Country of origin attitudes in a developing country and implications for investment and trade

As a consequence of globalization and free trade, the Mauritian market is now flooded with foreign products. The purpose of this paper is to investigate consumer attitudes in Mauritius towards local and foreign products against a background of increasing prevalence of foreign products with different countries of origin. Two hundred and four consumers were interviewed over a two-month period through a structured questionnaire administered through personal and telephone interviews. Attitudes towards products categorised as domestically produced and foreign produced, which was further divided into developed and developing countries foreign products were measured by seven-point Likert scales. The findings revealed that the quality, design, branding, packaging, status and esteem, and value for money associated with developed countries foreign products and price and value for money associated with developing countries foreign products were perceived to be superior to local brands. These findings have serious implications for importers of foreign products, local manufacturers and potential investors in the Mauritian market.