Mullen, Michael R.

Foreign-market opportunity analysis is the most frequent objective of
international marketing research (Czinkota and Ronkainen 2007).
The importance of foreign market opportunity assessment has been well noticed
by both marketing managers and scholars. However, a foreign market opportunity
analysis model based on theory that goes beyond aggregate demand is still lacking. This
dissertation proposes a new model by combining marketing-based Overall Market
Opportunity Index (OMOI) scheme with the economic-based gravity model of
international trade. Hypotheses were tested as well as the usefulness of OMOI/Gravity
Hybrid Model through three separate models with empirical analyses structured as
follows.
The first model extends existing screening methods by combining both OMOI
and gravity models. Unlike previous studies using ad hoc or equal weights on variables,
this study employs Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CF A) and weight derived from
regression coefficient on each factor under study and thus gives a more realistic
estimation of the potential for aggregate exports. The second model goes beyond the previous work on aggregate exports by
examining data at the sector and category level. In this study, comparisons were drawn
between the OMOI/Gravity Hybrid Model in three sectors (manufacturing goods exports,
agricultural goods exports and service exports) and 1 0 1-digit SITC categories (SITC 0 to
SITC 9).
The third model moves from the OMOI/Gravity Hybrid Model to the Industry
Market Opportunity Index (IMOI)/Gravity Hybrid Model. This model develops a
framework that analyzes market potential for specific industries classified by 2- and 3-
digit SITC.

While tension is growing in the Middle East towards the United States due to American foreign policies, hate and anger is rising, and Middle Easterners feel threatened by the United States. It is with such a context in mind that the animosity of consumers in the Middle East is examined and whether that animosity affects the willingness to buy. In this study, the intention is to understand consumers' internal motivations behind their refusal to buy American products. Is it just to express anger, to punish the United States, or just to enhance their images, that consumers in the Middle East refuse to buy American products? In addition, the goal is to go a step further and to investigate whether animosity is expressed across different religious groups.