Research Korner

Executive Summary 	Dubai residents were 	surveyed regarding their perception on country of origin as the determinant 	of consumer behavior and their purchase and preference for locally or 	foreign-made products. This study used the Consumer Ethnocentrism Scale in 	assessing the variables. 	 	The findings indicated that the respondents that country 	of origin affects the economy of Dubai. Thus, the predominant response 	indicates that the respondents prefers to buy Dubai-made products when given 	a choice between foreign goods. Moreover, the result showed that despite the 	influx of international brands in Dubai, the respondents still prefer to buy 	locally-made products. However, the study also indicated that it is not only 	country of origin factors that affects the progress of Dubai’s economy. 	There are several factors affecting the progress of the economy of Dubai 	such as terrorist attacks, globalization, and its business relationships 	with other countries. 	 	Using a t-test analysis, the statistics showed that there 	is a significant relationship in the perception of the respondents to the 	concept of country of origin effect on the consumer behavior in the Dubai 	market. Consequently, the t-test analysis reveals that the concept of 	country of origin has a significant effect on the consumer behavior in 	the Dubai market. The statistics shows the t-value to be -1053.8 which 	illustrates that there is a relationship between the variables. 	 	  	Chapter 1 	 	PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND 	Introduction 	 	Country of origin (CO) is a potentially 	powerful image variable that can be used to gain competitive advantage in 	international marketing. However, deficiencies in the definition and 	measurement of its facets have contributed to ineffective and infrequent use 	of CO image as competitive tool. Country-of-origin (CO) image refers to 	"buyers' opinions regarding the relative qualities of goods and services 	produced in various countries" (Bilkey 1993, p. xix). 	 	Several reasons may account for the 	relative neglect of CO image as a competitive tool. First, the CO variable 	is culture-laden, and most managers are inadequately trained to address 	cultural issues despite significant research indicating that multinational 	marketing strategy is ill-served if cultural and perceptual differences 	among countries are not properly comprehended and heeded (Harris 1984; Kale 	1991). Second, translating CO images into marketing communication 	opportunities is difficult because the relationship between the brand and 	its country of origin is potentially more distant than the relationship 	between the brand and its firm, store, or advertising. Third, Zinkhan and 	his colleagues' observations about what constitutes effective measures for 	image manifestations and their current state of development are equally 	applicable to CO image measures (Dobni and Zinkhan 1990; Johnson and Zinkhan 	1990; Villanova, Zinkhan, and Hyman 1990). 	Consumer behavior on the 	other hand, depends so much on marketing strategies and advertisements of 	Multinational Companies in order to penetrate domestics markets. Once a 	market is selected, marketing managers must determine whether a global or 	local approach should be taken. Most often, MNCs uses the Country of Origin 	strategy in order to market their products as more superior than  that of 	domestic products. Their brand strategies involve inherent choices between 	using a global brand across markets or developing brands for specific 	markets. 	Relevant issues to consider 	in making these decisions include consumer familiarity with the global brand 	(and the size of the global consumer segment), the linguistic implications 	of the brand name for a new market, consumer culture, the presence and 	nature of competing brands within a given category, and the degree to which 	the brand is to be positioned on the basis of its country-of-origin (Alden, 	Steenkamp and Batra, 1999; Batra, Ramaswamy, Alden, Steenkamp and 	Ramachander, 2000; Gupta and Govindarajan, 1999; Shoham, 1999). 	In the case of Dubai, it has 	assimilated American consumerism (Tompaine, 2002) through the years. There 	is no clash of civilizations: veiled mothers take their children shopping 	for Nike sneakers at the city's malls, stopping for lunch at KFC or 	McDonald's without giving the matter a second thought (Tompaine, 2002). 	 	Dubai embraces America's 	consumer culture, but carries it out to its logical extreme. According to 	Tompaine Journal (2002) this goes far beyond the presence of U.S.-based 	fast-food chains -- Coke, Pepsi, Kodak or any of the other well-known 	symbols of American globalism (in the recently opened Dubai Internet City 	the most prominent building bears a Microsoft logo). This is evidenced by 	the perception of marketers such as: Does store "A" have five brands of VCR 	to its competitor's three? This has nothing to do with consumer 	'empowerment'. Store "A" just figures that five choices instead of three may 	help get you in the door and separate you from your money. Moreover, every 	flat surface in Dubai appears to contain advertising. This consumption 	behavior of Dubai seemed to have been leaning towards the 	internationalization and liberalization not only of goods and products but 	also on the choices of the residents themselves. 	  	 	Background of the Study 	 	Marketers often promote the fact that a 	product is made in a country with a reputation for manufacturing 	high-quality merchandise. Moreover, experimental studies support the 	viability of this strategy. Associating a product with a country that is 	known for superior workmanship often increases evaluations of this product 	(Erickson, Johansson, & Chao, 1984; Hong & Wyer, 1989, 1990; Johansson, 	1989; Tse & Gorn, 1992; Wall, Liefeld, Heslop, 1991). Despite this evidence, 	however, country-of-origin effects are not clearly understood under many 	conditions in which products are evaluated. A number of factors potentially 	influence both the magnitude and the direction of the effect that a 	product's country of origin can have on evaluations of its quality. These 	factors must ultimately be specified. Moreover, the cognitive processes that 	underlie their effects must be identified, and the conditions in which the 	processes operate must be circumscribed. Until this is done, the effect of 	calling consumers' attention to a product's country of origin in any given 	instance will be hard to predict. 	 	Hong and Wyer (1990), for example, found 	that the reputation of a product's country-of-origin information influenced 	perceptions of a product's quality well over the effects of information 	about its specific attributes. In some conditions, however, 	country-of-origin information also had an indirect effect on product 	evaluations through its mediating influence on the way the attribute 	information was processed. Once formed, this concept influenced subjects' 	interpretation of the intrinsic attribute information they received 	subsequently, and so the latter information had different effects than it 	would normally have (Hong & Wyer, 1990). Moreover, when subjects initially 	learned about a product without an a priori objective of evaluating it, 	their knowledge of the product's country of origin stimulated them to think 	more extensively about the specific attribute information that followed it. 	As a result, the attribute information had more impact on the judgments they 	later reported (Hong & Wyer, 1989). 	The quality of products that 	are typically manufactured in a country can also potentially serve as a 	comparative standard relative to which a particular product is evaluated. 	Thus, a product of average quality might be viewed as relatively inferior 	when compared to products from a country with a reputation for high-quality 	merchandise. However, the same product might be viewed as superior in 	comparison with products from a country with a poor reputation. To this 	extent, the reputation of a product's country of origin could have a 	negative contrast effect on evaluations of the product. Although the use of 	other extrinsic attributes, such as price, as standards of comparison has in 	fact been detected (Herr, 1989; Monroe, Grewal, & Compeau, 1991), the use of 	country of origin in this capacity has not been identified in research 	reported to date (Bilkey & Nes, 1982; Ozsomer & Cavusgil, 1991). 	 	There is a way in which country of origin 	might serve as a comparative standard (Lynch, Chakravarti, & Mitra, 1991). 	On one hand, it might come into play after the object's features have 	already been integrated into a subjective impression and subjects are asked 	to report their impression along a response scale. In this case, it might be 	used as an end anchor to construe the range of values to which the response 	scale pertains (Higgins & Rholes, 1976; Ostrom & Upshaw, 1968; Wyer, 1974). 	Thus, if the products made in the country are generally favorable, subjects 	might subjectively position the response scale to include a more favorable 	set of stimulus values than they otherwise would. 	 	This study seeks to infer these stated 	aspects of the concept of country of origin among consumers particularly in 	an Arab city, particularly the United Arab Emirates’ city of Dubai. 	Dubai, the commercial 	capital of the UAE, has the largest tourism market, attracting both business 	travelers and an increasing number of leisure tourists. While Dubai enjoys 	the main focus as one of the two most powerful Emirates along with Abu 	Dhabi, the other 5 Emirates, while being completely different to each other 	in terms of population and economic resources, still have something to offer 	and are keen to develop themselves and build their own modern business and 	commercial infrastructures. 	 	  	 	Statement of the Problem 	 	One could consider two general ways in 	which a product's country of origin can influence judgments. First, it can 	have an informational influence; that is, it can be used to infer more 	specific product attributes or be treated as a desirable or undesirable 	feature in its own right. Second, the quality of products that are typically 	made in a country might be used as a standard of comparison to which any 	particular product from the country is evaluated. Note that the use of 	country of origin in this latter capacity would lead it to have a negative 	contrast effect. That is, evaluations of the product would be less favorable 	when it is made in a country with a good reputation than when it comes from 	a country with a poor one. 	 	The study intends to investigate the 	effects of the concept of country of origin in the buying behaviors of the 	product consumers in the city of Dubai. Specifically the study seeks to 	answer the following questions: 	 	1.                            	What contributes to the formation of 	CO images among the consuming public in Dubai? 	 	  	 	2.                            	What is the level of familiarity 	does the consuming public of Dubai have particularly in origin of the 	products sold in the city? 	 	  	 	3.                            	How salient is CO image in shaping 	attitudes and behavior toward specific products and brands and in affecting 	choice behavior, both in absolute terms and relative to other marketing 	stimuli? 	 	  	 	4.                            	How much information is provided by 	the products in order for them to weigh heavier on the judgment of the 	consuming public? 	 	  	 	5.                            	Is there a significant relationship 	between the quantities of information provided by the products in the buying 	behavior of the consuming public in the city of Dubai? 	 	  	 	6.                            	Is there a significant relationship 	between a product’s country of origin and the buying behavior of the 	consuming public in Dubai? 	 	  	 	Hypothesis 	 	The researcher intends to investigate the 	implications of country of origin principles of buying behavior among the 	consumers in the country of Dubai. This study intends to prove the following 	hypothesis: 	 	“The concept of country of origin 	has no significant effect on the consumer behavior in the Dubai Market.” 	 	  	Significance of the Study 	 	This study will primarily 	benefit both the youth and the leaders in the commercial industry of Dubai.  	The youth, especially those intent on a career in the commercial industry 	will find out what is expected of them by the industry, what future the 	industry has for them, and what they have to do to be competitive 	career-wise, in this type of industry.  As for the established businessmen, 	this study will show if their expectations and goals can be met by future 	batches of business management.  Through feedback, they would be able to 	voice out their concerns regarding the concept of branding and consumer 	behaviour, which will consequently elevate the quality of graduates and help 	the universities cope with their demands and the ever-changing needs of the 	industry. 	 	            	This study would also be of help to those market scientists who are 	interested in finding out the social implications of the boom and the bust 	phases of the industry as dictated by consumer behaviour. 	 	Finally, 	this study would benefit future researchers in the field of the market, 	education, human resource management, business and the social sciences 	particularly in areas in the Arab region such as Dubai since it depicts the 	future of the consumerism and its varying effects to many sectors of 	society. 	  	Scope and Limitation 	 	The study 	intends to investigate the effects of country of origin concept in the city 	of Dubai particularly in the commercial sector of the said United Arab 	Emirates cosmopolitan. For this 	study, primary research and secondary research will be used. Primary 	research will be conducted using anonymous questionnaires that will be sent 	to randomly selected product consumers in the city of Dubai. The researcher 	will also be conducting focus group interview with market analysts and 	economists regarding the possible effects of the concept of country of 	origin on the consumer behavior on Dubai. The questionnaires will be used to 	collect quantitative data and the interviews will be used to provide 	qualitative insights into the data collected. 	 	The data will be analyzed and compiled for 	the correlation of the hypothesis. An indicator of the control group will be 	individuals at the city of Dubai. The data will then be presented by means 	of graphical representations and illustration and the difference would be 	highlighted. A negative correlation between the variables would suggest that 	the hypothesis is null, that is, that the concept of Country of Origin has 	no impact to the consumer behavior of the product consumers of Dubai. 	  	Review of Related Literature 	 	Country of Origin has 	been illustrated as a factor in consumer choice and product evaluation. It 	has been researched and proven to affect consumer behavior particularly in 	Arab countries such as the UAE, where culture has been deemed as 	conservative and tends to resist foreign offensive in their consumer market. 	However, in Dubai, the establishment of the Duty Free paved the way for the 	flow of goods and products thus, allowing foreign companies to introduce 	their respective brands. This section shall illustrate the phenomenon of 	Country of Origin (COO) and how it affects consumer behavior. It shall also 	present an examination of UAE and Dubai’s political economy and consumer 	market. Furthermore, an examination of the methodological issues, 	internationalism vs. nationalism, and the consumer perception  and 	evaluation goods based on COO shall be reviewed. 	 	  	Country 	of Origin 	 	Systematic research on the 	country-of-origin (COO) effect began with the publication of Schooler's 	(1965) seminal article in the Journal of Marketing Research ("Product Bias 	in the Central American Common Market"). Early research on COO can be 	described as demonstrational in nature; most research was only concerned 	with documenting the existence of the COO effect under a variety of 	circumstances (Jolibert and Peterson, 1995). Statistically significant COO 	effects have been documented across countries, for a variety of product 	categories, and for both industrial buyers and consumers. 	 	