Business Commons^™

An Alternative Strategy For Building Sales Of Computers: Generic Advertising, Min Lu, Steven M. Thompson, Yanbin Tu

Management Faculty Publications

Frequent upgrading and aggressive price-cutting have become standard practice in the computer sector. While necessitated in part by declining production costs and a highly competitive market, these strategies have also served to make computers more affordable, growing the size of the overall market. Recently downturns in the sales of computers motivate us to examine the impact of these strategies on overall sales growth. We find evidence to suggest that excessive upgrading and overly aggressive price-cutting can be detrimental to overall sales growth. We also find that the computer sector exhibits characteristics that suggest that generic advertising would be an effective …

Take Pride In America In Southern Nevada: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Covering July 6 – Oct. 5, 2007, Margaret N. Rees

Anti-littering Programs

• Don’t Trash Nevada website traffic remains strong despite no separate marketing.

• Project Manager Douglas Joslin has been assisting the IVP team due to the resignation of Donna Grady.

• A new ad created in cooperation with Republic Services of Southern Nevada appeared in five different View newspapers in July.

• The messaging campaign year two plan is in development and will be ready in November.

• Forty-three people took the anti-litter pledge this quarter, bringing the total number of pledges to 431.

• Planning for the Don’t Trash Nevada exhibit at the Las Vegas Natural History Museum continued …

Understanding The Effectiveness Of Product Placement: The Roles Of Placement Congruency And Information Processing, Kavita Jayaraman, Jing Zhang

Faculty Publications

This project examined the influence of placement congruency and information processing on the effectiveness of product placement in a TV sitcom. In an experiment, we found that compared to an incongruently placed product, a congruently placed product elicited lower level of product recall, but more favorable product attitudes among respondents. Moreover, this attitudinal effect was more pronounced when the respondents engaged in incidental (vs. deliberate) information processing when they watched the TV program.

The Influence Of Online Word Of Mouth On Product Sales In Retail E-Commerce: An Empirical Investigation, Alanah Davis, Deepak Khazanchi

Information Systems and Quantitative Analysis Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

The ability to exchange opinions and experiences online is known as online word of mouth (WOM). Due to the high acceptance of consumers and their apparent reliance on online WOM it is important for organizations to understand how it works and what kind of impact it has on product sales. Using the well-established notions of volume and valence to describe online WOM, we empirically evaluate the hypothesized relationship between online WOM in a retail e-commerce site and actual product sales. Our analysis of the data shows that there is a significant change in the number of products sold following the …

Take Pride In America In Southern Nevada: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending April 05, 2007, Margaret N. Rees

Anti-littering Programs

• Don’t Trash Nevada website traffic increased by 144% over the previous quarter.

• Project Manager Douglas Joslin made a presentation about the Take Pride in America in Southern Nevada program to the Executive Committee on February 7, 2007.

• 20 Don’t Trash Nevada advertisements ran during February and March.

• A billboard has been in place on US95 and Russell Road throughout this quarter.

• Don’t Trash Nevada purchased radio spots on Metro Networks in February and March.

• 137 people have taken the on-line anti-litter and dumping pledge.

• The anti-litter team received a $10,000 dollar donation from …

Using Teen Chick Lit Novels To Teach Marketing, Peter A. Maresco

WCBT Faculty Publications

This paper will outline how the author uses the sub-genre of teen fiction referred to as teen chick lit to teach students the marketing concept known as product placement. The paper provides the rationale for using fictional teen focused novels as a vehicle for teaching product placement as well as an overview of the teen chick lit genre. A discussion of the value of using teen fiction in class, student project, its success and issues raised are also discussed.

Are Cover Stories Effective Contrarian Indicators?, Tom Arnold, John H. Earl, David S. North

Finance Faculty Publications

Headlines from cover stories are collected over a twenty year period from Business Week, Fortune, and Forbes to determine if positive stories are associated with superior future performance and if negative stories are associated with inferior future performance for the featured firm (when compared to an index or to another firm within the same industry and of the same size). Statistical testing implies that positive stories generally indicate the end of superior performance and negative news generally indicates the end of poor performance.

