Ethnocentrism, Animosity, Knowledge and Country of Origin on Purchase of Jingdezhen Blue-And-White Ceramic

This research study aims to inspect the influence of ethnocentrism, animosity, product knowledge and the country of origin on the consumers’ purchase of Jingdezhen blue-and-white ceramics. The study also focuses on the moderating role of country of origin and the mediating role of product judgment. The Jingdezhen ceramics represent cultural significance and are highly renowned, thus providing a unique context to determine the factors affecting its purchase. The study focuses on the direct association between ethnocentrism, animosity, and hedonic product attributes, country of origin, and purchase intention. The study focused on the roles of familiarity and behavioral intention as moderators. Analysis for this study relies on a quantitative approach where data is collected through a questionnaire. With the use of convenience sampling to ensure feasibility and diversity of responses, data will be collected from Chinese consumers. The data was analyzed through SEM, which was applied through AMOS. The results of the study highlight that Product Judgement has insignificant impact on Animosity and Ethnocentrism, however, it has significant impact on Country of origin, and Product Knowledge. Consumer purchase intention of Jingdezhen blue-and-white ceramics was found to significantly influence Animosity, Product Knowledge, and Product Judgement, and has insignificant impact on Country of origin and Ethnocentrism. The research intends to strengthen and add value to existing literature by providing evidence into the interplay between the consumer purchase and cultural products.


INTRODUCTION
The ceramic industry like other contemporary businesses witness the growth history and transitions in production and manufacturing units on the basis of customer demands and needs (de Souza et al., 2018).It is common in the ceramic industry to realize the capacity of producing products that distinguish it from the domestic and foreign brands and attract the broader customer market.As highlighted by TEZERA (2019) the consumer decisions in ceramic industry are dependent on the brand identity, ceramics quality, design, and production material.
It is also emphasized that the purchasing decisions are influenced by personal, social, and psychological factors embodying high quality value.The ceramic industry all over the world is now including consumers in production and marketing.Mirfakhradini et al. (2018) argued that the customer-oriented products are more likely to influence the purchase decision of the customers.This implies that the customer's product judgment should be taken into consideration.
In China, the traditional ceramics are regaining the attention of the global customers.As the blue and white proclaim has ancient history and cultural or national significance, it is important to maintain the tradition, quality, uniqueness, and cultural significance of the products.The blue and white proclaim and its use for ceramics tile production and décor items have made it evident that the consumer aptitude is still under the influence of ethnocentrism and origin of the material (Gerritsen, 2020).The significance of the blue and white proclaims is linked with the Ming Dynasty and its origin is the Jingdezhen kiln (Wen et al., 2019).The historical importance of the blue and white ceramics therefore makes it distinct and unique in the Global ceramics market especially in China.In industrial setting, the significance of blue and white porcelain as indicated by Jiang et al. (2020) is evident from the historical records of this production material.The success and popularity of early Chinese blue and white porcelain still leave an imprint on the purchasing choices of present-day customers.

Ethnocentrism
The way of looking at things where one's own community is everything and everyone else is measured and compared to it, is termed as ethnocentrism (Sumner, 1959).

Animosity
Residual distaste for a nation brought on by recent or historical military or financial occurrences is referred to as animosity (Klein et al., 1998).

Product knowledge
Product knowledge is the consumer's knowledge of particular details about a particular product (Brucks, 1985).

Country of origin
It is defined as the nation of the item or the company's corporate headquarters, additionally, it may be deduced from the nation of product layout, assembly, as well as manufacture (Ahmed & d'Astous, 1996).