After concluding that 	"all of the studies reviewed indicate that country of origin does indeed 	influence buyers' perceptions" (p. 94), Bilkey and Nes set forth several 	issues that they believed needed to be addressed to advance the state of COO 	knowledge. These issues stimulated a plethora of wide-ranging research that 	sought to establish theoretical explanations for the COO effect as well as 	determine its antecedents and relative influence in the presence of other 	cues. Several studies attempted to clarify and understand how individuals 	used country of origin in the context of information processing and 	knowledge activation (Hong and Wyer, 1989; Johansson, 1989). For instance, 	Han (1989) posited that the country of origin of a product could serve as a 	stereotype measure or surrogate for other product attributes for individuals 	unfamiliar with it or the product category. For individuals familiar with 	the product or product category (e.g., experts), Han posited that country of 	origin could serve as a summary index or heuristic that reduces the amount 	of information processing required in making a decision. Recent research has 	focused on the antecedents of the COO effect (Hong and Wyer, 1990; Roth and 	Romeo, 1992) and assessing the relative importance of country of origin as 	one of many possible cues (Thorelli, Lim and Ye, 1989; Tse and Gorn, 1993). 	 	 	Internationalism vs. Nationalism in Consumer Behavior    	When a firm decides to 	export products to new markets it faces two fundamental decisions: which 	markets to enter, and whether to use a global or a localized strategy 	(Klein, 2002; Jain, 1989). Regarding the first issue, managers must identify 	the intrinsic factors of each potential new market that might predict future 	success or failure. These factors are extremely varied and range from 	matters concerning infrastructure and political stability, market size and 	consumer income levels, to issues related to the presence of local or 	previously established multi-national competitors (Czinkota and Ronkainen, 	1996; Gupta and Govindarajan, 1999). 	 	Two constructs emerging from the marketing 	literature suggest important additional factors that the international 	manager should consider when making branding decisions: consumer animosity 	toward a producing nation, and consumer ethnocentrism. Consumer 	animosity--defined as anger related to previous or ongoing political, 	military, economic, or diplomatic events--has been found to affect 	consumers' purchase behavior (Klein, Ettenson and Morris, 1998). Consumer 	ethnocentrism is defined as the belief that it is inappropriate, or even 	immoral, to purchase foreign products because to do so is damaging to the 	domestic economy, costs domestic jobs, and is unpatriotic. This construct 	has also been found to affect purchase behavior (e.g., Shimp and Sharma, 	1987). 	 	Research on country-of-origin effects has 	generally examined how a country's image (concerning, for example, 	workmanship, innovation, and technological advancement) is projected on to 	the features of products produced by that country (Bilkey and Nes, 1982; 	Johansson, 1989; Johansson, Douglas and Nonaka, 1985; Papadopoulos and 	Heslop, 1993). 	 	Among the image variables in the 	international advertiser's toolkit, the CO variable is conceivably the most 	potent if skillfully applied. Papadopoulos (1993, p. xxi) asks rhetorically, 	"It is often said that brand names like 'McDonald's' are worth millions. If 	so, how many billions is Germany's image worth?" A few authors have 	questioned the magnitude of importance of CO image in affecting choice 	behavior (Ettenson, Wagner, and Gaeth 1988; Johansson 1989; Johansson, 	Douglas, and Nonaka 1985), but most acknowledge its salience in overall 	product evaluation and as a proxy for other, more intrinsic, qualities (Han 	and Terpstra 1988; Yoo 1992). 	 	Internationally, CO serves as a useful 	extrinsic cue and as a surrogate for difficult-to-evaluate intrinsic 	characteristics such as quality and performance because consumers tend to be 	less familiar with foreign than with domestic products (Huber and McCann 	1982; Olson 1977). Han and Terpstra (1988, p. 236) claim, "It has been found 	that all products originating in foreign countries are subject to 	country-of-origin [image] effects." Han (1990, p. 24) further states that 	CO-image studies in general show that consumers have significantly different 	general perceptions about products made in different countries. Hooley, 	Shipley, and Krieger (1988, p. 67) asserted that international marketers 	need to understand these country of origin images as they relate both to 	their own, and to their competitors' products. Specifically, they will need 	to determine whether such images are positive or negative, whether and how 	they affect behavior, and how they can be catered to in the marketing 	strategy. Yet, few multinational marketers and advertisers make full use of 	their products' favorable CO image or successfully overcome the liability 	associated with an unfavorable one. 	Consumer 	Ethnocentrism and Product Choice 	 	Animosity and consumer ethnocentrism can 	have very different implications for international marketers, depending on 	the origin of products available in a given category. If the choice is 	between a domestic and a foreign good, then highly ethnocentric consumers 	will be likely to chose the domestic product. If the choice is between two 	foreign goods, one of which comes from a country that is the target of 	hostility, then animosity will predict the choice. Consumers can hold 	non-protectionist views about foreign products and feel that their purchase 	is perfectly appropriate in general, but still refuse to buy the products of 	a specific country. Overall, studies of international consumer animosity 	point to the need for firms to develop a richer understanding of how current 	and prospective consumers in international markets react to goods imported 	from a particular producer nation. 	 	Country-of-origin has been found to act as 	an information cue that affects judgments of product quality, particularly 	when consumers are less familiar with a product category (Han, 1989; 	Maheswaran, 1994), or less motivated to process product information (Hong 	and Wyer, 1989). In general, the country-of-origin is used by consumers to 	assess a product's quality, and to choose the best option available. 	 	 	The animosity model of foreign product 	purchase suggests a very different process by which a product's origin can 	have an impact on purchase decisions. Consumer animosity has been found to 	have a direct, negative effect on consumers' purchase behavior, but unlike 	previously studied country-of-origin effects, consumer animosity does not 	drive product attribute judgments or quality perceptions. Consumers separate 	their anger towards a country from their assessment of that country's 	products. In other words, angry consumers do not distort or denigrate images 	of a target country's products, they simply refuse to buy them (Klein et 	al., 1998). 	 	This fundamental premise of the animosity 	model--that animosity's effects on buying are direct and independent of 	product quality judgments--not only diverges from traditional 	country-of-origin research, but also from most behavioral frameworks in 	marketing which assume a primary relationship between consumers' product 	judgments and their purchase behavior (e.g., Green and Srinivason, 1990; 	Wilkie and Pessemier, 1973). In the case of consumer animosity, anger can 	lead consumers to eschew a country's goods in spite of positive product 	perceptions. 	 	The animosity model also includes the 	construct of consumer ethnocentrism. Previous studies have found an inverse 	relationship between scores on the CETSCALE, which measures consumer 	ethnocentrism, and consumers' willingness to purchase imports. Further, 	consumer ethnocentrism has been found to predict judgments of the quality of 	imported goods (Netemeyer et al. 1991; Shimp and Sharma, 1987; Sharma, 	Shimp, and Shin, 1995). Those who believe that it is wrong to buy foreign 	and that only domestic products should be purchased also tend to denigrate 	the quality of foreign goods. 	 	Thus, while consumer ethnocentrism is 	related to both product judgments and purchase intentions, animosity affects 	consumers' purchase decisions independently of product judgments. A further 	distinction between the constructs is that animosity is comprised of 	consumer feelings toward a specific country, whereas consumer ethnocentrism 	concerns attitudes toward buying goods from all foreign countries. While 	some consumers may find it perfectly acceptable to buy foreign products from 	a variety of countries, they may refuse to buy a product from a specific 	nation toward which they feel enmity. Thus, it is not enough for 	international managers to understand the degree of consumer ethnocentrism 	within a potential market. Favorable opinions toward buying foreign goods in 	general could mask potent attitudes against buying from a specific foreign 	country. 	 	It is essential, therefore, to understand 	the decision contexts under which each construct is likely to play a 	dominant role. Klein et al. (1998) measured the effects of both constructs 	on general buying measures (e.g., "Whenever possible, I avoid buying 	products from Japan"). Yet, it would be more diagnostic to predict purchase 	decisions based on consumers' choice sets. Consumer ethnocentrism should be 	particularly relevant when a consumer chooses between a foreign and a 	domestic product; it should, however, be irrelevant for choices between two 	foreign products, because both products are bad options for the ethnocentric 	consumer. Animosity, however, should be relevant when choosing between goods 	from foreign countries, provided that the consumer holds animosity towards 	one of these countries. Further, one might expect that both animosity and 	consumer ethnocentrism will play a role when the consumer chooses between a 	domestic product and a foreign product from a disliked country. The relative 	importance of t he two constructs in this situation is likely to depend upon 	the predominance of ethnocentric beliefs and levels of animosity within a 	given society. 	 	  	The 	Political Economy of UAE and Dubai 	 	The partnership between the United Arab 	Emirates and the United States of America, upon recognition of UAE's 	independence in 1971, developed ties and have grown progressively stronger 	ever since. 	(Al-Alkim, H., et al., 1999). This 	partnership has been the gateway of UAE, particularly Dubai in allowing for 	the free-flowing of goods and businesses (Al-Alkim, H., et al., 1999). In 	fact, the establishment of Dubai’s Duty Free allowed UAE citizens to be 	exposed to goods from other countries and in a variety of brands. It has 	been stipulated by Al-Alkim, H., et al. (1999) that it also shaped the 	consumption behavior of Dubai residents. 	 	The UAE is what many economic writers call 	a competition state, a state that provides a lot of space for 	entrepreneurial activity and one that pursues supply-side policies 	(Tetreault, 1999). 	A competition state is one that supplies resources: capital, infrastructure, 	social services for the domestic population and for the economy. A 	competition state also supplies extranational partnerships or the 	opportunities to make such partnerships. The state works to attract foreign 	states and firms to engage in long-term, mutually beneficial relations with 	domestic counterparts 	(Tetreault, 1999). 	Finally, a competition state provides effective regimes: legal regimes, 	regulatory regimes and allocative systems, so that the system works for the 	domestic population and for outsiders coming in to invest 	(Tetreault, 1999). 	 	The United Arab Emirates (UAE) boasts a prudently managed 	and successfully diversified economy and the country continues to 	consolidate and build on its achievements of the past two decades (Siddiqi, 	2001). For instance, the test, carried out by Madar Research Group (2003), 	showed that Dubai was on par with top European Union states in the online 	availability of the basic services offered to businesses and individuals. 	 	Dubai is the world's third largest 	re-export centre after Hong Kong and Singapore, accounting for 70 per cent 	of the UAE's non-oil trade (Siddiqi, 2001). During 1998-99, its re-export 	business exceeded the value of its oil exports. Dubai Duty Free has seldom 	been out of the headlines since its launch in 1983 (The Middle East, 1994). 	Not only did it lead a revolution in the Middle East by being the first to 	develop a modern, Western style duty free shopping, but it is a key part 	participant in the promotion of Dubai as a business and tourist destination. 	 	In spite of world 	recessions, the UAE, Dubai in particular, continues to be growth markets and 	there are good opportunities in Dubai for foreign companies (The Middle 	East, 1993). The Gulf Emirate of Dubai, armed with what is probably the most 	attractive foreign investment incentive packages in the region, is 	aggressively promoting itself as a regional manufacturing and re-export, 	banking, aviation and even tourism hub (The Middle East, 1993). This follows 	similar foreign investment and export drives over the last few months by 	Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and Abu Dhabi - all experiencing the 	continuing post Gulf war boom. 	 	In spite of recession in other parts of the 	world, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, including the UAE, 	continue to be growth markets and in Dubai, in particular, there are good 	opportunities for foreign companies as the emirate continues to invest in 	infrastructure and to diversity its economy (The Middle East, 1993). 	 	 	Dubai’s Consumer Culture 	 	            Walking into a Dubai department store, one is presented with a 	wide array of products and brands from different countries popular among 	which is the United States, the European Community and China. These 	countries provides different products at differing prices. In Dubai, a 	consumer is presented with the dilemma of choosing products and goods based 	on price, quality and out of habit. 	  	 	            As a resident of Dubai, I often do my shopping on big department 	stores since it saves me time instead of having to go through several stores 	to find what I need. As one enters the supermarket division, one can see 	tens of different brands. Out of habit though, the first thing that I pick 	up is the product that I have been used to- products made in Dubai. This is 	no longer out of conscious decision but rather out of habit. Sometimes 	though when I have time, I try to look at the brands and compare it with the 	one Im using. More often, at this times, I try the product but since I have 	been used to my old brands, I still prefer to use my tried and tested 	products. 	 	This feelings however is not 	often shared by some people preferably the younger populace. This is evident 	in their choices of clothing, rubber shoes and other paraphernalia. 	According to a young professional, his choice of clothes leans more on the 	trendy look derived from countries such as the United States and Europe. 	This difference 	is a characterization of the evolving consumer culture in Dubai as a result 	of the free-flowing information between countries. 	 	Dubai's emergence as a 	major commercial and industrial location occurred quietly (Weiss, 1995). 	Considering the overregulated, import barrier--laden conditions prevalent 	across the Middle East and neighboring South Asia, it's easy to understand 	why people from both regions flock to Dubai on purchasing expeditions. Its 	location and free-trade, low-tax environment have forged a cosmopolitan 	shopping mecca (Weiss, 1995). Even for Asians and Europeans, prices on many 	consumer items--ranging from jewelry to electronics--are far cheaper than at 	home. Dubai's modern shopping malls--along Al Rigga Road or in the Al 	Dhiyafa section--rival Western counterparts. 	 	While a number of studies have found that 	consumers, in general, are favorably biased towards domestic versus imported 	foreign products (Baughn and Yaprak, 1993; Peterson and Jolibert, 1995), 	none has examined the impact of nationalistic, patriotic and 	internationalistic tendencies on such a bias.  The origins of the consumer 	ethnocentrism construct (Shimp and Sharma, 1987) come from the general 	construct of ethnocentrism introduced as a psychosociological concept by 	Sumner (1906). Ethnocentrism focuses on a "we group" feeling where the 	ingroup is the center and all outgroups are judged in relation to it. The 	ingroup that nurtures attachment and loyalty is, in this case, one's 	country. Nations "... achieve personal relevance for individuals when they 	become sentimentally attached to the homeland (affectively involved), 	motivated to help their country (goal-oriented) and gain a sense of identity 	and self-esteem through their national identification (ego involved)" 	(Druckman, 1994, p. 63). The strength of these needs varies from country to 	country and from individual to individual (Terhune, 1964). 	 	  	 	