Decision Support Systems 53 (2012) 218–225

Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect

Decision Support Systems

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/dss

What drives consumers to spread electronic word of mouth in online

consumer-opinion platforms
Christy M.K. Cheung a,⁎, Matthew K.O. Lee b, 1
a
Department of Finance and Decision Sciences, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong
b
Department of Information Systems, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: The advance of the Internet facilitates consumers to share and exchange consumption-related advice through
Received 10 August 2010 online consumer reviews. This relatively new form of word-of-mouth communication, electronic word-of-
Received in revised form 23 November 2011 mouth (eWOM) communication, has only recently received significant managerial and academic attention.
Accepted 23 January 2012
Many academic studies have looked at the effectiveness of positive eWOM communication, examining the
Available online 31 January 2012
process by which eWOM influences consumer purchasing decisions. eWOM behavior is primarily explained
Keywords:
from the individual rational perspective that emphasizes a cost and benefit analysis. However, we felt there
Electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) was a need for an extensive study that examines consumers' motives for eWOM. In this paper, we focus on
communication the factors that drive consumers to spread positive eWOM in online consumer-opinion platforms. Building
Public good on the social psychology literature, we identified a number of key motives of consumers' eWOM intention
Online consumer reviews and developed an associated model. We empirically tested the research model with a sample of 203 members
Reputation of a consumer review community, OpenRice.com. The model explains 69% of the variance, with reputation,
Sense of belonging sense of belonging and enjoyment of helping other consumers significantly related to consumers' eWOM
Enjoyment of helping
intention. The results of this study provide important implications for research and practice.
Electronic marketing
© 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction
With the advent of Internet technologies, traditional word-of-
mouth communication has been extended to electronic media, such as
online discussion forums, electronic bulletin board systems, news-
groups, blogs, review sites, and social networking sites [34,44]. Every-
one can share their opinion and experience related to products with
complete strangers who are socially and geographically dispersed
[19]. This new form of word of mouth, known as electronic word of
mouth (eWOM), has become an important factor in shaping consumer
purchase behavior. Hennig-Thurau et al. [27] argued that information
provided on consumer opinion sites is more influential among
consumers nowadays. Industrial statistics have also provided evidence
in supporting the significant impact of eWOM communication. For
instance, eMarketer revealed that 61% of consumers consulted online
reviews, blogs and other kinds of online customer feedback before
purchasing a new product or service [22]. In addition, 80% of those
who plan to make a purchase online will seek out online consumer
reviews before making their purchase decision [29]. Some consumers
⁎ Corresponding author. Tel.: + 852 34112102; fax: + 852 34115585.
E-mail addresses: ccheung@hkbu.edu.hk (C.M.K. Cheung), ismatlee@cityu.edu.hk
(M.K.O. Lee).
1
Tel: + 852 27887348; fax: + 852 27888694.
even reported that they are willing to pay at least 20% more for services
receiving an “Excellent”, or 5-star, rating than for the same service
receiving a “Good”, or 4-star rating [15].
Electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) communication has only
recently received significant managerial and academic attention. Most
academic studies have looked at the effectiveness of eWOM communi-
cation, examining the process by which eWOM influences consumer
purchasing decisions. To date, the issue of consumers' eWOM intention
has received limited attention in the IS literature. We still do not
fully understand why consumers spread positive eWOM in online
consumer-opinion platforms. Among the few existing publications,
eWOM behavior is primarily explained from individual rational
perspective with the emphasis on cost and benefit. Consumer participa-
tion in online consumer-opinion platforms depends a lot on interac-
tions with other consumers. We believe that it is necessary to further
extend existing work by adopting a diverse theoretical perspective to
explain this new social phenomenon focusing on antecedents to
eWOM intentions. In the second section of this paper, we address the
theoretical background. Then, we present our research model and
hypotheses; and describe a survey study of users in an online
consumer-opinion platform to empirically test the research model.
Next, we discuss the findings of our empirical study. And finally, we
conclude by describing the implications for both research and practice,
the limitations of the study, and future research directions.

0167-9236/$ – see front matter © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.dss.2012.01.015
 C.M.K. Cheung, M.K.O. Lee / Decision Support Systems 53 (2012) 218–225
2. Theoretical background
Prior literature provides a rich foundation of theory on which to
build a research model that explains why consumers are willing to
spread positive eWOM in online consumer-opinion platforms. In this
section, we first define electronic word-of-mouth communication and
compare the concept with traditional word-of-mouth communication.
