MARKET PEOPLE
Dr. James Ngugi Njuguna
D
r. Njuguna, your work “The
Effect Of Country Of Origin On
Consumer Behavior In Nairobi,
Kenya” was published by Lambert
Academic Publishing. Who is your
audience?
First allow me to thank Lambert Academic
Publishing for publishing my PhD thesis
to ensure that this pioneering study in
Nairobi is shared in Kenya, regionally
and internationally. My audience which
is fairly broad incorporates scholars
in Kenya, other African countries and
around the world given this study’s recency
and relevance in university education.
In addition it targets manufacturers,
distributors,
retailers,
international
and local marketing practitioners and
other business players especially in the
clothing sector. Of paramount importance
too
are
Government
ministries/
institutions especially those dealing in
trade/industrialisation given the policy
implications covered in the book.
I have already started approaching
our Ministries of Industrialisation,
Agriculture, Kenya Investment Promotion
Authority and Kenya Association of
Manufacturers to refer to it as they
develop a policy on 'buy Kenya, build
Kenya' which I discussed in the book.
Similar agencies in other African and
developing countries globally which are
faced with the challenge of over-reliance
on imported products at the expense
of locally produced goods would stand
to benefit from this book. The book
is also relevant to Non Governmental
Organisations, financial institutions and
How can you describe the
value of your work to a
Please, tell us about your layperson?
research. What were your My work has helped to understand how
goals and intentions in this products made in certain foreign countries
customer thinking, preferences,
book, and how well do you feel influence
choice, taste and ultimately purchase
you achieved them?
decision making in Nairobi, Kenya. This
research bodies keen on promoting local
business in developing countries.
The goal of the study, on which my book
is premised, was to determine the effect of
country-of-origin (COO) phenomenon
on consumer behaviour. Other objectives
were to; establish the influence of consumer
attitudes on consumer behaviour; assess
the influence of consumer characteristics
on consumer behaviour; determine the
extent to which consumer characteristics
moderate the relationship between COO
and consumer behaviour; assess the degree
to which consumer attitudes influence the
relationship between country-of-origin
and consumer behaviour and; establish the
extent to which the relationship between
COO and consumer behaviour towards
foreign clothing brands is influenced by
consumer characteristics and by consumer
attitudes.
I would say that this being a pioneering
study on the COO phenomenon in
Kenya my goals and intentions were
achieved quite well. This is because the
seven hypotheses that I postulated were
confirmed after collecting and analyzing
data from the interviews conducted in
the field, consistent with empirical and
scientific requirements.
Young academicians should strive to excel in
whatever field they are in. They should also read
widely to enhance their knowledge and help them
undertake relevant and pioneering research in
their area of study. Discipline and honesty in what
they do are key factors to success.
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process may be applicable to customers in
other African, developing and advanced
countries globally.
Who are the other scholars in
your field and how does your
work compare to theirs?
There are a number of scholars on how
country-of-origin phenomenon influences
consumer behaviour among them Batra
et al., 2000; Yim et al., 2007; Nguyen et
al., 2008; Klein et al., 1998; Chimboza &
Mutandwa, 2007; Opoku & Akorli, 2009
Schaefer, 1995; Elliott & Cameron, 1994.
My study has enhanced knowledge of
the COO concept given that few product
origin studies have been conducted in the
African region and Kenya in particular.
Notwithstanding the historical, political,
social and economic differences between
developed and developing countries, most
brand origin studies have been undertaken
in advanced economies using single or at
most two variables.
My study has enhanced the theoretical
foun dations of the COO phenomenon
by using an integrated approach where
all the key variables are studied in one
research unlike previous studies where the
variables have been researched singly or at
best two variables at a time.
From a local perspective, most studies (e.g.
Nyongesa, 2005; Wambugu, 2002) in the
Kenyan clothing sector have attributed
the challenges facing the local industry