A comparative study of corporate user-generated media behavior: Cross-cultural B2B context

Because blogging is become more prevalent in both personal and professional contexts, many companies obtain useful information from user-generated media (e.g., blogs). Due to the significant growth of this phenomenon, businesses in developed (e.g., United States) and developing countries (e.g., Kuwait) have become more engaged in the blogging behavior of their employees. The main objectives of this study are: (1) to lay the groundwork for understanding the critical factors that lead to corporate bloggers’ stickiness to corporate user-generated media sites (e.g., corporate blogs or corporate social media accounts) and (2) to understand organizations’ awareness of the potential liabilities resulting from the actions of managers or employees in violation of different laws when blogging for the company. The study uses survey data collected from managers in the United States (U.S.) and Kuwait to meet these objectives. Five hypotheses are tested in this study. The results of the structural model indicate that corporate bloggers’ attitude, corporate bloggers’ subjective norm, and corporate bloggers’ perceived behavioral control are positively related to corporate bloggers’ stickiness to blog. The results also suggest that corporate bloggers’ perceived behavioral control leads to corporate bloggers’ commitment to blog. Finally, the results indicate that corporate bloggers’ stickiness to blog is a positive predictor of corporate bloggers’ commitment to blog. The results further suggest that corporate bloggers’ stickiness to blog partially mediates the relationship between corporate bloggers’ perceived behavioral control and their commitment to blog. Overall, the results of the structural model for the U.S. and Kuwait samples generate similar findings. The implications of this research offer potential theoretical and managerial contributions for both the U.S. and Kuwait.