Business Commons^™

Confidence In Personal Style: A Self-Empowered Path Toward Sustainable Clothing Consumption?, Catherine A. Roster

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2024

This study examined the impact of clothing style confidence on sustainable clothing behaviors. An Internet survey was conducted with a valid sample of 560 U.S. residents equally split by gender between the ages of 25 to 65 purchased from Prolific. Five sub-dimensions of the Clothing Style Confidence scale (i.e., style longevity, aesthetic perceptive ability, creativity, appearance importance, and authenticity) were predicted to positively influence four dependent variables: clothing care and maintenance, purchase of environmentally friendly apparel, likelihood of clothing rental, and interest in upcycled clothing. PLS-SEM was used for data analysis. For both males and females, higher style confidence was …

A Study On The Incentives And Barriers For The Adoption Of Electric Vehicles In South Alabama, Marianne Loes, Daniela Wolter Ferreira Touma, Jennifer C. Zoghby

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2024

ABSTRACT

Through a series of public policy incentives and consumer demand, more electric vehicles are being sold nationwide than ever before. Although electric vehicles (EVs) are being adopted nationwide by many consumers in recent years, car-buyers across South Alabama have not followed the trend. This research considers different stakeholders in the complex consumer buying process of car purchases, and it uses the extant technology adoption models to assess the public policy incentives, as well as statewide roadblocks, to EV adoption.

Sustainability And Professional Sales: A Review And Future Research Agenda, Colin B. Gabler, V. Myles Landers, Omar S. Itani

Marketing Faculty Publications and Presentations

Sustainability has become a consideration for every firm operating in today’s business landscape. Scholars are tasked with uncovering bridges and barriers to successfully implement sustainability strategies, and the academic community has largely responded. However, while sustainability research has proliferated across business disciplines, it is conspicuously missing from professional selling and sales management. This is partly due to conceptual ambiguity, but also because sustainability generally involves firm-level policies and programs, and therefore domains like consumer behavior, marketing strategy, and supply chain management have occupied the space. This is problematic because while executives develop sustainability strategies, the sales force is responsible for …

Differences In Eco-Friendly Attitudes And Behaviors Among Consumers In The United States Across An Array Of Demographics, Sam Fullerton, Tammy Mccullough

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2023

A sample of 938 consumers residing in the United States responded, by invitation, to an online survey on anti-consumption attitudes and behaviors. Drawing from one aspect of that survey, the primary focus of this study is sustainability. The relationship between four of the measured sustainability-related variables and five commonly examined demographics was evaluated using a t-test, ANOVA, and the Scheffé Method of Multiple Comparisons. Age was the most common variable to be associated with attitudes and behavior regarding sustainability. The most common dependent variable to be associated with the five demographic variables was the frequency in which the respondent chose …

Heritage Products, National Dishes And Consumer Identity, Monisha Das Dr,

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2023

Food and agriculture is at the heart of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, beginning with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 1: End poverty, and Sustainable Development goal (SDG) 2: End hunger. In this paper, the researcher explores data from FAO and WHO surveys conducted over ten years. The researcher applies various interdisciplinary approaches and references the theory of planned behavior to explain the resilience, especially of hedonic aspects of food diets in the context of the living heritage of national dishes. The research references Vavilov’s botanical centers of origin and dispersion to capture the biogeographic underpinnings of global cuisine. The findings …

Differences In Consumers’ Green Consumption Mindsets And Behavior Across South Africa, South Korea And The United States Based Upon Measures Of Hofstede’S Cultural Dimensions Theory, Sam Fullerton, Estelle Van Tonder, Jungki Lee

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2023

Samples of 513 South African consumers, 292 South Korean consumers, and 938 consumers in the United States were drawn using identical, but appropriately translated, questionnaires. The data collection instrument addressed a number of psychographic considerations germane to consumption – and anti-consumption – decisions. Using the index scores from Hofstede’s Theory of Cultural Dimensions as bases for differentiating among the three countries, meaningful differences related to issues germane to sustainability were identified. The three cultural dimensions used for comparative purposes were individualism (versus collectivism), indulgence (versus restraint) and long-term (versus short-term) orientation. Differences were documented for all eight of the sustainability-related …

Reaching For Rigor And Relevance: Better Marketing Research For A Better World, Shilpa Madan, Et. Al.

