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

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

The 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.

Titel: Sambandet mellan country-of-origin och svenska konsumenters varumärkeslojalitet och priskänslighet – En kvantitativ studie om huruvida svenska konsumenters associationer till Sverige kan påverka deras lojalitet och priskänslighet mot svenska livsmedelsvarumärken. Nivå: Examensarbete på Grundnivå (kandidatexamen) i ämnet företagsekonomi. Författare: Julia Nordin &amp; Emilia Tušetić Handledare: Blanca Astrid Moreno Datum: 2023 – maj Syfte: I tider då matvarupriser stiger ändrar svenska konsumenter ofta sina köpbeteenden. Tidigare studier har dock visat att varumärkeslojala konsumenter generellt är mindre priskänsliga. Andra studier har även diskuterat om ett varumärkes ursprungsland kan ses som en betydande faktor som gör kunden mer lojal och därmed mindre benägen att byta till ett billigare varumärke då priserna stiger. Få studier har däremot gjorts i svensk kontext, varför denna studie finner ett stort intresse i att undersöka vilket samband country-of-origin har med svenska konsumenters lojalitet och priskänslighet för svenska livsmedelsvarumärken. Studiens frågeställningar blir således: Vilket samband har country-of-origin med svenska konsumenters lojalitet för svenska livsmedelsvarumärken, samt vilken effekt har country-of-origin på valet av svenska livsmedelsvarumärken när dessa ökar i pris?  Metod: Studien grundar sig i den positivistiska forskningsfilosofin med en hypotetisk-deduktiv forskningsansats. Studien åtar en kvantitativ strategi med en surveydesign som bidragit med data från 135 respondenter. Datamaterialet har sedan analyserats i statistikprogrammet SPSS. Resultat &amp; Slutsats: Studiens resultat visar att country-of-origin inte har något signifikant samband med svenska konsumenters lojalitet för svenska livsmedelsvarumärken men att det finns ett positivt signifikant samband mellan country-of-origin och svenska konsumenters val av svenska livsmedelsvarumärken. Studien kunde också fastställa att svenska konsumenter med positiva attityder till Sverige, svenskar och människor som köper kött från svenska varumärken, är mindre priskänsliga beträffande svenska livsmedelsvarumärken än konsumenter med negativa attityder. Examensarbetets bidrag: Examensarbetet har bidragit till det företagsekonomiska forskningsområdet såväl teoretiskt som praktiskt genom att visa vilket samband som finns mellan svenska konsumenters associationer till Sverige och deras lojalitet och priskänslighet mot svenska livsmedelsvarumärken. Kunskapen om de prisrelaterade konsekvenserna av ett varumärkes ursprungsland kan komma till användning när prissättningsstrategier eller strategier för marknadskommunikation ska utformas, framför allt då prisnivån stiger och konsumenternas köpbeteende förändras.  Förslag till fortsatt forskning: Denna undersökning har gjorts på ett begränsat urval av respondenter. Av denna anledning föreslås att framtida forskning tar del av ett heterogent sannolikhetsurval med ett större antal respondenter. Det finns även möjlighet att utvidga studien till att omfatta andra dimensioner av varumärkeslojalitet, andra produktkategorier och produktklasser, konsumentens grad av etnocentricitet, samt andra länder. / Title: The relationship between country-of-origin and Swedish consumers' brand loyalty and price sensitivity – A quantitative study on whether Swedish consumers' associations with Sweden can influence their loyalty and price sensitivity towards Swedish food brands. Level: Student thesis, final assignment for Bachelor Degree in Business Administration.  Authors: Julia Nordin &amp; Emilia Tušetić Supervisor: Blanca Astrid Moreno Date: 2023 – may Aim: In times when food prices are rising, Swedish consumers often change their purchasing behavior by buying less or by switching to cheaper brands. However, previous studies argue that brand loyal consumers are less price sensitive. Other studies have also discussed whether a brand's country of origin is a significant factor that can make the customer more loyal to a brand, and thus less inclined to switch to a cheaper brand as prices are rising. However, few studies have been done in a swedish context, which is why this study finds great interest in investigating the relationship between the country of origin of a brand and Swedish consumers' loyalty and price sensitivity for Swedish food brands. The research questions are: What relationship does country-of-origin have with Swedish consumers' loyalty to Swedish food brands, and what effect does country-of-origin have on the choice of Swedish food brands when these increase in price? Method: The study is based on the positivist research philosophy with a hypothetical-deductive research approach. The study adopts a quantitative strategy with a survey design that contributed data from 135 respondents. The data has then been analyzed in the statistical program SPSS. Results &amp; Conclusion: The results of the study show that country-of-origin has no significant relationship with Swedish consumers' loyalty to Swedish food brands, but that there is a positive significant relationship between country-of-origin and Swedish consumers' choice of Swedish food brands. The study was also able to determine that Swedish consumers with positive attitudes towards Sweden, Swedish people and people who buy food from Swedish brands, are less price sensitive regarding Swedish food brands than consumers with negative attitudes. Contribution of the thesis: This thesis has contributed to the business economics research area both theoretically and practically by showing the connection between Swedish consumers' associations to Sweden and their loyalty and price sensitivity towards Swedish food brands. The knowledge of price-related consequences of a brand's country of origin can be used when pricing strategies or marketing communication strategies are to be designed, especially when the price level rises and consumers' buying behavior changes. Suggestions for future research: This survey has been conducted on a limited sample of respondents. For this reason, it is suggested that future research includes a heterogeneous probability sample with a larger number of respondents. It is also possible to include other dimensions of brand loyalty, different product categories and product classes, the customer's level of ethnocentricity, and other countries.

