Sales and Merchandising Commons^™

Adapting To $15: As The Minimum Wage Approaches $15 In Nyc, Business Owners Are Finding Ways To Make It Work, Alexandra Semenova, Sharif Paget

Capstones

This project examines the impact of minimum wage increases across major industries in New York City and State and concludes they have been manageable and even fueled broader economic growth. Since the incremental wage hikes were first signed into law in 2015, data and anecdotal evidence has shown business owners have been able to make it work and many of critics' concerns that the higher labor costs would lead to disemployment have been misplaced. The story provides an in-depth analysis of how restaurant and food establishments, health care and retail employers have adapted to higher labor costs by innovating their …

An Exploratory Study Of How To Navigate Brand Management And Improve Sales Performance Through Control Policies, Pavuth Sriaranyakul

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of alcohol and tobacco control policies on sales performance when two central elements of marketing, communication and promotion programs, are significantly restricted. The study took place in Thailand, which has some of the strongest tobacco control regulations in the world, along with moderately strong alcohol control regulations. Under these regulations, tobacco firms operate in a dark market, with near-total regulatory prohibition on advertising, promotion, and even the display of their products. Alcohol firms operate in a less restrictive or “grey” market, as they face restrictions on advertising and promotion content, …

What's In A Name? The Impact Of Subcategory Salience On Value Perception And Upgrade Intention For Multicategory Products, Jin K. Han, Seh-Woong Chung, Yong Seok Sohn

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Despite many convergence products rapidly approaching market saturation, academic research yet lags behind with the focus still on the primary demand in the introduction stage. The authors close this gap by focusing on how the labeling of convergence products may impact on value perception and upgrade intentions for these products. Convergence products, which combine multiple categories of products into a single device, create a unique naming dilemma for manufacturers and retailers: Whether to opt for (a) a subordinate label—a lower‐level descriptor or name that embodies its subcategory elements (e.g., smartphone or Apple’s iPhone) or (b) a superordinate label—a higher‐level descriptor …

An Investigation Of Web Atmospherics In Online Luxury Branding, Emilie E. Jones

Honors College Theses

Having an online presence for a retail store has transitioned from serving as simply a new avenue through which a profit can be made, to a tool that can be harnessed to express a brand’s personality. So how do luxury brands manage to maintain a high-end, exclusive status on the highly available landscape of the internet? The intention of this research is to identify whether luxury brands are currently taking advantage of differential web atmospherics cues, in a way that significantly sets them apart from non-luxury brand websites. To do this, we measured elements including screen space, reduction of elements, …

Mediated Merchandise, Merchandisable Media: An Introduction, Elizabeth Affuso, Avi Santo

Communication & Theatre Arts Faculty Publications

There are many reasons why film and media scholars ought to take merchandise seriously. That filmrelated merchandise is a lucrative part of the film business is only a starting point, but still a good place to start. In 2018, character and entertainment licensing accounted for 44.7% of retail sales of licensed merchandise, generating $121.53 billion in sales. [1] [#N1] This earned entertainment companies approximately $6.2 billion in royalties. [2] [#N2] Not surprisingly, five of the top ten licensors are entertainment companies, with Disney positioned at the top with $53 billion in merchandise sales. Universal Studios is ranked 4th ($7.3 billion), …

I4s: Capturing Shopper’S In-Store Interactions, Sougata Sen, Archan Misra, Vigneshwaran Subbaraju, Karan Grover, Meeralakshmi Radhakrishnan, Rajesh K. Balan, Youngki Lee

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

In this paper, we present I4S, a system that identifies item interactions of customers in a retail store through sensor data fusion from smartwatches, smartphones and distributed BLE beacons. To identify these interactions, I4S builds a gesture-triggered pipeline that (a) detects the occurrence of “item picks”, and (b) performs fine-grained localization of such pickup gestures. By analyzing data collected from 31 shoppers visiting a mid-sized stationary store, we show that we can identify person-independent picking gestures with a precision of over 88%, and identify the rack from where the pick occurred with 91%+ precision (for popular racks).

