Business Commons^™

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 Chinese Health Care System: An Analysis Of The Current And Emerging Health Care Needs, Karen Giuliano, Courtney Droms

Courtney Hatch

This paper presents an overview of the health care system, current and anticipated health care challenges, and the potential for medical technology to address the health care needs of the People’s Republic of China. The implications of these topics for the modification of current strategies or development of new technologies to address the current and emerging health care needs in China will be reviewed in order to assess the industry’s current plans for expansion of their operations to the health care market in the People’s Republic of China.

How High Will Russian Aviation Fly?, Tamilla Curtis, Irina Swenson

Dr. Tamilla Curtis

The study provides the historical context of the Russian aviation industry reflecting the periods of its growth and decline. It reveals the competitive advantage strategies that have been implemented by the Russian government in an attempt to revivify an enfeebled nation's aeronautic industry. The paper discusses the newly formed Joint Stock Company (JSC) United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) and its strategies to break into global markets, including UAC innovative product offerings. Whether or not, the recent efforts of the Russian government serve as a fulcrum for the Russian aviation industry that will leverage Russia into the global market, remains to be …

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 …

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 …

Bit.Ly, Your Tinyurl Is Awe.Sm! Reinforcing Your Brand With A Custom Url Shortener, Robert L. Nunez Ii, Rebecca J. Hall

Robert L Nunez II

After migrating to the campus hosted CMS the UW-Milwaukee, School of Information Studies web team quickly realized that they needed a service that would allow them to create custom shortened URLs for marketing. Within 1 day, the team was able to produce a service that was equivalent to that of Bit.ly, that not only allows them to create shortened URLs, but also track their clicks, the audience reached, reinforce their brand, and much, much more. This poster will show the teams efforts in meeting this goal and the benefits of not relying on a 3rd party service.

Full Radius Brand Book, Samantha M. Bowersock, Akeem Mason, Anri Olivier, Alex Leon-Khan, Cherry Delrosario, Katina Dorsey

Alex Leon-Khan

No abstract provided.

Marketing An Established Institutional Repository: Marquette Libraries’ Research Stewardship Survey, Rose Fortier, Emily Laws

Rose Fortier

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss the results of Marquette University Libraries’ survey measuring faculty knowledge and attitudes about the institution’s repository, for the purposes of creating a marketing plan for the institutional repository (IR). Design/methodology/approach The paper adopts a quantitative approach through the use of a survey. Findings Like many other endeavors to measure faculty engagement with the IR, the investigators discovered that faculty knowledge of the IR is not universal. Moreover, the perceived values and motivators for faculty use of the IR were also not surprising, with faculty viewing online dissemination of their work to …

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.

Marketing The Ir: Strategies From The Marquette Survey, Rose Fortier

Rose Fortier

Marquette University’s institutional repository, e-Publications@Marquette, was established in 2008 for the deposit of faculty publications and research. Despite active participation by some faculty, universal participation remains an elusive goal. During the spring of 2013, faculty participation and needs were assessed via survey and compared to the IR’s capabilities in addressing those needs. Based upon the assessment survey and the IR’s available resources, a marketing plan and promotional strategies were created. The presentation will include analysis of the survey results and how they informed the creation of a marketing plan. Details of the marketing plan will be discussed as well as …

The Story Of Taste: Using Eegs And Self-Reports To Understand Consumer Choice, Charnetta Brown, Adriane B. Randolph, Janée N. Burkhalter

Adriane B. Randolph

The authors investigate consumers’ willingness to switch from a preferred manufacturer brand to an unfamiliar private-label brand if taste is perceived as identical. Consumer decisions are examined through recordings of electrical brain activity in the form of electroencephalograms (EEGs) and self-reported data captured in surveys. Results reveal a willingness of consumers to switch to a less-expensive brand when the quality is perceived to be the same as the more expensive counterpart. Cost saving options for consumers and advertising considerations for managers are discussed.

Validating Perception And Use Of Mobile Social Network Service: A Cross-Cultural Comparison Study, Chengqi Guo, J.P. Shim, Xin Luo, Anil Gurung

Anil Gurung

The rapid developments of Social Network Services (SNS) and mobile technology have offered opportunities to revisitseminal theories of technology use in today’s socio-technical environment. Mobile technology based SNSprovides various service channels that are highly correlated with their respective service contexts, in which culturalinfluences are omnipresent. Investigating use intention in a cross-cultural mobile SNS study implies new theoreticaldiscoveries and managerial practices. This research in progress (RIP) paper suggests that important distinctions existbetween U.S. and Chinese SNS subscribers in terms of SNS use and perceptions. Taking the perspective of SNSusers, we strive to explore the effects of cultural factors (e.g., collectivism vs. …