We then describe the theoretical foundation of our research model.
2.1. Definition of eWOM communication
With the advent of the Internet, there has been a paradigm shift in
word-of-mouth communication. Traditional word-of-mouth (WOM),
which was originally defined as an oral form of interpersonal non-
commercial communication among acquaintances [5], has evolved
into a new form of communication, namely electronic word-of-mouth
(eWOM) communication. eWOM communication can take place in
various settings. Consumers can post their opinions, comments and
reviews of products on weblogs (e.g. xanga.com), discussion forums
(e.g. zapak.com), review websites (e.g. Epinions.com), retail websites
(e.g., Amazon.com), e-bulletin board systems, newsgroup and social
networking sites (e.g. facebook.com).
eWOM differs from traditional WOM in many ways. First, unlike
traditional WOM, eWOM communications possess unprecedented
scalability and speed of diffusion. eWOM communications involve
multi-way exchanges of information in asynchronous mode [27,28].
The use of various electronic technologies such as online discussion
forums, electronic bulletin boards, newsgroups, blogs, review sites
and social networking sites facilitate information exchange among
communicators [33]. Second, eWOM communications are more per-
sistent and accessible than traditional WOM. Most of the text-based
information presented on the Internet is archived and thus, in many
cases, at least in theory, is available for an indefinite period of time
[28,37]. Third, eWOM communications are more measurable than
traditional WOM. The presentation format, quantity and persistence
of eWOM communications have made them more observable. Lastly,
the electronic nature of eWOM in most applications may dampen the
receiver's ability to judge the sender and his or her message on factors
such as credibility. People can only judge the credibility of the com-
municator based on the associated cues through online reputation
systems (online ratings, website credibility, etc.).
2.2. Prior research on eWOM communication
The topic of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) communication
is generating increased interest in business disciplines such as mar-
keting, consumer behavior, economics, and information systems. Re-
searchers have adopted various research approaches to examine this
important phenomenon. Most of these different research approaches
explore the impact of eWOM communication. However, research on
why consumers engage in eWOM in online consumer-opinion plat-
forms remains relatively limited. A prominent study of eWOM
communication motives is by Henning-Thurau et al. [27]. They built
on Balasubramanian and Mahajan [6], identifying five main motiva-
tional categories of positive eWOM communication: focus-related
utility (concern for other consumers, helping the company, social
benefits, and exerting power), consumption utility (post-purchase
advice-seeking), approval utility (self-enhancement and economic re-
wards), moderator-related utility (convenience and problem-solving
support), and homeostase utility (expressing positive emotions and
venting negative feelings). Sun et al. [39] also proposed an integrated
model to explore the antecedents and consequences of eWOM in the
context of music-related communication. They found that innovative-
ness, internet usage, and internet social connection are significant
factors in eWOM behavior. Tong et al. [41] explored costs (cognitive
cost and executional cost) and benefits (enjoyment in helping other
219
consumers and enjoyment in influencing the company, self-
enhancement, and economic reward) of consumer's information contri-
bution to online feedback systems. These studies provide a reasonable
start to exploring further the motives behind eWOM communication
in a way that does not necessarily approach eWOM behavior as individ-
ual rational phenomenon.
2.3. The public good
In the literature, information sharing is viewed as a public-good phe-
nomenon. A public good is characterized as “a shared resource from
which every member of a group may benefit, regardless of whether or
not they personally contribute to its provision, and whose availability
does not diminish with use” (p. 693) [11]. The fundamental problem
of a public good is that any individual may consume a public good with-
out contributing to a group. This results in a social dilemma situation,
which occurs when an individual attempts to maximize self-interest
over social-interest and makes a rational decision. In the online envi-
ronment, anyone can access and consume knowledge without making
a direct contribution back to it. It is very likely that individuals will
free-ride [9,30]. Wasko and Tiegland [43] however urged that though
public goods are subjected to social dilemmas, they are nonetheless
created and maintained through collective action. In other words,
public goods are still shared and contributed to voluntarily through
cooperation of individuals. Based on the social psychology literature,
we identified four perspectives that explain why consumers spread
eWOM in online consumer-opinion platforms: egoism, collectivism,
altruism, and principlism.
