Sales and Merchandising Commons^™

Acknowledgements/Image Credits, Molly Lynde-Recchia

Transference

No abstract provided.

Success With Social Responsibility Local Retailers' Perspectives, Danielle Marie Razalan

Theses and Dissertations

This research examines a specific sect of small business—the local retailer—in order to gauge owners’ understanding and implementation of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Guided by the Enlightened Self-Interest Model (ESIM), the purpose of this study is to gain further insight into how local retailers in Columbia determine what is socially responsible, and what CSR practices they are utilizing. Additionally, this research aims to understand why local retailers are motivated to act in a socially responsible way and the benefits they perceive from CSR. Results reveal that owners of local retailers are motivated to act in a socially responsible way by …

Managing The Brand: Administrative Structure Of The Hidden Profession Of Collegiate Trademark Licensing, Katrina M. Phelps

Masters Theses

This study analyzes the current state of collegiate trademark licensing departments through first-hand accounts from current or past licensing professionals. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to understand current issues that are facing the licensing industry, particularly focusing on internal organizational structure of collegiate trademark licensing departments at institutes of higher education. Eleven participants, including licensing agents, licensees, licensing directors, and licensing experts were interviewed and the following themes emerged. Trademark licensing is a hidden profession, with little education available about the industry. Programs have greatly evolved over recent decades, but institutional infrastructure still lags in the appropriate assets and resources to …

Mydeal: A Mobile Shopping Assistant Matching User Preferences To Promotions, Kartik Muralidharan, Swapna Gottipati, Jing Jiang, Narayan Ramasubbu, Rajesh Krishna Balan

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

A common problem in large urban cities is the huge number of retail options available. In response, a number of shopping assistance applications have been created for mobile phones. However, these applications mostly allow users to know where stores are or find promotions on specific items. What is missing is a system that factors in a user's shopping preferences and automatically tells them which stores are of their interest. The key challenge in this system is twofold; 1) building a matching algorithm that can combine user preferences with fairly unstructured deals and store information to generate a final rank ordered …

He Creators A Look At The Changing Work Of Potters And The Future Of Their Craft In Thimi, Nepal, Natalie Silver

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The Newari sur-name Prajapati has been associated with those who are of the potter caste in the Kathmandu valley. In the past 30 years ceramics in the historic pottery town of Thimi has changed drastically from being an essential and necessary craft and the only occupation for Prajapatis, to a struggling population of visually aging potters. This paper examines the workshop Everest Pottery in Thimi nepal as a case study for the state of ceramics in Thimi today. The author traces the origins of the workshop's founder Shiva Prajapati and examines the shift that Shiva made from traditional Newari pottery …

Take It Back: Dynamic Consumer Goals In Retail Customer Service Transactions, Courtney Droms

Courtney Hatch

Product returns and exchanges are an important part of a consumer’s postpurchase decision-making process and have economic and psychological consequences. Based primarily on a participant observation research, a conceptual model is developed that portrays two distinct process paths that occur during return transactions. The analysis incorporates previous research regarding goal-directed behavior and role and script theories in understanding the complexity of a return transaction. Consumers are identified as having both economic and social goals, and the change catalysts promoting shifts in goal focus as well as the interplay between these goals are represented in the model.

The Challenge Of Intervention To Monetarily Support Or Not Support The National Airline Carriers: A Case Of The Airline Industry In Eastern Europe, Dawna L. Rhoades, Tamilla Curtis

Dr. Tamilla Curtis

The airline industry has been considered a special case in national and international business virtually since its beginning. Because of this status, national governments have repeatedly intervened to support national carriers in order to prevent bankruptcy and failure. The nations of Eastern Europe are no exception to this rule and are currently considering additional intervention to support their carriers. This paper explores the rationale for intervention, particularly the suggested economic impact, using traffic and financial information from the Flightglobal database. The conclusion is that the case for intervention is weak at best and that the results may not justify the …