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Over the past several decades, scholars have highlighted the obligations and opportunities for marketing as a discipline to play a role in creating a better world — or risk becoming irrelevant for the largest problems facing consumers and society. This paper provides a framework to enhance the relevance and rigor of research in marketing that not only contributes new knowledge to science, but also makes a positive difference in the world. To that end, we urge authors and reviewers to foster cross-fertilization from different theoretical and methodological silos, bolster robustness through multiple methods, and expand the domain of research to …

Nio's Battery-As-A-Service Strategy, Shantanu Bhattacharya, Lipika Bhattacharya

Asian Management Insights

A game changer in the EV industry?

The Diffusion Of A Discipline: Examining Social Marketing's Institutionalization Within Environmental Contexts, Liz Foote

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

As a social change discipline, social marketing has demonstrated its effectiveness in addressing many types of wicked problems. However, despite its utility in environmental contexts, it is neither well known nor widespread in its uptake in these settings. This study’s purpose is to reveal opportunities to drive the adoption, implementation, and diffusion (“institutionalization”) of social marketing within the domains of environmental sustainability and natural resource conservation. This research considers the use of social marketing as an innovative practice within a diffusion of innovations framework and uses a systems lens to examine early adopter social marketing professionals and the institutional contexts …

Toward A Doctrine Of Socially Responsible Marketing (Srm): A Macro And Normative-Ethical Perspective, Gene R. Laczniak, Clifford Schultz

Marketing Faculty Research and Publications

In this conceptual article, the authors use a macro-level analysis and normative ethical theory to delineate and to explicate a doctrine of socially responsible marketing (SRM). Applying a theory-in-formation approach, we postulate a literature-informed definition of SRM. We discuss why a macro and normative-ethical rather than a micro and positive-descriptive perspective is essential to justifying the elements of SRM. We explore and explain why the roots of an authentic doctrine of SRM can be discerned from the literatures of marketing history, corporate social responsibility, institutional economics and moral philosophy. In so doing, the mandate to engage in socially responsible marketing …

Laudato Si’ – A Macromarketing Manifesto For A Just And Sustainable Environment, Thomas A. Klein, Gene R. Laczniak

Marketing Faculty Research and Publications

This paper posits that Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical on environmental climate change, Laudato si’ (“Praise be to you, my Lord”), or LS for short, provides a compelling and multi-faceted framework for co-creating a just and sustainable environment. LS includes considerable commentary about how markets and marketing impact the physical and social environment. Additionally, the document provides religion-inspired ethical norms for market conditions, actions, and performance that reflect both (a) the social teachings of the Catholic Church as they have evolved over the past 125 years and, as we will explain, (b) a foundational predicate of macromarketing scholarship – that is, …

Beyond Sustainable: An Analysis Of The Visual Rhetoric Behind The Branding Of Christy Dawn, Megan Mccormick

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

This research project offers insight into the visual rhetorical of design decisions made in the marketing materials of Christy Dawn, a sustainable fashion brand. The primary goal of this research is to identify several motivators, based on prior studies, for the consumption of sustainable fashion and analyze the existing marketing visuals of Christy Dawn’s brand, specifically in how they appeal to these motivators, thus also communicating their sustainable rhetoric to consumers in the process. This project defines these motivators in detail and addresses them in relation to particular elements of design in Christy Dawn’s materials, such as images, color, and …

Factors Impacting One’S Self-Classification Into One Of The Five Categories Of A Typology Delineating Green (And Not So Green) Consumers, Sam Fullerton, Tammy Mccullough, Estelle Van Tonder

