<p>This is a bachelor thesis within marketing that aims at finding how branding strategies is affected by the market it operates and how it influences the possibilities to create a global brand. This will be carried out by looking at branding strategies, global branding and branding on the emerging markets with comparison to mature markets. The authors will do this by conducting a case study where two companies will be studied, one from an emerging market and one from a mature market.</p><p>The development of a case study came from the explanatory nature of the purpose and the decision was made to look into the lingerie industry since this is a market that is easily segmented and that uses branding. The authors used one company on each market that were in the lingerie industry and the companies that came to be investigated were Beijing Aimer Co Ltd. and Miss Mary of Sweden AB. The authors used theories of branding, empirical material from interviews as well as secondary information about the markets in order to conduct the study.</p><p>The authors concluded that there are a number of different strategies a company has to consider for their brand: What market(s) to cover, pricing strategies, name strategies and extension strategies. All are combined and need to fit each other to have a good branding strategy. Then there are different conditions for companies on mature and emerging markets. In the emerging markets, branding is a relatively new concept and differentiation with the help of branding has been missing. A mature market, on the other hand, is often saturated of brands which make it hard for companies to stand out in the clutter. This can make it easier for a company to target a niche in the market.</p><p>When globalising the brand, the companies also need to take other things into consideration. It is important to know the market the company wishes to reach and there can be images that stick from the country of origin of the brand, which also influences the globalisation of the brand and is different for mature and emerging markets.</p><p>What the authors found from the empirical findings was that the companies are not as the theories would suggest and the Chinese company seems to be very aware of their brands. What the authors also found that both the companies were failing in their branding strate-gies, but in very different ways. Aimer, who desperately wants to create an international brand, is failing due to country of origin effects, while Miss Mary is failing in their segmentations strategy which makes them less resident to competitors in a mature and cluttered marketplace.</p>

Iki šiol nėra vieningos nuomonės, kaip turėtų būti apjungta prekės kilmės šalies efekto vertinimo koncepcijų ir principų įvairovė. Todėl metodologiniais ir praktinės vadybos tikslais būtina vieninga prekės kilmės šalies efekto įvertinimo metodika, sudaranti sąlygas atsižvelgti į šio efekto įvairiapusiškumą ir įtaką vartotojų elgsenoje. Atsižvelgiant į problemos aktualumą, numatomas darbo tikslas yra dvejopas ir susijęs su nurodyta prekės kilmės šalies efekto vertinimo krypčių ir metodų įvairove: 1) išskirti vieningą metodiką prekės kilmės šalies efekto ir nacionalinio įvaizdžio vertinimui vartotojų elgsenos procesuose; 2) apibrėžti galimas pasiūlyto modelio pritaikymo kryptis verslo praktikoje. Siekiant nurodytų darbo tikslų ir sutelkiant dėmesį į vieningos kilmės šalies efekto vertinimo metodikos nustatymą, apibrėžiami šie darbo uždaviniai: a) atlikti teorinių šaltinių (literatūros) ir empirinių tyrimų, nagrinėjančių prekės kilmės šalies efektą ir šalies įvaizdžio įtaką vartotojų elgsenoje, analizę, b) išskirti pagrindinius prekės kilmės šalies efekto vertinimo elementus ir principus, remiantis pagrindinėmis šalies įvaizdžio koncepcijos nuostatomis, c) apibrėžti vieningą teorinį prekės kilmės šalies efekto vertinimo modelį, d) pateikti galimus siūlomo prekės kilmės šalies efekto vertinimo modelio pritaikymo sprendimus Lietuvos verslo aplinkai. Siekiant apibrėžtų uždavinių įvykdymo, šiame tiriamajame teoriniame-metodologiniame darbe atliekant literatūros šaltinių bei... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / This graduation paper researches the phenomenon of country-of-origin effect with the two-fold aim to define a unified model for the COO effect evaluation and identify model application opportunities in the business reality. This identification of the aim of the paper has led to the following objectives of the study: · to present an in-depth analysis of theoretical concepts and models related to the COO effect and identify main trends in the scientific COO research, · to identify essential principals of the COO effect evaluation in regard to consumer behaviour; · to integrate main theoretical and empirical aspects of the phenomenon in a unified hypothetical model; · to propose opportunities for model application in Lithuanian business. In order to achieve the stated aim and given objectives, the object of research was defined as COO effect and the following methodology was selected: (1) content analysis of empirical research to be carried out, (2) theoretical analysis of theories related to COO to be conveyed, (3) synthesis of empirical and theoretical dimensions in a unified COO model, (4) a pilot study to be carried out to define the existence of the COO effect in regard to Lithuanian consumers. Part 1 of the paper discloses major theoretical and empirical concepts related to the COO effect. Analytical approach is used in Part 2 to view theoretical and empirical approaches to the evaluation of COO effect in consumer behaviour. Part 3 of the paper covers pilot research as an... [to full text]