The construct of consumer ethnocentrism was 	developed as an economic form of ethnocentrism and encompasses issues such 	as one's fear of economically harming his/her beloved country by buying 	foreign products, the morality of buying imported products, and a personal 	prejudice against imports (Sharma et al., 1995). Shimp and Sharma (1987) 	developed a multi-item scale to capture consumer ethnocentric tendencies 	(the CETSCALE) and showed that consumer ethnocentrism explains why consumers 	prefer domestic over imported products (even when the latter are cheaper and 	their quality is evidently better). Herche (1992) showed that consumer 	ethnocentrism can predict (with varying precision across product-categories) 	consumers' preferences to buy or own domestic as opposed to foreign 	products. Importantly, he demonstrated that ethnocentric tendencies are 	better predictors of import purchase behavior than demographic and marketing 	mix variables (Herche, 1994). However, consumer ethnocentrism's predictive 	ability of buying intentions varies from country to country; for example, 	Good and Huddleston (1995) found it to be important for Poles' but not for 	Russians' intentions to buy foreign products. 	 	  	 	Regarding the antecedents of consumer 	ethnocentrism, several studies have found that males, better-educated 	consumers and those with higher incomes tend to be less ethnocentric (Sharma 	et al., 1995). The rationale provided for the observed relationships is that 	females, older, and less educated people are more conservative and more 	patriotic; moreover, as one's income increases, the more likely one is to 	travel and try more products, and thus, be more open to imported products 	(Sharma et al., 1995). 	 	  	COO and 	Consumer Evaluation 	 	There are at least four different ways in 	which the country of origin of a product could affect its evaluations (Li 	and Wyer, 1994): (a) as a product attribute whose implications combine with 	other attributes to influence evaluations, (b) as a signal to infer more 	specific product characteristics, (c) as a heuristic (to simplify the 	evaluation task), and (d) as a standard relative to which the product is 	compared. 	 	Marketers often promote the fact that a 	product is made in a country with a reputation for manufacturing 	high-quality merchandise. Moreover, experimental studies support the 	viability of this strategy. Associating a product with a country that is 	known for superior workmanship often increases evaluations of this product 	(Hong & Wyer, 1990; Johansson, 1989; Tse & Gorn, 1993). Despite this 	evidence, however, country-of-origin effects are not clearly understood 	under many conditions in which products are evaluated. A number of factors 	potentially influence both the magnitude and the direction of the effect 	that a product's country of origin can have on evaluations of its quality. 	These factors must ultimately be specified. 	  	The 	cognitive processes that underlie their effects must be identified, and the 	conditions in which the processes operate must be circumscribed. Until this 	is done, the effect of calling consumers' attention to a product's country 	of origin in any given instance will be hard to predict. Hong and Wyer 	(1990), for example, found that the reputation of a product's 	country-of-origin information influenced perceptions of a product's quality 	well over the effects of information about its specific attributes. In some 	conditions, however, country-of-origin information also had an indirect 	effect on product evaluations through its mediating influence on the way the 	attribute information was processed. 	  	To the 	extent that a product's country of origin is used as information about its 	quality, product evaluations should increase in favorableness as the 	country's reputation for manufacturing high-quality merchandise increases 	(Li and Wyer, 1994). However, this general informational effect could occur 	for at least three reasons. First, the country of origin could itself be 	viewed as a favorable or unfavorable attribute of the product, which is 	independent of other attributes (Hong & Wyer, 1990; Li & Monroe, 1992). 	Second, it might be used as a signal to infer more specific product 	attributes about which information is unavailable ( Li, Leung, & Wyer, 1993; 	Li & Monroe, 1992; Li, Monroe, & Chan, 1994). Third, it could be used as a 	heuristic basis for judgment that is substituted for other available 	judgment-relevant information. 	  	COO as a Comparative Tool 	in Consumer Evaluation 	There are 	two ways in which country of origin might serve as a comparative standard 	(Lynch, Chakravarti, & Mitra, 1991). On one hand, it might come into play 	after the object's features have already been integrated into a subjective 	impression and subjects are asked to report their impression along a 	response scale. Thus, if the products made in the country are generally 	favorable, subjects might subjectively position the response scale to 	include a more favorable set of stimulus values than they otherwise would 	(Li and Wyer, 1994). Consequently, any given stimulus would be evaluated 	less favorably along the scale than it would if the scale had been 	positioned to include a more unfavorable set of values. 	Consumer 	behavior has been defined as the "acquisition, consumption and disposition 	of products, services, time and ideas by decision making units" (Jacoby 	1975, 1976). 	Much 	consumer research relies on surveys, and a considerable amount of work has 	been devoted to questionnaire and survey design. Bickart (1993) and Simmons 	et al (1993) examined question order effects in surveys, while Menon, et. 	al.  (1995) examined the memory processes underlying consumers' responses to 	behavioral frequency questions. Rose et al (1993) suggest that comparative 	measures (e.g. "Is Brand A superior to Brand B?") are more sensitive in 	detecting persuasion than noncomparative measures. Webster (1996) found that 	response quality for surveys is highest when interviewer and interviewee are 	of the same gender or ethnicity. 	  	Country 	of Origin Effects and Consumer Behavior 	 	For the past three decades, the effect of a 	product's country of origin on buyer perceptions and evaluations has been 	one of the most widely studied phenomena in the international business, 	marketing, and consumer behavior literatures (Jolibert and Peterson, 1995). 	Indeed, Tan and Farley [1987] concluded that the potential impact of the 	country of origin of a product is the "most researched international aspect 	of consumer behavior" (p. 540). Recently an entire book (Papadopoulos and 	Heslop, 1993) was dedicated to the country-of-origin phenomenon. According 	to Papadopoulos and Heslop (1993), the country of origin of a product, which 	is typically operationalized or communicated through the phrase "made in 	_____," is an extrinsic product cue - an intangible product attribute - that 	is distinct from a physical product characteristic or intrinsic attribute. 	As such, a country-of-origin cue is similar to price, brand name, or 	warranty in that none of these directly bear on product performance. 	 	 	As a result of such rapid changes and 	development in the global business strategic environment, product country 	association is no longer just a single-country phenomenon. Increasingly more 	products are emerging as a result of multifirm and multicountry efforts 	(Chao, 1993). Contrary to the traditional country-of-origin research 	paradigm which typically assumes that a product can be specifically tied to 	a country in which it is made, it is no longer as easy to do so in today's 	complex global reality. 	There is a long stream of 	research on COO effects. A large number of studies have reported a 	consistent pattern of bias toward showing COO effects on consumer attitudes 	and/or product evaluations (Bilkey and Nes, 1982). Many have, however, 	questioned the validity of these research findings derived from mostly 	single-cue models. In fact, some multiple-cue studies have reported either 	no significant or only minor country-of-origin effect (Johansson, Douglas 	and Nonaka 1985; Ettenson, Gaeth and Wagner 1988) rendering conclusions 	regarding COO effects somewhat equivocal. Thus, the questions of whether 	country is an important variable impacting consumer product evaluations and 	whether the effect, if any, may only be transitory continue to linger 	(Schellinck 1986; Johansson 1989). 	 	The impact of price information on consumer 	perception of quality has been studied rather extensively (Monroe, 1973; 	Monroe and Dodds, 1988). Similar to country-of-origin studies, no clear 	picture has emerged to indicate unequivocally whether a positive price and 	quality relationship exists, particularly in cases where other information 	cues were also provided to the consumer. 	 	Given that consumers do not possess perfect 	information, they are likely to rely on prior experience as well as a 	variety of information cues, other than price provided, to judge product 	quality. In such a context, for consumers who are more experienced with the 	product, the price-quality association is likely to weaken (Wheatley, Walton 	and Chiu 1977; Rao and Monroe 1988). It would seem logically consistent that 	as the consumer confidence in judging product quality based on other 	information cues such as product attributes increases, his/her inclination 	to rely on price as an indicator of quality naturally should tend to 	decrease. 	  	 	Methodological Issues in Measuring COO 	Although numerous dependent 	variables have been investigated in COO studies, investigations were limited 	to two broad categories quality/reliability perceptions of consumers and 	purchase intentions. These two categories capture the majority of response 	or dependent variables investigated in COO studies and were deemed 	representative of dependent variables commonly investigated in COO studies. 	While perceptions and intentions are intuitively related, they are 	conceptually distinct (Fishbein and Ajzen,1975) and hence merit separate 	analysis. Perceptions are more "primitive" than intentions. As such, 	perceptions are antecedent to, and determinants of, intentions (e.g., Belk 	(1985), although the relationship is mediated by constructs such as 	satisfaction (e.g., Cronin and Taylor, 1992). The choice of these particular 	categories of variables in the context of COO studies has been previously 	justified by Johansson (1989), and the present investigation's separate 	analyses of them is analogous to the approach followed by Roth and Romeo 	(1992). 	Consider the findings of 	single- versus multiple-cue studies. Single-cue studies of the influence of 	country of origin on product perceptions and purchase intentions have been 	criticized on the basis that the significant results that have been obtained 	likely reflect methodological artifacts rather than substantive differences 	(Bilkey and Nes, 1982; Johansson, Douglas and Nonaka, 1985; Ozsomer and 	Cavusgil, 1991). Specifically, it has been argued that the effect of a COO 	cue should be greater in a single-cue study than in a multiple-cue study, in 	part because demand artifacts are potentially greater in the former and in 	part because the presence of other cues could influence study participants' 	reactions in the latter. Despite the logical appeal of this argument, 	empirical results produced to date with multiple-cue studies are conflicting 	and inconclusive (Han and Terpstra, 1988; Tse and Gorn, 1993). Even so, 	while there is no consensus, on balance the evidence suggests that larger 	effect sizes should occur for single-cue studies than for multiple-cue 	studies in COO research. One objective of the present investigation was to 	resolve such conflicting findings. 	 	  	 	  	 	  	 	  	 	  	Chapter 3 	METHODS AND PROCEDURES 	This part of the proposal 	shall discuss the research methods available for the study and what is 	applicable for it to use. Likewise, the chapter shall present how the 	research will be implemented and how to come up with pertinent findings. 	Method 	of Research to be Used 	Research 	requires an organized data gathering in order to pinpoint the research 	philosophies and theories that will be included in the research, the 	methodology of the research and the instruments of data interpretation. In 	this study, the Research Process “Onion” will be utilized so that the 	findings of the study can be thoroughly established. The inner part of the 	onion describes the methodology portion whereas the outer part discusses the 	strategies that can be utilized in interpreting the results of the findings. 	 	This study shall utilize the 	descriptive research method which uses observation and surveys. In this 	method, it is possible that the study would be cheap and quick. It could 	also suggest unanticipated hypotheses. Nonetheless, it would be very hard to 	rule out alternative explanations and especially infer causations. This 	descriptive type of research will utilize observations in the study.  To 	illustrate the descriptive type of research, Creswell (1994) will guide the 	researcher when he stated: Descriptive method of research is to gather 	information about the present existing condition.  The purpose of employing 	this method is to describe the nature of a situation, as it exists at the 	time of the study and to explore the cause/s of particular phenomena. The 	researcher opted to use this kind of research considering the desire of the 	researcher to obtain first hand data from the respondents so as to formulate 	rational and sound conclusions and recommendations for the study. 	 	The research described in this 	document is partly based on 	quantitative 	research methods. This permits a flexible and iterative approach. During 	data gathering the choice and design of methods are constantly modified, 	based on ongoing analysis. This allows investigation of important new issues 	and questions as they arise, and allows the investigators to drop 	unproductive areas of research from the original research plan. 	 	This study also employs 	qualitative research method, since this 	research intends to find and build theories that would explain the 	relationship of one variable with another variable through qualitative 	elements in research. These qualitative elements does not have standard 	measures, rather they are behavior, attitudes, opinions, and beliefs. 	 	 	Furthermore, as we define the qualitative 	research it is multimethod in focus, involving an interpretative, 	naturalistic approach to its subject matter. This means that qualitative 	researchers study things in their natural settings, attempting to make sense 	of, or interpret phenomena in terms of the meanings people bring to them. 	Accordingly, qualitative researchers deploy a wide range of interconnected 	methods, hoping always to get a better fix on the subject matter at hand. 	 	  	Evaluation of Research 	Objectives 	This study shall use the 	CETSCALE in accomplishing the following objectives: 	 	1.    	To determine the factors that contributes to the 	formation of country of origin images among the consuming public in Dubai 	 	2.    	To determine the level of familiarity of Dubai 	residents in the origin of products sold in the city 	 	3.    	To analyze the significance of country of origin 	image in shaping attitudes and behavior toward specific products and brands 	and in affecting choice behavior, both in absolute terms and relative to 	other marketing stimuli 	 	4.    	To evaluate the relationship of product 	information and consumer behavior 	 	5.    	to evaluate the relationship between the 	quantities of information provided by the products in the buying behavior of 	the consuming public in the city of Dubai 	 	6.    	to evaluate the relationship between a product’s 	country of origin and the buying behavior of the consuming public in Dubai? 	 	  	Research Design and 	Instrument 	 	An underlying theme of 	this study is that Dubai consumers’ preferences are simple expressions of a 	more pervasive and generalized concept of consumer ethnocentrism. Shimp and 	Sharma (1987) coined the term consumer ethnocentrism to represent the belief 	held by American consumers (for 	 	example) about the appropriateness, indeed 	morality, of purchasing foreign products (1987: 280). 	 	Thus, the construct of 	ethnocentrism relies on the presumption that the consumers patriotic 	emotions have significant effects on attitudes and purchase intentions and 	ultimate behavior. To operationalise the concept of consumer ethnocentrism, 	Shimp and Sharma (1987) developed a 17-item scale to 	 	measure the construct 	and named this the Consumer Ethnocentric Tendency Scale (CETSCALE). 	