虚拟社区对消费者购买决策的影响分析

虚拟社区在消费决策中扮演了愈来愈重要的角色。那么哪些虚拟社区的因素更影响购买决策?本研究采用SEM方法测试了三个虚拟社区因素:信息、成员和平台的影响力量。研究发现,专业性和经验性的信息、虚拟社区平台的易用性和知名度都对购买决策产生显著的正面影响,而成员之间的关系对决策的影响不显著。在此基础上提出几点企业利用虚拟社区开展营销活动的建议。     

基于社会认知理论的虚拟社区信息共享影响因素分析

目前,我国各种类型的虚拟社区、社区成员间信息共享存在的问题主要体现在虚拟社区监管制度很难规范,虚拟社区成员参与不足及交流方式不规范,虚拟社区成员间缺乏信任等方面。影响虚拟社区中信息流动和信息共享的三个因素:自我能力感、结果预期和信任。在虚拟社区中,应提高社区成员信息共享的自我能力感,增强社区成员信息共享者的自豪感和满足感,加强对虚拟社区信息的共享者的激励,从而更好地促进虚拟社区信息流动和信息共享。     

基于参与行为的兴趣型虚拟社区成员分类研究

兴趣型虚拟社区是消费者与企业沟通的重要手段和信息渠道,本文鉴于客户的消费行为在虚拟空间与现实空间存在显著的差异,从近度、频度、值度三个行为维度对客户进行分类,基于客户在兴趣型虚拟社区中的参与行为,通过借鉴RFM模型构造了兴趣型虚拟社区成员分类LAT模型,并以五菱车友会论坛为实例,对其社区成员进行了分类,分析了各类成员的行为特征。     

虚拟社区的价值创造分析

介绍了虚拟社区的含义,虚拟社区与现实社区的差异,分析了虚拟社区为社区成员创造价值,为社区服务供应商创造商业利益,以及虚拟社区为企业带来新的商机。     

谈虚拟社区消费价值对品牌形象及社区忠诚度的影响

随着互联网的兴起和发展,虚拟社区开始崭露头角,逐渐成为人们的生活不可或缺的一部分。虚拟社区具有的消费价值如财务价值、社交价值、信息价值、娱乐价值等吸引着社区用户注册、使用,这也是虚拟社区得以成立的一个关键因素。网络世界日新月异,变化飞快,因此用户人员在瞬息变幻的虚拟社区中,消费价值对品牌形象是至关重要的,而构建了品牌形象的社区对用户而言,其消费价值更高。同时消费价值有多种不同的价值面,不同的消费价值对不同社区用户的忠诚度有相应的影响,因此虚拟社区需要平衡自身的消费价值,维护社区忠诚度,促进社区的和谐稳定发展。     

虚拟社区成员强化动机对品牌选择行为的作用机理

网络社交媒介的涌现导致企业越来越趋向于以虚拟品牌社区的方式进行产品营销,并试图通过这种方式将企业品牌形象深植到消费者心中,进而形成较高的品牌忠诚度。鉴于此,可基于社会网络、品牌社区等理论,构建社会强化动机、网络中心度及虚拟品牌社区成员品牌选择行为之间关系的理论模型,进而通过设计问卷对虚拟社区成员进行调研,检验社会强化动机对虚拟品牌社区成员品牌忠诚度的作用机理,探究网络中心度在虚拟品牌社区强化动机与品牌选择行为之间的中介作用。研究发现,社会强化动机能有效提高虚拟社区成员的程度中心度和中介中心度;虚拟社区成员的程度中心度和中介中心度越高,社会强化动机越强,其对虚拟社区的归属感越强;成员的社区归属感越强,越倾向于保护自己的品牌并抵制竞争品牌。由此可见,企业为更好地进行虚拟品牌社区管理,需要注重对成员社会强化动机的激发,鼓励成员参与社区活动;需要重点关注网络中心度高的成员,激发其信息分享热情;需要致力于虚拟品牌社区建设,不断增强成员归属感。     

虚拟社区、在线口碑与消费者行为

随着电子商务的发展,虚拟社区成为消费者分享个体购物经验、消费体验和沟通信息的重要场所,消费者在购物时也将虚拟社区中的口碑信息作为重要参考依据。本文在对国内外相关文献的研究基础上,构建出在线口碑对消费者行为的影响因素模型,并运用因子分析法对假设的模型进行了修正,发现口碑信息源因素、口碑信息传播方向因素、社区成员自身因素、社区成员互动因素和产品因素,在网络口碑对虚拟社区成员消费行为的影响过程中起了很大作用;企业若要利用好口碑信息就应提供充足的口碑信息,增加信息的可信度,提高在线口碑作为反馈机制的效益,提高在线口碑的间接收益,并掌握处理负面口碑的应急之策。     

