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Article
Publication date: 12 July 2022

Sedki Karoui, Samy Belaid and Romdhane Khemakhem

Religious tendencies have increased in post-Arab Spring countries, raising the question of whether this geopolitical event has affected consumers' orientations towards foreign…

Abstract

Purpose

Religious tendencies have increased in post-Arab Spring countries, raising the question of whether this geopolitical event has affected consumers' orientations towards foreign products, including those that have positive country-of-origin image. This paper investigates the effect of Islamic religiosity on the relationship between consumer ethnocentrism and buying intention towards products from a developed country (France) in an Arab Spring country (Tunisia).

Design/methodology/approach

A survey questionnaire was lunched and data was collected from 492 Tunisian consumers living in both rural and urban areas. Research hypotheses were tested using a Partial Least Square- Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) method.

Findings

Tunisian consumers do not associate their ethnocentric feelings towards French products with their Islamic religiosity. Results show that both highly and moderately religious Tunisians trust French products because of their high country-of-origin image and their potential social connotations.

Originality/value

The results of this paper contribute to the literature that focuses on understanding consumption behaviours in developing countries in the aftermath of geopolitical events such as the Arab Spring.

Details

International Journal of Emerging Markets, vol. 18 no. 12
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1746-8809

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 November 2020

Rim Ghezal and Romdhane Khemakhem

This study aims to develop a conceptual model to examine the impact of four organizational factors (expatriate managers, stakeholder engagement, corporate social mission and…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to develop a conceptual model to examine the impact of four organizational factors (expatriate managers, stakeholder engagement, corporate social mission and demand management) on the social response activities and their subsequent effect on corporate social performance among subsidiaries of multinational enterprises (MNEs) in Tunisia, characterized as a small African economy.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses data collected from 115 subsidiaries established in an African country – Tunisia. It also applies a partial least square regression to test the hypotheses proposed in a comprehensive framework.

Findings

This study reveals that each of these factors, with the exception of expatriate managers, is found to positively influence the adoption of social response activities by MNE’s subsidiaries. In addition, involvement in such activities is also important in enhancing social performance concerning employees and customers.

Originality/value

Despite years of encouragement from scholars and theorists, studies across Africa have generally shown no interest in corporate social response as a strategic process that safeguards the well-being of host society. This paper proposes a comprehensive model for identifying the antecedents and one consequence of corporate social response activities of MNE’s subsidiaries. Stakeholder theory is used as a theoretical lens to develop a corporate social response framework.

Details

Review of International Business and Strategy, vol. 31 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2059-6014

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 May 2019

Sedki Karoui and Romdhane Khemakhem

This study aims to better understand the Islamic consumption incentives because the spectacular flourishing of the halal market in different places around the world has grown the…

1605

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to better understand the Islamic consumption incentives because the spectacular flourishing of the halal market in different places around the world has grown the interest in understanding and deciphering the mechanisms behind its development.

Design/methodology/approach

Through an exploratory study of some Tunisia-based Islamic groups’ purchasing behavior, this paper investigates factors leading to the purchasing of halal goods (Islamic consumption).

Findings

Findings show that the Islamic consumer is more of an Islamist than simply a Muslim. In addition, findings show that halal consumption is not merely related to religious affiliations but also the product of numerous cultural, social and psychological factors.

Originality/value

In addition to Islamism and Islamic activism, this paper puts in evidence the role of some post-structural factors such as identity, nostalgia and hedonism in relation to the buying intention of halal products and services.

Details

Journal of Islamic Marketing, vol. 10 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1759-0833

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 February 2010

Romdhane Khemakhem

Managers involved with export marketing are concerned first with entry mode decisions for their foreign expansions. The purpose of this paper is to examine the key factors that…

3830

Abstract

Purpose

Managers involved with export marketing are concerned first with entry mode decisions for their foreign expansions. The purpose of this paper is to examine the key factors that influence the exporting firm's foreign market entry mode choice. It aims to test empirically the hypothesized relation between three kinds of determinants – i.e. transaction costs, export behavior, and channel environment – and the likelihood of selecting an integrated as opposed to an independent mode.

Design/methodology/approach

Through an analytical review, research hypotheses were built. An empirical investigation was carried out among 420 exporting firms, which were surveyed to explore the determinants of their entry mode choice decision. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis are employed to extract and test key influential factors on the basis of the data of this sample. Then, logistic regression models are used to determine the likelihood relationships between the exporting mode and the declined variables.

Findings

The results show that not all constructs hypothesized with the entry mode relationship were introduced into the model, and only three variables were retained that were significant in predicting the entry mode choice: two transaction costs variables and one export behavior variable. None of the channel environment variables was maintained by the main effects model; they constituted only pure moderators of the relationship between the transaction costs factors and the entry mode choice decision.

Research limitations/implications

Although probably classified within the category of classical research, the paper can easily contribute to the current literature in more than one way. But the research does contain certain limitations, mainly with sampling procedures. The main limitation is that the sample was one of convenience and did not respect the heterogeneous character of the subjects, with the result that the different empirical tests are not easily generalizable.

Practical implications

This research should help managers to identify some of the circumstances under which direct exporting modes might be deployed to enhance international marketing performance in foreign markets. Direct exporting should be considered in the area of small and medium‐sized exporting firms at the outside of a new industrialized economy. It might be concerned within an adaptive marketing approach where the environment pressures have only moderating effects.

Originality/value

The paper offers interesting insight into the decision tools in international marketing. Principally, the empirical study makes a major contribution to the limited body of empirical knowledge on entry mode choice for the exporting activities of small and medium‐sized enterprises in the context of an emerging economy. It points out the fundamental value of the transaction costs approach and verifies the theoretical assumptions of the moderating effects of the environment variables.

Details

European Journal of Marketing, vol. 44 no. 1/2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0309-0566

Keywords

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