Extended Abstract
Introduction: In the modern world, with the growth and development of industrial activities, the volume of global trade has increased remarkably. Different countries are trying to secure their interests by exporting their industrial products to the world market. This has created many challenges for developing and less developed countries, which mainly rely on raw materials. For this reason, many studies are being conducted to identify the reasons for preferring foreign goods. The consumption of foreign industrial goods in Iran has also increased rapidly, and this continued dependence poses detrimental consequences for the country's economy. This study aims to examine the relationship between the economic status and the consumption of foreign industrial goods.
Method: This research is quantitative and was conducted using a survey technique. The population consisted of household heads in Kerman city, and 400 cases were selected through multi-stage random sampling method. The research tools used to measure the economic status and foreign industrial goods consumption are questionnaires developed by the researcher. In order to establish validity of the research tools, face and content validity were used. To determine reliability, considering the nature of the questions, which are qualitative in two categories, the test-retest method was used, which was 0.94 for the economic status and 0.89 for the foreign goods consumption.
Findings: Based on the results, the consumption of foreign industrial goods is higher among Kerman citizens compared to Iranian goods. Findings indicate that respondents show a strong tendency to consume foreign goods in the electrical products, household goods, as well as health and cosmetic products, while they prefer Iranian goods in stationery and clothing. In addition, the findings reveal that there is a positive and significant relationship between economic status and consumption of foreign industrial goods. Overall, economic status, gender, and education are able to explain 0.277 of the changes in foreign industrial goods consumption.
Conclusion: The consumption of foreign industrial goods in Iran is high, and this will lead to many problems in the future, considering the country's economic structure, which is heavily based on the export of raw materials, and the characteristics of the country's population, which has reached over 90 million. Given the widespread consequences of consuming foreign goods and the significant effect of economic status on the consumption and promotion of foreign industrial goods, it is essential for managers and officials of the country to focus on creating a culture to reduce the consumption of foreign consumer goods.