– The purpose of this study is to examine cross-cultural differences in the use of visual tangible cues in local corporate Web sites of six nations.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine cross-cultural differences in the use of visual tangible cues in local corporate Web sites of six nations.
Design/methodology/approach
A quantitative content analysis was used to obtain a numerically based summary of visual tangible cues utilized in 207 Web sites of global service corporations.
Findings
A clear pattern of differences was observed in the major visual functions (literal vs symbolic), the use of photographs vs illustrations and the utilization of interactive elements between two groups of nations. Eastern visuals tend to rely more on symbolic visuals performing association function, mixed use of photographs and illustrations and customer endorsement, whereas Western visuals are more likely to perform literal functions, use photographs and feature customer–employee interactions.
Practical implications
International services marketers who are planning a global campaign on the Web can benefit by using differentiated visual strategies, which reflect unique cultural characteristics of a target market.
Originality/value
This study adds a new contribution to an international account of Web services advertising in maintaining a comprehensive understanding of contemporary use of visual tangibles cues. It could benefit global services advertisers with both practical and theoretical implications, for no systematic studies have ever touched the visualization strategies on the Web.
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The purpose of this study is to examine cross‐cultural differences in gender role portrayals in web ads in Korea and the USA on the basis of Hofstede's masculinity dimension.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine cross‐cultural differences in gender role portrayals in web ads in Korea and the USA on the basis of Hofstede's masculinity dimension.
Design/methodology/approach
A quantitative content analysis was employed to obtain a numerically‐based summary of different themes and roles portrayed by women and men in 400 web ads.
Findings
A greater percentage of Korean ads featured characters in relationship themes, featured women as a main character, and portrayed them in family and recreational roles. To a large extent, the results validate the use of Hofstede's taxonomy, supporting the application of “masculinity” framework into the determination of appropriate advertising appeals‐related to gender roles.
Practical implications
International advertisers who are planning a global campaign for their gender‐related consumer products can benefit by locating the target country's position on Hofstede's masculinity index and using it as a guideline for creating visual images of main characters in the ads.
Originality/value
This study adds a new contribution to an international account of web advertising in maintaining a comprehensive understanding of contemporary gender role portrayals. It could benefit international advertisers with both practical and theoretical implications, for no systematic studies have ever touched the gender‐role issue with web advertising yet.
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Malte Brettel and Andrea Spilker‐Attig
The internet has gained enormous importance as an advertising medium. At the same time, the question of marketing accountability has become one of the top areas of research for…
Abstract
Purpose
The internet has gained enormous importance as an advertising medium. At the same time, the question of marketing accountability has become one of the top areas of research for researchers and practitioners who aim at optimal marketing budget allocations. This paper aims to show that national culture has an impact on how consumer behavior is influenced by online advertising.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper compares the effectiveness of internet advertising in the USA and France by analyzing a real data sample with more than 1.2 million transactions using partial least squares and structural equation modeling.
Findings
It is found that on‐demand channels have a stronger effect on short‐term success than push‐channels and that this effect is strongly moderated by the culture. It is recommended that spending and efforts in the various advertising channels be adjusted to reflect the product offered and the customers to whom it is offered, as customers in both countries should be targeted by advertising in different ways. The channel effectiveness of affiliate price comparison sites and search engines has significantly different impacts on customer behavior in the USA and France.
Originality/value
Until now, most companies have utilized a suboptimal allocation of resources to advertising channels because of missing and misleading data. Focusing on this problem, the paper suggests that advertisers apply the methodology to identify the total effect of clicks in each advertising channel. Combining these total effects with the associated costs allows practitioners to optimize their online advertising spending.
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Dong Ling Xu‐Priour and Gérard Cliquet
The purpose of this paper is to examine the hypotheses about whether the effects of consumer enjoyment shopping experience, derived from seven aspects of recreational shopping…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the hypotheses about whether the effects of consumer enjoyment shopping experience, derived from seven aspects of recreational shopping (i.e. social aspects of retail environment, service quality, browsing, bargain hunting, social interaction, enduring involvement and brand experience) on consumer attitude towards stores channels are comparable between France and Chinese cosmetic shoppers.
