Descriptive analytics: its power to test the applicability of cross-national scales in exploratory studies

Conventional methodology for validating measures in consumer research relies on structural equation modeling. But, this procedure requires a fairly large sample size and a clear conceptualization of the relationship between individual items and various scale dimensions. Neither of these requirements may be met in exploratory cross-national studies. Hence, this paper addresses scale validation issues in exploratory cross-national research, where sample size is a major concern. Specifically, it uses cross-national data on the vanity measure as an exemplar and a battery of descriptive analytics to show how to assess scaling assumptions, reliability, and dimensionality of consumer behavior measures. The scale validation procedure the authors describe in this paper has implications for researchers who use multi-item rating scales as measures of consumer behavior constructs.

Keywords: cross-cultural, scale validation, exploratory research, cross-national, scale applicability
JEL Classification: L1, L13, D11, D12, M31