Against this background, the 	objectives of the current study are, broadly to examine the relationships 	between consumer behavior as measured by the Consumer Ethnocentrism Scale by 	Shimp and Sharma (1987) and the home country bias, perceptions of quality 	and expressed choice for products assembled and designed domestically or in 	foreign countries. The scale used for 	 	measuring consumer 	ethnocentrism is the original CETSCALE as developed by Shimp and Sharma 	(1987). The CETSCALE uses 17 items to measure the ethnocentric tendencies of 	the Dubai residents using a 7-point bi-polar scale. 	The degree of consumer 	ethnocentrism among Dubai consumers can be easily interpreted from the total 	CETSCALE score. Total score on the 17 point CETSCALE might vary due to the 	use of a 7-point Likert scale. The mean scale value is the predictor of the 	intensity of  ethnocentrism (Shimp and Sharma 1987). A higher mean scale 	value indicates higher consumer ethnocentrism. 	 	The Data Gathering Method 	The study 	shall use questionnaires and interviews to gather pertinent data. Moreover, 	the researcher shall also use previous studies and compare it to its 	existing data in order to provide conclusions and competent recommendations. 	 	 	Database of the study 	 	The primary source of data 	will come from a questionnaire and interviews conducted by the researcher. 	The primary data frequently gives the detailed definitions of terms and 	statistical units used in the survey. These are usually broken down into 	finer classifications. 	 	The secondary sources of data will come 	from published articles from social science journals, theses and related 	studies on market behavior and economics. Acquiring secondary data are more 	convenient to use because they are already condensed and organized. 	Moreover, analysis and interpretation are done more easily. 	 	For this research design, the researcher 	will gather data, collate published studies from different local and foreign 	universities and articles from social science journals; and make a content 	analysis of the collected documentary and verbal material.  Afterwards, the 	researcher will summarize all the information, make a conclusion based on 	the null hypotheses posited and provide insightful recommendations on the 	dealing with the buying behavior of the consumers in relation to the 	influence of the concept of country of origin. 	 	The general population for 	this study will be composed of randomly selected product consumers in Dubai, 	numbering ninety (90). 	  	Sampling 	Technique 	 	First, a 	self-administered questionnaire containing 18 to 20 questions and shall be 	filled out by the respondents. Another set of questionnaires will be 	prepared for the interview of experts in consumer behavior and economics. 	Ideally, the respondents will grade each statement in the 	survey-questionnaire using a Likert scale, with a five-response scale 	wherein respondents will be given five response choices. 	 	The 	equivalent weights for the answers will be: 	 	 	Range                                                            	Interpretation 	 	      4.50 – 5.00 	                                                   Strongly Agree 	 	 	3.50 – 4.00   	                                                 Agree 	 	2.50 – 3.49  	                                                  Uncertain 	 	1.50 – 	2.49                                                    Disagree          	 	0.00 – 	1.49                                                    Strongly Disagree 	 	  	The researcher opted to use 	the questionnaire as a tool since it is easy to construct having the rules 	and principles of construction are easy to follow. Moreover, copies of the 	questionnaire could reach a considerable number of respondents either by 	mail or by personal distribution. Generally, responses to a questionnaire 	are objectified and standardized and these make tabulation easy. But more 	importantly, the respondents’ replies are of their own free will because 	there is no interviewer to influence them. This is one way to avoid biases, 	particularly the interviewers’ bias. 	 	Validity of the Data 	 	For validation purposes, the 	researcher will initially submit a sample of the set of survey 	questionnaires and after approval; the survey will be conducted to five 	respondents.  After the questions were answered, the researcher will ask the 	respondents for any suggestions or any necessary corrections to ensure 	further improvement and validity of the instrument.  The researcher will 	again examine the content of the interview questions to find out the 	reliability of the instrument.  The researchers will exclude irrelevant 	questions and will change words that would be deemed difficult by the 	respondents, to much simpler terms. 	 	  	 	 	Administration of the Instrument 	 	The researcher will exclude 	the five respondents who will be initially used for the validation of the 	instrument.  The researcher will also tally, score and tabulate all the 	responses in the provided interview questions. Moreover, the interview shall 	be using a structured interview. It shall consist of a list of specific 	questions and the interviewer does not deviate from the list or inject any 	extra remarks into the interview process. The interviewer may encourage the 	interviewee to clarify vague statements or to further elaborate on brief 	comments. Otherwise, the interviewer attempts to be objective and tries not 	to influence the interviewer's statements. The interviewer does not share 	his/her own beliefs and opinions. The structured interview is mostly a 	"question and answer" session. 	  	Statistical 	Treatment of the Data 	 	When all the survey 	questionnaire will have been collected, the researcher will use statistics 	to analyse all the data. 	 	 	The statistical formulae to be used in the survey questionnaire will be the 	following: 	 	 	1.     	 	Percentage – 	to determine the magnitude of the responses to the questionnaire. 	 	 	            n 	 	 	% = -------- x 100        ;           n – number of responses 	 	 	            N                                 N – total number of 	respondents 	 	 	2.     	 	4Weighted 	Mean 	 	 	  	 	 	            f1x1 + f2x2  + f3x3 	+ f4x4  + f5x5 	 	 	x = ---------------------------------------------  ; 	 	 	                        xt 	 	 	where:            f – weight given to each response 	 	 	                        x – number of responses 	 	            xt – 	total number of responses 	 	The researcher was be assisted 	by the SPSS in coming up with the statistical analysis for this study. 	  	CHAPTER IV 	A. PRESENTATION, INTERPRETATION 	AND ANALYSIS OF DATA 	 	Country of origin provides an impetus for 	consumer behavior particularly in Dubai where consumers are classified as 	nationalistic in relation to their consumption of products made 	domestically. Moreover, country image plays a significant role in consumers' 	perceptions of products. Thus, understanding the dimensions of country image 	and how it can be operationalized is important for managers whose products 	and those of their competitors are manufactured around the world. 	 	Dubai, being one of cities 	flocked by international goods, increasingly finds itself with a variety of 	products with several brands. This exposure led to the openness of 	information regarding the quality and price of foreign products. For some, 	it has recurring effects on the domestic market. 	 	This study sought to investigate the effect of the 	concept of “country of origin” (COO) in the market of Dubai. This is the 	manner unto which the study accounts the factors and the perception on the 	criteria themselves. This chapter discussed the findings based on the 	collated information on the survey conducted by the researcher. 	The general population for this study was composed of 	randomly selected product consumers in Dubai, numbering to ninety (90). This 	chapter was divided into several parts; the first part provided the 	general description of the respondents. Particularly, it discussed the 	respondents’ age, gender, marital status, educational attainment and monthly 	income. Next, the second part illustrated the perception of the respondents 	pertaining to  the Consumer Ethnocentrism Scale (CET). The third part was a 	description on the perception of the respondents about the problems and 	solutions encountered in consuming foreign products. Finally, the final part 	of the study presented the guide questions discussing the insight of the 	respondents regarding to the effects of country of origin on the 	consumer preferences and behavior of Dubai residents. 	 A demographic profile of 	the respondents was detailed with the presumption that the attributes of the 	respondents influence their behavior and answers on the survey questions. 	Specifically the study sought to answer the following questions: 	 	7.                            	What contributed to the formation of 	CO images among the consuming public in Dubai? 	 	  	 	8.                            	What was the level of familiarity 	does the consuming public of Dubai have particularly in origin of the 	products sold in the city? 	 	  	 	9.                            	How salient was CO image in shaping 	attitudes and behavior toward specific products and brands and in affecting 	choice behavior, both in absolute terms and relative to other marketing 	stimuli? 	 	10.                         	How much information was provided by 	the products in order for them to weigh heavier on the judgment of the 	consuming public? 	 	  	 	11.                         	Was there a significant relationship 	between the quantities of information provided by the products in the buying 	behavior of the consuming public in the city of Dubai? 	 	  	 	12.                         	Was there a significant relationship 	between a product’s country of origin and the buying behavior of the 	consuming public in Dubai? 	 	  	Apparently, the researcher 	evaluated the implications of country of origin principles of buying 	behavior among the consumers in the country of Dubai. This study sought to 	prove the following null hypothesis: 	“The concept of country 	of origin has no significant effect on the consumer behavior in the 	Dubai Market.” 	 	  	Part I. Profile of Respondents 	This section presents the 	general profile of the respondents in terms of age, gender, educational 	attainment, civil status and monthly income. The first to be taken into 	consideration was the age of the respondents followed by gender, marital 	status, educational attainment and income. The responses are summarized in 	the figures below. 	 	Exhibit 1. Age of the Respondents 	 	 	            Exhibit 1 shows the age range of the respondents. The result 	shows that fifty eight percent (58%) of the respondents were 26-30 years 	old, showing that most of them can be considered as young adult, sixteen 	percent (16%) of the respondents were between 31-35 years old while fourteen 	percent (14%) of the respondents were between 36-40 years old. Consequently, 	very few can be considered old, this shown by the figure that only 6% of the 	respondents are in the 40 and above status. Subsequently, there was no 	respondent on the ages between 15-20 years old. The apparent diversity of 	the maturity of the respondents reflects several implications in the study’s 	findings. In relation of the age bracket of the respondents, the researcher 	could presume that in the said percentage, a considerable number could be 	among the young adult members of the population. 	  	Exhibit 	2. Gender of the Respondents 	 	 	Exhibit 2. The number of the male respondents (51%) is 	almost equal to the female (49%). Based on the collated questionnaires, over 	a half of the population was composed of male respondents while 49% were 	females. This shows a virtually equal footing in terms of representation of 	gender regarding the perception of the respondents to the effect of country 	of origin in product consumption. The male respondents outnumber the female 	respondents by approximately 2%; this data provides a glimpse of the 	aggregate size of women as a consumer. 	  	  	  	  	  	Exhibit 	3. Civil Status 	 	 	  	 	Exhibit 3. The above illustration shows the civil status 	of the respondents. 47% of the total respondents, the findings implies that 	majority of the respondents are single. Moreover, a significant number, 42% 	comprise those who are already married. Furthermore, there is a little 	percentage of respondents who are separated or widow. Most of the surveyed 	individuals are either married or single. This is due to the large number of 	young adult in the sample as compared to those who are older. 	Exhibit 4. Educational 	Attainment of Respondents 	 	 	 	  	 	Exhibit 4. Likewise, 	the respondents were asked for their educational attainment; the report 	shows that 53% of them are college graduates. The survey indicates that most 	of the respondents are college graduates. The diversity of the population is 	further asserted when the respondents were asked regarding their 	professional history. This data illustrates that the respondents are mature 	particularly in terms of experience. Moreover, due to the higher educational 	attainment of the respondents. the quality of response also signify that the 	subjects of the study are. On the other hand, the apparent youthfulness of 	the respondents, provided by their age could not be considered as a 	deterrence to their responses considering that the researcher has made sure 	that the respondents have been consuming branded products from foreign 	countries aside from their local consumption. 	 	  	 	  	 	  	Exhibit 5. Monthly Income 	 	  	 	 	 	  	Exhibit 5. 	The above figure illustrated the monthly income of the surveyed 	individuals.  The illustration shows the minimal gap between the ranges of 	their income. From the collated data, there were 22.22% of the respondents 	whose monthly income was 10,001 and above dirham. Majority these respondents 	were composed of managers, businessmen, young professionals and 	administrators. Followed by 27.78% whose ranges of income were in between 	2,1001 to 5,000 dirham. Then, 28.89% of the total respondents have an income 	between 5,000 to 10,000 dirham. And lastly, there were only 21.1% of the 	respondents with income  of 2,000 or below. 	  	  	  	  	Part 2. Perception of 	the Respondents - Consumer Ethnocentrism Scale (CET) 	 		 			 			 			  			 			 			5 			 			 			4 			 			 			3 			 			 			2 			 			 			1 			 			 			Weighted 			mean 			 			 			 			Interpretation 		 		 			 			 			1. People in Dubai should always 			buy Dubai products instead of imports 			 			 			11 			 			 			25 			 			 			12 			 			 			32 			 			 			10 			 			 			2.94 			 			 			Neutral 		 		 			 			 			2. Only those products that are 			unavailable in Dubai should be imported. 			 			 			45 			 			 			25 			 			 			12 			 			 			4 			 			 			4 			 			 			4.14 			 			 			Agree 		 		 			 			 			3. Buy Dubai made products. Keep 			Dubai working 			 			 			46 			 			 			26 			 			 			12 			 			 			5 			 			 			1 			 			 			4.23 			 			 			Agree 		 		 			 			 			4. Dubai products first, last, 			and foremost 			 			 			8 			 			 			23 			 			 			45 			 			 			12 			 			 			2 			 			 			3.26 			 			 			Neutral 		 		 			 			 			5. Purchasing foreign-made 			products is un-Dubai 			 			 			15 			 			 			13 			 			 			56 			 			 			3 			 			 			3 			 			 			3.38 			 			 			Neutral 		 		 			 			 			6. It is not right to purchase 			foreign products 			 			 			40 			 			 			29 			 			 			16 			 			 			5 			 			 			0 			 			 			4.16 			 			 			Agree 		 		 			 			 			7. A real Dubai citizen should 			always buy Dubai made products 			 			 			15 			 			 			13 			 			 			56 			 			 			3 			 			 			3 			 			 			3.38 			 			 			Neutral 		 		 			 			 			8. We should purchase products 			made in Dubai instead of letting other countries get rich off us. 			 			 			34 			 			 			29 			 			 			16 			 			 			9 			 			 			2 			 			 			3.93 			 			 			Agree 		 		 			 			 			9. It is always best to purchase 			Dubai products. 			 			 			39 			 			 			25 			 			 			16 			 			 			9 			 			 			1 			 			 			4.02 			 			 			Agree 		 		 			 			 			10.  There should be very little 			trading or purchasing of goods from other countries unless out of 			necessity. 			 			 			32 			 			 			36 			 			 			13 			 			 			7 			 			 			2 			 			 			3.99 			 			 			Agree 		 		 			 			 			11.  Dubai should not buy 			foreign products because this hurts Dubai businesses and causes 			unemployment. 			 			 			15 			 			 			13 			 			 			56 			 			 			3 			 			 			3 			 			 			3.38 			 			 			Neutral 		 		 			 			 			12.  Curbs should be put on all 			imports 			 			 			36 			 			 			32 			 			 			12 			 			 			9 			 			 			1 			 			 			4.03 			 			 			Agree 		 		 			 			 			13.  It may cost me in the long 			run, but I prefer to support Dubai products. 			 			 			