Business Commons^™

Using Education To Protect The Elderly Against Fraud, Erik Charles

Honors College Theses

This study’s goal is to provide a guide to anyone looking to educate the elderly on fraud. Advice is provided for those who want to help an elderly person in their life and for people who wish to create fraud educations programs of their own. My own experience creating and giving a fraud lecture at a senior living facility is used as evidence for my advice, as well as research into various elderly and fraud related topics.

The Impact Of De-Globalization On Global Supply Chains – An Exploratory Study, Mee-Shew Cheung

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2024

The globalization of supply chains has been a critical driver of economic growth and development over the past few decades. However, the recent trend of de-globalization threatens to disrupt these supply chains and potentially undermine their benefits. This research anticipates uncovering significant insights into the impact of de-globalization on global supply chains, including changes in efficiency, supplier networks, and risk management strategies. Additionally, the study aims to provide practical recommendations for businesses and policymakers to navigate this evolving landscape.

Zoomer Generation: Used Car Automobile Purchasing Behaviors, Scott E. Whitaker, Joe Spencer, Giovanni Calise

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2024

There is a growing trend of online automobile purchasing that is altering the relationship between consumers and automobile dealerships. Consumers are more informed and seek a larger variety of inventory and options when shopping for used vehicles. The online marketplace provides a viable alternative to local dealerships who have hereto dominated much of the market. This research shows the current generation of Zoomers is helping to drive this trend which has significant marketing implications toward the industry. There remains a gap in the academic body of knowledge examining this behavior in relation to large online purchases such as automobiles. This …

The Interplay Of Organic Label, Natural Imagery, And Domestic Country-Of-Origin Claim In Shaping Consumer Responses: Independent, Interactive, And Conditional Effects, David Bourdin, Phillip Frankhofer

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2024

With sustainable consumption on the rise, firms are increasingly showcasing their environmental efforts. However, it is still unclear how effective different verbal and visual ‘green’ product cues are in influencing consumer preferences. Addressing this gap, this study examines the independent and interactive effects of an organic label, natural imagery, and a local origin claim on consumer responses to packaged milk. Furthermore, the role of three potential moderators (green product skepticism, consumer ethnocentrism, and environmental concern) is considered. A 2x4 experimental study was conducted with 178 consumers. Structural equation modeling results show that an organic label and natural imagery indirectly increase …

Interactions Between Societal, Social, And Social Media Marketing, Jessica Holden, Ismet Anitsal, Melek Meral Anitsal

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2024

This research explores the interactions among societal, social, and social media marketing concepts to provide clarity and distinction. These concepts are often confused, causing misunderstanding and misuse in practice. Societal, social, and social media marketing concepts need to be differentiated from one another and linked to the appropriate marketing tactics for them to be understood and utilized effectively in practice.

Relationship Marketing And Collegiate Affinity Credit Cards: An Analysis Of Eleven Years Of Cfpb Data (2009 – 2020), Neleen S. Leslie-Piper

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2024

Deregulation and increased market information have made competition fierce in today's market. Service marketers have sought to increase their competitive advantage by focusing on branding and social benefits to augment the functional benefits provided by the services they offer (Fock, Woo, and Hui, 2003). Financial services represent one such industry. Banks have, in recent decades, partnered with organizations with strong membership or supporter bases to create specialized products, including credit cards that are offered exclusively to various organizations. The primary goal of affinity marketing is to capitalize on the relationship between the affinity organization and its members for the promotion …

Embracing Digital Marketing Technologies And Increasing Student Engagement Through Marketing Agility And Reactance, Manisha Mathur

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2024

This study aims to explore the role of marketing agility capability in facilitating students' acquisition of essential knowledge, skills, and abilities related to emerging technologies, as well as their active engagement with the course material. Utilizing Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling of the data acquired from marketing students, this comprehensive inquiry yields valuable insights into the intricate dynamics of student responses to marketing technology within educational settings, emphasizing the pivotal role of nurturing digital fluency and marketing agility to enhance engagement and readiness for the professional arena.

