Ao mesmo tempo em que a globalização dos mercados avançou, houve uma crescente expansão de pesquisas sobre o efeito país de origem no comércio internacional e na literatura de marketing. Em geral, considera-se que o país de origem influencia as avaliações de produtos pelo consumidor e as suas decisões de compra. Os efeitos do país de origem nas avaliações de produtos pelo consumidor podem ser mediados por uma variedade de informações intrínsecas e extrínsecas sobre o produto, e também por fatores ambientais e culturais. Comum à maioria dos estudos sobre indicações múltiplas sobre o produto é a noção de que as percepções do consumidor são importantes porque irão, no final, influenciar suas escolhas por um produto ou uma marca. Como as organizações lidam com recursos limitados, elas precisam tentar desenvolver estratégias apropriadas à sua base de recursos. Nesse sentido, o país de origem pode vir a ser utilizado como parte de uma estratégia de diferenciação de produtos brasileiros em mercados internacionais. Porém, no Brasil, os estudos sobre os efeitos relacionados com a informação do país de origem ainda estão dando seus primeiros passos, o que torna relevante a contribuição do presente estudo. O problema geral de investigação é definido como: a imagem que os consumidores estrangeiros têm acerca do Brasil influencia a atitude com relação aos produtos brasileiros? O objetivo geral dessa pesquisa é, portanto, investigar, com base na literatura, a influência que a imagem de país de origem tem sobre a atitude de consumidores em relação a produtos estrangeiros e verificar tais relações por meio de uma pesquisa cujo foco é o Brasil como país de origem de produtos de alto e baixo envolvimento. Os produtos brasileiros analisados são carne bovina, frutas frescas, calçados e móveis. Para mensurar essa relação, foram utilizadas as cinco dimensões de imagem de país de origem identificadas por Ayrosa (2002) para avaliar a imagem que os consumidores estrangeiros possuem acerca do Brasil e as escalas indicadas por Assael (1995) e McDaniel e Gates (1996) para mensurar os três componentes da atitude dos consumidores estrangeiros com relação aos produtos brasileiros. A população-alvo da pesquisa foi definida como sendo os estudantes holandeses da School of Economics Haarlem, Holanda, totalizando 1901 estudantes. Verificou-se, tanto na revisão da literatura, quanto na pesquisa empírica, que a imagem de um país não é um construto único, existindo algumas dimensões que definem a imagem de um país; algumas positivas e outras negativas. Dessa forma, ao analisar a imagem de um país, devem ser consideradas todas as dimensões, de modo que as causas de uma imagem positiva ou negativa possam ser compreendidas. Os resultados da pesquisa empírica apontam a existência do efeito país de origem, tanto para cada produto investigado na pesquisa, como para esses produtos de uma forma geral, com exceção da carne bovina brasileira. Conforme antecipado, a maioria dos resultados demonstrou que a imagem do Brasil afeta de forma negativa as atitudes com relação aos produtos brasileiros. Com relação aos fatores mediadores do efeito país de origem investigados, familiaridade e envolvimento com os produtos, as hipóteses de que o efeito seria mais intenso para consumidores menos familiarizados e menos envolvidos com os produtos não foram confirmadas. Os resultados dessa pesquisa podem fornecer mais elementos para a discussão acerca da utilização da imagem do Brasil na exportação dos produtos brasileiros, auxiliando empresas brasileiras que precisam lidar com questões relacionadas ao país de origem em suas atividades internacionais de marketing. / At the same time that the globalization of markets has progressed, there has been a growing expansion of researches on the country-of-origin effect, both in the international trade and in the marketing literature. In general, it is admitted that the country of origin influences consumer’s products evaluations and his/her purchase decisions. The country-of-origin effects on the products evaluations can be moderated by a variety of intrinsic and extrinsic information about the product and also by environmental and cultural factors. For the majority of the studies about multiple cues of the product, it is seen that the consumer perceptions are important because they will, ultimately, influence the consumer’s choices for one product or brand. Since organizations deal with limited resources, they need to try to develop strategies that are appropriated for their resource base. In this sense, the country of origin can be used as part of a differentiation strategy for Brazilian products in international markets. Nevertheless, in Brazil, the studies about the effects related to the country of origin information are still on their first steps, indicating the relevance of the present study’s contribution. The general problem of investigation is defined as: does the image foreign consumers have about Brazil influence