企业虚拟品牌社区治理机制:结构探索和量表开发

在相关文献梳理与分析的基础上,界定了企业虚拟品牌社区治理机制的概念,通过半结构化访谈和开放式问卷调查等方式进行资料收集,并利用扎根理论进行编码,提炼出企业虚拟品牌社区治理机制的结构维度。在此基础上,遵循量表开发的标准模式和范式,通过对Haier智家社群、小米社区和花粉俱乐部的问卷调查,实现了对企业虚拟品牌社区治理机制结构模型和测量量表的验证。研究发现:(1)企业虚拟品牌社区治理机制是一个多维度概念,包括问责机制、关系规范、社区激励和网络惯例四个维度;(2)经过探索性和验证性因子分析的检验,本文所开发的企业虚拟品牌社区治理机制测量量表具有较高的信度和效度。本研究不仅拓展了治理机制在企业虚拟品牌社区情境中的理论研究,实现了对企业虚拟品牌社区治理机制概念内涵和结构维度的探索,而且首次开发了企业虚拟品牌社区治理机制的测量量表,为后续实证研究提供了有效测量工具。

Governance Mechanisms in Firm-Hosted Online Brand Communities:Structure and Scale Development

With the development of digitalization technologies,firms are increasingly keen on building online brand communities(OBCs)to connect with customers,get feedback from customers,and involve customers in new product design and development to achieve value co-creation.Although firms can benefit from customers participation in value co-creation in fimm-hosted online brand communities(FHOBCs),the voluntary and anonymous OBC members enable an environment without agreed-upon behavioral norms and lack of rea l-time supervision.Therefore,the negative brand experiences may travel further and faster,and the open and direct communication among customers in the community can bring unpredictable negative word-of-mouth and social conflicts.Moreover,OBCs are possibly plagued with harmful content such as hate speech,malicious intent and cyberbullying.If left ungoverned,some customers discord behavior may impact the public impression of OBCs,and the community will not gain new customers,let alone engage customers in value creation.Hence,which.governance mechanisms can be adopted to manage,supervise,and control FHOBCs to encourage customers participation is a severe problem that needs to be resolved.Throughout the existing literature,the problem of how to governance organizations in a virtual environment has raised the attention of scholars around the world.However,most of the literature lies on the conceptualization at a macro level.Although a few sc holars have ex plored governance mechanisms in the context of OBCs,their research either only explored the concept from the perspectives of control and cooperation,or explored the socialization strategies in managing OBCs,which leading to a limited understanding of the structure of governance mec hanisms in OBCs.Moreover,the research neither takes the member type nor the specific characteristics of the community and environment into account,leading to different members reactions.In this situation,this study aims at exploring the concept and structure of gov ernance mechanisms in the context of FHOBCs,developing and validating an instrument of measurement.This research explores the concept and structure of governance mechanisms in F HOBCs conceptually and empirically.Based on relevant literature review and theoretical analysis,governance mechanisms in the context of FHOBCs is defined.Then,collect data through several methods such as semi-structured interviews,literature search,on-site observation,and use grounded-theory coding steps to extract the structural dimensions of govemance mechanisms in FHOBCs.After rigorous scale development procedures,the instrument of measurements of governance mechanisms in FHOBCs is obtained.The main conclusions are as follows:governance mechanism in FHOBCs is a multi-dimensional concept,which has been defined as system designs,power arrangements and specific operating processes,describing the rules and regu lations shaped by the stakeholders in the community,to constrain and reshape the behavior of members in FHOBCs and reduce opportunism risk to ensure the orderly and efficient operation of FHOBCs as well as realize the mutual benefits.The concept can be divided into accountability mechanism,relationship norms,community incentives and network routines.The accountability mechanism refers to an accountability system in which the firms supervise the performance of the duties and obligations of both the managers and members in FHOBCs.Relationship norms refer to the potential relationship rules established on the basis of the interactions among members in FHOBCs,guiding the behavior of members and creating a harmonious.,friendly,and mutually beneficial community atmosphere.Community incentives refer to the means adopted by firms to publicly commend and encourage members in order to increase loyalty and brand reputation in the communities.Network routines refer to the unwritten principles and rules gradually formed in the online communication of members.This research provides several innovative points to the existing literature.This research makes clear the concept and structure of governance mechanisms in FHOBCs as well as develop and validate an instrument of measurement for governance mechanisms in FHOBCs,which can be used in subsequent empirical research.In this way,this research enriches and supplements the relevant theories of governance mechanisms in the context of FHOBCs.More than that,it not only ex pands the theoretical foundation of governance mechanism in the context of FHOBCs,but also provides a measurement tool for subsequent empirical research.