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1 – 10 of 579Miriam Taís Salomão, Susana Costa Silva and José Ricardo Côto
Cosmopolitans transcend their local boundaries by interacting and actively seeking other cultures, and the applications of these characteristics to consumption behaviour is called…
Abstract
Purpose
Cosmopolitans transcend their local boundaries by interacting and actively seeking other cultures, and the applications of these characteristics to consumption behaviour is called consumer cosmopolitanism. To outline inferences on what school leavers would experience, consider or do when planning to study abroad, this paper aims to examine people who have experienced Erasmus concerning the relationship between their level and type of consumer cosmopolitanism and the decisions related to enrolling in the Erasmus programme, which include the decision itself, motivations, choice of destination, pursuing cultural differences and search for different levels of globalisation.
Design/methodology/approach
After proposing a conceptual model, data were collected by surveying undergraduate or postgraduate students. Then a set of multivariate analyses were developed to validate the hypotheses.
Findings
Contrarily to what could be expected, results indicate that consumer cosmopolitanism decreases the likelihood for students to enrol on the programme. Additionally, three types of consumer cosmopolitanism were found: low, cultural and high cosmopolitans. According to results, low cosmopolitans display lower likelihoods of enrolment than the other two types. This evidence supports that intention to enrol is not always a good predictor of behaviour and that a gap is proven here as well. This study also suggests that cosmopolitan consumers do not reveal a preference for countries with similar/different cultures or levels of globalization to that of their own country, but, conversely, experiencing a different culture remains one of the leading motivations for these consumers.
Originality/value
Although cosmopolitanism has been extensively studied in different research fields, its link with the decisions on studying abroad has barely been explored.
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Ankur Srivastava, Nitin Gupta and Nripendra P. Rana
This study investigates the role of consumer cosmopolitanism on consumer attitudes and purchase intentions (PIs) towards foreign and local brands.
Abstract
Purpose
This study investigates the role of consumer cosmopolitanism on consumer attitudes and purchase intentions (PIs) towards foreign and local brands.
Design/methodology/approach
The responses were collected on a structured questionnaire through a consumer survey. The data were then analysed through structural equation modelling (SEM).
Findings
The results depict the positive influence of consumer cosmopolitanism on consumer attitudes towards foreign brands, which positively influences PIs towards foreign brands and negatively influences the PIs of local brands. Further, the mediating role of perceived quality was observed in explaining the consumer preference towards foreign and domestic brands.
Practical implications
Finally, the study concludes by providing implications for marketing scholars and managers of global and local brands.
Originality/value
The paper examines the underlying mechanisms related to consumer cosmopolitanism and its role in influencing the foreign and local brand purchase.
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Byoungho Ellie Jin, Daeun Chloe Shin, Heesoon Yang, So Won Jeong and Jae-Eun Chung
Little is known about Indonesian consumers' acceptance of global brands despite their huge retail market potential. Drawing from Festinger’s (1957) cognitive dissonance theory and…
Abstract
Purpose
Little is known about Indonesian consumers' acceptance of global brands despite their huge retail market potential. Drawing from Festinger’s (1957) cognitive dissonance theory and Schwartz’s (1992) value system, this study aims to examine the effect of Indonesian consumers' religiosity, cosmopolitanism and ethnocentrism on their preference for and purchase intention towards global brands.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from 316 female consumers aged 20 years or older living in Indonesia via a professional online survey firm. The firm sent prospective participants an email invitation with a survey URL. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling were conducted using AMOS 24.0 to test hypotheses.
Findings
The analyses revealed that Indonesian consumers' religiosity increased their ethnocentrism but not cosmopolitanism. Further, ethnocentrism decreased global brand preference without affecting purchase intention towards Korean cosmetics, whereas cosmopolitanism increased both global brand preference and purchase intention towards Korean cosmetics.
