Digital Commons Network^™

A Double Edged Sword: Understanding Vanity Across Cultures, Srinivas Durvasula, Steven Lysonski

Marketing Faculty Research and Publications

Purpose – Based on their size, disposable income, and purchasing power, generation Y (Gen Y) consumers are viewed as the Holy Grail for marketers. Conversely, some of this group's behavior disturbs public policy officials, particularly when dealing with issues such as poor financial planning, bulimia and anorexia nervosa. The key question for both marketers and policy makers is what is the best way to understand the Gen Y segment? The vanity concept is used in this study as a way to understand the Gen Y consumer segment. The purpose of this paper is to examine vanity perceptions (cross-nationally and by …

Covert Marketing Unmasked: A Legal And Regulatory Guide For Practices That Mask Marketing Messages, Ross D. Petty, J. Craig Andrews

Marketing Faculty Research and Publications

Masked marketing—one form of covert marketing—involves marketing communications that appear to be from independent third parties rather than from product marketers. This article presents a typology of masked marketing practices, illustrating whether they may be deceptive to consumers. To accomplish this, the authors apply the Federal Trade Commission’s three-part definition of deception (i.e., misleadingness, reasonable consumer, and materiality) in the evaluation of such practices. The article concludes with policy recommendations including areas for further research.

Distributive Justice: Pressing Questions, Emerging Directions, And The Promise Of Rawlsian Analysis, Gene R. Laczniak, Patrick Murphy

Marketing Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Determinants Of International Equity Entry Mode: An Empirical Analysis, Ruth Clarke, Fernando Robles, Syed H. Akhter, Marcilio Machado

Marketing Faculty Research and Publications

This empirical paper tests hypotheses exploring the use of equity investment in international market entry by US-based firms. We first establish the respondents' use of equity or non-equity, and their international presence, and then proceed to test for determinants of investment. Using transaction cost theory and resource base theory we examine the influences of asset specificity, tacitness of strategic resources, country similarity, business similarity, environmental uncertainty and behavioral uncertainty on firm decisions to make equity investments. Six hypotheses are presented and tested on a sample of self-identified firms engaged in international business. The results for the exploratory study are significant …

Economic Globalization And Caribbean Economies: Competitive Developments, Strategic Response, And Performance, Syed H. Akhter, Paul Pounder

Marketing Faculty Research and Publications

This study examines the effects of economic globalization on competitive situations of local firms in a small economy, the strategic responses of these firms to the competitive developments, and marketing and financial performance outcomes of these strategies. Findings indicate both beneficial and deleterious effects of economic globalization on domestic competitive situations. Findings also indicate variations in strategic responses and performance outcomes of local firms. Implications are presented along with recommendations for future research.

Understanding Behavioral Sources Of Process Variation Following Enterprise System Deployment, Elliot Bendoly, Mark Cotteleer

Marketing Faculty Research and Publications

This paper extends the current understanding of the time-sensitivity of intent and usage following large-scale IT implementation. Our study focuses on perceived system misfit with organizational processes in tandem with the availability of system circumvention opportunities. Case study comparisons and controlled experiments are used to support the theoretical unpacking of organizational and technical contingencies and their relationship to shifts in user intentions and variation in work-processing tactics over time. Findings suggest that managers and users may retain strong intentions to circumvent systems in the presence of perceived task-technology misfit. The perceived ease with which this circumvention is attainable factors significantly …

Digital Piracy Of Mp3s: Consumer And Ethical Predispositions, Steven Lysonski, Srinivas Durvasula

Marketing Faculty Research and Publications

Purpose – Illegal downloading of music has become an inexorable and rampant activity particularly among college students who have been little deterred by industry legal actions. The purpose of this research is to examine the present state of downloading and how ethical orientation and attitudes towards MP3 piracy impact such activities. The paper also aims to use ethical scenarios as a way of understanding the ethical reasoning in illegal downloading.

Design/methodology/approach – Key research questions are proposed that are related to illegal downloading. A sample of 364 university students was used to examine each research question. Statistical results are reported. …

Ethics Of Marketing [Encyclopedia Entry], Gene R. Laczniak

Marketing Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.