Purpose: This paper aims to examine the association between two market environment factors (industry and nature of market) during the usage of the slogan as part of the corporate visual identity (CVI) of a multinational firm in the domestic market and adjustments of the slogan when firms enter a foreign market. Moreover, this thesis tries to broaden the knowledge about the slogan as an extrinsic brand of origin (BO) cue (in terms of the language). Methodology & Approach: Applying a deductive approach, a mixed method research has been chosen as research strategy, combining methods of both quantitative (content analysis via websites, N=329) and qualitative (semi-structured interviews, N=3) research strategies. Findings: Less than half of the observed sample (42.6%) uses a slogan as a tool for marketing and branding. The industry is significantly associated with the decision whether a company should use a slogan in their CVI. Furthermore, the factors industry and the market (B2B or B2C) are significantly associated with the decision of a slogan adjustment when firms internationalize. Besides that, the concept of country of origin (COO) does not play a significant role in the context of a slogan strategy as many firms mainly adjust the slogan to the foreign language when entering the foreign market. Qualitative interviews revealed that the COO concept depends on the country image and the industry. Moreover, a great share of English slogans in the primal state was found during the content analysis, which have been identified as more unlikely to be adjusted in foreign markets. Research limitations: The amount of the investigated companies as well as taking only one foreign market for each of the companies into consideration limited the sample. Moreover this observation was taken at a present point in time, neglecting possible causes and developments over time. Managerial implications: The findings demonstrated that it is crucial for managers in the context of the slogan to consider the market environments (i.e. industry, nature of market) when they enter a foreign market and when they create one in the domestic market. English slogans might be able to be transferred unchanged to the foreign market. In essence, some industries could trigger benefits by showing their origins in the slogan via their native language. Originality/value: As one of the first papers, the concept of CVI and COO has been combined, focusing on the slogan as an extrinsic cue for customers. Analyzing global companies (N=329) and conducting 3 in-depth interviews as a follow-up, several factors as associations to the usage of slogans and possible adjustments when entering a foreign market have been investigated.

The author has applied an abductive research design and performed a case study which includes a survey and e-mail interviews of workers within the construction industry. The purpose of the survey and the interviews is to investigate what factors may be the most influential for individuals in establishing their apprehension of natural stones. The research has been made on commission of the case firm which is a natural stones importer located in Sweden and the survey is based on the 17-point CETSCALE originally created by Shimp and Sharma in 1987. The survey was sent to workers with different occupations (architects, contractors and purchasers) within the construction industry who encounter natural stones in their work. Therefore, the theoretical purpose of this study is to contribute to increase the knowledge of country-of-origin effects of imported low-involvement products. The research gap this study aims to fill is to outline what factors are influencing consumers' purchasing behavior on purchasing low-involvement products. The practical purpose of this study is to provide the case firm with more knowledge of the phenomenon of negative COO-effects. Theories on ethnocentrism have been included since ethnocentric tendencies among customers have been considered by previous researchers as one of the contributing factors of fostering negative country-of-origin perceptions. The case firm can implement this knowledge in creating a more effective marketing strategy and thereby develop their operation domestically as they wish to do. Empirical findings of this study demonstrate that cognitive influence is the factor with the largest influence on country-of-origin effects while factors such as familiarity and environmental concerns are less influencing. The author recommends future researchers to further investigate this phenomenon, especially to investigate its connection to cognitive- and other psychosocial factors in order to gain a more solid understanding for why problems related to this phenomenon arise and how they may be encountered. Since Corporate Social Responsibility was demonstrated to be the most influencing factor in consumers’ purchasing decisions of this study, it is suggested to future researchers to investigate the phenomenon of country-of-origin in relation to ethical- and moral standards of individuals.

