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Understanding the formation of psychic distance perceptions: Are country-level or individual-level factors more important?

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  • Ambos, Bjoern
  • Leicht-Deobald, Ulrich
  • Leinemann, Alexander

Abstract

This study investigates individual managers’ formation of psychic distance perceptions to foreign countries. Adopting a social psychological perspective, we propose that three social-cognitive mechanisms—social comparison, mere exposure, and social learning—help explain why and how country- and individual-level characteristics affect the formation of these perceptions. Based on an international survey of 1591 managers located in 25 countries undertaken between 2003 and 2008, we find that country-specific international experience, formal education, and the use of common language reduce psychic distance perceptions. Surprisingly, and in contrast to conventional wisdom, managers’ international experience and overall work experience do not seem to affect their distance perceptions. Moreover, individual-level antecedents seem to have limited explanatory power relative to country-level factors as predictors of overall psychic distance perceptions, which lends support to the widely-employed practice of operationalizing psychic distances through country-level indicators. In addition to these empirical findings, the study provides a theoretical social psychological framework useful for understanding how psychic distance perceptions are formed.

Suggested Citation

  • Ambos, Bjoern & Leicht-Deobald, Ulrich & Leinemann, Alexander, 2019. "Understanding the formation of psychic distance perceptions: Are country-level or individual-level factors more important?," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 28(4), pages 660-671.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:iburev:v:28:y:2019:i:4:p:660-671
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ibusrev.2019.01.003
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    Cited by:

    1. Natalya D. Likhareva & Elena B. Gafforova & Igor A. Novikov, 2022. "International market selection by small enterprises: Cognitive biases and heuristics in decision-making," Upravlenets, Ural State University of Economics, vol. 13(1), pages 84-99, March.
    2. Gada, Viswa Prasad & Popli, Manish & Malhotra, Shavin, 2024. "Geographic distance in cross-border acquisitions: The impact of CEO's psychological attributes," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 30(1).
    3. Nebus, James & Celo, Sokol, 2020. "Cognitive biases in the perceptions of country distance," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 26(3).
    4. Wang, Qiu & Clegg, Jeremy & Mattos, Hanna Gajewska-De & Buckley, Peter J., 2023. "It’s personal: The emotional dimension of psychic distance perception in intercultural knowledge transfer," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(5).
    5. Horatio M. Morgan & Sui Sui & Shavin Malhotra, 2021. "No place like home: The effect of exporting to the country of origin on the financial performance of immigrant-owned SMEs," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 52(3), pages 504-524, April.
    6. Safargholi, Alireza, 2024. "International experience of a manager; toward a new conceptualization," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(4).
    7. Fonfara Krzysztof & Hauke-Lopes Aleksandra & Soniewicki Marcin, 2021. "Does Psychic Distance Still Matter? Empirical Evidence from Poland," Journal of Management and Business Administration. Central Europe, Sciendo, vol. 29(4), pages 32-56, December.

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