\documentclass[11pt,twoside]{article}\makeatletter

\IfFileExists{xcolor.sty}%
  {\RequirePackage{xcolor}}%
  {\RequirePackage{color}}
\usepackage{colortbl}
\usepackage{wrapfig}
\usepackage{ifxetex}
\ifxetex
  \usepackage{fontspec}
  \usepackage{xunicode}
  \catcode`⃥=\active \def⃥{\textbackslash}
  \catcode`❴=\active \def❴{\{}
  \catcode`❵=\active \def❵{\}}
  \def\textJapanese{\fontspec{Noto Sans CJK JP}}
  \def\textChinese{\fontspec{Noto Sans CJK SC}}
  \def\textKorean{\fontspec{Noto Sans CJK KR}}
  \setmonofont{DejaVu Sans Mono}
  
\else
  \IfFileExists{utf8x.def}%
   {\usepackage[utf8x]{inputenc}
      \PrerenderUnicode{–}
    }%
   {\usepackage[utf8]{inputenc}}
  \usepackage[english]{babel}
  \usepackage[T1]{fontenc}
  \usepackage{float}
  \usepackage[]{ucs}
  \uc@dclc{8421}{default}{\textbackslash }
  \uc@dclc{10100}{default}{\{}
  \uc@dclc{10101}{default}{\}}
  \uc@dclc{8491}{default}{\AA{}}
  \uc@dclc{8239}{default}{\,}
  \uc@dclc{20154}{default}{ }
  \uc@dclc{10148}{default}{>}
  \def\textschwa{\rotatebox{-90}{e}}
  \def\textJapanese{}
  \def\textChinese{}
  \IfFileExists{tipa.sty}{\usepackage{tipa}}{}
\fi
\def\exampleFont{\ttfamily\small}
\DeclareTextSymbol{\textpi}{OML}{25}
\usepackage{relsize}
\RequirePackage{array}
\def\@testpach{\@chclass
 \ifnum \@lastchclass=6 \@ne \@chnum \@ne \else
  \ifnum \@lastchclass=7 5 \else
   \ifnum \@lastchclass=8 \tw@ \else
    \ifnum \@lastchclass=9 \thr@@
   \else \z@
   \ifnum \@lastchclass = 10 \else
   \edef\@nextchar{\expandafter\string\@nextchar}%
   \@chnum
   \if \@nextchar c\z@ \else
    \if \@nextchar l\@ne \else
     \if \@nextchar r\tw@ \else
   \z@ \@chclass
   \if\@nextchar |\@ne \else
    \if \@nextchar !6 \else
     \if \@nextchar @7 \else
      \if \@nextchar (8 \else
       \if \@nextchar )9 \else
  10
  \@chnum
  \if \@nextchar m\thr@@\else
   \if \@nextchar p4 \else
    \if \@nextchar b5 \else
   \z@ \@chclass \z@ \@preamerr \z@ \fi \fi \fi \fi
   \fi \fi  \fi  \fi  \fi  \fi  \fi \fi \fi \fi \fi \fi}
\gdef\arraybackslash{\let\\=\@arraycr}
\def\@textsubscript#1{{\m@th\ensuremath{_{\mbox{\fontsize\sf@size\z@#1}}}}}
\def\Panel#1#2#3#4{\multicolumn{#3}{){\columncolor{#2}}#4}{#1}}
\def\abbr{}
\def\corr{}
\def\expan{}
\def\gap{}
\def\orig{}
\def\reg{}
\def\ref{}
\def\sic{}
\def\persName{}\def\name{}
\def\placeName{}
\def\orgName{}
\def\textcal#1{{\fontspec{Lucida Calligraphy}#1}}
\def\textgothic#1{{\fontspec{Lucida Blackletter}#1}}
\def\textlarge#1{{\large #1}}
\def\textoverbar#1{\ensuremath{\overline{#1}}}
\def\textquoted#1{‘#1’}
\def\textsmall#1{{\small #1}}
\def\textsubscript#1{\@textsubscript{\selectfont#1}}
\def\textxi{\ensuremath{\xi}}
\def\titlem{\itshape}
\newenvironment{biblfree}{}{\ifvmode\par\fi }
\newenvironment{bibl}{}{}
\newenvironment{byline}{\vskip6pt\itshape\fontsize{16pt}{18pt}\selectfont}{\par }
\newenvironment{citbibl}{}{\ifvmode\par\fi }
\newenvironment{docAuthor}{\ifvmode\vskip4pt\fontsize{16pt}{18pt}\selectfont\fi\itshape}{\ifvmode\par\fi }
\newenvironment{docDate}{}{\ifvmode\par\fi }
\newenvironment{docImprint}{\vskip 6pt}{\ifvmode\par\fi }
\newenvironment{docTitle}{\vskip6pt\bfseries\fontsize{22pt}{25pt}\selectfont}{\par }
\newenvironment{msHead}{\vskip 6pt}{\par}
\newenvironment{msItem}{\vskip 6pt}{\par}
\newenvironment{rubric}{}{}
\newenvironment{titlePart}{}{\par }

\newcolumntype{L}[1]{){\raggedright\arraybackslash}p{#1}}
\newcolumntype{C}[1]{){\centering\arraybackslash}p{#1}}
\newcolumntype{R}[1]{){\raggedleft\arraybackslash}p{#1}}
\newcolumntype{P}[1]{){\arraybackslash}p{#1}}
\newcolumntype{B}[1]{){\arraybackslash}b{#1}}
\newcolumntype{M}[1]{){\arraybackslash}m{#1}}
\definecolor{label}{gray}{0.75}
\def\unusedattribute#1{\sout{\textcolor{label}{#1}}}
\DeclareRobustCommand*{\xref}{\hyper@normalise\xref@}
\def\xref@#1#2{\hyper@linkurl{#2}{#1}}
\begingroup
\catcode`\_=\active
\gdef_#1{\ensuremath{\sb{\mathrm{#1}}}}
\endgroup
\mathcode`\_=\string"8000
\catcode`\_=12\relax

