...1. Introduction This paper presents and discusses how an entrepreneur in this ever changing world strives to become an international firm. This case study of an Omani firm Renaissance Services SAOG (hereafter, Services) explains and shows us the growth on international scale of a family owned business. In order to understand the case, several key components were identified, and were analyzed to see its text book validity. Each component is critically analyzed as the case study progresses. 1.1Introduction of the Firm As an entrepreneurial firm in 1996, Services has progressed immensely across the globe. Its chairman and founder Samir Fancy had a crystal clear vision and by disclosing it to every Tom, Dick and Harry of the firm, Services gradually progressed on international level. The firm is primarily an oil and gas industry services company, and is listed on the Muscat Securities Market in Oman. It has an excellent offshore fleet of vessels, and is counted among the world’s top ten in providing global oil and gas industry service. According to its official website (http://www.renaissanceoman.com), Services has over 12,000 employs, operating in over 16 countries. The 2012 revenue of the firm was US$ 0.67 Billion. Apart from this sector, Services also engages in several other services related sectors, such as marine engineering, media communication, and also engages itself in education and training. The firm also engages itself in Corporate Social Responsibility, by...
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...between information sharing regarding product’s origin on online retail displays and purchase intentions of customers Name Institution Literature Review A majority of the online marketers and retailers tend to try and seek the attention of customers through the use of electronic storefront designs to make sure that they share information regarding their product’s origin. Sellers share information regarding their products on displays in auctions, product offerings, online stores and other digital empowerment platforms. Digital empowerment has increased the relationship between the sellers and the consumers and is still changing with the evolvement of time as more digital channels are evolving (So, Wong & Sculli, 2005). The sellers have changed to digital ways of sharing information on their products with the consumers also adapting to the use of the online and digital platforms to search for information on the products that they intent to purchase (Heijden, Verhagen & Creemers, 2003). This consumer behavior has radically changed the expectations of the consumers towards a drive for better, personalize and innovative products. This is because when the consumers are shopping online or in other retail stores, they tend to seek experiences tailored to their specific and unique needs and wants (Nagashima, 1970). Consumers have become digitally empowered and increasingly savvy in their purchase intentions. A product’s country of origin has a significant influence on the purchase...
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...European Commission, DG Internal Market and Services Unit E2 STUDY ON THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF THE ELECTRONIC COMMERCE DIRECTIVE FINAL REPORT | 7 SEPTEMBER 2007 Study on The Economic Impact of the Electronic Commerce Directive COLOPHON Authors Dr. Claus Kastberg Nielsen, Mr. Christian Jervelund, Ms. Karin Gros Pedersen, Ms. Benita Rytz, Mr. Eske Stig Hansen, Mr. Jacob Lind Ramskov Client Date: DG Internal Market and Services, European Commission 7 September 2007 2 Study on The Economic Impact of the Electronic Commerce Directive TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary.........................................................................................................4 Preface 6 Chapter 1 Main findings............................................................................................7 1.1. Intermediary providers and certain online merchants have benefitted already.......12 1.2. Cross border trade and productivity growth.........................................................12 1.3. Contractual obligations in consumer contracts may hinder cross border trade......14 Chapter 2 The impact of specific provisions............................................................16 2.1. Limited liability provisions ..................................................................................16 2.2. E-contracts ..........................................................................................................23 2.3. Information requirement...
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...University, Uxbridge, UK Abstract Purpose – In a constantly changing and increasingly globalised world, religions still play a significant role in influencing social and consumer behavior. The purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual model that explores the link between religious beliefs and consumers’ boycotts towards particular products. Certain important concepts are linked to boycott, these include: conspicuous consumption of global brands, animosity and country of origin. Design/methodology/approach – First, a critical literature review on empirical consumer animosity, conspicuous consumption, religion, and consumption studies is undertaken. Second, qualitative techniques are used to collect the primary data. This is undertaken with reference to the case study of boycotting of the international Danish brands in Saudi Arabia, in order to highlight the relative emphasis of each of the factors that may influence consumer purchase behaviour of global brands. Findings – The findings of this study show that there is a strong relationship and a clear link between religiosity in Arabic/Islamic collectivist cultures and consumer behaviour (mainly boycotting). It also shows that consumers in such societies are collectively influenced by these factors when formulating their purchase decisions, particularly for international brands. Research limitations/implications – The sample was chosen from Saudi students living/studying in the UK. Hence, caution should be...