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National branding and Country-of-origin strategy (COO) has not only shown to be convenient for research, but also of considerable importance and interest for companies to enhance competitive advantage. With constantly increasing product range on the markets and continually new technology in the society, the buying behaviour and customer preferences have changed. The customer evaluates not only the product regarding its function or physical capacity, but also regarding the product's intangible value, such as its COO. The purpose with this study was to provide a deeper understanding about how a multinational company's (henceforth MNC) use of COO in their brand communication, can be described. To realize and accomplish the purpose, two research questions were formulated which this study had the intention to answer. The first research question was meant to describe what channels in the communication process a multinational company can use to communicate their brand. The second research question was meant to describe how a multinational company can use COO in the message component of the communication process. The fundamental purpose of the thesis in question was descriptive. The study was performed by observing a multinational case company. The observation of case company was performed partly with an interview and partly with a content analysis. The interview was held with a representative of the case company. The content analysis of case company was performed by reviewing websites in two different countries. As a result, we found that the case company, which represented a multinational company (MNC), among other channels, used paper catalogues and websites as a channel in the communication process. The study also showed that different COO strategies can be used complementary in the message component in the company´s communication process, with the aim to attain competitive advantage among other companies on the market.

<p>A new NO_x sensor for high-temperature applications has been developed and thouroghly characterised. The sensor layers are a mixed oxide of CoO, MgO and MgO₂ deposited by thermal evaporation with a porous platinum gate on top, deposited by thermal evaporation or sputtering. The sensitivity and selectivity of the sensor is promising and is shown to depend upon the ratio between Co and Mg in the film and a number of competing mechanisms are shown to take place on the sensor surface. Response and recovery of the device is still slow and there are some drift, which are suggested to be due to a restructuring sensor surface during operation that was found by SEM-studies. Finally,the oxide surface has been characterized by XPS and a novel process for deposition of the sensor layers by lift-off technique has been developed.</p>

A new NOx sensor for high-temperature applications has been developed and thouroghly characterised. The sensor layers are a mixed oxide of CoO, MgO and MgO2 deposited by thermal evaporation with a porous platinum gate on top, deposited by thermal evaporation or sputtering. The sensitivity and selectivity of the sensor is promising and is shown to depend upon the ratio between Co and Mg in the film and a number of competing mechanisms are shown to take place on the sensor surface. Response and recovery of the device is still slow and there are some drift, which are suggested to be due to a restructuring sensor surface during operation that was found by SEM-studies. Finally,the oxide surface has been characterized by XPS and a novel process for deposition of the sensor layers by lift-off technique has been developed.

The purpose of this thesis is to explore how the country image influences Swedish brands in their promotion strategy. The thesis will explore what underlying factors come to influence the country of origin effect in the brands promotion and which cues are used when communicating their origin with consumers. To address the purpose of the thesis, the following question will be answered: How does the country of origin influence Swedish brands in their promotion strategy?In regard to the research question and purpose, the theoretical framework includes previous studies related to different dimensions of country of origin and the effect it has on consumer affinity, different stereotypes regarding country image as well as different COO-strategies. To answer the research question, this thesis contains a qualitative research approach, with an inductive method and a multiple case study design. We interviewed 3 companies, within 3 different product categories which gave us valuable insights regarding how the Swedishness is communicated to consumers and how the Swedish country image is perceived internationally on different product categories. An analysis was made with the empirical findings together with the theoretical framework, with comparisons between the companies as well as pointing out differences and similarities between the case companies. The overall findings from this thesis is that Sweden holds a positive image internationally and that it is beneficial for companies to promote their Swedishness. The different companies also emphasize different cues in their promotion, to get a match between product category and country image, hence use the Swedishness in different ways.

