No abstract

This article investigates the influence of French and American national culture on consumer perceptions of product-related value. Employing means-end theory, hypotheses are developed to predict how French versus American national culture influences the content and structure of consumer value hierarchies. Hypotheses are tested using data from in-depth laddering interviews with a matched sample of French and American consumers. The findings support the contention that differences exist in the meaning and relative importance of consumer value hierarchy dimensions across the two national cultures. Furthermore, the analysis suggests that consumption consequences are especially culturally sensitive.

Purpose -To examine precisely how service process and service outcome are related to service quality and customer satisfaction evaluations, and to look for consistent patterns in the relationships between these four concepts. Design/methodology/approach -A theoretical framework is proposed to suggest links between the four concepts. The study is conducted in the real estate industry, and the focus is on home sellers' evaluations of the real estate agent's service. In-depth interviews and a short survey are used to collect the data. A combination of content analysis and statistical tests is used to look for patterns in the data. Findings -As proposed, process factors are closely linked with service quality, and outcome factors are closely linked with customer satisfaction. Also, as proposed, service quality evaluations precede customer satisfaction for normal service evaluations, but the opposite causal order is found for extreme service evaluations.Research limitations/implications -The study is conducted in the USA and is based on a relatively small sample, but sufficient for qualitative (and simple statistical) analysis. The differential links proposed and found between the four concepts advance researchers' understanding of the basis for service evaluations. Practical implications -Managers can focus more on either service process or service outcome based on their specific objectives and/or resource constraints in different situations. Originality/value -It is the first study to propose and empirically support the idea that service process is closely linked with service quality evaluations, whereas service outcome is closely linked with customer satisfaction evaluations.

This conceptual paper argues that the emergence of Internet commerce is presenting a significant challenge to traditional internationalization explanations. Given rapid accessibility to customers and suppliers around the world, businesses appear to be turning towards networks of cooperation rather than external control structures. International supply chain management is proposed as a process of internationalization representing the implementation of a global uncertainty-driven new network orientation. A network orientation is proposed to encourage more integrated levels of I-commerce adoption which, in turn, further strengthens the relationship between a network orientation and its implementation. A number of propositions are presented along with a discussion of future research issues.

Although consumer consumption occurs globally, the value that consumers perceive from buying and using a product or service likely differs across cultures. We show that consumer perceptions of product/service value are determined not only by intrinsic dispositions, but also by internalized cultural values and norms, and external contextual factors. This article conceptually examines how and where culture influences consumer value. Following a review of the literature on consumer value and culture, we offer an integrative model that conceptualizes culture as a metaphorical lens influencing the meaning and relative importance of the content and structure of a consumer’s means-end value hierarchy. We discuss the implications for a future research program.