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...Country-of-Origin: An Overvalued Phenomenon? Date: 18 September 2014 Course: Marketing Management Workgroup: 2 Amount of words: 3,487 Authors: Dirk van der Wardt - 10868496 1. Introduction ‘Made in China, something we are proud of’ This sentence is the slogan of MISTERCHI, a company that sells scooters and motors fabricated in China. Their statement is an example of what academics call country-of-origin (COO). Just like MISTERCHI, multiple companies mention COO in their communication (Magnusson, 2011). In doing so, attempting to create positive product associations and increase purchase intentions amongst customers (Bilkey & Nes, 1982). Though COO is widely used, scientists debate its effectiveness (Balabanis & Diamantopoulos, 2008). Before commencing this discussion, it is important to formulate an accurate understanding of this phenomenon. Jaffe & Nebenzahl defined COO as follows: ‘The country which a consumer associates with a certain product or brand as being its source, regardless of where the product is actually produced.’ (2006: 29). According to Herz and Diamantopoulos (2013) the association can relate to both the country of manufacturing or the geographical origin of the product. Dichter (1962) was the first to claim that the mention of COO by companies has ‘a tremendous influence on the acceptance and success of products’ (p.116). This was later proved by Schooler (1965), turning COO into a topic of interest...
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...attitudes toward domestic and foreign products Literature review : The country of origin effect and consumer ethnocentrism The country of origin effect, also known as the ``made in'' concept, has been broadly defined as the positive or negative influence that a product's country of manufacture may have on consumers' decision processes or subsequent behaviour (Elliott and Cameron, 1994). Within the realm of consumer decision making, country of origin has been defined as an extrinsic cue that acts as a risk mitigant or quality cue for consumers (Cordell, 1992). Such extrinsic cues (others include price, brand name, warranties) serve as intangible product traits that contrast with intrinsic cues (e.g., taste, design), which are tangible aspects or physical characteristics of the product itself (Bilkey and Nes, 1982). Although some studies have questioned the importance of country of origin for much consumer decision making (Elliott and Cameron, 1994; Hugstad and Durr, 1986; Mitchell and Greatorex, 1990; Schooler and Wildt, 1968), recent research has demonstrated that the country of origin has a substantial effect on attitudes toward products and the likelihood of purchasing these products, often demonstrating effects that are as strong or stronger than those of brand name, price, or quality (Ahmed and d'Astous, 1996; Lantz and Loeb, 1996; Okechuku, 1994). Recent research has linked the country of origin effect to levels of consumer ethnocentrism. Consumer ethnocentrism focuses...
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...1) CASE SUMMARY Singapore is a small country with the population of 5.1 million over people. This country is the world most competitive and developed nation. Currently, Singapore is ranked second (2011) among 142 countries in the Global Competitiveness Index. This success story is primarily contributed by Singapore government continuous emphasis and substantial investment on developing human resources capability throughout all its industries. According to research in Singapore, many academics and practitioners have noted the emergence of a new generation of workers characterized by decreased company loyalty and increased expectations on various aspects of work life. At the same time, increasing emphasis on knowledge-based competition has accelerated the importance of human capital and hence the strategic role of the human resource management (HRM) functions in any organization. A research by David Wan, Victor Kok and Chin Huat Ong of National University of Singapore (NUS) indicated that strategic human resource management (HRM) practices could bring higher levels of organizational performance. Similar studies in the past also indicated comparable findings. Conceptually, all previous studies reveal that there is a positive relationship between HRM practices and firm performance. This article includes a study of 191 Singapore firms. The study found a positive relationship between various aspects of a company’s strategic HRM policies/practices and its HR performance...