Originality/value
The findings show that cosmopolitanism has a stronger influence on global brand preference than ethnocentrism, suggesting ethnocentrism’s diminishing relevance in predicting purchase intention for foreign products. Additionally, religiosity’s effect on ethnocentrism was confirmed.
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Bidit Lal Dey, Sharifah Alwi, Fred Yamoah, Stephanie Agyepongmaa Agyepong, Hatice Kizgin and Meera Sarma
While it is essential to further research the growing diversity in western metropolitan cities, little is currently known about how the members of various ethnic communities…
Abstract
Purpose
While it is essential to further research the growing diversity in western metropolitan cities, little is currently known about how the members of various ethnic communities acculturate to multicultural societies. The purpose of this paper is to explore immigrants’ cosmopolitanism and acculturation strategies through an analysis of the food consumption behaviour of ethnic consumers in multicultural London.
Design/methodology/approach
The study was set within the socio-cultural context of London. A number of qualitative methods such as in-depth interviews, observation and photographs were used to assess consumers’ acculturation strategies in a multicultural environment and how that is influenced by consumer cosmopolitanism.
Findings
Ethnic consumers’ food consumption behaviour reflects their acculturation strategies, which can be classified into four groups: rebellion, rarefaction, resonance and refrainment. This classification demonstrates ethnic consumers’ multi-directional acculturation strategies, which are also determined by their level of cosmopolitanism.
Research limitations/implications
The taxonomy presented in this paper advances current acculturation scholarship by suggesting a multi-directional model for acculturation strategies as opposed to the existing uni-directional and bi-directional perspectives and explicates the role of consumer cosmopolitanism in consumer acculturation. The paper did not engage host communities and there is hence a need for future research on how and to what extent host communities are acculturated to the multicultural environment.
Practical implications
The findings have direct implications for the choice of standardisation vs adaptation as a marketing strategy within multicultural cities. Whilst the rebellion group are more likely to respond to standardisation, increasing adaptation of goods and service can ideally target members of the resistance and resonance groups and more fusion products should be exclusively earmarked for the resonance group.
Originality/value
The paper makes original contribution by introducing a multi-directional perspective to acculturation by delineating four-group taxonomy (rebellion, rarefaction, resonance and refrainment). This paper also presents a dynamic model that captures how consumer cosmopolitanism impinges upon the process and outcome of multi-directional acculturation strategies.
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Nabil Ghantous and Amro A. Maher
Previous literature has reported inconsistent findings regarding the impact of uncertainty avoidance (UA) on intercultural experiences. This includes positive, negative and…
Abstract
Purpose
Previous literature has reported inconsistent findings regarding the impact of uncertainty avoidance (UA) on intercultural experiences. This includes positive, negative and insignificant associations between UA on the one hand and cosmopolitanism or comfort with intercultural service encounters (ICSE) on the other hand. The purpose of this paper is to participate in addressing these contradictions. More specifically, this study examines how UA affects expatriate cosmopolitanism as well as approach of service environments patronized by local customers by introducing two moderators: national identification and perceived discrimination.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors propose a conceptual model based on the results of a literature review. The authors test it with survey data collected from Indian expatriates (n=341) living in Qatar, using structural equation modeling.
Findings
The results corroborate the moderating role of national identification. Under low identification, expatriate consumers engage in a prospective form of uncertainty management, leading them to adopt a more cosmopolitan stance. Under high identification, their uncertainty plays an inhibitory role, reducing their cosmopolitanism and negatively affecting their approach of service places patronized by local consumers. Perceived discrimination did not moderate the impact of UA as expected on either cosmopolitanism or approach.
Originality/value
This paper extends the prior research on UA by testing how two moderators could activate either a prospective or an inhibitory form of uncertainty. It also contributes to research on ICSE, by focusing on customer-to-customer interactions in a multicultural marketplace.