Purchase intention
The customer's willingness to purchase a good or service as well as the likelihood that it will be done so successfully is termed as purchase intention (Bebber et al., 2017) The global ceramics industry is modifying the production and product perception of the ceramic tiles customers in China.Regarding purchase decisions in foreign brands, ethnocentrism is found to be a strong determinant shaping the attitude, purchase behavior and perception of the customers.The study by Thomas et al. (2020) highlighted that ethnocentrism determines the purchase preference by triggering moral obligation.Amid the increased competition between the foreign and domestic markets, the ethnocentric purchase behaviors are the key savior of the domestic market that delivers product value with more efficiency.In the similar way, the consumer purchase behaviors are dependent on the product knowledge.
TEZERA (2019) highlighted that the ceramics knowledge shapes the consumer perception towards the product.In the case of positive perception, consumers are more likely to buy products having market significance.The past studies (Azad, 2021;Dinesh, 2018) explored numerous aspects of ceramic industry and provided significant insights.However, the scarcity of literature in context of ceramic tiles industry strengthens the need for novel investigation in analyzing the determinants that impact the customer's perception.
The aim of the paper is to examine the impact of ethnocentrism, animosity, product knowledge and the country of origin on the consumer's purchase of Jingdezhen blue-and-white ceramics.
The moderating role of brand and product familiarity is also examined in relation to the customer purchasing behavior.The mediation of product judgment is examined between the product related factors and ceramic tiles purchase decisions.The researcher adopts quantitative research design to analyze the association developed in the conceptual framework.The vast production of blue and white ceramic tiles is linked with the positive purchase behavior.
However, the conceptual framework comprises of the factors that can improve the purchase perception and decision of the ceramics tiles customers.The findings of the study have significant contribution as it expands the existing literature present on the ceramic tile industry.
Moreover, it has policy implications for the domestic ceramics brands of China to retain the product quality and brand reputation by delivering the expected customer value.The structure of the paper follows the organized steps.After introduction, the theoretical background is presented, and hypotheses are developed.The third section contains the methodological choices of the researcher.The fourth section presents the statistical results.Lastly, the discussion of findings and conclusion is provided along with the implications and limitations of the study.

Theoretical Framework
A psychological structure called Social Identity Theory (SIT) examines how people get a perception of self as well as social status from belonging to particular groups (Muldoon et al., 2021).SIT, which was developed in the 1970s by Henri Tajfel along with John Turner, holds that people divide themselves as well as other individuals into social categories according to shared traits like nationality, ethnic background, or other associations (Porter & Rosner, 2021).
According to this theory, people often favor the community they relate to, or their in-group, and they may show prejudice or hostility against out-groups, or those who are thought to be different (Lonsdale, 2021).One of the main ideas in SIT is ethnocentrism, which is the propensity to think of a particular cultural as well as ethnic background better from others (Han & Nam, 2020).This prejudice affects consumer tastes as well as purchase decisions made by them (Mishra et al., 2023).Resentment, or hostility toward other groups, also influences purchasing decisions by encouraging an affinity for goods linked to one's own group (Abdul-Latif & Abdul-Talib, 2022).Another crucial component in the implementation of SIT to customer behavior is the nation of origin (Porck et al., 2019).People start to favor goods made in their own country because they feel a feeling of pride as well as identity there (Huddy & Del Ponte, 2019).On the other hand, they show distrust or aversion to goods made by alleged outsiders (Boulouta & Manika, 2021).Knowledge is essential in forming these attitudes (Krasodomska et al., 2020).According to SIT, people should classify others as well as themselves according to the social knowledge that is readily available.Increasing one's awareness of and interaction with a variety of cultures will help reduce ethnocentrism and hostility, which will help consumers make more inclusive decisions (TILL, 2022).Hence, drawing from the theoretical background discussed above, there are some direct, mediating, and moderating hypotheses which will be discussed in the next headings.Figure 2.1 shows the conceptual framework.

Ceramics
By highlighting the blue-and-white pottery from Jingdezhen's cultural importance as well as authenticity, customers feel more connected to their particular cultural history (Zhan et al., 2019).When people see these goods as a lot more than mere products, they become figurative representations of their cultural identity as well as pride, which further stimulates purchase intentions.This psychological connection leads to an increased desire to buy these products (Burchmore, 2019).Therefore, the following hypothesis is proposed: H1: Ethnocentrism has a significant impact on consumer purchase intention of Jingdezhen blue-and-white ceramics.

Ceramics
Anger significantly influences consumers' intentions to buy Jingdezhen blue-and-white porcelain (BISALPUTRA & SNG).Unfavorable opinions or sentiments regarding the company, the product, as well as the cultural setting greatly discourage potential customers  2022).Promoting positive associations, educating consumers, and addressing animosity are all critical for marketers as well as stakeholders to do in order to build trust among customers and, ultimately, intent to buy for these historically significant ceramics (Park, 2020).Therefore, the following hypothesis is proposed: H2: Animosity has a significant impact on consumer purchase intention of Jingdezhen blueand-white ceramics.

