The presented dissertation thesis deals with the issue of national image and its influence on increasing of competitiveness of domestic producers in the domestic wine market. Customers are currently affected by many factors that companies try to use to gain their competitive advantage and strengthen their competitive position in the market. The thesis is divided into three main parts. The first part defines the main objectives of the thesis, as well as the milestones, through which the main objective is accomplished. Furthermore, the research assumptions, which are verified on the basis of statistical hypotheses, are defined here and in the end, the research methods that will lead to the fulfilment of the main goal of this work are defined. This work combines several approaches to achieve the most accurate results. The second part summarizes the current literature point of view on the main topics of the work. It is divided into three sub-units, the first unit focuses on the definition, measurement and shaping of the national image. The second sub-unit deals with consumer behaviour, models of consumer behaviour according to the traditional and the modern concept and using online media to influence customer attitudes. The third sub-unit describes the concepts of competitiveness which are available in the literature. The third part is the research part. The research is carried out in the area of customers, producers and external organizations that are involved in raising awareness of domestic products of the wine industry on the domestic market. For each of the areas the key findings are set out at the conclusion, which are then followed by the creation of the concept of competitiveness usable in the wine industry and the creation of functioning communication models tailored to the specifics of the wine market.

This study investigated the influence of brand incongruity on females’ perception of the properties of bi-national apparel products. A survey was conducted across Tshwane, a major urban area in South Africa, to provide empirical evidence of female consumers’ reliance on brands in the context of an emerging economy where global brands have become widely available and easily accessible in recent years. Data was collected by means of convenient sampling and through self completion of a structured questionnaire by 322 willing, working females. Data analysis involved descriptive statistics, factor analysis, ANOVAs and post hoc tests. This study confirmed the significance of brand names as a cue of the functional performance related properties of female apparel and concluded that the relevance of brands for status related purposes is secondary to females’ use of brands to infer the functional and performance attributes or to deduce the eco friendliness of apparel. This was true for all the age, income, and education levels or population categories. Although extant research confirms the importance of brands to convey status and to boost consumers’ self image, i.e. serving as an extension of an individual’s self, this study revealed that females do not primarily use brands for status purposes. Brands are mostly trusted to provide good fit, durability, comfort and good quality. Consumers do not necessarily seem familiar with the majority of apparel brands that are widely advertised. However, the majority of consumers preferred the country of manufacture (COM) and the country of origin (COO) of brands to match. Overall, they preferred brands originating from Western countries as the COM, and were more approving of locally manufactured goods than apparel manufactured in Eastern countries. As a simplifying strategy, consumers’ ignorance about the COM of global brands is probably addressed by opting for brands associated with Western COM. Brand incongruence may therefore have noticeable consequences for brand equity in a highly competitive global market and this should be addressed through clever marketing initiatives to prevent dismay and brand switching. / Dissertation (MConsumer Science)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / Consumer Science / unrestricted

If one takes a snapshot of Romanian migration, the first observation might be that the home villages or communities are very different. This is also the conclusion that Massey et al. (1994) first reach when comparing Mexican communities. However, if one compares migrant communities in a longitudinal manner, it can be seen rather that they are converging towards similar migration patterns rather than diverging. To explore this, I conducted fieldwork research in two villages from different socio-cultural regions of Romania, and for the second phase of the research followed the migrants to their destinations in Spain. In total I conducted more than 50 biographical narrative interviews with migrants and fifteen in-depth interviews with representatives from local authorities and other key informants on rural Romanian life. The biographical narrative interviews allowed me to take a longitudinal perspective on the migration from the two villages. The aim in comparing the two villages was to understand the internal logic of migration and examine to what extent two different villages showed any syncretism through cumulative structural effects. Analysing migrants’ projects, the family migration and the general migration from the two villages – each accounting for different levels of analysis – allowed me to specify the stages of migration. In the thesis, firstly I explain the socio-economic, cultural and geographical context in the origin community which shapes migration. Secondly, I compare the migration patterns of two families from the two villages, and thirdly I abstract three migration projects specific to the two communities. All these allow me to show that the two villages are at different stages in the migration process (Massey et al. 1994) and also to explain the mechanism of passing from one stage to the next. So far, the literature on migration policies has looked at the receiving countries. Few references are made to the origin countries, and these refer to Mexico, the Philippines and some of the Northern African countries, countries which have an active policy of promoting migration. Literature with regard to the European cases – for example Serbia, which has a Ministry of the Diaspora, or Poland, a country with a very long history emigration – is absent. Moreover, topics such as grounded migration policy making or the local dimension of policy making are still new in the reflexion of scholars. The thesis fills this gap with respect to migration policies of bonding migrants and involving them in development in the home community. The theory that holds together all these components is Luhmann’s systems theory (1995), in the way it was adapted to migration research by Bommes (2005) and Bommes and Tacke (2006a, 2006b). Using systems theory allows me to perform a critique of concepts like migration networks and transnationalism, which are very often used in the analysis of migration.

