Prescribed consumption and consumers' decision-making styles: a cross-cultural comparison between Europe and Asia

2016 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Corinne Lamour ◽  
Catherine De La Robertie
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Consumer Decision Making ◽  
Chinese Sample ◽  
Product Categories ◽  
Decision Making Styles ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The goal of this research is 1) to check if shopping prescription consciousness is a fundamental decision-making characteristic, 2) to know its weight and position into consumer decision-making styles (DMS), and 3) to compare results between France and China. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative survey using the Consumer Styles Inventory (Sproles and Kendall, 1986) is done with 308 French and 221 Chinese pet food buyers. Factorial, multivariance, clustering and discriminant analyses are run. Findings Findings reveal that shopping prescription consciousness is a fundamental decision-making characteristic. Although this concept scores the same in both cultures, correlations between shopping prescription and other characteristics vary from a culture to another, showing a different prescription follower profile. In addition, opposite to our expectations prescription consciousness has a discriminant role on DMS in France but not in China. Finally, culture impacts overall DMS. Research limitations/implications The Chinese sample is weak. This study must be replicated in more product categories and involve more countries. This paper attempts to enrich prescribed consumption knowledge in a cross-cultural context. Practical implications This paper 1) enriches academic understanding of the decision delegation concept, in a cross-cultural context, and 2) encourages organizations involved in complex products to set up loyalty qualitative programs and prescriber networks to ease shopping decision and consequently increase sales. Originality/value This is the first time that decision delegation and prescription is studied according to decision-making styles in a cross-cultural context.

Employer perceptions of self-initiated expatriate employability in China

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 303-330 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula Makkonen
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
The Other ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Employer Perceptions ◽  
Employer Perspective ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to offer an employer perceptive on the employability of self-initiated expatriates (SIEs) by contrasting SIEs with other identified staffing groups available for the staffing of MNC subsidiaries in China. Design/methodology/approach – This qualitative study is based on in-depth interviews with 24 Westerners with direct staffing responsibilities in subsidiaries of western MNCs located in China. The employability of each identified staffing group was assessed using the person-to-environment fit approach from four-fit perspectives (person-to-job and to-group, organisation and cultural context). Findings – The study revealed how from the employer perspective SIEs do not form a heterogeneous group, but instead there are two groups with different fit profiles. The study illustrates how western SIEs are an uncommon and under-used staffing group in cross-cultural staffing settings in China due to their low employability in comparison to alternative staffing groups. The study also revealed the prevalent bipolarity (the Westerners vs the Chinese) and heterogeneity within the identified staffing groups. Research limitations/implications – The study recognises the lack of employer perspective in SIE literature and also that SIEs are an under-represented group in the staffing literature. Practical implications – The findings help explain how MNC staffing is culturally bound and how the staffing process should incorporate more than just an assessment of job-related qualifications. The findings also help explain the challenges SIEs can experience in cross-cultural career settings. Originality/value – The study is one of the first to provide an employer perspective on SIE careers and contrast SIEs to the other alternative staffing groups available to MNC subsidiaries in China.

Young Syrian Consumer Styles

2016 ◽  
Vol 58 (6) ◽  
pp. 835-857 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reem Ramadan
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Consumer Behaviour ◽  
Arab World ◽  
Brand Names ◽  
Consumer Decision Making ◽  
Arab Population ◽  
Consumer Decision ◽  
Decision Making Styles ◽  
Practical Implications

This paper aims to explore the decision-making styles of Syrian young adults, and to examine the cross-cultural applicability of the Consumer Style Inventory (CSI) to an Arab population. Its aim is to advance understanding of contemporary consumer behaviour in the Arab world. Participants in the study described were undergraduate students at Damascus University and the results confirmed a six-factor consumer decision-making style. Social motivation was found to be an important factor for consumption. Syrians were more likely to relate to a brand or product to the extent where a cognitive match existed between an individual's self-concept and a positive value-expressive attribute. In addition, brand names formed cognitive reflections of product quality rather than formal assessments of quality in products. The results of this study could help in generalising theories developed in western societies to Arab populations, as well as in the better understanding of Arab consumer decision-making styles. Practical implications for practitioners and international marketers are also proposed.