Egoism refers to serving the public good to benefit oneself. Re-
searchers in psychology, sociology, economics, and political sciences
assume that all human actions are ultimately directed toward self-
interest. Rewards and avoidance are the most obvious self-benefits
that drive individuals to act for the public good. Collectivism refers to
serving the public good to benefit a group. The act for the public good
is for the group's benefit, as the self shifts from personal self to collective
self. This is the most widely accepted social psychology theory of group
behavior. Altruism refers to serving the public good to benefit one or
more others. The motive for the public good can be linked to empathic
emotion. Empathy (feelings of sympathy, compassion, tenderness,
and the like) is a source of altruism. Some researchers have shown
that feeling empathy for a person in need leads to increased helping
of that person [20]. Principlism refers to serving the public good to
uphold a principle. The motivation is to uphold, typically, some moral
principle, such as justice or the utilitarian principle of the greatest
good for the greatest number. Gorsuch and Orberg [24] found that in
moral situations, people reported their intentions to act out of their
sense of moral responsibility.
2.4. Knowledge self-efficacy
Prior studies [33] have demonstrated that knowledge self-efficacy is
an important antecedent of knowledge sharing in the online environ-
ment. Individuals tend to provide useful advice on computer networks
if they possess a high level of expertise [17]. Conversely, when they
lack information or knowledge which is useful to others, they tend to
make less contribution in knowledge sharing since, for example they
believe that they cannot make a positive impact for the organization
[30]. Insufficient knowledge self-efficacy also hinders individuals to
share in web-based discussion boards [33].
This line of study suggests that people form beliefs about what
they can do, predict likely outcomes of prospective actions, and set
goals for themselves in order to achieve desired outcomes. In other
words, the motivations of performing a behavior do not stem from
the goals themselves, but from the self-evaluation that is made condi-
tional on their fulfillment. Bandura [7] defines perceived self-efficacy
as “people's beliefs about their capabilities to produce designated
220 C.M.K. Cheung, M.K.O. Lee / Decision Support Systems 53 (2012) 218–225
levels of performance that exercise influence over events that affect
their lives” (p. 71). Self-efficacy is created through mastery experi-
ence. Success builds a strong belief in one's self-efficacy and moti-
vates an individual to continue the behaviors.
3. Research model and hypotheses
Based on the literature reviewed above, we develop a model of an-
tecedents to eWOM intentions in online consumer-opinion platforms,
depicted in Fig. 1. The antecedent variables are from four different
theoretical perspectives as well as knowledge self-efficacy. Our
focus is on intentions to behave as, however indeed a relationship be-
tween intention and behavior is well established [1]. In this section,
the key components of the research model and their interrelation-
ships are addressed.
3.1. Egoistic motivation
A motive is considered egoistic if the ultimate goal is to increase the
actor's own welfare [8]. Individuals are deemed as egoistic when they
aim at tangible or intangible returns after sharing information with
others. Social exchange theory has been adopted to explain the action
for the public good in terms of egoism in recent years [9,30]. Being ratio-
nal, human beings try to look for returns (e.g. pay, prizes, reputation,
and recognition) by maximizing their benefits and minimizing their
cost during information exchange process with others [32].
This perspective has been widely adopted in many eWOM commu-
nication publications [27,41]. For example, reputation is often cited as
an important determinant of information sharing behavior [16,17]. Peo-
ple share and contribute their knowledge because they want to gain an
informal recognition and establish themselves as experts [43]. Similarly,
we believe that if a consumer wants to gain a reputation in an online
consumer-opinion platform, he/she has a higher tendency to spread
eWOM. This leads to the following hypothesis:
H1. The perception of the opportunity to enhance one's own reputa-
tions is positively related to one's eWOM intention.
Fig. 1. Research model.
Another egoistic motivator of the act for the public good is reci-
procity, which is also conceived as a benefit for individuals to engage
in social exchange. When information providers do not know each
other, the kind of reciprocity that is relevant is called “generalized”
exchange [21], and the person who offers help to others is expecting
returns in the future [32]. Prior research found that people who share
knowledge in online communities value reciprocity [42], and it is this
belief that drives them to participate and share. Thus, this leads to the
following hypothesis:
H2. The perception of the opportunity for reciprocity is positively re-
lated to one's eWOM intention.
3.2. Collective motivation
Collectivism is defined as the motivation with the ultimate goal of
increasing the welfare of a group or collective [8]. In other words, in-
dividuals with a collective motive contribute their knowledge for the
benefit of the whole group rather than personal return. In terms of ac-
tion for the public good, collectivism can be linked to social identity
theory, in which individuals gain social identity from the groups
they belong to [40]. When individuals identify themselves as mem-
bers of a social aggregate, they are more likely to define themselves
in terms of their membership in that group [18]. Members have the
feeling that others' needs will be satisfied by the resources received
through their contributions to the group [35].