本研究從日本品牌與日本形象廣告手法在台灣氾濫的社會現實出發，透過對品牌來源國、日本文化認同程度與一致性三個變項的學術理論爬梳，以「表現形式」操弄廣告中呈現的國家印象，而變項間交互作用的分析結果如下： 一、產品的品牌來源國對品牌態度與購買意願有顯著影響；日本品牌較台灣品牌有更好的評價。 二、日本文化認同程度對品牌來源國具有調節作用；日本文化認同程度高的消費者傾向對日本品牌有更多的偏好，對台灣品牌有更負面的態度；而對日本文化認同程度低的消費者，日本品牌與台灣品牌之間的差異則不是那麼明顯。 三、一致性的廣告將導致較正面的品牌態度。 四、日本品牌採用日本形象廣告或台灣形象廣告，都不會對品牌本身有太大的影響；然而，台灣品牌採用一致的台灣形象廣告將使消費者有較正面的品牌態度，不一致的日本形象廣告不但沒有為台灣品牌加分，反而讓消費者產生反感。 本研究的實務意涵則有幾個重點，一是日本品牌不一定是台灣消費市場的萬靈丹，從個人特質來看，日本文化認同程度較低的消費者並不會因為日本品牌的來源國印象改變其產品評估，因此其他的產品或行銷因素可能才是決定消費者意向的關鍵。二是台灣品牌的消費者不一定對日本形象廣告的手法有所偏好，這可以視為對許多台灣品牌以及廣告行銷人員的警訊，因為一般台灣廠商似乎認為若能透過廣告把台灣品牌打造得很日本，就能將廣告中日本的正面形象轉移至消費者對台灣品牌的態度上，因此，近年來浮濫使用日本形象廣告手法的台灣品牌屢見不鮮。但本研究由基模不一致可能導致的負面態度效果切入，研究結果也證實了某些情況之下，台灣品牌若採用了日本形象廣告反而會引起消費者不良的情感評估反應。故實務應用上，日本品牌的定位策略有較多操作空間；台灣品牌則需加強形象管理，不適合採用太過跳躍或多變的形象路線。 / This study is inspired by the social fact that Japanese brands and Japanese image advertising are overflowing in Taiwan. After going through the literature on the three variables of brand country-of-origin, Japanese cultural identity and congruency, this study manipulates country image in advertising with “expression form”, and results of the interactions among variables are as follows: 1.Brand country-of-origin has a significant impact on brand attitude and purchase intention; the evaluation of Japanese brand is better than Taiwanese brand. 2.The degree of Japanese cultural identity has a moderating effect on brand country-of -origin; consumers of high Japanese cultural identity are tend to prefer Japanese brand; however, to consumers of low Japanese cultural identity, the difference between Japanese brand and Taiwanese brand is not obvious. 3.Congruent Advertising leads to a better brand attitude. 4.Whether Japanese brand adopts Japanese image advertising or Taiwanese image advertising, there is no special impact on the brand itself. However, if Taiwanese brand adopts congruent Taiwanese image advertising, it will make consumers have a better brand attitude; incongruent Japanese image advertising won’t bring good to Taiwanese brand but incur consumers’ disfavor of it. Executive implications are also suggested. First, Japanese brands are not always overwhelmingly favored in the market of Taiwan. From the point of personal characteristics, consumers of low Japanese cultural identity won’t change their product evaluations due to the brand country-of-origin image of Japan. Thus, other product or marketing factors might be the keys to consumers’ intentions. Second, consumers of Taiwanese brands do not necessarily prefer Japanese image advertising, and this could be regarded as a warning to Taiwanese brands and practitioners in advertising and marketing, because generally the manufacturers in Taiwan seem to consider that as long as they can build Taiwanese brands Japan-like, the positive image of Japan in advertising would be transferred to consumers’ attitudes on Taiwanese brands. Consequently, Taiwanese brands abusing Japanese image advertising have been prevalent in recent years. The study is based on the negative effects of schema-incongruency on attitude, and the results also prove that under certain circumstances, it would cause consumers’ unfavorable affective responses instead that Taiwanese brand adopts Japanese image advertising. Therefore, in application for practice, positioning strategies of Japanese brands are more flexible to manipulate. Taiwanese brands have to put emphasis on image management and prevent changeful or varied image tactics.

