Lianxi Zhou

Brand familiarity and confidence as determinants of purchase intention: An empirical test in a multiple brand context

Abstract Building on previous research, this article examines the relationships among brand familiarity, confidence in brand evaluations, brand attitudes, and purchase intention. The empirical results from structural equation modeling show that familiarity with a brand influences a consumers confidence toward the brand, which in turn affects his/her intention to buy the same brand. In addition, a consumers attitude toward a specific brand is affected by his/her familiarity with the brand. These causal relationships are tested in a multiple brand context.

A dimension‐specific analysis of performance‐only measurement of service quality and satisfaction in China's retail banking

This study examines specific dimensions of the performance‐only measurement of service quality (SERVPERF) as determinants of consumer satisfaction and subsequent behavioral intentions associated with banking services in mainland China. Empirical support for the predictive ability of context‐dependent service quality dimensions is presented. Our results extend and enhance the validity of the performance‐only approach to service quality through the focus on the multidimensional facets of the SERVPERF scale, a direct link between context‐dependent dimensions of service quality and consumer satisfaction, and its application in an international setting. Strategic issues in managing service quality with retail banks in the Chinese market are identified and discussed.

Entrepreneurial firms in the context of China's transition economy: an integrative framework and empirical examination

Abstract Investigating corporate entrepreneurship in an emerging economy of China, this research proposes and substantiates an integrative framework that characterizes determinants for corporate entrepreneurship (institutional, organization-specific, and strategic market factors) and consequences of entrepreneurship (sales growth and market share performance). Our empirical results indicate that internationalization, firm size and age, and market orientation all impact on the practice of corporate entrepreneurship, which in turn contributes to superior performance. Empirically, this paper provides initial evidence demonstrating the multifaceted determinants of corporate entrepreneurship in a transition economy. Our findings suggest that the Chinese firms appear to be integrating institutional changes and market-oriented activities to facilitate organizational growth.

Country‐of‐manufacture effects for known brands

This paper examines the differential effects of country‐of‐manufacture information on product beliefs and attitudes for brands with different levels of brand equity. Results show that when there is congruence between brand origin and country of manufacture (e.g. a Sony television that is made in Japan), the latter information has no significant effect on product beliefs and global product attitude. When country‐of‐manufacture information indicates that a branded product is made in a country with a less reputable image than that of the brand origin (e.g. a Sony television that is made in Mexico), the information produces more negative effects on product evaluations for low equity brands than high equity brands. These results can be attributed to two different perceptual processes through which incongruent country‐of‐manufacture information affects product evaluations for brands with different levels of brand equity.

The Effects of Early Internationalization on Performance Outcomes in Young International Ventures: The Mediating Role of Marketing Capabilities

In an emerging market context, this article examines the impact of early international market entry on marketing capability development and performance outcomes in young and small entrepreneurial firms. The authors identify the importance of marketing capabilities and the boundary conditions associated with international commitment, as well as the type of international market entered (developed vs. emerging market), to determine performance outcomes in early internationalization. With survey data from more than 300 senior managers in China, the results indicate that early foreign market entry enhances a young ventures marketing capabilities, which in turn leads to international growth. The findings also reveal that young ventures tend to be in a better position to improve their marketing capabilities when their senior management demonstrates a high level of commitment to foreign markets. Furthermore, the impact of marketing capabilities on the performance outcomes of early internationalization seems more salient among ventures that target developed, rather than emerging, foreign markets. Theoretically, through the lens of organizational learning and the development of marketing capabilities, this article contributes to the study of international new ventures by demonstrating that marketing capabilities serve as enabling factors that help young international ventures mitigate their liabilities of foreignness to achieve international performance outcomes.

Determinants and outcomes of relationship quality : a conceptual model and empirical investigation

Abstract This study examines service quality and customer satisfaction as determinants of relationship quality, and the impact of relationship quality on key relational outcomes (customer loyalty and customer commitment). Based on the literature, we develop hypotheses linking relationship quality, service quality, customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, and customer commitment. Three alternative models were compared and tested using empirical data collected in a consumer sample in a retail chain departmental store setting in Australia. The findings suggest that the inclusion of the relationship quality construct in the service quality-satisfaction model can further enhance the predictive value of service quality and customer satisfaction.

Linking Product Evaluations and Purchase Intention for Country-of-Origin Effects

Abstract This paper reports an experimental study concerned with the observed inconsistency between evaluative and behavioral data for country-of-origin (COO) effects. This issue is addressed by specifying conceptual relationships among three criterion variables-consumer evaluations of product quality, perceived product value, and purchase intention in the context of COO effects. The results showed that COO information had a direct effect on overall product evaluation and an indirect effect (through product evaluation) on perceived product value, which in turn determined purchase intention. In addition, purchase intention was also directly affected by brand name and price factors, but not by COO. Moreover, it was also revealed that COO and brand name had a similar impact on overall product evaluation. On the whole, this study suggests that it may be premature to claim less significant importance and role of COO information in influencing purchase intentions or behaviors. Rather, the exact nature of COO effects for behavioral consequences might be much more complex than what has been assumed in most previous studies. The present investigation represents an initial effort in providing empirical evidence of how COO information may impact evaluative and behavioral variables differently in the consumer decision process. Managerial implications of this study are discussed.

Asymmetric effects of brand origin confusion: Evidence from the emerging market of China

Purpose – The purpose of this study investigates the asymmetric effects of brand origin confusion (BOC) on consumer preference and the purchase of local versus foreign brands in China. Drawing on the general country‐of‐origin (COO) literature and recent developments in brand‐origin studies and the emerging market phenomenon globally, it proposes and test a model of the asymmetric effects of BOC on consumer preference and the purchase of local versus foreign brands in China. This study intends to help to explain from a new angle the decreasing competitiveness of foreign brands in emerging markets, such as China.Design/methodology/approach – The study pretest on nationally distributed brands across seven product categories resulted in a final set of 67 brands: 35 foreign and 32 local. Four hundred respondents evaluated measures related to brand origin, brand awareness, brand value, brand preference, and brand purchases in the previous six months. Hierarchical regression analysis was used in data analysis.Fi...

Social entrepreneurship in a transitional economy: A critical assessment of rural Chinese entrepreneurial firms

Purpose – This paper aims to examine the institutional and social determinants, and consequences of social entrepreneurship with respect to Chinas rural enterprises. It also attempts to provide a conceptual framework concerning how rural Chinese enterprises act as social entrepreneurial institutions and contribute to both business development and social welfare of local communities.Design/methodology/approach – The conceptual framework is developed through a critical review of literature and an integration of multiple disciplinary studies, with a focus on the perspectives of institutional governance, managerial networks, and market orientation.Findings – The study identifies three framework layers for the development of Chinas rural enterprises, which are fundamentally driven by market preserving authoritarianism, local state corporatism, community culture, social entrepreneurship and market orientation.Practical implications – The proposed framework can help contribute to the theoretical development of...

Chinese Ethnic Identification and Conspicuous Consumption

Abstract This study is an investigation of the moderating and mediating effect of acculturation dimensions on the relationship between Chinese identification and conspicuous consumption by ethnic Chinese consumers in Canada. The research site was Toronto, Canada. A survey methodology was applied and a total of 254 Chinese Canadian respondents participated. The results revealed a strong relationship between Chinese identification and conspicuous consumption. Some mediating effect of two acculturation dimensions on the proposed relationship was also found in this study.