Marketing Commons^™

Price Endings Of Online And Offline Retailers: Round And Just-Below Pricing, Kwanho Suk, Gaeun Kim, Dongwon Lee, Xuanting Jin

Asia Marketing Journal

This study investigates and compares price-ending strategies employed by online and offline retailers. Analyzing 210,456 prices from retailers in US, South Korea, and China reveals significant differences in price-ending between online and offline retail formats. Online retailers exhibit a lower propensity to utilize round prices (e.g., ending in 0) and just-below prices (e.g., ending in 9) than offline retailers. This research discusses potential explanations for these observed discrepancies, focusing on the distinct price-setting environments and consumer purchasing behaviors of online and offline retail.

Exploring The Relationship Between Esg Activities And Firm Performance: The Carrot And Stick Approach, Jeongbin Whang, Jong-Ho Lee, Jaeho Lee

Asia Marketing Journal

This study uses stakeholder theory to investigate the impact of firms' ESG activities on performance, paying particular attention to the moderating roles of executive ESG compensation (the ``carrot'') and external ESG audits (the ``stick''). Utilizing Thomson Reuters ESG data from 1,523 US firms over six years (2017–2022) and applying fixed-effects models, the analysis reveals that environmental and social activities are positively associated with firm performance. In contrast, governance activities are negatively related to financial performance but positively related to non-financial outcomes. Furthermore, executive ESG compensation and external audits positively moderate the relationship between ESG activities and firm performance. Executive compensation …

Internal Public Relations Influence On Organizational Citizenship Behaviors: Integrating Social Identity Perspectives In Organizational Contexts, Daewook Kim

Asia Marketing Journal

This study examined how internal public relations encourages employees to participate in organizational citizenship behaviors. Using a national survey of employees (N = 339), we tested a conceptual model that proposed linkages among dialogic internal communication, organizational social capital, communal relationships, and organizational citizenship behaviors. The results suggest dialogic internal communication can enhance organizational social capital and encourage internal publics to participate in organizational citizenship behaviors. Additionally, organizational social capital mediated the effects of dialogic internal communication on communal relationships and organizational citizenship behaviors. The findings highlight a critical connection between public relations and social identity perspectives within organizational …

Temporal Dynamics Of Online Shopping: A Multidimensional Clustering Approach For Optimizing Time-Specific Advertising Strategies, Hye Ra Oh, Yunjae Cheong

Asia Marketing Journal

This study clusters consumers according to their hourly online shopping consumption patterns and develops optimized advertising strategies that can be practically applied by companies. Specifically, we considered multidimensional variables related to consumers, including demographic characteristics, shopping frequency, information search and content consumption characteristics, and lifestyle traits. We explored consumer types by comparing various clustering algorithms and applying the optimal clustering method for each time period. The analysis results show significant differences in payment amounts according to payment time periods. Regarding consumer types, consumption tendencies are distinctly differentiated by payment time periods, with each cluster showing different characteristics. This study is …

Does Ai-Driven Empathy Work In Healthcare Marketing? The Impact Of Cognitive And Affective Empathy In Chatbots And The Moderating Role Of Illness Type, Jee Won Kim, Yeonsoo Kim, Jino Chung

Asia Marketing Journal

Recognizing the growing potential of AI-generated chatbots in healthcare and healthcare marketing, this study investigates how different types of chatbot-expressed empathy influence user responses in stigmatized versus non-stigmatized health contexts. Perceived authenticity is introduced as a key mediator. Drawing on Mind Perception Theory, a 3 (empathy: none, cognitive, affective) × 2 (illness type: stigmatized, non-stigmatized) online experiment was conducted. The findings show that affective empathy reduced perceived authenticity, which subsequently decreased user satisfaction, perceived understanding, reuse intention, and follow intention. These indirect effects varied by illness type: in stigmatized contexts, non-empathetic communication was viewed most favorably, whereas in non-stigmatized contexts, …

Unpacking Virtual Influencer Persuasiveness: Effects Of Social Attributes, Self-Congruence, And Attachment On Brand Attitude And Purchase Intention, You Jin Song, Sejung Marina Choi

