When marketing strategy meets culture: the role of culture in product evaluations

This research investigates how national culture interacts with marketing strategy to influence consumers’ organic post-consumption satisfaction ratings of entertainment products rich in cultural content. Drawing upon a communication theory framework, we develop hypotheses concerning multiple interaction effects between culture and marketing strategies on consumers’ product evaluations. We test these hypotheses by analyzing consumer reviews of 260 movies in 25 country markets. In support of our hypotheses, we find that the cultural congruence between the product and the market improves consumer reviews, and that the effect is stronger in cultures characterized by collectivism, femininity, and uncertainty avoidance, as well as for products more heavily loaded with cultural content. In addition, we find that the negative effect of delay in product launch timing weakens for cultures characterized by long-term orientation, and that the positive effect of advertising spending on consumer evaluations is stronger in cultures characterized by high power distance belief. These results provide practical insights into how managers should make decisions concerning product design, launch timing, and advertising strategies in international markets.     

Transaction cost economics and the roles of national culture: a test of hypotheses based on Inglehart and Hofstede

Transaction cost economics (TCE) is probably the most widely accepted theory on how firms can gain competitive advantage through efficient organization of their economic transactions. However, by focusing on the competitive environment in which companies operate, it abstracts from the cultural context in which governance decisions are made. We study the cultural boundedness of TCE using two seminal cultural theories: the political science/sociology framework of Inglehart and the management science framework of Hofstede. We use these theories to develop (main-effect) hypotheses about the cultural contexts in which TCE has higher predictive power as well as (interaction) hypotheses regarding particular cultural contexts that may inherently be more inclined than others to adopt certain non-market governance modes if the market “fails.” Hypotheses are tested using a meta-analysis on data collected from 128 studies from 12 countries on 3 continents, representing governance decisions of 60,926 companies. We find that TCE is a universal theory across all cultural contexts. This being said, we find that in societies low on power distance and in societies characterized by a strong emphasis on secular-rational and self-expression values, companies are more strongly guided in their governance decisions by economic, transaction-cost considerations than companies in societies high on power distance and in countries that are characterized by traditional and survival values. Further, TCE’s power to predict the specific type of non-market governance employed by the firm is systematically moderated by the national culture in which the firm operates. The power of TCE for predicting hierarchical governance is higher in countries that rate high on secular-rational values and on uncertainty avoidance and low on long-term orientation, whereas TCE is more diagnostic for predicting relational governance in countries high on self-expression values and low on power distance and on uncertainty avoidance. In sum, our meta-analysis provides support for our thesis that to fully understand governance choices made by firms, we need to integrate TCE and cultural theory. While managers around the world are guided by economic considerations, the cultural context in which they operate exerts a substantial—and predictable—contingent effect on their governance choices.     

Debates and assumptions about motion picture performance: a meta-analysis

Across the many studies of motion picture box office success, unresolved debates and untested assumptions about the contributing factors persist. Using an accessibility–diagnosticity framework and a meta-analysis of 634 effect sizes from 150 studies, the current article seeks to clarify the relationships of star brand equity and product reviews (from consumers and critics) with box office success. The popularity of stars (market and media appeals) exerts a stronger impact on box office success than their artistic recognition (as per award nominations and wins) at the moment of a movie’s release but not over its extended theatrical run. Whereas the impact of popular stars on box office success decreases over time, the influence of artistically recognized stars remains steady. The findings also identify a dual role for critics, who influence consumers’ movie choice and predict box office performance by merely reflecting moviegoers’ tastes. Finally, this study refutes the assumption that the impact of users’ reviews strengthens over time, relative to critics’ reviews.     