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2021

A sample of 1,243 adult residents of the United States provided insight into an array of issues germane to sustainability. Upon completing a 65-question survey on sustainability, each respondent placed themselves in an eco-group that they felt best corresponded to their own behavior and attitudes towards the task of keeping the planet green for ourselves, and perhaps more importantly, for our posterity. The five groups ranged from the eco-destroyer to the eco-warrior. Within the survey, each respondent provided their opinions regarding seven multi-item scales that primarily addressed green issues; some scales addressed business behavior while others addressed issues such as …

Consumer Response To Green Brands Vs. Traditional Brands On Digital Platforms: An Analysis Through A Series Of Case Studies, Madison Busick

Honors Scholar Theses

In the age of environmental crisis, consumers are increasingly aware of the environmental impact of their decisions. Accordingly, many companies seek to provide more eco-friendly and sustainable products while building their brand around these values. Consumers also are increasingly using and engaging on social media and other digital platforms. But just how well do these "green" brands do in the digital space? This study aims to compare differences between brands that embody environmentalist values and traditional brands with a variety of case studies across several consumer goods segments including clothing, cosmetics, and technology. The data is collected from a variety …

Supporting Service Learning With An Interdisciplinary Csr Marketing Model, Ellen Raineri

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2020

Since CSR is an interdisciplinary topic, a CSR service learning project, too, should be interdisciplinary. Accordingly, Marketing was selected to be combined with the CSR service learning project. Since careful planning and design are paramount for service learning projects, a model is shared that was implemented in three undergraduate hybrid CSR classes. Three deliverables are discussed: The first is a CSR Marketing Analysis Report to guide students in their evaluation of an organization’s marketing initiatives permitting students to then analyze what new/enhanced marketing initiatives were needed. The second is a CSR Marketing Action Plan to identify marketing initiatives to complete. …

Factors Impacting One’S Self-Classification Into One Of The Five Categories Of A Typology Delineating Green (And Not So Green) Consumers, Sam Fullerton, Tammy Mccullough, Estelle Van Tonder

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2020

A sample of 1,243 adult residents of the United States provided insight into an array of issues germane to sustainability. Upon completing a 65-question survey on sustainability, each respondent placed themselves in an eco-group that they felt best corresponded to their own behavior and attitudes towards the task of keeping the planet green for ourselves, and perhaps more importantly, for our posterity. The five groups ranged from the eco-destroyer to the eco-warrior. Within the survey, each respondent provided their opinions regarding seven multi-item scales that primarily addressed green issues; some scales addressed business behavior while others addressed issues such as …

An Analysis Of Marketing And Microenterprise: Does Marketing Have An Impact On These Unique Organizations?, Bruce Alan Morgan

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This research study was a qualitative, multiple case study on how the implementation of good marketing techniques impacts the sustainability of microenterprises. This is a replicative extension study of prior research that revealed a theme of “promotional activities” correlating to microenterprise sustainability beyond two years (Haynes, 2017). This research extended the prior study by significantly increasing the number of participants (from six to forty), providing heterogeneity regarding lines of business, expanding to a new geography (the Upstate of South Carolina), focusing exquisitely on marketing techniques (as defined by the classical Marketing Mix), and defining sustainability by using both an accepted …

Society Or The Environment? Understanding How Consumers Evaluate Brand Messages About Corporate Social Responsibility Activities, Sara Hanson, Lan Jiang, Jun Ye, Nagesh Murthy

Marketing Faculty Publications

This research examines how and why consumers evaluate brand messages about corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities differently. Insights from secondary data suggest that brands may prioritize environmental activities over social activities, and vice versa, depending on the type of company. Using a field experiment and surveys, we explore whether consumers’ attitudes toward these brand decisions follow company priorities. We find that consumers perceive brands that sell goods and communicate messages about environmental sustainability activities more positively than services companies, while consumers perceive brands that provides services and communicate messages about social sustainability activities more positively than goods companies. We show …

