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Made In Dagenham (2010)
Made In Dagenham (2010)
Contents
TOC o “1-3” h z u HYPERLINK l “_Toc377628644” Background Information PAGEREF _Toc377628644 h 1
HYPERLINK l “_Toc377628645” Industrial Relations Setting of the Film- Made in Dagenham PAGEREF _Toc377628645 h 3
HYPERLINK l “_Toc377628646” Strike in Shaping Employment Relations PAGEREF _Toc377628646 h 4
HYPERLINK l “_Toc377628647” Roles of Workers and Employees in an Industrial Strike PAGEREF _Toc377628647 h 5
HYPERLINK l “_Toc377628648” Strike Transformations PAGEREF _Toc377628648 h 6
HYPERLINK l “_Toc377628649” Changes Achieved from the Strike PAGEREF _Toc377628649 h 7
HYPERLINK l “_Toc377628650” Unions in Employment the Conflict PAGEREF _Toc377628650 h 8
HYPERLINK l “_Toc377628651” Role of the Management PAGEREF _Toc377628651 h 9
HYPERLINK l “_Toc377628652” Revelations from Strike PAGEREF _Toc377628652 h 9
HYPERLINK l “_Toc377628653” Bibliography PAGEREF _Toc377628653 h 10
Background InformationThe 20th century witnessed a series of industrial conflicts involving the employees and the employers at an unprecedented rate never witnessed before. Strikingly, many socioeconomic and political changes were being experienced across the globe causing a shift in industrial relations. Workers were becoming instrumental in the manner in which their welfare issues were handled by the state and the employers. Industrial conflicts witnessed in the 20th century became a global phenomenon particularly due to the advocacy and bargaining power that were shifting from the management’s discretion to a collective decision across the workers (Shalev, 1983, p417). Due to the several changes that the rest of the society was experiencing in terms of social setting, nearly every sector of the advancing civilization had to take effect especially in relation to welfare.
Strikes at the workplace became an important determinant factor for the employment relationship cultivated inside every organization as the social changes infiltrated into the workplace. In the mid-1990s, it is reported that industrial strikes were many but due to the acclimatization achieved towards the turn of the millennium, relations eased up and fewer employment conflicts were reported (Piazza, 2005, p289). The union revolution had been identified as an invaluable vehicle on which to incessantly press for the acknowledgment of the plight of the ordinary employee against the backdrop of a poor welfare environment. In this discourse, the employment environment necessitating industrial action and strikes is discussed with the help of a film capturing the relational conflicts.
Industrial Relations Setting of the Film- Made in DagenhamThe media and entertainment industry best capture the prevailing events in the society in a direct or indirect way, making an important literature from where the existing times and society can be analyzed pretty accurately. Using the illustration of the film Made in Dagenham- 2010, it is possible to illuminate on the social events prevailing in 1968 and make inferences on the nature of the society setting such as industrial relations. As mentioned above, there was a wave of industrial conflict inspired by the prevailing social transformations which persisted beyond the 1960s. The film is based on the story of a woman in the UK working for Ford which is by far one of the largest private firms with several employees. Based on the fact that the UK was establishing itself as a welfare state to take care of many challenges facing the marginalized at that period of time, it can be expected that the ordinary worker was among those fighting for their plight. It emerges that women, whose employment relations’ fate was determined by their gender status are struggling with the terms of employment at Ford. Women treatment in an unfair working environment is fought against by the employees within the inspiration of the workers’ union, as led by Rita with the help of a steward. Unsupported working environment is depicted by a poor work-life balance where a harsh schooling environment for Rita’s son coupled with an indolent and insensitive husband complete the difficulty in her work-related duties.