Dans le cadre de ce mémoire, nous nous penchons sur les relations du travail (RT) dans les entreprises multinationales (EMs) ayant des opérations au Canada. Notre question de recherche est la suivante: « Le pays d’origine d’une entreprise multinationale a-t-il un impact sur les pratiques de relations du travail dans ses opérations canadiennes? » Deux thèses principales ont été élaborées afin d’expliquer les choix des EMs dans l’adoption et l’implantation de pratiques. La première thèse, celle de la diversité, tient pour acquis que plusieurs déterminants endogènes et exogènes à l’EM influencent ses pratiques (Mcgraw et Harley, 2003). Tant les caractéristiques du pays hôte que celles du pays d’origine influenceraient les choix de pratiques des EMs contribuant ainsi à leur diversité (Almond et al., 2005). Par exemple, certains chercheurs avancent que les EMs sont littéralement imprégnées des caractéristiques provenant du pays qui les a vues naître, qu’elles feraient littéralement partie de leur ADN affectant ainsi les pratiques qu’elles mettent en place dans leurs filiales à l’étranger (Berger, 2006). Par ailleurs, la thèse de la convergence soutient que les EMs auraient tendance à utiliser les mêmes pratiques en cette ère de mondialisation et d’hégémonie économique américaine (Mcgraw et Harley, 2003). Les tenants de cette thèse croient plutôt à une convergence des pratiques à travers les EMs en raison notamment de la vaste diffusion du modèle anglo-saxon de gestion, de l’approche des best pratices et du one best way (Mcgraw et Harley, 2003; Royle, 2006). Convergence ou divergence des pratiques? Le débat demeure entier dans la littérature. Outre sa contribution à ce débat, notre recherche permet d’en apprendre davantage sur le comportement des EMs étrangères au Canada, mais aussi d’examiner les spécificités des EMs canadiennes. Le modèle conceptuel développé par ce mémoire se base sur la thèse de la diversité en examinant plus particulièrement l’effet du pays d’origine. Selon la littérature, plusieurs variables influencent les pratiques des EMs, soit le pays d’origine (Almond et al., 2005; Kvinge et Ulrichsen, 2008; Marginson, 2008; Edwards et Ferner, 2002; Collings, 2003; Ferner, 1997, Moore et Rees, 2008; etc.) et les caractéristiques propres à l’EM (Bartlett et Ghosal, 1998; Kidger, 2002; Perlmutter, 1969; Edwards, 2003). Aux fins de notre recherche, notre variable dépendante, les pratiques de RT, comporte cinq dimensions, soit la reconnaissance syndicale des nouveaux établissements, la politique d’implication du syndicat, la perception à l’égard des représentants syndicaux, la structure de la négociation collective et l’autonomie de la filiale dans l’élaboration de politiques en matière de RT (Bélanger et al., 2006). L’hypothèse principale de notre recherche est : le pays d’origine d’une EM a un impact sur le choix des pratiques de RT dans ses opérations canadiennes. Cinq sous-hypothèses, touchant cinq dimensions du concept de RT, ont été testées : 1) les EMs américaines reconnaissent moins souvent le syndicat dans leurs nouveaux établissements que les EMs d’autres pays; 2) les EMs américaines ont une moins bonne perception patronale du syndicat que celles provenant d’autres pays; 3) les négociations collectives sont plus décentralisées dans les EMs américaines que dans celles d’autres pays; 4) les EMs américaines impliquent moins les syndicats dans la prise de décision que celles provenant d’autres pays; 5) l’autonomie dans l’élaboration de politiques concernant la représentation syndicale est plus faible dans les EMs américaines que dans les EMs d’autres pays. Sur le plan méthodologique, cette étude utilise des données secondaires provenant de l’Enquête sur la gestion des ressources humaines, les politiques publiques et la chaîne de valeur mondiale menée par Bélanger, Harvey, Jalette, Lévesque et Murray (2006). Nous étudions un sous-échantillon de la base de données, soit une centaine d’EMs dont les employés sont syndiqués. Les résultats indiquent que les opérations canadiennes des EMs canadiennes se différencient de celles des EMs américaines par une meilleure perception patronale des syndicats et une plus grande implication syndicale. De plus, les EMs européennes reconnaissent plus le syndicat dans leurs nouveaux établissements, perçoivent davantage de la collaboration de la part du syndicat et octroient une plus grande autonomie en matière de RT à leurs opérations canadiennes que les EMs américaines. Enfin, les opérations