This paper delves into the role of social and environmental country images—along with other relevant product-country influencing factors—in consumers’ reluctance to buy foreign products. Two integrative research models are proposed and tested on Spanish consumers’ reluctance to buy Chinese apparel products. In doing so, the authors draw on and seek to advance theory and knowledge on country-of-origin (COO) effects and anti-consumption. The findings reveal the importance of social and environmental, as well as political-economic issues, in measuring (China’s) foreign country image. Yet, a disaggregated analysis discovered differential effects of the three country image factors examined, that is, as factors indirectly influencing reluctance to buy. The findings are also supportive of the importance of three additional COO influence mechanisms—cognitive (foreign product judgments), affective (country animosity) and normative influences (consumer ethnocentrism)—for consumers’ reluctance to buy foreign products. Implications of the study for research, policy, and practice are discussed.
AjzenIcek (1991), “The Theory of Planned Behavior,” Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50 (2), 179–211.
2.
AndersonJames C.GerbingDavid W. (1988), “Structural Equation Modelling in Practice: A Review and Recommended Two-step Approach,” Psychological Bulletin, 103 (3), 411–23.
3.
BagozziRichard P.YiYoujae (1988), “On the Evaluation of Structural Equation Models,” Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 16 (1), 74–94.
4.
BandyopadhyaySubirWongtadaNittayaRiceGillian (2011), “Measuring the Impact of Inter-Attitudinal Conflict on Consumer Evaluations of Foreign Products,” Journal of Consumer Marketing, 28 (3), 211–24.
5.
BrijsKrisBloemerJoséeKasperHans (2011), “Country-Image Discourse Model: Unraveling Meaning, Structure, and Function of Country Images,” Journal of Business Research, 64 (12), 1259–69.
6.
BraunsbergerKarinBucklerBrian (2011), “What Motivates Consumers to Participate in Boycotts: Lessons from the Ongoing Canadian Seafood Boycott,” Journal of Business Research, 64 (1), 96–102.
7.
ChangNai-JenFongCher-Min (2010), “Green Product Quality, Green Corporate Image, Green Customer Satisfaction, and Green Customer Loyalty,” African Journal of Business Management, 4 (13), 2836–44.
8.
ChatzidakisAndreasLeeMichael S. W. (2013), “Anti-Consumption as the Study of Reasons Against,” Journal of Macromarketing, 33 (3), 190–203.
9.
ChenYu-Shan (2008), “The Driver of Green Innovation and Green Image—Green Core Competence,” Journal of Business Ethics, 81 (3), 531–43.
10.
CherrierHelene (2009), “Anti-Consumption Discourses and Consumer-Resistant Identities,” Journal of Business Research, 62 (2), 181–90.
11.
ChryssochoidisGeorgeKrystallisAthanassiosPerreasPanagiotis (2007), “Ethnocentric Beliefs and Country-of-Origin (COO) Effect: Impact of Country, Product and Product Attributes on Greek Consumers’ Evaluation of Food Products,” European Journal of Marketing, 41 (11/12), 1518–44.
12.
ChurchillGilbert A.Jr (1979), “A Paradigm for Developing Better Measures of Marketing Constructs,” Journal of Marketing Research, 16 (1), 64–73 .
13.
CohenJacob (1988), Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences, 2nd ed. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
DarlingJohn R.WoodVan R. (1990), “A Longitudinal Study Comparing Perceptions of US and Japanese Consumer Products in a Third/Neutral Country: Finland 1975 to 1985,” Journal of International Business Studies, 21 (3), 427–50.
16.
DouglasSusan P.NijssenEdwin J. (2003), “On the Use of “Borrowed” Scales in Cross-National Research: A Cautionary Note,” International Marketing Review, 20 (6), 621–42.
17.
ElliotStatiaPapadopoulosNicolasKimSamuel S. (2011), “An Integrative Model of Place Image: Exploring Relationships between Destination, Product, and Country Images,” Journal of Travel Research, 50 (5), 520–34.
18.
