Textual analysis of online reviews as a lens for cross-cultural assessment

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Makoto Nakayama ◽  
Yun Wan

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to call researchers’ attention to cross-cultural research using online consumer reviews and multilingual textual analysis. Design/methodology/approach The authors discuss a selected literature review and the highlight of the four studies that show cross-cultural differences in online reviews on ethnic restaurants. Findings Applying multilingual textual analysis could prompt new venues to verify and expand future cross-cultural research in tourism and hospitality. Originality/value The paper introduces examples of multilingual textual analysis used for cross-cultural studies.

Author(s):  
Bice Della Piana ◽  
Mario Monteleone

Globalization in its broadest sense is part of the strongest external environmental forces that affect organisations today (Daniels, Radebaugh, & Sullivan, 2011). Despite the “slogan” that globalization is likely to produce homogeneity in various cultures, different civilizations of the world will reassert themselves to preserve their cultural heritages. This means it is necessary to consider the dynamics of the continued interplay between various trends in world cultures and the process of globalization. Moving from these considerations, cross-cultural management research seems to be the natural framework for using the term globalization. Cross-cultural research has received considerable attention by management scholars. The purpose of this study is to understand the connotation of the term “global” used in the context of cross-cultural studies and the enrichment of his meaning in the last four decades. To achieve it, the authors use a computational linguistic tool, namely an automatic textual analysis software, by means of which they locate and extract specific linguistic expressions. This allows retrieval and location of a series of concepts that denote and connote the term “global” over the last four decades.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 256-272 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rawan Charafeddine ◽  
Hugo Mercier ◽  
Takahiro Yamada ◽  
Tomoko Matsui ◽  
Mioko Sudo ◽  
...  

AbstractDevelopmental research suggests that young children tend to value dominant individuals over subordinates. This research, however, has nearly exclusively been carried out in Western cultures, and cross-cultural research among adults has revealed cultural differences in the valuing of dominance. In particular, it seems that Japanese culture, relative to many Western cultures, values dominance less. We conducted two experiments to test whether this difference would be observed in preschoolers. In Experiment 1, preschoolers in France and in Japan were asked to identify with either a dominant or a subordinate. French preschoolers identified with the dominant, but Japanese preschoolers were at chance. Experiment 2 revealed that Japanese preschoolers were more likely to believe a subordinate than a dominant individual, both compared to chance and compared to previous findings among French preschoolers. The convergent results from both experiments thus reveal an early emerging cross-cultural difference in the valuing of dominance.


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 86-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fred Beard

Purpose When advertising historians began searching for substantial collections and archives of historical advertisements and marketing ephemera in the 1970s, some reported such holdings were rare. This paper aims to report the findings of the first systematic attempt to assess the scope and research value of the world’s archives and collections devoted to advertising and marketing ephemera. Design/methodology/approach Searches conducted online of the holdings of museums, libraries and the internet led to the identification and description of 179 archives and collections of historical significance for historians of marketing and advertising, as well as researchers interested in many other topics and disciplines. Findings The lists of archives and collections resulting from the research reported in this article represent the most complete collection of such sources available. Identified are the world’s oldest and largest collections of advertising and ephemera. Also identified are quite extraordinary collections of historically unique records and artifacts. Research limitations/implications The online searches continued until a point of redundancy was reached and no new archives or collections meeting the search criteria emerged. There remains the likelihood, however, that other archives and collections exist, especially in non-Western countries. Originality/value The findings make valuable contributions to the work of historians and other scholars by encouraging more global and cross-cultural research and historical analyses of trends and themes in professional practices in marketing and advertising and their consequences over a longer period than previously studied.