Does Persistence Explain Esg Disclosure Decisions?, Garret A. Mcbrayer

Marketing Faculty Publications and Presentations

Advocates of an increased focus on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives have argued that increased ESG disclosure is a necessary first step. Given the limited regulatory requirements on ESG disclosure, manager preferences serve as a primary determinant of ESG transparency. Using data on ESG disclosure from Bloomberg, I examine the extent to which disclosure persistence on the behalf of firm management, as proxied by managerial tenure, affects firms’ ESG disclosure strategies. Overall, I find that ESG disclosure quality and ESG disclosure variability are reduced as management tenure increases. Further, I find that the replacement of a firm’s CEO interrupts …

The Internal Effects Of Corporate Social Responsibility On Firm Performance, Lindsay Harris

Senior Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to identify the internal effects of corporate social responsibility on firm performance. It also examines the definition of corporate social responsibility and two varying theories about the topic. This thesis explores the human resource, quality and financial aspects of firm performance and how those aspects of a company are affected by adopting significant corporate social responsibility programs. This research seeks to answer the claim that corporate social responsibility programs do not have a positive effect on the actual performance of an organization. It will examine the effect of CSR on employee attitudes, moral and …

Gone With The Wind: The Evolving Influence Of Social Movements And Counter Movements On Entrepreneurial Activity In The U.S. Wind Industry, W. Chad Carlos, Wesley D. Sine, Brandon H. Lee, Heather A. Haveman

Faculty Publications

Social movements can disrupt existing industries and inspire the emergence of new markets by drawing attention to problems with the status quo and promoting alternatives. We examine how the influence of social movements on entrepreneurial activity evolves as the markets they foster mature. Theoretically, we argue that the success of social movements in furthering market expansion leads to three related outcomes. First, the movement-encouraged development of market infrastructure reduces the need for continued social movement support. Second, social movements’ efforts on behalf of new markets increase the importance of resource availability for market entry. Third, market growth motivates countermovements that …

The Papal Encyclical Laudato Si’: A Focus On Sustainability Attentive To The Poor, Ann-Marie Kennedy, Nicholas J. C. Santos

Marketing Faculty Research and Publications

This article seeks to reflect upon Laudato Si’, the papal encyclical on ecology and sustainable development, and uncover its apparent philosophical and practical approach to the environment. It begins with a discussion of paradigms of thought that outline the new ecological paradigm (NEP) suggested in the ecological literature, thereby helping to situate the ecosophy of Laudato Si’ within current thought. As we will show, Laudato Si’ differs from the NEP by linking the poor to our approach to sustainability and in its consideration of integral ecology. Specific principles for sustainability in business are then identified and strategic approaches are recommended, …

Empirical Study Utilizing Qfd To Develop An International Marketing Strategy, Cassandra C. Elrod, Sarah M. Stanley, Elizabeth A. Cudney, Caroline Fisher

Business and Information Technology Faculty Research & Creative Works

Customer expectations can be extremely nebulous. This research identifies the demographic segmentations and their respective expectations for the spa market. Interviews were conducted and a subsequent questionnaire was employed to gather the voice of the customer and assess the expectations of spa clientele. All of the data was collected from luxury spas in Hawaii, and consisted of respondents from all over the world. Results of the survey suggest that while men want more tangible benefits of a spa, women prefer the experiential qualities of peace and rejuvenation. Additionally, those of lower to middle income focus on the atmosphere more than …

Investigating The Portrayal And Influence Of Sustainability Claims In An Environmental Advertising Context, Shannon Cummins, Timothy M. Reilly, Les Carlson, Stephen J. Grove, Michael J. Dorsch

Marketing & Entrepreneurship Faculty Publications

The ability of consumer judges to identify sustainable messages in environmental advertising and the effect of these messages is explored. A content analysis provides insight into these judges’ perceptions of the depth of environmental advertising messages. An experiment investigates the influence of sustainable messages and includes collection of cognitive response data to evaluate the cognitive dimension of sustainability messages. Content analysis results suggest that sustainability messages may influence how environmental advertisements are perceived. These findings are supported by the cognitive response data, which shows cognitive differences across advertisements, and the experimental manipulation that suggests sustainable ads may be more involving …