Product Knowledge and Consumer Purchase Intention of Jingdezhen Blue-andwhite Ceramics
By emphasizing the distinctive craftsmanship, historical value, as well as rich cultural heritage of Jingdezhen blue-and-white pottery, enhanced understanding of the product inspires confidence in prospective consumers (Wu & Coe, 2023).Customers are inclined to think of an item as a worthwhile and appealing purchase if they are knowledgeable about its quality, history, as well as artistic value (Madalena Baratal, 2023).Hence, educating customers regarding Jingdezhen blue-and-white pottery can be a smart way to increase their desire to buy and their appreciation of this type of art (Li, 2022).Therefore, the following hypothesis is proposed:

H3: Product knowledge has a positive impact on consumer purchase intention of Jingdezhen
blue-and-white ceramics.

Ceramics
Due to Jingdezhen's prevalent image as the world's ceramics capital, the ceramics have historical importance and are authentically cultural (Burchmore, 2019).Customers frequently believe that goods from this well-known region are genuine and of the highest caliber (Shavitt & Barnes, 2020).Thus, taking advantage of the favorable country-of-origin impact can be a potent marketing tactic that increases customer buying intentions regarding Jingdezhen blueand-white pottery by building an impression of trust as well as desirability (Zhao, 2020).
Therefore, the following hypothesis is proposed:

H4: Country of origin has a positive impact on consumer purchase intention of Jingdezhen
blue-and-white ceramics.

Mediation of Product Judgement
Ethnocentrism affects the way that consumers evaluate Jingdezhen blue-and-white porcelain because of their cultural prejudices (Yang, 2021).Customers' propensity to buy is directly impacted by how well the product fits their cultural choices (Nam & Kannan, 2020).Thus, identifying and correcting ethnocentric marketing strategy tendencies can be crucial in influencing favorable product assessments and, in turn, increasing customer intentions to buy the Jingdezhen blue-and-white pottery (Yang, 2021).
Customers' evaluations of Jingdezhen blue-and-white porcelain's overall qualities, appeal, and other features become a significant factor in influencing their purchase decisions (O'Neill, 2022).Anger or negative feelings are filtered through the prism of an item, which affects how consumers' sentiments and their propensity to buy Jingdezhen blue-and-white pottery are related in general (Karetzky, 2020).
Customers' likelihood to make a purchase is greatly influenced by their evaluative viewpoints as they become acquainted with Jingdezhen blue-and-white porcelain (Liu, 2022).
Customers' subjective assessments of the distinctive qualities of Jingdezhen blue-and-white pottery significantly influence the connection between understanding and intention, underscoring the critical role that personal perceptions play in the choice-making process of consumers (Phoebe, 2020).
Customers frequently develop opinions about a product depending on its place of origin, and they interpret these opinions through the prism of product judgment (Gidaković et al., 2022).
The critical elements influencing consumers' evaluations of Jingdezhen blue-and-white pottery are their visual appeal, craftsmanship, as well as cultural significance (Fang, 2023).
Consequently, product evaluation plays a crucial role in connecting the product's place of creation to a customer's likelihood of making a purchase.For marketers hoping to leverage the appeal of cultural legacy in customer choice-making processes, understanding this interaction is crucial (Gerritsen, 2020).Therefore, in the context of the above discussion, the following hypotheses are proposed:

H5: Product judgement mediates the relationship between ethnocentrism and consumer purchase intention of Jingdezhen blue-and-white ceramics. H6: Product judgement mediates the relationship between animosity and consumer purchase intention of Jingdezhen blue-and-white ceramics. H7: Product judgement mediates the relationship between product knowledge and consumer purchase intention of Jingdezhen blue-and-white ceramics. H8: Product judgement mediates the relationship between country of origin and consumer
purchase intention of Jingdezhen blue-and-white ceramics.