董事会文化差异对商业银行资本结构的影响研究

以2006~2019年间我国A股上市商业银行为研究样本,将商业银行董事会文化拆解为个人主义、男子气概、不确定性规避、权力距离、长期导向和自我放纵六个维度,根据我国A股上市商业银行的经营特征、发展背景和数据披露特征,基于Hofstede文化框架构建商业银行董事会文化作用于商业银行资本结构的三层模型,探究商业银行董事会文化对于资本结构的影响。研究结果表明：董事会文化异质性对于商业银行资本结构具有显著影响,Hofstede文化框架下董事会六个文化维度对于商业银行资本结构均具有显著影响,个人主义和男子气概,与不确定性规避具有显著的负向交互效应。     

董事会文化差异对商业银行资本结构的影响研究

以2006~2019年间我国A股上市商业银行为研究样本，将商业银行董事会文化拆解为个人主义、男子气概、不确定性规避、权力距离、长期导向和自我放纵六个维度，根据我国A股上市商业银行的经营特征、发展背景和数据披露特征，基于Hofstede文化框架构建商业银行董事会文化作用于商业银行资本结构的三层模型，探究商业银行董事会文化对于资本结构的影响。研究结果表明：董事会文化异质性对于商业银行资本结构具有显著影响，Hofstede文化框架下董事会六个文化维度对于商业银行资本结构均具有显著影响，个人主义和男子气概，与不确定性规避具有显著的负向交互效应。     

旅游发展中社区参与差异的文化原因分析

社区参与对旅游的可持续发展具有重要意义,各国的社区参与程度差别很大。有学者认为其主要原因是经济与政治因素;文化差异实际上也是一个重要原因。选取中国、美国、英国等24个国家为样本,分析＂权威距离＂、＂个体主义＂、＂目标定向＂及＂未来不确定性规避＂等4个文化维度与社区参与程度的相关性。研究发现,权威距离、个体主义、不确定性规避与社区参与的积极性呈相关关系,权威距离、个体主义与不确定性规避与社区参与法律法规完备度呈相关关系。     

借鉴国外政党经验教训 加强党的先进性建设

执政党建设问题,是一个世界性的课题。许多国家的执政党由于没有很好地解决这一课题,以致在执政过程中遇到挫折,有的甚至丧失了执政地位。我们党要巩固执政地位,应借鉴国外政党建设的经验教训,加强党的先进性建设。     

Product competitiveness and beating analyst earnings target

While Wall Street closely watches financial analysts’ earnings forecasts, Main Street often scrutinizes product quality relative to competition. Do firms with superior product competitiveness enjoy greater likelihood of beating analyst earnings target? And if so, is there contingency in this impact? We show that positive changes in product competitiveness contribute to the firm’s likelihood of beating analyst earnings target, while negative changes in product competitiveness account for missed earnings target. In addition, this impact of product competitiveness on the likelihood of beating analyst earnings target is more positive in the situations of high firm future growth opportunity and low financial environment uncertainty. These findings innovatively use analyst forecast metrics to reinforce the relationship between product quality, competitive advantage, and financial performance. Our study also cultivates a contingency theory of the marketing-finance interface and allows marketing and finance executives to find common ground in strategic discourse. Overall, this research offers brand new financial analysts-based implications of product competitiveness.     

Exploring the national and organizational culture mix in service firms

Using representative samples of U.S. and Japanese retail service firms, this study explores whether one particular type of organizational culture is the best with respect to business outcomes (performance and customer satisfaction) or whether the optimum culture depends on the national context in which the firm is embedded. The findings suggest that there is a significant interaction effect of organizational culture with national culture on outcomes. Specifically, the relationships between the importance placed on the cultural values of stability, people orientation, and detail orientation and outcomes are significantly greater for Japanese than for U.S. service retailers. On the other hand, the relationships between the values of aggressiveness, innovation, and outcome orientation and outcomes are greater for U.S. retailers. Further, the findings show that firms whose cultures match those of their home countries exhibit lower levels of outcomes when they operate in other countries with different cultural values. Implications are given for how service retailers might be designed and managed for purposes of improving business outcomes.     

中国企业海外并购看重东道国的营商环境吗——基于环境不确定性及交易成本减低的视角

本文从环境不确定性和交易成本降低的视角,采用2009-2018年中国企业跨国并购交易的微观数据实证考察了异质性企业海外并购对东道国营商环境的偏好程度及内在机理.研究结果表明:2009-2018年中国企业海外并购对东道国营商环境表现出一定的偏好,且偏好程度呈现出动态上升的特征;从企业异质性来看,生产率高、资产负债率低的企...     