It vividly emerges that the motivation she ought to get from her work in order to facilitate her coping with the challenge must be beyond work-life balance. A combination of negative conditions at the work place depicts the difficulty with which Rita and her colleagues must be working in including leaking roofs, extremely hot rooms and poor remuneration terms. Within the backdrop of union representation for a bargaining slot by the ordinary employee, it merges that the hypocritical outfit is corrupt and does not represent the will of the oppressed workers. Rita sparks off a strike at the factory which corresponds with the main national news with discussions in parliament focused on improving industrial relations. Women are clearly discriminated by the retrogressive relations where they are paid less than their male counterparts despite their hard work. Equality and improved working conditions are the main themes of the strike that attracts the attention of Ford headquarters in the US. Foiled investment relations between the US and the UK for failure to strike a working environment reflecting equality for the two genders emerge, eventually ending in a ceasefire among the parties. Women finally manage to get 92 percent of remuneration offered to their male counterparts and commitment for better industrial relations laws assured from the parliament (Enfant, 2010).
Strike in Shaping Employment RelationsPerhaps one of the most definitive attributes of strikes in the industrial setting as observed in the film is their amorphous nature and haphazard organization particularly at the time of unexpected industrial conflict (Jackson 1991, p163). As illustrated by the author, employees are forced to resort to desperate platforms that can assist them to forge a local bargaining with the management in the standoff. Apparently, despite the realization that the women at Ford were being subjected to harsh and inhumane working environment, the union leaders were not willing to assist them come out of the oppression as is its duty. Contrary to this, the union leaders are bribed to keep silent about their role to represent such displeasures. It is upon this realization that the women regroup and find out that they were facing a tough challenge in form of the management and the union in silencing them. Fighting for the rights in a collective bargaining effort only arises due to the compelling factors of the environment resulting in a standoff.
At the time of the strike, employees are left with few options regarding their job safety and better working conditions. It is apparent that the role of the collective bargaining that the parties assume during the standoff is powerful enough to call for a compromise between the parties, with employee satisfaction being central to the negotiations. It would be difficult for the management to shrug off the role of the available human resource pool to the productivity of the organization. It therefore implies that a strike or a threat of a strike is powerful enough to result to a platform of negotiations between the management and the employees. Functional union representation is important during such negotiations since labor laws facilitate the protection of employees from intimidation by the management in case the standoff is not welcome from the management’s perspective. Industrial relations are therefore highly influenced by the presence of an avenue of strikes as illustrated in the film. If Rita and her colleagues did not have the benefit of a strike at Ford, it would have been difficult to counter the stumbling blocks to better industrial relations posing in the form of a corrupt union leadership and an oppressive management. Despite the fact that the UK was undergoing many social changes such the welfare state realignment, it was still difficult to negotiate against men in a patriarchal society witnessing many gender based injustices (Hewitt and Powell, 2002, p121).
Roles of Workers and Employees in an Industrial StrikeIn a functional working environment, employees are bound by rules and regulations of the workplace as formulated by the employer. An assumption exists that the employer is the superior of the two and any discontent, if any, should be settled with the employer in a request format. Generally, the employee assumes an inferior role in the relationship, where risks of abuse of the relationship expose the employee as a victim in many instances. Aggravated scenes of discontent among employees coupled with rigid and insensitive management or employer force the employee to turn to unorthodox approach in clearing any standoff. Instead of employees conforming to the usual expectation as per the employer-employee hierarchical relationship, it becomes difficult and a spirit of discord exists. Foiled relationships do not entertain the conventional hierarchical relationship where the employee is supposed to follow every order from the employer. According to Brecher (1997, p275), the state of diligent conformity with the expectation of the hierarchical relationship is disrupted as the employee assumes the role of advocate for self-interests that face serious abuse by the employer. In such a situation, the employee is forced to resort to direct confrontation of barriers to satisfaction of labor motivation thereby creating a discord and disequilibrium to the power balance between employer and employee until the resolution of the standoff. Regrouping of the employees in protest of the terms of engagement with the employer is a powerful weapon of the negotiation game where employees force the shift of power from the employer.
