John V. Petrof

Values and adoption of innovations: a cross‐cultural study

The adoption process for new products varies from one individual to another according to socio‐economic and demographic characteristics. This article focuses on cultural values because an individual’s inclination to adopt a new product is also influenced by his system of values. The advantage of using values to explain innovativeness is that this variable transcends national, cultural and social boundaries. In order to determine the influence of values on adoption, this study utilizes a multicultural research framework consisting of consumers living in a large metropolitan area and coming from three distinct cultural groups: business school students from Quebec, France and North Africa. The results of this study suggest that individual values have a significant impact on consumers’ inclinations to adopt new products. In multi‐ethnic heterogeneous markets, segmenting consumers according to their values should be an important tool in the strategic kit of marketing managers.

The influence of the school of business on the values of its students

This study indicates that schools of business influence the personal values of their students. Current management education produces individuals who have ego-centered rather than society or other-centered values. Given this framework the authors raise the question, “Do business schools produce the type of manager that is needed in the future?”

The Influence of Values on New Product Adoption: A Cross-Cultural Study

An innovation can be defined as a creation by a business firm directed to a particular social system. Since its diffusion in the market largely depends on its adoption by consumers, one may also describe innovation not as an essentially technological phenomenon, but rather as an event of a psycho-social nature because those are the keys to its success or failure.