Conflicted Positioning: Product Positioning When Market Segments Have Conflicting Risk Goals, Richard Flight

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2024

ABSTRACT

In some product and service categories concern for physical risk as a result of the product or service rendered is an inherent barrier to purchase. Meanwhile, the same perceived danger attracts thrill seekers who want (or need) a sense of adventure. In this exploratory research, the question of motive for and emotions associated with learning how to fly a plane are explored. When prompted risk is cited oftentimes as both a deterrent to engage in the activity and a motive to pursue it. This presents product and brand managers with the question of how to simultaneously assuage risk-related fear …

Whose Opinions Do We Trust? Some Thoughts On Online Product Ratings And Consumer Decision Making, David Ackerman, Barbara Gross, Jing Hu

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2024

User-generated reviews play a crucial role in assessing market offerings and informing consumers’ purchase decisions. This study applies extant theory to examine the influence of online product ratings and reviews on consumers. The findings from experiments suggest that the impact of online ratings is heightened for higher-priced products in comparison to their lower-priced counterparts during both the information search and product evaluation stages of consumer decision making. Results also indicate that consumer ratings on social media may have more of an impact on consumers than do the ratings of experts. Consumers demonstrated a greater purchase intention for products that received …

Examining Corporate Social Responsibility (Csr) And Employees In Convenience Store Business And Their Impact On Net Promoter Score (Nps), Musa Pinar, Faruk Guder, Tulay Girard

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2024

In the realm of a convenience store business, this study aims to examine: 1) the customer perceptions of CSR activities, employee behavior, and value congruity; 2) the potential impact of respondent demographics on CSR activities, employee behavior, value congruity, and the likelihood of recommending convenience stores and fuel businesses; 3) the relationships between the CSR activities, employee behavior, and value congruity, and 4) the impact of CSR activities and gender on the likelihood of customer recommendation of the brand. Based on 2000 surveys from the loyalty members, the study found that CSR activities, employee behaviors, and value congruity are important …

The A-B Gap: An Assessment Of The Differences Between Ethical Attitudes And Ethical Behaviour Among The Next Generation Of Business Leaders In South Africa, Christo Bisschoff, Sam Fullerton

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2024

The current study scrutinizes differences between the ethical attitudes and behaviour of South Africa’s future generation of business leaders. The target population comprises first-level employed business managers who are currently completing an executive MBA degree. Business managers at three selected South African business schools comprised the sampling frame. Each member of the target population received an online link for access to a questionnaire which featured a previously validated series of balanced 6-point itemized rating scales. Data were collected on both behaviour and attitudes regarding 14 questionable business behaviours, each representing a potential breach of ethical conduct. A 60% response rate …

From Fan Avidity To Nil Ramifications: An Assessment Of The Attitudes Held By American University Students On An Array Of Sports Issues, Sam Fullerton, Tammy Mccullough

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2024

A sample of 667 students drawn from seven universities in various regions of the United States provided feedback regarding 11 specific sports-related issues. These issues include the new NIL rules, fan avidity, and athlete compensation along with several other issues that are commonly addressed in the popular media. Means and percentages were used to derive aggregate measures for the respondents, and the same measures were used to assess the responses based upon one’s gender. For all 11 variables under scrutiny, a statistically significant difference was documented for the two gender-based groups. Thus, it is apparent that the market of intercollegiate …

Experts-Driven Design: A Framework For Measuring Social Influence In Online Social Networks, Shyamala N. Chalakudi, Dildar Hussain Dr., Gnana Bharathy Dr, Dakshinamurthy Kolluru Dr

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2024

In our interconnected and ever-changing social landscape, influence is pivotal in molding individuals’ decisions, perspectives, and behaviors. Measuring Social Influence (SI) in Online Social Networks (OSNs) faces significant gaps, notably needing more integration with human behaviors. Our literature review has unveiled twelve psychological theories rooted in human behavior that are fundamental for assessing SI in OSNs. We have further elucidated how human behaviors interact in shaping the influence potential of social media users through exploratory interviews with experts from consulting, industry, and academia. Our study culminated in developing a novel framework designed to encompass the intricacies that not only nurture …

Reverse Flow Logistics In Manufacturing Operations, Jeffrey Wendt, Gary Holmes

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2024

The purpose of this research is to examine the suggestion that reverse flow can play a positive role in sustainable impacts and in reducing forward logistics cost structures. The coupling of both forward and reverse product and component flow can be a challenging task because, depending on the returned products’ disposition, the forward flow inventory management can be affected. The need for an integrated reverse supply chain that mirrors the forward supply chain is essential and failure in having forward visibility negates the reverse flow. If successful, it will result in reduced manufacturing costs and increased profits throughout the chain.