their attitude towards Brazilian products? Therefore, this research’s general objective is to investigate, based on literature, the influence that country of origin image has on attitudes consumers have towards foreign products and verify such relations by means of a research whose focus is Brazil as a country of origin of high and low involvement products. The Brazilian products analyzed are cow meat, fresh fruits, shoes and furniture. In order to measure this relationship, the five dimensions of country of origin image identified by Ayrosa (2002) were used to evaluate the image foreign consumers have about Brazil. The scales indicated by Assael (1995) and McDaniel and Gates (1996) were used to measure the three components of attitude that foreign consumers have towards Brazilian products. The research’s target population was defined as the Dutch undergraduate students from the School of Economics Haarlem (in the Netherlands), totalizing 1901 students. It was seen that, both in the literature review and in the empirical research, a country’s image is not a single construct. There are some dimensions that define a country’s image; some are positive and others are negative. In this regard, when a country’s image is analyzed, all dimensions have to be considered, so that the causes of a positive or negative image can be understood. The results of the empirical research denote the existence of the country of origin effect, both to each product investigated in the research and also to these products in a general way, with the exception of cow meat. As foreseen, the majority of results showed that Brazil’s image negatively affects the attitudes towards Brazilian products. In relation to the country of origin moderating factors investigated, namely product familiarity and involvement, the hypotheses that the effect would be stronger for consumers less familiarized and less involved with the products were not confirmed. This research results can provide more elements for the discussion about the use of Brazil’s image when promoting Brazilian products in foreign markets. This could help Brazilian companies that need to deal with issues related to country of origin in their international marketing activities.

Os estereótipos que as pessoas tendem a desenvolver com relação a outras pessoas e países e, conseqüentemente, aos produtos fabricados nesses países, podem transcender as avaliações de marcas ou produtos específicos e determinar, até certo ponto, as suas intenções de compra e o seu comportamento. Este é o chamado efeito país de origem. Os trabalhos efetuados sobre o tema indicam que o efeito país de origem pode ser moderado por uma variedade de informações intrínsecas e extrínsecas sobre o produto, e por fatores ambientais e culturais. Como existem poucas pesquisas acadêmicas sobre a influência dos valores pessoais nas avaliações de diferentes países e de produtos estrangeiros, torna-se relevante um estudo que investigue esta relação. Neste contexto, a presente tese aborda o seguinte problema de pesquisa: quais valores pessoais afetam as avaliações dos consumidores sobre produtos estrangeiros, com base na imagem dos países de origem desses produtos? Especificamente, procurou-se verificar se existem diferenças na referida relação, dependendo de características demográficas dos consumidores, como sexo, idade, familiaridade com o país e formação educacional. A pesquisa empírica caracterizou-se como sendo predominantemente exploratória, utilizando o método transversal simples para a coleta dos dados. A população-alvo foi definida como sendo os alunos e ex-alunos de cursos de pós-graduação de três instituições localizadas no estado de São Paulo, representando potenciais compradores dos produtos estrangeiros. Os produtos analisados foram eletrodomésticos chineses. Como resultado, cabe destacar que os valores pessoais são um construto multidimensional, com cada dimensão exercendo uma influência diferente nas avaliações dos produtos estrangeiros. Os valores pessoais que mais afetam a avaliação de produtos estrangeiros são aqueles relacionados à dimensão Civilidade (Amoroso, Animado, Asseado, Responsável, Polido, Prestativo e Honesto). Em seguida, vêm os valores da dimensão Auto-direção (Lógico, Intelectual, Capaz, Imaginativo, Independente, Corajoso, Liberal e Ambicioso). Por último, têm-se os valores da dimensão Conformidade (Obediente, Auto-controlado e Tolerante). Concluiu-se, também, que os valores pessoais dos consumidores afetam de forma diferente a avaliação de produtos estrangeiros, dependendo de características demográficas dos consumidores, como idade, sexo, familiaridade com o país de origem e formação educacional. Previa-se que, nos consumidores mais jovens, haveria uma influência mais favorável dos valores pessoais no efeito país de origem do que nos consumidores mais velhos. No entanto, esta hipótese não foi confirmada. Outra hipótese era de que, nos consumidores do sexo masculino, haveria