Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine whether differences exist between young American and Japanese consumers' green consumption behaviors. Design/methodology/approach A conceptual framework is formulated based on five constructs: independent self-construal (INDE), attitude toward green advertising, self-expression and brand-familiarity to measure purchase intention. Data were collected from 266 Americans and 199 Japanese consumers. The structural equation model was used to test and compare hypothesized relationships between the proposed constructs for the two countries. Findings The results reveal that the moderating effects of self-construal patterns on brand familiarity and self-expression help explain Americans' green consumption decisions. The results from the US sample also confirm that both self-construal patterns guide young Americans' green consumption behaviors. Japanese green consumption behaviors are influenced by their dominant interdependent self-construal. They used a context-dependent thinking mode to process advertising and brand information. Research limitations/implications Using Gen-Z consumers may limit the generalizability of this study. The results may not be representative of or applicable to other demographic groups. As age was controlled in this research, similar studies need to be replicated with various segments of green consumers to validate the relationships identified in this study. In addition, to raise the external validity of this research, future researchers may replicate this study by comparing countries other than the two under examination in this study. Practical implications For practical implications, marketing communication programs may focus on social interaction strategies by using content or influencer marketing on social media to raise brand awareness. To appeal to Americans' self-expressive values, brand communication may focus on a personalized message that conveys the positive image of green product users. Use both traditional media and digital media to engage with Japanese consumers. To appeal to Japanese collectivist values, the ad message may emphasize the positive effects of the brand and its products on contributing to the well-being of society. Social implications This study detects no evidence of an increase in individualism in Japanese consumers' green consumption behaviors. The results show that consumers' attitudes and behaviors toward green marketing cues are consistently guided by their dominant self-construal patterns and situational factors could activate either self within their self-schema. This also supports the notion that aspects of culture are changeable depending on varying situations. Originality/value This study provides evidence that self-construal types influence young American and Japanese consumers' green consumption behaviors. This is the first research to demonstrate that brand-familiarity can be a group identifier for consumers with different cultural orientations.

Purpose Awards such as the Oscars, the Grammys or the Game of the Year are highly relevant in many creative industries. In this paper, we investigate how publishers (e.g. movie studios, music labels or board game publishers) design internationalization strategies for “awarded” products (compared to “non-awarded” products). Design/methodology/approach A sample of board games (and their publishers) is used to test the hypotheses. Most data was extracted from BoardGameGeek and ranges from 1991 to 2021. In order to avoid biased caused by endogeneity issues, we created a matched sample of 358 games (179 awarded games and 179 matched games). Findings We find that awards increase both product internationalization and the number of alliance partners involved in product internationalization, with the former increasing more strongly than the latter. In other words, publishers enter international markets with awarded products more often alone (i.e. not in a cooperative market-entry mode). Research limitations/implications The study contributes to the internationalization literature by demonstrating the signaling value of awards in international relationships. Moreover, we show that signaling processes affect market-entry-mode decisions. Additionally, the study indicates that higher product quality leads to the usage of more cooperative entry-modes, over go-alone strategies. Among others, a limitation of the study is that it empirically builds on the adaption of new languages for market-entries, which is suitable for our context but not necessarily transferable to other industries. Practical implications We assume that our findings are somehow generalizable for publishers in other creative industries (e.g. movie studios or music labels). Young publishers without substantial internationalization capabilities should actively seek to win awards for their products, as the reputations of awards can help to boost their internationalization efforts. Originality/value This study explores the role awards play for international market entry strategies.

Purpose Should we prefer parsimony or multidimensionality when operationalizing institutional distance? In this paper, I explore the debate on whether current institutional distance operationalizations are too narrow, or if adding complexity in the operationalization needlessly complicates an otherwise lean construct. Design/methodology/approach In order to explore the above question, I (1) test the statistical validity of the most common parsimonious operationalizations of institutional distance; (2) test whether a parsimonious or a multidimensional solution is more appropriate; (3) discuss whether the statistically valid operationalizations of institutional distance are psychometrically sufficient. Findings The findings of this paper indicate that three of the most commonly used operationalizations for institutional distance do not possess statistical validity, nor converge on the effects of each underlying item. The fourth commonly used operationalization does possess statistical validity. Nonetheless, its unidimensional usage for institutional distance should be carefully weighed against the theoretical design of the study, where questions exists about whether it is psychometric sufficient for different theoretical arguments used in institutional distance research. Originality/value While institutional distance is considered to be one of the core concepts of IB/M research, results on the topic have been somewhat ambiguous and sometimes contradictory. Simultaneously, several recent calls have highlighted the need for addressing methodological challenges in the field of IB/M. In this paper, I address one of the main methodological challenges for institutional distance research. I illuminate an underexposed debate and argue that multidimensional operationalizations of institutional distance are required, not just to address methodological challenges but to improve theory on institutional distance as well.

Purpose Business strategy serves as the foundation of a firm's operations, shaping its management style and long-term trajectory. This study investigates how Confucian cultural influence affects the strategic aggressiveness of firms in emerging markets, highlighting the role of traditional norms in shaping corporate behavior. Design/methodology/approach The authors use the number of Confucian temples within 200 kilometers of the firm as a proxy variable for Confucian culture. Using a sample of Chinese listed firms, the study empirically examines the association between Confucian culture and strategic decision-making. Findings The empirical evidence suggests that firms with a stronger influence of Confucian culture exhibit lower levels of strategic aggressiveness. Specifically, such companies are more conservative in their approach to innovation, market expansion, and investment activities. Moreover, the authors find that this conservative tendency is moderated by exposure to foreign cultures and the presence of more developed formal institutional frameworks. Originality/value By integrating traditional cultural factors into the analysis of corporate strategy, this study contributes to the existing body of literature by underscoring the significant role of informal institutions in shaping business behavior. The findings enrich the understanding of how cultural norms influence corporate behavior in emerging markets, emphasizing the relevance of cultural considerations in understanding corporate strategy and decision-making.

