The article concentrates on a presentation of the core of the country image and the country-of-origin effect as well as the influence of these elements on the building of the competitive advantage of business entities on foreign markets. The attention is focused on the example of Poland and Polish companies. The author tries to find out whether the image of Poland, as it is perceived abroad, may be a potentially problematic element in the expansion of Polish enterprises onto foreign markets. It seems that “Polishness” constitutes a rather neutral element of the export offer on the European market; some Polish enterprises even noticed a positive influence of the associations related to Poland. The author also submits a thesis that this rather disadvantageous perception of Poland and Poles based on the stereotypes rooted in the past is gradually improving. Upon writing this article, the results of surveys prepared by Polish institutions and universities as well as the results of an unpublished survey carried out by the author were used. Empirical research entitled “Foreign Expansion of Polish Foodstuff, Cosmetic, and Apparel Branches on German, Czech, Russian, and Ukrainian Markets” was carried out in Poland in the mid-2012.
Functioning of multinational corporations requires international staffing decisions, which involves, among other issues, sending expatriates to foreign subsidiaries and/or hiring inpatriates in the headquarters. The evaluation of a manager’s professional competence by his/her subordinates, peers or superiors is determined, for example, by cultural stereotypes intertwined with the manager’s nationality. Such an evaluation may affect the quality of cross-cultural interactions and therefore influence effectiveness of a MNC’s staff. Thus the aim of this paper is to initially verify whether the country-of-origin of a manager may affect the perception of his/her professional competence. The analysis of this relationship is based on the literature review and the empirical findings from the authors’ research. An experiment on management students is the research method that was applied in the study. As a result, the authors attempt to examine whether there are cultural stereotypes that ascribe higher or lower managerial competence to individuals from certain countries. The analysis may also contribute to the literature and research on liability of foreignness as well as cultural stigmatization issues. The empirical findings from the pilot study suggest that the nationality of a manager may affect the evaluation of his/her competences by other people.
This article is devoted to the brand names of contemporary Polish vodka. The rich history of Polish vodka provides the inexhaustible source of inspiration for them. The producers are eager to draw from the source while searching for the best ways of launching their brands on the market and trying to encourage the consumers to purchase them. Since consumer behaviour is to the large extent influenced by the information about the country of origin, many brand names are directly associated with Poland which has a reputation for being a high-quality vodka manufacturer. There are also names referring to quality. They have connotations of tradition, especially the Noble’s Republic times. Someof the brand names indicate the consumer suggesting that, because of its characteristics, vodka affects people’s behaviour but also adds pleasure to social occasions.
PL
Niniejszy artykuł poświęcony został nazwom współczesnych wódek polskich. Niewyczerpanym źródłem i inspiracją dla nich jest bogata historia polskiej wódki. Z tego źródła chętnie czerpią producenci, szukając sposobów wprowadzenia swojej marki na rynek i chcąc zachęcić konsumenta do nabycia trunku. Ponieważ na zachowania konsumenckie duży wpływ ma informacja o kraju pochodzenia produktu, wiele nazw jednoznacznie kojarzy się z Polską, która w świecie ma opinię producenta wódki wysokiej jakości. Nie brakuje nazw odwołujących się do jakości. Nazwy te wykazują konotacje z tradycją, a zwłaszcza z czasami Rzeczpospolitej szlacheckiej. Można wyodrębnić także nazwy wskazujące na konsumenta trunku, mówiące, że z powodu własności wódka wpływa na ludzkie zachowania, ale również uprzyjemnia spotkania i uroczystości.
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