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Shivendra Pandey, Arpita Khare and Preshth Bhardwaj
Cosmopolitanism is on the rise in India and traditionally shoppers have been known to patronize local stores. There is a need therefore to see the effect of cosmopolitanism and…
Abstract
Purpose
Cosmopolitanism is on the rise in India and traditionally shoppers have been known to patronize local stores. There is a need therefore to see the effect of cosmopolitanism and culture in context of loyalty towards local stores. Grocery items constitute major portion of purchase from local stores, therefore, pricing was also considered as a variable affecting store loyalty. The paper aims to discuss this issue.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper used conclusive approach using a structured questionnaire for survey. The sample consisted of 710 respondents. There was almost an equal representation of both genders and also of metropolitan and non-metropolitan consumers.
Findings
Culture and price affected local store loyalty directly. Cosmopolitanism was not found to have direct effect on loyalty. Within cultural dimensions, masculinity emerged as the most dominating trait. Minor modifications in cultural scale and major modifications in local store loyalty and cosmopolitanism are also suggested.
Research limitations/implications
The study focuses only on three factors: price, culture, and cosmopolitanism. It does not examine influence of variables like personal values, lifestyle, and personality on local store loyalty behaviour. The research did not examine relationship between nature and type of product purchase decisions and its impact on store choice.
Practical implications
Local stores need not be unduly worried with the incoming of organized players. The organized players should try to be cheaper and learn some tactics of local stores like customization, etc. There is a case for allowing FDI in multi-brand retail.
Originality/value
Cosmopolitanism not affecting the local store loyalty directly is the original contribution of the paper. The finding casts doubts on the growth strategy of organized retailers who are opening new stores with the thinking that cosmopolitan consumer will shop from them instead of local retailers.
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Ankur Srivastava and M.S. Balaji
Despite the increasing attention on consumers in emerging markets, there is limited research on the emerging market consumers’ evaluation of global brands. The purpose of this…
Abstract
Purpose
Despite the increasing attention on consumers in emerging markets, there is limited research on the emerging market consumers’ evaluation of global brands. The purpose of this paper is to address this research gap by examining the role of consumer dispositions – cosmopolitanism, need for uniqueness and materialism in attitude and purchase intentions toward global brands from emerging vs developed markets.
Design/methodology/approach
A mall intercept method was used to collect responses from shoppers in four major cities in India. The intercept method produced a usable sample of 613 respondents. Each respondent was asked to mark his or her response concerning two global brands – one each from developed and emerging markets separately.
Findings
The findings show that cosmopolitanism and need for uniqueness determine emerging market consumers’ attitude toward global brands. Specifically, the authors find that while cosmopolitanism has a higher positive impact on global brands from the developed market, need for uniqueness has a negative impact on global brands from emerging market.
Research limitations/implications
The study findings show that need for uniqueness negatively affects attitude toward global brands from emerging markets. This presents a significant challenge for global brands from emerging market when competing with the counterparts from developed markets.
Practical implications
The findings show that managers of global brands in emerging markets should develop unique brand positioning that differentiates from international brands. By carefully managing their marketing mix elements (e.g. price, design, distribution), they can induce counter-conformity among consumers for brands that originate in emerging markets.
Originality/value
While prior studies suggest that emerging market consumers prefer foreign brands than domestic brands, little attention was focused on the antecedents for such preference. This study considers consumer dispositions, which were not examined in prior research in addressing this research gap.
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Arpita Khare and Pradeep Kautish
The research examined the influence of cosmopolitanism, global self-identity and online communities on Indian consumers’ green knowledge and consequently, its effect on the…
Abstract
Purpose
The research examined the influence of cosmopolitanism, global self-identity and online communities on Indian consumers’ green knowledge and consequently, its effect on the perception of green apparel product attributes.
Design/methodology/approach
A mall intercept technique was used for data collection in four cities in India. The hypothesized relationships were examined through structural equation modeling.
Findings
Cosmopolitanism, global self-identity and online communities influenced green knowledge. Green knowledge influenced Indian consumers’ perception of green apparel. The results indicate that social conformance and identification with online communities predicted consumers’ understanding of green apparel.