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...THE ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE OF IMMIGRANTS The Role of Human and Social Capital AGNIESZKA KANAS Kanas, A.M. The Economic Performance of Immigrants. The Role of Human and Social Capital Dissertation, Utrecht University, The Netherlands Cover illustration: Krzysztof Wodiczko, Goscie/Guests, 2009, instalacja wideo/video installation, 17,17 min./minutes. Dzieki uprzejmosci artysty i Fundacji Profile/courtesy of the artist and Profile Foundation, Warsaw. Cover design: Agnieszka Kanas & Sebastian Gryglewicz Printed by: Wöhrmann Print Service ISBN: 978-90-393-5550-3 © Agnieszka Kanas, 2011 All Rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrival system of any nature, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electrnically, mechanically, by photocopying, microfilming, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission from the author. THE ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE OF IMMIGRANTS The Role of Human and Social Capital DE ECONOMISCHE POSITIE VAN IMMIGRANTEN De rol van menselijk en sociaal kapitaal (met een samenvatting in het Nederlands) Proefschrift ter verkrijging van de graad van doctor aan de Universiteit Utrecht op gezag van de rector magnificus, prof.dr. G.J. van der Zwaan, ingevolge het besluit van het college voor promoties in het openbaar te verdedigen op dinsdag 28 juni 2011 des middags te 2.30 uur door Agnieszka Małgorzata Kanas geboren op 3 februari 1980 te Trzcianka, Polen Promotoren: Prof. dr. F.A...
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...EFFECT OF COUNTRY OF ORIGIN ON BRAND EQUITY OF CARS IN INDIA: A STUDY Faculty Guide: Prof. Sandeep Puri Authors: Chandana Mandal, Mohit Jain, Ambika Paliwal, Rohit Iyer, Sahil Gupta INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGY, GHAZIABAD ABSTRACT Marketers and consumer behaviour researchers generally accept that a product’s or brand’s country-of-origin is an important influencing factor in consumer decision-making. Most of the previous studies suggest that country-of- origin information which is indicated by the “Made in ...” label which serves several purposes in consumer decision-making. It acts as a salient attribute in consumer product evaluation. That is, the image that consumers have about a certain country will influence their perceptions of products from that country. Since consumers’ perception of a particular country-of-origin influences their evaluation of products from that country, this will influence their preference, purchase intention and choice of a particular brand and hence has implications on the brand’s equity. In this study the effects of brand’s country-of-origin image on the formation of brand equity in two clusters i.e India and foreign market(African and French market) is studied. Here a high involvement category of Cars has been selected. Introduction In the arena of global marketing, building strong brands has become a top priority for marketers. Beyond, the marketing mix variables (advertising, distribution, price and product quality), the consumer’s...
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...a wide range of information and knowledge to anyone's life, especially in the life of a young person. As any new situation in life, an exchange also has changes that may be crucial for somebody’s life. Among these changes five are fundamental in my opinion. An exchange program to study and specialize using a language of a foreign country has the opportunity to be a great investment not only to mature in life and can also be a great career move, either for teenagers or young people who attend a university in their own country. Even if the period is one year or even six months, this feature brings aggrandizing your resume with a rich cultural background, and improvement in language skills. On the other hand a person who did not live this experience as much as he wants to do different courses, or even learn new language within their own country, still carries with him that the person never experienced life outside. This adventure also brings opportunity to grow not only professionally, but as a person matures. This new situation face the student alone and outside the country of origin. My older sister for example, had the opportunity to study in Argentina for six months, I remember that during this period she would call home asking my father, if he could require the owner of the property where she was living to arrange the place ideal for heating during winter. My father listened with care and affection, but in the...
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...share their views with me which assisted in the research process. Pg.-3 Table of Contents Pages Acknowledgements 2 Abstract 4 1. Introduction 6 2. Literature Review 10 2. (A) what is a Brand? 2. (B) why is Branding important? 2. (C) Branding of Cars 2. (D) The issue of Declining Brands 2. (E) Country of Origin 3. Research Methodology 21 4. Research Analysis and Findings 35 5. Conclusions 43 Bibliography 46 Appendix One- Learning Statement Appendix Two- Dissertation Proposal Appendix Three- Questionnaire’s used for Primary Research Pg.4 Abstract The research started with the...