Crm In Russia And U.S. -- Case Study From American Financial Service Industry, Tamilla Curtis, Tom Griffin, Donald Barrere

Dr. Tamilla Curtis

This paper discusses Customer Relationship Management in two sharply contrasting business cultures: the United States and Russia. Included in the present work is a case study of a midsized American financial services firm that illustrates a common path to the decision to have a CRM system: the planning, selection, and the implementation of the CRM program, including a discussion of the likelihood of success. The clients in this case are Financial Advisors, who in turn sell the investment products to the end user individual investors. CRM in Russia is yet in its infancy as the economy emerges from 200 years …

Corporate Brand Management In Higher Education: The Case Of Erau, Tamilla Curtis, Russell Abratt, William Minor

Dr. Tamilla Curtis

There is evidence in the literature that organizations struggle to formulate and implement their corporate branding strategies. This paper aims to provide an overview of the corporate brand building process in higher education. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative methodology was used in this study. A single case study of a private American university was used to gather information about their corporate brand building process. University administrators and documents were used to gain insights into their brand building process. Findings – The corporate brand building process addressed three key areas; web administration, program marketing and corporate brand positioning. The corporate brand building …

The Impact Of Local On Meat Purchasing Decisions, Steven Mclennan

Master's Theses

The research examines the target market for a meat product produced by the local university. Further, desirable attributes of meat and how consumers definition of “locally produced and/or raised” are identified. A total of 290 personal interviews were completed in San Luis Obispo County, California on the consumers’ willingness to purchase Cal Poly meat. Likely purchasers are found to be 31 percent of the San Luis Obispo population. The target buyer of Cal poly meat products are both male and females, who tend to be older, and make more than $60,000 a year. Local is defined by 31 percent of …

"Let's Go Shopping At The Square" Cleveland's Leading Downtown Department Stores: A Business Legacy, Richard Klein

Cleveland Memory

This book is a tribute to the eight major downtown Cleveland department stores and their many loyal customers. For over 150 years, these large stores dominated the local retail scene. They represented exciting places that not only provided a full range of goods and services all under one roof, but also, offered a special shopping adventure every time their customers visited.

The Proactive Behavior Of Younger Salespeople: Antecedents And Outcomes, Michael Mallin, Charles Ragland, Todd A. Finkle

Todd A Finkle

The purpose of this study is to model and test some of the antecedents (individual characteristics) and outcomes (selling performance) of proactive behavior among younger salespeople. Using social cognitive theory agency perspective, we extend the existing proactive behavior literature into the sales domain. We sampled 278 industrial salespeople and tested a model to confirm that younger salespeople tend to engage in proactive behaviors when they are intrinsically motivated, confident in the tasks of selling, and willing to take risks. Proactive behavior, in turn, resulted in our salesperson sample demonstrating high levels of behavior performance and job involvement. Our findings may …

The Investigation Of Product Involvement In Shopping Behaviors Among Male College Students, Jung-Im Seo, Grace W. Namwamba

Atlantic Marketing Journal

We investigated the clothing shopping behaviors of male college students. This study is significant because there is limited published research on the shopping behavior of male college students in the area of two correlative product involvement and store type and yet, there is a large increase in market share of male apparel products. Male college students (n=285) were surveyed via questionnaire. MANOVA and ANOVA were used to analyze the data. This research revealed that male college students are highly concerned about their physical appearance and clothing. The findings of this study demonstrate that male college students have unique …

A Sound Idea: A Theory-Based Synthesis And Explanadum Supporting The Use Of Music In Marketing Strategy, Anthony H. Kerr, Neel Das

Atlantic Marketing Journal

A review and synthesis of research literature regarding the role and influence of music on advertising effectiveness and in-store shopper moods and behavior is presented. A conceptual model is presented, with strong theoretical support found in classical conditioning, information processing, involvement, and mood states literature. The authors posit that a retailer should use a dual, concomitant music strategy as a component of an overall advertising and in-store marketing promotion plan. This strategy is presented in what the authors refer to as the Music Affect Model. While using the positive affects of music on consumer purchasing behavior as its core source …