EttensonRichardKleinJill G. (2005), “The Fallout from French Nuclear Testing in the South Pacific—A Longitudinal Study of Consumer Boycotts,” International Marketing Review, 22 (2), 199–224.
European Commission (2013a), “Flash Eurobarometer 358: Consumer Attitudes towards Cross-Border Trade and Consumer Protection,” (accessed May 16, 2014), [available athttp://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/flash/fl_358_en.pdf].
21.
European Commission (2013b), “Flash Eurobarometer 367: Attitudes of Europeans towards Building the Single Market for Green Products,” (accessed May 16, 2014), [available athttp://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/flash/fl_367_en.pdf].
22.
FishbeinMartinAjzenIcek (1975), Belief, Attitude, Intention and Behavior: An Introduction to Theory and Research. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
23.
FornellClaesLarckerDavid F. (1981), “Structural Equation Models with Unobservable Variables and Measurement Error: Algebra and Statistics,” Journal of Marketing Research, 18 (1), 382–88.
24.
FunkCharles A.ArthursJonathan D.TreviñoLen J.JoiremanJeff (2010), “Consumer Animosity in the Global Value Chain: The Effect of International Production Shifts on Willingness to Purchase Hybrid Products,” Journal of International Business Studies, 41 (4), 639–51.
25.
GallarzaMartina G.SauraIrene GilGarcíaHaydée Calderón (2002), “Destination Image: Towards a Conceptual Framework,” Annals of Tourism Research, 29 (1), 56–78.
26.
GibbonsFrederick X.GerrardMegBlantonHartRussellDaniel W. (1998), “Reasoned Action and Social Reaction: Willingness and Intention as Independent Predictors of Health Risk,” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74 (5), 1164–80.
27.
HairJoseph F.AndersonRolph E.TathamRonald L.BlackWilliam C. (1998), Multivariate Data Analysis, 5th ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
28.
HatcherLarry (1994), A Step-by-step Approach to Using the SAS System for Factor Analysis and Structural Equation Modeling. Carey, NC: SAS Institute.
29.
HemphillJames F. (2003), “Interpreting the Magnitudes of Correlation Coefficients,” American Psychologist, 58 (1), 78–80.
30.
HeslopLouise A.LuIrene R. R.CrayDavid (2008), “Modeling Country Image Effects through an International Crisis,” International Marketing Review, 25 (4), 354–78.
31.
HeslopLouise A.NadeauJohnO’ReillyNorm (2010), “China and the Olympics: Views of Insiders and Outsiders,” International Marketing Review, 27 (4), 404–33.
32.
HoggMargaret K.BanisterEmma N. (2001), “Dislikes, Distastes and the Undesired Self: Conceptualising and Exploring the Role of the Undesired End State in Consumer Experience,” Journal of Marketing Management, 17 (1-2), 73–104.
33.
HuangYu-AnPhaoIanLinChad (2010), “Consumer Animosity, Economic Hardship, and Normative Influence: How Do They Affect Consumers’ Purchase Intention?” European Journal of Marketing, 44 (7/8), 909–37.
34.
IyerRajeshMuncyJames A. (2009), “Purpose and Object of Anti-Consumption,” Journal of Business Research, 62 (2), 160–68.
35.
JenkinsOlivia H. (1999), “Understanding and Measuring Tourist Destination Images,” International Journal of Tourism Research, 1, 1–15.
36.
JosiassenAlexanderHarzingAnne-Wil (2008), “Comment: Descending from the Ivory Tower: Reflections on the Relevance and Future of Country-of-Origin Research,” European Management Review, (5) 4, 264–70.
37.
JungKwonAngSwee HoonLeongSiew MengTanSoo JiuanPornpitakpanChanthikaKeng KauAh (2002), “A Typology of Animosity and Its Cross-National Validation,” Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 33 (6), 525–39.
38.
KimHyunsookChooJung HoYoonNamhee (2013), “The Motivational Drivers of Fast Fashion Avoidance,” Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, 17 (2), 243–60.
39.
