Word-of-Mouth Promotion and Switching Behavior in Japanese and American Business-to-Business Service Clients

Keywords

word of mouth, services, industrial marketing, national culture

Abstract

This comparative study examines whether customers in Japan and the US who use referrals to find business-to-business services (e.g., banking, advertising and insurance) are more likely to remain loyal to their service providers. The effects of national culture (Japanese or American) and relative location (foreign or domestic) are anticipated and explored. Regression analysis results indicate that companies who used referrals to source their service providers switched less than those who did not. Furthermore, companies operating in foreign environments (Japanese companies in the US and American firms in Japan) switched more than those operating in domestic environments. Other cross-cultural and international results are presented and discussed.

Original Publication Citation

Money, R. Bruce (2004), “Word-of-Mouth Promotion and Switching Behavior in Japanese and American Business-to-Business Service Clients,” Journal of Business Research, 57 (3) 297-305.

Document Type

Peer-Reviewed Article

Publication Date

2004

Publisher

Journal of Business Research

Language

English

College

Marriott School of Business

Department

Marketing

University Standing at Time of Publication

Full Professor

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