Strike TransformationsThe film’s strike provides a classical example of the employee empowerment through the shift of roles of the employee as Brecher (1997, p275) reckons. Evidently, the roles of the employee in an employment relationship are conventionally to follow the organizational work plan and deliver results. Questioning the employer’s authority in this context can be painted as a negative approach that can ruin the relationship. The employer’s authority and duties in the employment agreement are however brought to sudden review and immediate improvement favoring the employee demanded in the context of a strike. A mass strike puts the authority of the employer or management in a frozen state until the window of negotiations for better working relations is utilized to resolve the standoff. Transformations since the evolution of strikes as a form of resolving heightened industrial standoff have facilitated a radical platform on which oppressed workers can rise against unfavorable employment terms and relations. Since the union revolution, employees have a strong collective bargaining platform that invokes the unstoppable force of a strike to resolve employment relations matters placing them in a disadvantageous position. Unions enable workers to form a united front against intimidation from the employers’ powerful status in the industrial relationships (Hogler, 2004, p68).
Strikes and go-slows represent some of the commonest industrial action tools where employers are forced to consider employment policy affecting and damaging the industrial relationship, which transforms the conventional hierarchical relationship where the employer would assume absolute say in the relationship including oppressing the employer (Boyer, 2001, para.11). In terms of actual transformations, strikes within the backdrop of workers’ unions have been instrumental in enforcing employees’ welfare into the industrial sector to keep up with the pace of social developments witnessed in the recent past. Employees can now forge a common ground and enforce a collective bargain that corresponds with the developments in the other socioeconomic and political scenes of the society. At the end of the strike in the film, several changes including equitable remuneration without gender bias as well as assurances of legal reforms in related industrial relations are achieved.
Changes Achieved from the StrikeIn view of the power of strikes as reform tools in the industrial relations issues, strikes can be seen as irreplaceable and necessary evils due to the employees’ welfare benefits obtained to outdo the economic damages sustained upon their occurrence. As illustrated in the film, it was initially difficult for the female employees to forward a substantive grievance to change their plight without a potent threat. It is only after the strike that several undisclosed suffering experiences by the female employees of the recorded date are brought to light. It would perhaps have never been resolved at the highest official level of Ford management had the women not relentlessly come forward. Gender topics in the industrial circles are clearly not successful stories in the news of the setting but the strike shaking one of the major employers in the entire UK manifests the strength of the strike as an important industrial tool. The media is clearly affected by virtue of having covered other industrial conflicts but ignored the gender topic for having a poor encounter. The film highlights the manner in which the legislature is brought to accountability over the lack of gender balance laws and regulations. A commitment by the government to respond by way of legislation to curb the injustices is a manifestation of the impact made by the strike to issues of legal provocation. In a similar magnitude, international relations are captured in the way that Ford headquarters threatens the UK government to provide an enabling environment or force them to relocate. Perhaps international trade issues also emerge in the picture when these two countries cross with differences over the handling of the strike matter.
Unions in Employment the ConflictWorkers’ unions are ostensibly supposed to quell the standoff by taking a protectionist policy in favor of the plight of the employee. Unions provide the platform from which a collective bargain is forged and facilitated through leadership that is in touch with the issues at hand. However, the film depicts the workers’ union as a manipulation platform where corrupt leaders are bribed to silence the role of the employees in the new context of a powerful collective bargaining environment. Despite the fact that the union has a structure at the factory, it is virtually out of touch with the needs of the female employee. This contrast is illuminated on at the meeting where Rita represents the women and passionately presents their grievances.
Role of the Management
The management aims at increasing profitability of the organization by reducing costs and increasing revenues, which may always conflict with employee welfare issues. In the film, the Ford management notoriously gets carried away in making profits and ignores the female employee who employs industrial relations tool at her disposal to overturn the balance of power. The management is depicted throughout the film as a major stumbling block to better industrial relations and the deliberate moves to cut on costs by whichever means lands entire operations into a major challenge. The management is depicted as the main cause of industrial conflicts and the standoff is dependent on the willingness of the management to negotiate with the employee and undertake to compromise on certain welfare decision. The film therefore presents the management as an important determinant in industrial conflicts, particularly regarding their initial origin as the creation of the managements’ insensitivity to the welfare of the employee.
