Cultural values in international advertising: An examination of familial norms and roles in Mexico

Past research suggests that the cultural value orientation, individualism-collectivism, should be considered when developing international advertising campaigns. The present study examines how (in)consistencies in collectivist values (e.g., familial norms and roles) may affect attitudes and behaviors toward advertised products within a collectivist culture, Mexico. The findings suggest advertisements that depict consistencies in local cultural norms and roles are viewed more favorably and purchase intention is higher than for advertisements that depict inconsistencies. The data provide no support for the moderating role of individual-level differences in value orientation (i.e., allocentric versus idiocentric tendencies) on persuasion measures. Interestingly, product category advertised appears to be the best moderator of the relative strength of role and norm effects on ad attitudes and purchase intention. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Effectiveness of promotional premiums: The moderating role of affective state in different contexts

This research explores the influence of affective state on ad and product judgments for advertising that features promotional offers of high and low price value. Consistent with expectations, Study 1 found that for happy participants, high‐price value premiums generated higher ad believability ratings, which in turn enhanced ad and brand attitudes. For sad participants, however, the positive effects of high‐price value premiums were attenuated due to message believability discounting. It is proposed that the moderating influence of affective state on responses to ads featuring premiums should be more likely to emerge when attention to premiums is high, as in situations where ads feature less important product attributes or when consumers plan to purchase a product. Study 2 found that the interaction between affective state and premium value was significant when ads featured less important product attributes, but not when they featured important product attributes. Study 3 found that the interaction was significant for participants who intended to purchase the product in the near future, but not for those who did not have purchase intentions. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

How Much are Health Websites Influenced by Culture? Content Analysis of Online Diet Programs in the United States,the United Kingdom,and Korea

This study investigates the content of diet websites in the United States (US), United Kingdom (UK), and Korea from a cross-cultural perspective using two cultural typologies: Hofstede's individualism-collectivism and Hall's low-high context. The results show a balance of the universal features and culture specific characteristics in the websites. Interestingly, the UK was in the middle between the US and Korea in several features even though the UK and the US typically had been generally included in the same cultural group in advertising studies. It was also determined that neither Hofstede's typology nor Hall's high-low context is enough to explain the cultural representations found on the websites. The need for new typologies for explaining or categorizing the cultural characteristics in advertising is suggested.     

Capturing intranational cultural variation in international business research: Microsocietal differences in collectivism across Turkey

We introduce an approach toward predicting intranational variance in individualism-collectivism, via utilization of ecological cultural practices and psychological cultural values. Using the climato-economic theory of culture, we modeled intranational collectivism using four measures, including normative behavioral and spatial collectivism practices, and the mean and dispersion of collectivism values, in one country, Turkey. Results evidenced confluence of findings based on both ecological measures and dispersion-based collectivism values. Conversely, mean collectivism values fared poorly. Study predictors explained up to ≈87% of the variance in intranational collectivism. Richer provinces with harsher climates were less collectivistic; vice-versa for poorer provinces with harsher climates.     

Exploring the Impact of Cultural Value Orientations on Market Mavenism and Opinion Leadership

Market mavens and opinion leaders are two key types of consumer influentials. The focus of this research is to extend their predictor characteristics by drawing on the four-way horizontal and vertical individualism-collectivism typology. The theoretical and practical contributions of this study are established by the findings based on the survey data collected from 313 online consumer panelists in the United States. Market mavenism and opinion leadership were independent yet moderately related concepts. Vertical individualism and horizontal collectivism were significant predictors of both market mavenism and opinion leadership while horizontal individualism affected only market mavenism. Vertical collectivism did not predict either type of consumer influentials. Interaction with service employees moderated the relationships between horizontal collectivism and market mavenism and between vertical individualism and opinion leadership.     