浅谈中英习语在文化方面的差异及其翻译方法

习语是指某些具有特定形式的短语,常作为固定短语或句子被人们用于口语当中,其包含的意义往往不能从短语中各个单词的字面意思来理解。作为一种语言形式,习语承载着大量的文化信息,而不同的文化之间又存在着差异,使得习语有时难以理解和正确使用,因此在翻译的过程中首先要获得各个国家不同的文化信息。     

面向东盟国家中国企业实施渐进式文化整合模式的可行性分析——以中老合资企业老挝万荣水泥厂为例

在当前国内竞争国际化,国际竞争国内化的趋势下,跨国经营日渐成为企业求生存求发展的必然选择。企业所面对的文化氛围不再是单一的文化模式,来自不同文化的管理者和员工共同合作经营一个企业的机会越来越多,多种文化模式时常发生碰撞。这种碰撞的激烈程度直接关系到企业的兴衰成败。随着中国—东盟自由贸易区的建立,中国与东盟国家的经贸关系日益密切,中国企业“走出去”的步伐越来越快,如何让中国企业真正走进东盟国家市场?在对国内外跨文化管理模式进行分析比较的基础上,通过对中老合资企业老挝万荣水泥厂的实证分析,验证了渐进式文化整合模式是中国企业走进东盟国家市场的有效的跨文化管理模式。     

论外交决策中的文化因素

分析了外交决策中的文化因素：冷战结束后，文化全球化使得国家外交活动空间扩大，外交决策复杂化；作为国家综合国力中不可忽视的文化因素，影响着国家外交决策制定和实施的基础；文化利益在国家外交决策中的地位和作用不断提高；文化交流有利于促进外交决策目标的实现；文化性质的相同或相异影响着外交决策各方的关系变化；文化因素通过影响决策主体而影响国家的外交决策的制定。     

边界人员私人关系、权力运用与经销商绩效

文章实证探讨了边界人员私人关系对经销商绩效的直接影响,以及权力运用在边界人员私人关系和经销商绩效中的中介作用。研究发现,人情对强制性权力运用有正向影响,面子与感情正向影响非强制性权力运用,强制性与非强制性权力运用都对经销商绩效有正向影响,感情通过非强制性权力运用这一中介变量间接地作用于经销商绩效。     

企业环境不确定性对中小民营企业家战略执行能力的影响

根据环境与战略关系的相关研究和能力心理学,企业环境不确定性和高管团队支持是影响企业家战略执行能力改善的重要因素。对259家中小民营企业的实证研究表明,企业环境复杂性对企业家战略执行能力有显著的促进作用,高管团队支持对企业环境敌对性与企业家战略执行能力的关系起正向调节作用。因此,投入更多的时间和精力于提高复杂环境下战略实施活动的效率,以及在敌对环境实施战略时积极获取高管团队的支持,都是中小民营企业家改善其战略执行能力的重要途径。     

Adapting to succeed? Leveraging the brand equity of best sellers to succeed at the box office

Many movies are based on best-selling novels. While book adaptation is an often used strategy in the motion picture industry, it has received little academic attention. Using a multi-method approach, this research investigates the drivers behind the success of book-based movies. In Study 1, we analyze over 700 movies and find that book-based movies perform better at the box office on the opening weekend than non-book movies. However, this superior performance dissipates after the opening weekend. Further, the opening weekend performance of book-based movies is positively driven by book equity, book-movie similarity, and recency between the book??s peak equity and movie release. After the opening weekend, many of these book-related variables cease to have an impact, and the effect of movie-related variables (e.g., reviews) increases. Because Study 1 documents that book-movie similarity positively impacts the movie??s performance, contrary to prior findings that content similarity has negative or null impact on performance of a movie sequel, we undertake a second study to reconcile the discrepancy. Study 2 finds that content similarity results in satiation and therefore hampers the movie success for sequels; however, when a movie is adapted from a book, due to experiential modality change (i.e., from book format to film format rather than film to film), content similarity increases the movie??s chance of success.     