Sense of belonging refers to a sense of emotional involvement
with the group. When people identify themselves as part of the com-
munity and align their goals with those of the community, they will
treat other members as their kin and they will be willing to do some-
thing beneficial to/for others that are not necessarily beneficial [26].
Lakhani and Von Hipper [32] also argued that committed electronic
network members take part in knowledge sharing since they think
such behavior is best for the community. Hence, people with this var-
iant of intrinsic motivation will be motivated to participate in sharing
activities and help their kinship partners.
 C.M.K. Cheung, M.K.O. Lee / Decision Support Systems 53 (2012) 218–225
H3. The opportunity for the sense of belonging is positively related to
one's eWOM intention.
3.3. Altruistic motivation
Altruism is motivation with the ultimate goal of increasing the
welfare of one or more individuals other than oneself [8]. Individuals
acting on altruistic goals are willing to volunteer themselves to con-
tribute their knowledge to online consumer reviews without expect-
ing direct rewards in return. For example, consumers may share
purchasing experience just because others have a need for it [31].
When studied in terms of empathic emotion, individuals may have
empathy toward a person in need and this increases helping of that
person [8].
Enjoyment of helping has been acknowledged by researchers as an
altruistic factor to explain individuals' willingness to share knowledge
in electronic networks of practice or online social spaces [27,30,41].
Though there is no apparent compensation, people in virtual communi-
ties still obtain intrinsic enjoyment and satisfaction by helping others
through sharing their knowledge [4,31,42]. Hence,
H4. The opportunity to realize personal enjoyment is positively related
to one's eWOM intention.
3.4. Principlistic motivation
Principlism refers to the motivation towards the ultimate goal of up-
holding some moral principle, such as justice or the utilitarian principle
of the greatest good for the greatest number [8]. The predictive power of
principlistic motivation on behavioral intention has been supported by
various empirical studies [24]. Action for the public good in terms of
principlism can be explained by normative commitment, in which com-
mitment is a sense of obligation to the organization [3,36]. With a strong
sense of commitment to the community, individuals in virtual commu-
nities are more likely to feel obliged to help others by contributing
knowledge [18]. They are willing to contribute their knowledge to the
well being of the organization [36].
Moral obligation is derived from principlism. Commitment to online
communities conveys a sense of duty or obligation to help others on the
basis of shared membership [41]. In the context of an organization,
people view their knowledge as a public good and they are motivated
to have knowledge exchange with others because of moral obligation
and community interest [3]. In online communities, individuals with a
strong sense of commitment to the community are more likely to feel
obliged to help others by contributing knowledge [43]. Therefore, we
believe that when a consumer has a strong sense of moral obligation,
there will be a higher chance for them to spread eWOM in online
consumer-opinion platforms.
H5. The opportunity to feel a moral obligation is positively related to
one's eWOM intention.
3.5. Knowledge self-efficacy
In social cognitive theory, self-efficacy is a personal judgment of
one's capability to execute actions required for designated types of
performances. It has a great impact on people's intentions and behavior
[7]. Derived from this line of study, knowledge self-efficacy can be
served as a self-motivator for knowledge contribution in online
platforms. Previous studies have already illustrated the importance of
knowledge self-efficacy on people's intention to share knowledge
[30]. We also believe that a higher knowledge self-efficacy about a
purchasing experience, leads to a higher tendency to spread eWOM in
online consumer-opinion platforms.
221
H6. The degree of perceived knowledge self-efficacy is positively re-
lated to one's eWOM intention.
4. Research method
The research model was examined using a sample of online
consumer-opinion platform users from OpenRice.com. OpenRice.com,
one of the most successful online communities in Hong Kong, shares
information about 15,000 restaurants in Hong Kong and Macau. It is a
good search tool with all restaurant information categorized in terms
of the style of food, location of the restaurant, price ranges, and the
like.
4.1. Data collection
In this study, the sample frame was individuals who have used
OpenRice.com. A convenience sample was used by inviting volunteers
to participate in this study. We posted an invitation message with the
URL to the online questionnaire on a number of Facebook groups re-
lated to dining experiences in Hong Kong. To increase the response
rate, entry in a lottery for supermarket vouchers was offered as an in-
centive for participation.
4.2. Sample profile
The respondents were asked to complete the questionnaire based
on their experience with OpenRice.com. A total of 203 usable ques-
tionnaires were collected in this study. Among the 203 respondents,
57% was female and 43% was male. A majority of our respondents
(67%) were aged between 21 and 25. 78% of our respondents had
an education level of university or above.
