Multiple category memberships in markets: an integrative theory and two empirical tests

Hsu, Greta and Koçak, Özgecan and Hannan, Michael T. (2009) Multiple category memberships in markets: an integrative theory and two empirical tests. American Sociological Review, 74 (1). pp. 150-169. ISSN 0003-1224 (Print) 1939-8271 (Online)

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Abstract

This article examines the effects of market specialization on economic and social outcomes. Integrating two perspectives, we explore why products that span multiple categories suffer social and economic disadvantages. According to the audience-side perspective, audience members refer to established categories to make sense of products. Products that incorporate features from multiple categories are perceived to be pool fits Mill category expectations and less appealing than category specialists. The producer-side view holds that spanning categories reduces one ability to effectively target each category's audience, which decreases appeal to audience members. Rather than treating these as rival explanations, A,e propose that both processes matter and offer a systematic, integrated account of how penalties arise as a consequence of audience-side and producer side processes. We analyze data from two dissimilar contexts, eBay auctions and U.S. future-film projects, to test the central implications of our theory Together these tests provide support for our integrated approach and suggest that both processes contribute to the penalties associated with category spanning.
Item Type: Article
Subjects: H Social Sciences > HM Sociology > HM0786-806 Organizational sociology. Organization theory
Divisions: Sabancı Business School > Organization
Depositing User: Özgecan Koçak
Date Deposited: 01 Jul 2009 15:24
Last Modified: 22 Jul 2019 16:21
URI: https://research.sabanciuniv.edu/id/eprint/11596

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