Building An Innovation Strategy, Elizabeth Cruickshank, Perry Haan

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2014

This non-empirical paper describes the innovation strategy for Aetna, Inc. This company is a national managed care organization, and although it is already large in scope, it operates more like a government agency rather than an innovative organization (Schack, 2000). This paper will highlight the theories, or ingredients, of innovation strategy, followed by an explanation of how the theories support and help in the creation and application of the recommended innovation strategy for Aetna. This paper also describes the organizational design model that drives innovation, the processes that enable innovation, and the success factors necessary for people to develop and …

Understanding The Competitive Environment Of Nonprofit Organizations: A Resource-Advantage Theory Approach, Omer Topaloglu, Robert E. Mcdonald

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2014

Competition in the nonprofit sector has dramatically intensified in the past two decades as a result of the increased number of nonprofit organizations (NPOs), decreased and diffused governmental support, and entry of for-profit companies into markets that are traditionally the domain of nonprofits. In an attempt to enhance the understanding of the nonprofit competition, the authors adapt a general theory of competition to commercial nonprofits, those that generate external benefits by commercial activities. Applying resource-advantage (R-A) theory, a dynamic theory of competition adapted from the business literature, we discuss how these entities can leverage their various resources in order to …

Understanding The Attitude-Behavior Gap For Renewable Energy Systems Using Behavioral Reasoning Theory, Aidan O'Driscoll, Marius Claudy, Mark Peterson

Articles

Consumer adoption of renewable energies is an important step towards less carbon-intensive and more sustainable energy systems. But despite growing ecological awareness and articulated preferences for green products, renewable energies face slow rates of diffusion in consumer markets. This has been hard to explain given consumers’ favorability to the concept of products that lower one’s impact on the natural environment. This study uses data from 254 homeowners in Ireland to investigate the psychological process of adopting a renewable energy system – solar energy panels. Applying Behavioral Reasoning Theory (BRT), this research examines a proposed model in which reasons both for …

Ethics, Corporate Social Responsibility, And Sustainability Education In Aacsb Undergraduate And Graduate Marketing Curricula: A Benchmark Study, Jeananne Nicholls, Joseph F. Hair, Charles B. Ragland, Kurt E. Schimmel

Faculty and Research Publications

AACSB International advocates integration of ethics, corporate social responsibility, and sustainability in all business school disciplines. This study provides an overview of the implementation of these three topics in teaching initiatives and assessment in business schools accredited by AACSB International. Since no comprehensive studies have been conducted for the marketing area, the results provide benchmarks as well as thought-provoking material to initiate business school and marketing faculty discussions on integrating the three topics into their curricula.

The Sustainability Syndicate: Shared Responsibility In A Trans-Organizational Business Model, Sudhi Seshadri

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This paper proposes design principles for the ‘sustainability syndicate’: shared responsibility among diverse stakeholders for sustainability; an agenda for unifying economic and ethical rationales; and plural governance based primarily on markets, contracts and collaborative relationships. The paper suggests a research agenda directed at issues that constrain sustainability syndicates. Syndication's contributions to sustainability build upon its trans-organizational structures for shared responsibility. Syndication works as an insurance cooperative that reduces the financial burden of risk. In addition, members could rent skill sets from other stakeholders, reduce barriers to entry into bigger projects, and improve efficiencies. As underlying sustainability are both economic and …

Bringing Sustainability Programs To Usfsp., Anna Lewis, Karin Braunsberger, Leon Hardy, Richard Ferner, David O'Neill, Sharon Joy Kleitsch, Frederick Bennett, Daphne Lambright, Debra T. Sinclair, Aaron Wasserman, Catherine Wonders, Kevin Blossfeld, Lauren Reilly, Usfsp Sustainability Work Group

USF St. Petersburg campus Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.