\usepackage[a4paper,twoside,lmargin=1in,rmargin=1in,tmargin=1in,bmargin=1in,marginparwidth=0.75in]{geometry}
\usepackage{framed}

\definecolor{shadecolor}{gray}{0.95}
\usepackage{longtable}
\usepackage[normalem]{ulem}
\usepackage{fancyvrb}
\usepackage{fancyhdr}
\usepackage{graphicx}
\usepackage{marginnote}

\renewcommand{\@cite}[1]{#1}


\renewcommand*{\marginfont}{\itshape\footnotesize}

\def\Gin@extensions{.pdf,.png,.jpg,.mps,.tif}

  \pagestyle{fancy}

\usepackage[pdftitle={A Comparative Study of Consumer Attitudes in Iran and Dubai towards Marketing Mix Elements For Small Home Appliances},
 pdfauthor={}]{hyperref}
\hyperbaseurl{}

	 \paperwidth210mm
	 \paperheight297mm
              
\def\@pnumwidth{1.55em}
\def\@tocrmarg {2.55em}
\def\@dotsep{4.5}
\setcounter{tocdepth}{3}
\clubpenalty=8000
\emergencystretch 3em
\hbadness=4000
\hyphenpenalty=400
\pretolerance=750
\tolerance=2000
\vbadness=4000
\widowpenalty=10000

\renewcommand\section{\@startsection {section}{1}{\z@}%
     {-1.75ex \@plus -0.5ex \@minus -.2ex}%
     {0.5ex \@plus .2ex}%
     {\reset@font\Large\bfseries}}
\renewcommand\subsection{\@startsection{subsection}{2}{\z@}%
     {-1.75ex\@plus -0.5ex \@minus- .2ex}%
     {0.5ex \@plus .2ex}%
     {\reset@font\Large}}
\renewcommand\subsubsection{\@startsection{subsubsection}{3}{\z@}%
     {-1.5ex\@plus -0.35ex \@minus -.2ex}%
     {0.5ex \@plus .2ex}%
     {\reset@font\large}}
\renewcommand\paragraph{\@startsection{paragraph}{4}{\z@}%
     {-1ex \@plus-0.35ex \@minus -0.2ex}%
     {0.5ex \@plus .2ex}%
     {\reset@font\normalsize}}
\renewcommand\subparagraph{\@startsection{subparagraph}{5}{\parindent}%
     {1.5ex \@plus1ex \@minus .2ex}%
     {-1em}%
     {\reset@font\normalsize\bfseries}}


\def\l@section#1#2{\addpenalty{\@secpenalty} \addvspace{1.0em plus 1pt}
 \@tempdima 1.5em \begingroup
 \parindent \z@ \rightskip \@pnumwidth 
 \parfillskip -\@pnumwidth 
 \bfseries \leavevmode #1\hfil \hbox to\@pnumwidth{\hss #2}\par
 \endgroup}
\def\l@subsection{\@dottedtocline{2}{1.5em}{2.3em}}
\def\l@subsubsection{\@dottedtocline{3}{3.8em}{3.2em}}
\def\l@paragraph{\@dottedtocline{4}{7.0em}{4.1em}}
\def\l@subparagraph{\@dottedtocline{5}{10em}{5em}}
\@ifundefined{c@section}{\newcounter{section}}{}
\@ifundefined{c@chapter}{\newcounter{chapter}}{}
\newif\if@mainmatter 
\@mainmattertrue
\def\chaptername{Chapter}
\def\frontmatter{%
  \pagenumbering{roman}
  \def\thechapter{\@roman\c@chapter}
  \def\theHchapter{\roman{chapter}}
  \def\thesection{\@roman\c@section}
  \def\theHsection{\roman{section}}
  \def\@chapapp{}%
}
\def\mainmatter{%
  \cleardoublepage
  \def\thechapter{\@arabic\c@chapter}
  \setcounter{chapter}{0}
  \setcounter{section}{0}
  \pagenumbering{arabic}
  \setcounter{secnumdepth}{6}
  \def\@chapapp{\chaptername}%
  \def\theHchapter{\arabic{chapter}}
  \def\thesection{\@arabic\c@section}
  \def\theHsection{\arabic{section}}
}
\def\backmatter{%
  \cleardoublepage
  \setcounter{chapter}{0}
  \setcounter{section}{0}
  \setcounter{secnumdepth}{2}
  \def\@chapapp{\appendixname}%
  \def\thechapter{\@Alph\c@chapter}
  \def\theHchapter{\Alph{chapter}}
  \appendix
}
\newenvironment{bibitemlist}[1]{%
   \list{\@biblabel{\@arabic\c@enumiv}}%
       {\settowidth\labelwidth{\@biblabel{#1}}%
        \leftmargin\labelwidth
        \advance\leftmargin\labelsep
        \@openbib@code
        \usecounter{enumiv}%
        \let\p@enumiv\@empty
        \renewcommand\theenumiv{\@arabic\c@enumiv}%
	}%
  \sloppy
  \clubpenalty4000
  \@clubpenalty \clubpenalty
  \widowpenalty4000%
  \sfcode`\.\@m}%
  {\def\@noitemerr
    {\@latex@warning{Empty `bibitemlist' environment}}%
    \endlist}

\def\tableofcontents{\section*{\contentsname}\@starttoc{toc}}
\parskip0pt
\parindent1em
\def\Panel#1#2#3#4{\multicolumn{#3}{){\columncolor{#2}}#4}{#1}}
\newenvironment{reflist}{%
  \begin{raggedright}\begin{list}{}
  {%
   \setlength{\topsep}{0pt}%
   \setlength{\rightmargin}{0.25in}%
   \setlength{\itemsep}{0pt}%
   \setlength{\itemindent}{0pt}%
   \setlength{\parskip}{0pt}%
   \setlength{\parsep}{2pt}%
   \def\makelabel##1{\itshape ##1}}%
  }
  {\end{list}\end{raggedright}}
\newenvironment{sansreflist}{%
  \begin{raggedright}\begin{list}{}
  {%
   \setlength{\topsep}{0pt}%
   \setlength{\rightmargin}{0.25in}%
   \setlength{\itemindent}{0pt}%
   \setlength{\parskip}{0pt}%
   \setlength{\itemsep}{0pt}%
   \setlength{\parsep}{2pt}%
   \def\makelabel##1{\upshape ##1}}%
  }
  {\end{list}\end{raggedright}}
\newenvironment{specHead}[2]%
 {\vspace{20pt}\hrule\vspace{10pt}%
  \phantomsection\label{#1}\markright{#2}%

