Marketing Commons^™

Toto: A Game Of Thrones In The U.S. -- An International Marketing Case Study, Rachael Amatriain, Mona Sinha

The Kennesaw Journal of Undergraduate Research

Toto is a 101-year-old, world-renowned Japanese manufacturer of high quality, innovative, state-of-the-art, and luxurious bathroom equipment such as, toilets, bidets, washlets, and ultraviolet sanitation equipment (“Our Founding Spirit,” n.d.). However, Toto has been unable to replicate its global success in the United States (U.S.) for several possible reasons (Roberts, 2017). First, by positioning its brand as an exclusive and luxurious manufacturer of high-end technology at a high price point, Toto only appeals to a limited, top-end, niche market, limiting its widespread adoption (Roberts, 2017). Second, Toto believes in environmental stewardship and makes sustainable products with a green supply chain (“Toto …

The Indulgence And Restraint Cultural Dimension: A Cross-Cultural Study Of Mongolia And The United States, Rentsenkhand Enkh-Amgalan

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This research focuses on one of the least studied cultural dimension, “indulgence versus restraint” (IVR) and how it affects consumer behavior, international marketing, and global business operations in the U.S. and Mongolia. This project is the first research on IVR in Mongolia since the country is rarely studied and there is no available data for this cultural dimension. Samples of undergraduate business students (as consumers) from both countries were studied through surveys. The findings support that Mongolians and Americans are different regarding the “indulgence” cultural dimension. This paper has a significant contribution to the cross-cultural literature regarding the indulgence cultural …

Selecting International Modes Of Entry And Expansion, Gregory E. Osland, Charles R. Taylor, Shaoming Zou

Gregory E. Osland

Selecting a mode for entering or expanding in a foreign market is a crucial strategic decision for an international firm. This article identifies and compares the most influential factors that affect the international modes of entry and expansion decisions of US and Japanese firms. Using mail surveys, this is one of the first studies on this subject to collect data from top executives in both Japan and the USA. Findings reveal that the Japanese are particularly sensitive to external risk and other target market factors. For Americans, company factors, such as international experience, appear to be most important when selecting …

Foreign Market Entry Strategies Of Japanese Mncs, Charles R. Taylor, Shaoming Zou, Gregory E. Osland

Gregory E. Osland

While much prior research has focused on Japanese multi‐national corporations’ (MNCs) marketing strategies, little is known about the factors that influence Japanese MNCs’ foreign market entry mode choice. In this study, a survey of Japanese MNCs is conducted in order to assess the factors that are the most influential in the foreign market entry decisions of Japanese MNCs. Using bargaining power theory, eight factors are identified in the study. The findings indicate that five of the eight factors (stake of the host country, need for local contribution, riskiness of the host country, resource commitment, and host government restrictions) are significant …

The Effects Of The Country Of Brand And The Country Of Manufacturing Of Automobiles: An Experimental Study Of Consumers' Brand Personality Perceptions, Marc Fetscherin, Mark Toncar

Faculty Publications

Purpose: This paper offers a new perspective of country of origin effects on consumers’ brand personality perceptions of domestic and imported automobiles. It assesses the perceived similarities and differences between automobiles from two countries with respect to the country of origin of the brand (COB) and the country of manufacturing (COM) of that same brand.

Design/methodology/approach: An experimental design was used to investigate developed country consumers’ brand personality perceptions of three cars; a domestic car, a car manufactured in a developing country by a developing country manufacturer, and a car from developing country manufacturer that is manufactured in the developed …

Valuating Brand Equity And Product Related Attributes In The Context Of The German Automobile Market, Marc Fetscherin, Mark Toncar

Faculty Publications

The concept of consumer-based brand equity has been discussed widely in the literature and there are a wide variety of both quantitative and qualitative measures used to assess it. For the most part, previous research has studied the way a brand and product attributes are perceived in a consumer’s mind and the empirical data used in most studies is based on self-reported survey data. In this research, objective data from the largest German Automobile Association, including actual prices, objective quality ratings of product attributes and market share of brands are used to estimate their effect on the actual price set …

Selecting International Modes Of Entry And Expansion, Gregory E. Osland, Charles R. Taylor, Shaoming Zou

Scholarship and Professional Work - Business

Selecting a mode for entering or expanding in a foreign market is a crucial strategic decision for an international firm. This article identifies and compares the most influential factors that affect the international modes of entry and expansion decisions of US and Japanese firms. Using mail surveys, this is one of the first studies on this subject to collect data from top executives in both Japan and the USA. Findings reveal that the Japanese are particularly sensitive to external risk and other target market factors. For Americans, company factors, such as international experience, appear to be most important when selecting …

Foreign Market Entry Strategies Of Japanese Mncs, Charles R. Taylor, Shaoming Zou, Gregory E. Osland

Scholarship and Professional Work - Business

While much prior research has focused on Japanese multi‐national corporations’ (MNCs) marketing strategies, little is known about the factors that influence Japanese MNCs’ foreign market entry mode choice. In this study, a survey of Japanese MNCs is conducted in order to assess the factors that are the most influential in the foreign market entry decisions of Japanese MNCs. Using bargaining power theory, eight factors are identified in the study. The findings indicate that five of the eight factors (stake of the host country, need for local contribution, riskiness of the host country, resource commitment, and host government restrictions) are significant …