Marcin Komor

Cross-Cultural Differences in the Effect of Received Word-of-Mouth Referral in Relational Service Exchange

Because of suggested beneficial effects of word-of-mouth (WOM) referral, service companies have invested large amounts of money in customer referral programs as well as programs aimed at fostering positive communication among their existing customers. The question of cross-cultural differences in the effectiveness of WOM has recently gained increased prominence. The authors contribute to research on this topic by proposing a positive effect of received WOM on service quality perceptions among existing customers. Moreover, they predict that cultural values moderate this effect. They test the model on 1910 bank customers in 11 countries. The results show that received WOM has a positive effect on customer service quality perceptions. Furthermore, received WOM has a stronger effect on the evaluation of customers in high-uncertainty-avoidance than in low-uncertainty-avoidance cultures. No other cultural value is a significant moderator. The results imply that received WOM is also important to existing customers and that managers should adjust their strategy of referral marketing to match their target groups uncertainty-avoidance level.

Drivers of Trust in Relational Service Exchange: Understanding the Importance of Cross-Cultural Differences

Customer trust is of vital importance for relationship marketing in services. Service providers increasingly market their services globally, yet few researchers have addressed differences in customer trust across cultures. Our research fills this void by proposing a model, based on existing trust literature, that suggests the overall feeling of trust in the service provider depends on customers’ beliefs about service providers’ ability, benevolence, predictability, and integrity. The model, tested in a banking context with data from 2,284 customers in 11 countries, explains trust well across culturally diverse countries. The results of a hierarchical linear model, however, show that customers differ in the way they build trust in their service provider across cultures. Moderating effects of the cultural values of the target group largely explain this variation. Only the effect of ability on trust is robust across countries. Global service firms should consider all four trust drivers when striving to build trust. The emphasis they put on each of these trust drivers, however, should differ across countries. When applying these principles to the design of marketing activities or market segmentation, marketing managers should collect data on the cultural values of their specific target groups in particular countries or cultural milieus.

How to Manage Person-Role Conflicts: Differential Effects of Transformational Leadership Dimensions and the Moderating Role of Individual Cultural Orientation

Veronika Selzer is Research Associate at the Department of Marketing and Innovation at University of Passau, Innstraße 27, 94032 Passau, Germany, E-Mail: veronika.selzer@ googlemail.com. * Corresponding Author. Jan H. Schumann is Professor of Marketing and Innovation at University of Passau, Innstraße 27, 94032 Passau, Germany, E-Mail: jan.schumann@ uni-passau.de. Marion Büttgen is Professor of Corporate Management at University of Hohenheim, Schwerzstraße 42, 70593 Stuttgart, Germany, E-Mail: buettgen@unihohenheim.de. Zelal Ates is Professor of Marketing at TH Köln – University of Applied Sciences, Schmalenbach School of Business and Economics, Claudiusstraße 1, 50678 Köln, Germany, E-Mail: zelal. ates@th-koeln.de. Julian Volz is Research Associate at the Department of Corporate Management at University of Hohenheim, Schwerzstraße 42, 70593 Stuttgart, Germany, E-Mail: julian.volz@porsche.de. Marcin Komor is Research Associate at the Department of Marketing at University of Economics in Katowice, ul. 1 Maja 50, 40–287 Katowice, Poland, E-Mail: komor@ue.katowice.pl. How to Manage Person-Role Conflicts: Differential Effects of Transformational Leadership Dimensions and the Moderating Role of Individual Cultural Orientation