  \pdfbookmark[2]{#2}{#1}%
  \hspace{-0.75in}{\bfseries\fontsize{16pt}{18pt}\selectfont#2}%
  }{}
      \def\TheFullDate{2012-01-15 (revised: 15 January 2012)}
\def\TheID{\makeatother }
\def\TheDate{2012-01-15}
\title{A Comparative Study of Consumer Attitudes in Iran and Dubai towards Marketing Mix Elements For Small Home Appliances}
\author{}\makeatletter 
\makeatletter
\newcommand*{\cleartoleftpage}{%
  \clearpage
    \if@twoside
    \ifodd\c@page
      \hbox{}\newpage
      \if@twocolumn
        \hbox{}\newpage
      \fi
    \fi
  \fi
}
\makeatother
\makeatletter
\thispagestyle{empty}
\markright{\@title}\markboth{\@title}{\@author}
\renewcommand\small{\@setfontsize\small{9pt}{11pt}\abovedisplayskip 8.5\p@ plus3\p@ minus4\p@
\belowdisplayskip \abovedisplayskip
\abovedisplayshortskip \z@ plus2\p@
\belowdisplayshortskip 4\p@ plus2\p@ minus2\p@
\def\@listi{\leftmargin\leftmargini
               \topsep 2\p@ plus1\p@ minus1\p@
               \parsep 2\p@ plus\p@ minus\p@
               \itemsep 1pt}
}
\makeatother
\fvset{frame=single,numberblanklines=false,xleftmargin=5mm,xrightmargin=5mm}
\fancyhf{} 
\setlength{\headheight}{14pt}
\fancyhead[LE]{\bfseries\leftmark} 
\fancyhead[RO]{\bfseries\rightmark} 
\fancyfoot[RO]{}
\fancyfoot[CO]{\thepage}
\fancyfoot[LO]{\TheID}
\fancyfoot[LE]{}
\fancyfoot[CE]{\thepage}
\fancyfoot[RE]{\TheID}
\hypersetup{citebordercolor=0.75 0.75 0.75,linkbordercolor=0.75 0.75 0.75,urlbordercolor=0.75 0.75 0.75,bookmarksnumbered=true}
\fancypagestyle{plain}{\fancyhead{}\renewcommand{\headrulewidth}{0pt}}

\date{}
\usepackage{authblk}

\providecommand{\keywords}[1]
{
\footnotesize
  \textbf{\textit{Index terms---}} #1
}

\usepackage{graphicx,xcolor}
\definecolor{GJBlue}{HTML}{273B81}
\definecolor{GJLightBlue}{HTML}{0A9DD9}
\definecolor{GJMediumGrey}{HTML}{6D6E70}
\definecolor{GJLightGrey}{HTML}{929497} 

\renewenvironment{abstract}{%
   \setlength{\parindent}{0pt}\raggedright
   \textcolor{GJMediumGrey}{\rule{\textwidth}{2pt}}
   \vskip16pt
   \textcolor{GJBlue}{\large\bfseries\abstractname\space}
}{%   
   \vskip8pt
   \textcolor{GJMediumGrey}{\rule{\textwidth}{2pt}}
   \vskip16pt
}

\usepackage[absolute,overlay]{textpos}

\makeatother 
      \usepackage{lineno}
      \linenumbers
      
\begin{document}

             \author[1]{Maria  Yousefian}

             \author[2]{Dr. Mohammad Hossein  askariazad}

             \affil[1]{  Sharif University of Technology}

\renewcommand\Authands{ and }

\date{\small \em Received: 13 December 2011 Accepted: 2 January 2012 Published: 15 January 2012}

\maketitle


\begin{abstract}
        


This study examines the attitude of consumers of small home appliance products in Iran and Dubai towards four elements of the marketing mix, Product, Price, Place and Promotion. Empirical data were gathered from 393 respondents in Iran and Dubai. Statistical analysis conducted using SPSS 18 software to test the research hypotheses about the similarity of each element?s importance in the two studied countries. The findings reveal great insights about customers? preferences in each country. This novel study is of particular interest for the academic researches and marketing practitioners seeking firsthand information about customer attitudes both in Iranian and Dubai markets.

\end{abstract}


\keywords{Marketing Mix Elements, Consumer attitudes, Small Home Appliances, Iran, Dubai.}

\begin{textblock*}{18cm}(1cm,1cm) % {block width} (coords) 
\textcolor{GJBlue}{\LARGE Global Journals \LaTeX\ JournalKaleidoscope\texttrademark}
\end{textblock*}

\begin{textblock*}{18cm}(1.4cm,1.5cm) % {block width} (coords) 
\textcolor{GJBlue}{\footnotesize \\ Artificial Intelligence formulated this projection for compatibility purposes from the original article published at Global Journals. However, this technology is currently in beta. \emph{Therefore, kindly ignore odd layouts, missed formulae, text, tables, or figures.}}
\end{textblock*}


