To read this content please select one of the options below:

The relevance of geographic origin in sustainability challenge: the facets of country ecological image

Sihem Dekhili (University of Strasbourg, AgroParisTech, CNRS, INRAE, BETA, Strasbourg, France)
Roberta Crouch (College of Business, Government and Law, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia)
Omar El Moussawel (University of Strasbourg, AgroParisTech, CNRS, INRAE, BETA, Strasbourg, France)

Journal of Consumer Marketing

ISSN: 0736-3761

Article publication date: 30 August 2021

Issue publication date: 22 September 2021

608

Abstract

Purpose

Whilst country-of-origin (COO) effects have been studied extensively since the 1960s, little research has explored these effects with respect to ecological considerations. The purpose of this paper is to explore the COO ecological image (CEI) construct by defining its facets across consumers and professionals from two different countries, namely, France and Australia.

Design/methodology/approach

Because of the exploratory nature of the research, the authors used two qualitative techniques, namely, semi-structured interviews and focus groups.

Findings

Findings indicate the CEI construct is composed of eight dimensions, namely, policy, technological, economic, people characteristics, natural, climatic, historical and eco-product features.

Research limitations/implications

The research provides insights into the CEI construct and justifies future studies to develop a scale measure for it. However, the generalisability of the results must be considered limited due to the qualitative exploratory nature of the study.

Practical implications

The research offers implications for companies and policymakers by allowing them to understand how consumers form a CEI. It suggests new applications respective to how to leverage positive aspects of a CEI and how to mitigate negative ones.

Originality/value

The study extends the literature on COO by identifying the possible dimensions of the CEI construct, thus providing better insights into the little-explored link between COO and sustainable products.

Keywords

Citation

Dekhili, S., Crouch, R. and El Moussawel, O. (2021), "The relevance of geographic origin in sustainability challenge: the facets of country ecological image", Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 38 No. 6, pp. 664-678. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCM-05-2020-3797

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited

Related articles