管理工程学报2025，Vol.39Issue(5)：1-13,13.DOI:10.13587/j.cnki.jieem.2025.05.001
利己还是利他?用户调节定向与在线推介奖励分配偏好
Egoism vs.altruism?User regulatory focus and online referral reward allocation preference
摘要
Abstract
The online referral reward program(ORRP)is a social marketing method by firms to incentivize existing users(i.e.,inviters)to recommend products or services to their friends(i.e.,invitees)through online social networks.As a key element of ORRP design,the effectiveness of the reward is influenced by the reward allocation between the inviter and the invitee.However,extant research has produced conflicting findings on how to design the reward allocation mechanism in ORRPs.On the one hand,allocating more incentives to inviters may induce them to make more referrals by offering economic benefits;on the other hand,allocating more incentives to invitees can also stimulate more referrals by enhancing the inviters' reputational benefits.To explore the influencing factors of users' online referral reward allocation preference,previous literature has primarily investigated the impact of tie strength between the inviter and the invitee,as well as users' demographics.In contrast,the role of individual cognitive factors remains underestimated.Given that the cognitive factor of individual motivation(i.e.,regulatory focus)is a fundamental determinant of self-regulation and decision-making processes and is distinct from the influencing mechanism of the above external factors,it is essential to consider this issue from the perspective of regulatory focus. Regulatory focus theory elucidates distinctions in people's motivation.According to the theory,individuals can be divided into two predominant types:promotion focus and prevention focus.Regulatory focus has been demonstrated to influence various economic decision-making and interpersonal communication processes.Moreover,it acts as a motivational driver of online behavior,such as online information sharing,interactive support,and electronic word-of-mouth(e-WOM).Because ORRPs encompass both economic and social dimensions,it is reasonable to predict that regulatory focus may impact users' behavior.Given that inviters with different regulatory focus exhibit distinct dominant motivational orientations(i.e.,intrinsic motivation or extrinsic motivation),this paper posits that these differences subsequently influence inviters' needs for self-image enhancement and monetary incentives in ORRPs,eventually leading to different reward allocation preferences. Drawing on regulatory focus theory,this research delves into the effect of inviters' regulatory focus(promotion-focused vs.prevention-focused)on their preference for online referral reward allocation in ORRPs,exploring the underlying mechanisms and boundary conditions.Three online experiments and one laboratory experiment were conducted to empirically test the hypotheses.Study 1 investigates the main effect of regulatory focus on inviters' reward allocation preference.Study 1a preliminarily tests the effect of regulatory focus on inviters' preference intention for reward allocation through an online experiment,while study 1b tests the effect of regulatory focus on inviters' actual reward allocation behavior through a laboratory experiment.Study 2 replicates the main effect under different experimental conditions and further examines the mediating role of the reputational concern.Finally,study 3 explores the moderating influence of the tie strength between inviters and invitees.The results of four experiments indicate that promotion-focused inviters demonstrate greater altruism when allocating referral rewards compared to prevention-focused inviters,with reputational concern mediating this effect.However,this effect is attenuated when the tie strength between the inviter and the invitee is weak. This study contributes to theory in several ways.Firstly,it enriches the literature on the design of ORRP reward allocation mechanisms by highlighting the significance of individual cognitive factors(i.e.,regulatory focus).Specifically,regulatory focus is identified as a factor that influences allocation preference by affecting users' motivational orientations.Secondly,this study extends our knowledge of regulatory focus theory by applying it in a novel ORRP context where economic and social benefits coexist.Thirdly,this research deepens our understanding of the interplay between users' personal traits and social relationships.It reveals that users have different reputational concerns for strong ties and weak ties,resulting in significant differences in the impact of their personal traits.Lastly,this study broadens our understanding of the antecedents of altruistic behavior.From a practical perspective,this study provides guidance for firms seeking to improve their ORRP design.By tailoring reward allocation mechanisms to users with different regulatory focus and tie strengths,firms can effectively stimulate more referrals.In addition,when promoting ORRPs to promotion-and prevention-focused users,firms can emphasize social and economic benefits,respectively.To further validate the findings of this study,future research may consider manipulating regulatory focus or examining its impact on invitees' online referral reward allocation preference.关键词
在线有奖推介活动/调节定向理论/奖励分配偏好/声誉关注/关系强度Key words
Online referral reward program/Regulatory focus theory/Reward allocation preference/Reputational concern/Tie strength分类
管理科学引用本文复制引用
金惠杰,路守望,王刊良..利己还是利他?用户调节定向与在线推介奖励分配偏好[J].管理工程学报,2025,39(5):1-13,13.基金项目
国家自然科学基金项目(72171228) （72171228）
北京交通大学人才基金项目(2023XKRCW021) The National Natural Science Foundation of China(72171228) （2023XKRCW021）
The Talent Fund of Beijing Jiaotong University(2023XKRCW021) （2023XKRCW021）
