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Confined to samples of middle‐class consumers in the PRC (1981) and Thailand (1974) this comparative study included questions concerning awareness, attitudes and experiences of PRC Chinese, Thai‐Chinese and Thais in the area of perceived risk and search for and satisfaction with product information. A major finding is that in these regards the Thai‐Chinese are clearly closer to the Thai than to the Chinese consumers.

This is a very special issue of the International Marketing Review. It is, in effect, a sampler of the symposium on comparative research held under the auspices of Division 23, Consumer Psychology, of the American Psychological Association and the College of Business Administration of the University of Hawaii in Honolulu December 1984. The purpose of the issue is to emphasize five points, namely that:

The world's most populous nation has taken on the mission of a giant laboratory in political economy. This “thoughtpiece” describes the recent economic experiments in China, and analyses current and potential developments as approximating a society of market socialism, a hybrid variety of socio‐economic system never truly tested anywhere else. Some of the issues confronting such a society are raised. Implications to Western companies interested in doing business in the markets of the PRC are also briefly discussed.

Examines and reviews the roles of the principal types of consumer information services – these are: those which offer comparative testing; labelling; and quality certification in the interests of consumers. Proposes that the purpose here is to analyse points of intersect and interaction between the three types of consumer information programmes and to discuss the extent to which they may lend themselves to integration within an overall consumer information system. Sums up that consumer information programmes themselves thrive in systems where there is a perpetual interplay of competition and co‐operation, independence and co‐ordination.

This chapter complements the one that appeared as “History of the AIB Fellows: 1975–2008” in Volume 14 of this series (International Business Scholarship: AIB Fellows on the First 50 Years and Beyond, Jean J. Boddewyn, Editor). It traces what happened under the deanship of Alan Rugman (2011–2014) who took many initiatives reported here while his death in July 2014 generated trenchant, funny, and loving comments from more than half of the AIB Fellows. The lives and contributions of many other major international business scholars who passed away from 2008 to 2014 are also evoked here: Endel Kolde, Lee Nehrt, Howard Perlmutter, Stefan Robock, John Ryans, Vern Terpstra, and Daniel Van Den Bulcke.

Makes an attempt to compare the consumer market ecosystems of the less developed countries (LDC) and the more developed countries (MDC). Says that a so little research and analysis has been done of LDC markets from the consumers' perspective it is logical to set the stage for comparison using the Thai marketplace based on the study. Considers the problems and risks involved in LDC areas affecting both buyers and sellers. Examines in great detail the market system involving the largest and smallest types of Thai transactions in city and village areas. Gives out in great detail all the information within the available parameters and tabulates this is great style. Concludes that the observation of the LDC market systems were used even though these were not always of good repute.

The attitudes and perceptions of New Zealanders toward current consumerism issues are outlined and compared with four other countries. Many of the opinions expressed are critical of the existing practices of business and appear to be common in the other four countries. The theory of consumer product life cycle suggesting the development of national consumer movements was not supported by the data obtained in New Zealand.

The relative importance of country of origin, product warranty, and retail store image on consumers′ product quality perception, overall attitude toward the product, and purchase intentions is investigated. A 2x2x2 full factorial design with two levels (high and low) of country of origin, warranty and retail store image is utilised. ANOVA results show that country of origin and warranty cues have significant impacts on the three dependent measures. The interaction effects of all three independent variables are significant for the quality perception and overall attitude towards the product but are not significant for the purchase intentions. In addition excellent warranty terms combined with store reputation has a greater impact on the dependent variables than the country‐of‐origin cue. Managerial implications of the research findings are discussed.

The proposed approach to international segmentation capitalises on the inherent similarities across groups of consumers in different countries. By making the customers and not countries the basis of a firm's international marketing strategy, this approach not only facilitates increased consumer orientation, but also offers the potential to optimise the profits of a multinational firm at a global level.

The premise is that simulation is a dynamic model of reality systems. This chapter proceeds with an operational definition of a simulation embodying a virtual world representing the real world of international business (IB) operations. The inference is made that participating “Company teams” of students get a pilot experience of running a multinational enterprise (MNE) and, what is more, an understanding of the problems and challenges faced by the MNEs as well as their regulators and customers. The dynamics inherent in simulation puts actual implementation of strategy in focus, setting it apart from traditional case discussion. Features beyond the inherent dynamics of IB simulations are discussed in some detail. The conclusion is drawn that such simulations should have a prominent role in IB curricula. Ideally, they bring to bear experiential learning from practice.