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Evaluating Ambiguous Offerings

Author

Listed:
  • Boulongne, Romain

    (IESE Business School)

  • Durand, Rodolphe

    (HEC Paris)

Abstract

This paper studies how audience members categorize and evaluate ambiguous offerings. Depending on whether audience members categorize ambiguous offerings based on prototypes or goals, they activate two distinct cognitive mechanisms and evaluate differently ambiguous offerings. We expect that when audiences engage in goal-based vs. prototype-based categorization, their evaluation of ambiguous products increases. We theorize that under goal-based categorization, the perceived utility of unclear attributes increases for audiences, which leads them to evaluate more positively ambiguous product offerings. We test and find support for these direct and mediated relationships through a series of lab, on-line and field experiments. Overall, this study offers important implications for research on product and market categories, optimal distinctiveness, and market agents’ cognitive ascription of value.

Suggested Citation

  • Boulongne, Romain & Durand, Rodolphe, 2021. "Evaluating Ambiguous Offerings," HEC Research Papers Series 1420, HEC Paris.
    • Handle: RePEc:ebg:heccah:1420
    DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.3709884
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Zineb Aouni & Marek Hudon & Anaïs A Périlleux & Tyler Wry, 2024. "Crowdfunding social ventures: who rewards (or punishes) hybridity?," ULB Institutional Repository 2013/367191, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    2. Zineb Aouni & Marek Hudon & Anaïs A Périlleux & Tyler Wry, 2024. "Crowdfunding social ventures: Who will reward (or punish) hybridity?," Working Papers CEB 24-004, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    3. Jean‐François Soublière & Christi Lockwood, 2022. "Achieving cultural resonance: Four strategies toward rallying support for entrepreneurial endeavors," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(8), pages 1499-1527, August.
    4. Rodolphe Durand & Marieke Huysentruyt, 2022. "Communication frames and beneficiary engagement in corporate social initiatives: Evidence from a randomized controlled trial in France," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(9), pages 1823-1853, September.
    5. Juan Bu & Eric Yanfei Zhao & Krista J. Li & Joanna Mingxuan Li, 2022. "Multilevel optimal distinctiveness: Examining the impact of within‐ and between‐organization distinctiveness of product design on market performance," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(9), pages 1793-1822, September.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    social evaluation; categories and categorization; ambiguity; experimental methods;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C50 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric Modeling - - - General

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