Revelations from StrikeMade in Dagenham is a perfect example of the role of the management and the employer in shaping the nature of industrial relations in the modern welfare environment. In terms of social developments achieved over time, it is expected that the employment environment to which employees are exposed corresponds to the expectations of the society. Employees have a responsibility to shape the future of industrial relations by making contributions that can motivate responsive welfare policy implementation at the industrial and national level. Strikes are powerful mechanisms for use at the workplace to compel insensitive management to respond to employees’ needs. Employees must be vigilant to check their union representatives and leaders for accountability as they may pose as a bigger threat to welfare than the management. It is advisable for every employee to assume a proactive role in fighting for the plight of the employees in case the management is unresponsive to their requests. Industrial relations are many depending on the nature of the society in which the standoff exists, which requires a closer determination from one case to the other.
BibliographyBoyer, P. S. (2001) Strikes and industrial conflict. [Online] Available from: <http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O119-StrikesandIndustrilCnflct.html> [Accessed 14 December 2011]
Brecher, J. (1997) Strike. Cambridge, MA: South End Press Classics
Ebert, R. (2011) Roger Ebert’s movie yearbook 2012. Kansas City, MO: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Ellis, D. (2011) Conversations with cinematographers. Plymouth, UK: Scarecrow Press
Enfant, T. (2010) Synopsis for Made in Dagenham, [Online] Available from: <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1371155/synopsis> [Accessed 14 December 2011]
Hewitt, M. & Powell, M. (2002) Welfare state and welfare change, Buckingham, UK: Open University Press
Hogler, R. L. (2004) Employment relations in the United States: law, policy, and practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE
Jackson, M P. (1991) An introduction to industrial relations. London, UK: Routledge
Piazza, J. A. (2005) Globalizing Quiescence: Globalization, Union Density and Strikes in 15 Industrialized Countries, Economic and Industrial Democracy, vol. 26 no. 2 pp.289-314
Shalev, M. (1983) Strikes and the Crisis: Industrial Conflict and Unemployment in the Western Nations, Economic and Industrial Democracy vol. 4 no. 4 pp.417–460
Made In China Literature Review
Made In China Literature Review
Table of Contents
TOC o “1-3” h z u HYPERLINK l “_Toc286332791″1.Introduction PAGEREF _Toc286332791 h 1
HYPERLINK l “_Toc286332792″2.The country of origin effects PAGEREF _Toc286332792 h 2
HYPERLINK l “_Toc286332793″2.1.Country of origin and consumer decision making PAGEREF _Toc286332793 h 2
HYPERLINK l “_Toc286332794″2.2.Principle elements forming country of origin effect PAGEREF _Toc286332794 h 3
HYPERLINK l “_Toc286332795″2.3.Consumer bias and discrimination economics PAGEREF _Toc286332795 h 4
HYPERLINK l “_Toc286332796″2.4.Case studies PAGEREF _Toc286332796 h 4
HYPERLINK l “_Toc286332797″3.Made in China effects PAGEREF _Toc286332797 h 5
HYPERLINK l “_Toc286332798″3.1.The growth of the Made in China brand PAGEREF _Toc286332798 h 5
HYPERLINK l “_Toc286332799″3.2.China brand perceptions PAGEREF _Toc286332799 h 6
HYPERLINK l “_Toc286332800″3.2.1.Quality PAGEREF _Toc286332800 h 7
HYPERLINK l “_Toc286332801″3.2.2.Price PAGEREF _Toc286332801 h 7
HYPERLINK l “_Toc286332802″3.2.3.Reliability/ Safety PAGEREF _Toc286332802 h 7
HYPERLINK l “_Toc286332803″3.3.China as an emerging economy PAGEREF _Toc286332803 h 8
HYPERLINK l “_Toc286332804″4.Conclusion PAGEREF _Toc286332804 h 8
HYPERLINK l “_Toc286332805″5.References PAGEREF _Toc286332805 h 9
LITERATURE REVIEW
IntroductionThe literature review section aims at examining what other scholars have established about the consumers’ attitude towards Chinese products, based on the ideology of ‘country of origin effects’. The section will review literature available on the country of origin effects and how this has affected Chinese products in the international market. The chapter is divided into four sections whereby the first and the last section represent the introduction and conclusion respectively. In the second section, the literature review will entail views and findings about the country of origin effects and how it affects decision making, the factors that cause it and why consumers discriminate. The section will also include case studies to show the impact of country of origin. In the second section, a review of literature on Made in China perceptions will be established. This will include identifying how China is penetrating the international market, people’s perceptions about Chinese products and how the China’s stage of economic development has affected perceptions about its products.