Heylen Bvba (Belgium), Thomas Cooney

Case studies

As Tom Heylen reflects upon his early days in business, he often wonders how his company Heylen bvba survived. He had left university after just one year of studying biology in order to pursue a business opportunity that he believed existed in the market and that needed to be acted upon without delay. About that time, nature had become modified to such an extent (particularly in Europe) that biodiversity could only be conserved through active management and restoration of the few natural areas which remained. Such management required innovation, specialised equipment, and knowledge in order to be successful. But those …

Daft.Ie (Ireland), Thomas Cooney

Case studies

Eamonn and Brian Fallon sat in their office at the Digital Hub near the Guinness Brewery in Dublin and reflected upon their success. It was a beautiful day outside and the sun shone warmly through the windows. About them on the walls was an array of awards that they had collected over the past two years. Indeed they had received a telephone call earlier that day informing them that the radio programme ‘Down To Business’ on NewsTalk 106 had selected them as a leading example of best business practice and wanted to interview them. It was yet further recognition that …

Ecoserve (Ireland), Thomas Cooney

Case studies

Roisin Nash had just finished reading a new report that had recently been launched by the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources Noel Dempsey at the headquarters of the Marine Institute at Oranmore in County Galway. The report, entitled ‘Sea Change – A Marine Knowledge, Research and Innovation Strategy for Ireland 2007- 2013’, presented a national agenda (comprising of science, research, innovation, and management) aimed at a complete transformation of the Irish maritime economy. Roisin felt that the report provided a clear and realistic picture of future opportunities and challenges within the Irish marine industry, and that it would …

South Hill Enterprise (Ireland), Thomas Cooney

Case studies

Billy Barrett was facing challenges as a consultant that he had never previously experienced. All of the goals that are expected in business practice were not amongst the main priorities here. Confused, he asked Maura Melia (Manager of South Hill Enterprise) if he could clarify the situation.

Guardian Angel (Ireland), Thomas Cooney

Case studies

It was the summer of 2006 and three friends of many years had come up with a business idea that they believed could be a money-spinner for all of them. Maria Harrison, Krystle Malone and Marie Lyons had all been students at the Technological University Dublin and had recently completed their degree in Marketing. As part of their programme, they had taken a course on Entrepreneurship by way of interest rather than any deep-rooted desire to start their own business. But now, they are about to meet a venture capital company to ask for €300,000 to get the business started. …

The National Game And Irish Society: The Gaa As A Cultural Brand, Aine Carroll

Masters

The link between brands and culture is well documented (McCracken, 1986; Ritson and Elliott, 1999). However the purposeful creation of brands related to culture is less evident (Vincent, 2002; Holt, 2004). It is this lack of theoretical understanding of cultural brands that drives this study. The objective of this study is to investigate the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) as an iconic brand within the socio-economic context of Ireland. The literature has been divided into two chapters, the first is an overview of consumer culture as the context within which brands have taken on great importance, in the construction of self …

The Theoretical Separation Of Brand Equity And Brand Value: Managerial Implications For Strategic Planning, Randle D. Raggio, Robert P. Leone

Marketing Faculty Publications

During the past 15 years, brand equity has been a priority topic for both practitioners and academics. In this paper, the authors propose a new framework for conceptualizing brand equity that distinguishes between brand equity, conceived of as an intrapersonal construct that moderates the impact of marketing activities, and brand value, which is the sale or replacement value of a brand. Such a distinction is important because, from a managerial perspective, the ultimate goal of brand management and brand equity research should be to understand how to leverage equity to create value.

Retooling The Corporate Brand: A Foucauldian Perspective On Normalisation And Differentiation, S. R. Leitch, Judith Motion

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

In this article we draw upon the social theory of Michel Foucault to explore the neglected tension between normalization and differentiation in corporate branding. The mainstream response within the corporate marketing literature to addressing this tension is exemplified by Deephouse who argues for the identification of a ‘strategic balance point’35 which would lead managers to strive for the singular identity that represents the ideal compromise between differentiation and conformity. In contrast we contend that corporate brands exist in multiple discourse contexts, that the tension between normalization and differentiation must be managed within each of these contexts, and that the brand …

The Experience Of A Lifestyle, Brian Lonsway

School of Architecture - All Scholarship

This essay traces the evolution of themed environment design from theme parks to a series of new architectural types – Urban Entertainment Destinations, Lifestyle Enhancement Centers, and Lifestyle Villages – as a chronicle of spatial mediation from urban décor to urban design technique. Culled partly through semiotic deconstruction and partly through ethnographic investigation, this history examines the environmental design techniques employed in these spaces in order to better understand the relationship of design practice to the cultural practices of work and leisure.