também uma influência mais favorável dos valores pessoais no efeito país de origem do que nos consumidores do sexo feminino. Contudo, tal hipótese também não foi confirmada. Foram também verificadas diferenças com relação aos valores pessoais que mais influenciam o efeito país de origem, dependendo do nível de familiaridade dos respondentes com a China, e da área de formação educacional (Ciências Exatas, Humanas ou Biológicas). Os resultados encontrados fornecem uma compreensão adicional sobre as influências sofridas pelo consumidor em um processo de decisão de compra. Considera-se, portanto, que foi realizado um avanço no estado da arte nas pesquisas sobre o tema efeito país de origem, uma vez que foram investigados aspectos não mensurados em outras pesquisas. A partir dos resultados da presente tese, acredita-se que profissionais e teóricos de marketing podem melhor gerenciar o uso do país de origem de um produto como uma ferramenta de marketing. Além disso, os achados desta pesquisa podem ajudar as agências governamentais responsáveis pelo desenvolvimento da imagem de um país a ajustar as estratégias de marca aos diferentes grupos de indivíduos no mundo, de acordo com os valores pessoais predominantes em cada grupo. / Stereotypes people tend to develop towards other people and countries and, consequently, towards the products made in these countries, can transcend specific brand or products evaluations and determine, to some extent, their purchase intentions and behavior. This is the so-called country-of-origin effect. The researches done on this subject indicate that the country-of-origin effect can be moderated by a variety of intrinsic and extrinsic information about the product, and also by environmental and cultural factors. Since there are few academic papers on the influence that personal values exert on the evaluations of different countries and foreign products, a study that focuses this relation becomes relevant. In this context, the present thesis approaches the following research problem: what are the personal values that affect the consumers? evaluations of foreign products, based on these products? countries image? Specifically, it was verified if there were differences in the referred relation, depending on demographic characteristics such as gender, age, familiarity with the country and education background. The empirical research was predominantly exploratory, using the survey method for collecting the data. The target population was defined as post-graduation students and former students from three institutions located at São Paulo state, representing potential buyers of foreign products. The products under analysis were Chinese household appliances. As a result, it is worth mentioning that personal values are a multi-dimensional construct, with each dimension exerting a different influence on foreign products evaluation. The personal values that most affect foreign products evaluation are those related to the Civility dimension (Loving, Cheerful, Clean, Responsible, Polite, Helpful and Honest). Next, come the values from the Self-direction dimension (Logical, Intellectual, Capable, Imaginative, Independent, Courageous, Broad-minded and Ambitious). Last, there are the values from the Conformity dimension (Obedient, Self-controlled and Forgiving). It was concluded, moreover, that consumers? personal values differently affect the evaluation of foreign products, depending on consumers? demographic characteristics such as age, gender, familiarity with the country and education background. It was foreseen that, in younger consumers, there would be a more favorable influence of personal values in the country-of-origin effect than in the older ones. However, this hypothesis was not confirmed. Other hypothesis was that in male consumers, there would also be a more favorable influence of personal values in the country-of-origin effect than in the female ones. Nevertheless, such hypothesis was not confirmed either. There were also verified differences concerning the personal values that most influence the country-of-origin effect, depending on respondents? familiarity level with China and education background (Exact, Humanity and Biological Sciences). The results provide an additional understanding with regards to the influences consumers suffer during a purchase decision process. Therefore, it is considered that it was made an advance in the state of the art of researches about the country of origin theme, since aspects not measured in other works were investigated. With the results obtained, it is believed that marketing professionals and researchers can better manage the use of a products? country of origin as a marketing tool. Additionally, these research findings can help governmental agencies that are responsible for developing a country?s image to adjust the branding strategies to different groups of people in the world, depending on the personal values that predominate in each group.