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

Though grocery shopping is largely done by habit, consumers are provided with continuous information aiming to inform and persuade them to make active choices. Online grocery shopping offers further ways for consumers to find, evaluate and compare products with just a few clicks. Country of origin labelling (COOL), providing consumers with further information, has gained popularity over recent years. What influences consumers to actively choose COOL products has been researched, but specifically Swedish consumers’ evaluation of COOL online has remained unexplored. The aim of the current study is to contribute to the understanding of consumers’ evaluation of COOL in the online environment, particularly for Swedish consumers. A survey was distributed and the answers analysed in order to evaluate Swedish consumers’ perceptions of COOL in the online environment. The results suggest that Swedish consumers value COOL highly, since it aligns with their values. Those who have a higher interest in COOL pay less attention to price, and they are willing to pay more for Swedish products. Additionally, more ways to find and filter products online based on country of origin, is desired amongst consumers who value COOL. / Trots att mathandel ofta görs på ren vana, så förses konsumenter med massor av information med syfte att informera och övertyga de att göra aktiva val. Mathandel online erbjuder ytterligare sätt för konsumenter att hitta, utvärdera och jämföra produkter med endast ett par klick. Ursprungsmärkning, som förser konsumenter med än mer information, har vuxit i popularitet de senaste åren. Det har forskats kring vad som influerar en konsument att aktivt välja ursprungsmärkta produkter, men svenska konsumenters värdering av ursprungsmärkning i onlinehandeln har förblivit outforskat. Syftet med denna studie är att bidra till förståelsen för konsumenters värdering av ursprungsmärkning i onlinemiljö, specifikt med hänsyn till svenska konsumenter. En enkät användes för att utvärdera och analysera svenska konsumenters uppfattning av ursprungsmärkningar i onlinemiljö. Resultatet antyder att svenska konsumenter värderar ursprungsmärkta produkter högt, då de efterlever deras värderingar. De som har ett större intresse för ursprungsmärkningar lägger mindre vikt vid pris och är villiga att betala mer för svenska produkter. Dessutom efterfrågas fler tillvägagångssätt för att hitta och filtrera produkter online baserat på ursprung bland konsumenter som värderar ursprungsmärkningar.

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

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

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

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