Investing In “Sin” Companies, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

Investors will overlook social norms on "sin" companies when financial incentives are substantial

The Role Of Mentoring On Outcome Based Sales Performance: A Qualitative Study From The Insurance Industry, Minna Rollins, Brian N. Rutherford, David Nickell

Faculty and Research Publications

This study explores informal mentoring on outcome-based salesperson performance. Mentoring is believed to play an important role within corporations, yet little empirical evidence exists on its impact on salesperson performance. The authors interviewed salespeople of an international insurance company regarding mentoring and sales performance. Using a qualitative research approach, the authors explored a mentor's influence on the sales performance of the prot g . The findings suggest that mentoring contributes to salesperson performance in numerous ways. Specifically, mentoring salespeople early in their career can benefit all parties; prot g , mentor, and organization. In addition, mentees will often become mentors …

Cross-Border Shopping: A Research Proposal For A Comparison Of Service Encounters Of Canadian Cross-Border Shoppers Versus Canadian Domestic In-Shoppers, Brian A. Zinser, Gary Brunswick

Journal Articles

The phenomenon known as out-shopping behavior (also known as intermarket patronage) is further explored and analyzed within the context of international cross-border consumer behavior. The authors provide an extensive literature review and a set of research hypotheses, as well as a suggested research methodology, and argue that this research will allow for significant contributions to the literature on out-shopping, international cross-border shopping, and services marketing.

Cross-Border Shopping: A Research Proposal For A Comparison Of Service Encounters Of Canadian Cross-Border Shoppers Versus Canadian Domestic In-Shoppers, Brian A. Zinser, Gary J. Brunswick

Brian A Zinser

The phenomenon known as out-shopping behavior (also known as intermarket patronage) is further explored and analyzed within the context of international cross-border consumer behavior. The authors provide an extensive literature review and a set of research hypotheses, as well as a suggested research methodology, and argue that this research will allow for significant contributions to the literature on out-shopping, international cross-border shopping, and services marketing.

2014 Fall Convocation Program, Office Of Communications & Marketing, Morehead State University.

Communications and Marketing Publications Archive

Fall convocation program held on August 13, 2014.

Do Australian And American Consumers Differ In Their Perceived Shopping Experiences?, Marilyn Jones, Sonya Vilches-Montero, Mark Spence, Sevgin Eroglu, Karen Machleit

Mark Spence

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to present findings from an experiment designed to test the impact of crowding perceptions (both human and spatial), emotions (positive and negative) and shopping values (utilitarian and hedonic) on shopper satisfaction. Culture is explored as a moderating variable with the expectation that it systematically affects perceptions and values, which, in turn, influence the shopper's experience with the store.

Design/methodology/approach - Data were collected via a 2 x 2 x 2 full factorial between subjects design with two variables, one manipulated and one measured. The two manipulated variables were spatial density (high versus …

Federalism And Business Decisions In The October 2005 Term, Carter G. Phillips

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Social Media & Web Development On Product Promotion & The Effects Of Branding On Sales And Building A Startup, Scott Toshiro Burns, Galen Quan Tran

Graphic Communication

The purpose of this study was to identify the key components needed to make a startup. This included created making a landing page and also driving traffic to the page through Facebook. On the landing page section, there was a test to see what would provide the best user experience using Squarespace. This entailed looking into different layouts and using analytics to determine how effective the landing page was in converting customers. In terms of Facebook research, went into looking into creating a method into driving leads into the prospect pipeline. A campaign was run to gather all the data …

The Development And Production Of The Comodo Keeper, Ashley Cook

Senior Theses

As a musician of large ensembles, I have seen the destruction the harsh sound of a metal mouthpiece cap falling onto the cold, hard floor can do to both the concentration of the members of the rehearsal as well as the mood of the conductor. Many saxophonists and clarinetists keep their mouthpiece caps on the edge of their flimsy music stands because during periods of rest, it is best to preserve the reed with the cap. However, with virtually every rehearsal I partake in, shuffling one’s music and grabbing pencils off the stand results in an accident. Witnessing this interruption …

A Healthy Digital Image: Exploring Its Impact On B2b Sales Lead Generation In A Professional Social Network, Jaclyn G. Getonga Ms.