Background: The emergence of global markets has created new hurdles for managers of international companies, yet provided with opportunities to take advantage of country of origin and transmit product information via “Made in” label. For many years China has been perceived negatively for a number of reason, though Chinese cosmetics is a new venture for the emerging economy.  Purpose: The purpose of this study is to widen the current knowledge of country of origin in the cosmetics industry. The aim was to explore the underlying reasons in the attitude formation of female European millennials towards country of origin of China with regard to cosmetics industry.  Method: Focus group discussions have been chosen as the most appropriate research method to fulfil the purpose of the study. Three focus groups consisted of female European millennials were conducted during which the visual aids were shown in order to contribute to answering research questions. A deductive content analysis was used to analyse the data obtained.  Conclusion: The results of this study revealed that the attitudes held by female European millennials towards cosmetics made in China are more negatively due to a weak product-countryimage,withsomeexceptions. Thisisconsistentwithprevious studies that China’s country of origin is still perceived as unfavourable. However, new insights have been discovered that respondents do not perceive any country as having a superior expertise in cosmetics, except of France.

This thesis is divided into theoretical and application part. The theoretical part includes an introduction to subject of country of origin and terminology. The application part implements the discovered findings in the context of the Czech Republic and chosen segment. The essential objective of this thesis is introducing the concept of Country of Origin as one of the key elements defining consumer behaviour. Another goal is to find an attractive segment for successful branding of the Czech Republic, while drawing benefits from the use of the country of origin by companies. This thesis also analyses the impact of country of origin on the marketing strategies of selected companies and the image of the Czech Republic as country of origin of products in chosen segment. The output of this theses are adjustments recommendations of communication of the Czech Republic, as the country of origin of the goods of the chosen segment.

This thesis deals with the safe country concept; within which we can further distingiush two concepts - the one of a safe country of origin and that of a safe third country. When applying the safe country concept, states are limited by their obligations which stem from international law, in particular by the principle of non-refoulement. Furthermore, the concept of safe countries cannot be analyzed nor applied without taking the non-refoulement principle into consideration. The non-refoulement principle is therfore one of the main topics of this thesis. It is viewed primarily trough the lens of the definition given by the Geneva Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees of 1951 and the New York Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees of 1967. The goal of this thesis is to determine, whether the concept of safe countries is indeed in accordance with the non-refoulement principle. We will subsequently try to answer the question of how influential the principle is (and should be) in terms of states that follow the concept of safe countries. The main concern of this thesis is the application of the safe country concept in Europe, or more precisely in the European Union. The european safe country legislation belongs to the so-called Common European Asyulm System. The centrepiece of this legal...

Employer branding is becoming increasingly important, but the literature on the subject lacks vital elements. First, Country of Origin (COO) has been shown to affect employer branding, but this process is very poorly understood. Second, employee retention, although proven to have multiple benefits and to be impacted by employer branding, is underrepresented in employer branding research. Third, despite the importance of cultural context being well documented in literature, current employer branding research takes little consideration for this, especially in regards to Generation Z, who are becoming increasingly vital in the workforce. To mend these important research gaps, this thesis aims to examine how employer branding is affected by COO, and, in extension, how this impacts employee retention among Generation Z employees. This purpose is fulfilled by answering the following research question: “How is employer branding affected by COO when retaining Generation Z employees?” With this research question in mind, an abductive qualitative study was conducted using multiple- case studies in a Swedish MNE context. Semi-structured interviews with HR/employer branding managers and international Generation Z employees were conducted. This provided a dual perspective where both the views of employers and employees could be observed, analysed, and compared which was necessary to answer the research question. The results were then analysed using rigorous data-driven content-analysis. Using this approach, the study answered the research question by finding that employer branding is affected indirectly by COO through the process of other primary factors in retaining Generation Z. The research led to the introduction of a new model; The Employer Brand Compass, which illustrates how employer branding is affected by COO through three main factors in employee retention of Generation Z; ESG, development opportunities, and consumer branding.

