Abstract
Face in China is a well-known word but still lacks a precise and authoritative definition. Other than the counterpart connotation of social norms in western culture, Chinese face is also a cultural construct strongly connected with situational context. In order to explore the general context and the specific connotation of Chinese face, this paper focuses on comparing the difference between reflective model and formative model when measuring the construct of Chinese face. We find that RM is more reliable and stable than FM in terms of face measurement, but is inferior to FM in explaining the connotations of Chinese face. Moreover, we also explore the effects of different dimensions of Chinese face on consumer preference for ecological products. This study not only enriches the existing research on Chinese face, but also exploratively answers a controversial problem in this area. Furthermore, the findings in this study also provide theoretical support for building an environmentally-friendly society in China.
Highlights
People often behave to those around them but sometimes want to be different from others because of the identity signaling effect (Berger and Heath 2007; Chan et al 2012)
Study 3: Effect of different dimensions of face on ecological product preference In study 1 and study 2, we examined the differences between reflective model (RM) and formative model (FM), compared how well both models can describe the concept of Chinese face and showed that face is composed of 4 dimensions
This paper innovatively explores both the advantages and disadvantages embedded in the reflective model (RM) and formative model (FM) in constructing face, and analyzes the effect on ecological product preference of various dimensions of Chinese face
Summary
People often behave to those around them but sometimes want to be different from others because of the identity signaling effect (Berger and Heath 2007; Chan et al 2012) This is a worldwide phenomenon emerging in the west but in eastern countries such as China as well. Compared to social identity in the west, people in eastern cultures are more likely to be concerned about face. They care more about others’ opinions and the social effects resulting from their own behavior. This kind of social effect manifests as face (Li and Su 2007). Zhang (2012) uses a reflective model (RM), which consists of generalized indicators, while Bao and Zhao (2009) and Shi et al (2012) use a formative model (FM) constructed from situational
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