39 			 			 			31 			 			 			13 			 			 			4 			 			 			3 			 			 			4.10 			 			 			Agree 		 		 			 			 			14.  Foreigners should not be 			allowed to put their products in markets. 			 			 			28 			 			 			32 			 			 			19 			 			 			6 			 			 			5 			 			 			3.80 			 			 			Agree 		 		 			 			 			15.  Foreign products should be 			taxed heavily to reduce their entry into Dubai 			 			 			33 			 			 			30 			 			 			18 			 			 			5 			 			 			4 			 			 			3.92 			 			 			Agree 		 		 			 			 			16.  We should buy from foreign 			countries only those products that we cannot obtain in our own 			country. 			 			 			23 			 			 			34 			 			 			17 			 			 			10 			 			 			6 			 			 			3.64 			 			 			Agree 		 		 			 			 			17. Dubai consumers who purchase 			products made in other countries put their fellow Dubai's out of 			work 			 			 			25 			 			 			32 			 			 			15 			 			 			14 			 			 			4 			 			 			3.67 			 			 			Agree 		 	 	 	The above table 	presented the perceptions of the respondents pertaining to the impact of 	country of origin in consuming different products. The table above shows 	that the dominant response was Agree, weighted average in every statement. 	According to some respondents, the people of Dubai should buy and consider 	their own products in order to contribute to the progress of their country. 	The surveyed individuals also agreed that only those products that are 	unavailable in Dubai should be imported which was illustrated by weighted 	mean of 4.14. Majority of the respondents agreed on the statements and 	signifies the high impact of ethnocentrism. 	 	 	 	Ethnocentrism, 	coined by William Graham Sumner, is the viewpoint that one's ethnic group is 	the center of everything, against which all other groups are judged. Within 	culture, language, behavior, customs, and religion can be a basis for ethnic 	distinctions, and sub-divisions. Meaning to say, majority of the respondents 	believe that Dubai product were better compared to other foreign products. 	However the surveyed individuals  with 3.64 weighted mean also accepted the 	fact that their country cannot stand alone without the help of other foreign 	products since they need to 	buy from foreign 	countries only those products that they cannot obtain in their own country . 	 	 	The government of Dubai 	according to the most of the respondents should employ heavy taxes to other 	foreign products that will reduce the entry into Dubai. Moreover, the degree 	of ethnocentrism for most respondents was high since they are looking for 	great improvement and progress of Dubai. The respondents agreed that Dubai 	products first, last, and foremost. For them purchasing foreign-made 	products is un-Dubai. The weighted mean concerning to a real 	Dubai citizen who bought Dubai made products was interpreted as neutral. 	 	 	Furthermore, this report 	shows that Dubai citizens are really concern to the development of their 	country but the impact of nature with full of foreign products was 	definitely a great factor to consider because even though they don’t want to 	buy this product they are forced to purchase it since they need it and it is 	only very limited. They should purchase products made in Dubai instead of 	letting other countries get rich off Dubai. There should be very little 	trading or purchasing of goods from other countries unless out of necessity. 	Dubai should not buy foreign products because this hurts Dubai businesses 	and causes unemployment Curbs should be put on all imports. Foreigners 	should not be allowed to put their products in markets. And lastly, 	according to them Dubai consumers who purchase products made in other 	countries put their fellow Dubai's out of work. 	 	In the modern 	world, however, the crossing of the lines between cultures, that at one time 	happened only occasionally, has become an everyday occurrence. Technological 	advances in communication have progressively overcome previous obstacles to 	communication - physical obstacles that once helped to keep ethnic 	distinctions distinct. Ethnic lines still exist, and co-exist, and cultures 	of the world often find that their central concern, that of maintaining an 	identity despite rapid transculturation, was still possible. 	 	  	 	The reasons for maintaining an 	ethnicity are often personal, and relate to the cohesion of familiar 	personal and social elements - in other words, attachment or accustoment. We 	all are born into a human culture, and it is the culture that shapes our 	self-awareness and understanding of other individuals. It also reflects, 	depending on the cultural teaching, customs or patterns of behavior in 	relating to other cultures. This behavior can range from universal 	acceptance or feelings of inferiority compared with other cultures, to 	racism, which many consider an aspect of xenophobia. 	Marketers often promote the fact that a 	product is made in a country with a reputation for manufacturing 	high-quality merchandise. Moreover, experimental studies support the 	viability of this strategy. Associating a product with a country that is 	known for superior workmanship often increases evaluations of this product. 	Despite this evidence, however, country-of-origin effects are not clearly 	understood under many conditions in which products are evaluated. A number 	of factors potentially influence both the magnitude and the direction of the 	effect that a product's country of origin can have on evaluations of its 	quality. These factors must ultimately be specified. 	 	  	The 	cognitive processes that underlie their effects must be identified, and the 	conditions in which the processes operate must be circumscribed. Until this 	is done, the effect of calling consumers' attention to a product's country 	of origin in any given instance will be hard to predict. For example, found 	that the reputation of a product's country-of-origin information influenced 	perceptions of a product's quality well over the effects of information 	about its specific attributes. In some conditions, however, 	country-of-origin information also had an indirect effect on product 	evaluations through its mediating influence on the way the attribute 	information was processed. 	 	To the extent that a 	product's country of origin is used as information about its quality, 	product evaluations should increase in favorableness as the country's 	reputation for manufacturing high-quality merchandise increases. However, 	this general informational effect could occur for at least three reasons. 	First, the country of origin could itself be viewed as a favorable or 	unfavorable attribute of the product, which is independent of other 	attributes. Second, it might be used as a signal to infer more specific 	product attributes about which information is unavailable. Third, it could 	be used as a heuristic basis for judgment that is substituted for other 	available judgment-relevant information. 	 	Although numerous 	dependent variables have been investigated in Country of Origin Studies, 	investigations were limited to two broad categories quality/reliability 	perceptions of consumers and purchase intentions. These two categories 	capture the majority of response or dependent variables investigated in COO 	studies and were deemed representative of dependent variables commonly 	investigated in COO studies. While perceptions and intentions are 	intuitively related, they are conceptually distinct and hence merit separate 	analysis. Perceptions are more "primitive" than intentions. As such, 	perceptions are antecedent to, and determinants of, intentions  although the 	relationship is mediated by constructs such as satisfaction. The choice of 	these particular categories of variables in the context of COO studies has 	been previously justified by Johansson (1989), and the present 	investigation's separate analyses of them is analogous to the approach 	followed by Roth and Romeo (1992). 	Cross 	Tabulation Results 	 	Researchers have previously 	examined the effect of demographic variables such as age, gender, education, 	and income level on consumer ethnocentrism (Sharma, Shimp, and Shin 1995; 	Wall, Liefield, and Heslop 1989). Older people are more likely to exhibit 	higher levels of ethnocentrism, as they tend to be more conservative 	(Bannister and Saunders 1978; Han 1988). Studies in the United States 	(Howard 1989) and Canada (Wall and Heslop 1986) have shown that women rate 	domestic products more favorably than men. More educated people are less 	likely to have ethnic prejudices (Watson and Johnson 1972), tend to be less 	conservative (Ray 1983), and are more likely to have positive attitudes 	toward imported products (Wall and Heslop 1986; Wang 1978). People who 	travel abroad tend to exhibit lower levels of ethnocentrism (Wall, Liefield, 	and Heslop 1989) as foreign travel is likely to result in more cultural 	exchanges and broadening of minds. Also, high-income consumers are generally 	found to react more favorably toward foreign products (Wall and Heslop 1986; 	Wang 1978). 	Consumer Ethnocentrism 	According to Age 	The extent of ethnocentrism 	among Dubai residents was tested according to their age group. For the six 	age groups, the absolute value of ethnocentrism was quite high, meaning that 	Dubai people tended to be particularly ethnocentric. The difference between 	the six sample groups, however, was statistically significant. Ethnocentrism 	was greatest on the age group 30 years old and above, indicating the 	positive attitudes toward Dubai and Dubai-made products.  For those aged 30 	years old and below, the findings indicated that their level of 	ethnocentrism was not as high. 	 	This finding differed from that found in 	the previous study, where no difference was observed (Yu and Albaum, 1997).  	One possible explanation was that the people of Dubai were becoming more 	local, and this was one way to express themselves as being natives of Dubai. 	Another possibility is that the Asian economic crisis has made people from 	Dubai more aware of what they have to offer both to themselves and to 	others. 	 	There was a significant 	correlation between ethnocentrism and age. A possible reason may be the fact 	that the ranges of respondents' ages determined their openness on 	international goods. 	Consumer Ethnocentrism 	According to Gender and Educational Attainment 	For the most part, the 	objectives underlying the sampling plan were achieved.  All the people 	surveyed met the qualifying age criteria, and the number interviewed at each 	of the data collection points was approximately equal.  It is not always 	possible to obtain a quota sample that matches exactly the predetermined 	quotas; this study is no exception.  The design called for equal proportions 	of male and female respondents.  However, there were slightly more females, 	but gender differences were not statistically significant. 	 	Ethnocentrism was found to 	vary with gender and educational level in Dubai. Perhaps the relatively high 	degree of ethnocentrism found in Dubai was a popular, contemporary feeling 	among consumers there that eclipsed the effect of demographic differences. 	Dubai youths who had traveled abroad (and therefore, were expected to have a 	greater exposure to and appreciation for foreign countries and cultures) 	seemed to rise above the popular feelings somewhat, and exhibited a 	significantly lower level of ethnocentrism that people who had not. 	Consumer Ethnocentrism 	According to Civil Status and Monthly Income 	            	Four categories constituted civil status: 	Single, Married, Separated and Widow. When grouped according to civil 	status, the findings showed no significant correlation between the four 	categories. This shows that ethnocentrism and civil status does not affect 	each other. 	 	On the contrary, the findings 	showed that there was a significant difference in ethnocentrism and monthly 	income. The result showed that the higher the income of the respondents, the 	lower their ethnocentrism. Conversely, those who have a lower income tends 	to be more ethnocentric. 	Statistical Analysis 	            	For greater clarity the researcher also 	employed guide questions. These guide questions reveals the quality of 	economy of Dubai.  Apparently, the impact of country of origin of products 	in Dubai was also discussed. 	            According to most 	respondents, the economic situation in Dubai right now in terms of goods, 	products and services coming from other countries is in good condition. 	However there was still a great dominance of foreign products that was a 	great competitor of local products. They agreed that local products in Dubai 	are in high standards but the only problem was the competition and volume of 	foreign products in the market of Dubai. 	According to 	them several countries dominates when it comes to terms of volume and in 	terms of sales. For example: Russia, Argentina, USA, Japan, China and Hong 	Kong. There are some instances that regions in UAE contribute as foreign 	products. The surveyed individuals believed that compared to foreign goods, 	Dubai-made products doing well. They also alleged that degradation and total 	face-out were the possible implications of Dubai consumers buying more 	foreign goods than locally-made products. For some cases there are some 	observed changes in the consumption pattern of Dubai residents like the 	practicality of the consumer and effect of it to their health and economy 	because the degree of purchasing of these products becomes minimal. The 	respondents also accepted that country of origin affects the consumption 	behavior of Dubai residents. The implication of Dubai residents’ consumption 	behavior to Dubai’s economy will might be a result to rise and fall of the 	country in global market. 	T-test 	Statistics 	 	The t distribution is 	used instead of the normal distribution whenever the standard deviation is 	estimated. The t distribution has relatively more scores in its tails than 	does the normal distribution. It is therefore leptokurtic. The shape of the 	t distribution depends on the degrees of freedom (df) that went into the 	estimate of the standard deviation. With very few degrees of freedom, the t 	distribution is very leptokurtic. With 100 or more degrees of freedom, the t 	distribution is almost indistinguishable from the normal distribution. As 	the degrees of freedom increases, the t distribution approaches the normal 	distribution. The larger the kurtosis (the larger the tails), the farther 	out you have to go from the mean in order to contain a given percentage of 	the scores. For example, to contain 95% of the t distribution with 4 df, the 	interval must extend 2.78 estimated standard deviations from the mean in 	both directions. Compare this to the normal distribution for which the 	interval need only extend 1.96 standard deviations in 	both 	directions. 	 	The figure on the right 	shows t distributions with 1, 4, and 15 degrees of freedom. Areas greater 	than +2 and less than -2 are shaded. This figure shows that the t 	distribution with 1 df has the least area in the middle of the distribution 	and the greatest area in the tails. Thus, it is the most leptokurtic. 	 	The 	t-test is a test of the same null hypothesis as above. However, this time we 	have a new index of departure and, hence, a new formula to learn. In small 	samples (N < 30), sample standard deviations are biased estimates of their 	corresponding population standard deviations. In other words, s does not 	estimate s perfectly -- it is usually to small. Thus, we simply adjust the 	standard error using something called degrees of freedom (in this case, df = 	N - 1). Substituting these variations into the traditional z formula, we 	obtain the t test formula: 	 	 	Using the data presented 	in part 2, the researcher tried to determine if the concept of country of 	origin has no significant effect on the consumer behavior in the Dubai 	Market 	with t-test statistic. 	 		 			 			 			Sample Data 			 			 			 			  		 		 			 			 			Sample Size 			 			 			17 		 		 			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			Mean 			 			 			3.763 		 		 			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			Standard Deviation 			 			 			0.377 		 		 			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			SE Mean 			 			 			0.0913 		 		 			 			 			 			  			 			  			 			  			 			  			 			  		 	 	 	 	 T-test analysis 	 		 			 			 			Confidence Intervals for  		 		 			 			 			  			 			 			Type (2,U,L) 			 			 			2 		 		 			 			 			  			 			 			Level 			 			 			0.95 		 		 			 			 			ME 			 			 			Lower 			 			 			Upper 		 		 			 			 			0.194 			 			 			3.57 			 			 			3.96 		 	 	 		 			 			 			Hypothesis Tests 			 			 			  		 		 			 			 			  			 				 					 					 					H0:  				 			 			  			 			 			= 			 			 			100 		 		 			 			 			H1:  			 			 			 			 			 			100 		 		 			 			 			  			 			 			 			 			T 			 			 			 			-1053.8 		 		 			 			 			  			 			 			DF 			 			 			16 		 		 			 			 			p-value 			 			 			= 			 			 			1.8E-40 		 	 	 	 	  	 	 	  	 	  	 	  	 	  	 	  	 	  	 	The above tables show 	the complete analysis of the data presented in part 2.  