Moderation of Familiarity
People's ethnocentric inclinations are influenced by their level of familiarity with a given culture when evaluating products (Ortega-Egea & García-de-Frutos, 2021).A complex interaction that shapes the connection between ethnocentrism as well as consumers' product evaluations emerges, emphasizing the importance of acquaintance in this ever-changing procedure (TILL, 2022).
When people are more familiar with a product, the effect of resentment on their assessment of it is probably going to be affected (Moriuchi, 2021).This implies that the contextualized aspect of personal acquaintance either intensifies or lessens the negative effects of hostility on an item's evaluation (Kim, 2019).Comprehending the intricate dynamics that influence consumer perceptions as well as decisions requires an understanding of the interaction between familiarity as well as animosity (Stepchenkova et al., 2020).
When people are more acquainted with an item than when they are less acquainted with it, their potential to evaluate and make decisions about that is affected distinctly by their understanding of it (Fu et al., 2020).This complex relationship highlights the intricate interaction among these two elements in influencing people's perceptions as well as assessments of products.It indicates that the effect of product understanding on assessment is regulated by the level of familiarity (Min, 2023).
The degree to which people evaluate and make decisions about an item depending on its place of origin is greatly influenced by familiarity (Han, 2020).The effect of the nation of creation on goods judgment differs in circumstances with high levels of familiarity from those with low levels of familiarity (Treiblmaier & Garaus, 2023).This highlights the intricate and dependent relationship among the nation of birth of an item and consumers' assessments, highlighting the significance of acquaintance in influencing opinions (Oduro et al., 2023).
The current body of literature has been greatly enhanced in a number of ways by this research study.This study sheds light on the significance of cultural background in buying choices by analyzing the impact of ethnocentrism and how customers' cultural prejudices affect their choices for particular cultural products.Furthermore, studying hostility advances one's knowledge of the affective factors influencing consumer decisions, especially when international hostilities affect how people view a given product.Moreover, by acknowledging the significance of customer understanding and knowledge in the backdrop of art as well as cultural products, the incorporation of understanding as an aspect broadens the body of literature.In addition, the study of how national origin influences consumer choices advances the conversation about the role national origin indications play in influencing consumer preferences.Therefore, in the context of the above discussion, the following hypotheses are proposed:

Research Philosophy and Design
The main objective of the present study was to examine the investigate the factors influencing the purchasing intention of consumers regarding Jingdezhen blue-and-white ceramics.To provide objective and generalizable results, quantitative research was conducted rooted in a positivist philosophy.Quantitative research aids in analyzing a large set of numerical data to provide reliable and objective insights.Thus, in this study, the evaluation of the proposed associations among the variables required a quantitative investigation.

Sampling and Data Collection
To gauge consumer purchase intention of Jingdezhen blue-and-white ceramics, the target sample of the study comprises of consumers in China.Participants were selected on the basis of their availability, accessibility, and willingness to take part in the study; thus, a convenience sampling technique was best suited to the study.The primary data collection method employed was a structured questionnaire, with three hundred sets distributed to potential customers.Data were gathered from different locations in China, ensuring that diverse perspectives can be gathered regarding Jingdezhen blue-and-white ceramics purchases.The survey was shared through a web-based link on a variety of social media platforms.A clear explanation was provided with the survey about the goal of the research and confidentiality measures were upheld.A total of 375 responses were received as a result.The responses gathered through the survey underwent careful evaluation to exclude any incomplete or irregularly filled questionnaire.Consequently, a total of 312 questionnaires were regarded as complete and suitable for data analysis.The sample size of 312 was deemed appropriate as Kline (2023) specified a minimum sample size of 200 for structural equation modelling.

Questionnaire Design and Data Analytical Techniques
The structured questionnaire consisted of two components to collect information from the consumers.In the first segment of the questionnaire, demographic background of the respondents including age and gender was reported.The second component of the questionnaire was designed using multiple scale items from prior literature.In order to rate participants' agreement or disagreement with a statement of a construct, a Likert scale was utilized with five points.Strong disagreement was labelled as 1 while 5 indicated strong agreement.
Analytical techniques were applied using SPSS and AMOS.Demographic profile of the respondents was analyzed using descriptive statistical analysis.Following the descriptive analysis, the researcher conducted an exploratory factor analysis to observe the underlying dimensions.The proposed conceptual framework of the study was assessed using the structural equation modelling (SEM) approach (Collier, 2020).This technique is an effective estimation method for large number of data, and has been widely adopted in studies gauging consumer behavior (Hoyos-Vallejo et al., 2023;Xie et al., 2023).SEM also holds the ability in assessment of not only direct effects but simultaneously evaluating the indirect effects (Dash & Paul, 2021).Therefore, the use of SEM is deemed suitable in this study as the present study aimed to evaluate the moderating role of familiarity and mediating role of product judgement.