Honors Scholar Theses

This project looks at the social media-selling environment and how a “healthy” digital image can assist a firm in identifying itself to create value for new customers. This project will explore whether the B2B sales lead generation process can be conducted as part of a social media strategy and how a digital image affects its performance. The sales landscape has changed: buyers have more power, relationships are based on two-way communication, and customer-centric technologies have enabled users to create, share, and converse about content over the Internet. A “healthy” digital image is based on the attributes of a LinkedIn company …

The Customer Insight Journey Of Amazing Grace, Pradeep Pant

Asian Management Insights

How do you put consumercentric marketing into action? Make it personal!

The Most Powerful Mouse In The World : The Globalization Of The Disney Brand, Michaela J. Robbins

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Consumer Product Package Quality On Consumption Satisfaction, Brand Perceptions, Consumer Investment And Behavior, Jeffrey S. Hess Phd, Jay Singh, Lynn E. Metcalf, Jeffrey Danes Phd

Journal of Applied Packaging Research

Consumer product packaging can serve a critical role in the consumption experience, but marketing and packaging science researchers focus primarily on pre and post-consumption aspects of consumer product containers. Exhaustive research into packing ergonomics, logistics, safety, sustainability and promotional features are common across marketing and packaging disciplines, but research isolating the role of a packaging in consumption satisfaction and enduring consumer-brand relationships is rare. In addition to an undervalued role in product satisfaction, functional isolation between marketing and packaging scientists limits packaging’s overall impact on the bottom line.

This research examines the role of bottle quality in bottled-water consumption satisfaction …

The Relationship Between Fashion Blogs And Intention To Purchase And Word Of Mouth Behavior, Cassidy L. Vineyard

Department of Textiles, Merchandising, and Fashion Design: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Blogs are an influential social media platform and a powerful marketing tool (Hsu & Tsou, 2011). A corporate fashion blog is an online product community. Online product communities established by retailers enable customers to interact with the company as well as amongst themselves (Nambisan & Watt, 2011). Online communities are a social space wherein relationships and ties are formed among the members and a common set of values and norms are established and shared (Nambisan & Watt, 2011).

The objective of this study was threefold. First it explored what factors shape readers’ intention to browse products on blogs. Based on …

A Transformative Partnership Between Socially And Historically Disadvantaged Farmers, 1890 Land Grant Institutions, And Walmart, Walter A. Hill, Raymon Shange, Miles Robinson, Tasha M. Hargrove

Professional Agricultural Workers Journal

Ensuring a sustainable future for socially and historically disadvantaged farmers (SHDFs) remains a central mission of many 1890 land grant universities. As major corporations adopt socially responsible and sustainable policies they are exploring new partnerships, including those with the aforementioned farmers and institutions. This article explores the opportunity presented by the partnership between Tuskegee University and Walmart during 2011, 2012, and 2013 that focused on assisting SHDFs to work together to expand their produce marketing opportunities to include large commercial retailers. This article provides perspective for the articles that follow in this issue of the Professional Agricultural Workers Journal (PAWJ). …

How Corporations Use Social Media: An Exploratory Study, Victor Khachatryan

Honors College Theses

This paper explores the role of social media in increasing a company’s brand equity and strengthening its customer relationships. The data collected consists of three case studies of major American companies, two interviews with Brazilian entrepreneurs, and a survey conducted to start-up companies in the New York City area. The paper then concludes that the use of social media by businesses, leads to a positive relationship with brand equity and improved customer relationships. Nevertheless, further research is required to see how other factors interact with brand equity and customer relationships to get a better understanding of social media and its …