Design/methodology/approach
To achieve this objective, a questionnaire of 500 French and 480 Chinese working females were conducted. Both the convergence and habituation theories were applied.
Findings
Results of the multiple regression analysis support the above assumptions and suggest that customer enjoyment shopping experience and its relation with consumer attitudes towards store channels in China tends to be more in line with those in developed countries.
Research limitations/implications
The findings presented are the views of women's in‐store enjoyment shopping experiences in two cities in French and Chinese cosmetic markets. To ensure the generalizability of the findings, other products, consumer groups and regions (i.e. Indian etc.) can be envisaged.
Practical implications
Multinational retailers and cosmetics vendors have to recognize these customer enjoyment shopping experiences in both retail settings. In particular in the Chinese retail market, to improve these experiences so as to achieve positive consumer attitude towards retail outlets and finally strike the deal in this numerous market.
Originality/value
This paper is the first to employ convergent and habituation theory to examine the stability or change of the aforesaid relation between China and France. Hence, it adds to international marketing theory concerning the usefulness of these growing important theories in explaining the comparability between developed countries and developing ones in relation between constructs.
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Muhammad Ibrahim Abdullah, Dechun Huang, Muddassar Sarfraz, Junaid Naseer and Muhammad Waqas Sadiq
Organizations are facing several challenges in the current challenging business environment. The current study explores how counterproductive work behavior (CWB) affects…
Abstract
Purpose
Organizations are facing several challenges in the current challenging business environment. The current study explores how counterproductive work behavior (CWB) affects bio-medical companies' firm performance in Pakistan. The study considers the mediating role of organizational culture and its impact on CWB and a firm's performance.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire. For data collection, 300 questionnaires were distributed among employees working in biomedical companies. Statistical analysis such as descriptive statistics, Pearson moment correlation and structural equation modeling (SEM) techniques was used to analyze the study variable's relationship and its effect on the firm's performance.
Findings
The study results revealed that CWB and organizational culture significantly influence firm performance directly and indirectly. Moreover, organizational culture partially mediates the relationship between CWB and companies' performance.
Originality/value
The current study plays a significant role in the firm's policy directions. There are limited research and information accessible to biomedical firms in Pakistan. Counterproductive job habits wind up becoming something that significantly affects the firm performance. This research adds to human resource management, corporate management and the business strategy literature.
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Sujun Dong, Fanchao Meng, Dechun Guo and Hongling Kang
The time of tightly coupled transient calculation and the accuracy of conventional loosely coupled algorithm make it difficult to meet the engineering design requirements for…
Abstract
Purpose
The time of tightly coupled transient calculation and the accuracy of conventional loosely coupled algorithm make it difficult to meet the engineering design requirements for long-term conjugate heat transfer (CHT) problems. The purpose of this paper is to propose a new loosely coupled algorithm with sufficient accuracy and less calculation time on the basis of the quasi-steady flow field. Through this algorithm, it will be possible to reduce the update frequency of the flow field and devise a strategy by which to reasonably determine the update steps.
Design/methodology/approach
In this paper, the new algorithm updates the flow field by solving the steady governing equations in the fluid region and by calculating the transient temperature distribution until the next update of the fluid flow, by means of solving the transient energy equations in the entire computational domain. The authors propose a strategy by which to determine the update step, by using the engineering empirical formula of the Nusselt number, on the basis of the changes of the inlet and outlet boundary conditions.
Findings
Taking a duct heated by an inner forced air flow heating process as an example, the comparison results for the tightly coupled transient calculation by Fluent software shows that the new algorithm is able to significantly reduce the calculation time of the transient temperature distribution with reasonable accuracy. For example, the respective computing times are reduced to 22.8 and 40 per cent, while the duct wall temperature deviations are 7 and 5 per cent, using the two flow update time steps of 100 and 50 s on the variable inlet-flow rate conditions.
Originality/value
The new algorithm outlined in this paper further improves the calculated performance and meets the engineering design requirements for long-term CHT problems.
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Quangdung Tran and Dechun Huang
This study focused on investigation of the critical challenges the general contractors are facing in executing green building (GB) projects in Vietnam.