Business For The Glory Of God, Abigail Daniels

Senior Honors Theses

The grand narrative of the Bible could be broken into three distinct parts- Creation, Fall, and Redemption. The main focus of this paper will go through the distinct parts of Creation and the Fall, but the focus will be on Redemption specifically in the realm of work and how it relates to business marketing. In Creation, God created us in His image meaning we were gifted with the ability to create and to form relationships. We express God’s image through the dominion mandate, which is God’s command to us to be stewards of the earth through the act of work. …

The Sustainability Liability: Potential Negative Effects Of Ethicality On Product Preference, Michael G. Luchs, Rebecca W. Naylor, Julie R. Irwin, Rajagopal Raghunathan

Michael Luchs

Manufacturers are increasingly producing and promoting sustainable products (i.e., products that have a positive social and/or environmental impact). However, relatively little is known about how product sustainability affects consumers' preferences. Theauthors propose that sustainability may not always be an asset, even if most consumers care about social and environmental issues. The degree to which sustainability enhances preference depends on the type of benefit consumers most value for theproduct category in question. In this research, the authors demonstrate that consumers associate higher product ethicality with gentleness-related attributes and lower product ethicality with strength-related attributes. As a consequence of these associations, the …

Reflective Practice Series: Selected Instructional Models Using Synchronous Video Conferencing Software, Martin W. Sivula

MBA Faculty Conference Papers & Journal Articles

With the vast array of resources available to instructors, one would think that instruction and teaching would yield success for all learners. Now, well into the 21^st century has much changed in the classroom? Certainly, movable desks and chairs, advanced audio and visual equipment, and a plethora of all types of technologies which might be able to enhance training and education. Over the last several decades research on individualized instruction, cognitive science, educational psychology, and multimedia instruction (to name a few) have permeated the literature on instruction. With all the research and the vast array of studies on improving …

Motivations To Engage In Word Of Mouth From Non-Market Participants: A Study Using Automotive Business As The Field Of Investigation, Yao Han Kwan

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Word of mouth (WOM) can have significant impacts on businesses. Positive WOM can go a long way in helping to grow a brand while negative WOM may cause considerable damages. Managers have constantly attempted to actively manage WOM but often find it difficult to control. Extensive academic research has also been conducted in this field, with a significant amount of literature built up over the last few decades. The advent of the Internet, social media and consequently electronic WOM (eWOM) further intensified practice and research interest in this area.

Despite decades of research and managerial precepts about WOM, the full …

2018 Fall Convocation Program, Morehead State University. Office Of Communications & Marketing.

Communications and Marketing Publications Archive

Fall convocation program held on August 8, 2018.

The Competitive Dynamics Of New Dvd Releases, Anirban Mukherjee, Vrinda Kadiyali

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

We study the market for new (movie) DVDs in the United States. Our demand model captures seasonality, freshness (i.e., time between theatrical and DVD release), and state dependence. We also develop a structural model of dynamic competition in which studios balance waiting for high-demand weeks, against reduced freshness, and against competitive crowding. We find that studios emphasize DVD revenues from larger movies (by theatrical revenue) over DVD revenues from smaller movies. Studios also emphasize revenue from consumers who prefer larger and fresher movies. These behaviors are consistent with managerial conservatism: studio executives forgo DVD revenues from smaller movies to ensure …

Mirror, Mirror On The Retail Wall: Self-Focused Attention Promotes Reliance On Feelings In Consumer Decisions, Hannah H. Chang, Iris W. Hung

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The authors propose that increased attention that consumers pay to themselves promotes relative reliance on affective feelings in making decisions. This hypothesis was tested in a variety of consumption domains and decision tasks, including real-life, consequential charitable donations. Consistent support from five experiments with more than 1,770 participants shows that (a) valuations of the decision outcome increase when consumers with high (low) self-focus adopt a feeling-based (reason-based) strategy. The hypothesized effect of self-focus on relative reliance on feelings in decision making is (b) moderated by self-construal. Further, greater attention to the self (c) increases evaluations of products that are affectively …