Reciprocal Cooperation and the Moderating Effect of Individualism: A Five-Country Negotiation Study

ABSTRACT

Researchers have conceptualized the problem-solving approach to include cooperation between negotiators in order to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes. The observed cooperation between parties embodies the concept of positive reciprocity where negotiators match the cooperative bargaining strategy of their counterparts. Using this premise, the current study investigates reciprocity through the relationship between negotiators’ perceptions of their counterpart's cooperative behaviors and their own reported behaviors. The mitigating effect of individualism-collectivism on the above relationship is also explored. The findings provide empirical evidence that negotiators’ perceptions of their counterpart's cooperative behaviors are positively related to their own strategy. This relationship was consistently supported across five groups of business negotiators: Canadian Anglophone, Greek, Mexican, Filipino, and American. However, this positive reciprocal relationship is negated when the negotiator comes from an individualistic-type culture.     

Dietary Restraint and Consumer Consumption Intentions for Low‐Calorie Snacks

Much is still unknown regarding the reasons that drive consumer consumption intentions for low‐calorie snacks. This research investigates the impact of individuals with low vs. high dietary restraint inferences of low‐calorie snacks on their subsequent consumption intentions. We conducted a between‐subjects experiment in which we asked participants to indicate their consumption intentions and their hedonic and utilitarian value perceptions for more (almonds) vs. less (goldfish crackers) healthy 99‐calorie snacks. In addition, we measured participants' level of dietary restraint. Results suggest that consumers with high vs. low dietary restraint levels do prefer low‐calorie snacks for different reasons. Hedonic value perceptions explain consumers with low dietary restraint preference for the less healthy snack, while utilitarian value perceptions explain consumers with high dietary restraint preference for the healthier snack. We conclude with a discussion on the managerial and policy implications of our findings.     

Emotion and advertising effectiveness: A novel facial expression analysis approach

Neuroscience has revealed the importance of emotion in the human cognitive process. For the first time, a GfK-EMO Scan, a facial expression recognition software developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIs, is used to investigate the long-term effect of advertising on individual attitudes toward driving. The effects of high emotional and low emotional advertising were measured using the GfK-EMO software on 60 participants with a 50/50 male to female ratio. Each participant was subjected to either a high emotional or low emotional safe driving video advertisement. While watching the advertisement, the GfK-EMO facial recognition software recorded the unconscious emotions of participants who were also requested to fill a modified version of the National Survey of Speeding Attitudes and Behavior. A driving attitude score was then computed using this survey directly after the participant had viewed the advertisement and again two weeks later. Noticeable differences in the attitude score were recorded between participants having watched the high emotional advertisement against participants having watched the low emotional advertisement. The high emotional advertisement generated a higher and more durable safe driving attitude score in comparison to the low emotional advertisement.     

The impact of customer cognitive competence on online service decision-making: an event-related potentials perspective

Customer service online decision-making is subject to the perception of service value based on the interaction between customer cognition and emotion. The study reported in this paper examines the impact of customer cognitive competence on the online service perceived value. Thirty participants were divided into high- and low-cognitive-competence groups based on their responses on the service value perception survey. During the experiment, both groups were shown services that were available for online purchase. Changes in cognitive and emotional late positive potential (LPP) in the occipital and central–parietal region were recorded. In comparison with the customer sacrifice and customer benefit, the service value may elicit greater emotional LPP components in the central–parietal region and shorter cognitive LPPs in the occipital region in the group with high cognitive competence. Our findings present a potential neural mechanism for the impact of consumer cognitive competence on service value perception and decision-making, which may encourage the managers to improve service quality and guide the research of customer behavior and marketing.     