canadiennes des EMs du reste du monde se distinguent de celles des EMs américaines par une meilleure perception patronale de collaboration de la part du syndicat. / The purpose of this research is to study labour relations in multinational corporations (MNCs) operating in Canada. Our research question is : “Does the country of origin of an MNC have an impact on the labour relations practices in its Canadian operations? ». Two main theses are put forward in the literature in order to explain the choices of MNCs in the adoption and the establishment of practices. The first one is the diversity thesis, which takes for granted that several endogenous and exogenous determinants of the MNC influence its practices (Mcgraw and Harley, 2003). The characteristics of the host country as well as those of the country of origin influence the choices of practices of MNCs, which are contributing to their diversity (Almond and al., 2005). For example, some researchers explain that MNCs are literally impregnated with characteristics coming from the country from which they originated, that it would be literally part of their DNA affecting the practices that they set up in their abroad subsidiaries (Shepherd, 2006). At the opposite, the convergence thesis asserts that MNCs tend all to use the same practices because of globalisation and American economic hegemony (Mcgraw and Harley, 2003). The supporters of this thesis believe in a convergence of the practices through MNCs because of the vast diffusion of the Anglo-Saxon model of management, the best practices and the one best way approaches (Mcgraw and Harley, 2003; Royle, 2006). Is there a convergence or a diversity of the practices? The debate remains strong in the literature. In addition to contributing to this debate, our research further explores the behaviour of foreign MNCs in Canada, and the particularities of Canadian MNCs. The conceptual model developed here is based on the diversity thesis, more specifically the effect of the country of origin. According to the literature, several variables influence the practices of MNCs: the country of origin (Almond and al., 2005; Kvinge and Ulrichsen, 2008; Marginson, 2008; Edwards and Ferner, 2002; Collings, 2003; Ferner, 1997, Moore and Rees, 2008; etc) and the characteristics specific to the MNCs (Bartlett and Ghosal, 1998; Kidger, 2002; Perlmutter, 1969; Edwards, 2003). In this research, the dependent variable, the labour relations practices, has five dimensions: union recognition in the new establishments, the trade union implication policy, management perception of the trade union representatives, the collective bargaining structure and the autonomy of the subsidiary in the development of labour relations policies (Bélanger and al., 2006). The principal assumption of our research is: the country of origin of a MNC has an impact on the choice of the practices of labour relations in its Canadian operations. Five sub-assumptions, corresponding to the dimensions of the concept of labour relations, were tested: 1) American MNCs less often recognize trade unions in their new establishments than MNCs of other countries; 2) American MNCs have a worse managerial perception of the trade union than those coming from other countries; 3) Collective bargaining is more decentralized in American MNCs than in those of other countries; 4) American MNCs are less likely to include trade unions in their decision-making than those coming from other countries; 5) There is less autonomy in the development of policies concerning trade union representation in American MNCs than in MNCs from other countries. The methodology of this study uses secondary data coming from the Survey on Employment Practices, Public Policy and the Global Value Chain carried out by Bélanger, Harvey, Jalette, Lévesque and Murray (2006). We study a subsample of the data base, composed of one hundred MNCs whose employees are unionised. The results show that Canadian operations of Canadian MNCs differ from those of American MNCs. Canadian MNCs have a better perception of the unions and involve more unions in decision-making. European MNCs are more likely to recognize trade unions in new establishments, perceive greater union collaboration and grant greater autonomy regarding labour relations to their Canadian operations, as compared to American MNCs. The Canadian operations of MNCs of the rest of the world are distinguished from American MNCs by a stronger perception of union collaboration.

