NATID: The Development and Application of a National Identity Measure for Use in International Marketing

Abstract

The international marketing literature abounds with studies outlining the various similarities and differences that exist across cultural and national boundaries (e.g. Hofstede 1980 ). Unfortunately, many of these studies have focused on descriptive comparisons between cultures and nations. This article develops a measurement instrument designed to explicate the degree to which national identity can be specified and the differences between that national identity and other nations. Utilizing Churchill's (1979) , and Anderson and Gerbing's (1988) guidelines for scale construction and application, this article develops an instrument to measure national identity and establishes norms for its usage, using samples from the United States, Japan, and Sweden. The overall objective of this study is threefold: 1) to develop an empirically sound instrument for measuring national identity; 2) to explore the importance placed on a unique national identity in the three nations comprising the sample; and 3) to consider differences in the underlying dimensions comprising these countries’ national identity and their impact on marketing strategy. The development of such a measurement instrument should provide a means by which the results of cross-cultural and cross-national research can be empirically tested and on which more rigorous theory building can be based.