Consumer Decision-Making Constructs: Differences Among Generational Cohorts, Heather M. Meyer Ph.D., Chloe Murphy

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2024

The goal of this study is to extend prior research by examining generational differences in consumer behavior. Most consumer decision-making models describes five main stages: 1) problem recognition, 2) information search, 3) alternative evaluation, 4) purchase, and 5) post-purchase. Although various scales can be utilized in order to measure each stage of this process, the authors decided to focus on a promotion-focus scale for problem recognition, an information acquisition scale to measure information search, a quality-consciousness scale and a price-consciousness scale to measure alternative evaluation, a confused by over-choice scale and a compulsive buying scale to measure purchase, and a …

Exploring The Effect Of Logos With Animals, Can Trinh

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2024

Even though the use of logos that feature animals is prevalent (e.g., Porsche, Lamborghini, Hollister), there is a scant number of empirical works that examine the effect of such logos on marketing outcomes. This research represents a pioneering attempt to address this critical theoretical gap. We propose that logos that feature animals (i.e., animal logos) can influence product perceptions. Empirical evidence from two studies supports our propositions. The findings provide meaningful implications for both theory and practice.

The Dance Of Longevity: Rhythms Of Maturity In Mnes Subsidiary Management, Mehdi Rasouli Ghahroudi, Sundar Balakrishnan

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2024

We investigate the factors influencing the sustainability of subsidiaries and their effective management in host countries over the long term. We explore the impact of subsidiary mandates on longstanding subsidiaries in comparison to younger counterparts, validating our hypotheses through the analysis of data from 1,463 Japanese subsidiaries operating in 26 developing and developed countries. Our findings reveal that efficiency and strategic asset-seeking subsidiaries are more likely to maintain longer operations in the host market. Additionally, we contribute to the literature by applying the resource-based view and institutional theory to promote the longevity of subsidiaries. Our results underscore the necessity of …

Blockchain-Enabled Participatory Design In Marketing: A Collaborative Approach For Enhanced Customer Engagement, Brian Whelan Dr.

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2024

Participatory Design (PD) is an inclusive approach to designing products, services or systems that actively involve the people who use, will use, or be impacted by the design process (Robertson and Simonsen, 2012). PD has been applied in many domains, including architecture, urban planning, product design, healthcare administration, software development, and community engagement, but its application in marketing has been limited. The goal of this paper is to illuminate potential applications for blockchain-enabled PD initiatives in marketing, and to stimulate further thinking about how its use can lead to deeper customer engagement.

Business School Marketing Strategies For Enrollment Challenges In The Current Environment, Selcuk Ertekin

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2024

This article aims to understand the implications and remedies for the recent turmoil in business school enrollment and retention. By reviewing the academic business literature on enrollment decline and by incorporating a traditional marketing strategy framework, we categorized the existing studies to come up with a list for success. We found that business schools must revise their curriculum with sustainability and technological change in mind. They must invest in hedonic aspects of business education, consider adding creative internship opportunities and incorporate innovative online learning initiatives. They must also identify faculty super influencers and use social media in their promotions. Finally, …

Consumers' Brand Loyalty Towards Small Family-Owned Businesses, Christo A. Bisschoff Prof, Christoff Botha Prof, Marco Van Schoor Mr, Doret Botha Prof

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2024

Family-owned businesses constitute a substantial portion of the workforce and GDP in South Africa and, with limited work opportunities in the public sector, play a significant role in job creation. As a result, family enterprises significantly influence South Africa's economy. This study aims to understand consumer loyalty towards family-owned businesses as brands by investigating family-owned businesses in the small mining town "Stilfontein" in the North-West Province, South Africa. Qualitative data collection involved semi-structured interviews with customers of family businesses to gather insights into brand loyalty. The identified themes and sub-themes highlight the importance of community bonds, personalized services, product quality, …

Picture Perfect Or Symbolic Backfire? Assessing The Detrimental Effects Of Brand Emoji Use On Consumers’ Brand Attitudes, Michael Sciandra, Nazuk Sharma

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2024

As consumers spend more time within digital environments, social media continues to be a critical tool for marketers. One of the most unique forms of communication specific to digital environments is the emoji. The marketing literature has identified numerous positive outcomes associated with marketers’ use of emojis, including strengthening persuasive appeals for social media influencers, increasing consumers’ feelings of positive affect, and bolstering engagement with branded communications. While brands use of emojis can offer benefits, it is critical to question if emoji usage always leads to favorable outcomes for marketers. Therefore, the goal of this research is to investigate when …

Medical Tourism In The Post-Covid Era: Cultural Differences In Attitude Formation, Helena F. Allman, Anton P. Fenik, Hilmi A. Atadil

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2024

Rising health care costs in the United States have been historically shown to increase the U.S. consumers’ interest in medical tourism. The number of uninsured people in the United States is still astronomically high compared to other advanced economies around the world. As a result, medical tourism was on the rise for decades prior to Covid. The pandemic introduced certain stressors and higher levels of risk associated with both the travel and medical treatment services. While the majority of the U.S. population now has some kind of Covid immunity, the long term mental effects of Covid stress in everyday decision …