La problématique des réfugiés fait partie du cadre plus large des politiques migratoires et de la migration internationale en général. Étant un pays d’immigration, le Canada a dû composer avec plusieurs vagues migratoires et s’y adapter en changeant sa politique d’immigration (au niveau fédéral et provincial) en définissant, en termes numériques, les objectifs annuels d’admission des immigrants (le nombre souhaité d’immigrants), ainsi que les objectifs politiques, humanitaires, économiques et démographiques à long terme. Le groupe visé par le présent rapport (les demandeurs d’asile et les réfugiés) se distingue de toute autre catégorie d’immigration par la spécificité de sa condition - une fuite involontaire et une absence de protection des autorités nationales de leur pays. Au plan international et dans le cadre de la politique canadienne, un réfugié: « l’individu qui fuit la persécution » devient un «demandeur d’asile » au moment de faire face à un processus de reconnaissance du statut de réfugié, conforme aux définitions, aux lois et à la politique d’immigration canadiennes. Les étapes de ce processus sont importantes, parce qu’elles établissent une continuité de la demande d’asile, mais aussi parce qu’elles influencent la comptabilisation et les statistiques sur les demandeurs d’asile et les réfugiés. Les données de Citoyenneté et Immigration Canada figurent parmi les rares sources disponibles donnant à la fois des informations sur les demandeurs d’asile et les réfugiés. Cette population au Canada est mal connue et assez difficile à décrire à cause de la faiblesse des statistiques. Du point de vue démographique, une meilleure connaissance du nombre et de l’évolution des immigrants de la catégorie « demandeur d’asile » ou « réfugié », ainsi que de leurs caractéristiques sociodémographiques (sexe, âge, scolarité, connaissances linguistiques, pays d’origine, etc.) aide à cerner leurs besoins en services et à leur fournir des politiques adéquates d’intégration à la culture et à la vie canadiennes. / The problem of refugees is part of the broader framework of migration policies and international migration in general. As a country of immigration, Canada has had to deal with several waves of migration and to adapt its immigration policy (at the federal and provincial level) by defining, in numerical terms, the annual targets for the admission of immigrants (the desired number of immigrants), as well as its political, humanitarian, economic and demographic objectives. The target group for this report (the asylum seekers and refugees) differs from any other category of immigration by a specific condition – an inadvertent leak and a lack of protection from the national authorities of their country. At the international level and in the context of Canadian politics, a refugee: “the individual who is fleeing persecution” becomes an “asylum seeker” when engaging a process of recognition of refugee status, consistent with the Canadian immigration policy. The steps involved in this process are important because they establish continuity in the application process for asylum, but also because they influence the accounting and statistics on asylum seekers and refugees. The data from Citizenship and Immigration Canada are among the few sources available that provides indication on both asylum seekers and refugees. From a demographic point of view, a better knowledge of the number and the evolution of the immigrants of the category “asylum seeker” or “refugee”, as well as of their sociodemographic characteristics (sex, age, education, language skills, country of origin, etc.) help to identify their needs in services and to provide them with adequate policies of integration to Canada.