Scale of Measurement
The scale items adopted from prior literature were adapted as per the context of this study.To measure consumer ethnocentrism, five items were adopted from the work of Hoang et al. (2022).Animosity was operationalized using economic animosity with five items adapted to from Hoang et al. (2022).Product judgment was measured using five items as well and scale of Hoang et al. (2022) was referred to for the measurement.Knowledge of Jingdezhen blueand-white ceramics was measured using five items from prior literature (Liang, 2012).The scale for product knowledge ranged from "no knowledge" to "a lot of knowledge."Familiarity was gauged using three items from Wang et al. (2018).Country of origin effect was assessed using the seven-item scale of Mohd Yasin et al. (2007).Lastly, four items were used to measure purchase intention from the adapted scale of Hoyos-Vallejo et al. (2023).

Demographics
The study participants' demographic information is presented in Table 4

Descriptive Statistics
To facilitate comprehension and summarization of the data, the researcher applied descriptive statistics to all variables, including demographic characteristics (Mooi et al., 2018),.The results presented in Table 4.2 are the descriptive statistics.The constructs that were observed demonstrated a value range of one to five, with both the minimum and maximum values occurring within this interval.It was determined that the mean values of the observed constructs exceeded 3. Furthermore, it was observed that the standard deviations of these constructs exceeded 1.0, indicating a comparatively substantial level of dispersion among the data.DOI: 10.48165/sajssh.2024.5117 Consistently, the skewness values of the constructs that were observed were determined to be within the predetermined range.Note: "COO= Country of origin, F= Familiarity, PK= Product Knowledge, PJ= Product Judgement, EA= Animosity, CE= Ethnocentrism, PI= Consumer purchase intention of Jingdezhen blue-and-white ceramics".

KMO and Bartlett's Test
This test was applied to analyze the sample adequacy.It has yielded significant results.

Rotated Component Matrix
Factors with values exceeding 0.04 are deemed to be of significance.Table 4.3 presents the items that were considered in order to measure COO, CE, PI, PK, PJ, FI, and EA; 7, 5, 4, 5, 3, and 5.

Validity Analysis
To evaluate the dependability of the dataset, the researcher utilized the Fornell-Larcker criterion, which was initially introduced in 1981.The study's objective is to ascertain the validity, more specifically discriminant validity, by examining whether the latent variable imparts a more substantial proportion of variance to its indicator variables in comparison to the variance accounted for by other variables within the same model (Shiu et al., 2011).

Correlation Analysis
The data in the table below demonstrates that the majority of the values indicate a strong and positive correlation between the variables, all of which are contained within the specified range.

CFA
The research utilized particular metrics to evaluate the model's sufficiency; a significant proportion of these metrics surpassed the predetermined standard, thus signifying that the model is a viable fit.

Hypotheses Testing
The result shows that relationship between PJ and EA is rejected (p-value= 0.39), the association between PJ and CE was not supported (p-value= 0.25), the association between PJ and COO is accepted (p-value= 0.04), the association between PJ and PK is supported (p-value= 0.00), the association between PI and EA is accepted (p-value= 0.39), the association between PI and CE is rejected (p-value= 0.40), the association between PI and COO is also rejected (p-value= 0.47), the association between PI and PK is accepted (p-value= 0.00), and the association between PI and PJ was accepted (p-value= 0.00).Note: "COO= Country of origin, F= Familiarity, PK= Product Knowledge, PJ= Product Judgement, EA= Animosity, CE= Ethnocentrism, PI= Consumer purchase intention of Jingdezhen blue-and-white ceramics".

Figure 4.2: SEM
The mediation of PJ was found to be accepted on the association between EA and PI (p-value= 0.02), the mediation of PJ was found to be accepted on the association between CE and PI (p-value= 0.02), the mediation of PJ was found to be accepted on the association between COO and PI (p-value= 0.04), and the mediation of PJ was found to be rejected on the association between PK and PI (p-value= 0.15).The findings from table 4.11 however, suggest that the moderation of familiarity between COO and PI was found to be significant, as a 7.1% change on purchase intention is produced on the influence of COO in presence of familiarity with the product.Note: "COO= Country of origin, F= Familiarity, PK= Product Knowledge, PJ= Product Judgement, EA= Animosity, CE= Ethnocentrism, PI= Consumer purchase intention of Jingdezhen blue-and-white ceramics".