From spatialized branding strategies to the neo-urbanist configurations of location-based entertainment, leisure/entertainment ventures use these narratively motivated techniques …

Echinades Fish Farm (Greece), Thomas Cooney

Case studies

The past decade had seen a dramatic decline in the regional economy along the west coast of the Greece as agriculture faded and few incentives existed for manufacturing companies to locate there given its relatively poor infrastructure. Since the long-established Greek strength of tourism was still focused on the islands and in areas where large natural beaches offered holidaymakers the opportunity to lay out in the glorious Mediterranean sunshine, this region of barren land and traditional lifestyle offered little to entice the modern tourist. Despite this pessimistic background, Nikos Anagnopoulos stood on the deck of the small boat that had …

Digicel Foundation (Haiti), Thomas Cooney

Case studies

It was a beautiful day on March 5th 2007 and the official launch of the Digicel Foundation Haiti was drawing to a close. The Foundation had been inaugurated at a special ceremony to mark the completion of the Foundation's first project, the rebuilding in record time of the Ecole Mixte Lageho (a primary school in the hurricane ravaged Pont Janvier rural community of Thomazeau), thanks primarily to the combined efforts of Digicel staff and local community members. Denis O'Brien (Digicel Group Founder / Chairman and Patron of the Digicel Foundation) was joined at the ceremony by the Prime Minister of …

De Boerinn (Netherlands), Thomas Cooney

Case studies

Hendrik Jan Hoogendoom and his parents sat around the family dinner table and once again discussed the key problem facing the business in which they all worked. There had been many changes in the use of their land over the past two decades but they knew that they had not yet achieved the maximum economic return from it. Currently, the primary income came from recreation activities, which were extremely successful for six months of the year. But the challenge remained on how they could keep the business equally active during the long cold winter months.

Ua9 The Wku Planner, Wku Planned Giving

WKU Archives Records

Planned Giving office newsletter regarding donors and donations to Western Kentucky University.

Consumer-Generated Media (Cgm): An Exploratory Study Of Various Forms, Value To Consumers, And Marketing Practitioners, And Global Implications, Irene J. Dickey, William F. Lewis

Management and Marketing Faculty Publications

This paper examines consumer-generated media (CGM), also called user-generated Web sites or social media. The Internet is clearly dynamic in nature, and CGM will be of interest to marketers as e-commerce races ahead. The basis for the growth and the importance of such sites will be explored to improve our understanding of their development and use by marketers. Our research will consider the domestic and global behaviors, and findings will be useful for both researchers and marketing practitioners who seek to understand issues relevant to CGM and associated marketing tactics and their ability to accomplish marketing objectives, particularly related to …

Perceived Importance And Future Use Of Online Channels Of Distribution By Small Businesses In The United States And Australia: An Exploratory Study, Irene J. Dickey, William F. Lewis, John Vanbeveren

Management and Marketing Faculty Publications

Online marketing is important to small-business owners and operators because they are typically faced with limited budgets to design and implement traditional marketing programs. This paper compares the perceived importance of specific online marketing tactics and their anticipated future use of online marketing tactics by small businesses in the United States and Australia. Results of the study reveal that both in the United States and in Australia, there is a growing use of online marketing tactics to accomplish marketing objectives. While most online marketing tactics were effective in both the United States and Australia, there were some statistically significant differences.

Endorser Source Credibility: Redefining Spokesperson Influence Through Development Of The Celebrity-Hero Matrix, Joshua Shuart

WCBT Faculty Publications

Endorsement of sport and non-sport products by athletes is an extremely popular method that corporations use to drive sales and advertising. Traditionally, celebrity endorsement research has focused on the physical attractiveness of the endorser; while this makes sense, it provides only a partial explanation why consumers purchase athlete-endorsed products. Several other components of source credibility, as well as previously unexplored elements such as "heroic" traits, prove to be stronger predictors of intent-to-purchase. A 3-phase research study of Americans aged 18-35 was conducted, with a Celebrity-Hero Matrix© (CHM) developed and several marketing recommendations made based on the findings.