Susan P. Douglas

Beyond national culture: implications of cultural dynamics for consumer research

Purpose – To develop a more thorough understanding of culture in a rapidly changing global environment.Design/methodology/approach – The recent literature dealing with ways in which cultural dynamics are influencing the nature and meaning of culture are examined. Different perspectives of culture related to three key components of culture, intangibles, material culture and communication, are explored. Based on this, directions for research on the content of culture are discussed as well as how it should be approached.Findings – Culture is becoming increasingly deterritorialized and penetrated by elements from other cultures. This is resulting in cultural contamination, cultural pluralism and hybridization. It has become more difficult to study culture as it is becoming diffuse. At the same time, it is becoming more important to study it because of its pervasive influence on consumer behavior.Research limitations/implications – Given that culture is no longer a phenomenon defined by and isolated to a parti...

Collaborative and Iterative Translation: An Alternative Approach to Back Translation

Back translation is the technique most commonly used to check the accuracy of translation in survey research. Although it results in a direct or literal translation, it does not address issues of conceptual equivalence. Furthermore, if it is not combined with pretesting, it does not address issues of comprehension and meaning to the respondent. This article discusses some of the problems of relying exclusively on back translation in isolation. It suggests the use of a collaborative, iterative approach for translating questionnaires for international marketing research.

On Improving the Conceptual Foundations of International Marketing Research

International marketing research plays a vital role as firms expand globally. Yet limited attention has been paid to the conceptual underpinnings of research needed to guide expansion. This article focuses on these issues and specifically examines the conceptual framework that guides research, the geographic units of analysis, and the constructs. The authors suggest two alternative approaches to organizing cross-cultural research: the adapted etic and the linked emic.

The changing dynamic of consumer behavior: implications for cross-cultural research

Abstract Consumer researchers are increasingly exploring and comparing behavior and cognitions in diverse national environments. However, research in this area is fraught with conceptual and methodological pitfalls. This paper examines the critical issue of defining the appropriate unit of analysis in cross-cultural research and proposes a new definition. Three alternative research designs for cross-cultural studies based on this definition are discussed. Each design relates to a different type of research issue and provides a different approach to dealing with the increasingly problematic issue of isolating the culti-unit from cultural contamination to rule out alternative explanations.

Conducting international marketing research in the twenty‐first century

As businesses expand further and further in international markets, the role of timely and accurate marketing research to guide decision making becomes increasingly critical. Research to support international marketing decisions has evolved over the past four decades and must change even more to support firms in the twenty‐first century. There are four key areas where progress must be made. First, international marketing research efforts need to be more closely aligned with market growth opportunities outside the industrialized nations. Second, researchers must develop the capability to conduct and coordinate research that spans diverse research environments. Third, international marketing researchers need to develop new creative approaches to probe the cultural underpinnings of behavior. Finally, technological advances need to be incorporated into the research process in order to facilitate and expedite research conducted across the globe.

Configural Advantage in Global Markets

Achieving a sustainable competitive advantage in global markets depends on the geographic scope and diversity of the firms operations and their interlinkage, as well as on the extent of market integration and interdependence. The spatial configuration of the firms assets, capabilities, and resources and the ability to manage and use these resources effectively are crucial elements of the firms global strategy. The authors examine the nature of a firms configural advantage in global markets in terms of its key components, capabilities, and management issues.

Integrating Branding Strategy Across Markets: Building International Brand Architecture

Brands play a critical role in establishing a firms visibility and position in international markets. Building a coherent international brand architecture is a key component of the firms overall international marketing strategy, because it provides a structure to leverage strong brands into other markets, assimilate acquired brands, and integrate strategy across markets. The authors examine the way firms have developed international brand architecture and the drivers that shape the architecture. The authors discuss implications for the design and management of the firms international brand architecture.

On the use of “borrowed” scales in cross‐national research: A cautionary note

Cross‐national studies may be flawed through “borrowing” scales used in domestic studies, without examining their relevance and equivalence in other countries and contexts. Examining construct equivalence is an essential first step in the design of cross‐national and multi‐country studies. An important aspect is examining the equivalence in meaning and salience of a construct in all countries or contexts studied. Unless this is established, erroneous or misleading conclusions about the nature and significance of the construct in that context are likely to result. The importance of examining construct equivalence in cross‐national research is illustrated, based on a series of studies applying the CETSCALE in The Netherlands.

Consumer World-Mindedness, Social-Mindedness, and Store Image

As advances in communications technology shrink the impact of geographic distance, consumers are likely to become more aware of and familiar with products and services in other parts of the world, as well as global social and ethical issues. Retailers have responded to these trends (termed here “consumer world-mindedness” and “consumer social-mindedness”) by adapting their positioning and product assortment. The authors develop measures of consumer world-mindedness and social-mindedness and examine their relationship to exposure to other cultures and store image using a survey of 191 consumers in the Netherlands. The authors examine images of three types of stores: the Body Shop, fair-trade stores, and a grocery store with an imported food products section. The results confirm that consumers’ exposure to foreign cultures increases consumer world-mindedness and social-mindedness and that both have a significant impact on store image. The authors conclude with a discussion of implications for retail and international marketing management.

DEVELOPING STRATEGIES FOR GLOBAL MARKETS: AN EVOLUTIONARY PERSPECTIVE

Abstract As the global landscape becomes populated by an increasingly diverse array of companies of different sizes, from different industries and of varied national origins, developing a strategy to compete effectively in global markets becomes ever more complex. How can companies of all kinds compete effectively in an increasingly diverse global landscape? The authors suggest that the appropriate response depends on a firms level of involvement in international markets: whether a firm is just entering international markets, is aggressively expanding its international presence or is attempting to rationalize far-flung global operations. Focusing on three different industries, processed foods, automobiles and motor scooters, the authors identify appropriate strategies for leveraging competitive advantage at each phase of international involvement. They show how three paramount tasks, learning, building and leading, must evolve through each phase.