Consumer Ethnocentrism

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Introduction

Consumer ethnocentrism is a factor that needs to be given considerable attention when coming up with marketing strategies for international businesses. This is because a product can have negative results in the market if the ethnocentrism levels of the target market are ignored. Hence it is paramount to understand the various effects ethnocentrism have on international business, and address the various marketing strategies that might counter ethnocentrism.

Ethnocentrism is an attitude by groups of people that their own group is superior. They tend to see their own membership as the core of the world and hence interpret other social units from the perspective of their group. They do not welcome persons who are presently not similar while ignorantly welcoming those who are culturally similar to themselves. The concept of ethnocentrism is closely linked to patriotism and political conservatism by the fact that they encourage people to associate with those of their kind (Rao, 2009).

A group that practices ethnocentrism view purchasing of products from other groups as wrong because it potentially harms the domestic economy, causes jobs loss, takes resources from that particular group and it is unpatriotic. Due to this they view the domestic products as superior and of high quality. This practice is contrary to how non-ethnocentric consumer view and evaluate products from out-groups according to their own merits without considering where they are made from (Viena University of Economics And Business Administration, 1994).

Ethnocentrism is also practiced on international levels. This is where people from a certain region or country view their homogenous products as superior when compared with imports. The consumers thus ...

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