The country of origin effects
Country of origin and consumer decision makingIn the process of decision making, consumers make use of both the intrinsic and the extrinsic informational product cues in evaluating the product. Intrinsic cues denote the physical aspect while the extrinsic cues are product related but not part of the physical product (Cai, 2002). It is in the extrinsic cues that the consumer considers the brand name, reputation of the retailer and country of origin among other factors (Verlegh & Steenkamp, 1999). While the country of origin as an extrinsic cue has no direct impact on the performance of the product whatsoever, the importance of the country of origin on consumer perception is incontestable. The country of origin effects is a subject that has triggered interest among many researchers and the impact of the country of origin on the customer’s choice has been declared undeniably true. As established in the empirical study by Schooler (1965), the made in country label had significant effect on the product evaluations by a consumer.
Contemporary studies have often used the dual process models developed by Chaiken (1980), Maheswaran and Chaiken (1991) and others as the theoretical framework for examining the country of origin effects. The systematic and heuristic processing are considered the two main criteria through which individuals evaluate the products in this theoretical framework. This framework distinguishes between different types of motivation which can affect the human perceptions on different products. It is these motivations that single out the country of origin as an important factor in the customers’ decisions.
Principle elements forming country of origin effectIt is widely accepted that the consumer’s choice based on the country of origin emanates from a myriad of thoughts, attitudes and experiences that customers have towards products from a particular country. Vrontis and Thrassou (2007) in their study established that the consumers’ product perception based on the country of origin was dependent on experience, knowledge, stereotypes, ethnocentrism, general country of origin image, brand image, political/cultural relationship with country. These are factors that can also be identified in other studies. In the study by Lang and Crown (2007), it was established that the age and educational background of customers impacted highly on the country of origin effect; factors that may be attributable to experience and knowledge. In a study conducted by Nes and Gripsurd (2010), a concept of micro and macro societal images were introduced in explaining the impact of the country of origin. The macro country images included societal images, people images and political images. The micro images included the images associated with a product developed by a nation (Nes & Gripsurd, 2010). The factors described highly resemble those established in Vrontis and Thrassou (2007), insinuating that a variety of factors influence perception.
Lee (1999) examined the country of origin effects, brand image effects and the interaction between these effects on the consumer evaluation of bi national brands. It was established that the specific product image, country of manufacture overall image and country of brand overall image were highly important in the buyer decision making process. The theoretical foundation for the study was categorization theory and empirical methodology was based on structural equation modeling. The study showed the need for building brand image rather than building country image by a firm because the brand image had a rather strong effect. The main limitations with this study included problems of generalization with only students as the subject of study. The small sample size also signified another limitation and so were order effects and the design problems which also might have provided biased results.
Consumer bias and discrimination economicsThe country of origin as an affective attribute of the product reflects the preferences and biases of the consumer. This is an aspect that has been established by socio-psychology researchers including Becker (1971) and Maheswaran (2006). According to Becker (1971), the country of origin is treated like a subjective attribute which is highly relevant to the consumer’s decision and that a consumer may discriminate or favor a product due to its origin. Maheswaran (2006) indicates how discrimination can be quantified by establishing a discrimination coefficient (DC). In essence, the cost of the transaction may not directly translate into the real costs such as durability; replacement costs and need for repair of products bought hence the need to discriminate through comparing various aspects of products before making purchases. The DC therefore acts as the bridge between the money cost of the product and the net costs and therefore aids the consumer in making a choice. In this regard, any poor reputation regarding the quality of a product is therefore bound to affect the consumer’s choice and exercise of discrimination. Webb and Po (2010) examined the impact of country of origin and brand images on the three dimensions of outcomes namely the intention to purchase, expectations regarding the service quality and the willingness to pay by the consumers. The study was based on a sample of 150 undergraduate students from a university in Western Australia. The study showed significant impact of made in country labels and brand images on the three dimensions of outcomes under consideration. It is an indication that consumers are capable of discriminating foreign products based on their quality and expectations.