KleinJill G. (2002), “Us versus Them, Or Us versus Everyone? Delineating Consumer Aversion to Foreign Goods,” Journal of International Business Studies, 33 (2), 345–63.
40.
KleinJill G.EttensonRichardMorrisMarlene (1998), “The Animosity Model of Foreign Product Purchase: An Empirical Test in the People’s Republic of China,” Journal of Marketing, 62 (1), 89–100.
41.
KlineRex B. (1998), Principles and Practice of Structural Equation Modeling. New York: Guilford Press.
42.
KozinetsRobert V.HandelmanJay M.LeeMichael S. W. (2010), “Don’t Read This; or, Who Cares What the Hell Anticonsumption Is, Anyways?” Consumption Markets and Culture, 13 (3), 225–33.
43.
LarocheMichelPapadopoulosNicolasHelsopLouise A.MouraliMehdi (2005), “The Influence of Country Image Structure on Consumer Evaluations of Foreign Products,” International Marketing Review, 22 (1), 96–115.
44.
LeeMichael S. W.MotionJudithConroyDenise (2009), “Anti-Consumption and Brand Avoidance,” Journal of Business Research, 62 (2), 169–80.
45.
LeonidouLeonidas C.PalihawadanaDayanandaTaliasMichael A. (2007), “British Consumers’ Evaluations of US versus Chinese Goods,” European Journal of Marketing, 41 (7/8), 786–820.
46.
Leong SiewMengCoteJoseph A.AngSwee HongTanSoo JiuanJungKwonKeng KauAhPornpitakpanChanthika (2008), “Understanding Consumer Animosity in an International Crisis: Nature, Antecedents, and Consequences,” Journal of International Business Studies, 39, 996–1009.
47.
LiXianguoYangJingWangXiaLeiDa (2012), “The Impact of Country-of-Origin Image, Consumer Ethnocentrism and Animosity on Purchase Intention,” Journal of Software, 7 (10), 2263–68.
48.
LiefeldJohn P. (2004), “Consumer Knowledge and Use of Country-of-Origin Information at the Point of Purchase,” Journal of Consumer Behavior, 4 (2), 85–87.
49.
LuqueTeodoroIbáñezJosé A.BarrioSalvador del (2000), “Consumer Ethnocentrism Measurement: An Assessment of the Reliability and Validity of the CETSCALE in Spain,” European Journal of Marketing, 34 (11/12), 1353–73.
50.
MaJunWangSijunHaoWei (2012), “Does Cultural Similarity Matter? Extending the Animosity Model from a New Perspective,” Journal of Consumer Marketing, 29 (5), 319–32.
51.
MaherAmro A.CarterLarry L. (2011), “The Affective and Cognitive Components of Country Image: Perceptions of American Products in Kuwait,” International Marketing Review, 28 (6), 559–80.
52.
MaherAmro A.ClarkPaulMaherAhmed (2010), “International Consumer Admiration and the Persistence of Animosity,” Journal of Consumer Marketing, 27 (5), 414–24.
53.
MaherAmro A.MadySarah (2010), “Animosity, Subjective Norms, and Anticipated Emotions during and International Crisis,” International Marketing Review, 27 (6), 630–51.
54.
MartinIngrid M.ErogluSevgin (1993), “Measuring a Multi-Dimensional Construct: Country Image,” Journal of Business Research, 28 (3), 191–210.
55.
MradSelima B.ShengShirley YeHartLaura K. (2013), “Do Rumblings Lead to Real Action? A Case of Animosity and Boycott in China,” International Journal of China Marketing, 3 (2), 35–48.
56.
NadeauJohnHeslopLouise A.O’ReillyNormLukPeter (2008), “Destination in a Country Image Context,” Annals of Tourism Research, 35 (1), 84–106.
57.
NakosGeorge E.HadjimitriouYannis A. (2007), “The Impact of National Animosity on Consumer Purchases: The Modifying Factor of Personal Characteristics,” Journal of International Consumer Marketing, 19 (3), 53–72.
58.