DISCUSSION
The paper aims to focus on the consumer purchasing decision regarding blue and white ceramic tiles.In the ceramic industry major innovations are happening which are directly influencing the customer's perception and purchase journey.In choosing the brands and the products, the decision-making determinants are significant and analyzed critically by the researcher.The theoretical framework developed by the researcher identified the relationship between ethnocentrisms, animosity, product knowledge, and country of origin and customer purchase decision Jingdezhen blue and white ceramics.The results prove the hypothetical assumption indicating a significant relationship between ethnocentrism and customer purchase intention.
The results are consistent with the findings of previous literature (Amri & Prihandono, 2019;NGUYEN et al., 2022).The researchers, by providing empirical evidence confirmed that ethnocentrism plays a significant role in predicting and determining user's behaviors.It influences the customer purchase behavior through brand image, brand trust, perceived value, and perceived quality.On the basis of such factors, the customers prefer to buy from the homegrown brands as the trust is already established between natives and the respective brands.
In ceramic history, the customer attachment to the domestic brands is enrooted in the cultural sentiments and the national history attached to the use of blue and white porcelain.The customer's choice of product therefore depends on their sensitivity towards ethnocentric elements attached to the specific brands.The results also proved the relationship between animosity and consumer purchase intention.The results are supported by the previous studies (Huang et al., 2020;Rai, 2019).It is confirmed that the customer's animosity plays a major role in determining the customer's choices regarding certain products.As consumer animosity represents consumer reluctance to buy foreign products, the interest conflict arises in choosing brands and products.On the basis of political, economic, and social reasons, the customers are therefore more inclined to purchase products from brands that have local, cultural, and social significance.
According to the results, the product knowledge is also significantly associated with the customer's purchase intention.The results are consistent with the findings of previous studies as Alalwan (2018) confirmed that the expectancy, information and perceived relevance impact the purchase intention.It is emphasized that the cultural and historical information related to the product compels the customers to buy products from brands that offer and deliver such value.The product information and the strategies adopted by brands to convey product knowledge directly impact the perspective and confidence of customers to acknowledge the quality and value of the products.Providing relevant information to the customers therefore influences their perception and increases their desire to buy certain products.According to the results, purchase intention is also influenced by the purchase judgment.It is supported by (Racat et al., 2021;Wijekoon & Sabri, 2021) that the product judgment in contemporary business is one of the significant factors that control the decision making process of the customers.The fair and positive evaluation of the products encourages the customers to buy the products.Contrary to that, the negative evaluation makes the customer reluctant.The results confirmed that the country of origin and product knowledge positively impact the product judgment.The national identity associated with the brands develops product perception.As the Chinese market is notable for making blue and white ceramic products, the customers are more likely to prefer Chinese ceramic brands that offer the high quality and product value.As the native brands are well equipped with product information, they assure the effective delivery of product knowledge, consequentially capturing the attention of customers and convincing them to buy products.
The mediating role of product judgment is also examined.Mediation has proved significant in the association between ethnocentrism and purchase intention.Mediation is also significant between animosity, country of origin, and purchase decision.The pathway developed and proved by the results implies that ethnocentrisms impact the customer's behavioral orientation.
Due to the culture prejudices, the customer perceives and evaluates products differently which in result shapes their purchase behaviors.The customers find themselves more comfortable in cultural choices that fit their interests and tastes.The customer evaluation criteria regarding quality, product appeal, and features differ and regulate differential behavior.The country of origin and animosity in the same way determines the choice-making process of the consumers (Hien et al., 2020).Depending on the place of origin, customers formulate their opinion.The purchase intention is therefore mediated through product judgment.

