Source of data

In any research, and particularly in research involving culture, it is crucial to define the relevant unit of analysis, or cultural group, to be studied, as well as the cultural context in which the unit of analysis or so-called ‘culti-unit’ is situated (Usunier, 1998). Douglas and Craig (1997) stress that, while assessing the unit of analysis, researchers should consider the ‘high degree of homogeneity in attitudes and behaviour among members of the cultural group’. They claim that the ‘culti-unit’ may be assessed on the basis of a cultural context (i.e. country) in which ‘culti-unit is situated. A similar view is shared by Sivakumar and Nakate (2001), who state that country is a proxy for culture as well as by Usunier (1998), who admits that the selection of unit of analysis on the basis of country culture is a possible dimension to assess individuals’ cultural leanings. Usunier (1998) warns however that the relationship between the country of origin and culture is not self-evident as a number of culti-units can be found within the borders of particular cultural contexts (i.e. countries). Thus the assessment of the unit of analysis on the basis of cultural context requires further verification. This can be effectively done by evaluating a unique ethnie core of the ‘culti-unit’, defined as shared memories, myths, values and symbols, which refer to ethnicity and thus the culture individuals subscribe to.

Consequently, while assessing the unit of analysis of this research, the cultural context (i.e. country) and unique ethnie core (the culture individuals subscribe to) will be considered. More specifically, the unit of analysis will be first selected on the basis of country of origin of ‘culti-unit’ and later verified by examination of unique ethnie core of selected cultural group. For that purpose Hirschman’s (1981) approach of identifying consumer culture will be applied. According to Hirschman (1981), consumer culture, and thus ethnie core, can be identified on the basis of self-identified ethnicity, as this appears to be directly associated with the cultural values individuals hold, as well as other cultural elements shared by individuals belonging to the same cultural group. Hirschman (1981) claims that ‘this method of measuring ethnicity is the approach deemed most appropriate by cross-cultural researchers’ as ‘it is based on the

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individual’s subjective self-perceptions and not on the perceptions of the researcher, which may be biased by ethnocentrism’.

In addition to the clearly defined ‘culti-unit’ being studied, it is crucial to assess the cultural context in which that ‘culti-unit’ is situated (Douglas and Craig, 1997). Cultural context can be defined broadly (macro-context) or more specifically (micro- context). For the purpose of this research project the cultural context will be assessed on its most aggregate level, i.e. country-groupings, which is in line with current e- commerce acceptance studies.

Finally, Douglas and Craig (1997) stress that while identifying a ‘culti-unit’ within a specific cultural context, research must also ‘delineate clearly the behaviour of interest and isolate the impact of relevant cultural influences or market contexts’ in order to capture the impact of those influences on consumers’ behavioural patterns, attitudes, values and beliefs, as well as the phenomenon of interest itself.

The aim of this research is to assess the effect of the process of acculturation on consumers’ acceptance of e-commerce platforms, which is why the focus of investigation is on the effect of culture and, more specifically, the effect of an acculturation process on consumers’ acceptance of e-commerce, rather than the impact or effect of any external factor, including specific products and services sought, or applied marketing strategies. Additionally, factors such as consumer knowledge, involvement and prior experience using e-commerce shopping channels as well as familiarity with e-commerce platforms are not considered, because other influences and marketing contexts, according to Douglas and Craig (1997), should be excluded from the investigation. Hence, while disregarding such marketing factors, this research focuses on specific phenomena of interest, which are found within effects of the acculturation process, rather than the disagreement in the contemporary literature regarding factors influencing consumer e-commerce platform acceptance.

Keeping in mind Douglas and Craig’s (1997) recommendations while assessing the unit of analysis, the cultural context in which the ‘culti-unit’ is situated, as well as the importance of ignoring any other influences on the specific phenomenon under investigation and its focus on an European market, it is definitive for the purpose of this study that Polish immigrants residing in the UK are identified as a sample group on the basis of which the research project is carried out. The reasons for selecting this study sample group are as follows:

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(1) Building on previous studies, which investigate the effects of culture on e-commerce acceptance this study adopts Hofstede’s framework to assess the unit of analysis as well as the cultural context of the studies. We identify that Polish and British consumers have opposite culturally determined attitudes towards e-commerce acceptance, as assessed on the basis of Hofstede’s cultural framework (see Section 2.5). The Polish cultural context is characterised by a high index of uncertainty avoidance (93/100), while British culture is characterised by a low index of uncertainty avoidance (35/100). British culture is highly individualistic (89/100), while Polish culture seems to be collectivistic (60/100) (see Figure 3). As a result, consumers espousing the values of Polish culture will have higher risk perception related to e-commerce platforms than consumers espousing the values of British culture; for this reason, Polish consumers will have less favourable attitudes towards e-commerce and thus will be more likely to reject e-commerce platforms than British online shoppers.

Figure 3. Hofstede’s cultural framework: Polish culture vs. British culture (www.geert- hofstede.com)

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(2) Such less favourable attitudes towards e-commerce by Polish consumers seem to be confirmed by recent statistics, which reveal a significant discrepancy in terms of e-commerce between Poland and the UK. According to Eurostat statistics, a significant discrepancy exists in terms of e-sales and e-purchases between Poland and the UK (see Figure 4).

Figure 4. E-commerce sales and purchases, 2012 (Source: Eurostat)

The discrepancy in terms of frequency of online shopping between Poland and the UK is more accurately assessed while assessing the percentage of Internet users who shop online in Poland and in the UK (see Table 7). The discrepancy is noticeable in all product categories, including clothing and sporting goods, travel and holiday accommodation, books, magazines and e-learning materials, and food and groceries.

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Table 7. Percentage of online shopping Internet users in Europe (Source: Eurostat)

Moreover, according to the prediction of Forrester Research Inc., the UK will be the largest online economy in the European market by 2016, while online sales in Poland will remain stable. This prediction seems likely, as this trend is already noticeable when comparing and contrasting Eurostat e-commerce sales statistics from 2010 (see Figure 5) to 2012 (see Figure 4). The comparison clearly shows that online sales in Poland fall significantly below the European average;

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moreover, the level of online sale and purchase in Poland seems to be static. In the UK, however, e-commerce sales and purchase appear to be above the European average, and are growing steadily.

Figure 5. E-commerce sales and purchases, 2010 (Source: Eurostat)

(3) According to The Migration Observatory, Polish immigrants are one of the biggest ethnic minority groups in the UK, and the largest intra- European minority group in the UK (see Table 8). Hence, this group provides a sufficient sample size for this research project. This addresses Small et al.’s (1999) concern that studies based on ethnic minorities suffer from a lack of sufficient sample sizes.

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Table 8. Polish immigrants in the UK (Source: The Migration Observatory)

In sum, the investigation of the effect of acculturation on consumers’ acceptance of e-commerce platforms adopts a cross-cultural research design, as recommended by Douglas and Craig (1997). The culture-specific attitudes, values and beliefs towards e- commerce of Polish immigrants residing in the UK are compared and contrasted from the perspectives of two cultures: consumers’ native culture (i.e. Polish culture and/or cultural context) and non-native culture (i.e. British culture and/or cultural context).