In t-test analysis, 	the illustrations of tables are presented into different sections. As the 	analysis is concern, we can see the hypothesis test of data. This shows that 	the researcher assumed that the responses of the respondents have a sample 	mean score of 100 since it is his null hypothesis. Then, the researcher will 	reject the null hypothesis if the computed t-value is less than 100. 	 	Based on the computation 	and by using the formula presented above, the calculated t-value is –1053.8 	i.e. less than 100. Therefore, there is a reason to accept the alternative 	hypothesis and reject the null hypothesis. Meaning to say, the concept of 	country of origin has a significant effect on the consumer behavior in 	the Dubai Market. 	It is also safer to state that country of origin has an effect to the 	respondents. 	 	 	 	Analysis of Findings 	 	In a global marketplace, the competitive 	position of firms is determined by many factors. One critical consideration 	that influences this position is country of origin and its effects on 	consumer behavior. In addition, there has been a proliferation of foreign 	brands that are manufactured or assembled and marketed in Dubai by local and 	foreign-based firms. Customers in Dubai can choose from a set of brands that 	includes foreign-manufactured or licensed products covering every 	conceivable product category. 	 	After reviewing a large number of studies 	that have investigated the country-of-origin effect in various different 	settings, this study highlighted several gaps within our knowledge of this 	issue. The role of national identification in home country bias in Dubai has 	not yet been examined in the marketing literature. Although there is a 	positive relationship between national identification and consumer 	ethnocentrism, the study shows that these constructs have independent 	positive effects on consumers’ willingness to buy domestic products in 	different product categories. The study offers limited support for negative 	effects of national identification and consumer ethnocentrism on willingness 	to buy foreign products. 	 	What aspect of a country of origin makes 	the country an important influence on consumer behavior? One suggestion is 	that country of origin represents one of many so-called image variables. 	Image variables are variables that are distinct from the actual product 	itself, but they are strongly associated with or identified with the product 	and, as a consequence, may be relied on when evaluating various aspects of 	the product. Often, these variables convey some information about the image 	one can project or attain by using or associating with a particular product. 	In addition to country of origin, other image variables include brand name, 	product price, and endorsements by well-known celebrities. 	 	  	 	To the extent that country of origin 	conveys something about the image of a product and/or the image one can 	convey by associating with or using a particular product, there is reason to 	suspect that some individuals' perceptions of product quality may be 	particularly likely to be influenced by a product's country of origin. 	Research on various aspects of consumer behavior suggested that the 	individual difference variable of self-monitoring may aid in differentiating 	those individuals who may be especially likely to be influenced by the image 	aspects of products from those who may be less likely to be influenced by 	such variables. 	  	For instance, demographic 	shifts may act as a catalyst for social and cultural changes in both the 	private and commercial spheres. Also, product knowledge has been recognized 	as an important factor in the research on consumer decision making. It has 	also been acknowledged that there are different types of knowledge. 	 	 	Brands originating from a particular 	country seem to create intangible assets or liabilities that are shared by 	those brands originating from the same country. The similar image of brands 	from the same country has been noted to be particularly important when 	products cannot be easily evaluated by consumers, as in the case of 	automobiles and consumer electronics, where consumers seek external cues for 	drawing inferences. Differences in terms of country image can be attributed 	to the unique characteristics of their home countries in terms of demand 	conditions, factor conditions, rivalry, and related and supporting 	industries. Country-specific endowments create the environment in which 	companies are born and learn to compete effectively in certain areas and, as 	such, affect essential ingredients for achieving competitive success (Porter 	1990). 	 	The reason why country of origin influences 	product judgments can vary substantially over situations and depend on 	subjects' processing objectives at the time they receive information, the 	time between receipt of information about country of origin and other 	product information, the amount and order in which this information is 	presented, product familiarity, and decision importance. It is only after 	identifying the processes that underlie country-of-origin effects and 	circumscribing empirically the conditions in which they operate that one can 	begin to understand how country of origin, and perhaps other extrinsic 	product attributes, affect product evaluations and purchasing decisions. 	These results add to a 	growing body of empirical knowledge concerning the cognitive processes that 	underlie the effects of country of origin on product evaluations. In 	particular, this study provide evidence of the use of country of origin as a 	standard of comparison in addition to country of origin's informational 	influence on judgments among Dubai residents. 	 	  	 	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	 	Chapter IV 	 	B. Problems and Solutions 	 	  	 	Q1. 	What are the problems and issues 	challenging the choices for products for consumption in Dubai? 	 	According to the 	respondents, despite a relatively small population in the world (but 	 	has become the most populous city in the UAE, accounting for more than a 	third of the urban population at the end of 2001, according to official 	figures. An estimated one million people live in this city, almost double 	the population of Abu Dhabi which has just above 500,000 residents, the 	Ministry of Planning said.), 	Dubai's total imports exceed $14 billion. The reason is that Dubai is the 	major re-export centre for the region. Meaning to say, the labor force 	needed by the people of Dubai was limited, therefore instead of producing 	basic products needed by the people, they prefer to buy foreign products 	since it was more practical and convenient. The surveyed individuals 	believed that the government was also focused to trading and business 	dealing to other foreign countries. Another problem encountered was the 	emirate's non-oil imports have expanded sharply in the recent past. Many of 	the economies of the region served by Dubai are still at a relatively early 	stage of development, so there is plenty of long term scope for 	diversification and expansion in the future. Another important consideration 	is Dubai's rapidly developing role as a supplier to such emerging markets as 	India, the CIS, Central Asia and South Africa. 	 	Most of the respondents agreed that the 	easy access of foreign products to get in to the country was definitely a 	great factor to consider why the people of Dubai prefer to buy these 	products. Some surveyed individuals also agreed that the quality of product 	made in Dubai were not that good compared to other countries. For some 	cases, the consumers did not consider the products made in Dubai since the 	competition between foreign products and Dubai product was high. The 	dominance of quantity of foreign products in the country degraded the 	quality of Dubai products. Another problem mentioned by some respondents was 	the impact of globalization with respect to the trading and business 	relationship of different countries. 	 	  	 	The restructuring of 	firms and industries on an increasingly global basis during the 1990s was 	driven by a combination of economic and technological factors. Changes in 	government policies in key areas facilitated the restructuring, while 	providing additional incentives for the development of global strategies. 	 	  	 	Traditionally, 	corporations have pursued foreign activities principally with a view towards 	lowering production costs and/or gaining access to protected 	markets. Firms engaged in labor-intensive manufacturing, for example, 	sought to decrease costs by locating labor-intensive operations in countries 	where wages were substantially lower. In addition, formal and informal 	barriers to trade often provided further incentives to develop offshore 	operations, as did advantageous investment climates that might include tax 	incentives and other forms of support to promote local economic growth. 	While these factors continue to play an important role, others are also 	influencing strategies. 	 	  	 	Growing global 	competition, for example, is requiring companies to seek efficiencies that 	may require increasing their scale of operations. Often this can be achieved 	best not by investing in greenfield plants, but by acquiring existing 	facilities, wherever they may be located. In a related area, excess 	capacity in some sectors has tended to intensify pressures to 	restructure on a global basis. The auto, petroleum and 	chemicals/pharmaceuticals sectors are examples where mega-mergers have been 	pursued to achieve larger economies of scale, while providing opportunities 	for firms to phase out non-competitive facilities and rationalize key 	functions – such as research and development, marketing, and distribution 	networks. Combining and/or accessing strategic intangible assets – 	such as management skills, technical know-how and related assets – is also 	playing an important role. These arrangements typically serve to enhance the 	value of a firm's assets and to optimize returns over the long term, with 	lesser attention to costs as such. In this context, corporations are now 	defining their value in terms which include their intangibles. Increased 	attention is being paid, for example, to the importance of the capabilities 	of human resources to firm performance – which would include the knowledge, 	skills and abilities of systems engineers, programmers and researchers. 	 	 	Development and design 	of automobiles, for example, requires high levels of expertise in ICT, 	materials science, electronics, etc., which might be best exploited through 	strategic alliances. Pharmaceutical companies are also active in this area, 	outsourcing a major share of R&D in order to accelerate development of new 	products. In this context, firms can use M&As to acquire key technologies, 	thereby avoiding potentially costly research and development. 	 	This is also relevant 	for ICT firms, where leading firms such as Fujitsu have become more 	aggressive in exploring and exploiting R&D developed outside the firm (Nezu, 	2002). 	 	In addition to the 	factors discussed above, the speed and scope of global industry 	restructuring have been greatly influenced by changes in framework 	conditions. These changes have tended to facilitate, if not promote, such 	restructuring – largely through market liberalization and deregulation. 	 	Integration of 	regional markets 	in Europe and North 	America, for example, has encouraged firms to expand their operations 	geographically, leading to more M&As and marketing alliances. 	 	In product markets, 	the ongoing lowering of tariff and the strengthening of the multilateral 	rules governing trade are promoting a freer exchange of goods. This is 	providing new opportunities for companies to expand markets, while 	subjecting them to more intense global competition. Surviving and thriving 	are thus requiring companies to think increasingly in global terms. This is 	serving to reinforce the economic pressures mentioned earlier. 	 	  	 	Moreover, the 	development of complementary rules governing trade in services has 	provided a framework for promoting the liberalization and expansion of 	cross-border transactions, which should similarly provide incentives for 	increased global co-operation. Regulatory reform in many sectors is 	playing an important role in the dramatic increases in strategic alliances 	by opening up new opportunities. This has been particularly noticeable in 	telecommunications, where cross-border alliances have become common. 	Vodafone Group Plc, a UK-based firm, is a case in point. Through 	acquisitions and alliances, the company has grown from a small, local mobile 	phone operator, to a GBP 21.4 billion firm with interests in mobile networks 	in 28 countries across five continents (Lloyd, 2002 and Vodafone Group Plc, 	2001). 	 	  	 	Privatization 	is contributing to 	cross-border merger activity by increasing M&A opportunities and exposing 	firms to heightened competition. Significant increases in inward M&As in 	Latin America and in Central and Eastern Europe, for example, are linked to 	privatization of state enterprises in telecommunications, energy and other 	sectors. In the case of Brazil, partly owing to the privatization of public 	enterprises, inward M&As increased rapidly in recent years from USD 4.7 	billion in 1996 to USD 24.8 billion in 1998. 	 	  	 	Moreover, acquisition of 	privatized mills has been the principal vehicle through which the steel 	maker Ispat has expanded to become one of the world’s largest steel 	producers (Picard, 2002). Greater institutional ownership of equity 	and reforms in corporate governance structures are pressuring firms 	to explore ways to enhance shareholder value, while the dismantling of 	anti-takeover defenses has made corporate management more responsive to 	shareholder concerns. This is resulting in more open consideration of 	cross-border M&As and alliances. 	 	  	 	In Japan, for example, 	the evolving nature of corporate relationships with shareholders, 	stakeholders and banks has led to record numbers of alliances and M&As, both 	domestic and international. Similar pressures are occurring in countries 	where tightly-knit cross-shareholding relationships among companies (as has 	been the case in France, Germany and Japan) are giving way to more widely 	dispersed ownership and greater transparency. The increased openness that 	this has prompted has resulted in more active consideration of ways to 	improve performance through corporate restructuring. A study of M&As 	involving French firms between 1997 and 1999, for example, shows that the 	emerging influence and role of institutional investors has been a principal 	factor underlying the recent wave of M&A activity (OECD, 2001b). 	 	  	 	Finally, access to 	international financial markets and risk diversification has been 	mentioned as factors influencing global expansion. In the case of Lafarge, 	being a sizeable industry leader has enabled the company to generate 	interest from those institutional investors, who have an interest in 	managing a diversified portfolio that may only contain a single cement 	producer (Sarrazin, 2002). Moreover, foreign holdings have helped the 	company to moderate swings in business activity, which, in the case of 	cement, tends to be highly cyclical on a country-by-country basis. 	 	Outlook 	 	As indicated above, the 	growth in globalization has been supported by governmental policies that, in 	recent years, have focused on liberalizing markets and promoting economic 	efficiency. Characterized as a "business class" model, the policies have 	aimed at the opening of economies to foreign investment, deregulation, 	fiscal discipline, privatization, and trade liberalization. 	 	  	 	Key global institutions 	such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the World Trade 	Organisation have supported the widespread acceptance of the model. Should 	it continue, one could expect tendencies towards integration to be strong, 	with weaker and less adaptable countries finding themselves at a 	disadvantage in an increasingly global and highly competitive environment. 	For the business community, the implications could be that competitive 	pressures would continue to drive firms to focus even more on core 	operations, outsourcing other activities to the extent possible. 	 	  	 	