Describe/define the four major types of equivalences

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Construct equivalence deals with the question of whether the marketing constructs (for example, opinion leadership variety seeking, and brand loyalty) have the same meaning and significance in different countries.

Operational equivalence concerns how theoretical constructs are operationalized to make measurements. In the United States, leisure may be operationalized as playing golf, tennis, or other sports; watching television; or basking in the sun. This operationalization may not be relevant in countries where people do not play these sports or do not have round-the-clock TV transmission. Lying in the sun is not normal behavior in countries with hot climates or where people have brown skin.

Measurement equivalence deals with the comparability of responses to particular (sets of) items. Measurement equivalence includes configural (structural), metric (measurement unit), and scalar equivalence. Configural equivalence concerns the relationships of measured items to the latent constructs (see Chapter 22). Technically, configural equivalence implies that the patterns of factor loadings should be same across countries or cultural units. Metric equivalence refers to the unit of measurement; the factor loading should be the same. Metric equivalence suggests that the survey instruments (questionnaires) are measuring the same constructs to the same extent in different countries or cultures. Scalar equivalence refers to equivalence of both the unit of measurement and the constant in the equation between the construct and the items measuring the construct (the intercept) (see Chapter 22).
Linguistic equivalence refers to both the spoken and the written language forms used in scales, questionnaires, and interviewing. The scales and other verbal stimuli should be translated so that they are readily understood by respondents in different countries and have equivalent meaning.