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In this article the authors examine the effects of allocentrism and consumer ethnocentrism (CET) on intentions to purchase domestic versus imported products, focusing on the current phenomenon of the "Korean Wave" in Taiwan. Results based on data collected from 433 mall intercept interviews in Taiwan indicate that there is a strong positive relationship between allocentrism toward parents and CET. However, a significantly negative relationship between allocentrism toward friends and CET was also found. It was also found that friends' in-group attitude toward Korean television dramas has a mediating effect of allocentrism toward friends on CET and CET on intention to buy Korean products. In this study, it was found that CET played a mediating role between allocentrism toward parents and friends and purchase intention. This ethnocentric effect was attributed to parental and friends' in-groups which significantly enhanced and reduced, respectively, the impact of intergroup discrimination, making national identification a less obvious and important social category. These findings have significant implications for domestic and foreign marketers.

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This study explores the relationship between organizational agglomeration and new product introduction. It proposes that product‐complementary agglomeration increases the likelihood of new product introduction, but that the effect on new product introduction is non‐linear. In addition, the influence of agglomeration on new product introduction is contingent on organizational form (i.e. multi‐unit form or independent form). Using longitudinal data for the hospital industry in Taiwan from 1997 to 2002, we found that the relationship between product‐complementary agglomeration and new product introduction is an upward trending hooked curve. As the degree of complementary agglomeration increases, the likelihood of introducing new products also increases, but the rate of increase diminishes with the degree of complementary agglomeration. In addition, we also found that the positive effect of product‐complementary agglomeration on new product introduction is stronger for independent firms than for multi‐unit firms.

As a result of the changing medical environment in Taiwan, hospitals encounter increasing competitive pressure. In response to an increasingly competitive environment, hospitals are devoted to improving the quality of service received by the patients. This study explored how learning organisation influences staff members' service quality. A cross-sectional study was performed. The survey sample included three regional teaching hospitals in central Taiwan. A total of 280 questionnaires were distributed; 226 valid questionnaires were returned, resulting in a response rate of 80.71%. 1). The results show the impact of learning organisation on staff members' attitudes toward service quality. 2). When the organisations applied individual learning, it influenced the staff members' service quality with respect to tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy. 3). When the organisations applied team learning, it influenced the staff members' service quality with respect to tangibles, responsiveness, assurance and empathy. 4). When organisations applied organisational-level learning, it influenced the staff members' service quality with respect to tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy.

This study demonstrates how top management team (TMT) conflict impacts new product development (NPD) under cultural differences between Taiwan and the United States. Based on cultural differences, we compare Taiwan and the United States to explore how the heterogeneity of TMT composition leads to team conflict and how TMT conflict affects NPD outcomes in different stages. Several research propositions are presented and indicate that the higher TMT heterogeneity results in a higher degree of team conflict. Furthermore, cognitive conflict positively affects NPD initiation stage, but negative in the implementation stage. From a perspective of cultural differences, managers in Taiwan, compared with those in the United States, tend to sustain organizational cohesion and harmony, emphasize personal relationships, and sidestep direct conflict as much as possible. This cultural characteristic negatively affects NPD initiation, and also wears away the competitive advantages for Taiwanese companies.

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This study applies recency effect on interfirm imitation behavior to investigate whether recent location choices of peer firms regarding foreign direct investment (FDI) exert imitation pressure on another firm's FDI location choices. This study examines the FDI data of listed companies in Taiwan. The results confirm the existence of recency effect. This study further indicates that the remote experience peer firms and a firm's own experience have negative moderating effects on recency effect.