\let\tabcellsep& 	 	 		 
\section[{Introduction}]{Introduction}\par
he world is becoming more global and companies are trying to use the opportunities of international markets for their benefit. As global wealth is increasing companies face significant demand growth from international markets. Over the last two decades business has become more globalized, now 98\% of the fortunes 500 have global operations \hyperref[b7]{(Cateora et al., 2009)}. Thus, the concept of international marketing is now of greater interest to both academic researchers and marketing practitioners. International marketing is a performance of business activities designed to plan, price, promote, and direct the flow of a company`s goods and services to consumers or users in more than one nation for a profit \hyperref[b7]{(Cateora et al., 2009)}.\par
Companies decide to enter foreign markets will examine various entry mode strategies, exporting, licensing, joint ventures or direct investment, and chose and adapt the one that best suits their long-term corporate strategies. However, many scholars mention that exporting is the most appropriate entry mode strategy for small and medium size (SMEs) firms \hyperref[b13]{(Hultman, Robson, \& Katsikeas, 2009;} {\ref Leonidouet al., 2007;} {\ref Katsikeaet al., 2007)}. According to \hyperref[b14]{Johansson (2009)}, exporting is the standard exchange of product for money; it is less risky and more straightforward, since it is an expansion into a new market with an existing line of final products.\par
Dubai market is very intimating for most of Iranian based companies, as it comprises one of the largest consumer markets in the world today with Muslim consumers who have considerable purchasing power around the region. In recent years the government of United Arab Emirates has decided to diversify their economy, thus they open doors to internationalization and being global. This region also has close neighbors with deep pocket. The great advantage of Dubai seems to be its location that is highly proper for arranging re-exports activities to neighborhood countries" \hyperref[b14]{(Johansson, 2009)}.\par
Although exporting seems to be a simple straightforward way of expansion into Dubai market, there exist great differences in costumer attitudes and preferences from domestic market (Iran) to that of the exporting country (Dubai). This makes decision making about designing an appropriate marketing mix suitable for the Dubai market more complex. There is a lack of scientific research in this area as notice by researches. This study, thus explores to find out differences among customer attitudes of the two countries toward marketing mix elements, Product, Price, Place, and Promotion focusing on small home appliance product category. Although this specific product category was chosen due to the researches expertise and knowledge working in this field the novel findings of this study are highly applicable for other products categories.\par
The rest of this paper organized as follows. In Section 2 an extensive review of literature is presented to explore recent methodologies and techniques used in this related area. Selected methodology for analyzing the data gathered is presented in Section 3. The result of the survey is thoroughly defined and the detailed statistical analysis is explained in Section 4. Finally Section 5 discuses the research findings and recommend interesting topics for future research in this domain. 
\section[{II.}]{II.} 
\section[{Literature Review}]{Literature Review}\par
The extensive review of the literature in the area of marketing mix design, export strategies, and international consumer behavior leads to a better understanding of the current concerns regarding the problem issue of this study, exploring consumer attitudes in different countries towards marketing mix elements. The recent related studies as noticed by the researchers are summarized in Table \hyperref[tab_0]{1}.  
\section[{I ndustr y M ain r esults M ethodology Study}]{I ndustr y M ain r esults M ethodology Study}\par
This study is based on the premise that the main aspect of marketing strategy is marketing mix issue and its 4ps elements, Product, Price, Place and Promotion. Through the use of the marketing mix, researchers have been able to realize how changes in marketing mix variables influence the firm's ability to increase overall performance \hyperref[b16]{(Katsikeas et al., 2006;}\hyperref[b20]{Lages et al., 2008)}. Thus, the review of the literature is classified based on the related studies for each element of the marketing mix as follows.\par
As Griffth (2010) stated product strategy is the adaptation of the product or service of the international firm according to the customer tastes, product quality or safety standards. The differentiation advantage of a firm compare to the other competitors in new market may result from better quality and reliability, more durability, better service, have superior design or better performance \hyperref[b28]{(Terpstra and Sarathy, 2000)}. Many scholars found positive relation between product qualities and export performance  {\ref (Leonidou et}  According to Theodosiou and Katsikeas (2001) pricing strategy is the adaptation or standardization of international pricing for firm product or service, which is highly influenced by similarity between home and host countries in terms of customer characteristics, legal environment, economic conditions and stage of the product life cycle. Griffith (2010) stated that the firms can response strictly toward changing market conditions, competitive situations, and environmental forces, by choosing an appropriate pricing strategy, which is totally under control of the organization. Although \hyperref[b2]{Bilkey and Warren (1985)} found that high price results in high profit for the firm, \hyperref[b8]{Cavusgil and Zou (1994)} found no specific relation between these two issues.\par
O' cass and Julian (2003) investigated that strong and well arranged distribution channel is an essential factor for participating in foreign market and being successful in new competitive market. According to \hyperref[b11]{Griffith (2010)} structuring and governing the global distribution element of the firm increase the firm ability to compete in the market. \hyperref[b3]{Brady and Bearden (1979)} claimed that within direct channels firms could provide a high level of control.\par
The last but not the least element of marketing mix is promotion. Griffth (2010) dedicated those differences in fundamental elements increase the importance and necessity of firm's promotional adaptation in order to meet the needs and requirements of the market segmentation. It is necessary for the firms to identify their main promotional elements according to new market environment characteristics and to try to go through adaptation or standardization. Most of the marketers believe that the advertising is the main elements of promotion strategy but its relation with firm performance face contradictions. However, \hyperref[b1]{Bilkey and Warren (1982)} found negative relation, \hyperref[b18]{Kirpalani and Macintosh (1980)}; \hyperref[b27]{Szymanski et al., (1993)} found positive relations between advertising and firm performance. According to \hyperref[b8]{Cavusgil \& Zou, (1994)} this contradiction roots in the time-bound of advertising. In the short time on the account of high cost and low feedback the relation is negative while in the long term the noticeable pay-off will be recognized. 
\section[{III.}]{III.} 
\section[{Methodology}]{Methodology}\par
As this research tries to get insights from consumer's Attitudes towards marketing mix elements for small home appliances to make comparison between the preferences of both Iranian and Dubai's costumer, four research hypotheses are formulized as follows: H1: The importance of product element of marketing mix in Iran is equal to that of Dubai. H2: The importance of price element of marketing mix in Iran is equal to that of Dubai. H3: The importance of place element of marketing mix in Iran is equal to that of Dubai. H4: The importance of promotion element of marketing mix in Iran is equal to that of Dubai.\par
To test these hypotheses empirical data from real-life customers of small home appliances was needed. A questionnaire is designed consisting of two parts. The first part contains general questions about the respondent's age, gender and educational degree plus some specific questions about how these customers usually collect reliable data about these products where they buy these kinds of products and what brand they prefer in this product category. The second part aims to gain insights concerning consumer attitudes towards four elements of the marketing mix, Product, Price, Place, and Promotion in buying small home appliances. For each element three to five questions concerning factors that affect the element were also included in this part of the questionnaire. The respondents were asked to use a five rating Likert scales representing their opinion for each element from "strongly unimportant = 1" to "strongly important = 5". The sample population of this study contains consumers of small home appliances both in Iran and Dubai. Convenience sampling method is used to get as much responses as possible in both countries.\par
