Confirmatory factor analysis was employed to examine the structure of the Fenigstein, Scheier, and Buss (1975) Self-consciousness Scales. Several weaknesses were identified and modifications were made to improve the representation of the underlying structure of the data. Five items were found to be relatively unreliable and were dropped. Two separate but correlated private self-consciousness dimensions, self-reflectiveness and internal state awareness, were identified. The resulting four-factor self-consciousness model fit the data more adequately than the three-factor model of Fenigstein et al.

The study of supplier -customer relationships has been the subject of many articles over the past several years (

In cross-national marketing research, the question whether measurement accuracy, reliability, and validity are achieved across samples traditionally has hampered research efforts. Measurement equivalence across samples has particularly perplexed researchers in their efforts to evaluate responses regarding latent variables. Recently, multiple-group structural equations modeling has been suggested as a reliable method for determining measurement equivalence. To date, however, the use of this approach has remained limited. In this study, the authors apply multiple-group structural equations modeling to assess measurement equivalence in three distinct constructs across U.S. and Korean samples on data derived from cross-cultural advertising research. The authors propose an extension of this method using the measurement error covariance matrices, which will enable researchers to evaluate measurement reliability across samples better and to attempt to disentangle cultural differences in instrument usage from measurement-related differences. The authors evaluate the results and discuss the findings, as well as outline the implications and limitations of this method for further research.

Research into the construct relationships that form consumer satisfaction has advanced to a stage in which moderator variables need to be examined. The present research proposes and tests confidence in expectations as a potential moderator of these relationships. A laboratory study tests these hypotheses and finds support for them. Specifically, high-confidence subjects use both disconfirmation and perceived performance to form feelings of satisfaction, whereas low-confidence subjects use only perceived performance. Implications for both research and managerial practice are discussed. ᭧ 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.One of the most widely studied antecedents of satisfaction is consumer prepurchase expectations (Oliver, 1980). A great deal of research has shown that expectations have a significant effect on postpurchase evaluations such as satisfaction (see Oliver, 1997 andYi, 1990 for reviews).The most widely accepted model of satisfaction formation is the disconfirmation-of-expectations model, in which satisfaction is a function of disconfirmation, which in turn is a function of both expectations and performance (Oliver, 1997). This model suggests that the effects of expectations are primarily through disconfirmation, but they also have an effect through perceived performance, as many studies have found a direct effect of perceived performance on satisfaction. However, little research has examined qualitative differences in expectations, or how