Case studiesA variety of studies have sought to examine the practical application of country of origin effects, through the use of surveys and most have concluded that the country of origin indeed affects the perception of customers. Maheswaran (2006) examined the perceptions regarding the Japanese products in South East Asia where the Japan had main investments. This empirical study was based on primary survey of the South East Asian consumers and the results indicated the country associated with a product had significant influence on the consumers. The origin was seen as a factor that creates varied emotions in the customers’ minds, which in turn affect the product evaluations by the consumers. Hence the study demanded the need for a framework based on the emotions of consumers to analyze the made in country labels and their effects on the product evaluations by consumers.
In another study, Lang and Crown (2007) examined the perceptions and preferences of the consumers in Canada about the products made in Canada, China and some other low cost nations like Taiwan, South Korea and Hong Kong. The study which was based on the theoretical foundations of information integration theory showed considerable differences in perceptions regarding the quality, price; style and fit in products different nations. It was therefore undoubtedly established that the country of origin plays a vital role in determining the customer decision. In the study by Lang and Crown (2007), the utility of the products to a large extent influenced the perceptions based on country of origin effects. In particular, the Canadian origin garments were considered to be of the most superior quality but also the most expensive. This insinuates that while the customer considers that Canadian products are of superior quality, he or she must consider the price. The age and educational background of respondents also impacted on their perspectives.
Made in China effects
The growth of the Made in China brandProducts made in China are swiftly infiltrating the world market and they have suddenly become cheaper alternatives for goods produced in developed countries (Williamson (2009). Apoteker (2006) in his study examined the two alternative views regarding the sudden rise in the share of China in world trade, thus reassessing the meaning of made in China. The two alternative views examined were China as merely a low value addition and China as a highly competitive exporting nation. Based on the analysis, it was obtained that trade-processing as a main component of overall Chinese trade performance and FIEs as the main trade processing agents. In conclusion, it was established that the effective competitiveness of Chinese products was lower than the assumed one in the study. As if to support the need to enhance Chinese product competitiveness, Interbrand (2008), notes that the Chinese brands have are not achieving their maximum potential due to various setbacks based on quality and general negative perception of Chinese products. Accordingly, there is need to establish a relevant niche through correcting these setbacks and building the China brand.
A study by You (2004) examined the brand effect of a product on consumer behavior and established that Chinese manufacturers were becoming more concerned about the consumers as opposed to products. This study indicated that the brand effect while important in perception was being replaced by factors like style, quality hence the need to improve on them. You (2004) established that the aesthetic and social values for the consumers regarding the products played an important role in enhancing brand effect.
China brand perceptionsWhile different studies have established various characteristics of products made in China, the price, quality, reliability and safety concerns remain the most imperative factors expressed by customers when referring to Chinese products.
QualityQuality remains one of the greatest concerns on products made in China and as indicated by Synovate (2006), Synovate (2007), Schnierjans, Qing and Olson (2004), Interbrand (2008), Sohail (2004) and Williamson (2009) among others. In the Synovate (2007) study of Turkish customers’ perceptions of Made in China products; it was established that majority of the respondents considered Chinese products as low quality products. Accordingly, they were considered unacceptable and were it not for the low prices; customers would not choose to buy the products. Interbrand (2008) establishes that Chinese products are having difficulties being accepted overseas because their quality is often considered inferior. A similar view is expressed by other researchers indicated above, with the main recommendation being for China to improve product quality.
PriceA significant number of studies have established that one of the main reasons why Chinese products are becoming increasingly popular around the world is their low prices. In the synovate (2006) and (2007) studies, respondents indicated their preference of Chinese products based on the low costs which offered them overall competitiveness. In William (2009), it is determined that the low cost of Chinese products is highly important in enhancing sales since most other products are likely to be expensive. The same views are notable in Interbrand (2008) and Sohail (2004) who note that a significant percentage of customers are likely to purchase Chinese products as alternatives to regular expensive products.