Research limitations/implications
The research focused on green knowledge, cosmopolitanism, online communities and consumers’ perception of green apparel. The role of demographics, culture and product attributes like price, quality, promotions and design were not considered and may provide valuable insights.
Practical implications
Green apparel manufacturers can communicate about the product attributes by linking it with growing global environmental consciousness, cosmopolitanism and global self-identity traits that focus on green consumption. Online communities can be used to inform, educate and promote green apparel.
Social implication
The study will pave the way forward to explore green consumption paradigms among fashion-oriented consumers in the Indian market who drive sustainable behavior.
Originality/value
The research suggested that conformance with global values and identification with online communities can be critical in helping consumers understand green apparel. It examined the importance of offline and online social conformance in evaluating green apparel.
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This paper aims to examine the impacts of consumer ethnocentrism, animosity and cosmopolitanism on the effects of sponsorships on brand affect and brand trust, using latent growth…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the impacts of consumer ethnocentrism, animosity and cosmopolitanism on the effects of sponsorships on brand affect and brand trust, using latent growth modelling (LGM) to disentangle the static and dynamic components of brand affect and brand trust.
Design/methodology/approach
An online panel of UK participants reported their perceptions of a French sponsor at three successive points (before, during and at the end of the 2012 London Olympics). Of the 903 respondents at T1, 694 remained at T2 (76.8 per cent) and 577 (63.9 per cent) remained at T3. Another 302 respondents only at T3 controlled for potential mere measurement effects. The data were analysed using LGM techniques.
Findings
Due to sponsorship effects, brand affect and brand trust increased linearly over time. However, consumer ethnocentrism and animosity negatively moderated these increases. Cosmopolitanism enhanced brand affect but not brand trust.
Research limitations/implications
As market globalisation exposes foreign firms to potential backlash from consumer nationalistic orientations towards their products, sponsorship strategies must consider the interplay between these nationalistic sentiments and sponsorship effects. While foreign sponsors are typically preoccupied with determining the fit between their brand and a local event, they must also consider individual-level nationalistic sentiments. The success of companies in foreign markets depends on creating favourable country-directed consumer attitudes.
Originality/value
Beyond demonstrating the application of LGM to individual-level longitudinal analyses, this study extends sponsorship research by considering a previously unexplored area with key academic and managerial contributions, namely, the role of consumer nationalism in sponsorship effects. The strategic uses and outcomes of international sponsorship must be considered in conjunction with consumers’ perceptions of foreign brands from a nationalistic perspective.
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Using trade tensions as a background scenario, the study aims to investigate the dynamics of coexistence between cosmopolitan trends and the patriotic moods of luxury consumers…
Abstract
Purpose
Using trade tensions as a background scenario, the study aims to investigate the dynamics of coexistence between cosmopolitan trends and the patriotic moods of luxury consumers, and how these feelings interact with both economic animosity and intention to buy luxury products originated in the hostile country.
Design/methodology/approach
The analytical framework was tested through an empirical survey carried out on Russian and Chinese consumers. In total, 766 questionnaires were collected and were analysed using structural equation modelling method.
Findings
Results confirm that patriotic sentiments and economic-based feelings are negatively associated with intentions to buy luxury products that originated in the hostile area. Furthermore, results show that cosmopolitanism positively influences intention to buy. However, the positive effect of patriotism on economic animosity combined with its indirect effect on the intention to buy may reduce the strength of luxury products.
Practical implications
The study has practical implications since it identifies strategic suggestions for luxury companies' managers. More specifically, they have to be aware of the patriotic trends affecting Russian and Chinese consumers and should actively seek to leverage local partners' knowledge in order to better connect with customers' expectations.
Originality/value
The study contributes to a better understanding of the influence exerted by cosmopolitan orientation and patriotic feelings on luxury goods purchase intentions. The study also examines cosmopolitanism and patriotism as antecedents of animosity, which have not been extensively researched in the past with respect to the luxury sector.
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