Moderating Effects of Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions on Relationship between AEWOM and FEWOM in Thailand

Abstract

This research aims to examine the moderating effects of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions at the individual level on the relationship between acceptance and subsequent forwarding of electronic word of mouth (EWOM) in Thailand. EWOM is currently considered as one of the most influential communication channels for businesses, marketers, and various kinds of consumers. Cultural values can also be a factor to influence consumers’ decision-making behaviors. Hypotheses were developed by adopting Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, but with the newly developed scale, Individual Cultural Values Scale (CVSCALE) in order to observe the cultural diversity among Thai nationals at the individual level, and to investigate the moderating effect of Hofstede’s five cultural dimensions on the relationship between Acceptance of Electronic Word of Mouth (AEWOM) and Forwarding of Electronic Word of Mouth (FEWOM). A structured online questionnaire was used to collect data from 204 respondents, all of which were Thai and currently using one or more social networking service (SNS). The results indicated that people who have accepted EWOM tend to forward the EWOM further, and among Hofstede’s five cultural dimensions, Power Distance, Collectivism, and Masculinity significantly moderated the relationship between AEWOM and FEWOM.