Expert Systems For Forecasting, Fred Collopy, Monica Adya, J. Scott Armstrong

Monica Adya

Expert systems use rules to represent experts’ reasoning in solving problems. The rules are based on knowledge about methods and the problem domain. To acquire knowledge for an expert system, one should rely on a variety of sources, such as textbooks, research papers, interviews, surveys, and protocol analysis. Protocol analysis is especially useful if the area to be modeled is complex or if experts lack an awareness of their processes. Expert systems should be easy to use, incorporate the best available knowledge, and reveal the reasoning behind the recommendations they make. In forecasting, the most promising applications of expert systems …

Rule-Based Forecasting: Using Judgment In Time-Series Extrapolation, J. Scott Armstrong, Monica Adya, Fred Collopy

Monica Adya

Rule-Based Forecasting (RBF) is an expert system that uses judgment to develop and apply rules for combining extrapolations. The judgment comes from two sources, forecasting expertise and domain knowledge. Forecasting expertise is based on more than a half century of research. Domain knowledge is obtained in a structured way; one example of domain knowledge is managers= expectations about trends, which we call “causal forces.” Time series are described in terms of 28 conditions, which are used to assign weights to extrapolations. Empirical results on multiple sets of time series show that RBF produces more accurate forecasts than those from traditional …

Can Brazilian Firms Survive The Chinese Challenge: Effects Of Globalization On Markets, Strategies, And Performance, Syed H. Akhter, Paulo Fernando Pinto Barcellos

Syed H. Akhter

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to apply the structure-conduct-performance theory and the strategic fit concept to examine the effects of globalization on markets, strategies, and performance of business-to-consumer firms in Brazil. Design/methodology/approach – The paper takes a qualitative approach to answer the research questions. Top decision makers such as president, chief executive officer, chairman of the board, vice president, and director of the companies were interviewed. The elite approach to in-depth interviewing was followed to obtain reliable information from the decision makers. Findings – Findings indicate that globalization and especially the entry of Chinese firms significantly changed …

Leveraging Internal Competency And Managing Environmental Uncertainty: Propensity To Collaborate In International Markets, Syed H. Akhter, Fernando Robles

Syed H. Akhter

Purpose – The choice of an international market entry mode involves two critical considerations, leveraging internal competencies and managing environmental uncertainties in host countries. The purpose of the paper is to explicate how these two considerations affect the propensity to collaborate in international markets. Design/methodology/approach – The paper builds on existing theories and develops hypotheses showing relations between competencies and uncertainty and collaboration in international markets. Findings – Conceptual relations show that the goals of leveraging competencies and managing environmental uncertainty in host countries have varying effects on the level of international collaboration. Originality/value – The effects are shown through …

An Empirical Note On Regionalization And Globalization, Syed H. Akhter, Colleen Beno

Syed H. Akhter

Purpose – Is it regionalization or globalization that more accurately depicts the state of the global economy? Exports and foreign direct investments (FDI) data are analyzed with the aim of answering the question and determining how intra- and inter-regional integration has changed over time.

Design/methodology/approach – To address the research questions, this paper covers the following. First, it takes a longitudinal perspective in examining the changes taking place in exports and FDI at the regional level. Second, it draws strategic business and marketing implications of this development.

Findings – The results show a trend toward regionalization in the Quad (North …

Japanese Attitudes Toward American Business Involvement In Japan: An Empirical Investigation Revisited, Syed H. Akhter, Toshikazu Hamada

Syed H. Akhter

Generation Xers in Japan continue to draw increasing attention not only because they constitute a promising segment for many products and services but also because they are expected to play a critical role in shaping their country’s political and economic relations with other countries. This paper examines their attitudes toward US products, businesses, and government. It also examines their behavioral intentions and their expectations of their government in terms of managing American business involvement in Japan. Findings and implications are presented.

A Cross-National Comparison Of Consumers' Attitudes Toward Direct Marketing And Purchase Intention, Srinivas Durvasula, Syed H. Akhter, Gary J. Bamossy

Syed H. Akhter

Existing research indicates that attitudes toward the three elements of direct marketing (the source, mode, and response channel) influence consumers' intentions to purchase directly marketed products. While research investigating attitudes and consumers' response has been conducted in the U.S., there has been no research to date which examines attitude structures and purchase intentions towards direct marketing in a multi-country setting, in spite of the standardized global efforts of direct marketeers. This study presents findings on attitude structures regarding direct marketing for three affluent open markets, the U.S., Singapore, and the Netherlands and empirically investigates the relationships between these consumers' attitudes …

Strategic Planning, Hypercompetition, And Knowledge Management, Syed H. Akhter

Syed H. Akhter

When both product andresource markets are turbulentand disruptive, competitiveadvantage has to be continuallyrenewed. But a firm can do this onlyby managing its knowledge. Using twoelements of strategic planning—scenariobuilding and internal situation analysis—managers can map and integrate knowledge togain a sustainable competitive edge in today’shypercompetitive markets.

