M. Meral Anitsal

Revisiting Word-of-Mouth Communications: A Cross-National Exploration

This study explores the internal motivational factors that influence U.S. and Chinese consumers to initiate word-of-mouth (WOM) communication in the majority market. The study found several new motivational factors not previously discussed in the WOM literature, including the three dimensions of altruism, seeking retaliation, seeking compensation, and seeking bargaining power. Both the common and different influencers of WOM between the two cultural settings found in this study could help marketers further explore the role of WOM while considering the standardization versus adaptation strategies in their global advertising and promotion campaigns across the two nations.

Technology-Based Self-Service: Issues For Retail Management And Research

This conceptual paper reviews the place of technology in services marketing and technology-based self-services (TBSS) in a general classification schema for services. This is followed by a discussion of benefits and challenges of TBSS for retailers. Finally, a research agenda, which incorporates company, customer, employee and technology point of views is presented.