Reliability/ SafetyThe general perception of Chinese products is that they are not likely to be reliable and that they expose users to many hazards. The issue of safety of Chinese products has mostly been exemplified by the number of Chinese product recalls in the international markets. Beamish and Bapuji (2008) based on the toy recalls in USA between 1988 and 2007 raised serious concerns regarding the safety of made in China products. In this study which established that the recalls were mostly based on design and manufacturing flaws, it was established that such issues downplayed the customer’s ability to trust China products. The significant number of recalls over the years denotes the need for more detailed research in this regard. A similar study by Meyer (2008) indicated the implication of recalls of Chinese products including food and toys in determining people’s preference for China made products.
China as an emerging economyCai (2002) establishes the relevance of the degree of economic development at which the country is in determining the country of origin effects. In this respect, Cai (2002) indicates that there is a significant difference in perceptions when customers are purchasing products from a developed country as opposed to a less-developed countries, noting that the stage of development affects customers’ likelihood to purchase. Customers from developed countries are less likely to purchase4 products from less-developed countries. This was also exemplified in the study by Synovate (2006) which indicated that Western consumers mostly from US and Europe appeared skeptical about buying Chinese products due to perceived low quality. The same was observed in Korea which is an indication that the development stage at which the country is to a large extent determines how others view its products.
ConclusionThe review of literature put forth by different scholars and researchers indicates that the country of origin effects to a significant level influences the perception of customers; and hence determines their willingness to buy products from a particular country. In this section of the research paper, case studies on China, Japan, Canada, South Korea and Taiwan among others indicate that the origin of products indeed has an impact on purchase decisions. Notably, developed countries’ products are preferred to products from developing countries. China as the main focus of this study is affected vehemently by the country of origin phenomenon. As indicated by most studies, Chinese products are likely to be discriminated against in the international market. This calls for increased efforts towards working on the setbacks identified by consumers so as to improve China’s products in the international market. In the Chinese case, there are few studies focusing on different sectors and different consumer groups to examine the Made in China label effects. Further, few studies have offered significant recommendations about policies that can help improve the Made in China brand. This study attempts to fill this research gap through examining the Made in China label effects on different consumer groups and for different products in the UK market. It also offers proactive recommendations for improvement in order to enhance China’s competitiveness in the international market.
ReferencesApoteker, S. (2006). “Reassessing the Meaning of Made in China”, Presentation to the Ecan Workshop, Brussels, May 15.
Cai, Y. (2002). Foreign products: an experiment in consumer decision making. Athens: University of Georgia.
Beamish PW and H Bapuji (2008): “Toy Recalls and China: Emotion vs. Evidence”, Management and Organization Review, Vol. 4, Issue 2, pp. 197-209.
Bilkey WJ and E Nes(1982): “Country of Origin Effects on Product Evaluations”,Journal of International Business Studies,Spring/Summer1982.
Chaiken, Shelly (1980), “Heuristic versus Systematic Processing and the Use of Source versusMessage Cues in Persuasion,” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 39(5), 752-766.
Han CM and W J. Qualls (1985), “Country-of-Origin Effects and their Impact upon Consumers’ Perception of Quality”, in Special Volumes – hp, , : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 162-167.
Interbrand. (2008). Made in China 2008: The challenge for Chinese brands going global. Interbrand. Available online at HYPERLINK “http://www.orthougm.com/vw.php?p=Products%20Made%20In%20China%20For&d=http://www.puromarketing.com/files/estudio-interbrand-made-in-china-2008.pdf&s=1500.57” t “_blank”http://www.orthougm.com/vw.php?p=Products%20Made%20In%20China%20For&d=http://www.puromarketing.com/files/estudio-interbrand-made-in-china-2008.pdf&s=1500.57
Klein JG, R Ettenson and M D. Morris (1998): “The Animosity Model of Foreign Product Purchase: An Empirical Test in the People’s Republic of China”, The Journal of Marketing, Vol.62, No.1, pp89-100.