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 …

Detecting Barriers And Drivers To The Adoption Of Circular Business Models In Small Companies From Developed And Developing Countries, Nathalie Touratier-Muller, Nikolina Koporcic, Stefan Markovic, Vesna Damnjanovic

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2024

Circular business models (CBMs) have become crucial elements of the ecological and social transition of developed as well as developing countries. However, there is a lack of research focusing on small firms that are adopting CBMs, while facing various resource constraints. As small firms are becoming more conscious of the advantages of CBMs, there is a practical need to identify barriers and drivers to the adoption of those models, to accelerate their development trajectory. To contribute to these theoretical and practical needs, in this paper, we consider the CBMs of small firms and focus on a comparison between developed and …

The Significant Role Of Seo In Effective Web Marketing, Ramtin Ranjpour

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2024

With the ever-rising popularity of online shopping, the power of web marketing has become more essential than ever. And search engine optimization (SEO) plays a huge role in web marketing. This paper is a critical literature review that goes over the important scholarly and non-scholarly works of influential experts in SEO. It serves as a fun and engaging introduction for anyone interested in learning about SEO, specifically about its importance, benefits, top strategies, rivals, and how it can be combined with other marketing methods. The hope is that it helps individuals and small business owners with their web marketing and …

The Impact Of Minimalist Design On Consumer’S Brand Expectations, Carolina L. Guerrero

Honors College Theses

In order for companies to be more effective in reaching their target market amongst growing competition, they must successfully construct their product’s packaging to appeal to the consumer’s eye and demonstrate their desired qualities. With packaging design aesthetics falling into the two categories of minimalism or maximalism, a relationship may be established between the design aesthetic and the perceptions a certain design imposes. This thesis will conduct an experimental design with fabricated product mockups exemplifying minimalism and maximalism designs in personal care and prepackaged food products. These designs will be evaluated by respondents for different perceptions based on the first …

Using Dark Triad Personality To Understand And Moderate Jay Customer Behavior In Hospitality, Scott M. Widmier, Prachi Gala, Iason Koufodontis

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2024

Jay Customers are customers who act in a thoughtless or abusive way, causing problems for the firm, its employees, and other customers. Currently, the only way to identify Jay Customers is by their actions when it is already too late to prevent the negative consequences. This research tested and confirmed the use of Dark Triad personality (Narcissism, Machiavellianism, and Psychopathy) to identify individuals prone to Jay Customer behavior prior to its manifestation. Dark Triad personalities have distinctive characteristics that can be used to identify them along with a growing body of research on prescriptive actions to dissuade their disruptive behaviors. …

Affective, Cognitive, Behavioral Appeals In A Parasocial Breakup With Podcast Hosts Of Radiolab, M.O. Vilceanu, Kristine Johnson

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2024

This is the first study to investigate parasocial breakups in the context of long-term podcast listening. Radiolab, which is produced by WNYC in New York, is an award-winning program that reaches millions of people. Starting as a radio show in 2002 and later offering a podcast format in 2007, show creators and former hosts, Robert Krulwich and Jad Abumrad, entertained audiences with their journalistic investigations of science-related topics while later incorporating societal and political content in the program. Yet similar to successful long-running television programs, Radiolab has undergone host changes. Today, the official hosts are Latif Nasser and Lulu Miller, …

Esg To Brand Equity: Stake Holders, Social Media & Signaling., Sowmdeb Sen

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2024

The value of the companies increasingly consists largely of intangible values such as brand equity. Intangible decisions like involvement in ESG present a considerable opportunity for different stakeholders to impact brand equity. Signaling theory suggests that firms use signals to overcome information asymmetry (Karanges et al, 2018; Grinblatt et al,1998) when firms signal achievements and ESG. How do stakeholders share and signal ESG information and achievements in social media to drive brand equity? The author argues that CEO characteristics and investor base shape the firm’s social media ESG-brand management strategy in driving brand equity.

Making Customers More Loyal: The Role Of Value Cocreation In Branded Apps, Trang Phuc Tran, Adrienne Muldrow, Charlene Dadzie

Association of Marketing Theory and Practice Proceedings 2024

The paper develops a conceptual model that examines how value in use enhances value co-creation and then brand loyalty, and captures how value-in-use could change customer perception of branded app entertainment and perceived usefulness, leading to value co-creation. Data from 463 brand app users show that all hypothesized relationships are supported, except H5 (ENT -> COC). That means value co-creation is driven by value-in-use and perceived usefulness, but not by app entertainment. Moreover, value co-creation, in turn, has an impact on brand loyalty. Additionally, mediation effects exist in two paths: first, branded app entertainment and perceived usefulness mediate the effect …