On the other hand, it 	has been argued that the widespread support that the business class model 	attracted may have peaked, and that a shift could be occurring towards a 	world that is shaped more on economic and culture diversity rather than 	shared values. In such a scenario, countries are seen as taking a more 	interventionist role in their economies, basing their policies and actions 	more on cultural values and practices than on economic principles and 	objectives. Characterized as a "prism" model, markets would continue to 	matter, but their importance would be balanced by a recognition that 	governments may need to intervene to assure that social needs are addressed. 	In this context, fiscal, investment and related policies would be managed 	more actively to assure they were consistent with and contributed to a 	country’s vision of society. For business, the diversity in framework 	conditions among countries would require tailoring initiatives to local 	conditions, while recruiting and developing competent local staffs to 	implement strategies. Globalization would therefore continue, but would be 	subject to greater scrutiny. 	 	Internationally, CO serves as a useful 	extrinsic cue and as a surrogate for difficult-to-evaluate intrinsic 	characteristics such as quality and performance because consumers tend to be 	less familiar with foreign than with domestic products (Huber and McCann 	1982; Olson 1977). Han and Terpstra (1988, p. 236) claim, "It has been found 	that all products originating in foreign countries are subject to 	country-of-origin [image] effects." Han (1990, p. 24) further states that 	CO-image studies in general show that consumers have significantly different 	general perceptions about products made in different countries. Hooley, 	Shipley, and Krieger (1988, p. 67) asserted that international marketers 	need to understand these [CO] images as they relate both to their own, and 	to their competitors' products. Specifically, they will need to determine 	whether such images are positive or negative, whether and how they affect 	behavior, and how they can be catered to in the marketing strategy. Yet, few 	multinational marketers and advertisers make full use of their products' 	favorable CO image or successfully overcome the liability associated with an 	unfavorable one. 	 	  	 	Several reasons may account for the 	relative neglect of CO image as a competitive tool. First, the CO variable 	is culture-laden, and most managers are inadequately trained to address 	cultural issues despite significant research indicating that multinational 	marketing strategy is ill-served if cultural and perceptual differences 	among countries are not properly comprehended and heeded (Harris 1984; Kale 	1991). Second, translating CO images into marketing communication 	opportunities is difficult because the relationship between the brand and 	its country of origin is potentially more distant than the relationship 	between the brand and its firm, store, or advertising. Third, Zinkhan and 	his colleagues' observations about what constitutes effective measures for 	image manifestations and their current state of development are equally 	applicable to CO image measures (Dobni and Zinkhan 1990; Johnson and Zinkhan 	1990; Villanova, Zinkhan, and Hyman 1990). 	  	Q2. 	What are the implications of these issues to Dubai’s economic health? 	 	            According the respondents, the dominance of foreign products 	creates several implications not only to Dubai’s economic health but 	literally also to the health of people of Dubai. The country of origin of 	products plays a great impact to the economy of Dubai. However, the country 	needs to employ heavy taxes to the foreign product so that the collected 	taxes will become part of contribution to the progress of the country. Most 	of the surveyed individuals agreed that importation and exportation of 	products increases the quality of living of Dubai. On the other hand, people 	of Dubai should be more aware to the products that they buy since it was a 	possible threat of foreign diseases that are easily transferred by these 	products. 	  	 	The respondents believed that despite of dominance of 	foreign products, the quality of living in Dubai increases. Moreover, Dubai 	has been part or one of the progressive business countries in the world 	since the good quality of trading and business communication to other 	country was their focus. 	 	            	Q3. 	What are your proposed solutions to the issues and problems you’ve  	mentioned? 	  	            According to the 	respondents, the government should give focus to the business owners in 	Dubai especially to those who are selling and manufacturing products and 	goods for citizens of Dubai. The government needs to employ reasonable taxes 	for foreign products so that the importation of these products becomes 	minimal. The respondents agreed that they have to choose their own made 	quality products rather than other foreign products. The surveyed 	individuals believed that the government of Dubai should give importance to 	the citizens of Dubai, especially to their employment and health assistance. 	Another thing that the government of Dubai should employ their attention is 	the easy access of terrorist.  	  	The 	respondents agreed that one of the biggest factors that the government needs 	to consider was not only the impact of country of origin of products but 	also the biggest impact of terrorists attack to the economy of Dubai. They 	believed that the increase of security to the country would result to 	quality economy. However, the country of origin factor of product was 	definitely a factor to be considered. According the number of respondents, 	they will try to buy quality products of Dubai’s citizens but this marketers 	should give their full effort to produce quality products that will might 	attract consumers to turn on to it resulting to rejection of foreign 	products. Rejections of foreign products will also a possible factor that 	will lessen the entry to the country. 	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	 	CHAPTER 5 	 	SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 	 	  	 	Country of origin (CO) is a potentially 	powerful image variable that can be used to gain competitive advantage in 	international marketing. However, deficiencies in the definition and 	measurement of its facets have contributed to ineffective and infrequent use 	of CO image as competitive tool. Country-of-origin (CO) image refers to 	"buyers' opinions regarding the relative qualities of goods and services 	produced in various countries" (Bilkey 1993, p. xix). Among the image 	variables in the international advertiser's toolkit, the CO variable is 	conceivably the most potent if skillfully applied. Papadopoulos (1993, p. 	xxi) asks rhetorically, "It is often said that brand names like 'McDonald's' 	are worth millions. If so, how many billions is Germany's image worth?" A 	few authors have questioned the magnitude of importance of CO image in 	affecting choice behavior (Ettenson, Wagner, and Gaeth 1988; Johansson 1989; 	Johansson, Douglas, and Nonaka 1985), but most acknowledge its salience in 	overall product evaluation and as a proxy for other, more intrinsic, 	qualities (Han and Terpstra 1988; Yoo 1992). 	The focus of this study to 	was to examine the impact country of origin of products 	to the consumer behavior in the Dubai Market and 	the effects foreign products to the market of Dubai. Data collected 	from the different sets of respondents provided answers to the queries of 	the researcher. The primary source of data came from a 	questionnaire distributed to the consumers, investors and business owners in 	Dubai. The secondary of data came from an extensive review of the literature 	on articles, journal articles, books, and magazines relating marketing. 	The study used purposive sampling as a method of choosing its 	population. The general population for this study was 	composed of randomly selected product consumers in Dubai, numbering ninety 	(90). 	 The 	researcher also provided interviews for respondents whose function is 	directly related to the organisation and implementation of the marketing 	strategy. The researcher provided the questionnaires for the former and 	conduct interviews for the latter. Concurrently, the study employed both 	qualitative and quantitative research methods to ensure a flexible and 	iterative approach. The researcher also uses percentage analysis, the mean 	and median analysis, analysis of variance and correlation statistics to 	evaluate the collated data. 	  	SUMMARY 	 	  	 	1.            	  Profile 	of Respondents 	 	  	The 	respondents were composed of the consumer and business owners’ respondents 	in Dubai. Fifty eight percent (58%) of the respondents were 26-30 years old, 	showing that most of them were already considered as young adult. Sixteen 	percent (16%) of the respondents were between 31-35 years old. Fourteen 	percent (14%) of the respondents were between 36-40 years old.  Respondents’ 	aged 21-25 is 16% of the total respondents. On the other hand, 6% of the 	respondents are in the 40 and above status. Lastly, there is zero percent of 	respondents who are in the ages between 15-20 years old. The number of the 	male respondents (51%) is closed to the female (49%) with the total of 46 	for male and 44 for female. 	There is 	only 42% who are married from the ninety respondents. As the figure was 	interpreted, there is a little percentage of respondents who are separated 	or widow. Most of the surveyed individuals are either married or single.  	Likewise, the respondents were asked for their educational attainment and 	the report shows 53 % of them are college. From the collated data, there 	were 22.22% of the respondents whose monthly income was 10,001 and above 	dirham. Majority these respondents were composed of managers, businessmen, 	young professionals and administrators. Followed by 27.78% whose ranges of 	income were in between 2,1001 to 5,000 dirham. Then, 28.89% of the total 	respondents have an income between 5,000 to 10,000 dirham. And lastly, there 	were only 21.1% of the respondents with income  of 2,000 or below. 	  	 	2.        	 	PERCEPTION OF THE RESPONDENTS PERTAINING to the impact of country of origin 	in consuming different products 	 	Based on the collated 	information from the surveyed individuals, there is a great influence of 	country of origin in consuming different products. shows the dominant agree 	response as weighted average in every statement. According to some 	respondents, the people of Dubai should buy and consider their own products 	in order to contribute to the progress of their country. The surveyed 	individuals also agreed that only those products that are unavailable in 	Dubai should be imported which was illustrated by weighted mean of 4.14. 	Majority of the respondents agreed on the statements and signifies the high 	impact of ethnocentrism. 	 	Within 	culture, language, behavior, customs, and religion can be a basis for ethnic 	distinctions, and sub-divisions. Meaning to say, majority of the respondents 	believe that Dubai product were better compared to other foreign products. 	However the surveyed individuals  with 3.64 weighted mean also accepted the 	fact that their country cannot stand alone without the help of other foreign 	products since they need to 	buy from foreign 	countries only those products that they cannot obtain in their own country . 	 	 	The government of Dubai 	according to the most of the respondents should employ heavy taxes to other 	foreign products that will reduce the entry into Dubai. Moreover, the degree 	of ethnocentrism for most respondents was high since they are looking for 	great improvement and progress of Dubai. The respondents agreed that Dubai 	products first, last, and foremost. 	 	The weighted mean 	concerning to a real Dubai citizen who bought Dubai made products was 	interpreted as neutral. This report shows that Dubai citizens are really 	concern to the development of their country but the impact of nature with 	full of foreign products was definitely a great factor to consider because 	even though they don’t want to buy this product they are forced to purchase 	it since they need it and it is only very limited. 	 	  	 	3.            	 	Problems and solutions in Dubai's market 	 	            According to the respondents, despite a relatively small 	population in the world (but has become the most 	populous city in the UAE, accounting for more than a third of the urban 	population at the end of 2001, according to official figures. An estimated 	one million people live in this city, almost double the population of Abu 	Dhabi which has just above 500,000 residents, the Ministry of Planning 	said.), Dubai's total imports exceed $14 billion. The reason is that 	Dubai is the major re-export centre for the region. Meaning to say, the 	labor force needed by the people of Dubai was limited, therefore instead of 	producing basic products needed by the people, they prefer to buy foreign 	products since it was more practical and convenient. The surveyed 	individuals believed that the government was also focused to trading and 	business dealing to other foreign countries. 	 	For the respondents, the dominance of foreign products 	creates several implications not only to Dubai’s economic health but 	literally also to the health of people of Dubai. The country of origin of 	products plays a great impact to the economy of Dubai. However, the country 	needs to employ heavy taxes to the foreign product so that the collected 	taxes will become part of contribution to the progress of the country. 	 	They said that the government should give focus to the 	business owners in Dubai especially to those who are selling and 	manufacturing products and goods for citizens of Dubai. The government needs 	to employ reasonable taxes for foreign products so that the importation of 	these products becomes minimal. The respondents agreed that they have to 	choose their own made quality products rather than other foreign products. 	The surveyed individuals believed that the government of Dubai should give 	importance to the citizens of Dubai, especially to their employment and 	health assistance. Another thing that the government of Dubai should employ 	their attention is the easy access of terrorist.  The respondents agreed 	that one of the biggest factors that the government needs to consider was 	not only the impact of country of origin of products but also the biggest 	impact of terrorists attack to the economy of Dubai. 	  	 	4.            	Perception of the Respondents (Guide Questions) 	The economic 	situation in Dubai right now in terms of goods, products and services coming 	from other countries was in good condition. However there is still a great 	dominance of foreign products that has proven to be competition with  local 	products. They agreed that local products in Dubai are in high standards but 	the only problem was the competition and volume of foreign products in the 	market of Dubai. 	CONCLUSION 	 	Based on the findings of this study, the researcher 	concludes the following: 	 	  	 	1.            	The respondents who took part in this study are 	already mature in age, responsible and reliable.  They are also aware of 	what’s happening in the hotel industry and are deeply concerned about the 	improvement economic market in Dubai specifically to the impact of country 	of origin of products. 	 	2.            	The respondents have given an overall rating of 	Agree to each of the criteria. Most of the respondents believe that the 	country of origin of products has a great relationship in economy of Dubai. 	This shows that respondents knew the importance ethnocentrism to the 	progress of their economy. For them locally-made products should be the 	first thing to consider instead of other foreign products. 	 	3.            	The statistics show that there is no significant 	difference or there is a significant relationship in the perception of the 	respondents to the concept of country of origin effect on the 	consumer behavior in the Dubai Market. 	 	4.            	There are several factors affecting the progress 	of the economy of Dubai. The factors to be considered in Dubai’s market 	include terrorist attacks, globalization, and its business relationships 	with other countries. 	 	5.            	The t-test analysis reveals that the concept of 	country of origin has a significant effect on the consumer behavior in 	the Dubai market. The statistics shows the t-value to be -1053.8 which 	illustrates that there is a relationship between the variables. 	 	  	RECOMMENDATIONS 	 	  	Country images, built over 	long periods, are intangible assets that make a positive contribution to 	market sales or share by influencing the effectiveness of marketing 	variables on sales. Given a country-specific brand image, some strategic 	choices will prove more effective than others. 	 	