Mark Cleveland

Cosmopolitanism, Consumer Ethnocentrism, and Materialism: An Eight-Country Study of Antecedents and Outcomes

Although there is a consensus that industries are globalizing, the notion that consumer attitudes and behaviors worldwide are likewise homogenizing remains disputed. Despite widespread discourse on this topic, there is a dearth of empirical investigations. This international research examines similarities and differences with respect to the nature of three consumer attitudinal dispositions: cosmopolitanism, consumer ethnocentrism, and materialism. The authors cross-culturally compare demographic antecedents with these dispositions, as well as behavioral outcomes. They test the validation of the construct measures and associated hypotheses using survey data drawn from consumers in eight countries and structural equation modeling techniques, including multigroup analysis. Empirical findings broadly support the cross-cultural applicability of the constructs, though the links to the various demographic antecedents vary considerably from sample to sample. The role of each construct on behavior also varies substantially across the range of product categories considered and across and between national groups.

Shades of green: linking environmental locus of control and pro‐environmental behaviors

Purpose – The purpose of this research was to examine the impact of various attitudes and personality characteristics on environmentally‐friendly behaviors, from a locus of control (LOC) perspective. Specifically, we developed and tested a model linking a related construct, environmental locus of control (ELOC), to a series of pro‐environmental behaviors.Design/methodology/approach – The context related to various personal and household behaviors vis‐a‐vis the environment, and the subject pool consisted of a diverse group of urban consumers. A survey was employed to measure various attitudinal and personality variables corresponding to internal/external locus of control, as well as a battery of pro‐environmental behaviors. The research propositions were tested using a structural equation modeling approach.Findings – We found four distinct dimensions of ELOC, two of which relate to an external LOC (“biospheric‐altruism” and “corporate skepticism”) and the other two relate to an internal LOC (“economic moti...

Service Quality Perceptions and Customer Satisfaction: Evaluating the Role of Culture

The authors examine the influence of culture on the measurement of service quality and satisfaction in dentists’ office settings. Respondents from the United States, Canada, and Japan participated in a 2 × 2 factorial experiment in which the authors manipulated both expectations (high/low) and service performance (high/low) in a series of scenarios. With partial metric invariance, latent mean comparisons revealed that regardless of expectations, Japanese respondents reported lower quality perceptions and satisfaction ratings when performance was high and higher satisfaction ratings when performance was low than did their U.S. and Canadian counterparts. Thus, there is some evidence that Japanese consumers are more conservative in their evaluations of superior service but are less critical (or more forgiving) of inferior service. The authors also discuss managerial implications and future research directions.

Gender differences in information search strategies for a Christmas gift

Examines the underlying determinants of in‐store information search for a Christmas clothing gift, specifically focusing on gender differences. Two non‐personal (general and specific) and one personal (sales clerk assistance) in‐store information search domains were obtained from the results of a survey of actual consumers carried out shortly after the Christmas season. Consistent with the predictions of the selectivity model, females appeared to comprehensively acquire in‐store information, whereas males appeared to heuristically limit their search to a smaller subset of in‐store information. More specifically, females scored significantly higher than males on indices of both general and specific information search. Females, compared to males, were also found to start Christmas shopping much earlier, purchase more gifts, and embark on a greater number of shopping trips. Other observed gender differences are discussed.

Identity, demographics, and consumer behaviors: International market segmentation across product categories

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to focus on two questions that are especially pertinent to international marketers. Is a strong ethnic identity (EID) generally incompatible with a globally‐oriented disposition (cosmopolitanism: COS), and to what extent is the EID‐COS relationship stable across cultures and countries? What roles do EID and COS play on consumer behavior alongside key demographic variables, and how do these relationships vary across countries and across consumption contexts?Design/methodology/approach – Using a sample of consumers drawn from eight countries, this study identifies and compares bases for international market segmentation. The antecedent roles of EID, COS, and the four demographics variables on the behaviors associated with nine product categories are examined.Findings – The findings imply that consumers are complementing an identity rooted in their traditional culture with one that is globally‐oriented. The roles played by demographic and psychographic variables varied ...