4.3. Measures
The constructs of interest in this study included consumers' eWOM
intention, reputation, reciprocity, sense of belonging, enjoyment of
helping, moral obligation, and knowledge self-efficacy. We used estab-
lished measures from previous literature (See Appendix A). All con-
structs were measured using multi-item perceptual scales and were
carried out by a seven-point Likert scale, ranging from strongly disagree
(1) to strongly disagree (7).
5. Data analysis and results
The Partial Least Squares (PLS) method was used to perform the
statistical analysis in this study. PLS technique provides a better ex-
planation for complex relationships [23] and is widely adopted by IS
researchers [13]. Moreover, it is suitable when the focus of the re-
search is on theory development. Following the two-step analytical
approach [25], we first conducted the psychometric assessment of
our measurement scales, and we then evaluated the structural
model. Using this approach, we have a higher confidence that the
conclusion on structural relationship is drawn from a set of measure-
ment instruments with desirable psychometric properties.
5.1. Measurement model
The convergent validity and discriminant validity of the constructs
in our model were examined. Convergent validity was tested using
three criteria of all constructs: (1) the composite reliability (CR)
should be at least 0.70 [13], (2) the average variance extracted
(AVE) should be at least 0.50 [23], and (3) all item loadings should
be greater than 0.707 [13]. Results of our analysis are shown in
Table 1. All three conditions of convergent validity were satisfied in
our data sample by having the CRs ranging from 0.89 to 0.96, and
222 C.M.K. Cheung, M.K.O. Lee / Decision Support Systems 53 (2012) 218–225

Table 1 coefficients with significant paths indicated by asterisks, and associated

Psychometric properties of measures. t-values of the paths. Bootstrap resampling procedure was used to per-
Construct Item Loading t-value Mean St. dev form the significant testing for each path.
An examination of the R 2 value demonstrates that the model
Knowledge self-efficacy SE1 0.88 14.64 4.91 1.38
CR = 0.91; AVE = 0.84 SE2 0.95 56.50 4.27 1.46 explains a substantial amount of the variance in the outcome variable.
Enjoyment of helping EH1 0.93 78.81 4.15 1.48 In our model, it explains 69% of the variance in consumers' eWOM
CR = 0.96, AVE = 0.89 EH2 0.95 83.73 4.28 1.45 intention. The significant antecedents are reputation, sense of belonging
EH3 0.95 111.36 4.31 1.40
and enjoyment of helping, with path coefficients at 0.11, 0.41 and 0.33
Consumers' eWOM intentions INT1 0.90 57.23 3.94 1.55
CR = 0.92, AVE = 0.79 INT2 0.91 61.07 3.70 1.57 respectively. This provides support for H1, H3 and H4.
INT3 0.85 32.61 4.03 1.51
Moral obligation MO1 0.93 96.38 3.98 1.46 6. Discussion and conclusion
CR = 0.92, AVE = 0.79 MO2 0.86 28.77 4.22 1.54
MO3 0.88 43.16 3.59 1.48
Given the limited research in the area of consumers' intention to
Reputation RP1 0.96 179.09 3.58 1.51
CR = 0.96, AVE = 0.93 PR2 0.97 190.60 3.50 1.54 spread eWOM in online consumer-opinion platforms, this study seeks
Sense of belonging SB1 0.87 44.04 3.81 1.59 to consider the factors that shape eWOM behavior. This section dis-
CR = 0.94, AVE = 0.77 SB2 0.81 23.14 4.07 1.49 cusses the results of hypothesis testing of the research model, addresses
SB3 0.91 72.30 3.68 1.52
the limitations of the study, and highlights the contributions to research
SB4 0.90 62.31 3.63 1.48
SB5 0.88 63.59 3.52 1.60 and practice.
Reciprocity RC1 0.77 5.41 4.61 1.28
CR = 0.89; AVE = 0.67 RC2 0.81 5.04 5.00 1.38 6.1. General discussion
RC3 0.88 4.43 4.98 1.32
RC4 0.80 3.53 4.86 1.36
The research model gains much of its theoretical foundation from
Notes: CR—Composite Reliability, AVE—Average Variance Extracted. the social psychology literature. The analysis shows that consumers'
eWOM intention is significantly related to three antecedents, reputa-
the AVEs from 0.67 to 0.93. The item loadings were all higher than the tion (marginal significance), sense of belonging, and enjoyment of
0.707 benchmark. helping.
