ABSTRACT
This study applies the innovative and new method of partial least squares structural equation models (PLS-SEMs) and multi-group analysis to explore differences of the value drivers of the various dimensions of country images and its influences on behavioral outcomes, using samples from the United States, Switzerland, and China. Our study shows the mediating role of the emotional country image dimension and demonstrates that judgments toward a country are strongly based on aesthetic beliefs and affects rather than on functional and social beliefs, relying mostly on stereotypes if participants have no direct experience with or little knowledge about the other countries.