Conclusion
The paper focused on the factors that impact the purchase intention of the customer regarding purchase of blue and white ceramic.The industry, like other businesses, is going through the major transformations that directly impact the choices and behaviors of the customers.Due to the cultural significance of Jingdezhen blue and white ceramics, the customers are sensitive towards the purchase of these products.The emergence of multiple foreign brands offering these products increased the competition among foreign and domestic brands.The pull between these two therefore captured the attention of contemporary researchers.By following the current research trends, the researcher aims to analyze the role of different determinants in influencing purchase intentions of the customers.Quantitative research design has been followed by the researcher and findings are extracted on the base of numerical data.The results identified that Ethnocentrism, Product knowledge, Country of origin, Animosity, and product judgment positively impact the purchase intention of blue and white ceramics.Moreover, product judgment is also influenced by product knowledge, country of origin, and ethnocentrism.The mediation of product judgment is also proved in association between ethnocentrism, country of origin, and animosity.The influence of these factors on purchase intention of blue and white ceramics is mediated through the product judgment.

Implications of Study
The study provided significant insights into the factors that control the perception and purchase intention of the customers regarding purchase of blue and white ceramic products.The findings contribute to the previous literature by expanding the information related to the purchase behavior of ceramic products.There are abundance of studies exploring the market, product, and brand related factors in determining the choices of the customers.The current study deviates from the previous research by developing a conceptual framework that is novel in nature.The association developed by the researcher between variables is not explored in context of blue and white ceramic product purchases.The study therefore advances the understanding in the modern business academia.
Practically, the study also holds significance as the information produced by the researcher is valuable to the relevant stakeholders.The ceramic brands can avail themselves of this information to assess the customer-oriented factors that impact the perception and purchase journey of the customers.By relying on this information, the brands can improve their image, trust, and customer relationship retaining the local customer market.Moreover, in competition with the foreign ceramic brands, the domestic brands can acknowledge their responsibility to manage the product and process quality.By improving the product quality and service value, the local brands can maintain their reputation.The strategic measures adopted by the brands can improve the perception and intention of the customers to stay loyal to the local products.It also draws attention to the effective marketing policies and production improvements that can bring positive change in the relationship between customers and brands.

Limitations and Future Research Direction
The paper has few limitations in terms of methodological choice, research methods, theoretical lens, and regional context.Regarding methodology, the choice of quantitative research design limits the scope of the findings.The population is specific and sampling choice is limited.On this basis, there might be a chance of poor representation by sample of the population.
Moreover, extracting findings on the basis of numerical data cannot provide in-depth insights on these issues.The researcher developed the conceptual framework through the support of social identity theory.Examining the association through specific lens thus impacts the credibility and scope of the results.The focus is given to ceramics production and customer intention in context of China.On the basis of regional specifications, the results cannot be generalized in any other context.Future researchers are encouraged to advance this study by using alternative methodological choices.Mixed-method or qualitative research methods can be employed to obtain better and in-depth results.A comparative study is recommended in different country contexts to examine the difference in customer's behaviors and intentions.
The inclusion of brand-related factors, market elements, product specifications can also be examined to obtain a broader picture of the selected issues.
"5 The Japanese are doing business unfairly with China."

Country of Origin
"(X = Jingdezhen blue-and-white ceramics) "1.The country from which X originates is a country that is innovative in manufacturing." "2.The country from which X originates is a country that has a high level of technological advance." "3.The country from which X originates is a country that is good at designing." "4.The country from which X originates is a country that is creative in its workmanship." "5.The country from which X originates is a country that has high quality in its workmanship.""6.The country from X originates is a country that is prestigious." "7. X originates from a country that has an image of advanced country."(Mohd Yasin et al., 2007) Familiarity "1.I was already familiar with the idea of Jingdezhen blue-and-white ceramics before your elementary introduction." "2.I am familiar with the performance and features of Jingdezhen blue-andwhite ceramics." "3.I am familiar with the price level of Jingdezhen blue-and-white ceramics."(Wang et al., 2018) Purchase "1.I intend to buy Jingdezhen blue-and-white ceramics." "2.I plan to purchase Jingdezhen blue-and-white ceramics." "3 I will purchase Jingdezhen blue-and-white ceramics in my next purchase." "4. Next month I will buy Jingdezhen blue-and-white ceramics."(Hoyos-Vallejo et al., 2023)

Figure
Figure 2.1: Conceptual Framework

Figure
Figure 4.1: CFA .1 below.The survey data indicated that the composition of the respondents was as follows: 162 female respondents and 185 male respondents.Based on the analysis of the age distribution, it was determined that among the 332 participants comprising the total sample, 110 individuals were under the age of 25, 145 individuals were between the ages of 26 and 30, and 77 individuals were between the ages of 31 and 35.