Abstract
Purpose
This study focused on investigation of the critical challenges the general contractors are facing in executing green building (GB) projects in Vietnam.
Design/methodology/approach
The study conducted a literature review and three in-depth interviews to define 31 potential challenges hindering success of GB projects. Data was collected from 163 respondents through the questionnaire survey and was analyzed by the mean ranking technique, EFA and PLS-SEM.
Findings
The result found general contractors in Vietnam are facing the four components of challenges, namely “Planning activities-related challenges”, “Organizational activities-related challenges”, “Onsite management and control activities-related challenges” and “Green supply chain-related challenges”; and all of them have statistically significant effects on success of GB projects in Vietnam. Furthermore, the most dominant component was related to the non-readiness of external GB supply chain.
Practical implications
The findings suggest for practical measures to enhance success of GB projects in Vietnam, including (1) completing the system of legal regulations and technical codes, standards, guidelines on GB, (2) providing incentive policies to promote the R&D activities on GB and (3) providing educational programs to improve the awareness and capacity on GB in domestic construction organizations, especially medium and small subcontractors.
Originality/value
This study seeks to gain a better understanding on critical challenges hindering success of green building projects under the view point of general contractors with reference to the context of Vietnam – a developing economy. This study is the first study to identify potential challenges and evaluate the impact of the key components of challenges on success of GB projects.
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Stephen Akunyumu, Frank D.K. Fugar, Emmanuel Adinyira and James Cofie Danku
There is an urgent need for the construction industry to improve its current performance to increase productivity and satisfy the complex and varying needs of project clients. To…
Abstract
Purpose
There is an urgent need for the construction industry to improve its current performance to increase productivity and satisfy the complex and varying needs of project clients. To be successful, construction companies must innovate. Unfortunately, the extant literature has revealed some inertia towards innovation which in several cases is because of lack of the organisational readiness required to embrace innovation. Various models for assessing organisational readiness are proposed in the literature. Accordingly, the purpose of this paper is to determine the applicability of existing models for assessing the readiness of construction organisations to innovate.
Design/methodology/approach
A desk study of the extant literature was conducted to identify perspectives of readiness assessment and, based on a comparative framework, a set of readiness assessment models identified was examined to ascertain their perspectives on organisational readiness assessment.
Findings
Five models/tools of organisational readiness assessments were identified and compared based on a set of identified criteria. The comparative analysis revealed that three of the models can be used to assess the readiness of construction organisations to innovate, albeit with varied scopes of modification.
Practical implications
The paper presents an overview of readiness assessment perspectives developed through models that could help organisations in selecting the most appropriate tool to assess their readiness.
Originality/value
The paper uses a comparative framework as a basis for analysing the identified models. It further discusses the strengths and weaknesses inherent in each model noting critical areas of omission.
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Md. Zahidul Islam, M. Muzamil Naqshbandi, Makhmoor Bashir and Nurul Amirah Ishak
This study aims to develop a framework that demonstrates the role of social capital in alleviating knowledge hiding behaviour in organisations while also considering the…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to develop a framework that demonstrates the role of social capital in alleviating knowledge hiding behaviour in organisations while also considering the moderating roles of perceived organisational politics and the perceived value of knowledge in this process.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conducted a systematic literature review of research papers on the topic of knowledge hiding to develop a framework for mitigating knowledge hiding.
Findings
This paper conceptualises social capital into three interrelated dimensions (e.g. structural, cognitive and relational). Based on the findings of the review, all the three social capital dimensions can potentially mitigate an individual’s propensity towards knowledge hiding. Additionally, the paper integrates two potential moderators: perceived organisational politics and perceived value of knowledge, which could undermine the outcomes of social capital in mitigating knowledge hiding.
Research limitations/implications
Although the proposed framework may provide preliminary insights to practitioners and scholars, one of its key limitations is that it is conceptual. Future empirical research is needed to validate the proposed framework.
Originality/value
Existing research has focused on studying the antecedents and consequences of knowledge hiding. However, scant scholarly work explores how such behaviour can be mitigated. This paper addresses this gap and contributes to understanding how organisations can alleviate the prevalence of knowledge hiding by developing their social capital and by focusing on contextual factors.