Empresas brasileiras que desejam conquistar novos mercados exportando precisam estar atentas aos diversos atributos analisados por compradores corporativos internacionais, alavancando sua competitividade em um cenário de disputa acirrada. Um desses atributos é a imagem do país de procedência dos produtos. Apesar de esse tema já ser abordado há quase cinco décadas na literatura mundial, os estudos a respeito da influência da imagem do país nas transações entre empresas (ditas business-to-business, B2B, ou organizacionais) são ainda em pequena quantidade, no Brasil e no mundo. O objetivo desta dissertação foi analisar a influência que a imagem do Brasil pode exercer sobre consumidores organizacionais de outros países, especificamente no segmento de alta intensidade tecnológica - o setor que mais investe em pesquisa e desenvolvimento no Brasil. Esta pesquisa, empregando o método exploratório de estudos multicasos com três empresas, envolveu seus próprios executivos e compradores internacionais, e traz contribuição à literatura acadêmica, que dispõe de poucas fontes sobre negócios B2B associados com o efeito país-de-origem. A pesquisa foi qualitativa e exploratória, e entrevistas em profundidade foram realizadas em duas etapas, com profissionais de empresas brasileiras que exportam e, em seguida, com consultores, agentes de vendas e compradores de outros países. Algumas entrevistas foram pessoais, e outras, via telefone ou internet. Das cinco proposições do estudo, duas foram confirmadas, uma confirmada parcialmente e duas não foram confirmadas. Encontrou-se que a imagem do país traz impacto à decisão de compra, mas com ressalvas, como o fato de a situação ser ou não de recompra, e dependendo de qual país está comprando. O Brasil foi bem visto especificamente no segmento de aviação civil comercial, a ponto de a Embraer trazer, a quem atua neste segmento, uma imagem positiva do Brasil como desenvolvedor de tecnologias aeronáuticas. O país foi visto negativamente no segmento de automação, nas situações de recompra em que houve experiências negativas com empresas brasileiras vendendo na Europa; positivamente em automação pelo mercado colombiano e de forma neutra por compradores que participam de processos complexos no segmento de energia nuclear - desde que, nesse caso, os requisitos técnicos sejam cumpridos. Para alguns entrevistados do segmento de automação, o Brasil precisa divulgar mais suas tecnologias por meio de incentivos das iniciativas pública e privada, e as empresas brasileiras devem participar de grupos de usuários de suas tecnologias, além de desenvolver parceiros no exterior. Caracterizaram-se como limitações da pesquisa o número de casos e segmentos de alta intensidade tecnológica estudados, assim como questões técnicas relacionadas à má compreensão de trechos das entrevistas pelo telefone ou devido à conexão de internet, quando estes meios foram utilizados. / Brazilian companies which intend to reach new markets abroad need to be conscious to the several cues analyzed by their international buyers, concerning their products. By taking this care, it is possible to leverage their competitiveness in a fierce market scene. One of these cues is the country of origin of the products. Although this theme had been addressed for almost five decades in the world literature, the research related to the country\'s image influence over the transactions between organizations (business-to-business or B2B transactions) is still narrow - in Brazil and in the whole world. This qualitative research targets the influence of Brazil\'s image over international buyers, specifically in the high-technology industries. It uses the exploratory multi-case technique with three Brazilian companies and in-depth interviews with their executives, external consultants and international customers. Some of the interviews were in person, others by internet or telephone. Five propositions are presented, two of which confirmed, other two not confirmed and one of them confirmed partially. The results show that Brazil\'s image brings impact over the purchasing decision of organizational buyers from abroad, but with reservations. It depends on the purchasing situation, if it is a new process or a repurchase. Depending on the country where the interviews were conducted, different opinions appeared, like negative or neutral ones in countries from Europe, and positives in Colombia. Whether bad experiences in the past happened with European buyers, re-purchasing situations bring a negative image to Brazil. It was founded that in case of more complex situations - like the purchase of nuclear power plants items - technical issues were strongly more important than country\'s image, reducing COO effect or almost making it disappear. In addition, Brazil has a positive image in the aviation industry, and Embraer raises the country\'s evaluation as an aeronautical developer to the eyes of organizational buyers from abroad. For some of the interviewees from the automation industry, Brazil needs to disclose its technologies via public or private agencies, and its companies need to be present at technical groups of study and discussion of other countries. The number of cases and industries studied were limitations to this research, and technical issues like the comprehension of some parts of the interviews made via internet or telephone.