A Comparative Study Of Personal Values And Gift-giving Behavior Between Chinese And Americans

Gift-giving behavior, a microcosm reflection aspect of the overall consumption behaviorin any society, is a complex, value-laden phenomenon. When people select a gift, theyincorporate a range of specific personal values concerning the relationship between giverand recipient and the nature of gift-giving motivation. However, to date, very fewacademic studies have explored this behavior in the cross-cultural contexts with inclusionof China in depth. Consequently, this study explored the extent to which personal valuesare related to gift-giving behavior and how specific gift-giving behaviors are linked withspecific value dimensions such as self-direction and conservation.Drawing from the extensive literature of personal value studies and gift-giving behavior,this study investigated the relationship between personal values and gift-giving behaviorsin a cross-cultural context. By comparing Chinese and American gift-givers, this researchasked these research questions:(1) What values are constantly associated with certaingift-giving behaviors?(2) How is the association between personal values and gift-givingbehaviors different across cultures?This empirical study utilizedthe Schwartz Portrait Value Survey (PVQ) in both theChinese and American contexts. The findings from analysis of the complex relationshipsbetween personal values and gift-giving behavior confirmed and extended the findings ofprevious studies with the following results. From a value studies perspective, this studyprovides empirical reasonable evidence of the validity of PVQ in the Chinese context;while from a behavioral studies perspective, it also provides the knowledge base todevelop better marketing plans for gift products or services, including utilizing personalvalues as a tool to segment their target market.