车货匹配平台价值共创逻辑的演进——从“再中介化”到“去中介化”

文章以运满满为研究案例,对车货匹配平台的价值创造活动展开研究,分析平台价值创造逻辑的演进,从中归纳运满满的成功经验,为车货匹配平台的发展提供经验借鉴。研究发现：车货匹配业务是多个参与主体的价值共创活动,物流平台企业介入车货匹配业务后,促使新的车货匹配生态系统的形成,不仅使车货匹配平台的价值共创活动从车货匹配业务向其他增值业务延伸,也使价值实现的要素和价值共创的参与主体产生改变;平台经历了从“再中介化”到“去中介化”的演进,车货匹配生态系统内部“社会价值”的持续创造,为生态系统的发展演进提供了条件。     

Introversion-extraversion and loud commercials

The introversion-extraversion dimension of Hans Eysenck's personality theory, combined with the theory proposed by Daniel E. Berlyne that hedonic value changes with changes in arousal level, are used to examine the effect that high intensity advertising appeals have on the audience. It was hypothesized that advertising appeals presented at a higher stimulus intensity than the program in which they are imbedded (e.g., commercials presented at a higher volume) would have a differential effect on individuals due, in part, to whether they were introverts or extraverts. In a preliminary test of this hypothesis, participants were exposed to either a radio commercial played at the same volume as the program or to one that was played at a higher volume. Their attitudes toward the commercial and the product were assessed. The results indicate that there is a difference between introverts and extraverts in the resulting attitude toward the product based on the type of appeal to which they were exposed.     

Understanding gay consumers’ clothing involvement and fashion consciousness

This study’s primary objective was to provide a better understanding of gay consumers’ clothing involvement and fashion consciousness. Personal in‐depth interviews were conducted with 13 gay professionals in Canada. One hundred and forty‐five usable survey questionnaires were also collected from gay consumers. The Fashion Involvement Index Scale (FII scale) was adapted for this study. Interview participants indicated that, in general, gay men tend to be more fashion conscious than heterosexual men. Survey results also indicated two dimensions, fashion interest and fashion awareness that were found to be stronger for this group of gay consumers than for heterosexual men. The FII value for the survey participants also resulted in a sum score mean value of 11.2, a medium level of fashion involvement that is a slightly higher level than has been found for heterosexual consumers. Interestingly, this study does not provide strong evidence of gay consumers’ involvement in cutting‐edge fashion trends.     

Exploring the social value of organic food: a qualitative study in France

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether organic foods are used to signal social identity, class or status, i.e. if they have social value. Our analysis is based on two sociological approaches: Bourdieu's theory of social reproduction and symbolic interactionism. This paper analyses three research questions: (1) does organic food have social symbolism?; (2) does the social value of organic food depend on the venue where it is obtained?; (3) are other symbols associated with the social value of organic food? To answer these questions, we gather qualitative data from organic food shoppers' perceptions of the social value of organic food, using a qualitative study, with four group interviews in Montpellier (France) with a total of 20 participants. Results indicate that organic food has a social value for the participants in our group interviews. This social value depends on the venue (community‐supported agriculture, market or supermarket) where organic foods are purchased and also on whether consumers or producers exhibit additional green behaviours to validate their commitment to sustainability. Our results imply that a quantitative study on social value of organic food would be useful to investigate these findings in a larger sample since these findings have several marketing and advertising implications.     

Understanding value-creating practices in social media-based brand communities

For service providers hosting social media-based brand communities, understanding the use of value-creating practices enables them to enhance their customers’ brand community experiences and facilitate value. Yet, extant social media-based brand community research neglects to examine the uses of practices in commonly occurring, direct service provider customer interactions that may be value co-creative. Thus, for a more holistic view of value creation, and informed by service logic, this study applies netnography to observe participants’ uses of practices in two social media-based cause brand communities, in both direct and indirect interactions. The findings reveal that participants predominantly employ practices in direct interactions and act as value co-creators. The findings extend empirical evidence into value-creating practices in social media-based brand communities. They also highlight how cause organisations should plan their uses of practices to facilitate the types of value-creating interactions they seek (i.e. direct and value co-creating, or indirect and independently value creating).     