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-10-13T14:10:05Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Sergio Garrido Moraes.pdf: 3743435 bytes, checksum: aa6019c8f177bca27d6262d46dd609e2 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-03-16 / The purpose of this study is to assess what would have greater impact on purchase intention of products from one country: those aspects of the country, widely researched topic in international marketing, or those aspects of the brand, whose relevance has been pointed out by authors as Samiee, Usunier and Diamantopoulos, sometimes to the detriment of the very concept of country-of-origin. To achieve this goal, the literature review indicated the constructs of country image and country affinity as relevant to assessing the impact of the country. To assess the impact of the brand, the indicated constructs were brand personality and self-brand connection. These constructs can be classified as predominantly affective (affinity and connection) and cognitive (image and personality). As the country to be evaluated, the United States was chosen because it is the source of most valuable brands in the world, and many of them bring to the construction of their identity aspects of American culture. The selected brands were Apple, Levi's and McDonald's, all of high penetration in the studied segment (youngsters), and in evidence both in the economic and cultural fields (high sales, high value, and trendsetters), as in the academic and political scenario (articles, books, anti-American demonstrations). The methodology consisted of a survey conducted with 367 university students from São Paulo, which is also characterized as the target of the brands studied. Data analysis was performed by using the structural equation model, for which they were tested causal relationships between constructs relating to the country and brand with the purchase intention of these brands. The results showed a greater influence on purchase intention of predominantly affective constructs, and among these, the construct of self-brand connection was especially strong and significant. Constructs studied in traditional marketing such as brand personality and image of the country did not result in significant impacts on purchase intentions. These results, however, may vary in intensity depending on the brand. Thus, the paper concludes by stating that the brand, especially those of high brand-equity, would have greater force in the determination of purchase intent than the constructs for the country. The research, however, cannot be generalized, since investigated a group non representative of the population, but provides evidence that can be expanded in future studies, like the investigation of brands with weak brand-equity, other countries, other segments of market and other product categories. / O objetivo do presente estudo é avaliar o que teria maior impacto na intenção de compra de produtos de um país: os aspectos relativos ao país de origem, tema vastamente pesquisado no marketing internacional, ou os aspectos relativos a marca, cuja relevância vem sendo apontada por autores como Samiee, Usunier e Diamantopoulos, às vezes em detrimento do próprio conceito de efeito país-de-origem. Para atingir esse objetivo, a revisão da literatura indicou como constructos relevantes para avaliar o impacto do país os de imagem de país e afinidade com país; para avaliar o impacto da marca, os constructos foram personalidade de marca e conexão do self com a marca. Esses constructos podem ser classificados como predominantemente afetivos (afinidade e conexão do self) e cognitivos (imagem e personalidade). Como país a ser avaliado, foi escolhido os Estados Unidos, pois é a origem das marcas mais valiosas do mundo, e muitas delas agregam à construção de sua identidade aspectos da cultura americana. As marcas selecionadas foram Apple, Levi s, e McDonald s, todas de alta penetração no segmento estudado (jovens), e em evidência tanto no cenário econômico e cultural (altas vendas, alto valor, formadoras de tendências), quanto acadêmico e político (artigos, livros, manifestações antiamericanas). A metodologia empregada constituiu-se em um survey realizado com 367 estudantes universitários da cidade de São Paulo, que também se caracterizavam como público-alvo das marcas estudadas. O tratamento e a análise dos dados foram realizados mediante o uso do modelo de equações estruturais, pelo qual foram testadas relações de causalidade entre constructos relativos a país e marca com a intenção de compra dessas marcas. Os resultados demonstraram maior influência na intenção de compra dos constructos predominantemente afetivos e, entre estes, o constructo conexão do self com a marca mostrou-se especialmente forte e significativo. Constructos tradicionalmente estudados no marketing, como personalidade de marca e imagem de país não resultaram em impactos significativos na intenção de compra. Esses resultados, no entanto, podem variar de intensidade dependendo da marca. Assim, o trabalho conclui afirmando que a marca, especialmente aquelas de alto brand equity, teria maior força na determinação da intenção de compra do que os constructos relativos a país. A pesquisa, no entanto, não pode ser generalizada, pois investigou um grupo não representativo da população, mas oferece indicativos que podem ser ampliados em novos estudos, como a investigação de marcas de frágil brand-equity, de outros países, de outros segmentos de mercado e de outras categorias de produto.