Discriminant validity is indicated by low correlations between the Sense of belonging had relatively the most impact on consumers'
measure of interest and the measure of other constructs [23]. This va- eWOM intention. The result is consistent with previous eWOM
lidity can be assessed by having the square root of the average vari- marketing literature, where affective commitment (sense of belong-
ance extracted (AVE) of each construct higher than the correlations ing) is an essential ingredient that fosters loyalty and citizenship in
between it and all other constructs. As shown in Table 2, the square a group [18]. In our case, consumers who have a stronger sense of
root of the AVE of each construct is located on the diagonal of the belonging to OpenRice.com have greater citizenship intentions
table and is in bold. A reasonable degree of discriminant validity ob- (e.g., sharing dining experiences with other consumers). This also
tains since each of them is greater than the correlations between it illustrated the importance of including social factors in the current
and all other constructs. We followed Segars and Grover's [38] guide- investigation. Our study also showed that enjoyment of helping others
line and further tested the correlations between enjoyment of help- is crucial in affecting consumers' eWOM intention. Intentions to write
ing, moral obligation, and sense of belonging. First, a model about dining experiences in OpenRice.com demonstrate enjoyment of
imposing a correlation of 1 between the two specific constructs is helping others. Consumers can benefit other community members
run. Then, another model with a freely estimated correlation between through helping them with their purchasing decisions. Specifically,
the two constructs is run. Discriminant validity is demonstrated if this act can save others from having negative experiences when visiting
there is a significant difference of the Chi-square statistics (i.e., Chi- substandard restaurants. Reputation is a marginally significant factor
square difference is greater than 3.84) between the constrained (the affecting consumers' eWOM intention. Consumers spreading eWOM
correlation between constructs is set) and unconstrained models in online consumer-opinion platforms related to a desire to alter repu-
(the correlation between constructs is free). In the current study, ro- tation. These consumer-opinion platforms have enormous potential for
bust evidence of convergent validity and discriminant validity was scale and reach. Some consumers are willing to contribute dining expe-
found with these data. riences because they may want to be viewed as an expert by a large
group of consumers.
Reciprocity, moral obligation and knowledge self-efficacy did not
5.2. Structural model demonstrate a significant relationship with consumers' eWOM inten-
tion. Unlike internal knowledge sharing systems, members on OpenRi-
The structural model analysis was assessed based on the test of ce.com post their reviews based on their experiences in visiting specific
the hypothesized effects in our research model. Fig. 2 shows the restaurants. The opinion in these online reviews helps other diners to
results of the hypothesized structural model test, including the vari- judge whether the restaurants are worth visiting. The experience they
ance explained (R 2 value) of the dependent variable, estimated path share does not necessary lead to a future request for knowledge being
met. The results are consistent with some research which shows reci-
Table 2
Correlation matrix and psychometric properties of key constructs.
procity does not influence the intention to use a knowledge mechanism
[14]. In addition, as OpenRice.com is an informal consumer-based
EH INT MO RC RP SE SB community, members may have sense of belonging, but the commit-
Enjoyment of Helping (EH) 0.94 ment to OpenRice.com does not necessarily convey a sense of duty or
Consumers' eWOM Intentions (INT) 0.73 0.89 obligation to help others on the basis of shared membership. Providing
Moral Obligation (MO) 0.71 0.68 0.89
consumer reviews is on voluntary basis, which means users have the
Reciprocity (RC) 0.20 0.13 0.09 0.82
Reputation (RP) 0.52 0.63 0.66 0.09 0.96 right to decide if they would like to leave their comments. Principlism
Knowledge Self-Efficacy (SE) 0.17 0.22 0.11 0.59 0.12 0.92 might have more impact when the obligation is stipulated in explicit
Sense of Belonging (SB) 0.72 0.79 0.75 0.16 0.73 0.22 0.87 terms. For instance, the moderator of the platform should include the
Notes: Italicized diagonal elements are the square root of AVE for each construct. Off- terms of use (e.g., with an emphasis on the obligation to share and
diagonal elements are the correlations between constructs. help other users) during user registration. Finally, whether they are
 C.M.K. Cheung, M.K.O. Lee / Decision Support Systems 53 (2012) 218–225
(Note: *p<0.10, **p<0.05, ***p<0.01)
Fig. 2. Result of the research model.
frequent patrons or first-time diners, all are welcome to provide re-
views about restaurants they have visited. Reviewers in OpenRice.com
may bear no thorough understanding about the restaurants and may
simply express their opinion based on the service quality they received.
Thus, knowledge self-efficacy does not have a significant impact on
consumers' eWOM intentions in online consumer-opinion platforms.