Asia Marketing Journal

As virtual influencers (VIs) increasingly function as prominent intermediaries in brand–consumer interactions, there is a critical need for systematic investigation into their impact on consumer behavior. This study empirically explores how specific attributes of VIs—competence, warmth, and eeriness—shape consumer perceptions, attachment, and brand engagement. Results indicate that competence and warmth significantly enhance VI attractiveness, whereas eeriness diminishes attractiveness and weakens consumer responses. Furthermore, attractiveness emerges as a primary determinant of consumer attachment to VIs, with actual self-congruence acting as a moderator that reduces this attachment. Notably, stronger consumer attachment fosters more positive brand attitudes, which subsequently elevate purchase intention. These …

Are You Ready To Embrace Ai-Generated Art? Exploring The Differential Effects Of Ai Versus Human Agents On Consumer Response, Seojin Stacey Lee, Yaeri Kim, Kiwan Park

Asia Marketing Journal

With a growing integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into creative domains, understanding its impact on consumer responses remains a critical area of inquiry. This research examines how agent type (AI vs. human) and art type (fine art vs. art-infused product) influences consumer purchase intention, along with the underlying psychological mechanism. Across three empirical studies, we find that consumers report higher purchase intention for art-infused products compared to fine art when created by AI. In contrast, this difference in purchase intention is diminished when the products are created by human artists. Perceived incompatibility functions as a moderated mediator in this process. …

Strategic Distribution, Digital Marketing, And Open Innovation: Toward Integrated Capability Development For Sme Performance, Johannes Baptista Halik, Maria Yessica Halik, Septin Basongan, Jhoel Mapau

Asia Marketing Journal

This study examines the impact of Distribution Strategy on SME performance, with Digital Marketing and Open Innovation as mediating variables. Using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), data were analyzed from 250 SMEs in Makassar, Indonesia. The results show that Distribution Strategy positively affects performance, both directly and indirectly through Open Innovation. However, Digital Marketing does not serve as a significant mediator, indicating that its use among SMEs may still be limited to tactical functions. Open Innovation emerges as the strongest contributor, highlighting its role in converting distribution capabilities into performance gains. The study enriches Resource Advantage (R-A) Theory …

Mitigating Appearance Threats: The Differential Effects Of Compensatory Consumption On Self-Control, Yi-Seo Jo, Eunice Eun-Sil Kim

Asia Marketing Journal

Appearance threats, arising from gaps between one’s appearance and societal beauty standards, weaken self-control the capacity to favor long-term goals over immediate impulses. This research explores how compensatory consumption mitigates these effects, focusing on type (within-domain vs. across-domain) and timing (near-future vs. distant-future) across two studies. Rooted in symbolic self-completion and construal level theories, Study 1 examines how compensation type affects self-control under appearance threats, with rumination as a mediator. Findings show across-domain compensation sustains self-control by diverting focus from appearance concerns, unlike within-domain compensation, which heightens rumination and impairs self-regulation. Study 2 investigates how compensation timing moderates these outcomes, …

When And Why Managerial Responseswork: A Dual-Process Model Of Linguistic Cues, Review Rating, And Usefulness, Jungwon Lee, Cheol Park

Asia Marketing Journal

This research develops and empirically tests a contingency model explaining how specific linguistic characteristics of a firm's response to an online review influence the review's usefulness. We argue that the diagnostic value of different linguistic cues is contingent upon the reader's information processing mode-systematic versus heuristic-which is triggered by the valence of the original review's rating. An econometric analysis of 41,704 review-response dyads from TripAdvisor reveals that a conceptual cue (personalization, operationalized as topical relevance) and a perceptual cue (readability) both significantly increase review usefulness. In contrast, another perceptual cue (Linguistic Style Matching) decreases usefulness, a finding we interpret as …

“It’S A Dupe, Not A Counterfeit!” An Exploration Of Motives For Dupe Consumption Motives, Jungyong Ahn

Asia Marketing Journal

This study was designed to explore consumer motives for dupe consumption and to measure the influence of these identified motives on consumer satisfaction with dupe products and intention to sharing dupe products. Through a literature review and in-depth interviews, five key consumer motives were anticipated: (1) self-protection, (2) saving money, (3) anti-materialism, (4) mimicry, and (5) enjoyment. Corresponding measurement items were developed to assess these motives. A factor analysis conducted on survey data collected from 300 respondents successfully confirmed the extraction of these five motives as expected. Moreover, regression analysis further demonstrated the statistically significant positive impact of these motives …

