Sevgin A. Eroglu

Measuring a multi-dimensional construct: Country image

Abstract This study presents the procedures and results obtained in developing a scale to measure the multi-dimensional construct of country image. This effort intends to serve two purposes. First, it is likely to explicate many aspects of how product evaluations are affected by country image and, therefore, has theoretical as well as managerial implications. Second, a valid operational measure may help resolve some of the methodological and conceptual issues raised in the area of country of origin effects research. Tests of internal reliability and validity were conducted across different countries and samples to assess the strength of the final 14-item scale. The results imply that constructs used in international marketing research are scalable and that they can meet precise measurement criteria.

Describing and Measuring Emotional Response to Shopping Experience

Abstract Research has shown that shopping environments can evoke emotional responses in consumers and that such emotions, in turn, influence shopping behaviors and outcomes. This article broadens our understanding of emotions within the shopping context in two ways. First, it provides a descriptive account of emotions consumers feel across a variety of shopping environments. Second, it empirically compares the three emotion measures most frequently used in marketing to determine which best captures the various emotions shoppers experience. The results indicate that the broad range of emotions felt in the shopping context vary considerably across different retail environments. They also show that the Izard (Izard, C. E.: Human Emotions, Plenum, New York. 1977) and Plutchik (Plutchik, R.: Emotion: A Psychoevolutionary Synthesis, Harper and Row, New York. 1980) measures outperform the Mehrabian and Russell (Mehrabian, A., and Russell, J. A.: An Approach to Environmental Psychology, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA. 1974) measure by offering a richer assessment of emotional responses to the shopping experience.

Human Versus Spatial Dimensions of Crowding Perceptions in Retail Environments: A Note on Their Measurement and Effect on Shopper Satisfaction

Perceived retail crowding was originally conceptualized as having two dimensions, but subsequent empirical work in marketing has treated the construct unidimensionally. This paper reports a series of lab and field studies that examine the dimensionality of the construct and its relationship to store satisfaction. Two alternative crowding measures are tested. Results suggest that perceived retail crowding has distinct human and spatial dimensions that affect satisfaction differently.

The Internationalization Process of Franchise Systems: A Conceptual Model

Presents a conceptual model that examines the determinants of the internationalization process of franchise systems. The basic assumption of the model is that the internationalization decision is essentially a cost/benefit assessment that is filtered through the perceptions of top management. Consequently, the central constructs of the model are perceived risk and perceived benefits which are shaped by a set of organizational and environmental factors, and which, in turn, determine the strengths of intentions to internationalize.

Effects of Individual and Product‐specific Variables on Utilising Country of Origin as a Product Quality Cue

This article advances the country of origin research stream by addressing some of the theoretical and methodological issues given as limitations in past studies. A conceptual model based on the cue paradigm was developed to investigate the relative impact of country of origin as a quality indicator in a causal framework. Results indicate that the country of origin cue is indeed a significant indicator of product quality; however, its relative effect varies by product category as well as by certain individual and product variables.

Do Australian and American consumers differ in their perceived shopping experiences

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present findings from an experiment designed to test the impact of crowding perceptions (both human and spatial), emotions (positive and negative) and shopping values (utilitarian and hedonic) on shopper satisfaction. Culture is explored as a moderating variable with the expectation that it systematically affects perceptions and values, which, in turn, influence the shoppers experience with the store.Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected via a 2×2×2 full factorial between subjects design with two variables, one manipulated and one measured. The two manipulated variables were spatial density (high versus low) and human density (high versus low). The measured variable was country of origin, where subjects were coded as either American or Australian.Findings – Culture moderates the effects of perceived spatial crowding as well as both hedonic and utilitarian shopping values on shopper satisfaction. Specifically, the adverse effect of perceived spatial cr...

Modeling consumers' choice behavior: an application in banking

The study proposes and tests a model of consumer bank choice behavior in a south eastern city in the USA, based on the economics of information theory. The model expands the domain of inquiry beyond the initial level attributes to the first‐order latent construct and the second‐order (composite) levels. Results suggest that consumer bank choice behavior can be represented as a global construct with three viable components (search, credence and experience) and provide implications for bank managers.

Intangible Resources and Plural Form as Drivers of Franchise Internationalization: Examination within a Two‐Country Perspective

This study focuses on drivers of franchise network internationalization, namely, intangible resources and plural form. Intangible resources refer to those that the franchisor acquires over time and are deemed instrumental to firm success, namely, brand name, monitoring, and know‐how transfer abilities. Plural form refers to the coexistence of franchised outlets and company‐owned outlets within the same network. The empirical study involves 853 U.S. and rench networks. Findings indicate that the percentage of company‐owned outlets in international networks is lower than that in purely domestic networks, and this holds for both the combined data sample (nited tates and rance) and the U.S. sample on its own. Moreover, U.S. franchisors are shown to be much more internationalized, with a smaller percentage of company‐owned outlets than their rench counterparts. The intangible resource that most strongly affects franchise internationalization is brand‐name recognition, whereas there is partial support for the impact of two other intangible resources, namely, monitoring and know‐how transfer ability. The results of the logistic regression models underscore the importance of intangible resources in franchise network internationalization as well as the significant and negative impact of percentage of company‐owned outlets. Finally, the drivers of internationalization are not found to be statistically different between both countries.

Gender Effects on Relational and Core Service Dimensions of Hotel Choice Decisions

Abstract The study proposes and tests a model of hotel choice behavior based on the economics of information theory which incorporates relational and core service experiences as well as search attributes. The model expands the domain of inquiry beyond the initial level attributes to the higher order latent construct and composite levels. Results suggest that hotel choice behavior of male and female guests can be represented as a global construct with three viable components. Implications of the results are discussed.

Bank choice behavior of small and medium‐sized construction firms

A model of bank choice behavior for small and medium‐sized firms in the construction industry is developed and tested. The results suggest that bank choice behavior of homebuilders can be represented as a global construct with three viable components: search, credence and experience. The model allows for a comprehensive examination of the relationships between commercial banks and homebuilders. Implications for bank managers are discussed.