6.2. Limitations and future research directions
In interpreting the results of this study, one must pay attention to a
number of limitations. Our review of prior literature indicates that
research on consumer engagement in eWOM communication remains
relatively new and has only received limited attention in the scholarly lit-
erature. To enhance the understanding of this phenomenon and
contribute towards the developing of the existing literature in this area,
we propose a theoretical model that explains consumers' eWOM inten-
tion. In the current investigation, we included only the key motives
from each of the four perspectives of the social psychology literature.
Though the explanatory power of our research model is high, we believe
that future research studies should include some other related constructs
(e.g., rewards, subjective norm, costs, etc.) to account for the remaining
unexplained variance in consumers' eWOM intention. As prior studies
have found that positive eWOM is more likely to occur than negative
eWOM, in the current study, we only focused on consumers' intention
to spread positive eWOM. In line with recent research showing the neg-
ativity bias in online consumer behavior [12], future studies should con-
tinue to explore the motives that drive users to spread negative eWOM.
The sample size is relatively small and it is a convenience sample
comprised mostly of students. This suggests that future research should
include a more diverse sample of potential users in different age catego-
ries, professions, and usage experience with the consumer-opinion
platforms. A larger sample size can also bring more statistical power
223
for analysis. Finally, since only a single questionnaire was used to mea-
sure all the constructs in our study, common method bias may exist in
the measurement. Further studies could test our model by using differ-
ent research methods to overcome this weakness.
6.3. Implications
Though existing academic research has significantly advanced our
understanding of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM), much of it is
focused on how online consumer reviews affect sales of products and
services. Limited attention has been devoted to the antecedents of
eWOM. In view of this, we attempt to investigate consumers' eWOM
intention in the current study. We believe that this study contributes
to the conceptual and empirical understanding of eWOM intentions in
online consumer-opinion platforms. Implications of this study are note-
worthy for both researchers and practitioners.
This study contributes to existing eWOM research in several ways.
First, a lot of existing eWOM studies focus primarily on the impact of
eWOM on consumer purchasing decision. There is a lack of under-
standing of how and why consumers are willing to spend their own
time to share their purchasing experiences with other people in the
online environment. This study enriches the existing literature by
proposing a theoretical model that explains consumers' eWOM inten-
tion. Second, the research model gains its theoretical foundation from
the social psychology literature and social cognitive theory. Particu-
larly, we provided empirical support that social factor such as sense
of belonging, also exhibits significant impact on eWOM intentions in
online consumer-opinion platforms. The empirical investigation
demonstrates the relative importance of various antecedent factors
for consumers' eWOM intention.
The finding of this research is also useful for online consumer-
opinion platforms' moderators in understanding their members'
224 C.M.K. Cheung, M.K.O. Lee / Decision Support Systems 53 (2012) 218–225
behaviors. The results of this study show that sense of belonging to the
community, reputation, and enjoyment of helping others are the most
critical factors that encourage consumers to share their experiences
with others in the context of online consumer-opinion platforms. Here
are some guidelines for online consumer-opinion platforms' moderators:
▪ Sense of belonging: To enhance consumers' sense of belonging to
an online consumer-opinion platform, platform moderators
should allow consumers to create their own personal profile. Sim-
ilar to social networking platforms such as Facebook, adding other
users as friends and directly communicating with them may cre-
ate a stronger sense of belonging to the group.
▪ Reputation: To encourage more consumers to share their opinions,
online consumer-opinion platforms should apply reputation-
tracking mechanisms to recognize contributors. Apart from the
number of contributions, publicly visible cues such as length of
membership and membership status should be incorporated into
the platform design.
▪ Enjoyment of helping: Online opinion-platforms should provide a
mechanism where members who have provided useful suggestions
to other members are identified and informed that they have helped
others. Connecting contributors and readers via person-to-person
messaging/chat function can enable readers to show their apprecia-
tion for the reviews received.
In conclusion, electronic word-of-mouth communication in online
consumer opinion platform represents new and important e-
marketing phenomenon, we hope that it triggers additional theorizing
and empirical investigation aimed at better understanding of eWOM
communication in social media.
Acknowledgment
The authors acknowledge with gratitude the generous support of
the Hong Kong Baptist University for the project (HKBU 240609)
without which the timely production of the current report/publica-
tion would not have been feasible. In addition, the work described
in this paper was partially supported by a grant from City University
of Hong Kong (Project No. 7002640).