NijssenEdwin J.DouglasSusan P. (2004), “Examining the Animosity Model in a Country with a High Level of Foreign Trade,” International Journal of Research in Marketing, 21 (1), 23–38.
59.
NunnallyJum C.BernsteinIra H. (1994), Psychometric Theory. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
60.
ObereckerEva M.DiamantopoulosAdamantios (2011), “Consumers’ Emotional Bonds with Foreign Countries: Does Consumer Affinity Affect Behavioral Intentions?” Journal of International Marketing, 19 (2), 45–72.
61.
PappuRaviQuesterPascale G.CookseyRay W. (2007),” Country Image and Consumer Based Brand Equity: Relationships and Implications for International Marketing,” Journal of International Business Studies, 38 (5), 726–45.
62.
PassowTanjaFehlmannRolfGrahlowHeike (2005), “Country Reputation—From Measurement to Management: The Case of Liechtenstein,” Corporate Reputation Review, 7 (4), 309–26.
63.
PoonPatrickEvangelistaFelicitasAlbaumGerald (2010), “Attitudes of Migrants towards Foreign-Made Products: An Exploratory Study of Migrants in Australia,” Journal of Consumer Marketing, 27 (1), 35–42.
64.
RichetinJuliettePeruginiMarcoConnerMarkAdjaliIqbalHurlingRobertSenguptaAbhijitGreethamDanica (2012), “To Reduce and Not to Reduce Resource Consumption? That Is Two Questions,” Journal of Environmental Psychology, 32 (2012), 112–22.
65.
RieflerPetraDiamantopoulosAdamantios (2007), “Consumer Animosity: A Literature Review and a Reconsideration of its Measurement,” International Marketing Review, 24 (1), 87–119.
66.
RoseMeiRoseGregory M.ShohamAviv (2009), “The Impact of Consumer Animosity on Attitudes towards Foreign Goods: A Study of Jewish and Arab Israelis,” Journal of Consumer Marketing, 26 (5), 330–39.
67.
RothKatarina P.DiamantopoulossAdamantios (2009), “Advancing the Country Image Concept,” Journal of Business Research, 62 (7), 726–40.
68.
SamieeSaeedShimpTerence A.SharmaSubhash (2005), “Brand Origin Recognition Accuracy: Its Antecedents and Consumers’ Cognitive Limitations,” Journal of International Business Studies, 36 (4), 379–97.
69.
ShankarmaheshMahesh N. (2006), “Consumer Ethnocentrism: An Integrative Review of Its Antecedents and Consequences,” International Marketing Review, 23 (2), 146–72.
70.
ShimpTerence A.SharmaSubhash (1987), “Consumer Ethnocentrism: Construction and Validation of the CETSCALE”, Journal of Marketing Research, 24 (3), 280–89.
71.
ShohamAvivDavidowMosheKleinJillRuvioAyalla (2006), “Animosity in the Home Front: The Intifada in Israel and Its Impact on Consumer Behavior,” Journal of International Marketing, 14 (3), 92–114.
72.
Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (2013), “Estadísticas del Comercio Exterior,” (accessed February 20, 2013), [available athttp://datacomex.comercio.es/].
73.
StraubDetmar W. (1989), “Validating Instruments in MIS Research,” MIS Quarterly, 13 (2), 147–68.
74.
SuhTaewonKwonIk-Whan G. (2002), “Globalization and Reluctant Buyers,” International Marketing Review, 19 (6), 663–80.
75.
VerleghPeter W. J.BenedictJanSteenkampE. M. (1999), “A Review and Meta-Analysis of Country-of-Origin Research,” Journal of Economic Psychology, 20 (5), 521–46.
76.
WangChen LuLiDongjinBarnesBradley L.AhnJongseok (2012). “Country Image, Product Image and Consumer Purchase Intention: Evidence from an Emerging Country”, International Business Review, 21 (6), 1041–51.
77.
WebbThomas L.SheeranPaschal (2006). “Does Changing Behavioral Intentions Engender Behavior Change? A Meta-Analysis of the Experimental Evidence,” Psychological Bulletin, 132 (2), 249–68.
