[pt] Empresas brasileiras e de outros países emergentes estão construindo, ou planejam construir em um futuro próximo, sua estratégia de marca e posicionamento global. O uso da marca país pode ser uma maneira de diferenciar suas ofertas no mercado internacional. Com base no conceito de country equity, originado da extensão do constructo brand equity para países, esta pesquisa teve como objetivo investigar empiricamente a influência que a origem brasileira de um produto exerce sobre a atitude de consumidores estrangeiros desse produto. Adotou-se o modelo de Pappu e Quester (2010), composto por cinco dimensões (conhecimento do país, imagem micro de país, imagem macro de país, qualidade percebida e lealdade ao país), que foi complementado com indicadores afetivos (sentimentos, emoções), com base em Haubl (1996). O modelo proposto foi testado em duas categorias de produtos, uma de produtos duráveis (automóveis) e outras de produtos não duráveis (sapatos). Os questionários foram aplicados a uma amostra de 439 estudantes chilenos. A análise dos dados coletados permite agregar novas noções aos resultados de estudos anteriores sobre as dimensões do constructo country equity sob o ponto de vista do consumidor. / [en] The use of nation branding can be a way to differentiate multinational companies offerings in target international markets. Based on the concept of country equity, originated from the extension of the construct of brand equity to countries, this research aimed to empirically investigate the influence the Brazilian origin of a product has on foreign consumers’ attitudes towards this product. Building on the work by Pappu and Quester (2010), a consumer-based perspective was adopted for country equity and the construct was operationalized with five dimensions, comprising country awareness, macro country image, micro country image, perceived quality, and country loyalty toward the country. Their model was complemented with affective indicators (feelings, emotions), based on Haubl (1996). The proposed model was tested in two different product categories, a durable consumer product category (cars) and a nondurable consumer product category (footwear). The questionnaires were administered to a sample of 439 Chilean students. The data analysis adds new approaches to the results of previous studies on the dimensions of the country equity construct from a consumer-based perspective.

Background  Along with an impressive increase of individual incomes and expansion of middle class populations (Lee &amp; Nguyen, 2017), Vietnam is an attractive market where the fashion category receives the high interest among young consumers. Noticeably, while Western fast fashion is considered as a cheap product in most developed countries, it is kind of an expensive item in the Vietnam context. Although previous studies show that Vietnamese millennials are fond of the products from the West, Vietnam is a challenging market that requires Western fast fashion brands to have an insight into local consumer preferences since the local consumer’ values, attitudes, and behaviors are changing dramatically. Purpose  The purpose of this study is to explore attitudes of Vietnamese millennials towards Western fast fashion brands related to country of origin (COO) as well as the symbolic values of these brands in the mind of Vietnamese millennials. It thereby helps the Western companies to understand the Vietnamese market in terms of fast fashion, discovering potential investment opportunities and propose suitable marketing strategies to enter this market.  Method  Following the purpose of this study, an exploratory qualitative research with an abductive approach was utilised. Specifically, in-depth interviews with open-ended questions were employed to have an insight into the participants’ attitude towards Western fast fashion brands. Additionally, after the interviews, the participant's opinions were captured for a visualization of attributes of Western fast fashion brands. Conclusion The research results show that Vietnamese millennials generally have positive attitudes towards Western fast fashion brands related to COO. Nevertheless, in this particular study, the emerging symbolic values include sense of beauty,  educational background, social status as well as self-identity. The study also points out its delimitations and limitations, offers various possibilities for managerial implications, as well as provides some suggestions for future research.