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Article
Publication date: 5 May 2015

Carvell N. McLeary and Paula A. Cruise

Employee trust research has been criticized for restricted theoretical conceptualization, limited contextual application and low replication of measures in organizational studies…

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Abstract

Purpose

Employee trust research has been criticized for restricted theoretical conceptualization, limited contextual application and low replication of measures in organizational studies. The purpose of this paper is to expand the theoretical framework underpinning individual-level organizational trust to include cognitive and socio-affective components in order to examine trust determinants in a unique cultural setting.

Design/methodology/approach

A national survey of 653 employees from six companies in Jamaica completed the perceived organizational support scale, perceived organizational justice scale, employee trust propensity scale and the organizational trust measure (Rawlins, 2008) after focus groups revealed the role of socio-cultural values in employee trust relationships.

Findings

Controlling for common methods variance, confirmatory factor analyses revealed that a model of organizational trust that included a combination of cognitive and socio-affective determinants was more valid in the Jamaican culture than a model comprised of cognitive determinants alone. National social values of justice and respect were significant determinants of employee trust. Results also provide validity evidence for the previously non-replicated Rawlins trust scale, thereby, providing future researchers with a measure that can be readily replicated.

Research limitations/implications

Employee trust levels influenced participation and consequently restricted the sample size and industry profile of the survey. Cross-cultural trust researchers are, therefore, encouraged to design studies with similar subject loss projections.

Originality/value

Strict focus on the collectivistic/individualistic dimension of culture restricts researchers’ ability to measure trust effectively across a range of settings. The authors, therefore, propose the uncertainty avoidance dimension as a more valid paradigm to understand inter-cultural differences in trust orientations, particularly in restricted trust domains.

Article
Publication date: 1 June 2004

George Beck and Sharon L. Segrest‐Purkiss

The LAUSD is the largest school district in the State and is charged with the responsibility of educating over one‐fifth of the children in California. Taken individually, each of…

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Abstract

The LAUSD is the largest school district in the State and is charged with the responsibility of educating over one‐fifth of the children in California. Taken individually, each of the LAUSD’s eleven local districts would rank in the top twenty in the State in terms of student population. The District is LA County’s second largest employer, and with an annual operating and capital budget of over nine billion dollars, it brings together a diverse range of active and dynamic stakeholders. In 2000 the LAUSD found itself at a crossroads. In response to growing criticism and the threat of a State‐mandated break‐up due to the poor performance of their schools, the District created eleven mini‐districts to improve accountability and take instructional programs closer to the people who use them. This paper provides background on the LAUSD’s decentralization effort and power sharing aspects of the District’s self‐imposed break‐up, and recommendations for addressing these issues are postulated.

Details

Management Research News, vol. 27 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0140-9174

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 April 2020

Jo-Yun Li, Holly Overton and Nandini Bhalla

While the segmentation approach has been frequently employed to explore individuals' environment-friendly behaviors, the investigation of environmental corporate social…

Abstract

Purpose

While the segmentation approach has been frequently employed to explore individuals' environment-friendly behaviors, the investigation of environmental corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication by using such a method is limited. Given that the importance of the role of public segmentation is well documented in both public relations and environmental management literatures, the present study attempts to fill the gap by exploring whether consumers can be segmented on the basis of attitudinal factors, and, if so, how this segmentation informs communication efforts aimed at promoting companies' environmental CSR programs.

Design/methodology/approach

This segmentation approach is examined based on a survey of 470 participants. Results of a k-means cluster analysis identified three subgroups: active publics, aware publics and latent publics.

Findings

Survey results provide empirical support evidence on how different public segmentation approaches can be used to predict individual communication behaviors on environmental CSR issues. Segmentation approach that considered individuals' attitudes on environmental issues and their perceptions on company environmental CSR practices helps identify three subgroups. Significant differences regarding communicative action and supporting behaviors among the three groups are identified and discussed.

Originality/value

This study provides key insights about public segmentation and different publics' communicative action, and supportive behaviors provide direction for future research investigations that will strengthen theoretical arguments and best practices in public relations.

Details

Corporate Communications: An International Journal, vol. 25 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1356-3289

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 September 2019

Andriy Kovalenko

The slogans adopted by higher-education institutions usually target all college stakeholders without differentiation, even though these stakeholders may have quite different…

Abstract

Purpose

The slogans adopted by higher-education institutions usually target all college stakeholders without differentiation, even though these stakeholders may have quite different connections to the organization. The purpose of this paper is to understand whether there is a relationship between students’ cultural backgrounds and their preferences for slogans of higher-education institutions.

Design/methodology/approach

The study utilized a survey for data collection. In total, 295 participants answered questions about preferences for slogans appealing to purchase or product involvement, and individualistic or collectivist values.