How Does A Consumer’S Anticipated Happiness Influence Participation In Value Co-Creation? : Focusing On Definition Of Happiness, Minsik Cho, Suna La

Asia Marketing Journal

Value co-creation (VCC) is essential for a new product development, transforming ideas into collaboratively created value-in-use, particularly under Service-Dominant Logic (S-D Logic). Recognizing that consumers engage in VCC with the goal of achieving happiness, this study investigates how anticipated happiness—arising from affective forecasting of VCC experiences—encourages customers’ participation in high-technology VCC initiatives. It also examines how individuals’ definitions of happiness—calmness vs. excitement—influence this process in VCC, using a validated temporal focus manipulation to induce these differing happiness orientations. Results indicate that future-focused individuals tend to define their happiness as excitement, while present-focused individuals associate it with calmness. Then, definitions of …

The Impact Of Sense Of Power On Consumer Click-Through Intention Under Ai Personalized Recommendation, Li Li, Dhakir Abbas Ali

Asia Marketing Journal

This study investigates how consumers' sense of power influences their click-through intentions in AI-driven personalized recommendation systems. While prior research has explored personalized marketings impact on consumer behavior, the role of perceived power remains understudied. Through scenario-based experiments, we find that a heightened sense of power enhances engagement with AI recommendations, with self-efficacy as a key mediator. However, this effect weakens when privacy concerns are high, highlighting privacy as a critical moderating factor. Specifically, empowered consumers are more likely to interact with AI recommendations, but only when privacy risks are minimal. These findings deepen our understanding of consumer-AI interactions, emphasizing …

Design Thinking For Corporate Social Responsibility Program Proposal Creation, Michelle "Mindy" D. Danovaro

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study used action research to explore how the use of design thinking engaged employees in the creation of a corporate social responsibility (CSR) program proposal in a small- to medium-enterprises (SME) in the Sacramento region of California. The purpose of the study was to assess whether employee participation in a design thinking exercise could improve employee perception of engagement, inclusion, and reciprocity during the CSR program proposal creation. The study was grounded in social exchange theory, stakeholder theory, and design thinking methodologies. The iterative research process followed action research cycles (i.e., plan, act, observe, and reflect) integrated with …

A Holistic Approach To Country Branding: Examining A Master Brand And Sub-Brand Framework, Musa Pinar, Aycan Duran Tekoglu, Tulay Girard

Atlantic Marketing Journal

Recently, nation branding has drawn the attention of policymakers worldwide, as nations recognize its strategic importance in achieving and sustaining success in the global competitive landscape. This study provides a conceptual framework based on master brand and sub-brand architecture to examine country branding holistically by integrating macro and micro perspectives, country brand equity, and their effects on consumer preferences. The specific objectives are to 1) identify the dimensions of master brand, sub-brand, and country brand equity and develop reliable and valid measurement scales for each dimension, and 2) develop a conceptual framework that integrates the master brand, sub-brand, and brand …

Slow Fashion Behavior In Young Consumers, Melissa Clark

Atlantic Marketing Journal

The purpose of this research is to better understand the gap between Generation Z’s (Gen Z) knowingness and attitude toward sustainable clothing and their behavior including repair and disposal. A theoretical model was created based on the known relationships among Knowledge-Attitude-Behavior (KAB), specifically considering environmental sustainability knowingness (ESK), environmental sustainability attitude (ESA), and slow fashion behavior (SFB) while extending it with the addition of repair and disposal. The data were collected via online survey of consumers identifying as Gen Z and analyzed via regression analysis in SPSS. The findings suggest that the established construct relationships (ESK, ESA, and SFB) held …

Engaging Stakeholders To Build, Sustain, And Grow Responsible Business: Some Frameworks, Meena Raghunathan, Kara Li Liu

Markets, Globalization & Development Review

This is a follow-up Dialogue commentary to the MGDR publication:

Raghunathan, Meena and Liu, Kara Li (2024) "Moving from ‘Managing Stakeholders’ to ‘Managing for Stakeholders’: The Imperative for Responsible Business," Markets, Globalization & Development Review: Vol. 9: No. 3, Article 4.
DOI: 10.23860/MGDR-2024-09-03-04
Available at: https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/mgdr/vol9/iss3/4.