虚拟社区营销价值实现的影响因素分析

在网络时代，建立虚拟网络社区是企业增强自身竞争力的关键之一。虚拟社区的有效管理，可以为社区组织者和参与者带来丰富的经济利益。如何发挥虚拟社区的特点来创造商业价值，成为企业管理者和学者们研究的重点。本文从个人和社区层面分析了社区营销价值实现的影响因素：在个人层面上，线下联系、社区参与年限、感知社区内容价值、感知知识共享价值，对社区营销价值的实现产生影响；在社区层面上，虚拟社区的属性（成员数量、可扩展性和管制性）对社区营销价值的实现产生影响。     

用户生成内容(UGC)与虚拟社区的经济价值

虚拟社区这一概念已经出现了几十年,近年来学界对其经济价值的探讨正成为研究这一领域的热点话题。从研究文献来看,虚拟社区所聚集的用户生成内容（UsersGenerateContent）被认为是实现其经济价值的关键所在。从根本上来理解,虚拟社区的经济价值来源于伴随社区成员互动而进行的信息传播活动。本文尝试从这一角度出发,以虚拟社区信息传播环境、促使社区用户互动与知识共享的因素等问题为基础,以虚拟社区的经济价值为落脚点,对已有的学术文献加以综述。希望能为以后的研究提供参考和帮助。     

保持队形：虚拟社区从众行为的构建与展现--以某QQ群“村长夫人诞生”事件的人际互动为例

在虚拟社区QQ群的日常生活中,群内成员平时的人际互动主要依靠在线话题的主动发起和其他成员的有效回应实现。而“保持队形”这种在线话语的简单复制粘贴,恰当构建并及时展现了虚拟社区从众行为发生。本文旨在通过研究“保持队形”形成的真实场域和影响因素,分析网络虚拟社区的从众行为的形成机制,并探讨其对虚拟社区生活的相应影响。     

Finding critical success factors for virtual community marketing

Previous studies have identified critical success factors related to using virtual communities as a marketing channel. These studies have followed two research trends that connect the virtual community to actual purchasing. One is finding relationships between the operational elements of a virtual community and members’ intent to purchase and the other is finding relationships between characteristics of virtual community members and their intent to purchase. The model for this study reflects both trends. In addition, the model reflects research related to factors of customer satisfaction and the measurement of marketing success in terms of sense of community and loyalty. Conclusions from this research have been verified empirically with survey data collected from 292 virtual community members representing nine profit-oriented virtual communities. This study confirms that operational elements of a virtual community and characteristics of virtual community members affect the success of virtual community marketing. It is also confirmed that perceptions of usefulness, trust, and commitment toward the virtual community are important intervening effects. However, not all factors studied in the model were found to be significant in relationship to successful virtual community marketing. The analysis of the results from this study should be helpful to practitioners who use virtual communities as a marketing channel.     

顾客参与风格对企业品牌资产的影响机制——基于关系联结的视角

随着移动互联技术与虚拟经济的高速发展,虚拟品牌社区成为消费者参与企业活动,与企业沟通的重要窗口,并在品牌营销中发挥着日益重要的作用,成为企业与消费者建立持久、和谐关系联结的重要工具以及企业品牌资产提升的重要载体和手段。依据风格特征视角,虚拟品牌社区中的顾客参与可以划分为任务型参与、社交型参与和贡献型参与,三种风格的顾客参与是企业品牌资产形成和提升的重要前置因素,并通过关系联结的中介机制影响企业品牌资产。顾客任务型参与、社交型参与和贡献型参与能够正向影响企业的品牌知名度、顾客感知质量和顾客忠诚度;关系联结在顾客参与风格和企业品牌资产的关系中起中介作用,在顾客任务型参与和品牌资产的关系中起完全中介作用,在顾客社交型参与/贡献型参与和品牌资产的关系中起部分中介作用;社区意识在不同顾客参与风格和关系联结关系中发挥的调节作用不同,正向调节顾客任务型/社交型参与对财务联结的正向影响,正向调节顾客社交型/贡献型参与对社会联结的正向影响;竞争强度负向调节关系联结对品牌资产的影响作用,即当行业竞争强度提高时,关系联结对品牌资产的正向影响受到削弱。因此,企业应通过虚拟品牌社区平台,积极引导、掌控和规范不同风格顾客参与,拓展企业价值提升的组织外途径。     

The Influence of Alternative Marketing Styles on Internal Competences in Small Manufacturing Firms: the Results of a UK Investigation

Increasingly firms are being encouraged to move away from traditional, transactional marketing and instead adopt a relationship marketing orientation. Concurrently another emerging academic concept is entrepreneurial marketing. Interest in this latter area has, in part, been stimulated by research on marketing processes within the SME sector. It is proposed that the merger of relationship and entrepreneurial marketing might result in 4 alternative marketing styles. To determine whether these styles exist, a mail survey of 300 small UK manufacturing firms was undertaken in the summer of 1996. The survey tool used the Covin/Slevin entrepreneurial measurement scale and a new scale developed specifically to measure relationship marketing style. Competence was measured by seeking managing directors' assessment of the current capability of their firm in the areas of positioning, innovation, H.R.M., employee productivity, quality and information management. Applying ANOVA to the responses from 104 firms suggests that respondent firms can be classified into 4 different marketing styles and that an orientation towards an entrepreneurial-transactional marketing style will generate the highest overall sales growth rate. Discriminant function analysis indicates that relationship orientated firms exhibit higher competences in areas such as the management of quality and the utilisation of information to enhance decision-making. The implications of these findings in relation to the future provision of support services to smaller firms are discussed, as is the need for further research.     