The data collection started in January 2011 and lasts for two months.\par
The questionnaires were distributed in shopping malls of both Tehran and Dubai. The researchers traveled to Dubai several times to dispatch the questionnaire but the attempts were not as successful as for that of Iranian market. Total number of 310 responses from Iran and 83 responses from Dubai were gathered. 
\section[{M ay}]{M ay}\par
IV. 
\section[{Data Analysis And Results}]{Data Analysis And Results}\par
The reliability or the internal consistency of a research can be found by examining Cronbach `s Alpha which must be more than 0.70 to be highly acceptable \hyperref[b12]{(Hair et al., 2007)}. The Cronbach `s Alpha achieved for 310 questionnaires in Iran was equal to .808 that is highly acceptable while for 83 questionnaires in Dubai were 0.675, which is fairly acceptable for the purpose of this research. The demographic profile of respondents in two countries is summarized in Table  {\ref 2}. In both countries the majority of the respondents were between 20 to 35 years old with Bachelor's degrees. 
\section[{Table 2 : Demographic Characteristics -Iran and Dubai}]{Table 2 : Demographic Characteristics -Iran and Dubai}\par
In Iran 29\% of the respondents, usually gather information about this product category from friends' recommendation while 41.90\% from salespersons, 21.3\% from advertising. Almost 32.6\% of the customers were influenced by the reference group to buy these products. The preferred brand for 25.2\% of the respondents was Molinexx in this product category. In Dubai however, 39.8\% were chosen advertising as reliable source for gathering information to purchase small home appliance product and almost 37.3\% of the customers were influenced by salesperson recommendation to buy such products. As the result of survey shows 50.6 \% of the respondents usually buy their small kitchen items from shopping malls. The preferred brand for 31.3\% of them was Black \& Decker. 
\section[{a) Marketing Mix elements Importance}]{a) Marketing Mix elements Importance}\par
The importance of each elements of the marketing mix Calculated from each item's means using SPSS 18 software. The final means divided by five (fivepoint scale) and then multiplied by 100 to gain the percentage for each element.\par
Findings reveal that in Iran costumers mainly value the Product element at the most (85.10\%). The second important element is Price (79.46\%), which is close to the Place (74.77\%) that has less effect. The last element is surprisingly Promotion (69.74\%). Results also show that in Dubai product element (85.15\%) has the most important effect on purchasing decision. The runner-up is the Promotion (78.98\%), which is close to the Price (77.18\%) with less effect. The Place (74.22\%) has the least influence on the purchasing decision. The comparison of overall ranking for each marketing mix elements with its associated factors is shown in Table \hyperref[tab_2]{3}.  \hyperref[tab_4]{5} shows the summary of the hypothesis testing.  
\section[{Discussion And Conclusion}]{Discussion And Conclusion}\par
The findings of this study reveal great insights about customer's preferences in buying small home appliances in the two studied countries of Iran and Dubai. In general although Iranian people are more influenced by friends' recommendation and reference groups, customers in Dubai rely more on advertising and personal selling skills. Attitudes toward Eshopping seem to have no direct and significant impact on the purchase intention of products in this business field. Most of the customers in Iran and Dubai would like to see, touch and physically observe the products before they buy it. The findings also shows that mostly customers in Dubai prefer to buy small home appliance products from exclusive stores in shopping malls or Carrefour thus it is suggested for the exporting companies to arrange their distribution channels via these two centers either within direct or indirect exporting.\par
Marketing mix elements' importance in Iran differs slightly from that of Dubai. In addition the results reveal that the importance of product and price can be considered to be equal for these two countries while for the place and promotion this is not the case. Concerning factors of each element it is found that, Availability of store as one of the place element is mentioned to be the most essential stimuli in buying behavior for both Iranian and Dubai customers. In both countries the main factor concerning the promotion element of the marketing mix is Discounts. Also among the product factors for both countries the main item is product quality. This confirms the previous scholar findings The main limitation faced by researchers in this study was the difficulty in accessing to Dubai customers, which leads to the fewer responses from that region. Furthermore, this research provides a comparison of customer attitudes and Preferences concerning four elements of the marketing mix for small home appliance products. In the future, it would be interesting to conduct similar studies for different product categories. Also more comprehensive researches aiming at exploring appropriate strategies concerning each element of the marketing mix is highly recommended.\begin{figure}[htbp]
\noindent\textbf{}\includegraphics[]{image-2.png}
\caption{\label{fig_0}}\end{figure}
 \begin{figure}[htbp]
\noindent\textbf{1} \par 
\begin{longtable}{P{0.09134209291412483\textwidth}P{0.003988737681839512\textwidth}P{0.24091975598310653\textwidth}P{0.03829188174565932\textwidth}P{0.47545753167526983\textwidth}}
Colton et al., 2010\tabcellsep E\tabcellsep \tabcellsep \tabcellsep Brand strength and supplier relations are mediator between foreign market and firm performance.\\
Griffith, 2010\tabcellsep T\tabcellsep Literature review\tabcellsep \tabcellsep Consider that designing a global marketing strategy to operate in international markets is\\
\tabcellsep \tabcellsep \tabcellsep \tabcellsep fundamental for succeeding overseas.\\
Brouthers et al., 2009\tabcellsep E\tabcellsep \multicolumn{2}{l}{Small size exporting firms from Greece and}\tabcellsep Emphasis is on international sale that results in superior export performance and strong\\
\tabcellsep \tabcellsep Caribbean countries\tabcellsep \tabcellsep distribution network for small firms.\\
\tabcellsep \tabcellsep \tabcellsep \tabcellsep Findings reveal strong link between the\\
Lages et al., 2009\tabcellsep E\tabcellsep Multi-industry firms; exclude service firms\tabcellsep \tabcellsep capabilities that influence product strategy and export performance, moreover the role of product quality in international marketing success being\\
\tabcellsep \tabcellsep \tabcellsep \tabcellsep highlighted in this study.\\
\tabcellsep \tabcellsep \multicolumn{3}{l}{Large exporting firm in Product adaptation strategy is positively}\\
Calantone et al., 2006\tabcellsep E\tabcellsep \multicolumn{3}{l}{US, Korea, Japan such as influencing the export performance.}\\
\tabcellsep \tabcellsep Daewoo, Samsung,\tabcellsep \\
\tabcellsep \tabcellsep Hyundai\tabcellsep \\
Katsikea et al., 2005\tabcellsep T\tabcellsep \multicolumn{2}{l}{Small and Medium-sized U.K. exporting firms}\tabcellsep Examine the influencing factor for arranging the firms' adaptation according to market diversification or market concentration. Export\\
\tabcellsep \tabcellsep \tabcellsep \tabcellsep manager behavior, export sales control, export sale\\
\tabcellsep \tabcellsep \tabcellsep \tabcellsep satisfaction were identified as the main factors.\\
\tabcellsep \tabcellsep Agriculture, mining,\tabcellsep \tabcellsep Environmental characteristics have influence on\\
O'Cass and Julian, 2003\tabcellsep E\tabcellsep \multicolumn{2}{l}{metal-working, chemical, Electronic, services}\tabcellsep both export and marketing mix strategy adaptation. Besides, adaptation or standardization of\\
\tabcellsep \tabcellsep \tabcellsep \tabcellsep marketing mix has no impact on marketing\\
\tabcellsep \tabcellsep \tabcellsep \tabcellsep performance.\\
\tabcellsep \tabcellsep \multicolumn{3}{l}{Exporting firms randomly Export experience and capability coordination}\\
Cadogan et al., 2002\tabcellsep T\tabcellsep selected\tabcellsep \tabcellsep positively related to export market oriented activities which itself positively associated with\\
\tabcellsep \tabcellsep \tabcellsep \tabcellsep aspect of export performance.\\
\tabcellsep \tabcellsep Food, beverages,\tabcellsep \tabcellsep Identify the determinants of the firm's export\\
Leonidou et al.,2002\tabcellsep E\tabcellsep And electronics, clothing\tabcellsep \multicolumn{2}{l}{to success and have found a great variety of antecedents but not significant relationships among}\\
\tabcellsep \tabcellsep semiconductors, and\tabcellsep \tabcellsep them.\\
\tabcellsep \tabcellsep Machine tools\tabcellsep \\
Albaum and Tse,\tabcellsep E\tabcellsep \multicolumn{3}{l}{Exporting firms in Hong Marketing mix component are the main influencer}\\
2001\tabcellsep \tabcellsep Kong.\tabcellsep \tabcellsep on firm export performance success.\\
(E : empirical, T: theoretical)\tabcellsep \tabcellsep \tabcellsep \end{longtable} \par
 
