Country-Specific Effects of Reputation and Information: A Comparison of Online Auctions in Germany, the UK, and the US

Empirical studies on the effect of sellers’ reputation on closing prices in online auctions present mixed results. A large number of studies addresses reputational effects in one country, especially in the US. Only a small number of cross-country studies inspect the moderating role of institutional frameworks on bidder behavior. The purpose of this paper is to examine if country-specific differences in the formal and informal institutional framework influence the effects of reputation and information signals on final prices in online auctions. From the perspective of the New Institutional Economics, management decisions and individuals’ characteristics are affected by the institutional framework, which consists of cultural aspects as well as a set of social and legal rules and regulations. Therefore, bidders that are influenced by one institutional framework have different preferences, expectations, and perceptions about reputation and information in online auctions than individuals socialized by another institutional framework. In order to examine the effects of reputation and information on prices as well as to asses cross-country similarities and differences in these effects, a sample of 6,166 homogenous online auctions, conducted on the respective eBay websites in Germany, the UK, and the US, is analyzed. The results suggest that either the effects of reputation and product information variables vary significantly across countries or that different variables have an impact on prices in different countries. It can be concluded that country-specific institutional frameworks influence bidder behavior in international online auction markets.reputation, information, online auctions, cross-country studies

Country-Specific Effects of Reputation and Information: A Comparison of Online Auctions in Germany, the UK, and the US

Empirical studies on the effect of sellers' reputation on closing prices in online auctions present mixed results. A large number of studies addresses reputational effects in one country, especially in the US. Only a small number of cross-country studies inspect the moderating role of institutional frameworks on bidder behavior. The purpose of this paper is to examine if country-specific differences in the formal and informal institutional framework influence the effects of reputation and information signals on final prices in online auctions. From the perspective of the New Institutional Economics, management decisions and individuals' characteristics are affected by the institutional framework, which consists of cultural aspects as well as a set of social and legal rules and regulations. Therefore, bidders that are influenced by one institutional framework have different preferences, expectations, and perceptions about reputation and information in online auctions than individuals socialized by another institutional framework. In order to examine the effects of reputation and information on prices as well as to asses cross-country similarities and differences in these effects, a sample of 6,166 homogenous online auctions, conducted on the respective eBay websites in Germany, the UK, and the US, is analyzed. The results suggest that either the effects of reputation and product information variables vary significantly across countries or that different variables have an impact on prices in different countries. It can be concluded that country-specific institutional frameworks influence bidder behavior in international online auction markets

The unique and common effects of emotional intelligence dimensions on job satisfaction and facets of job performance:an exploratory study in three countries

Previous empirical studies have either used a unidimensional or a multidimensional analytical approach to examine the consequences of emotional intelligence (EI). In this exploratory study we integrate and extend these two approaches, using a novel perspective to better understand the structure of the EI-job satisfaction and the EI-job performance relationship. Using commonality analysis and data from Germany, India, as well as the U.S. we partition the explained variance for job satisfaction, in- role performance, and extra-role performance into the variance that is uniquely explained by the individual EI dimensions and the variance that is common to sets of EI dimensions. We provide evidence that the EI dimensions are differently related to job satisfaction and job performance facets. Furthermore, the findings offer insights on how unique and common effects vary across countries. Partitioning the unique and commonly shared variance allows us to assess the true predictive power of individual EI dimensions and of sets of EI dimensions. Based on these findings, we discuss implications for theory development and provide future research directions

Green together? The effects of companies' innovation collaboration with different partner types on ecological process and product innovation

This paper investigates the effect of companies' innovation collaboration with different partner types on the emergence of different typologies of ecological innovation (EI), specifically process- and product-EI. Econometric analyses, based on a sample of 546 German manufacturing companies collected as part of the Community Innovation Survey, indicate a differential effect of collaboration with individual partner types. Specifically, we find that collaboration with consumers is associated positively with both process- and product-EI, whereas collaboration with universities and suppliers is associated positively only with process-EI. Collaboration with enterprise customers and competitors is neither associated with process-EI nor product-EI. Our results shed light on the mechanisms within the recently established open eco-innovation mode and emphasise the importance for theory and practice of distinguishing among collaboration partners, contingent on the underlying typology of EI. We discuss important implications for theory and practice

Cultural values, emotional intelligence, and conflict handling styles: A global study

AbstractWhile previous research has identified cultural values and emotional intelligence as central determinants of conflict handling styles, little is known about the mechanism through which cultural values impact individuals’ preferences for specific conflict handling styles. Based on a multinational dataset including 1527 individuals from ten different cultural clusters, the current study aims to integrate these two literature streams by examining the influence of cultural values on conflict handling styles through emotional intelligence. The results of structural equation modeling and mediation analysis show that in particular uncertainty avoidance and long-term orientation influence preferences for the conflict handling styles of compromising, obliging, and integrating through emotional intelligence. Furthermore, we find that collectivism has a direct negative effect on the preference for a dominating style and that power distance has a direct positive effect on the preference for an avoiding and a dominating style. Our study contributes to a more comprehensive and more integrative understanding of earlier research on the role of culture and emotional intelligence in conflict handling

Personal factors, entrepreneurial intention, and entrepreneurial status:A multinational study in three institutional environments

Based on the person-entrepreneurship fit perspective, this study examines the role of personal factors, including broad personality traits (openness, extraversion, emotional stability, and conscientiousness), narrow traits (risk-taking propensity, innovativeness, and proactiveness), and personal ability (emotional intelligence) for entrepreneurial intention and status. In this study, two samples are used with entrepreneurial intentions being analyzed among university business students and entrepreneurial status being analyzed by surveying entrepreneurs versus employees. We analyze findings in three different institutional environments (Germany, Russia, and the USA) to also identify potential effects stemming from country context. Therefore, this study offers findings for a (i) comprehensive set of personal factors on (ii) different outcomes in the entrepreneurial process in (iii) different countries. The results suggest that the role of broad personality traits for entrepreneurial outcomes is highly contextual. Also, the role of narrow traits shows some contextuality for which further theorizing is promoted-for instance, while risk-taking propensity seems to be a trait of relevance in all contexts, innovativeness and proactiveness are of different relevance in the different institutional environments. Moreover, the narrow traits that impact entrepreneurial intention and status differ considerably-for instance, innovation is of special relevance for entrepreneurial status, but less important for entrepreneurial intentions. Hence, this study contributes to our understanding not only of individual personal factors contributing to entrepreneurial intention and status but also to understanding which factors overlap for individuals who intend to start a new business and those that do so

Assessing the measurement invariance of the four-dimensional cultural intelligence scale across countries: A composite model approach

Over the past decade, the cultural intelligence construct and its underlying dimensions have been used in a number of studies. Prior research has tested the determinants and outcomes of cultural intelligence, using pooled data from different countries and cultures, and has compared the results across contexts. However, these studies often disregarded measurement invariance, which is a necessary requirement for such analyses. We assess the measurement invariance of the commonly used four-dimensional cultural intelligence scale across five countries (China, France, Germany, Turkey, and the U.S.) by means of a composite model logic, using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Our results question the scale's dimensionality concerning China and France, and reveal an item set that is invariant across the other countries. Our findings indicate that researchers should be aware of the potential lack of measurement invariance regarding the standard measurement of cultural intelligence. They should therefore be cautious when comparing the results of cross-country and cross-cultural research