A review and meta-analysis of country-of-origin research

Abstract

Despite a large body of research, country-of-origin eects are still poorly understood. Combining the strengths of a narrative review with those of a quantitative meta-analysis, our study seeks to establish a firm grounding for country-of-origin research. We review previous country-of-origin research, focusing on cognitive, aective, and normative aspects of country of origin. In a quantitative meta-analysis, we assess the magnitude of country-of-origin eects on three types of product evaluations, viz., perceived quality, attitude, and purchase intention. In addition, we develop and test hypotheses concerning the role of economic development, the impact of multi-national production, dierences between consumers and industrial purchasers, and a number of methodological aspects. We find that country of origin has a larger eect on perceived quality than on attitude toward the product or purchase intention. We also find that dierences in economic development are an important factor underlying the country-of-origin eect. The country-of-origin eect does not dier between industrial and consumer purchas-ing, nor is it aected by multi-national production. We conclude with suggestions for future research on the country-of-origin eect. Specifically, more research is needed on the symbolic and emotional aspects of country of origin, and on the role of competitive context. Ó 1999