In this commentary, the concepts of stakeholder approach to management is expanded and deepened.

Ethics, Social Responsibility, Sustainable Developmental Goals, Economic Development Strategies: Need Is Stronger Than Ever, Nikhilesh Dholakia, Zeynep Ozdamar Ertekin, Delphine Godefroit-Winkel

Markets, Globalization & Development Review

No abstract provided.

Designing A Scalable Recruitment & Partnership System For The Leadership And Business Strategy (Lbs) Program Through Strategic Marketing And Brand Development, Daniela Padilla

Honors Theses

The Leadership and Business Strategy (LBS) program at Western Michigan University delivers a highly immersive experience that allows students to learn business by doing business. Students engage directly with executives, including CEOs, working alongside them on complex consulting projects with real companies. The program takes place at Sleeping Giant Capital, a Michigan-based private equity firm, where students operate in a real business environment and gain exposure to high-level strategy and decision-making. Yet despite its impact, many students only discover LBS after enrolling at the university. Student data reinforces this gap, showing that while most students know their intended major before …

Helping Craft Beer Hunters Make Their Next Great Beer Discovery, Mark Mitchell, Sheila Mitchell

Atlantic Marketing Journal

The number of craft beer producers and consumers in the United States has increased dramatically over the last ten years. This manuscript provides an overview of the craft beer marketplace in the United States with a focus on the craft brewers and retailers as well as the consumers who favor craft beers. Craft beer enthusiasts are a “consumption community” or, a group of consumers who share a deep involvement with the craft beer category. This study presents a list of common business practices designed to appeal to this unique consumer group.

Trusted Advisor: Reality Or Fading Myth?, Stephen C. Carlson, Susanna Warnock, Gerald Sullivan, Margaret Ryder

Atlantic Marketing Journal

The role of trusted advisor has long differentiated the role of community banking from traditional national banks in its relationship with small businesses. This study serves two purposes. First is to confirm presence of a trusted advisor relationship and secondly, understand the impact of digital banking services on the community banker – small business owner relationship. Using data collected in a survey of community bankers and small business owners in five southeastern United States, this study assesses the viability of the trusted advisor construct by applying the Integrative Model of Organizational Trust (Mayer, Davis, & Schoorman, 1995, 2007), trust-building behaviors …

At The Crossroads: Ryan Coogler’S Metaphysical Meditation On Blues Music’S Power Of Salvation And The Terror Of Racial Predation In “Sinners”, Terri Bowles

Markets, Globalization & Development Review

In Sinners (2025), written and directed by Ryan Coogler, intercultural histories of music, religion and oral tradition inform a modern and complex horror tale confronting the terror of Jim Crow in the post–World War I Mississippi Delta. The film, starring frequent Coogler collaborator and muse Michael B. Jordan as twin war veterans out to reestablish their lives as juke joint owners, coalesces themes of economic repression, racial voyeurism, and secular and religious entanglements with cinematic horror allegories of objectification, consumption and possession. This review explores the film’s tense and violent examination of these themes and the lived and imagined spaces …

Navigating The Open-Loops: Actor Dynamics And Bottlenecks In The Transition Towards Circular Household Waste Supply Chains, Burcin Ozdamar, Aysu Göçer

Markets, Globalization & Development Review

Household waste supply chains (HWSCs) in developing countries often suffer from fragmented actor structures, weak coordination, and informal practices that limit their overall performance and circularity potential. Existing studies tend to focus on isolated aspects such as waste types, technologies, or individual actors, without systematically examining the broader network and interdependencies shaping HWSC outcomes. Addressing this gap, this study investigates the key components (e.g. actors and waste processes) and bottleneck points that hinder the structure and functioning of current HWSCs to transform into circular systems. Drawing on industrial network theory, the research analyzes how actor relationships and system configurations influence …

A Time Of Transition: Globally And At Mgdr, Nikhilesh Dholakia, Deniz Atik, Zeynep Ozdamar Ertekin, Delphine Godefroit-Winkel

Markets, Globalization & Development Review

No abstract provided.