Purpose We use the spread of the home country’s culture into the host country as a cultural distance bridging strategy (CDBS), examines the effect of the CDBS on host country partners’ trust in multinational enterprises (MNEs) as well as the moderating effects of diplomatic relationships and social ties (business and political ties). Design/methodology/approach This research employs ordinary least squares regression analysis to examine data obtained from 127 managers working for subsidiaries of 110 Chinese MNEs. Findings The results demonstrate that the home country’s CDBS increases the trust of the host country’s partner in MNEs. This impact becomes stronger when the home and host countries have developed good diplomatic relationships and when the MNEs have established extensive business ties in the host country. Originality/value The study highlights the effectiveness of CDBS in enhancing the trust of host-country partners in MNEs and sheds new light on the research about international business (IB) on how to foster trust between collaborative enterprises. It further enriches the understanding of trust relationships among MNEs by exploring the moderating effects of diplomatic and social relationships.

Purpose Intergenerational succession is a critical process in the life cycle of family firms, yet its impact on digital transformation remains underexplored. Drawing on the socioemotional wealth perspective, this study aims to examine the impact of intergenerational succession on digital transformation in family firms and explore the moderating effects of family involvement (i.e. family involvement in ownership and management) and operating status (i.e. bankruptcy risk and aspiration-performance gap). Design/methodology/approach The analysis is based on a panel dataset of Chinese family firms listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges from 2012 to 2022. Panel regression models are employed to test the proposed hypotheses. Findings The results show that intergenerational succession negatively influences digital transformation. Furthermore, the study identifies two critical factors that moderate this effect. The first is family involvement. When the controlling family is more involved in ownership and management, the negative effect of intergenerational succession on digital transformation is mitigated. The second is operating status. Bankruptcy risk strengthens this negative effect, while the aspiration-performance gap weakens it. Originality/value To the best of our knowledge, this is one of the first studies to explore the relationship between intergenerational succession and digital transformation. This study reveals the negative impact of intergenerational succession on digital transformation and explains it through the lens of socioemotional wealth, thereby contributing to the succession and digital transformation literature. Furthermore, it advances understanding of the contextual factors that shape family firms’ digital transformation by identifying the moderating roles of family involvement and operating status.

PurposeThis study examines the complex relationship between executive overconfidence and firm performance, highlighting the moderating role of country-level factors. By conducting a meta-analysis of 116 independent effect sizes from global studies, this research aims to clarify the ambiguous effects of executive overconfidence, emphasizing the significance of national contexts.Design/methodology/approachUtilizing a cross-national meta-analytic framework, this study evaluates how variations in governance, board efficacy and shareholder protection across countries influence the impact of executive overconfidence on firm performance.FindingsResults reveal that the relationship between executive overconfidence and performance is significantly shaped by country-level factors, suggesting a need to consider contextual influences alongside traditional trait-focused perspectives and underscoring the importance of contextual influences.Practical implicationsThe findings suggest that organizations should incorporate national-level contextual factors in their governance structures to better manage the risks associated with executive overconfidence.Originality/valueThis study advances the literature by providing a comprehensive analysis of how country-specific variables modulate the effects of executive overconfidence on firm outcomes. It offers new insights into the role of situational factors in executive behavior, contributing to a more nuanced understanding of leadership and organizational performance.

PurposeThis article shows that business family and family business research is dominated by reductionist and biased concepts of culture that are in sharp contrast with recent advances in anthropology and the broader social sciences that would allow for more fine-grained analyses.Design/methodology/approachThrough an inbound theorizing approach, state-of-the-art anthropological and sociological concepts of culture are introduced to family business research.FindingsThe resulting interdisciplinary update unveils that prevailing concepts of culture in family business research confuse cultures with countries or nations and neglect the processual constitution of culture.Originality/valueThe article advocates a research agenda emphasizing the social construction and reproduction of culture as well as the need to systematically draw on findings from anthropology and sociology so as to allow for better cross-cultural comparisons in the field of family business research.

PurposeThis paper aims to study the decision of multinational enterprises (MNEs) whether to employ a host-country (HCN) or a parent-country national (PCN) manager in their subsidiaries, focusing on the role of host market contestability.Design/methodology/approachWe develop an empirical model for the probability of appointing a PCN manager in the population of all foreign-owned firms registered in Slovenia over a nine-year period. We combine four different micro databases: a matched employer–employee database, firm-level inward FDI data, firm-level outward FDI data and firm-level financial data, and apply a heteroskedastic probit model, a random effects probit estimator and a fixed effects panel data estimator. The final, fully merged database contains on average of about 28,000 firms per year.FindingsWe find that the propensity to appoint a PCN manager is higher in subsidiaries that compete with less-productive local rival firms in tacit knowledge-intensive industries with lower competition. The results also suggest that the likelihood of employing expatriates is higher in larger, younger and more export-oriented subsidiaries in less distant locations. In addition, cultural distance between the investing and host countries has been found to be more relevant than physical distance and to account for much of the differences between investors from different regions.Originality/valueAn important advantage of our paper is that we use comprehensive firm-level data on the entire population of firms operating in a host country, including both domestic and foreign-owned firms. This allows us to introduce a wide range of host-country market structure and local rival firm characteristics into our empirical model of the expatriation decision, which have not been previously tested. Additionally, we account for MNE heterogeneity in terms of investor origin, while controlling for investor country characteristics such as cultural, institutional and geographical distance from the host country.