Le Vietnam est un marché très potentiel pour les marques de soin de la peau. Dans le prémium segment, les produits importés prennent la part totale du marché avec une croissance annuelle de 18 à 35 % dans ces dernières années 2010-2014 (Euromonitor 2015). Dans ce secteur, le seul terme commun utilise ‘mỹ phẩm cao cấp’ (prémium cosmétique) implique les marques de luxe (ex : Clinique, Estée Lauder, Lancôme, Sisley, Shiseido, SKII, Menard, Ohui…) et les marque non-luxe mais haut de gamme (ex : Vichy, Dr.Spiller, Swissline, Dermalogica, Tenamid…). Jusqu’à maintenant, le segment de luxe a bien été abordé, pourtant le segment de haut de gamme ne fait pas encore l’attention des chercheurs. A côté, les vietnamiens par tradition mènent une vie simple et modeste, ce qui est à l’encontre du phénomène de consommation ostentatoire des produits de luxe qui a été largement discuté dans les pays émergeants. Par conséquent, les influences culturelles au marché Vietnamien devrait être revisité dans cette thèse. Alors, comment les consommateurs vietnamiens perçoivent les produits de soin de la peau de luxe et ceux de haut de gamme ? Pourquoi ils choisissent les produits de luxe et pour quoi ils choisissent les produits de haut de gamme ? Quelles sont les facteurs culturels qui influence leur choix ? Cette thèse est pour but de répondre à ces questions tout en générant des implications managériales et académiques importantes pour le marché vietnamien. Dans la partie théorique, cette thèse approche les trois axes théoriques comme les concepts de luxe et de haut-de-gamme, les consommateurs, et les influences culturelles avec des spécificités du marché vietnamien. La partie empirique de cette thèse contient 5 études qualitatives (les records audio spontanés, les discussions en groupe, l’enquête sur le prix de vente, la collection des photos et les entretiens individuels). Les résultats de la revue de littérature et des analyses des données confirment 7 propositions de recherche : [...] Cette thèse contribue à rafraîchir les connaissances sur une économie émergente et en transition tel est le Vietnam. Elle aide les managers à avoir une stratégie dynamique sur la segmentation des produits prémiums (luxe vis-à-vis haut-de-gamme) ainsi que de prendre conscience de la potentialité des consommateurs traditionnels non-ostentatoires Vietnamiens. Elle donne aussi une suggestion aux chercheurs d’étudier une nouvelle perception des marques de luxe et de haut de gamme dans les marchés émergents ; ainsi l’attention sur le pays d’origine devrait être donnée non seulement aux pays de l’Ouest (développés) mais aux aussi autres pays couronnés de succès actuellement comme la Corée du Sud dans les études du marché vietnamien. / Vietnam is a promising market for skincare brands. In premium segment, foreign imported products take the total share with an annual sales increase of 18 to 35 % during the last period 2010-2014 (Euromonitor 2015). Though vietnamese consumers have one common term for this segment as ‘mỹ phẩm cao cấp’ (premium cosmetics), it includes in fact luxury brands (eg : Clinique, Estee Lauder, Lancôme, Sisley, Shiseido, SKII, Menard, Ohui…) and non-luxury but high-end brands (eg: Vichy, Dr.Spiller, Swissline, Dermalogica, Tenamid…). Researchers so far have approached luxury segment but not yet adequately paid attention on the non-luxury but high-end segment in Vietnam. Besides, vietnamese people by culture appraised simplicity and modesty in actual life ; this is contrary to a phenomenon of conspicuous luxury consumption that has been heavily discussed by researchers in emerging economies so far. As such, existent and new cultural trends in Vietnam also is to be revisited in this thesis. So, how vietnamese consumers perceived luxury and high-end skincare brand products ? Why they choose luxury brands and why they choose high-end brand ? Which cultural factors influence their consumption choice ? This thesis is for an aim to find answers to these questions in enabling important managerial and academic implications for the vietnamese market.In theoretical part, this thesis approaches in three axes as luxury and high-end brand concepts, consumers, and cultural influences in stressing on the specificities of vietnamese market. The empirical part of this thesis contains 5 qualitative studies (random records, focus group discussion, market price survey, photo collection and in-depth interview). The results of theoretical review and data analysis confirmed 7 research propositions: 1/ During the economic transition period, vietnamese consumers are supposed not to have clear perception on luxury and high-end brand skincare products; 2/ Vietnamese traditional consumers was supposed not to be conspicuous but quality seeking in premium skincare consumption; 3/ By Korean cultural influence, there exists a behavioral preference of Korean high-end skincare products by vietnamese consumers; 4a/ Comparing to vietnamese young traditional consumers, elder consumers are less product-involved, less knowledgeable on brands, more advice-seeking and brand committed; 4b/ Comparing to elder traditional consumers, young consumers are more product-involved, more knowledgeable on brands, more self-information seeking and self-decisive and less brand committed; 5/ Vietnamese traditional consumers prefer luxury skincare products because of the quality assurance, of which elder consumers rely on price cue and young consumers rely on brand cue; 6/ Vietnamese traditional prefer high-end products because of price-quality, of which elder consumers rely on advice cue and young consumers rely on self-judgment.This thesis contributes to a refreshing knowledge on such emerging and transition markets as Vietnam. It helps managers to have dynamic strategy on premium product segmentation (luxury versus high-end products) as well as to acknowledge of the big potentiality of vietnamese traditional and non-conspicuous consumers. It also give a hint to academic researchers for studying a new perception of luxury and high-end brands in emerging markets as well as to pay attention on not only COO from Western/developed countries but also from such successful Asian country as Korea in study vietnamese market.

