Does country‐of‐origin matter to Generation Y?
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine how members of American Generation Y cohort feel about the USA and the USA's major trading partners. In addition, the study's purpose is to find out whether product's country‐of‐origin (COO) plays a role when members of Generation Y evaluate products.
Design/methodology/approach
Undergraduate university students are used as sample in this study. Experiment with 18 conditions is utilized to collect that data. Linear regression is used to test the hypothesis.
Findings
Results show that animosity toward the country negatively influences COO image and that person's level of cosmopolitanism and ethnocentrism contribute to person's perception of (in)equality when evaluating COO images. Findings also indicate COO significantly influences product judgment and this relationship is moderated by quality of information about the product (positive, negative, or lack of information) and involvement with the product (involved or not involved).
Originality/value
Results from this study show that, in the context of Generation Y, country image still matters and should be considered when developing a product or promotion strategy. Although country image matters, its effect on product judgment has to be examined in conjunction with factors like quality of information about the product and involvement with the product. As such, examining COO effect on its own might be misleading and not paint a completely accurate picture of antecedents to product judgment.
Keywords
Citation
Zdravkovic, S. (2013), "Does country‐of‐origin matter to Generation Y?", Young Consumers, Vol. 14 No. 1, pp. 89-102. https://doi.org/10.1108/17473611311305511
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2013, Emerald Group Publishing Limited