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Unternehmenswachstum und Internationalität als Qualitätssignale

Company’s Growth and Internationality as Quality Signals

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Zusammenfassung

Viele Unternehmen verzeichnen aufgrund von Fusionen oder Übernahmen ein exogenes oder in Folge von Umsatzerfolgen ein endogenes Wachstum oder erweitern ihr Absatzgebiet auf Länder, in denen sie ihre Produkte noch nicht vertrieben haben. Die Frage, die in diesem Beitrag diskutiert wird, lautet, ob Konsumenten Informationen über solche Ereignisse als Signale für die Qualitätder Produkte dieser Unternehmen verwenden. Zunächst werden klassische Theorienvorgestellt, die erklären, warum Nachfrager bestimmte Informationen zur Qualitätsbewertung heranziehen. Die Überlegungen werden auf das “Unternehmenswachstum” und die “Internationalität” eines Unternehmens übertragen und experimentell getestet.

Summary

Many companies show an exogenously or endogenous growth due to mergers and acquisitions or due to increase in sales. Furthermore many companies expand their markets to other countries. Thus the question arises whether consumers interpret information about a company’s growth and increasing internationality as signals of product quality. We apply the signaling theory of SPENCE, the cue utilization theory of COX, and theories of experimental information processing to our question. Based on these theoretical considerations we expected that neither highly or low involved consumers use a company’s growth and internationality as quality signals, whereas moderately involved consumers might rely on these information as quality indicators. In an empirical study we find support for this hypothesis.1

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  1. Lehrstuhl für Betriebswirtschaftslehre mit dem Schwerpunkt Marketing, Universität Augsburg, Universitätsstr. 16, 86159, Augsburg, Deutschland

    Heribert Gierl &  Julia Koncz

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Gierl, H., Koncz, J. Unternehmenswachstum und Internationalität als Qualitätssignale . Zeitschrift für Planung 17, 389–409 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00187-006-0009-5

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