Submitted by Nilton Francelosi Azevedo Neto (nilton@fc.unesp.br) on 2018-11-22T13:54:33Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Azevedo Neto- Tese POSMAT-2018.pdf: 3312025 bytes, checksum: 69a53514543bbe65b47c2fd62ddb6168 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Lucilene Cordeiro da Silva Messias null (lubiblio@bauru.unesp.br) on 2018-11-22T16:48:03Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 azevedoneto_nf_dr_bauru.pdf: 3312025 bytes, checksum: 69a53514543bbe65b47c2fd62ddb6168 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-11-22T16:48:03Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 azevedoneto_nf_dr_bauru.pdf: 3312025 bytes, checksum: 69a53514543bbe65b47c2fd62ddb6168 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-09-24 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / A motivação para este trabalho foi buscar uma melhor compreensão sobre o processo de crescimento dos filmes de óxido de cobalto pela técnica de DC magnetron sputtering reativo. Os filmes de interesse foram depositados sobre substratos de sílica amorfa (a -SiO2 ), aluminato de lantânio (LaAlO3 ) e safira - c (Al2O3- c) usando diferentes valores de potência de deposição e fluxo de oxigênio . As condições de crescimento dos filmes foram analisadas utilizando simulação computacional do processo de sputtering reativo baseada no modelo de Depla, medidas da emissão óptica das espécies presentes no plasma e monitor amento da taxa de crescimento através de uma microbalança de quartzo. Os resultados de difração de raios X mostraram que em baixa potência é obtida a fase Co3O4 espinélio, enquanto que em alta potência os filmes apresentaram a fase CoO cúbica . A s simulações computacionais do processo de sputtering reativo indicaram que , quando as potências de deposição são baixas, o processo de crescimento dos filmes ocorre com o alvo no regime “envenenado” . Em contraste, altas potencias favorece m o regime metálico do alvo. Medidas de emissão do plasma de deposição mostraram que em baixa potência de deposição a intensidade da linha de emissão do oxigênio é alta , porém com o aumento da potência sua intensidade diminui e a d a linha do cobalto aumenta. O s filmes de Co 3 O 4 depositados sobre substratos cristalinos apresentaram resultados promissores . Medidas de difração de raios X de alta resolução , utilizando radiação síncrotron , indicaram que a deposição do Co 3 O 4 sobre Al2O3 - c resultou em crescimento epitaxial na qual a direção [ 111] do cristal de Co 3 O 4 é perpendicular à superfície do substrato de safira - c (0001). Enquanto que a deposição sobre LaAlO 3 resultou em crescimento com forte textura de orientação, com as direções [220] e [400] perpendiculares à superfície dos substratos . Os espectros Raman dessas amostras apresentaram picos de vibração bem definidos e característicos da fase Co 3 O 4 e a análise do Raman polarizado do s filmes de Co 3 O 4 sobre Al 2 O 3 - c concorda m com as regras de seleção para a orientação [111] . Para os filmes c om fase Co 3 O 4 , medidas de transmitância na região do UV - Vis - NIR mostraram alta absorção na região do visível e bandas de absorção no infravermelho próximo relacionadas a transições eletrônicas dos íons de Co 2+ e Co 3+ . Para esse crescimento observou - se também resposta intensa de fotocondutividade com exc itação em 405 nm e 532 nm em 10 K. Testes preliminares de fotocatálise indicaram que os filmes de Co 3 O 4 produzidos possuem uma pequena atividade fotocatalítica para degradação do corante Rodamina B. Neste trabalho uma correlação direta entre as condições de crescimento e as mudança s de fase do s filmes foi obtida, demonstrando a versatilidade da técnica de sputtering para crescimento de filmes de óxido de cobalto para estudos científicos e aplicações tecnológicas. / The motivation for this work was to obtain a better understanding of the growth process of cobalt oxides by the DC magnetron reactive sputtering technique. The films were dep osited on amorphous silica (a-SiO2), lanthanum aluminate (LaAlO3) and sapphire-c (c-Al2O3) substrates using different values of deposition power and oxygen flow. The conditions of growth of the films were analyzed using the optical analysis of the species present in the plasma and the monitoring of the growth rate through a quartz microbalance. The X-ray diffraction results showed that at lower powers the Co3O4 phase was obtained, while at high er power s the films presented the CoO cubic phase. The computational simulations of the reactive sputtering process indicated that, at low deposition power, the gro wth process of the films occurs with the target in the "poisoned" regime, while in high powers it favors the metallic regime of the target. Plasma emission measurements showed that at low deposition power the oxygen intensity is high while at high power it s intensity decreases and that of cobalt increases. The Co 3 O 4 films deposited on crystalline substrates showed promising results. High - resolution X-ray diffraction measurements using synchrotron radiation