IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/pal/jintbs/v38y2007i5p836-853.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A social institutional approach to identifying generation cohorts in China with a comparison with American consumers

Author

Listed:
  • Kineta H Hung

    (School of Business, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong)

  • Flora Fang Gu

    (Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong)

  • Chi Kin (Bennett) Yim

    (School of Business, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong)

Abstract

Identifying distinctive target segments is a fundamental challenge faced by international marketers. This paper describes an approach to understanding consumer market structures in an important international market, China, and to segmenting Chinese consumers by integrating insights from generational cohort and social institutional theories. We conduct two empirical studies to verify how China's recent momentous ideological events could give rise to and affect the life experiences of different generation cohorts in the country. The results of Study 1 support the conceptual framework and establish three distinct cohorts in China: Red Guards, Modern Realists, and Global Materialists. Study 2 builds on the findings of Study 1: it links cohort differences to differences in consumer values (materialism) and choice behaviors (foreign vs local brands), and then compares them with parallel consumers in the United States. This paper outlines and tests an approach to segmentation that can help international firms identify distinct segments in and design effective marketing strategies for China. Journal of International Business Studies (2007) 38, 836–853. doi:10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8400288

Suggested Citation

  • Kineta H Hung & Flora Fang Gu & Chi Kin (Bennett) Yim, 2007. "A social institutional approach to identifying generation cohorts in China with a comparison with American consumers," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 38(5), pages 836-853, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:jintbs:v:38:y:2007:i:5:p:836-853
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.palgrave-journals.com/jibs/journal/v38/n5/pdf/8400288a.pdf
    File Function: Link to full text PDF
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: http://www.palgrave-journals.com/jibs/journal/v38/n5/full/8400288a.html
    File Function: Link to full text HTML
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Si-ming Li & Sanqin Mao, 2017. "Exploring residential mobility in Chinese cities: An empirical analysis of Guangzhou," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 54(16), pages 3718-3737, December.
    2. Kotler, Philip & Manrai, Lalita A. & Lascu, Dana-Nicoleta & Manrai, Ajay K., 2019. "Influence of country and company characteristics on international business decisions: A review, conceptual model, and propositions," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 28(3), pages 482-498.
    3. Martin Heinberg & Constantine S. Katsikeas & H. Erkan Ozkaya & Markus Taube, 2020. "How nostalgic brand positioning shapes brand equity: differences between emerging and developed markets," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 48(5), pages 869-890, September.
    4. David A. Ralston & Carolyn P. Egri & Charlotte M. Karam & Yongjuan Li & Ping Ping Fu, 2018. "Changes in work values across the regions of China," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 35(1), pages 145-179, March.
    5. Yang, Song & Ding, Shiqing & D’Alessandro, Steven, 2018. "Are all Chinese shoppers the same? Evidence of differences in values, decision making and shopping motivations between the Han majority and other minorities in China," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 24-34.
    6. Uncles, Mark D. & Kwok, Simon, 2013. "Designing research with in-built differentiated replication," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 66(9), pages 1398-1405.
    7. Magdalena Grebosz-Krawczyk, 2020. "How Nostalgia Affects Brand Equity? Consumers’ Attitudes Towards Nostalgic Generational and Transgenerational Brands," European Research Studies Journal, European Research Studies Journal, vol. 0(4), pages 1019-1034.
    8. Dian Wang & Bowen Zhang & Yingying Wu & Xinwen Zhang, 2023. "Generational homogeneity and heterogeneity in city image perception: an explorative study of Guangzhou," Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 19(1), pages 128-142, March.
    9. Maribel Guerrero & José Ernesto Amorós & David Urbano, 2021. "Do employees’ generational cohorts influence corporate venturing? A multilevel analysis," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 57(1), pages 47-74, June.
    10. Oksana S. Karashchuk & Elena A. Mayorova & Alexander F. Nikishin & Olena V. Kornilova, 2020. "The Method for Determining Time-Generation Range," SAGE Open, , vol. 10(4), pages 21582440209, October.
    11. Jing Yang & Frank Tipton & Jiatao Li, 2011. "A review of foreign business management in China," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 28(3), pages 627-659, September.
    12. Robert Harmel & Yao-Yuan Yeh, 2015. "China's Age Cohorts: Differences in Political Attitudes and Behavior," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 96(1), pages 214-234, March.
    13. Strizhakova, Yuliya & Coulter, Robin A., 2013. "The “green” side of materialism in emerging BRIC and developed markets: The moderating role of global cultural identity," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 30(1), pages 69-82.
    14. Arslan Rafi & Sharjeel Saqib & Ali Iftikhar Choudhary & Syed Azeem Akhtar, 2012. "Exploring the Purchasing Motives of Young Pakistani Consumers for Foreign Brands," Information Management and Business Review, AMH International, vol. 4(3), pages 136-144.
    15. Ghazal Shams & Mohsin Abdur Rehman & Sarminah Samad & Eeva-Liisa Oikarinen, 2020. "Exploring customer’s mobile banking experiences and expectations among generations X, Y and Z," Journal of Financial Services Marketing, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 25(1), pages 1-13, June.
    16. Fazli-Salehi, Reza & Torres, Ivonne M. & Madadi, Rozbeh & Zúñiga, Miguel Ángel, 2021. "Multicultural advertising: The impact of consumers’ self-concept clarity and materialism on self-brand connection and communal-brand connection," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 137(C), pages 46-57.
    17. Rašković, Matevž & Ding, Zhonghui & Hirose, Morikazu & Žabkar, Vesna & Fam, Kim-Shyan, 2020. "Segmenting young-adult consumers in East Asia and Central and Eastern Europe – The role of consumer ethnocentrism and decision-making styles," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 496-507.
    18. Jackson, Vanessa & Stoel, Leslie & Brantley, Aquia, 2011. "Mall attributes and shopping value: Differences by gender and generational cohort," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 18(1), pages 1-9.
    19. Lissitsa, Sabina & Kol, Ofrit, 2016. "Generation X vs. Generation Y – A decade of online shopping," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 31(C), pages 304-312.
    20. Sabina Lissitsa & Ofrit Kol, 2021. "Four generational cohorts and hedonic m-shopping: association between personality traits and purchase intention," Electronic Commerce Research, Springer, vol. 21(2), pages 545-570, June.
    21. Parment, Anders, 2013. "Generation Y vs. Baby Boomers: Shopping behavior, buyer involvement and implications for retailing," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 20(2), pages 189-199.
    22. Zhilong Tian & Rui Wang & Wen Yang, 2011. "Consumer Responses to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in China," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 101(2), pages 197-212, June.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:pal:jintbs:v:38:y:2007:i:5:p:836-853. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.palgrave-journals.com/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.