Diabetes has become a longstanding public health challenge around the world. Over the last 3 decades, the number of people with Type II diabetes (T2DM) has grown to an epidemic level in Canada. Prior research indicated African immigrants residing in Ontario, Canada experienced a 2-4 times higher prevalence of T2DM than Canadian-born individuals. The social determinants of health theoretical framework guided this study assessing the relationship of the risk factors with T2DM. A quantitative, cross-sectional design was employed using the 2007-2014 Canadian Community Health Survey data. The random sample included 1,526 African immigrants residing in Ontario, Canada. Descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate analyses were conducted. Study results indicated a lower income level, high acculturation index, and a country of origin significantly associated with T2DM in adjusted and unadjusted binary logistic regression models. Using the results of the study to create a valid and reliable acculturation measurement scale and a cultural-based design of public health programs, increase awareness, and change policies that consider the needs of the sample populations could lead to positive social change by curbing the prevalence of T2DM observed in African immigrants residing in Ontario and Canada at large.

Questa tesi empirica si concentra sul ruolo svolto dal food marketing (sezione uno) e dal destination branding (sezione due) nel promuovere lo sviluppo di una regione . La tesi è strutturata come raccolta di 4 articoli. La prima sezione si basa su due ricerche empiriche inerenti il caso della Fontina, un tipico formaggio italiano. L'obiettivo è capire che tipo di valore può essere generato collegando un alimento tipico alla regione di origine / produttore / certificazione. L'analisi approfondisce e supporta studi precedenti sull’ importanza della certificazione DOP e contribuisce individuando un legame tra le preferenze dei consumatori per i prodotti DOP e le differenze territoriali. La seconda sezione si concentra sul tema della collaborazione nelle destinazioni turistiche, approfondendo il ruolo della fiducia nel rapporto tra benefici (economici e relazionali) realizzabili attraverso service bundling e l'orientamento degli albergatori al networking. Sono stati intervistati 164 albergatori valdostani. I risultati evidenziano che la fiducia media il rapporto tra benefici relazionali e orientamento al networking. Un ulteriore risultato interessante è l'effetto mediazione svolto dell’ innovatività degli albergatori nel rapporto tra benefici economici e orientamento al networking. Lo studio fornisce una segmentazione del settore dell'ospitalità in base all'orientamento al networking degli operatori. / This empirical thesis focuses on the role played by typical food marketing (section one) and destination branding (section two) in enhancing the development of a region. The thesis is structured as the collection of 4 papers. The first section is based on two empirical surveys on the case of Fontina, a typical Italian cheese. The aim is to understand which kind of value can be generated by linking a typical food to the region of origin/ producer/ certification. The analysis supports and builds on previous studies on the importance of PDO certification. Importantly, it contributes by eliciting consumers’ preferences for PDO according to territorial differences. The second section focuses on the topic of collaboration in tourism destinations. This research investigates the role of trust in the relationship between benefits (economic and relational) achievable through service bundling and hoteliers’ orientation to networking. 164 hoteliers located in Aosta Valley region in Italy were interviewed. Outcomes highlight that trust mediates the relationship between relational benefits and networking orientation. Another interesting result is the mediation effect of hoteliers’ innovativeness on the relationship between economic benefits and networking orientation. The study provides a segmentation of the hospitality industry according to operators’ networking orientation.