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Does cultural distance affect online review ratings? Measuring international customers’ satisfaction with services leveraging digital platforms and big data

Author

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  • Marcello M. Mariani

    (University of Reading)

  • Michela Matarazzo

    (Università degli Studi G. Marconi)

Abstract

The advent and development of digital platforms has helped enhance the international visibility of brands, products and services, and has also introduced a proliferation of online reviews. This study develops a big data analysis of customer online reviews of hospitality services to gauge the extent to which the cultural distance among service providers and their customers influences online review ratings. By examining almost 715,000 online reviews written by hotel customers from more than 100 different nationalities, the effect of national cultural differences among service customers and providers (namely cultural distance) on online review ratings is innovatively scrutinized. The paper, by considering reviewers’ behavioral features, demographics, and trip-related factors, reveals that the effect of national cultural distance on online review ratings is negative. Several implications for practitioners are also discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Marcello M. Mariani & Michela Matarazzo, 2021. "Does cultural distance affect online review ratings? Measuring international customers’ satisfaction with services leveraging digital platforms and big data," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 25(4), pages 1057-1078, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jmgtgv:v:25:y:2021:i:4:d:10.1007_s10997-020-09531-z
    DOI: 10.1007/s10997-020-09531-z
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    Cited by:

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    3. Japutra, Arnold & Situmorang, Ringkar & Mariani, Marcello & Pereira, Vijay, 2024. "Understanding employer branding within MNC subsidiaries: Evidence from MNC hotel subsidiaries in Indonesia," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 30(1).
    4. Harrison-Walker, L. Jean & Jiang, Ying, 2023. "Suspicion of online product reviews as fake: Cues and consequences," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 160(C).
    5. Zaman, Mustafeed & Vo-Thanh, Tan & Nguyen, Chi T.K. & Hasan, Rajibul & Akter, Shahriar & Mariani, Marcello & Hikkerova, Lubica, 2023. "Motives for posting fake reviews: Evidence from a cross-cultural comparison," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
    6. Boccali, Filippo & Mariani, Marcello M. & Visani, Franco & Mora-Cruz, Alexandra, 2022. "Innovative value-based price assessment in data-rich environments: Leveraging online review analytics through Data Envelopment Analysis to empower managers and entrepreneurs," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 182(C).
    7. Jose Ramon Saura & Daniel Palacios-Marqués & Domingo Ribeiro-Soriano, 2023. "Leveraging SMEs technologies adoption in the Covid-19 pandemic: a case study on Twitter-based user-generated content," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 48(5), pages 1696-1722, October.

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