Lang JQ and EM Crown(2007): “Country-of-origin effect in apparel choices: A conjoint analysis”, Journal of Consumer Studies & Home Economics, Volume 17,Issue 1,Pages 87-98.
Lee D(1999): “Effects of Partitioned Country of Origin Information on Buyer assessment of Bi national Products”, in Advances in Consumer Research Volume 26, eds. Eric J. Arnould and Linda M. Scott, Provo, UT : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 344-351.
Maheswaran, Durairaj, Diane M. Mackie and Shelly Chaiken (1992), “Brand Name as a Heuristic Cue: The Effects of Task Importance and Expectancy Confirmation on Consumer Judgments,” Journal of Consumer Psychology, 1(4), 317-336.
Maheswaran D(2006): “Country of Origin Effects: Consumer Perceptions of Japan in South East Asia”, Working Paper N-2006, Working Paper Series Center for Japan-U.S. Business and Economic Studies The Leonard N. Stern School of Business New York University
Meyer MW(2008): “Editor’s Introduction No Free Lunch: Dilemmas of Product Quality in China”, Management and Organization Review, Vol. 4, Issue 2, pp. 157-165.
Schnierjans, M. J., Qing, C. & Olson, J. R. (2004). Consumer perceptions of product quality: Made in China. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska.
Sohail, S. (2004). Consumer evaluation of products made in China: a Malaysian perspective. Journal of International Business and Entrepreneurship Development, 2, 13-19.
Vrontis, D., & Thrassou, A.. (2007). Adaptation vs. standardization in international marketing – the country-of-origin effect. Innovative Marketing, 3(4), 7-20,137
Williamson, R. M. (2009). “Made in China”. Columbus, NC: Strategic Work Systems, Inc.
Made in America Vs. China
Made in America Vs. China
Several possibilities case the making of products somewhere else, such as how the industrialization paved the way for exports and imports. The other reason is that World War 1 and the Cold war was fueled by competitive trade. Ideally, free Trade Agreement and NAFTA Agreements eliminated 95% of taxes resulting in products being made elsewhere. The making of products somewhere else laid the foundation for globalization. In other cases, the free trade agreement impacts nations in two different ways: negative and positive. The free trade agreement results in expertise, that is, specialize in manufacturing. Also, it results in economic growth, that is,.1% – .5% a year. Consequently, the free trade agreement results in technological advancement, mainly in more jobs and improvements. The negative impact of the free trade agreement are unethical practices such as sweatshops, and stolen patents, crowd out domestic firms, for instance, small businesses can’t compete, and reduced environmental practices:
depletion of resources or pollution
Tariffs exist in this case and affect the economy. The tariffs are a tax or duty to be paid on a particular class of imports or exports. Also, they make consumer products or services more expensive to incentivize domestic goods. However, this will help local or national companies thrive, but may incite international conflict; trade war. In this case, there is an existence of the battle of the tariffs. They are fueled by accusations of China committing acts of deception. The US imposed tariffs on $250 billion on Chinese products. China retaliated with $110bn on American Products. Trump wants China to buy $419 billion US goods to close the gap.
In this case, the trending issues are United States imports face a 10% – 25% increase in imports from China. The other point is businesses will shoulder these burdens and face deficits. The Dow Jones average fell 6% and rose 11%. China has grown and fallen from 12% to 16%. The first countries that are also affected are Turkey, Mexica, Canada, Japan, and India. Tariffs have staggered small businesses’ productivity and growth. Ideally, raw materials have increased in price by 20%. Companies have faced an increase in expenses by 15% due to the Tariffs. The banks also got affected in different ways. Primarily, the banks in states that housed farming industries extended delinquencies on agriculture loans. Leveraged lending is a potential threat; 2008. Farmers have low demand, as consumers such as China refuses to purchase products such as soybeans.
In conclusion, the initial results that occurred are, China eased retaliation on tariffs imposed on US goods by 2.5% – 5%, China also pledged to boost imports by $200 billion. The US agreed to halve tariffs imposed on Chinese products. The potential outcomes are that COVID – 19 has changed the behavior of Chinese product consumers, and China and US relations remain static and potentially new sources of raw material manufacturing, that is, India.