\caption{\label{tab_0}Table 1 :}\end{figure}
 \begin{figure}[htbp]
\noindent\textbf{3} \par 
\begin{longtable}{P{0.06900668576886342\textwidth}P{0.10472779369627508\textwidth}P{0.1997134670487106\textwidth}P{0.25248328557784144\textwidth}P{0.22406876790830943\textwidth}}
\tabcellsep Demogr aphic char acter istics\tabcellsep \% R esponse -I r an\tabcellsep \tabcellsep \\
\tabcellsep (n=310)\tabcellsep \tabcellsep \tabcellsep \\
102\tabcellsep G ender\tabcellsep Male\tabcellsep \tabcellsep \\
and Business Research Volume XII Issue VIII Version I Global Journal of Management\tabcellsep A ge E ducation G ender G ender Demogr aphic char acter istics (n=83) A ge E ducation\tabcellsep 46.8 Female >20 20-35 35-50 <50 Diploma 33.2 53.2 2.6 51 33.5 12.9 Bachelor 50.3 Master 12.6 PHD 3.9 Male 50.6 Female 49.4 >20 12 \% R esponse -Dubai 20-35 51.8 35-50 34.9 <50 1.2 Diploma 34.9 Bachelor 41 Master 18.1 PHD 6\tabcellsep I r an 1. Pr oduct Quality Operability Service Brand Reputation Package 2. Pr ice Quality -Price equity Brand -Price Equity Payment Methods 3. Place Convenient Channel stores Convenient Location On line sale 4. Pr omotion Discount Advertising Sale Person Recommendation Internet advertising\tabcellsep Dubai 1. Pr oduct Quality Service Operability Brand Reputation Package 2. Pr omotion Discount Sale Person Recommendation Advertising Internet advertising 3. Pr ice Quality -Price equity Brand -Price Equity Payment Methods 4. Place Convenient Channel stores Convenient Location\\
\tabcellsep \tabcellsep \tabcellsep b) Hypothesis testing\tabcellsep \end{longtable} \par
 