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A área de estratégia, por meio da teoria baseada em recursos (RBT), desenvolve estudos que procuram compreender as características, recursos, capacidades e processos que levam algumas empresas, na mesma indústria, a terem um desempenho melhor que seus concorrentes. A RBT atingiu a maturidade teórica exigindo novos rumos para a sua revitalização. Simultaneamente, os estudiosos de marketing internacional afirmam que a teoria sobre a imagem do país de origem (COI) precisa ser revigorada e recomendam que ela seja analisada à luz da literatura de estratégia. É sob essa perspectiva que esta tese apresenta a sua contribuição, desenvolvendo e validando uma escala de importância de COI na perspectiva empresarial. O construto foi desenvolvido com base em uma capacidade específica da empresa: a construção e gestão da marca. Para isso, as bases teóricas sobre RBT, interface entre RBT e marketing, COI e marca foram revisadas e, ancorada nesta literatura, foi possível identificar os processos para incorporar a COI na estratégia da marca, os quais foram utilizados como dimensões da escala. Foram realizados diversos procedimentos psicométricos seguindo as recomendações de diversos psicometristas. O constructo foi definido como a capacidade de gestão da incorporação da COI à marca (BCOI), que reflete a importância conferida pela empresa para usar a COI como um recurso na construção da capacidade de marca. Após a etapa inicial, em que foram gerados e validados os itens com pesquisadores e com gestores, realizou-se um levantamento com 457 executivos. A amostra foi dividida em duas subamostras para aplicação de diferentes técnicas estatísticas. Na subamostra 1 foi realizada uma análise fatorial exploratória que confirmou o modelo inicial da escala delineado junto a pesquisadores e gestores no processo de geração de itens. Esse modelo foi testado na subamostra 2 por meio da análise fatorial confirmatória e da modelagem de equação estrutural. Os resultados indicaram que a BCOI se manifesta por meio de 26 itens organizados em cinco dimensões: elementos textuais e visuais, sentidos, recursos culturais, recursos naturais e empregados / The strategy stream, through resource theory based (RBT), develops studies that seek to understand the characteristics, features, capabilities and processes that lead some companies in the same industry, to have a better performance compered to its competitors. The RBT has reached the theoretical maturity requiring new directions for its revitalization. Simultaneously, international marketing scholars claim that the theory about the country of origin image (COI) needs to be invigorated and recommend it to be examinated in the light of the strategy literature. It is from this perspective that this thesis presents its contribution by developing and validating a scale of importance of COI in business perspective. The construct was developed based on a specific capability of the company: building and manageming the brand (branding). For this, the theoretical basis of RBT, the interface between marketing and RBT, COI and branding were reviewed and anchored in this literature, it was possible to identify the processes to incorporate the COI in the brand strategy, which were used as scale dimensions. various psychometric procedures following the recommendations of several psychometricians were performed. The construct was defined as the branding capability of COI incorporation (BCOI), which reflects the importance given by the company to use the COI as a resource in brand building capability. After the initial stage, in which items were generated and evaluated with researchers and managers, a survey with 457 executives was held. The sample was divided into two subsamples for application of different statistical techniques. An exploratory factor analysis was performed with subsample 1. The EFA produced an initial scale model that was tested in subsample 2 through confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. The results indicated that the BCOI iis manifested through 26 items organized into five dimensions: textual and visual elements, senses, cultural resources, natural resources and employees.