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...different view on this matter. From the remittances is it first of all the households that are benefitting from it, but secondly the government is benefitting as well. I will explain this in more detail. The remittances spent on the consumption of both domestically produced goods and imports increase the tax base, which in turn increases revenues from sales taxes, value-added taxes and import duties and other indirect taxes. (stroomdiagram) With the remittances, the individuals/society determine their spending priorities as opposed to the agenda of the government as is the case with taxes and foreign aid. Besides this, governments are now able to increase their debts, because of the constant inflow generated by tax, or governments can spend more on infrastructure. (Abdih et al, 2012) In other words, remittances can provide the (indirect) tax revenues (increase), which allowed some countries to increase spending. This effect is explained in more detail as the (Keynesian) multiplier effect. (Lowell, 2001), (Clemens, 2013), (Ebeke, 2010). Actually, Sophie, that brings up an interesting point. Many people don’t realise just how significant the contribution of remittances is to the GDP of a...
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...CASE STUDY BUD VERSUS BUD 1. Assess Anhueser-Busch’s effort to reach an agreement with the Czechs to invest in Budvar. What, if anything, should the American company have done differently? Some efforts made to reach agreement were- a) Busch wrote to Czech promising to invest capital in brewery , marketing expertise and share management. b) Czech government sold all stakes except Plezensky Prazdoj because all that competed directly with Budvar. c) Anheuser-Busch thought to capitalize by investing in Budvar and also the trademark issue was resolved. d) To win over Czechs regarding the matter of taste, Busch spent $1 million on a cultural center in Ceske Budejovice. e) In 1992, the Czech Government decided to get involved in the industry privatization process. American Company should have focussed on the taste of the beer, as the taste was better in Europe. Also,for Czech’s the geographical origin was important, so Anhueser-Busch should have introduced their beer with a different name in Czech. 2. Do you agree with Anheuser-Busch’s decision to break off negotiations...
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...in Spanish Communication Journals ´ david ferna ndez-quijada This article explores how journals published in a language other than English achieve a degree of internationality and can increase our knowledge of scientific publication patterns. This author offers a case study focused on Spanish communication journals from a sample of 1182 articles published from 2007 to 2009. The article examines three variables in this sample: the number of non-Spanish scholars, the use of languages other than Spanish, and how often non-Spanish journals are referred to. The results show that (a) these journals find it difficult to attract foreign scholars, (b) open-language policies have had a limited effect, and (c) internationality is constrained to the Spanish geolinguistic region. Keywords: internationality, local journals, Spanish scholarly journals, journal evaluation, communication sciences introduction The impact of published research is measured by means of well-established tools; one such tool is the Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI). However, in the field of communication studies — and in fact in all the social sciences — the SSCI does not take account of all the research published; this is particularly visible in cases where research is published in languages other than English. For example, in 2009, only 81 out of the 1585 articles (5.11 per cent) indexed in the Communication category of the SSCI were not written in English. In the context of these facts, analysing the research...
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...Abstract Gay language which is sometimes called as “gay lingo” has achieved a high degree of acceptance in these recent years in the Philippines. Both gays and non-gays can be heard uttering gay expressions. It’s also spreading widely in our country. The propagation of this language and form of communication is unstoppable. But the question is “What is the main reason for using this kind of language?” This study will try to know about the origin, variables, theories and the effect of this gay lingo in Filipinos. We will interrogate people who use gay language and know from them the sense of dealing with it. Introduction Bakla and Binabae are familiar words in Filipino street-talk. But what about baklush, badaf, baklers? These are just some of confusing words for the average of Filipino speakers. These are terms heard “only in the Philippines”. Gays have proven themselves in our society and they have exceled in several professions. Though, there are still widespread cases of discrimination. Looking back, gays are always facing unfair treatment of other people. They have become victims of condemnation—in school, office, churches and everywhere and these have been their daily battlegrounds. Because of this discrimination, it paved way to the creation of a code of communication which only gays could use; but because of its daily usage on parlors, comedy bars, sidewalks and other places where gays proliferate, people’s curiosity arose on what these words meant, eventually...
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