Buyers favor 'American names.'

Electronics purchases--everything from stereo sound systems to video and personal computers--are influenced by the consumer's awareness of Japanese business practices in the U.S., and 59% of those customers say they would rather buy an American-made product. This was one of the findings of a nationwide study by The Verity Group, a Fullerton, Calif.-based company that conducts surveys relating to the consumer electronics, personal computer, and automotive industries.

"Even though the consumer electronics industry is almost totally Asian, many consumers react to names and they assume that companies with names like RCA, GE, Magnavox, and Marantz, which are French or Dutch owned, and even brand names like Sharp, Kenwood, and Pioneer, all Japanese companies, are really American," Bill Matthies, president of The Verity Group, points out.

Among respondents, 46% of television consumers, 45% of video purchasers, and 52% of home stereo buyers were aware of press reports of Japanese business practices in the U.S. Of these, 56% of...