“I” versus “we”: How individualists and collectivists use information sources to formulate their service expectations

Purpose – To examine the impact of culture on customer service expectations, specifically, how individualists and collectivists use internal and external sources of information to formulate their service expectations.Design/methodology/approach – The context was the airline industry and the subject pool consisted of experienced consumers. A survey was employed to measure individualism/collectivism, various internal/external information sources, and the functional and technical dimensions of “should” and “will” service expectations. Hypothesized relationships were tested using a structural equations modeling approach.Findings – Both individualists and collectivists relied more on external information sources in formulating their service expectations, gave variable weight to the functional and technical components, and used more realistic “will” expectations to judge service offerings. Internal (external) information sources were relatively more important in forming expectations for collectivists (individua...

Global vs local brands: how home country bias and price differences impact brand evaluations

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to re-conceptualize the distinction between global and local brands, providing a more comprehensive framework, which considers both geographical distribution and ownership. It examines main and interactive effects of consumers’ perceptions of these factors, and studies how ethnocentrism (CET) and price affect brand evaluations, considering a range of price difference thresholds. Design/methodology/approach – A preliminary study (n=243) examined main and interaction effects of brand globalness and ownership on consumers’ brand quality attitudes and purchase intentions in four different product categories. The main study (n=558) further explored brand ownership effects by examining the interaction of CET and price differences. Findings – The preliminary study confirmed the distinctiveness of brand globalness and ownership. Consumers evaluated global (vs non-global) brands more positively, regardless of brand ownership (local vs foreign). The main study found that effec...

The Critical Role of Congruency in Prototypical Brand Extensions

Drawing on categorization theory, this empirical study focuses on the critical role of congruency in prototypical brand extensions. A survey, measuring reactions to 18 proposed extensions involving six well‐known brands (Xerox, Kleenex, Band‐Aid, Scotch Tape, Coke, Sony Walkman), was administered to a sample of graduate students. For each prototypical brand, there were three proposed extensions: congruent, moderately congruent, and incongruent. Preliminary analyses, using a series of MANOVAs and post hoc pairwise difference tests, revealed robust variations across the six brands with respect to the level of extension congruency. Using multiple‐item indicators for three latent constructs (attitude towards parent brand, extension fit, and extension success) along with two additional variables (prototypicality and manufacturing complexity), we developed and tested three structural equation models linking these aforementioned variables, for congruent, moderately congruent, and incongruent extensions. Results indicate that—irrespective of the level of extension congruency—perceptions of fit had the strongest influence on extension success. However, while parent brand affect directly and indirectly influenced success for congruent brand extensions, these parent‐brand associations played no significant role for moderately congruent and incongruent brand extensions. Implications for brand managers and directions for future research are also discussed.

The Intersection of Global Consumer Culture and National Identity and the Effect on Japanese Consumer Behavior

ABSTRACT Acculturation research has mostly focused on the experiences of ethnic minorities, but nowadays global forces are shaping mainstream societies. How does exposure to global consumer culture (GCC) combine with a social identity drawing from nationality to impact consumer behavior? Using multidimensional measures for national ethnic identity and acculturation to GCC (AGCC), we investigate cultural relationships with an array of consumer attitudes and behaviors, focusing on Japan: an economically advanced country but with a non-Western and ethnically homogeneous people. AGCC positively (negatively) associated with materialism (consumer ethnocentrism); whereas Japanese ethnic identity positively associated with materialism. The behavioral impact of the cultural constructs was complex, varying substantially across 71 behaviors grouped into several product categories, whereby four broad acculturation patterns are discernible. Based on relative degrees of Japanese ethnic identity and AGCC, four consumer segments were revealed.

Attitude accessibility, certainty and the attitude—behaviour relationship: an empirical study of ad repetition and competitive interference effects

This empirical study considers the influence of both advertising repetition and brand share on attitudes, attitude accessibility, attitude certainty, and the overall attitude-behaviour (a-b) relationship in the context of television advertisements. Levels of ad exposure and target brand market share were manipulated. Similar to earlier research, ad repetition was found to benefit attitude accessibility only for the low brand share target products. Differential patterns of attitude accessibility were obtained between the competition (reverse U-shape) and no-competition (U-shape) conditions, across increasing levels of ad exposures. Surprisingly, little support was found for the notion that attitude accessibility exerts a strong influence on purchase intentions. Some evidence, however, was found to support the proposition that attitude certainty plays a role in the a-b relationship. Directions for future research are also proposed.