indicated that the deposition of Co3O4 on c-Al2O3 resulted in epitaxial growth , in which the direction [111] is perpendicular to the surface of the c - sapphire (0001) substrates. However, the deposition on LaAlO 3 resulted in growth with strong texture in the directions [220] and [400]. The Raman spectra of these samples showed well - defined vibration peaks characteristic of the Co3O4 phase . The polarized Raman analysis of Co 3 O 4 deposited on c-Al2O3 agrees with the selection rules for the [111] orientation, in agreement with the high resolution X-ray diffraction analysis . In the optical transmittance measurements , t he films with Co 3 O 4 phase displayed high absorption bands in the region of the visible and near - infrared . These bands are related to el ectronic transitions of the Co2+ and Co3+ ions. For these films , strong photoconductivity responses were observed for excitations at 405 nm and 532 nm at 10 K . Preliminary photocatalysis tests indicated that the Co3O4 films produced by sputtering have a small photocatalytic activity for Rhodamine B (RhB) dye degradation. Concluding , a direct correlation between the growth conditions and the phase changes of the films was obtained, demonstrating the versatility of the sputtering technique for the growth of cobalt oxide films for scientific studies and technological applications.

The Country-of-Origin (COO) is an important factor to be considered for startup firms in their international expansion and development. This exploratory study focuses on the influence and impacts of the COO on Born Global startups from emerging economies in their internationalization process. The research provides a general picture about the theories connected to the COO and its impacts, as well as the different contexts which are the basis for the COO construct, such as the historical, economic and international contexts. The study is based on three case companies from Brazil, founded around the year of 2010. Besides understanding the COO effects faced by Global Born firms in international markets, this study also analyzes how these companies deal with this matter when implementing their internationalization plans. Moreover, the study also assesses the Global Born firms’ internationalization path, as well as their main motivators and influential factors. The findings about the influence of COO affects in Born Global startups from emerging markets are displayed in two phases: (1) the initial stage, when consumers still have little knowledge and experience with the products or services offered by the startups, therefore relying more on first perceptions such as the COO, and (2) a secondary stage, in which the companies have already interacted in the international market, and the companies and their products and services are already known by the market in some extent. This study’s findings suggest that the COO affects the startups in the first moments of their internationalization process, however the COO influences decreases as the startups develop, interact and exploit the new markets. The findings are presented from both a within-case perspective and a cross-case perspective. Furthermore, discussion of the findings, implications and suggestions for further research are provided.

BACKGROUND A great interest of researchers has been attracted to the phenomenon of country-of-origin (Andéhn et al., 2016). It is argued that companies could increase competitiveness in the market by implementing a COO into the company's branding strategy (Guercini & Ranfagni, 2013). However, prior research on COO has been focused mainly on the investigation of customer perspective, while the producer's (e.g.firm) perspective was not taken into account (Brodie & Benson-Rea, 2016). Thus, the understanding of COO branding has to be expanded. Furthermore, the use of a COO can not be managed as independent marketing activity (Bhaskaran & Sukumaran, 2007) and has to be rationally implemented into the brand (Brodie & Benson-Rea, 2016). This creates a gap in the knowledge of how firms manage the use of a COO and how the COO is implemented into the company's brand identity. This gap can be addressed by evaluating the producer's perspective and the COO's impact on the brand identity and branding strategies. PURPOSE The aim of this study is to extend the understanding of the impact of the COO on the brand identity of Swedish SMEs. Additionally, to investigate the use of Sweden in branding. METHOD To fulfill the purpose of the study, exploratory qualitative research is executed, employing a multiple-case study design where nine cases were selected to develop an in-depth understanding of the research topic. CONCLUSION Based on the research, the COO has a strong impact on the brand identity of Swedish SMEs. As it can be seen from the empirical data, the brand identity of Swedish SMEs is impacted by the COO in terms of personality, physique, and culture dimensions on the key characteristics of the origin. Additionally, the COO is implemented into the Swedish SMEs branding through nine strategies.

Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka vilka effekter COO har på svenska konsumenter gällande varumärken och produkter med ursprung från Kina.  Metod: Studien har utgått från en deduktiv process med en kvantitativ metod. Dock använder studien inte hypoteser utan istället en frågeställning för att ha möjligheten att analysera resultaten mer fritt. Data har samlats in genom en webbaserad enkät som publicerades på sociala kanaler. Totalt kom 112 svar in varav 4 resulterade i bortfall, vilket till följd gav 108 användbara svar. Datan analyserades genom att utföra en korrelationsanalys samt en deskriptiv analys genom statistikprogrammet Jamovi. Resultat och slutsats: Undersökningen indikerar att svenska konsumenters köpbeteende i hög grad påverkas av ursprungslandseffekter (Country-of-origin effects, förkortat COO). Effekterna av COO visade sig vara särskilt stora vid utvärdering av kinesiska produkter, där svenska konsumenter visade sig ha en tydlig negativ uppfattning av produkter med detta ursprung. Detta gällde i synnerhet för den undersökta produktkategorin bilar där få konsumenter kunde tänka sig att köpa en kinesisk bil jämfört med andra ursprung. Trots detta rankade svenska konsumenter ursprung betydligt lägre än andra attribut vid köp, vilket tyder på att effekterna av COO vid bilköp underskattades av svenska konsumenter.  Examensarbetets bidrag: Denna studie bidrar med kunskap om hur COO påverkar svenska konsumenter vid bilköp, samt hur svenska konsumenter uppfattar kinesiska produkter. Den bidrar även med information om hur svenska konsumenter rankar olika attribut vid bilköp. / Aim: The purpose of this study is to examine the Country-of-origin effects on Swedish consumers regarding Chinese brands and products Method: The study is based on a deductive process that uses a quantitative method. The study does not use hypotheses, instead a research question was concluded. This choice was made to have the opportunity to analyze the results more freely. Data was collected through a web-based survey that was published on social channels. A total of 112 responses were received, of which 4 resulted in non-response and 108 usable. The data was analyzed by performing a correlational- and descriptive analysis through the statistical program Jamovi. Result & Conclusions: The results from the study indicates that Swedish consumers purchasing behavior is greatly influenced by the country-of-origin effect. The country-oforigin effect was found to be particularly large when evaluating Chinese products. Swedish consumers were found to have a negative perception of products with this origin. This was particularly true for the investigated product category, where few consumers could imagine themselves buying a Chinese car compared to other origins. Despite this, Swedish consumers ranked origin lower than other attributes when purchasing, which suggests that the countryof-origin effect in car purchases were underestimated by Swedish consumers. Contribution of the Thesis: This study contributes with knowledge about how country of origin affects Swedish consumers when buying a car, as well as how Swedish consumers perceive Chinese products. It also contributes with information about how Swedish consumers rank various attributes when buying a car.