Investigating The Relationship Between Noun Classes And Plant Folk Taxonomy In Chasu Language Of Kilimanjaro Region In Tanzania, Peter Rabson Mziray

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

The current study investigates the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu (G 22). The study focuses on two objectives: the first objective is to describe the plant folk taxonomy in Chasu and the second objective is to determine the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu. Data were collected from rural villages in Same and Mwanga districts by using free listing, field interviews (jungle-walk-and-identify), and written texts containing Chasu plant names. The findings reveal that Chasu folk taxonomy reflects different ethnobotanical categories; including a unique beginner which is mmea/mimea ‘plant(s)’, and three life …

The Effect Of Customer Perception Of Service Failure And Recovery On Relationship Dissolution Behavior: Evidence In Airline Services, Jihyo Moon, Sang-Lin Han, Jong Won Lee

Asia Marketing Journal

Many previous studies have been conducted on service failure and recovery, but the existing preceding studies are mainly focused on positive behavioral intentions such as loyalty, word of mouth intention and recommendation intention. Therefore, there is relatively little interest in customers’ negative behavioral intentions.

In today’s society where SNS is very developed, customers’ complaints or retaliatory actions can be spread to other customers without time and space limitations, which can have a great negative impact on the company’s image. In this respect, it is a very important task for service companies to examine the impact of service failure and recovery …

The Effect Of National Brand Failure On Micro-National Image And Attitudes Toward Other Brands: The Moderating Role Of Ethnocentrism, Lingge Jia, Seong Do Cho

Asia Marketing Journal

This study examines the effect of failures by prominent Korean brands on Korea’s micro-level national image and other Korean brands among Chinese consumers, focusing on technological capability and design dimensions, and the moderating role of consumer ethnocentrism. Data was collected through surveys that presented scenarios of varying degrees of brand failures and analyzed using AMOS and Hayes Process Macro. Results reveal that typical brand failures negatively affect perceptions of Korea’s micro-national image, particularly in terms of technology capability and design. Additionally, higher levels of ethnocentrism amplify the negative effect of brand failures on the design dimensions of Korea’s image. However, …

Giving Locally Or Globally? How The Destination Of Corporate Charitable Donations Shapes Consumer Brand Preferences, Ohjin Kwon, Young Jee Han, Hakkyun Kim

Asia Marketing Journal

We investigate how the geographic destination of charitable corporate donations influences brand preferences. We predict and find that consumers demonstrate a stronger preference for brands that engage in domestic donations as opposed to those that contribute to foreign causes. Additionally, we find that the preference for domestic donations is more pronounced among consumers exhibiting higher levels of nationalism and lower levels of residential mobility. Our research findings offer managerial implications for tailoring CSR strategies to resonate with specific consumer segments. We provide insights for companies aiming to optimize the impact of their philanthropic endeavors.

Saving Face While Earning Rewards: Reward-Both Referral Programs More Effectively Elicit Referrals For Experiential Purchases Than Reward-Me Programs, Hyunkyu Jang, Raj Raghunathan

Asia Marketing Journal

Companies offer rewards when an existing customer invites a new customer to try their product, but the recipient of the reward varies depending on the type of referral program. In Reward-Me programs, only the recommending customer is rewarded, while in Reward-Both programs, both the recommender and the recipient who acts on the recommendation are rewarded. We examined whether purchase type (material vs. experiential) moderates the impact of a reward program on referral likelihood. The results reveal that purchase type does moderate referral likelihood across the two types of reward programs: for material purchases, referral likelihood does not differ between the …

Hedonic And Utilitarian Products For The 21St Century: Classification Of Modern Product Categories, Jin-A Choi, Sufyan M. Baksh, Hyuk Jun Cheong

Asia Marketing Journal

Consumer purchasing behavior varies according to the type of product being considered. Notably, these behavioral differences become more salient depending on whether a product fulfills a utilitarian function or offers hedonic gratification. The present study aims to develop a novel product classification model that categorizes contemporary goods and services based on the extent to which they possess hedonic or utilitarian value. Methodologically, the study employed a two-stage approach. In the first stage, to identify appropriate products for inclusion in the classification model, the researchers conducted focus group interviews, a comprehensive literature review, and an analysis of major retailers’ websites. In …