A multivariate model of perceived quality in a developing country

Abstract

This paper integrates past research and proposes a framework for the analysis of consumer perceptions of quality in a developing country. In this framework, consumer-perceived quality is hypothesized to be formed from several intrinsic and extrinsic cues that include product attributes, corporate image, perceived price, and country-of-origin information. A questionnaire served as a data-gathering instrument. Information on three computer brands was manipulated based on the four cues. Results from structural equations analysis reveal a broader conceptualization of consumer-perceived quality in Bangladesh as reflected in the model. In particular, it was found that for high-involvement products like computers, perceived product attribute (PPA) is the most important and price is the least important factor in shaping perceptions of product quality in the country.