Getting to Yes in the cross-cultural-context: ‘one size doesn’t fit all’ – a critical review of principled negotiations across borders

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Raphael Schoen
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Context ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Western World ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cultural Negotiation ◽  
Lower Likelihood ◽  
Alternative Approaches ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Negotiation Literature

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the implicitly assumed universality of the best seller negotiation literature Getting to Yes by Roger Fisher and William Ury. Design/methodology/approach Existing cross-cultural negotiation literature was systematically searched for findings indicating either a higher or lower likelihood of successfully applying the authors’ advice in different cultural environments, as defined in the Hofstede framework or The Globe Study. The findings were aggregated, categorized into a matrix, synthesized and analyzed. Findings This paper finds that the assumed universality of the method of Getting to Yes and its single principles is not supported by research. Instead, a dichotomy of the four principles’ applicability along the Individuality dimension of Hofstede was found. Hence, the western orientation of Getting to Yes is reality, inhibiting its use in non-western cultures. However, in one principle – Invent options for mutual gain – the findings refute a successful application in western cultures. Additional findings and research gaps are presented. Practical implications Practitioners should apply Getting to Yes with caution, if at all, in a non-western environment. For the teaching of negotiations, alternative approaches for conducting negotiations in the non-western world are needed. Originality/value Although widely used in research, scholars only addressed sporadic comments concerning the limitations of Getting to Yes across cultures. Often the universality of Getting to Yes is either implicitly or explicitly assumed in research and practice. This paper approaches this topic systematically by providing evidence that Getting to Yes is not universal and conceptually sees negotiations through a western shaped perspective that provides considerable implications for research, practice and teaching.

scholarly journals Revisiting Sproles and Kendall’s Consumer Styles Inventory (CSI) in the 21st Century: A Case of Australian Consumers Decision-Making Styles in the Context of High and Low-Involvement Purchases

2022 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 7-17
Author(s):  
Tahmid Nayeem ◽  
Jean Marie-IpSooching
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Consumer Decision Making ◽  
Product Involvement ◽  
Consumer Decision ◽  
Product Categories ◽  
Knowing That ◽  
Decision Making Styles ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
The Relationship

There has been considerable research on the investigation of Consumer Decision-Making Styles (CDMS). However, research designs suggested to date mainly replicate the original study by Sproles and Kendall (1986) proposing eight mental characteristics, the Consumer Styles Inventory (CSI). The research aims to develop this approach further and apply the CSI to different product involvement (e.g., high and low) and compare the relationship between product involvement and consumer decision-making styles. Data were collected from 208 Australian respondents using a self-administered questionnaire. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis was conducted on the CSI adapted for high and low involvement purchases. The generalisability of the CSI was tested within this context. Results found significant differences between the two product categories and demonstrated a relationship between products and CDMS and that CDMS are governed by consumers’ perceived product involvement. Furthermore, the original CSI can still be a valuable measure to low involvement purchases; however, it is questionable and requires further modification in relation to high involvement purchases. For instance, the addition of new factors such as “environmental sustainability”, “innovation consciousness”, “corporate social responsibility”, etc. with the original scale would help understand CDMS effectively. The findings of this research will expand the scientific literature on the relationship between product involvement and CDMS. Knowing that Australians are ‘rational’ and ‘quality conscious’ buyers, managers can employ CDMS to analyse consumers’ needs and develop segmented marketing messages and strategies.

Has Lean improved organizational decision making?

