Who controls the purse strings - A study of consumers' and retail buyers' reactions in an America's FTA environment

Comparisons were made of the perceptions of Canadian retail buyers and consumers concerning the products, the countries and the people of the United States, Canada, Mexico, Argentina and Chile to examine the differences in perceptions that might affect the buying behaviors of both groups. There was very close congruence of buyers and consumers in the images held of the countries and their products. Major differences were found for both groups in their views of developing and developed countries. A modeling approach revealed basic similarity of structure of relationships among beliefs sets and also some differences, which may affect the congruence of buying practices of retail buyers and their customers. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.