• Asia Marketing Journal
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.69-87
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• 2018

This study examines the linkage between Korean wave, corporate image and country image, perceived quality of products made in the country. To close a gap lacking empirical studies on impacts of corporate image to country image and to further understand impacts of Korean wave, this study conducts survey over Chinese consumers to test the effects of corporate image, Korean wave to the country image, and verify on its effects to perceived quality of the products made in the country. The results show that both corporate image and Korean wave influences to form positive country image of Korea, and perceived quality of Korean made products. The size of effects varies upon products type and stimuli. This study could provide policy makers insights how to promote country image as well as support SMEs for developing overseas markets. Also, it could give marketers valuable implications to develop effective global marketing strategies using cultural assets, country image and salient corporate image.

• International Commerce and Information Review
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.323-341
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• 2006

IThis research meets with empirical results in pursuit of aim as below mentioned. Firstly, it gets a line on two-way effects which have an effect on both (the country image and corporate image) by using the corporate image for the study of the country image. After making an analysis of the empirical test, found out that the corporate image has influence upon the country image significantly. Also found out that the country image has an effect on the corporate image powerfully. Therefore, it effects an inspection of evidence that the country image and corporate image have significantly positive concern, each other. Secondly, it is offering the way to use the culture marketing as grasping the mediating effects, which culture difference has influence upon the country image and the corporate image. The mediating effects show that the country image has influence on the corporate image more as culture difference is bigger.

• Journal of Korea Trade
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.33-51
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• 2019

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to provide practical implications for Korean companies searching for new market opportunities. From the experimental analysis, the impact of country image on product-country image and purchase intention of Korean products are measured. In addition, this study disaggregates the impacts of country image and product-country image and purchase intention among ethnic groups in South Africa for searching further useful implications. Design/methodology - To examine South African consumers' country image and product-country image towards Korean products, data were collected between June and July 2019 through an online questionnaire, and 335 questionnaires were used for analysis. Firstly, the multivariate analysis was conducted to examine the general tendency of South African consumers' perceptions of country image to Korea, product-country image, and purchase intention among three ethnic group consumers. Then in order to verify the country image model and hypotheses of the study, we analyzed the structural models for each of the three ethnic groups and compared the sizes of the path coefficients for each groups. To compare the difference of path coefficients across ethnic groups, configural invariance, metric invariance, and scalar invariance tests were conducted sequentially. Findings - In the black and white ethnic groups, the country image had a statistically significant impact on product-country image, but it did not affect the purchase intention to Korean products. The product-country image showed a statistically significant impact on the purchase intention to Korean products in both ethnic group. However, in the coloured ethnic group consumer, the country image had a significant effect on the product-country image, but it did not affect the purchase intention of Korean products. In addition, the product-country image did not have a significant influence on the purchase intention of coloured ethnic group consumers unlike black and white ethnic group consumers. The results of this study suggest that even though differences in terms of the impact of CoI on PCI and PI were investigated for the sample of white, coloured, and black respondents, the groups seemed to respond in a reasonably comparable manner. Originality/value - South Africa occupies more than 20% of Africa's total GDP in sub-Saharan Africa and is a hub for Southern African logistics as a hub for Korean companies to enter Africa. However, it is rare to find a study focused on the determinants of consumer behavior in South Africa. In particular, this study disaggregates the impacts of country image and product-country image on consumer behavior across ethnic groups in South Africa. Therefore, this study could provide practical implications for Korean firms which desire to diversify their export markets and pioneer future markets.

• Korea Trade Review
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.55-71
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• 2021

The purpose of this study was to establish the causal structural model among brand image and country image associated with consumers' purchase decision of products. The specific objectives were 1) to analyze the effects of brand image on consumers' purchase decision of products, 2) to analyze the effects of country image on consumers' purchase decision of products, 3) to analyze the effects of brand image on country image, 4) to analyze the mediating effects of country image between brand image and consumers' purchase decision of products. The conclusions of this study are as follows: First, companies must have an advantage strategy for brand image along with country image. To this end, a strategy to promote the brand image through various media is effective. Second, it is necessary to find new transformation through the establishment of brand identity at the corporate level so that consumers can have a good impression on the brand image. Third, it is important for companies to make efforts at the level of brand image and country image to provide consumers with information that can increase expectations and actual satisfaction and to build product reputation. In addition, it is necessary to embody brand images and country images into global marketing mix strategies. Fourth, if companies build a brand image that symbolizes a differentiated culture, the brand image can have a positive effect on consumer purchase decisions. Along with this, companies can further increase their positive effects by developing representative brand image contents. Fifth, this study confirmed that the higher the image level of the manufacturing country in a situation where consumers' preferences are diversifying, the more the brand image leads to consumers' purchasing decisions. Therefore, brand managers are required to build a country image suitable for the existing brand image when advertising at the time of product introduction.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Computer Information Conference
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• 2023.07a
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• pp.709-710
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• 2023

Consumer attitudes and behaviors towards brands are not only related to the perception of corporate brand image but also to factors such as the image of the country of origin, the characteristics of the host country, and consumer individual traits. This article focuses on Chinese multinational companies and aims to study the impact of brand international image and country-of-origin brand image on consumer behavior. A model is constructed with brand international image and country-of-origin brand image as antecedent variables, host country characteristics and consumer traits as moderators, and consumer behavior as the outcome. This study employs a questionnaire survey method targeting foreign residents living in China as participants. The research findings reveal that during the internationalization process, both brand international image and country-of-origin brand image have a significant positive impact on consumer behavior, while host country characteristics and consumer traits play a moderating role. The conclusions of this research enrich the theoretical understanding of brand internationalization and explore the influencing factors of consumer behavior, providing a basis for decision-making for multinational company executives.

