Perceptions and Effects of Cross-National Corporate Reputation: The Role of Hofstede's Cultural Value Approach

摘要

National culture is a common set of values that describes a society as a whole and is expressed within a nation through similar values and beliefs (e.g., de Mooij, 2013). The approach of Hofstede (1980) is by far most often used to explain international differences in consumer behavior (e.g., Jin et al., 2008). We therefore theoretically and empirically address the relative importance of Hofstede's five main cultural value dimensions power distance (PD), uncertainty avoidance (UA), individualism (IDV), masculinity (MAS), and long-term orientation (LTO), Focusing on CR is crucial because it is important for product brands, of strategic importance for MNCs, and a CEO responsibility. Scholars have shown strong effects of CR on consumer behavior (e.g., Swoboda et al., 2016). However, only a few scholars have analyzed CR internationally and link CR effect differences only to selected Hofstede cultural dimensions (e.g., Falkenreck and Wagner, 2010). Also CR perceptions are mainly nationally studied (e.g., Ali et al., 2015). By integrating signaling theory and each Hofstede dimension, we ask the following research questions : whether and how do the dimensions of the most important cultural approach in marketing explain different consumers' CR perceptions and CR effect on consumer loyalty across nations?