\caption{\label{tab_2}Table 3 :}\end{figure}
 \begin{figure}[htbp]
\noindent\textbf{4} \par 
\begin{longtable}{}
\end{longtable} \par
 
\caption{\label{tab_3}Table 4 :}\end{figure}
 \begin{figure}[htbp]
\noindent\textbf{5} \par 
\begin{longtable}{P{0.85\textwidth}}
V.\end{longtable} \par
 
\caption{\label{tab_4}Table 5 :}\end{figure}
 \begin{figure}[htbp]
\noindent\textbf{} \par 
\begin{longtable}{P{0.28497109826589595\textwidth}P{0.10154142581888247\textwidth}P{0.04749518304431599\textwidth}P{0.07861271676300577\textwidth}P{0.12447013487475915\textwidth}P{0.08188824662813102\textwidth}P{0.13102119460500963\textwidth}}
4Ps\tabcellsep \multicolumn{2}{l}{L even`s T est for E quality of var iances}\tabcellsep \tabcellsep \multicolumn{3}{l}{T -T est for equality of M eans}\\
\tabcellsep F\tabcellsep Sig\tabcellsep t\tabcellsep df\tabcellsep Sig. (2-tailed)\tabcellsep M ean differ ence\\
Equal Variances\tabcellsep 2.167\tabcellsep .142\tabcellsep -.049\tabcellsep 391\tabcellsep .961\tabcellsep -.00299\\
Unequal Variance\tabcellsep \tabcellsep \tabcellsep -.054\tabcellsep 150.055\tabcellsep .957\tabcellsep -.00299\\
(Pr oduct)\tabcellsep \tabcellsep \tabcellsep \tabcellsep \tabcellsep \tabcellsep \\
Equal Variances Unequal Variance (Pr ice)\tabcellsep .588\tabcellsep .444\tabcellsep 1.561 1.659\tabcellsep 391 141.016\tabcellsep .119 .099\tabcellsep .11368 .11368\\
Equal Variances Unequal Variance (Pr omotion)\tabcellsep 1.472\tabcellsep .226\tabcellsep -5.469 -5.913\tabcellsep 391 144.902\tabcellsep .000 .000\tabcellsep -.46170 -.46170\\
Equal Variances Unequal Variance (Place)\tabcellsep 5.619\tabcellsep .018\tabcellsep -7.639 -8.777\tabcellsep 391 160.871\tabcellsep .000 .000\tabcellsep -.59864 -.59864\\
\tabcellsep \tabcellsep Hypothesis\tabcellsep \tabcellsep \tabcellsep \tabcellsep Result\\
H 1:\tabcellsep \tabcellsep \tabcellsep \tabcellsep \tabcellsep \tabcellsep \end{longtable} \par
 