It has been showed that COO of product has an effect on consumers purchase decisions. Companies are trying to find ways to differentiate their brands from those of their competitors. In many cases the use of COO is considered difficult and is not understood to the level where it would add to the brand value of those companies. Academic areas such as nation branding, COO (country of origin), brand positioning and brand communications work as a base for the investigation of our research problem. The study uses Finland as a study objective to investigate how companies aiming for international markets can use their COO in smart ways when creating and developing their brand identities. The knowledge in these areas is deepened through semi structured interviews with six experts from different fields. The previous academic areas acknowledge that the communication needs to be directed for the right consumers, in a way that suits the recipient. Since consumers in international markets often share multiple/different perceptions and associations, when communicating the origin of a brand, a customer centric approach in the communications is vital. The study finds that country of origin, when used in corporate branding often needs to be explained through storytelling, that emphasizes why the origin adds value. This is done by translating aspects about the COO in to a form which consumers are able to understand and appreciate. An additional finding the study makes is the symbiosis between the companies and their country of origin. The companies have the ability to shape the nation brand of their origin, and hence, aid their own branding capabilities. Marketers need to understand the value of their COO and see the possibilities it may offer. This realization creates a symbiance between the brand and its origin which will create long term positive implications.

Title: The Country-of-Origin Effect in the Personal Care Market  Level: Final assignment for Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration Author: Simon Andersson and Gustaf Persson Supervisor: Jonas Kågström Date: 2019 – January Aim: The study aims to analyse Swedish consumers’ perceptions on the Country-of-Origin effects regarding Chinese products. Method: The study is based on a quantitative method. The data collection was done with a questionnaire with a deductive approach. The empirical data was collected through a web survey which was published on social media e.g. Facebook and LinkedIn. The data was then processed in the statistical program IBM SPSS Statistics (SPSS) to form models, figures and values. A descriptive-, correlation-, factor- and cluster-analysis was then formed. Result & Conclusion: The results showed how different variables correlate, different factors which the variables were grouped in and five different clusters of respondents. The conclusion is that there is a so-called COO-effect for Swedish consumers subconsciously. Furthermore, Swedish consumers are aware of the origin, but rank other quality and price as higher cues. Contribution of the thesis: This study aims, with help of previous research and a conducted survey, examine how Swedish consumer perceptions of Chinese personal care products regarding the COO-effect. Furthermore, it provides information on how Swedish consumers ranks certain cues. The study is unique since it provides insight on a market that has not yet been analysed with regard to the COO effect (Sweden) and with a certain product group where there is no current research available in relation to COOeffects. Furthermore, the study contributes to general COO-research, with certain implications deriving from previous research. There are both theoretical and practical contributions of importance, illustrating Swedish consumer perceptions of Chinese products. Suggestions for future research: This essay is limited to the Swedish market and focused on a particular product group. There are several other products groups that are yet to be researched in regard to COO-effects/consumer perception. Further research could compare two different product groups with high involvement to analyse the difference between certain product types. A comparison between two (or more) different countries would provide a vertical view of COO-effects, analysing the differences between different consumer perceptions and what cultural variables that may be vital for purchasing decisions. Keywords: Country-of-origin (COO), Country-of-origin effects, Product evaluation, Cultural differences, Made in China, Consumer behaviour, Purchase decision, Trust / Titel: The Country-of-Origin Effect in the Personal Care Market  Nivå: Examensarbete på Grundnivå (kandidatexamen) i ämnet företagsekonomi Författare: Simon Andersson och Gustaf Persson Handledare: Jonas Kågström Datum: 2019 – Januari Syfte: Studien syftar att analysera svenska konsumenters uppfattning om effekterna av ursprungsland för kinesiska produkter. Metod: Studien baseras på en kvantitativ metod. Datainsamlingen skedde med en enkätundersökning som utgår från ett deduktivt synsätt. Empiriska data har samlats in via en webbenkät som publicerades på sociala medier som exempelvis Facebook och LinkedIn. Data behandlades i statistikprogrammet IBM SPSS Statistics (SPSS) för att få ut resultat; modeller, figurer och värden. Sedan utformades en deskriptiv analys, korrelationsanalys, faktoranalys och en klusteranalys. Resultat & slutsats: Resultatet uppvisade hur olika variabler korrelerar, olika faktorer som grupperar variabler samt fem olika kluster med respondenter. Vi kan dra slutsatsen att det finns en så kallad ”country-of-origin” (COO) -effekt som svenska konsumenter inte är medvetna om. Svenska konsumenter är medvetna om produktens ursprung, men rankar variablerna kvalitet och pris högre. Examensarbetets bidrag: Denna studie syftar till, att med hjälp av tidigare forskning och en genomförd undersökning, analysera svenska konsumenters uppfattning av kinesiska hälsoprodukter när det gäller COO-effekten. Dessutom ger den information om hur svenska konsumenter rankar olika variabler vid köp. Studien är unik eftersom den ger insikt om en marknad som ännu inte analyserats med avseende på COO-effekten och med en viss produktgrupp som det inte finns någon forskning om samband av COO-effekter. Studien kommer dessutom att bidra till generell COO-forskning, med vissa avvikelser som härrör från tidigare forskning. Det finns både teoretiska och praktiska bidrag av betydelse, som ger en inblick i svenska konsumenters uppfattning av kinesiska produkter. Förslag till fortsatt forskning: Den här uppsatsen avgränsar sig till den svenska marknaden och riktade in sig på en särskild produktgrupp. Det finns flera andra produktgrupper som ännu inte undersöks med avseende på COO-effekter och dess inverkan på konsumenters uppfattning. Framtida forskning kan jämföra två olika produktgrupper för att analysera de skillnader som finns/inte finns. En jämförelse mellan två (eller flera) olika länder skulle ge en vertikal bild av COO-effekter och en sådan analys skulle öka förståelse för att förstå vilka kulturella skillnader som är avgörande i konsumentbeteende. Nyckelord: Country-of-origin (COO), Country-of-origin effects, Product evaluation, Cultural differences, Made in China, Consumer behaviour, Purchase decision, Trust

Although COO has been a topic of central interest in international marketing research, most work has focused on consumers in western countries. The concept of product usage experience, though often implied in COO research, has yet to be investigated more directly and explicitly. The goal of the study is to examine the relationships among COO perceptions, product usage experience and purchase intention among Chinese consumers. The study examined two kinds of product usage experiences (usage variety and frequency) pertaining to products (products in general and laptop computers in specific) made in two countries (America and China). Empirical data gathered from a survey were used to test two sets of research hypotheses pertaining to America and China respectively. The results supported the hypothesized interactions between COO ratings and product usage experiences in predicting purchase intention of American products among Chinese consumers. The interactions between COO ratings and usage experience in predicting purchase intention of Chinese products among Chinese consumers were partially supported.

Titel: Ledningens karaktärsdrag - effekten på kapitalstrukturEn studie om förhållandena mellan tre individuella chefers karaktärsdrag och företagshävstång  Bakgrund och problematisering: Här diskuteras bakgrunden till studien och enproblematisering kring chefers karaktärsdrag och dess påverkan på kapitalstruktur samt vadsom menas med dessa begrepp. Vidare tar detta kapitel upp det underliggande intresset attförklara sambandet mellan tre chefers karaktärsdrag (CEO, CFO och COO) ochkapitalstruktur. Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att förklara effekten av individuella chefers karaktärsdragpå svenska börsnoterade företags kapitalstruktur. Metod: Företagens kapitalstruktur undersöks genom att använda en kvantitativforskningsmetod med en deduktiv forskningsansats för att identifiera förhållanden mellanchefernas karaktärsdrag och hävstång. Paneldata används från 114 svenska börsnoteradeföretag över en femårsperiod (2014-2018). Studien fann totalt 179 chefer varav 87 CEO:s, 73CFO:s och 19 COO:s. Den insamlade datan testas genom regressionsanalyser där paneldataregressioner med random effects-modellen och robusta standardfel utförs. Slutsats: Resultaten från testerna visar på både signifikanta och icke-signifikantaförhållanden mellan de tre chefernas karaktärsdrag och företagens kapitalstruktur, mätt somhävstång. Det finns därmed bevis som tyder på att olika karaktärsdrag hos individuella cheferpåverkar företags kapitalstruktur.