E-Based Solutions to Support Intercultural Business Ethics Instruction: An Exploratory Approach in Course Design and Delivery

This paper reports on the experiences of international MBA students following a hybrid design for a business ethics course, which combined class-based lectures with "out-of-class" discussion supported by asynchronous communication tools. The e-learning component of the course was intended to generate discussion on the ethical assumptions of course participants, with each individual required to post a mini case study reflecting an ethical dilemma which s/he had faced at work. Using questionnaire and interview data, we report on the learning experiences of participants following this experimental course. The results reveal a high level of intercultural dialogue between participants, with adopters showing greater awareness of their individual cultural biases in their case writing, a direct consequence of the on-line feedback and case discussion. These findings indicate that asynchronous tools have much to offer business ethics students, supporting ideas sharing and the exchange of cultural perspectives outside the physical boundaries of the classroom.     

Understanding the Impact of Online Reviews on Customer Choice: A Probability Discounting Approach

This study uses the concept of probability discounting to understand the impact of online customer reviews on consumer choice. Probability discounting describes how the subjective value of an outcome alters when its delivery shifts from certain to uncertain. An experimental study with 29 participants was conducted. Participants were run through an online shopping scenario where they had to choose whether to buy a product from a Web shop with customer reviews on reliability or from a Web shop without reviews but with a lower product price. A titration procedure over sales price for the Web shop without reviews was run over seven probability conditions. The mean switching points where participants chose where to buy the product were extracted from the experimental data, and probability discounting factors were calculated. The results supported the assumption that online reviews indicate the probability of a successful transaction online and function as a guide to choices. Implications for marketers as well as suggestions for future research are discussed.     

Natural Selection and Market Efficiency in a Futures Market with Random Shocks

Even when participants know very little about their environment, the market itself, by serving as a selection process of information, promotes an efficient aggregate outcome. To emphasize the role of the market and the importance of natural selection rather than the strategic actions of participants, an evolutionary model of a commodity futures market is presented, in which there is a continual inflow of unsophisticated traders with predetermined distributions of prediction errors with respect to the fundamental value of the spot price. The market acts as a selection process by constantly shifting wealth from traders with less accurate information to those with more accurate information. Consequently, with probability 1, if the volatility of the underlying spot market is sufficiently small, the proportion of time that the futures price is sufficiently close to the fundamental value converges to one. Furthermore, the width of the interval containing the fundamental value, where the futures price eventually lies, increases as the volatility of the underlying spot market increases. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Jrl Fut Mark 21:489–516, 2001     

Is algorithm aversion WEIRD? A cross-country comparison of individual-differences and algorithm aversion

Although algorithms offer superior performance over humans across many tasks, individuals often exhibit algorithm aversion, resisting algorithmic advice in favour of human recommendations. However, most algorithm aversion studies rely on American samples, potentially limiting the generalisability of the findings. Given the increasing adoption of algorithms globally, we explore if the impact of two crucial factors driving algorithm aversion, uniqueness neglect and familiarity, differ between culturally different countries. Drawing on the individualism-collectivism cultural dimension, we conducted two online studies comparing algorithm aversion between people in India and the United States in medical and financial services scenarios. While our results suggest that there is no difference in the degree of algorithm aversion between Indians and Americans at an aggregate level, we find important cross-cultural differences: Uniqueness neglect strengthens algorithm aversion for Americans more than Indians, while familiarity weakens algorithm aversion more for Indians than Americans. Thus, our results reveal generalisability issues within the algorithm aversion literature, as factors influencing algorithm aversion can be culturally dependent.     

The Borneo company limited: origins of a nineteenth-century networked multinational

The origins of British-based trading companies are to be found in the international mercantile networks which linked together Britain's commercial centres with the rest of the world during the nineteenth century. One such network, drawing together participants with operations in Singapore and Sarawak, was formalized under the title of The Borneo Company Limited (BCL) between 1851 and 1856. To function effectively, these inter-personal networks of merchants required a high degree of trustworthiness among the participants in order to overcome principal/agent problems, since direct supervision from the headquarters in London was not feasible. However, in order to expand, it was necessary to widen the circle of network participants and to incorporate new types of competence. This contribution analyses the early history of BCL with a view to understanding the way in which the process of growth was managed, distinguishing between three different types of expansion: engaging in production as well as trade; extending the geographical scope of the organization; and diversifying into new markets.