DISCOVERING A CULTURAL SYSTEM USING CONSUMER ETHNOCENTRISM THEORY

Culture and consumer behavior are systems worthy of research and exploration.  Consumer behavior is an element of a multifaceted system of supply and demand; with stakeholders engaged to varying degrees within the dynamics of the system. The systemic practices of the stakeholders of a particular system can be varied; in this research, the CETSCALE developed by Shimp and Sharma (1987) was modified to test Wisconsin residents’ loyalty to local vs. imported beer.  The research showed not only ethnocentric tendencies of the study participants, but also their cultural behavior as part of the system for these products in Wisconsin, USA. This manuscript is inspired by Orth and Firbasová (2003), The Role of Consumer Ethnocentrism in Food Product Evaluation.