A área de estratégia, por meio da teoria baseada em recursos (RBT), desenvolve estudos que procuram compreender as características, recursos, capacidades e processos que levam algumas empresas, na mesma indústria, a terem um desempenho melhor que seus concorrentes. A RBT atingiu a maturidade teórica exigindo novos rumos para a sua revitalização. Simultaneamente, os estudiosos de marketing internacional afirmam que a teoria sobre a imagem do país de origem (COI) precisa ser revigorada e recomendam que ela seja analisada à luz da literatura de estratégia. É sob essa perspectiva que esta tese apresenta a sua contribuição, desenvolvendo e validando uma escala de importância de COI na perspectiva empresarial. O construto foi desenvolvido com base em uma capacidade específica da empresa: a construção e gestão da marca. Para isso, as bases teóricas sobre RBT, interface entre RBT e marketing, COI e marca foram revisadas e, ancorada nesta literatura, foi possível identificar os processos para incorporar a COI na estratégia da marca, os quais foram utilizados como dimensões da escala. Foram realizados diversos procedimentos psicométricos seguindo as recomendações de diversos psicometristas. O constructo foi definido como a capacidade de gestão da incorporação da COI à marca (BCOI), que reflete a importância conferida pela empresa para usar a COI como um recurso na construção da capacidade de marca. Após a etapa inicial, em que foram gerados e validados os itens com pesquisadores e com gestores, realizou-se um levantamento com 457 executivos. A amostra foi dividida em duas subamostras para aplicação de diferentes técnicas estatísticas. Na subamostra 1 foi realizada uma análise fatorial exploratória que confirmou o modelo inicial da escala delineado junto a pesquisadores e gestores no processo de geração de itens. Esse modelo foi testado na subamostra 2 por meio da análise fatorial confirmatória e da modelagem de equação estrutural. Os resultados indicaram que a BCOI se manifesta por meio de 26 itens organizados em cinco dimensões: elementos textuais e visuais, sentidos, recursos culturais, recursos naturais e empregados / The strategy stream, through resource theory based (RBT), develops studies that seek to understand the characteristics, features, capabilities and processes that lead some companies in the same industry, to have a better performance compered to its competitors. The RBT has reached the theoretical maturity requiring new directions for its revitalization. Simultaneously, international marketing scholars claim that the theory about the country of origin image (COI) needs to be invigorated and recommend it to be examinated in the light of the strategy literature. It is from this perspective that this thesis presents its contribution by developing and validating a scale of importance of COI in business perspective. The construct was developed based on a specific capability of the company: building and manageming the brand (branding). For this, the theoretical basis of RBT, the interface between marketing and RBT, COI and branding were reviewed and anchored in this literature, it was possible to identify the processes to incorporate the COI in the brand strategy, which were used as scale dimensions. various psychometric procedures following the recommendations of several psychometricians were performed. The construct was defined as the branding capability of COI incorporation (BCOI), which reflects the importance given by the company to use the COI as a resource in brand building capability. After the initial stage, in which items were generated and evaluated with researchers and managers, a survey with 457 executives was held. The sample was divided into two subsamples for application of different statistical techniques. An exploratory factor analysis was performed with subsample 1. The EFA produced an initial scale model that was tested in subsample 2 through confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. The results indicated that the BCOI iis manifested through 26 items organized into five dimensions: textual and visual elements, senses, cultural resources, natural resources and employees.

This thesis reports research in the Country-of-Origin (COO) area of international business, into the postulated phenomenon of Negative Image. Image has been regarded as a potential purchase decision influencing factor but to date not investigated in-depth. Research was carried out in the business to business area, across cultures and between developed and developing countries, using an example from Zimbabwe. The primary research methodology comprised semi-structured elite interviews with Zimbabwean footwear exporters and UK footwear importers. A questionnaire incorporating sections on topics related to the international image of manufactured goods exporters based in Third World countries was also administered to the UK footwear importers. This dealt with political, commercial and image aspects of importer-exporter relationships and also addressed directly the issue of Third World businessmen's image. Results from the field work demonstrate that the Negative Image of Third World manufactured goods exporters directly affects importer decision making and that Negative Image has an exclusively negative impact. Data from inductive analysis of interviews and supporting correlations arising from the questionnaire were used to construct a model of the relationships and formalise the concepts and constructs of Negative Image. These included disparities in exporter and importer expectations of quality, price, delivery and performance. In addition unreliability, inefficiency, professionalism, lack of both marketing skills and social conversation contribute to the phenomenon. A potential conflict was identified at the individual level between personal and professional perspectives and a reciprocal Negative Image of importers was identified from the Zimbabwean exporters' perspective. Suggestions are made regarding the key factors in exporter-importer relationship development and conclusions are then drawn suggesting that improvement to levels of importer-exporter contacts and information flows can be useful in ameliorating the Negative Image effect. Scenarios for image improvement are offered at government, firm and individual levels. Finally, limitations of the research are discussed and recommendations for further research are given