Conceptualising and validating the social capital construct in consumer-initiated online brand communities (COBCs)

Stacey Li, Pratik Modi, Meng-Shan (Sharon) Wu, Cheng-Hao (Steve) Chen, Bang Nguyen

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    Abstract

    Social capital plays a significant role in understanding online community relationships in the marketing field. However, the construct of social capital has not been studied in the context of consumer-initiated online brand communities (COBCs). This paper develops a model of social capital in COBCs as a higher order reflective latent construct having four first-order dimensions. Responses of 353 members from 35 Volkswagen COBCs in China were obtained and analysed using Structural Equation Modelling. The data supports our model of social capital in COBCs, providing a greater understanding of social capital in COBCs that will help Chinese marketers utilise COBCs more effectively.
    Original languageEnglish
    JournalTechnological Forecasting and Social Change
    Early online date28 Nov 2018
    DOIs
    Publication statusEarly online - 28 Nov 2018

    Keywords

    • social capital
    • online brand communities
    • consumer-initiated online brand communities
    • social media

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