Brand researchers have been in their quest for understanding how consumers evaluate brands and react to branding practices. The purpose of this study is to validate the importance of brand experience in brand building process with high-and low-involvement products of global brands in China. Four global brands (Nike, Kappa, Ferrero, Meiji) were selected for the analysis, and 1,100 participants of the millennial generation consumers participated in the online survey. The findings suggest that both rational perception and emotional feelings of consumers play important roles in the process of brand building among Chinese consumers. The relationship between brand image and brand trust, which is the initial stage of brand building process plays a vital role in consumers' purchasing decisions. Concurrently, brand experience positively influences brand image and attachment, leading to consumers' purchasing decisions. The findings also provide insights regarding different paths in the brand building process for high and low involvement product categories, suggesting the importance of differentiated branding strategies for various product categories in China.

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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the effects of competitive pressure on financial statements’ comparability (comparability) by analyzing various dimensions of competition. Design/methodology/approach The authors study the effect of competition on comparability using the comparability measure of De Franco et al. (2011) and various proxies for competition, competition from existing/potential rivals and non-price competition (NPC). Findings This study documents that competition is positively associated with comparability, and this effect is more (less) pronounced for industry followers (leaders). The authors also document that competition from existing rivals enhances comparability, but competition from potential entrants does not. Moreover, NPC is also a significant determinant of comparability. Furthermore, the competition from existing/potential rivals plays no significant role in the production of comparable financial statements in state-owned enterprises. The results are robust to alternative measures of comparability and methodological approaches. Originality/value This study is the first empirical study that documents a new channel (comparability) through which competition affects financial statements. The findings support the argument that competitive pressure acts as a governance mechanism, disciplines management and increases comparability leading to lower information asymmetry (governance view). However, the findings contest the argument that higher competition motivates managers to withhold information (proprietary cost hypothesis). By examining the effect of state ownership, this study might also help to characterize the effects of changes in corporate objectives on managerial decisions related to financial reporting.

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