Browsing by Author "Jan H. Schumann"

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    Cross-cultural differences in the effect of received word-of-mouth referral in relational service exchange
    (2010-09-20) Jan H. Schumann; Florian V. Wangenheim; Anne Stringfellow; Zhilin Yang; Vera Blazevic; Sandra Praxmarer; G. Shainesh; Marcin Komor; Randall M. Shannon; Fernando R. Jiménez; Technical University of Munich; Department of Global Marketing; Thunderbird School of Global Management; City University of Hong Kong; Marketing Program; Rheinisch-Westfalische Technische Hochschule Aachen; Maastricht University; Universitat Bamberg; Indian Institute of Management Bangalore; University of Economics in Katowice; Mahidol University; University of Texas at El Paso
    Because of suggested beneficial effects of word-of-mouth (WOM) referral, service companies have invested large amounts of money in customer referral programs as well as programs aimed at fostering positive communication among their existing customers. The question of cross-cultural differences in the effectiveness of WOM has recently gained increased prominence. The authors contribute to research on this topic by proposing a positive effect of received WOM on service quality perceptions among existing customers. Moreover, they predict that cultural values moderate this effect. They test the model on 1910 bank customers in 11 countries. The results show that received WOM has a positive effect on customer service quality perceptions. Furthermore, received WOM has a stronger effect on the evaluation of customers in high-uncertainty- avoidance than in low-uncertainty-avoidance cultures. No other cultural value is a significant moderator. The results imply that received WOM is also important to existing customers and that managers should adjust their strategy of referral marketing to match their target group's uncertainty-avoidance level. © 2010, American Marketing Association.
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    Drivers of trust in relational service exchange: Understanding the importance of cross-cultural differences
    (2010-11-01) Jan H. Schumann; Florian V. Wangenheim; Anne Stringfellow; Zhilin Yang; Sandra Praxmarer; Fernando R. Jiménez; Vera Blazevic; Randall M. Shannon; G. Shainesh; Marcin Komor; Technical University of Munich; Thunderbird School of Global Management; City University of Hong Kong; Universitat Bamberg; University of Texas at El Paso; Rheinisch-Westfalische Technische Hochschule Aachen; Mahidol University; Indian Institute of Management Bangalore; University of Economics in Katowice
    Customer trust is of vital importance for relationship marketing in services. Service providers increasingly market their services globally, yet few researchers have addressed differences in customer trust across cultures. Our research fills this void by proposing a model, based on existing trust literature, that suggests the overall feeling of trust in the service provider depends on customers' beliefs about service providers' ability, benevolence, predictability, and integrity. The model, tested in a banking context with data from 2,284 customers in 11 countries, explains trust well across culturally diverse countries. The results of a hierarchical linear model, however, show that customers differ in the way they build trust in their service provider across cultures. Moderating effects of the cultural values of the target group largely explain this variation. Only the effect of ability on trust is robust across countries. Global service firms should consider all four trust drivers when striving to build trust. The emphasis they put on each of these trust drivers, however, should differ across countries. When applying these principles to the design of marketing activities or market segmentation, marketing managers should collect data on the cultural values of their specific target groups in particular countries or cultural milieus. © The Author(s) 2010.