This empirical study generally suggests the 	following for those brands or firms in Dubai that wish to be strong 	contenders in a global market in the twenty-first century: 	 	·         	Dubai should recognize and monitor 	over time country, image, which is unique, and differentiate themselves from 	those of other countries-of-origin. Country image tends to arise initially 	from certain unique resource endowments in the home country of a foreign 	firm or brand. The image is strengthened or improved by the performance over 	time of the brands from the same country 	 	·         	Dubai companies should examine the 	pattern of interaction between image and marketing variables. 	 	·         	Dubai brands should start by 	building market share, and find out key factors that positively affect 	market share for brands from different countries; advertising popularity 	were the examples in our case. Do not neglect the universal factors, but 	focus more on the key factors that differentiate and uniquely position the 	brand by creating intangible assets. 	 	·         	Dubai companies should fine-tune 	marketing strategy, according to the mechanism by which intangible assets 	are created and influence marketing efforts. 	 	In short, understanding the dynamics of 	intangible assets is critical in marketing strategy development for 	long-term success in a global market, where brands originate from various 	different countries that have different "home bases" or different invisible 	resource endowments. 	Although this study did not 	use cross-national samples, several important strategic implications were 	proposed for Dubai companies to successfully compete in the long run. Future 	research including cross-national samples is likely to generate some 	additional interesting results. 	Since this study looked the 	Dubai market, the findings may not be generalized to other markets. Future 	research should provide some important, more generalizable strategic 	guidelines on how to compete effectively for long-term success in a global 	market, in the presence of country-related intangible assets. 	Many businesses have 	achieved large market shares in the global market place of the imported 	product categories such as automobiles, consumer electronics, and apparel. 	As manufacturing and marketing become increasingly global, the understanding 	of consumer behavior with respect to purchase of foreign products takes on 	greater importance. Thus, understanding of consumer product evaluations in 	relation to products' country of origin and other information cues has 	pragmatic implications. 	Marketers can use country of 	origin in the positioning of their products, for example by linking a 	product to relevant characteristics of the origin country. It should be 	noted that consumers use country of origin not only as a piece of 	information in itself, but also as a source of other product information. In 	advertising, the source credibility of country of origin moderates the 	influence of advertising claims on product evaluations. Marketers choosing 	to emphasize country of origin should acknowledge the existence of home 	country bias. In domestic markets, this bias would of course be beneficial, 	but in foreign markets care should be taken to minimize psychological 	resistance to foreign products. It might be beneficial to develop different 	positioning strategies for segments that differ in the strength of consumer 	ethnocentrism and national identification, as these variables determine the 	strength of home country bias. 	 	The results reported in this paper can have 	important decision making implications for Dubai domestic firms that are 	trying to maintain their competitive position in relation to international 	competition posed by developed countries. Moreover, the findings suggest 	that Dubai firms should strive to gain an equivalence with brands from 	Japan, United States and the European Community on perception of quality, 	technology sophistication, brand recognition, and advertising image. 	 	Country-of-origin 	perception still remains an important consideration. Given the halo effect 	reported in the literature, the 	country-of-origin 	perception can be strengthened by improving the perception of the other 	marketing variables. 	In addition to expanding the 	knowledge of the relations between self-monitoring and product perception, 	the results may also shed some light on the understanding of the role of 	country of origin on product perception. Country of origin, as well as other 	image variables, may influence product perception because it is, in part, 	appealing to those consumers who chronically strive to present the most 	appropriate image in each social situation in which they find themselves. 	Thus, one of the reasons that country of origin affects product perception 	may be that the country of origin of a product does indeed convey 	information about the image one can project and attain by using any given 	product. 	 	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Timetable 	 		 			 			 			TASK 			 			Month 			 		 		 			 			 			  			 			 			1st 			 			 			2nd 			 			 			3rd 			 			 			4th 			 			 			5th 			 			 			6th 			 			 			7th 			 			 			8th 			 			 			9th 		 		 			 			 			Select topic 			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  		 		 			 			 			Undertake preliminary literature 			search 			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  		 		 			 			<ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="disc"> 				<li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify"> 				 				Define research questions</li> 				<li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify"> 				 				Write-up aims and objectives</li> 			</ul> 			 			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  		 		 			 			 			Select appropriate methodology and 			locate sources of information. Confirm access. 			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  		 		 			 			 			Write-up Dissertation Plan 			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  		 		 			 			 			Undertake and write-up draft 			critical literature review. 			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  		 		 			 			 			Secondary and Primary Data 			Detailed 			<ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="disc"> 				<li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify"> 				 				Sources</li> 				<li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify"> 				 				Consulted</li> 			</ul> 			 			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  		 		 			 			 			Research Findings: 			<ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="disc"> 				<li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify"> 				 				Analyzed</li> 				<li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify"> 				 				Evaluated</li> 				<li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify"> 				 				Written-up</li> 			</ul> 			 			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  		 		 			 			 			Discussion: 			<ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="disc"> 				<li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify"> 				 				Research findings evaluated and discussed in relation to the 				literature review</li> 			</ul> 			 			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  		 		 			 			 			Methodology 			written-up 			 			(including limitations and 			constraints) 			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  		 		 			 			 			Main body of the report 			written-up and checked for logical structure 			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  		 		 			 			<ul style="margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in" type="disc"> 				<li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify"> 				 				Conclusions 				drawn</li> 				<li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify"> 				 				Recommendations 				made</li> 			</ul> 			 			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  		 		 			 			 			Introduction and Executive Summary 			written-up 			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  		 		 			 			 			Final format and indexing 			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  		 		 			 			 			Print 			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  			 			 			  		 	 	 	  	 	  	 	  	 	Appendix 2. Questionnaire 	COOUNTRY 	OF ORIGIN AND CONSUMER BEHAVIOR 	 	            	You were chosen as a respondent to answer 	this survey – questionnaire on the effects of country of origin on the 	consumer preferences and behavior of Dubai residents. Your answers will 	provide the data needed in this study. Rest assured that your answers would 	be treated with utmost confidentiality. Thank you very much. 	 	            Thank You.   	 		 		                                                		                        	 	  	Part 1.  Profile of 	Respondent 	 	  	 	Direction: 	Please fill up in all the necessary information about yourself. Don’t leave 	any item unanswered. 	 	  	 	a.            	Age  _______ 	 	b.            	Gender 	 	Male ( )           Female ( ) 	 	c.            	Marital Status 	 	Single ( )        Married ( )      	Separated ( )             Widow/Widower ( ) 	 	d.            	Educational Attainment 	 	Elementary ( )    High School ( )    	College ( )    Graduate Studies ( ) 	 	e.            	Monthly Income 	 	(  ) 2,000 and below dirham           (  ) 	2,001-5,000 dirham 	 	( ) 5,001- 10,000 dirham                 (  	) 10,001 and above dirham 	 	  	Part II. Consumer 	Ethnocentrism Scale (CET) 	 	  	Direction:       Encircle 	the number corresponding to your answer 	 	  	 	                        5          	-           Strongly Agree 	 	                        4          	-           Agree 	 	                        3          	-           Uncertain 	 	                        2          	-           Disagree 	 	                        1          	-           Strongly Disagree 	 	    	 		<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; text-align: justify"> 		People in 		Dubai should always buy 		 Dubai made products instead of imports</li> 	 	 	  	 		<li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify"> 		 		Only those products that 		are unavailable in Dubai should be imported.</li> 	 	 	  	 	  	 	5          4          3          2          	1 	 	  	 	  	 	  	 	  	 	5          4          3          2          	1 	 	  	 	  	 	  	 	  	 	  	 		<li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify"> 		 		Buy Dubai made products. 		Keep Dubai working</li> 	 	 	  	 		<li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify"> 		 		Dubai products first, 		last, and foremost</li> 	 	 	  	 		<li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify"> 		 		Purchasing foreign-made 		products is un-Dubai</li> 	 	 	  	 		<li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify"> 		 		It is not right to 		purchase foreign products</li> 	 	 	  	 		<li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify"> 		 		A real Dubai citizen 		should always buy Dubai made products</li> 	 	 	  	 		<li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify"> 		 		We should purchase 		products made in Dubai instead of letting other countries get rich off 		us.</li> 	 	 	  	 		<li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify"> 		 		It is always best to 		purchase Dubai products.</li> 	 	 	  	 		<li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify"> 		 		 There should be very 		little trading or purchasing of goods from other countries unless out of 		necessity.</li> 	 	 	  	 		<li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify"> 		 		 Dubai should not buy 		foreign products because this hurts Dubai businesses and causes 		unemployment.</li> 	 	 	  	 		<li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify"> 		 		 Curbs should be put on 		all imports</li> 	 	 	  	 		<li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify"> 		 		 It may cost me in the 		long run, but I prefer to support Dubai products.</li> 	 	 	  	 		<li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify"> 		 		 Foreigners should not be 		allowed to put their products in markets.</li> 	 	 	  	 	  	 	5          4          3          2          	1 	 	  	 	  	 	      5          4          3          	2          1 	 	  	 	  	 	      5          4          3          	2          1 	 	  	 	  	 	      5          4          3          	2          1 	 	  	 	  	 	      5          4          3          	2          1 	 	  	 	  	 	  	 	      5          4          3          	2          1 	 	  	 	  	 	  	 	  	 	      5          4          3          	2          1 	 	  	 	  	 	      5          4          3          	2          1 	 	  	 	  	 	  	 	  	 	      5          4          3          	2          1 	 	  	 	  	 	  	 	  	 	      5          4          3          	2          1 	 	  	 	  	 	      5          4          3          	2          1 	 	  	 	  	 	  	 	      5          4          3          	2          1 	 	  	 	  	 	  	 	  	 		<li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify"> 		 		 Foreign products should 		be taxed heavily to reduce their entry into Dubai</li> 	 	 	  	 		<li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify"> 		 		 We should buy from 		foreign countries only those products that we cannot obtain in our own 		country.</li> 	 	 	  	 		<li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify"> 		 		Dubai consumers who 		purchase products made in other countries put their fellow Dubai's out 		of work</li> 	 	 	  	 	  	 	5          4          3          2          	1 	 	  	 	            	 	  	 	5          4          3          2          	1 	 	  	 	  	 	  	 	  	 	5          4          3          2          	1 	 	  	PART III. Problems and 	Solutions 	 	  	 		<li class="MsoNormal"> 		What are 		the problems and issues challenging the choices for products for 		consumption in Dubai?</li> 	 	 	  	 	 	________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 	 	  	 	2.    	What are the implications of this 	issues to Dubai’s economic health? 	 	  	 	 	________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 	 	  	 	      3.  What are your proposed solutions 	to the issues and problems you’ve          mentioned? 	 	  	 	      	_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 	 	  	 	Appendix 3. Guide Questionnaire 	  	Guide 	Questionnaire 	 	(For economics and marketing experts to be 	interviewed) 	 	  	 	1.    	Can you briefly explain the economic situation in 	Dubai right now in terms of goods, products and services coming from other 	countries? 	  	 		<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; text-align: justify"> 		What 		country or countries usually dominates Dubai in terms of volume and in 		terms of sales?</li> 	 	 	  	 		<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; text-align: justify"> 		What about 		Dubai’s local products? What is the development in relation to the past 		years?</li> 	 	 	  	 		<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; text-align: justify"> 		Compared 		to foreign goods, are Dubai-made products doing well?</li> 	 	 	  	 		<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; text-align: justify"> 		What are 		the possible implications of Dubai consumers buying more foreign goods 		than locally-made products?</li> 	 	 	  	 		<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; text-align: justify"> 		At this 		point, can you observe changes in the consumption pattern of Dubai 		residents? What are these?</li> 	 	 	  	 		<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; text-align: justify"> 		To what 		reasons are these attributed to?</li> 	 	 	  	 		<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; text-align: justify"> 		In terms 		of country of origin preferences, to what country does Dubai consumers 		usually defer to?</li> 	 	 	  	 		<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; text-align: justify"> 		Does 		country of origin affects the consumption behavior of Dubai residents?</li> 	 	 	  	 		<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; text-align: justify"> 		 What do 		you think is the implication of Dubai residents’ consumption behavior to 		Dubai’s economy?</li>

Dissertation on The concept of country of origin effect on the consumer behavior in the Dubai market

Executive Summary Dubai residents were surveyed regarding their perception on country of origin as the determinant of consumer beh...

Taped Interview and Written Critique Directions

Dissertation on The concept of country of origin effect on the consumer behavior in the Dubai market