Intentional social action in virtual communities

There is growing evidence of the increasing participation in, and influence of, virtual communities in digital environments. To help explain this irresistible allure, the individual and social determinants of the member's intentions to participate are investigated. Conceptualizing virtual community participation as intentional social action, we explicate the concept of “we-intentions”, and use the Model of Goal-Directed Behavior to explain members’ we-intentions. Virtual community influences pertaining to compliance, internalization, and social identity are also elaborated on. An empirical study of regular virtual community participants (N = 157) finds that we-intentions to participate are functions of both individual determinants (positive anticipated emotions and desires), and community influences (social identity). Implications for marketing and future research opportunities are discussed.     

Leadership Style as Driver of Salespeoples' Customer Orientation

The topic of customer orientation has increasingly attracted interest in both academic marketing research and practice. One factor which has been increasingly discussed as an important driver of a sales person's customer orientation is that of leadership style. If a sales person's supervisor expresses a strong customer orientation this should have a strong impact on the behavior of his or her subordinates. However, this aspect has not received much research attention. In this study, we propose a theoretical framework of leadership style which identifies three key dimensions: initiation of structure, consideration, and initiation of customer orientation. Hypotheses which relate these dimensions to customer oriented attitudes and behaviors are then developed and empirically examined. Results support the presence of three dimensions of customer oriented leadership style. Findings also indicate differential effects of the three dimensions on customer oriented attitudes. The academic and managerial implications of these findings are then discussed.     

Shopping and virtual communities for consumers with physical disabilities

The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate the use of virtual communities for clothing shopping by consumers with physical disabilities, and to explore the role that these communities play in their clothing shopping experiences. An international virtual community created for consumers with disabilities was identified using keywords through search engine directories. The content of discussion forums was identified and analysed with the assistance of the qualitative research software tool, QSR NVivo 9.0. The content was coded to allow categories and themes to emerge. Thirty‐one categories, which were dispersed between three major themes (self, product, market), emerged from data analysis. In the discussions, various communication channels and social media sites were mentioned, and users enhanced their discussion topics with a photograph of a product or an Internet link, providing further assistance to peers. Consumers also shared personal information, such as life experiences. The results of this study may provide significant implications to retailers in their efforts to target these consumers, in various areas including product development, branding, marketing, customer relationship and managerial strategies. There may also be relevance for development of other consumer goods and sales to other target markets. Using online discussion forums to probe for product development and brand ideas has not been widely addressed, nor has the information search process for people with disabilities. The use of QSR NVivo software is new for a study such as this and should be explored in greater depth for future research with this type of data.     

An Explorative Study of Korean Consumer Participation in Virtual Brand Communities in Social Network Sites

ABSTRACT

The importance of virtual brand communities in social network sites has received increasing attention from both academia and industry. In surveying a sample of 333 virtual brand community members in Korean social network sites, the current study provides a baseline understanding of the antecedents and consequences of virtual brand communities. The findings here suggest that members of brand communities have six primary social and psychological motives for engaging in virtual community activities: interpersonal utility, brand loyalty, entertainment seeking, information seeking, incentive seeking, and convenience seeking. Our findings also indicate that members of consumer versus marketer-generated brand communities show both similarities and differences in terms of the extent of community participation and the levels of community commitment, satisfaction, and future intention. Our findings provide useful managerial implications for marketers who want to tap into the huge communication potential of this new marketing communication tool and medium, as they offer insight into the proactive role of consumers in today's marketplace.     

Cultural values,emotional intelligence,and conflict handling styles: A global study

While previous research has identified cultural values and emotional intelligence as central determinants of conflict handling styles, little is known about the mechanism through which cultural values impact individuals’ preferences for specific conflict handling styles. Based on a multinational dataset including 1527 individuals from ten different cultural clusters, the current study aims to integrate these two literature streams by examining the influence of cultural values on conflict handling styles through emotional intelligence. The results of structural equation modeling and mediation analysis show that in particular uncertainty avoidance and long-term orientation influence preferences for the conflict handling styles of compromising, obliging, and integrating through emotional intelligence. Furthermore, we find that collectivism has a direct negative effect on the preference for a dominating style and that power distance has a direct positive effect on the preference for an avoiding and a dominating style. Our study contributes to a more comprehensive and more integrative understanding of earlier research on the role of culture and emotional intelligence in conflict handling.     

Decision-making patterns among international vacationers: A cross-cultural perspective

While there is a tendency to define world subcultures in terms of geographic or sociocultural criteria, the present research suggests that life styles may have become more homogeneous across geographic boundaries and could provide alternative ways of defining world subcultures. The study addresses the research question using international travel behavior. The results suggest that life style segmentation could be used to supplement geocultural criteria for defining world subcultures and formulating marketing strategy.