Affective Boundaries Of Scope Insensitivity, Hannah H. Chang, Michel Tuan Pham

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

People can be surprisingly insensitive to quantities in valuation judgments—a phenomenon called scope insensitivity, which is generally attributed to the operation of affective processes in judgment. Building on research showing that affect is inherently a decision-making system of the present, we propose that scope insensitivity is more likely to be observed in decisions that are psychologically proximate to the immediate self. Consistent with this proposition, results from seven experiments (and two replications) show that scope insensitivity is more prevalent in decisions that are temporally proximate, both prospectively (near future vs. distant future) and retrospectively (recent past vs. distant past), and …

The Case For Showrooming, Cristina Nistor, Prashanth Nyer

Business Faculty Articles and Research

Showrooming has deeply affected the retail market in the past decade. As consumers became able to easily compare prices on their mobile devices, they started using retail stores to try on and experience products and then they ordered online the lower priced versions they liked best to be delivered directly to their homes. As retailers are trying to adapt to the showrooming challenges and the shift to online purchases, stores are increasingly adopting showrooming as a new selling format. We present examples of successful showrooming and develop a framework for when the new selling format can be expected to be …

Law Library Blog (July 2018): Legal Beagle's Blog Archive, Roger Williams University School Of Law

Law Library Newsletters/Blog

No abstract provided.

One Man’S Tale Of Resisting The Seducing Spa Sirens Of Singapore, Gary Low

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Why do people give in to pressure selling in the slimming and beauty industry? One consumer lawprofessor explores the dazzling experience of stepping into a spa.

Project Management And The Temporary Relocation Of The Decoupling Point: Hermeneutical Phenomenological Study, Christopher Hicks

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study investigates, understands, and describes the value of engaging a project manager to support a customer-driven project that creates a random supply chain demand event. Specifically such an event would require the temporary re-positioning of the decoupling point between the supply push and demand pull within the supply chain. In response to the challenges of this type of event, this study will focus on two specific project manager roles. First, the project manager would act as an extension of a customer-driven project and serve as a conduit for the voice of the customer (VOC) into the supply chain. Secondly, …

The Effects Of Immediate And Delayed Payments On Consumption Behavior, Arvind Agrawal

College of Business: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Payment-timing is conceptualized as a payment instrument focal characteristic to explain differences in consumers’ purchasing behavior when they chose to pay-now versus pay-later. Payment-timing preferences represent consumers’ attitudes, beliefs, and motivation for delaying marketing transactions. Cash, debit cards, and online banking represented consumers’ preferences to pay-now, while credit cards and loans represented the inclination to pay-later.

There were two key findings: Firstly, I present payment-timing models that theorize consumers’ choice of payment types with differences in payment-timing and motivations to pay for purchases. Two models are presented that unify the following attitudes and motivations: (1) five attitudinal antecedents to consumers’ …

Creating A Customer-Centred Brand, Amira Geneid

Research Collection Institute of Service Excellence

Amira Geneid of Zahara discusses how the brand listens to their community to deliver beyond expectations. Zahara is a halal cosmetics line based in Singapore

Foreword [June 2018, Issue 2], Neeta Lachmandas

Research Collection Institute of Service Excellence

In this issue, we speak to 10 small business owners representing a myriad of sectors about their experience and insight into growing their business in Singapore and the region, as well as their approach to customer satisfaction and service excellence.

Selling Service In Retail, Sharon Wong

Research Collection Institute of Service Excellence

Sharon Wong of Motherswork speaks about expanding to China and building brand loyalty with customers and staff.

Customer Satisfaction Index Of Singapore 2018: Q1 Results, Institute Of Service Excellence, Smu

Research Collection Institute of Service Excellence

The Customer Satisfaction Index of Singapore (CSISG) computes customer satisfaction scores at the national, sector, sub-sector, and company levels. The CSISG serves as a quantitative benchmark of the quality of goods and services produced by the Singapore economy over time. 2018 marks the 12th year of measurement for the CSISG national study.

