Effects of situational and cultural factors on successful gift giving

Abstract

This study investigates gift giving, reciprocity expectations, and how ‘success’ in gift giving may be achieved. It is discussed in the literature that the success of gift-giving may depend on the ongoing relationship between the gift partners, the gift itself, and the gift-giving context, including the atmosphere, the involvement of other people, and the occasion. We first employ qualitative methodology to deeply understand the phenomenon in a certain sociocultural context. The aim of this phase was to identify particular characteristics of the gift-giving situation to be used in the experimental study. Then we test f ive hypotheses in which liking a gift leads to a willingness to reciprocate. Results confirm that an appropriate gift increases the recipient’s positive feelings toward the gift giver, and these feelings increase the recipient’s willingness to reciprocate. We conclude that social identities and the maintenance of within group relations become more prevalent in certain gift-giving contexts. When there are disliked others, for instance, an unsuccessful gift makes the gift-giver have a much larger and negative influence on reciprocity than when there are likeable people in the environment.

Keywords

• Gift giving
• Social identity
• Multi-method research
• Qualitative research
• Moderation analysis

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