• Korean Management Science Review
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.97-108
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• 2010

Previous studies have shown that country image affects consumers' valuation of products. Based on a literature review this paper identifies five dimensions (economic, political, relational, people and cultural image) and purifies them with Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). The data was gathered by using a structured questionnaire from 252 Korean consumers. Among the five dimensions of country image, this paper derives the three factors of country image for four countries (The United States, Japan, Australia, and China) - economic, relational, and cultural image. Then it examines the impacts of the three dimensions of country image on consumers' purchase intention of two industry types : industrial products vs. agricultural products. The result shows there is no difference between both of the two types in the impacts of country image on purchase intention. This implies that for managing the country image it not necessary to develop a communication strategy which is differentiated by industry types.

• THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE & LAW REVIEW
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• v.56
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• pp.3-27
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• 2012

The purpose of this thesis is to develop a relational model which can explain consumer selection for exporting goods and analyze the effect of corporate image on the relations between country image and consumer selection under global trade environment. The specific objectives are as follows: 1) to suggest a concept of consumer selection and measurement criteria, 2) to analyze correlations among country image, corporate image and consumer selection and 3) to find out the effect of corporate image on the relations between country image and consumer selection. The SPSS program for window and LISREL program were used to analyze the data for this study. The statistical method used in this study was the covariance structure analysis estimating parameters by maximum likelihood method. Path coefficients were tested for t-tests with a statistical significance level of .05. The conclusions of this study are as follows. First, significant correlations were observed among all sub-variables proposed in this study. In addition, significant correlations were detected among country image, consumer selection and corporate image. Second, a hypothetical model proposed in this study was mostly appropriate. Country image had a positive direct effect on consumer selection and corporate image with statistical significance. In addition, it has an indirect impact on consumer selection with statistical significance with corporate image as an intervening variable. Third, corporate image had a significant moderation effect in country image-consumer selection relations. As corporate image levels increased, the effect of country image on consumer selection increased as well. In other words, it has been confirmed that if corporate image levels are high, country image could end up with consumer selection.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.159-170
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• 2019

The paper aims to understand the mediating effect of Country Image (CI) on the relationship between consumer cosmopolitanism and consumers' purchase, visit and investment intentions towards a foreign country, considering the moderating effects of ethnocentrism, materialism, product familiarity, and visits to a country in a global market. The study extends research on the global and local consumption by simultaneously analysing the influence of country image dimensions and several moderating effects on consumers' behavioural intentions. Four hundred and fifty-seven valid responses from international consumers were collected through a questionnaire measuring country image dimensions. Findings indicate that cosmopolitanism has a significant and positive effect on foreign consumers' behavioural intentions and country image dimensions mediate this relationship. Moreover, a moderating effect was found for ethnocentrism, materialism, product familiarity, and visits to a country on the relationship between country cognitions and the intentions to visit the country. This study shows the importance of considering cosmopolitanism as a potential segmentation variable in international markets. The results can help managers and policymakers to better understand the image that foreign consumers hold about Portugal, their intentions to buy or invest in the country, as well as to think of Portugal as a tourism destination.

• Human Ecology Research
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.455-472
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• 2013

This paper's aim is to explore how China's country image affects the product evaluations and purchase intentions through three major hypothesize. Four hundred eighty-nine Korean adult consumers, who have the purchase experiences of goods made in China before, were invited to take part in this investigation. Data analyses were conducted by reliability test, confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling with SPSS ver. 19.0 and AMOS ver. 18.0. This study focused on multi-dimensional country image and found that China's country image contains 5 elements (people, evolution, politic, economic and culture). Empirical verification through structural equation modeling indicates that the data offer substantial supports, such that China's country image represents the predominant influence on product evaluations and people, evolution, and politic image showed positive effects. Also, China's country image has a positive influence on the product purchase intentions directly (culture image) and indirectly (people, politics, and evolution image) through the product evaluations. Practical implications of findings will be discussed and suggested as follows. First, this study complements the lack of researches on China among the studies regarding country image. Secondly, research results would help us to understand the perception on China's country image of Korean consumers' and to seek the criteria by which consumers evaluate goods made in China. Finally, this research can help Chinese companies to make market strategies effectively when they entering Korean market by exploring the factors which have strong influences on Korean consumers' purchase behaviors.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.34 no.12
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• pp.2022-2038
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• 2010

Our study was designed to provide some insights on positive country image and the mechanisms of influence that Asian fashion industries can draw upon for future benefit. We focused on a country image and fashion products with Asian ethnic influence. Asian traditional costume elements reflected in contemporary fashion products may be important representative tools for national cultural identity. This study qualitatively investigated how and to what extent country image and additional information influence the evaluation of fashion products influenced by Chinese, Japanese, and Korean traditional dress. We conducted four focus-group interviews (FGI) with 30 students from a fashion program at a university in the United States. We analyzed the evaluation of fashion products influenced by Chinese, Japanese, and Korean traditional dress, and their associations with country image. Our qualitative analysis offered more developed empirical evidence for the various paths through which country image affects the evaluation of fashion products influenced by the ethnic dress of Asians. The results of our study showed that the more direct the source of prior knowledge, the larger the influence on product evaluation. This study showed that certain cues in the evaluation of fashion products with Asian ethnic influence induce changes in the affective state (that stem from the psychological and social nature of fashion products) and illustrate the necessity of considering the affective processes involved in the appropriate use of the country image. In the fashion industry, extrinsic properties such as the country image significantly influence the attitude and purchasing decisions of consumers. The significance of this study lies in its verification of the relationship between the country image and additional information. Modular and situational-contextual influences are also revealed as important factors that deserve more attention, as well as considerations regarding the dimensions of the country image described in attitude theory.