Country-of-origin image effects on satisfaction and purchase intention in the industrial market for seafood products : a study of Norwegian, Chilean and Canadian salmon buyers

Despite the growing importance of country-of-origin (COO) effects in industrial markets, most prior research has been concentrated on these effects only in consumer environments. In addition, existing studies on country-of-origin image (COI) have mainly targeted the relationship between COI and perceived product quality for durable goods. This study examines the influence of country-of-origin image effects of three different countries on perceived quality, buyer satisfaction and purchase intention among industrial buyers of seafood products in the USA. Perceived supplier reliability, a new construct in COO research, is presented and linked with COI and buyer satisfaction in the conceptual model developed by the researcher. This research uses a mixed methods approach, utilizing both surveys and in-depth interviews, to gather relevant B2B data for identifying the main influencing factors of COI. Structural Equations Modeling (SEM) and multiple regression analyses are employed in order to test the relationships proposed in the model. The analyses show that COI impacts overall buyer satisfaction and purchase intentions indirectly and that its influence is mediated by perceived product quality and perceived supplier reliability. Consistent with previous studies, perceived product quality is strongly influenced by the favorability of COI. COI is also found to strongly influence perceived supplier reliability, although certain differences are visible between the various countries. Following the interviews, several new relationships, such as the one between COO, sustainability and CSR are also found