COO is a construct that refers to the country which a consumer associates a certain product or brand as being its source, regardless of where the product is actually produced. Scholars like Magnusson et al. (2011) argue that COO is a salient cue in consumers’ product evaluation and purchase intention. In contrast, Usunier (2006; 2011) and Samiee (2010) criticize the COO effect, by explaining that due to multinational production, integrated worldwide supply chains and global branding there are other cues that have become more salient in consumers’ decision- making process. The purpose of this thesis is to extend the understanding about the relationship of COO in consumers buying process. The research questions followed: To what extent does country of origin influence consumers’ product evaluations and purchase intention? To what extent does the level of involvement affect the relationship between country of origin and consumers’ product evaluation? To what extent does the level of involvement affect the relationship between country of origin and consumers’ purchase intentions. Applying a deductive approach, a quantitative research has been chosen for this thesis involving survey as the source for data collection in order to test this research four main concepts: COO, product evaluation, purchase intention and product involvement. The findings indicated that COO has a significant direct effect in consumers’ product evaluations and purchase intention. The results also indicated on that when consumers’ perceive products to be low involvement, the COO effect is greater in consumers’ decision-making process.

Complex oxides exhibiting a wide variety of novel functional properties such as ferromagnetism and ferroelectricity have been extensively studied during the past decades. Recent advances in the field of oxide heteroepitaxy have made it possible to create and control hybrid oxide heterostructures with abrupt epitaxial interfaces. The oxide heteroepitaxy with the capability of controlling interface composition, strain, length scales, etc. has opened the totally new and exciting scientific avenue and has offered potential device applications to be explored. Epitaxial integration of functional oxides on semiconductor such as Si (001) and Ge(001) is of great interest, as it potentially leads to further technological development of these interesting oxide systems. In this dissertation, using density functional theory we explore physics and chemistry of novel oxide heterostructures and issues related to the integration of functional oxides on semiconductors. Oxide materials that are studied in this dissertation include polar LaAlO₃, high-k dielectric SrTiO₃, photocatalytic anatase TiO₂ and CoO, and strongly correlated magnetic oxide LaCoO₃. / text