2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Le Vy Phan ◽  
Nick Modersitzki ◽  
Kim Karen Gloystein ◽  
Sandrine Müller

The ubiquity of mobile devices allows researchers to assess people’s real-life behaviors objectively, unobtrusively, and with high temporal resolution. As a result, psychological mobile sensing research has grown rapidly. However, only very few cross-cultural mobile sensing studies have been conducted to date. In addition, existing multi-country studies often fail to acknowledge or examine possible cross-cultural differences. In this chapter, we illustrate biases that can occur when conducting cross-cultural mobile sensing studies. Such biases can relate to measurement, construct, sample, device type, user practices, and environmental factors. We also propose mitigation strategies to minimize these biases, such as the use of informants with expertise in local culture, the development of cross-culturally comparable instruments, the use of culture-specific recruiting strategies and incentives, and rigorous reporting standards regarding the generalizability of research findings. We hope to inspire rigorous comparative research to establish and refine mobile sensing methodologies for cross-cultural psychology.


2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (7) ◽  
pp. 815-836 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodoula H. Tsiotsou

Purpose Cross-cultural research constitutes a pivotal topic for marketing; however, the literature indicates that there are a few studies analyzing social media reviews from a cross-cultural perspective using cultural proximity (supra-national level) as a proxy of culture. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to identify cross-cultural differences in service evaluations and specifically, in hotel appraisals among tourists from Central, Eastern (including Post-Soviet States), Northern and Southern Europe. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative approach has been taken by studying online user-generated ratings of hotels on Trip Advisor. In total, 1,055 reviews of five hotels in Greece were used for the study. Findings Multivariate analysis of variance and analysis of variances results confirm cultural differences in overall service evaluations and attributes (value, location, sleeping quality, rooms, cleanliness and service) of tourists from various European regions. Specifically, Eastern Europeans uploaded more reviews than any other European group, whereas Northern Europeans were more generous in their appraisals than Eastern, Southern and Central Europeans. Practical implications The results of the study could be used for segmentation purposes of the European tourism market and for recognizing, which aspects of their services need to be improved based on the segments they serve. Moreover, managers should encourage Northern and Eastern Europeans to upload their reviews as both groups are more generous in their evaluations. Moreover, the findings are useful to marketers of other services. Originality/value To the author’s knowledge, this is the first study that examines cross-cultural differences in hotel appraisals from a supra-national perspective including developed (Northern and Western Europe), developing (Southern Europe) and emerging tourism markets (Eastern Europe).


2011 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 233-250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nairán Ramírez-Esparza ◽  
Cindy K. Chung ◽  
Gisela Sierra-Otero ◽  
James W. Pennebaker

A “spontaneous approach” was used to define self-schemas within and across cultures. Specifically, self-schemas were extracted from open-ended personality descriptions from Americans ( n = 560) and Mexicans ( n = 496) using the Meaning Extraction Method (MEM). The MEM relies on text analytic tools and factor analyses to learn about the most salient and chronically activated dimensions of personality that influence individuals’ self-defining process. The results showed that there were seven relevant self-schemas for Americans and six dimensions for Mexicans. Using qualitative and quantitative analyses, it was possible to observe which self-schemas were cross-cultural and which were culture-specific: Self-schemas common across cultures were Sociability, Values, Hobbies/Daily Activities, and Emotionality. Self-schemas unique to Americans were Fun, Existentialism, and College Experience. Self-schemas unique to Mexicans were Relationships and Simpatía. We discuss cross-cultural differences in self-schemas, along with the advantages and limitations of using the MEM in cross-cultural research.


2014 ◽  
pp. 1288-1329
Author(s):  
Bice Della Piana ◽  
Mario Monteleone

Globalization in its broadest sense is part of the strongest external environmental forces that affect organisations today (Daniels, Radebaugh, & Sullivan, 2011). Despite the “slogan” that globalization is likely to produce homogeneity in various cultures, different civilizations of the world will reassert themselves to preserve their cultural heritages. This means it is necessary to consider the dynamics of the continued interplay between various trends in world cultures and the process of globalization. Moving from these considerations, cross-cultural management research seems to be the natural framework for using the term globalization. Cross-cultural research has received considerable attention by management scholars. The purpose of this study is to understand the connotation of the term “global” used in the context of cross-cultural studies and the enrichment of his meaning in the last four decades. To achieve it, the authors use a computational linguistic tool, namely an automatic textual analysis software, by means of which they locate and extract specific linguistic expressions. This allows retrieval and location of a series of concepts that denote and connote the term “global” over the last four decades.