Currents Of Consumption: How National Narratives Of Japanese Cuisine Collide With Localized Forms Of Sushi In Northern California, John Ostermiller

Master's Projects and Capstones

This paper examines how national narratives of Japanese cuisine collide with the expectations, preferences, and perceptions of American consumers (particularly Northern California). The global economy has benefited the circulation of positive images of Japan managed by the Japanese government, but the commercialization of Japanese cuisine is also at odds with government efforts. In Japan, sushi is often synonymous with nigirizushi: sliced seafood and a daub of wasabi atop vinegared rice. As part of Japan’s washoku tradition, this singular image of sushi (allegedly) reflects the deepest essence of Japanese cultural sensibilities tied to simplicity, perfection, and nature. But in America, consumers’ …

Strategic Analysis Of Lifeloop, Llc: Current Positioning And Recommendations For Future Growth, Erin Dabbs

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

LifeLoop is a senior living software company that has the potential to gain market share in a new and growing industry. By making changes to current processes, business level strategy, and corporate level strategy, the company can grow organically, faster. LifeLoop must make these strategic changes to areas of marketing and sales processes now as the industry is changing life cycle stages; the company’s movement in this window of opportunity is critical to their future success. These findings outline where LifeLoop is currently positioned and the first steps needed to grow and develop into a reputation of excellence that will …

Law Library Blog (May 2018): Legal Beagle's Blog Archive, Roger Williams University School Of Law

Law Library Newsletters/Blog

No abstract provided.

Subjectivity Of Diamond Prices In Online Retail: Insights From A Data Mining Study, Stanislav Mamonov, Tamilla Triantoro

Department of Information Management and Business Analytics Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Diamonds belong to a unique product category whose perceived value is largely dependent on socially constructed beliefs. To explore the degree to which the physical properties of a diamond can be used to predict the diamond price, we perform data mining on a large dataset of loose diamonds scraped from an online diamond retailer. We find that diamond weight, color and clarity are the key characteristics that influence diamond prices. The data mining results also suggest a high degree of subjectivity in diamond pricing that may reflect price obfuscation strategies employed by diamond retailers.

An Exploratory Study Examining A Transformational Salesperson Model Mediated By Salesperson Theory-Of-Mind, Philip (Tony) A. Pizelo Dr.

Industrial-Organizational Psychology Dissertations

A customer revolution caused by the popularity of internet commerce, the reliance on social media, and the globalization of the retail industry, calls for an examination of a sales model driven by transformational salespeople. This study examined potential salesperson performance drivers and a proposed moderated mediation model of salesperson performance. This study relied upon a foundation of transformational and other leadership attributes and salesperson theory-of-mind (SToM). Although the conditional indirect effects of the model were not statistically significant, transformational leadership was found to be a statistically significant predictor of sales performance (c’=.024, t=2.63, p =.0088). Several sub-components of transformational leadership …

The Greatest Basketball Player Of All Time: Lebron Vs. Jordan, Austin Jacobson

Senior Honors Theses

LeBron James is one of the greatest athletes of this generation. I am seeking to determine what he needs to do to surpass Michael Jordan as the greatest of all time. Considering individual statistics, team success, and personal achievements as well as factors such as political and racial activism and involvement, media coverage (including social media), and generational difference, I am hoping to show what is left to accomplish for LeBron to reach and surpass Jordan.

Sales Leaders & Consultants Transition, Collin Newton

Honors Projects

The Bowling Green American Marketing Association (BGAMA) has been recognized as one of the top 5% chapters in the world for 5 consecutive years. The Sales Leaders & Consultants (SLAC) is a sub group of the BGAMA founded in 2017. The vision was to form a group of elite, competent, engaged students who have an interest in developing professional selling skills. After one year, SLAC has reached 15 members, engaged 4 corporate partners, received recognition at national competitions, and saved members over $300 through seeking rejection. 100% of graduating seniors had accepted job offers prior to the beginning of their …