Consumer responses to gift receipt in business-to-consumer contexts

Bodur, H. Onur; Grohmann, Bianca

doi:10.1002/mar.20067

Cited by 64 publications

(81 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…We would suggest that the notion of this 'wanted illusion' that gift recipients are looking for (Ortmann, 2004) paradoxically may even facilitate gifts being given instrumentally with the intent of creating obligations, even to the extent that gift recipients could be manipulated into situations of dependency. Such an effect is for instance, discussed in the marketing literature where a number of studies show that 'free gifts', gifts which are given without explicit requests, are more likely to evoke feelings of obligation than conditional gifts and thus are more likely to lend themselves to manipulation (Bodur and Grohmann, 2005). Mauss (1954) represented gifts as ambiguous, combining both generosity and self-interest, suggesting that influence is carried in all gifts (Lemmergaard and Muhr, 2011).…”

Section: Trust Reciprocation and Obligation: Insights From Set And Gmentioning

confidence: 99%

The dark side of trust: When trust becomes a ‘poisoned chalice’

2013

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Trust is typically portrayed as beneficial to all concerned; something which is inherently good. In this article we focus on interpersonal trust and argue that, while there are undoubted benefits, trust can also be problematic; there are circumstances in which it can become a 'poisoned chalice' for one or other of the parties involved. We question whether the potential for negative experiences in relation to trust has been fully explored and argue that its true dark side lies within the dynamics of the trust relationship. From this stance we use the social exchange and gift giving literatures to re-appraise trust in a way that highlights the importance of expectation and intent and demonstrates the circumstances in which trust may not be beneficial for one of the parties involved. We conclude with a research agenda which we believe will further develop our understanding of this complex human interaction. KeywordsDark side of trust, manipulation, trust and gift-giving, trust relationships, unwanted obligation Trust has long been depicted as an inherently positive experience and a desirable quality which should be sought after in relationships (Fukuyama, 1995). Interpersonal trust is considered a vital social resource that can facilitate cooperation and enable co-ordinated social interaction and

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Section: Trust Reciprocation and Obligation: Insights From Set And Gmentioning

confidence: 99%

The dark side of trust: When trust becomes a ‘poisoned chalice’

2013

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“…A follow-up study by Friedman and Friedman (1996) found that a simple appreciatory comment given to consumers upon entering an electronics store resulted in an even more significant increase (69.6%) in the amount spent on purchases. Bodur and Grohmann (2005) investigated the effects of a business-to-consumer gift using a sample of 202 undergraduate students. Students were asked to imagine a scenario in which they received gift certificates of different values ($10 and $60) from an online book and CD retailer.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gifts-Upon-Entry and Appreciatory Comments: Reciprocity Effects in Retailing

Friedman¹,

Rahman²

2011

IJMS

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An experiment was conducted in a restaurant to determine the effects of a small gift upon entry and greeting customers with a thank you for their patronage. Two types of gifts were used: a cup of yogurt and an inexpensive key chain. The authors found that providing a gift upon entry into a store had an impact on how much was spent, on the performance rating, and on how strongly the establishment would be recommended. This study did not find any differences between gifts: a gift of a cup of yogurt had the same impact as a key chain. The difference in amount spent between the group that was not greeted or given a gift and the group that was greeted and given a cup of yogurt was 46.4%, a considerable amount. The authors conclude that retailers should greet customers who enter their stores and, if possible, provide a small gift.

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“…In order to ensure the content and face validity, all questionnaire items were adapted from existing questionnaire. Among them, scales of interpersonal communication (IC), preferential treatment (PT), and relational investment were adapted from the scales developed by De Wulf et al [10]; scales of perceived gift manipulation (PM) and reciprocation likelihood (RL) were adapted from those designed by Bodur and Grohmann [4]; subjective gift evaluation (GE) was measured by the scale developed by Mano and Oliver [20]; finally, this study designed the scale of mianzi(MZ) and economic value of gift (GV).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While giving gifts to customers, businesses may express their intent of future reciprocation, either explicitly or implicitly. While perceiving such intent, people may feel they were being enforced to reciprocate, and the choice of reciprocation is limited to the ways preferred by the businesses, which may cause adverse effects on the perception of RI, or even hurt buyers' intent to reciprocate [4].Accordingly, hypothesis 4 (H4) is proposed: A higher level of perceived gift manipulation leads to a lower level of perceived relationship investment.…”

Section: Literature Review and Model Development The Antecedents And mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Comparison of the Effects of Giving Gift and Relational Investment on Reciprocity Likelihood in B2B Context in Taiwan

Chen¹,

Shang²,

Chen³

2017

Proceedings of the 3rd Annual International Conference on Management, Economics and Social Development (ICMESD 17)

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Abstract. External relationships are required for running businesses. While rooting on Western management theories to run their businesses, Taiwanese business managers are also affected by Chinese culture, such as giving gift to maintain other's face during business negotiation. Hence, it is interesting to know and compare the effects of these two conducts on business partners' reciprocity likelihood(RL). A structural model was tested with data collected from 125 questionnaires. The results show that both relational investment(RI) and gifting behavior have positive impacts on RL; yet, giving gift, through the mediation of Mianzi(face), exert a stronger affection on RL than RI. IntroductionBusiness can hardly survive without external relationships. Cultivate external relationships with suppliers or partners are required for successfully doing business. Many researches have focused on how to effectively invest in mutual relationship to increase the possibility of reciprocity likelihood(RL)in the future [4;11].In oriental society, it is not an un-common practice to improve the relationship and RL by giving gift to business partners; yet, in western society, giving gift is often considered as bribery. Hence, the effect of giving gift on RL was rarely being examined[e.g., see 18].This study intends to mitigate this gap, and compare the effects of relational investment (RI) and giving gift on RL, in a context of small and medium enterprises in Taiwan.For some decades, Taiwan's business systems are deeply influenced by and rooted on Western thoughts and knowledge. Yet, their initiatives are also impacted by Chinese cultural values at the same time. Specifically, this study will focus on the roles of Mianzi or face, the perception of one's social status, prestige, or pride [13; 18]and gifting behavior. In social interactione, it is important for Chinese people to conduct face work, like giving someone expensive gifts, to maintain one's own, or other's Mianzi.The objective of this study, hence, is to explore the answer of the question: whether or not gifting and Mianzi should be considered to extend the RI theories to fit in the specific context of Taiwan businesses.

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Consumer responses to gift receipt in business-to-consumer contexts

Cited by 64 publications

References 37 publications

The dark side of trust: When trust becomes a ‘poisoned chalice’

The dark side of trust: When trust becomes a ‘poisoned chalice’

Gifts-Upon-Entry and Appreciatory Comments: Reciprocity Effects in Retailing

Comparison of the Effects of Giving Gift and Relational Investment on Reciprocity Likelihood in B2B Context in Taiwan

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