Moderating Effect of the Power–Distance Belief on the Relationship between Employees’ Service Failures and Customers’ Behavioral Outcomes in the Sport Service Industry

This study was designed to examine the moderating effects of the power–distance belief (PDB) on the relationship between employees’ service failures and customers’ transactional and non-transactional outcomes in a fitness center context. To test the relationships among these variables, we employed two pretests and a main experiment. In Pretest 1, a critical incident technique (CIT) was used to identify the employees’ service failure situations in fitness centers. Then, in Pretest 2, we developed two written scenarios that described employees’ service failures according to low and high severity and confirmed the differences between these two scenarios with a manipulation check. In the main experiment, we employed scenarios to examine the relationships among service failures’ severity, PDB, and customers’ non-transactional and transactional outcomes. We used Hayes’ PROCESS macro to test the PDB’s single moderating effect on the relationship between the service failures’ severity and the customers’ responses. According to the results, the moderating effect on the relationship between the service failures’ severity and fitness center customers’ non-transactional and transactional behaviors was confirmed. We extended the understanding of fitness center customers’ reactions, depending upon individual PDB to service failures, by comparing low- and high-service failure situations. Our findings also suggest that segmenting fitness center customers may help managers recognize that their customers’ varying responses depend on PDB.

EXPRESS: Heart or Mind? The Impact of Power Distance Belief on the Persuasiveness of Cognitive versus Affective Appeal in Education Marketing Messages

One of the greatest challenges in education marketing is designing effective marketing messages, especially when targeting consumers with different cultural backgrounds. This research examines the impact of power distance belief (PDB) on the persuasiveness of affective appeal versus cognitive appeal in education marketing messages. The authors theorize that low-PDB consumers tend to prefer education products presented with affective appeal because of their process learning mindset that focuses on self-discovery and self-development. By contrast, high-PDB consumers tend to prefer education products presented with cognitive appeal because of their outcome learning mindset that focuses on acquiring skills and social/economic gains relevant to such skills. These effects were supported by converging results from four experiments, a field study, and a content analysis across 37 countries using a wide range of education products and services. This research contributes to the literature on PDB, education, and cross-cultural consumer behavior and provides guidelines for global education marketers.

How does power distance belief influence consumers’ new product acceptance? Life satisfaction and social demonstrance as moderators

Scholars have not yet established how power distance belief (PDB) influences consumers’ new product acceptance. We examined the relationship between PDB and new product acceptance (i.e., consumers’ preference and attitude), along with the moderating roles of life satisfaction and social demonstrance, and the mediating role of need to belong. Through three studies, our findings show that when life satisfaction was low, consumers with low (vs. high) PDB had a more favorable attitude toward the new products and showed a stronger preference for them. Further, need to belong was a principal mechanism inducing the influence of PDB and life satisfaction on new product acceptance, with the interaction effect being stronger among consumers with high (vs. low) social demonstrance. Our investigation makes important theoretical contributions by expanding the PDB literature, and also has practical implications for marketers in their promotion of new product acceptance. For example, marketers could sell new products in cultures with low PDB or use advertisements to remind consumers of the importance of equality. This will help to prime consumers with low PDB when their life satisfaction is low, thereby enhancing their attitude toward new products

Consumers’ Preference for User-Designed Versus Designer-Designed Products: The Moderating Role of Power Distance Belief

Anecdotal evidence and extant research show that consumers can prefer both user-designed and designer-designed products. However, the factors that moderate such preferences are not well understood. The authors posit power distance belief (PDB) as a moderator such that low-PDB consumers prefer user-designed to designer-designed products because they identify more with user-driven companies. In contrast, high-PDB consumers prefer designer-designed to user-designed products due to their stronger trust in designer-driven companies. Six studies examining power distance belief at both the country and individual levels provide convergent support for the proposed moderating effect of PDB and underlying mechanisms. Furthermore, the authors demonstrate that the interaction between design philosophy and PDB is more likely for low-complexity than high-complexity products.