\caption{\label{tab_5}}\end{figure}
 			\footnote{Global Journal of Management and Business Research Volume XII Issue VIII Version I © 2012 Global Journals Inc. (US)} 			\footnote{© 2012 Global Journals Inc. (US) "A Comparative Study of Consumer Attitudes in Iran and Dubai towards Marketing Mix Elements For Small Home Appliances"} 		 		\backmatter  			  				\begin{bibitemlist}{1}
\bibitem[Albaum and Tse ()]{b0}\label{b0} 	 		‘?Adaptation of International Marketing Strategy Components, Competitive Advantage, and Firm Performance’.  		 			G \& Albaum 		,  		 			D Tse 		.  	 	 		\textit{Journal of International Marketing}  		2001. 9  (4)  p. .  	 
\bibitem[Leonidou et al. ()]{b24}\label{b24} 	 		‘An analytical review ofthe factors stimulating smaller firms to export. Implications for policy-makers’.  		 			L C Leonidou 		,  		 			C S Katsikeas 		,  		 			D Palihawadana 		,  		 			S Spyropoulou 		.  	 	 		\textit{International Marketing Review}  		2007. 24  (6)  p. .  	 
\bibitem[Lages et al. ()]{b19}\label{b19} 	 		‘Bringing export performance metrics into annual reports: the APEV scale and the PERFEX scorecard’.  		 			L F Lages 		,  		 			C Lages 		,  		 			C R Lages 		.  	 	 		\textit{Journal of International Marketing}  		2005. 13  (3)  p. .  	 
\bibitem[Cateora et al. ()]{b7}\label{b7} 	 		 			P Cateora 		,  		 			M Gilly 		,  		 			J Graham 		.  		\textit{International Marketing},  				 (McGraw-Hill, Irwin, New York)  		2009.  	 	 (14th edition. published book) 
\bibitem[Bilkey ()]{b2}\label{b2} 	 		‘Development of Export Marketing Guide lines’.  		 			Warren J Bilkey 		.  	 	 		\textit{International Marketing Review}  		1985. 2  (1)  p. .  	 
\bibitem[Colton et al. ()]{b9}\label{b9} 	 		‘Drivers of International E-Tail Performance: The Complexities of Orientations and Resources’.  		 			D A Colton 		,  		 			M S Roth 		,  		 			W O Bearden 		.  	 	 		\textit{Journal of International Marketing}  		2010. 18  (1)  p. .  	 
\bibitem[O'cass and Julian ()]{b26}\label{b26} 	 		‘Examining Firm and Environmental Influences on Export Marketing Mix Strategy and Export Performance of Australian Exporters’.  		 			A O'cass 		,  		 			C Julian 		.  	 	 		\textit{European Journal of Marketing}  		2003. 37  (3)  p. .  	 
\bibitem[Katsikea et al. ()]{b15}\label{b15} 	 		‘Export market expansion strategies of direct-selling small and medium-sized firms: implications for export sales management activities’.  		 			E S Katsikea 		,  		 			M Theodosiou 		,  		 			R E Morgan 		,  		 			N Papavassiliou 		.  	 	 		\textit{Journal of International Marketing}  		2005. 13  (2)  p. .  	 
\bibitem[Cadogan et al. ()]{b5}\label{b5} 	 		‘Export market-oriented activities: Their antecedents and performance consequences’.  		 			J W Cadogan 		,  		 			A Diamantopoulos 		,  		 			J Siguaw 		.  		 \url{ABI/INFORMglobalpg.615}  	 	 		\textit{Journal of International Business Studies}  		2002. 33  (3) .  	 
\bibitem[Hultman et al. ()]{b13}\label{b13} 	 		‘Export product strategy fit and performance: An Empirical Investigation’.  		 			M Hultman 		,  		 			M J Robson 		,  		 			C S Katsikeas 		.  	 	 		\textit{Journal of International Marketing}  		2009. 17  (4)  p. .  	 
\bibitem[Theodosiou and Katsikeas ()]{b29}\label{b29} 	 		‘Factors influencing the degree of international pricing strategy standardization of multinational corporations’.  		 			M Theodosiou 		,  		 			C S Katsikeas 		.  	 	 		\textit{Journal of International Marketing}  		2001. 9  (3)  p. .  	 
\bibitem[Hair et al. ()]{b12}\label{b12} 	 		 			J F Hair 		,  		 			A Money 		,  		 			P Samouel 		,  		 			M Page 		.  		\textit{research method for business},  				2007. John Wiley \& Sons, Ltd.  	 
\bibitem[Kirpalani and Macintosh ()]{b18}\label{b18} 	 		‘International Marketing Effectiveness of Technology-Oriented Small Firms'. Journal of "A Comparative Study of Consumer Attitudes in Iran and Dubai towards Marketing Mix Elements For Small Home Appliances’.  		 			V Kirpalani 		,  		 			N B Macintosh 		.  	 	 		\textit{International Business Studies}  		1980. 1980. 11  (3)  p. .  	 
\bibitem[Brouthers et al. ()]{b4}\label{b4} 	 		‘Key factors for successful export performance for small firms’.  		 			L E Brouthers 		,  		 			G Nakos 		,  		 			J Hadjimarcou 		,  		 			K D Brouthers 		.  	 	 		\textit{Journal of International Marketing}  		2009. 17  (3)  p. .  	 
\bibitem[Katsikea et al. ()]{b17}\label{b17} 	 		‘Managerial, organizational and external drivers of sales effectiveness in export market ventures’.  		 			E Katsikea 		,  		 			M Theodosiou 		,  		 			R E Morgan 		.  	 	 		\textit{Journal of the Academy Marketing Science}  		2007. 35  (2)  p. .  	 
\bibitem[Cavusgil and Zou (1994)]{b8}\label{b8} 	 		‘Marketing Strategy -Performance relationships: An investigation of the Empirical link in export Market ventures’.  		 			T Cavusgil 		,  		 			S Zou 		.  	 	 		\textit{Journal of Marketing}  		1994. January 1994. 58 p. .  	 
\bibitem[Leonidou et al. ()]{b23}\label{b23} 	 		‘Marketing Strategy Determinants of Export Performance: A Meta-Analysis’.  		 			L C Leonidou 		,  		 			C S Katsikeas 		,  		 			S Samiee 		.  	 	 		\textit{Journal of Business Research}  		2002. 55  (1)  p. .  	 
\bibitem[Johansson ()]{b14}\label{b14} 	 		‘Published by McGraw-Hill Education (Asia), for manufacture and export, 1221 Avenue of the Americas’.  		 			J K Johansson 		.  	 	 		\textit{Global Marketing},  				 (New York)  		2009. 10020.  	 	 (Fifth edition) 
\bibitem[Lages et al. ()]{b21}\label{b21} 	 		‘Relationship Capabilities, Quality, and Innovation as Determinants of Export Performance’.  		 			L F Lages 		,  		 			G Silva 		,  		 			C Styles 		.  	 	 		\textit{Journal of International Marketing}  		2009. 2009. American Marketing Association. 17  (4)  p. .  	 
\bibitem[Czinkota and &johnston ()]{b10}\label{b10} 	 		‘Segmenting US firms for export development’.  		 			M R Czinkota 		,  		 			W J \&johnston 		.  	 	 		\textit{Journal of Business Research}  		1981. 12 p. .  	 
\bibitem[Szymanski and Bharadwaj ()]{b27}\label{b27} 	 		‘Standardization versus Adaptation of international marketing strategy: An Empirical Investigation’.  		 			D M Szymanski 		,  		 			S G Bharadwaj 		,  		 			PR 		.  		 \url{ABI/INFORMglobalpg.1}  	 	 		\textit{Journal of Marketing}  		1993. 57  (4) .  	 
\bibitem[Katsikeas et al. ()]{b16}\label{b16} 	 		‘Strategy fit and performance consequences of international marketing standardization’.  		 			C S Katsikeas 		,  		 			S Samiee 		,  		 			M Theodosiou 		.  	 	 		\textit{Strategic Management Journal}  		2006. 27  (9)  p. .  	 
\bibitem[Terpstra and Sarathy ()]{b28}\label{b28} 	 		 			Terpstra 		,  		 			R Sarathy 		.  		\textit{International Marketing},  				 (Sydney)  		2000. Dryden Press.  	 	 (8th Edition) 
\bibitem[Brady and Bearden ()]{b3}\label{b3} 	 		‘The Effects of Managerial Attitudes on Alternative Exporting Methods'’.  		 			D Brady 		,  		 			W Bearden 		.  	 	 		\textit{Journal of International Business Studies}  		1979. 10  (3)  p. .  	 
\bibitem[Calantone et al. ()]{b6}\label{b6} 	 		‘the influence of internal and external firm factors on international product adaptation strategy and export performance: a three-country comparison’.  		 			R J Calantone 		,  		 			D Kim 		,  		 			J B Schmidt 		,  		 			S T Cavusgil 		.  	 	 		\textit{Journal of Business Research}  		2006. 59 p. .  	 
\bibitem[Lalonde and Czinkota ()]{b22}\label{b22} 	 		‘The role of REFERENCES RÉFÉRENCES REFERENCIAS 2012 M ay physical distribution in the export activity of US manufacturing firms’.  		 			B J Lalonde 		,  		 			M R Czinkota 		.  	 	 		\textit{International Journal of Physical Distribution \& Materials Management}  		1981. 15  (5)  p. .  	 
\bibitem[Lages et al. ()]{b20}\label{b20} 	 		‘The STRATADAPT scale: A measure of marketing strategy adaptation to international business markets’.  		 			L F Lages 		,  		 			J L Abrantes 		,  		 			C R Lages 		.  	 	 		\textit{International Marketing Review}  		2008. 25  (5)  p. .  	 
\bibitem[Marr ()]{b25}\label{b25} 	 		‘Understanding customer service for Increased competitiveness’.  		 			N E Marr 		.  	 	 		\textit{International Marketing Review}  		1987. 4  (3)  p. .  	 
\bibitem[Griffith ()]{b11}\label{b11} 	 		‘Understanding multi-level institutional convergence effects on international market segments and global marketing strategy’.  		 			D A Griffith 		.  	 	 		\textit{Journal of World Business}  		2010. 45  (1)  p. .  	 
\bibitem[Bilkey ()]{b1}\label{b1} 	 		‘Variable Associated with Export Profitability’.  		 			Warren J Bilkey 		.  	 	 		\textit{Journal of International Business Studies}  		1982. 13 p. .  	 
\end{bibitemlist}
 			 		 	 
\end{document}
