The of Indian consumers towards the purchase

The Indianconsumer has greater and easier access to imported goods than ever before, alsothe Indian manufacturer has to face increasing competition from foreign goodsthat too on home turf. In such a scenario, it would be essential to examine theattitude of Indian consumers towards the purchase of foreign-made goods. Inthis context, ‘consumer ethnocentrism.

‘ plays a very important role. Theconcept of consumer ethnocentrism originated from the more general concept ofethnocentrism. It is defined by the Webster’s dictionary as ‘an attitude thatone’s own group (race or people) is superior ‘It specifically refers to ethnocentric views held by consumers in one country, the in-group, towards products from anothercountry, the out-group (Shimp & Sharma, 1987).Ethnocentrism wasintroduced by William G. Sumner in 1906 as a sociological concept.

However, itwas converted into consumer ethnocentrism (CE) in the context of consumer behavior.Consumer ethnocentrism is defined (Shimp and Sharma, 1987,) as “thebeliefs held byconsumers about the appropriateness, indeed morality, of purchasingforeign-made products.” Consumers who are ethnocentric believe that purchasingimported products is unpatriotic, causes loss of jobs, and hurts the domesticeconomy. Furthermore Kaynak and Kara, noted that CE generates intensions inconsumers to buy local products as well as products from the countries that areperceived to resemble their own cultural values.Shimp and Sharma (1987) have notedthat “consumer ethnocentrism gives the individual a sense of identity,feelings of belonging, and, most importantly, an understanding of what purchasebehavior is acceptable or unacceptable to the in-group”. Moreover, theyargue that consumer ethnocentrism is closely correlated to patriotism, politico-economicconservatism, and dogmatism. As mentioned above, consumer ethnocentrism derivesfrom the more general construct of ethnocentrism, which can be defined aspeople viewing their in-group as central, as possessing proper standards ofbehavior, and as offering protection against apparent threats from out-groups(Brislin 1993).

“Shimp and Shama (1987) apply ethnocentrism to the studyof marketing and consumer behavior and have coined the term “consumer ethnocentrictendencies” to represent beliefs in consumers regarding theappropriateness and morality of purchasing foreign made products.”