Findings

The results suggest that participants from both collectivist and individualistic societies prefer slogans that appeal to the values pertinent to their respective cultures. Representatives of both groups preferred slogans referring to the benefits of education over slogans describing features of particular institutions.

Practical implications

Slogans with messages appealing to people from collectivist and individualistic messages cultures should be included in promotional materials and distributed among corresponding audiences. Slogans for prospective students should refer to the advantages of studying in a particular institution, while current students should be targeted with slogans that encourage dedicated studying in general.

Originality/value

The findings contribute to the understanding of factors increasing effectiveness of higher-education slogans. It is also one of the first studies of how students from India (Punjab and Kerala states) and the Philippines process promotional materials from western educational institutions.

Details

Corporate Communications: An International Journal, vol. 24 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1356-3289

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 April 2016

Theo Lieven and Christian Hildebrand

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of brand gender on brand equity across countries and cultures in various product domains.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of brand gender on brand equity across countries and cultures in various product domains.

Design/methodology/approach

Consumers from ten countries on four continents rated 20 global brands, leading to a total of 16,934 cross-clustered observations. Linear mixed effect models examined a series of nested models, testing three novel brand gender effects with respect to the impact of androgynous brands on brand equity and the moderating role of consumers’ biological sex as well as individualistic and collectivistic cultures. Additional robustness tests provide support on form, metric, and scalar invariance of the measurements and the robustness of the observed effects across countries and cultures.

Findings

The current research reveals that androgynous brands generate higher brand equity relative to exclusively masculine, exclusively feminine, and undifferentiated brands. The authors also show a brand gender congruence effect such that male consumers value masculine brands higher than females while female consumers value more feminine brands higher than males. Finally, highly masculine brands generate higher brand equity in more individualistic countries whereas highly feminine brands generate higher brand equity in more collectivistic countries.

Originality/value

This is the first research examining and demonstrating the positive influence of androgynous brand gender perceptions on brand equity. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is also the first paper examining brand gender effects across countries and cultures.

Details

International Marketing Review, vol. 33 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0265-1335

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 January 2022

Cheng Lu, Zhencong Sang, Kun Song, Kazuo Kikuchi and Ippei Machida

Based on the theory of social identity mechanism, this study aimed to investigate the associations with millennial consumers' need for uniqueness (NFU), susceptibility to peer…

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Abstract

Purpose

Based on the theory of social identity mechanism, this study aimed to investigate the associations with millennial consumers' need for uniqueness (NFU), susceptibility to peer influence (SPI) and attitudes towards luxury brands (ALB) under the cross-cultural context. The mediating effect of fashion innovativeness (FI) and the moderating effect of culture were examined.

Design/methodology/approach

The data for this study were collected through a survey from 217 millennials in Shanghai and 268 millennials in Tokyo. Moderation analysis and mediation analysis using Hayes PROCESS macro were applied to test proposed hypotheses.

Findings

Results show that NFU and SPI have a significantly positive effect on millennials' ALB, and fashion innovativeness plays a mediating role in this process. Furthermore, the positive impact of NFU on millennials' ALB for relatively individualistic cities (Shanghai) is stronger than for relatively collectivist cities (Tokyo). The positive impact of susceptibility to informative influence (SII) on millennials' ALB for Tokyo is stronger than for Shanghai.

Practical implications

The research results suggest how different cultures can support marketers in effectively carrying out their business strategy.

Originality/value

Under the cross-cultural background, the social identity mechanism behind the attitudes of millennials towards luxury brands has been widely recognised. However, little is known about how culture could moderate the social identity mechanism behind millennials' ALB. By analysing these mechanisms, this study compares the cultures of Shanghai and Tokyo and expands the previous research achievements.

Details

Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, vol. 34 no. 10
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-5855

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 16 July 2019

James Agarwal and Oleksiy Osiyevskyy

Corporate reputation is a strategic asset leading to numerous positive firm-level outcomes. Motivated by the prediction that the translation of customer-based corporate reputation…

Abstract

Corporate reputation is a strategic asset leading to numerous positive firm-level outcomes. Motivated by the prediction that the translation of customer-based corporate reputation to customer-level outcomes (trust, customer–company identification, and word-of-mouth intentions) might be highly context-dependent, we investigate the moderating role of national culture (particularly, individualism–collectivism dimension) and individual trait (self-construal) in the association between reputational dimensions (product and service efficacy, market prominence, and societal ethicality) and their outcomes. Using survey data from two countries (US and India, N = 812), we estimate the effects of corporate reputation on focal outcomes, moderated by country as a proxy for individualism/collectivism and independent self-construal (IND)/interdependent self-construal (INTER). The results strongly suggest that when individual-level variables are taken into account, the country-level variable does not affect the translation of reputational dimensions to customer-level outcomes. Moreover, individuals high on IND are more responsive to utilitarian (egoistic) reputational dimensions of product and service efficacy, whereas individuals high on INTER are more sensitive to the group-oriented reputation for market prominence and society-oriented reputation for social ethicality. The reported findings have major implications for cross-country reputational research and global reputation management strategies.