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 536-549 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pascale Simons ◽  
Jos Benders ◽  
Jochen Bergs ◽  
Wim Marneffe ◽  
Dominique Vandijck
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Lean Management ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Organizational Decision Making ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Organizational Contexts ◽  
Sustainable Improvement ◽  
Care Processes ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – Sustainable improvement is likely to be hampered by ambiguous objectives and uncertain cause-effect relations in care processes (the organization’s decision-making context). Lean management can improve implementation results because it decreases ambiguity and uncertainties. But does it succeed? Many quality improvement (QI) initiatives are appropriate improvement strategies in organizational contexts characterized by low ambiguity and uncertainty. However, most care settings do not fit this context. The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether a Lean-inspired change program changed the organization’s decision-making context, making it more amenable for QI initiatives. Design/methodology/approach – In 2014, 12 professionals from a Dutch radiotherapy institute were interviewed regarding their perceptions of a Lean program in their organization and the perceived ambiguous objectives and uncertain cause-effect relations in their clinical processes. A survey (25 questions), addressing the same concepts, was conducted among the interviewees in 2011 and 2014. The structured interviews were analyzed using a deductive approach. Quantitative data were analyzed using appropriate statistics. Findings – Interviewees experienced improved shared visions and the number of uncertain cause-effect relations decreased. Overall, more positive (99) than negative Lean effects (18) were expressed. The surveys revealed enhanced process predictability and standardization, and improved shared visions. Practical implications – Lean implementation has shown to lead to greater transparency and increased shared visions. Originality/value – Lean management decreased ambiguous objectives and reduced uncertainties in clinical process cause-effect relations. Therefore, decision making benefitted from Lean increasing QI’s sustainability.

Examining the influences of perceived exclusivity and perceived rarity on consumers' perception of luxury

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xujia Wang ◽  
Billy Sung ◽  
Ian Phau
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Confirmatory Factor Analysis ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Marketing Strategies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Product Categories ◽  
Theoretical Support ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
Luxury Market ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate how exclusivity and rarity (natural versus virtual) influence consumers' perceptions of luxury. Further, it examines whether exclusivity and rarity can function as distinct marketing strategies in today's luxury market environment.Design/methodology/approachOnline questionnaires were administered by adapting developed scales from prior research. Research stimuli were chosen from three luxury categories including bags, wine and cruise. Confirmatory factor analysis and multiple regressions were used to test the hypotheses.FindingsThe results confirmed that exclusivity, natural rarity and virtual rarity were perceived as relatively distinct constructs among our sample. Findings also highlighted that perceived natural rarity (PNR) has consistently emerged as a positive and significant contributor to consumers' perceptions of luxury across all three luxury categories. The influence of perceived exclusivity (PE) on perceptions of luxury has also shown to be significant for two product categories (luxury bag and luxury wine), whereas perceived virtual rarity (PVR) did not show any significant effects across all three categories.Practical implicationsThe results indicate that consumers perceive natural rarity, virtual rarity and exclusivity as relatively distinctive marketing strategies. This suggests that luxury businesses can adopt each strategy independently to achieve desired marketing outcomes.Originality/valueThis study offers theoretical support for the proposition that exclusivity and rarity may have different functions in luxury marketing implementations. It provides empirical evidence showing the distinctiveness of perceived exclusivity and perceived rarity, which have not be done in previous research.

Are the saving decision patterns of bank customers also clouded by psychological biases? Evidence from Ghana

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Emmanuel Tetteh ◽  
Christopher Boachie
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Loss Aversion ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Weighted Least Squares ◽  
Least Squares Regression ◽  
Individual Decision ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Saving Decisions ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThis paper attempts to investigate the influence of psychological biases on saving decision-making of bank customers in Ghana.Design/methodology/approachIt employs weighted least squares regression to test the effect of psychological biases on savings decisions of bank customers.FindingsThe findings show that all the nine psychological biases, namely mental accounting, availability, loss aversion, representativeness, anchoring, overconfidence, status quo, framing effect and disposition effect employed for the study have a significant influence on saving decision of bank customers. The results depict that psychological biases are entrenched in the saving pattern of bank customers in Ghana.Practical implicationsFor policy purposes, the study recommends that bank customers need to enhance their knowledge of psychological biases in order to improve their gains from savings, and not to fall prey to these prejudices. The satisfied customer is a dependable source of bank viability and survival.Originality/valueTo the best of the knowledge of the author, this study provides the first empirical evidence of the influence of psychological biases on saving decisions of bank customers in Ghana. The findings of this study will enhance knowledge on the influence of psychological biases on individual decision-making and will accentuate the fact that the individual is not an entirely rational being.

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