文化差异对我国核心文化产品贸易的影响研究——基于扩展后的引力模型分析

本文选取2002~2012年我国与54个主要文化产品贸易国的双边数据,通过文化差异的两大量化指标——Hofstede文化距离与人文价值观指标,运用扩展后的引力模型对我国核心文化产品（工艺品、出版物和影音制品）分别进行实证研究,检验文化差异对不同文化产品的影响方向及程度。结果表明：文化差异作为整体变量引入模型时,文化距离与贸易流量呈负相关,而人文价值观差异仅对我国出版物出口具有正向作用;作为组合变量时,不同文化维度距离对各产品的影响程度存在差异,其中权力距离大,会对我国工艺品出口产生促进效应,而对其他两种核心文化产品作用并不显著。因此,我国各类文化产品贸易提升应重视其所在文化维度的特定性。     

A pre-diffusion growth model of intentions and purchase

In this paper, we investigate whether information on the history of purchase intentions is useful in predicting actual purchase behavior. The research is motivated by two factors. The first factor is the empirical finding in the literature that measuring intentions just prior to purchase provides better predictions of actual purchase as compared to when these intentions are measured earlier. The second factor is the role of the timing of the formation of intentions prior to purchase. While one stream of literature based on preference fluency predicts that early formation of intentions is more likely to lead to actual purchase, the other stream based on the memory-based “recency” effect predicts that formation of intentions just prior to purchase is more likely to lead to actual purchase. Together, these two factors motivate the potential need to account for the entire history of intentions prior to purchase. A canonical example of a market where intention histories are tracked is the movie industry, where “first choice” movie watching intentions are tracked up to (and in some cases beyond) the time of release. Accommodating the history of intentions in an econometric model that predicts actual box office performance is challenging due to the differing numbers of observations for the movies, the large numbers of observations for certain movies, as well as the role of various time-invariant and time-varying covariates influencing intentions. We propose a two-part model where the first part involves a hierarchical growth model that summarizes the trajectories of intentions via “growth factors.” These growth factors also reflect the role of the various covariates. The second part is a regression of the box office performance on the growth factors and other covariates. The models are simultaneously estimated within a Bayesian framework. Consistent with the previous literature, we find that including information on intentions improves our ability to predict behavior, with the recent intentions being the most informative. Importantly, when the history of intentions is accounted for, our results indicate that the data support the “recency” literature—intentions grow over time leading up to purchase, and this growth has a positive impact on opening box office performance. While a linear growth model performs best for most movies, there exists a subset of movies for which the quadratic growth model better captures the “spike” in intentions just prior to purchase. Further, accounting for information on the history of intentions dramatically improves model fit and forecasting performance relative to when only the intentions at one point in time (e.g., the ones just prior to purchase) are accounted for.     

The influence of organic organizational cultures, market responsiveness, and product strategy on firm performance in an emerging market

Organizational culture is a strategic resource that influences a range of activities within firms, and empirical evidence from management and marketing demonstrates that it impacts performance. In this study, we investigate how organic types of organizational culture (i.e., adhocracy and clan) serve as a strategic resource to influence marketing effectiveness and performance in an emerging economy, using an extended form of the resource-based view as our theoretical framework. We posit that organic cultures, which are relatively dominant in emerging-nation firms, serve as antecedents of competitive advantage and superior performance. We selected China as the context to test the veracity of our model and use multiple informants and archival performance data to minimize common method variance. Our results support the proposed model and demonstrate that organic cultures impact market responsiveness, while confirming the critical roles of market responsiveness and product strategy change in producing superior performance. We further demonstrate a direct effect between clan culture and product strategy change, in addition to its indirect effect. Importantly, our results uncover that, although individually either adhocracy or clan culture can significantly improve the firm’s responsiveness, their combined effect does not enhance market responsiveness; that is, their interaction yields a negative coefficient. Additionally, the influence of organic cultures on market responsiveness varies across different industry types. These important differences, along with theoretical contributions and managerial implications of our findings, are discussed, and several avenues for future research are proposed.     

国家形象对消费者超市惠顾意向的影响研究

借鉴Fishbein合理行为模型的基本原理,探讨了国家形象和消费者超市惠顾意向的关系。结果表明,国家形象对济南消费者超市惠顾意向的直接影响并不显著,其间接影响也依国家而变。其中法国的国家形象对济南消费者惠顾家乐福超市的意向的间接影响最为显著,而中国的国家形象对济南消费者惠顾银座超市的意向没有显著的间接影响。济南消费者较多地惠顾银座超市的事实表明,中国消费者具有民族中心主义倾向;该结论提示我国本土大型超市,在制定营销策略时应该重视激发消费者的民族中心主义倾向。