Appendix A. Measures
Reputation (modified from [42])
RP1 I feel that my participation in OpenRice.com improves my status in the
profession. (Extremely disagree/Extremely agree)
RP2 I participate in OpenRice.com to improve my reputation in the profession.
(Extremely disagree/Extremely agree)
Reciprocity (RC1-3: modified from [30]; RC4: modified from [43])
RC1 When I share my knowledge through OpenRice.com, I believe that I will get
an answer for giving an answer. (Extremely disagree/Extremely agree)
RC2 When I share my knowledge through OpenRice.com, I expect somebody to
respond when I'm in need (Extremely disagree/Extremely agree)
RC3 When I contribute knowledge to OpenRice.com, I expect to get back
knowledge when I need it (Extremely disagree/Extremely agree)
RC4 I know that other members in OpenRice.com will help me, so it's only fair to
help other member. (Extremely disagree/Extremely agree)
Sense of belonging (modified from [2])
SB1 I am very attached to OpenRice.com community. (Extremely disagree/
Extremely agree)
SB2 Other OpenRice.com members and I share the same objectives. (Extremely
disagree/Extremely agree)
SB3 The friendships I have with other OpenRice.com members mean a lot to me.
(Extremely disagree/Extremely agree)
SB4 If OpenRice.com members planned something, I would think of as
something “we” would do rather than something “they” would do.
(Extremely disagree/Extremely agree)
SB5 I see myself as a part of OpenRice.com. (Extremely disagree/Extremely
agree)
Enjoyment of helping (modified from [43])
EH1 I like helping other members in OpenRice.com. (Extremely disagree/
Extremely agree)
EH2 It feels good to help others other members in OpenRice.com. (Extremely
disagree/Extremely agree)
EH3 I enjoy helping other member in OpenRice.com. (Extremely disagree/
Extremely agree)
Moral obligation (modified from [10])
MO1 My conscience calls me to contribute and share in OpenRice.com.
(Extremely disagree/Extremely agree)
MO2 My decision to share or not in OpenRice.com is fully in line with my moral
conviction. (Extremely disagree/Extremely agree)
MO3 I feel morally obliged to share in OpenRice.com. (Extremely disagree/
Extremely agree)
Consumers' eWOM intention (modified from [9])
INT1 I intend to share my dining experiences with other members in
OpenRice.com more frequently in the future. (Extremely disagree/
Extremely agree)
INT2 I will always provide my dining experiences at the request of other
members in OpenRice.com. (Extremely disagree/Extremely agree)
INT3 I will try to share my dining experiences with other members in
OpenRice.com in a more effective way (Extremely disagree/Extremely
agree)
Knowledge self-efficacy (modified from [30])
SE1 I have confidence in my ability to provide knowledge/Information that
others in Open Rice.com consider valuable. (Extremely disagree/Extremely
agree)
SE2 I have the expertise needed to provide valuable knowledge/Information for
Open Rice.com. (Extremely disagree/Extremely agree)
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Christy M.K. Cheung is Associate Professor at Hong Kong
Baptist University. She received her PhD from City Univer-
sity of Hong Kong. Her research interests include virtual
community, knowledge management, social computing
technology, and IT adoption and usage. Her research arti-
cles have been published in MIS Quarterly, Decision Sup-
port Systems, Information & Management, Journal of the
American Society for Information Science and Technology,
and Information Systems Frontiers. Christy received the
Best Paper Award at the 2003 International Conference
on Information Systems and was the PhD fellow of 2004
ICIS Doctoral Consortium.
Matthew K.O. Lee is Chair Professor of Information Systems
& E-Commerce at the College of Business, City University of
Hong Kong (CityU). Concurrently, he directs the University's
Communication and Public Relations Office. Professor Lee's
publications in the information systems and electronic com-
merce areas include a book as well as over one hundred
refereed articles in international journals, conference pro-
ceedings, and research textbooks. He is the Principal Investi-
gator of a number of CERG grants and has published in
leading journals in his field (such as MIS Quarterly, Journal
of MIS, Communications of the ACM, International Journal
of Electronic Commerce, Decision Support Systems, Infor-
mation & Management, and the Journal of International
Business Studies). His work has received numerous citations in the SCCI/SCI database
and Google Scholar. Professor Lee has served as Associate Editor and Area Editor of the
Journal of Electronic Commerce and Applications (Elsivier Science) and the International
Journal of Information Policy and Law (Inderscience) and served on the editorial board of
the Information Systems Journal (Blackwell Scientific). He has also served as a special
Associate Editor for MIS Quarterly.