2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim Cameron

Purpose In view of the emphasis in cross-cultural research on negative factors such as cultural misfit, cultural distance, and the liability of foreignness, the purpose of this paper is to offer one explanation for why this is the case and highlight the advantages of giving at least equal emphasis to research on positive factors. Three propositions are offered to guide future cross-cultural research. Design/methodology/approach Summaries of empirical studies on the inherent inclinations of human systems toward the negative, as well as inclinations toward the positive, produce explanations for each of these biases and their implications for cross-cultural scholarship. Findings By prioritizing positive factors instead of negative factors, individuals and organizations perform at much higher levels than when the reverse is the case. Virtuous practices, in particular, are associated with positively deviant performance. Inasmuch as virtuousness is universally valued, its emphasis can address some of the liabilities of difference inherent in cross-cultural contexts. Originality/value The three propositions offered in the paper explain why negative biases exist, how positive biases provide an advantage to individuals and organizations, and highlight future directions for cross-cultural research. Social scientists have been challenged to help enable 51 percent of the world’s population to flourish by mid-century, and prioritizing positive cross-cultural phenomena is one prescription for achieving that objective.


2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 211-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda Bullough ◽  
Fiona Moore ◽  
Tugba Kalafatoglu

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to address the paradox that represents a shortage of women in management and senior leadership positions around the world, while research has consistently shown that having women in positions of influence leads to noteworthy organizational benefits, as guest editors for this special issue, the authors provide an overview of four key streams of cross-cultural research on gender – women in international management, anthropology and gender, women’s leadership, and women’s entrepreneurship – which have been fairly well-developed but remain underexplored. Design/methodology/approach Each author led the review of the scholarly literature stream that aligned most with personal research areas of expertise, while particularly focusing each literature review on the status of each body of work in relation to the topic of women and gender in international business and management. Findings The authors encourage future work on the role of women and gender (including gay, lesbian, and transgender) in cross-cultural management, and the influence of cross-cultural matters on gender. In addition to new research on obstacles and biases faced by women in management, the authors hope to see more scholarship on the benefits that women bring to their organizations. Practical implications New research could aim to provide specific evidence-based recommendations for: how organizations and individuals can work to develop more gender diversity in management and senior positions around the world, and encourage more women to start and grow bigger businesses. Social implications Scholars can lead progress on important gender issues and contribute to quality information that guides politicians, organizational leaders, new entrants to the workforce. Originality/value This is the first paper to cover these topics and review the body of work on cross-cultural research on women in international business and management. The authors hope it serves as a useful launch pad for scholars conducting new research in this domain.


2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 483-506 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindsey Carey ◽  
Marie-Cécile Cervellon

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide the results of an exploratory study comparing attitudes of young fashion conscious consumers towards ethical fashion in Canada, France and the UK. Design/methodology/approach – The methods used in this research were qualitative with a mix of interviews and focus groups and a new application of a visual method widely used within design and fashion environments, the mood board. The study is based within the contrast of a growing trend towards sustainability and the rise of fast fashion where consumers are increasingly demanding cheaper items. The research is also grounded in cross-cultural research where the comparison of data emanating from different cultures and languages presents specific dilemmas for researchers. Findings – Results indicated that there were notable differences in the perception of ethical fashion between the respondents from these three cultures. In the representation and appeal of this fashion segment, in terms of its perceived availability, the transfer of meaning connected with the observation of higher price points and in the use of ethical purchases in the fashion arena as an offset or redemption for unethical behaviour in other contexts. Originality/value – The originality of this paper lies in the innovative use of the visual qualitative methods which contributes to the debate concerning the research methods associated with cross-cultural research and extends the restricted body of literature which compares cultural attitudes in this area by offering key insights into the complex issues surrounding ethical fashion consumption.


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