Article
Publication date: 5 April 2019

Ilaria Baghi and Veronica Gabrielli

Previous research on brand crisis has introduced the difference between a values-related crisis and a performance-related crisis. However, little remains known regarding…

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Abstract

Purpose

Previous research on brand crisis has introduced the difference between a values-related crisis and a performance-related crisis. However, little remains known regarding consumers’ varying negative responses towards these two different types of brand misconduct. This paper aims to investigate and compare consumers’ affective and behavioural negative reactions (i.e. negative word of mouth and purchase intention) towards a faulty brand during a values-related crisis and a performance-related crisis by testing the mediation of negative emotions and introducing the moderating role of cultural belongingness (collectivistic vs individualistic).

Design/methodology/approach

The authors tested a model of moderated mediation in a cross-cultural investigation on a sample of 229 Italian and Asian consumers. The study is a 2 (cultures: collectivistic vs individualistic) × 2 (crisis: performance-related vs values-related) between-subjects experimental design. The moderated mediation model shows that consumers’ negative reactions (negative word of mouth and negative purchase intention) towards a faulty brand involved in different crisis typologies is explained by the mediating role of negative emotions, and that this mediation depends on a consumer’s cultural belongingness.

Findings

The results suggest that consumers belonging to a collectivistic culture (e.g. Asian culture) tend to react in a more severe and strict manner when faced with a values-related brand crisis event then when faced with a performance-related crisis. The arousal of negative emotion towards a brand represents the mediating variable in behavioural responses (i.e. negative word of mouth and purchase intention).

Originality/value

The present study extends current knowledge in the field of consumers’ negative response to brand irresponsibility behaviours while introducing the role of crisis typology and cultural belongingness. In particular, individualistic people are more sensitive to a values-related crisis in comparison with a performance-related one. The findings of this study have strong managerial implications for defining effective response strategies to negative events involving brands in different markets.

Details

Journal of Product & Brand Management, vol. 28 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1061-0421

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 23 September 2016

Reed E. Nelson, Anderson Santana and Matthew S. Wood

Entrepreneurship involves complex interactions between individuals and environments but there is little research on these dynamics. We address this gap by conducting an inductive…

Abstract

Entrepreneurship involves complex interactions between individuals and environments but there is little research on these dynamics. We address this gap by conducting an inductive qualitative study of entrepreneurs in the exclusive tourist destination of Tiradentes, Brazil. Tiradentes has a unique architectural, cultural, and economic heritage that serves as a unique sociocultural backdrop that influences entrepreneurs’ models of start-up thinking and action. Specifically, our investigation revealed that entrepreneurs’ backgrounds (native vs. nonnative) and social identities come together with the sociocultural fabric of the community in a way that moved them towards a “Joia” or “Bijuteria” orientation, each of which were associated with a distinct mindset. This diversity had implications for entrepreneurs’ conceptualizations of start-up models possible within the backdrop of Tiradentes sociocultural fabric and this influenced the actions entrepreneurs took such as the geographic location chosen for the business and the business practices used. We discovered that entrepreneurs favoring one orientation over another tended to occupy predictable physical and social positions in the community while also espousing similar values and perspectives. These results are used to elaborate the theory on the link between the external and internal explanation for entrepreneurial thinking and action. The net effect is new understanding regarding ways models of start-up thinking and action can be investigated.

Details

Models of Start-up Thinking and Action: Theoretical, Empirical and Pedagogical Approaches
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78635-485-3

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 20 January 2011

Yaolung James Hsieh

Relying on data collected from in-depth interviews and participant observation, as well as secondary data, this chapter compares the cross-cultural communication processes between…

Abstract

Relying on data collected from in-depth interviews and participant observation, as well as secondary data, this chapter compares the cross-cultural communication processes between easterners and westerners in an Asian cultural context, namely, that of Taiwan, as well as the potential influences of Confucianism and the theory of “manners of different orders.” Our data reveal that westerners tend to communicate with Taiwanese people in an outspoken and brusque way and to make few changes during the communication process. On the contrary, easterners are inclined to communicate with a gentler approach and make adjustments for the local culture. We also find that Confucianism and the theory of manners of different orders have strong influences on cross-cultural communication strategies and performance. This chapter provides evidence to support the arguments that the theory of manners of different orders may play an even more significant role than the individualism–collectivism paradigm in explaining the causes of better communicational performance in Taiwan and possibly mainland China. Implications, limitations, and suggestions for future research are provided based on these findings.

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