Mapping Mutual Fund Investor Characteristics And Modeling Switching Behavior, Mary Jane Lenard, Syed H. Akhter, Pervaiz Alam

Syed H. Akhter

Securing a mutual fund that meets investment goals is an important reason why some investors exclusively stay with a particular mutual fund and others switch funds within their fund family. This paper empirically investigates investor attitudes toward mutual funds. Our model, based on investor responses, develops an investor's "risk profile" variable. Results indicate that regardless of whether the investors invest in nonemployer plans or in both employer and nonemployer plans, they consider their investment risk, fund performance, investment mix, and the capital base of the fund before switching funds. The model developed in this study can also assist in predicting …

Is Globalization What It’S Cracked Up To Be? Economic Freedom, Corruption, And Human Development, Syed H. Akhter

Syed H. Akhter

This paper examines the effect of economic globalization on human development and argues that the relation between economic globalization and human development is mediated by economic freedom and corruption. Findings suggest that economic globalization affects economic freedom positively and corruption negatively. In turn, economic freedom has a positive effect and corruption has a negative effect on human development. All relations are in the hypothesized directions and significant. Research, business, and public policy implications as well as directions for future research are presented.

Niches At The Edges: Price-Value Tradeoff, Consumer Behavior, And Marketing Strategy, Syed H. Akhter

Syed H. Akhter

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how the perception of price-value tradeoff is related to overall satisfaction, purchase intention, word-of-mouth advertising, and actual repurchase behavior. Design/methodology/approach – Data on subscribers and single ticket buyers of a major symphony orchestra in the Midwest are used to test the hypotheses. Findings – The ANOVA results show significant differences across the three levels of price-value tradeoff in each of the response variables. Additional analyses of cross-tabulated data show that some of the bivariate relations conform to, as well as depart from, the rational consumer behavior model. Research limitations/implications – …

The Influence Of Time On Transactional Use Of The Internet: Buying, Banking, And Investing Online, Syed H. Akhter

Syed H. Akhter

The major objective of this chapter was to test the effect of online time and adoption time on the frequency of transactional use of the Internet. Transactional use of the Internet includes activities such as buying products, banking, and investing online. Findings support the hypothesis that online time and adoption time positively and significantly influence the frequency of transactional use of the Internet. Theoretical and strategic implications and recommendations for future research are presented.

Esochoice: The Self-Manipulation Of Tastes By Chameleonic Decision Makers, Brian J. Gibbs

Brian J. Gibbs

No abstract provided.

Public Perceptions Of Wisconsin’S Pavements And Tradeoffs In Pavement Improvement, Richard Robinson, David Kuemmel, Ronald C. Sonntag, Stephen F. Shober, Robert J. Griffin

Robert Griffin

Findings are reported from Phase II of a three-phase pooled-fund project in Wisconsin, Iowa, and Minnesota to determine perceptions of drivers regarding pavement of rural two-lane highways. Among the survey topics were drivers' trust in the state department of transportation (DOT), pavement improvement trade-offs, and pavement evaluation. Results of the Wisconsin portion of the survey data are the focus of this study. The survey questionnaire was based in part on Phase I focus groups conducted to gauge beliefs about pavements as well as the language describing ruts, tining, and other pavement characteristics. Phase II entailed a statewide telephone survey of …

Cross-Cultural Study Of Channel Relationship Factors - Antecedents Of Satisfaction In A Retail Setting: A Commentary Essay, Sudhir H. Kale

Sudhir H. Kale

Channel relationships within and across diverse markets have been investigated for quite some time. Yet findings from these studies over the last forty years or so have been far from conclusive. Channel researchers Runyan, Sternquist, and Chung (forthcoming) investigate interrelationships between the behavioural constructs of role performance, dependence, conflict, satisfaction, and influence strategy in the U.S. and Japanese context. Reading this paper leads credence to the adage, 'The more things change, the more they stay the same.' Indeed, a review of representative comparative channels research literature from the 1980s and post-2000 brings to surface striking similarities in terms of shaky …

The Role Of Culture On New Product Development Decisions, Sudhir H. Kale

Sudhir H. Kale

This study investigates the effect of culture on the evaluation of new products. We contrast decision-making outcomes between East Asians and Westerners. East Asians tend to view the future as dynamic, nonlinear, and changeable and do not emphasize immediate gain and loss. In contrast, Westerners believe that the future is static, linear, and predictable and pay more attention to the past and present. We hypothesize that given a poor performance forecast, East Asians are more likely than their Western counterparts to continue a new product whereas Westerners are more likely to halt development. However, providing future market demand information moderates …

Library Outreach Through Digital Exhibits, Gwyneth H. Crowley, Lori Bronars, Mark Saba

Gwyneth H. Crowley