Sales and Merchandising Commons^™

Brand Creation Vs. Acquisition In Portfolio Expansion Strategy, Randle D. Raggio, Yana Damoiseau, William C. Black

Marketing Faculty Publications

Purpose – This paper seeks to address the following question: What causes firms to choose brand creation vs brand acquisition for brand portfolio expansion?

Design/methodology/approach – A multilevel interdisciplinary conceptual model is developed with nine factors at three levels of influence: the market, firm, and brand portfolio. Using 125 brand acquisitions and creations for 22 firms between 2001 and 2007, the model is tested using logistic regression to determine which factors significantly influence brand portfolio expansion strategy and whether they encourage acquisition or creation.

Findings – Significant factors were found at the market and firm levels, with competitive intensity of …

Hsus Investigates: New York Puppy Stores, The Humane Society Of The United States

PUPPY MILL INFORMATION

In response to concerns about the sources of puppies in New York pet stores, The HSUS’s Investigations unit conducted a hidden-camera investigation of 11 New York pet stores, visited many of their puppy suppliers, and studied interstate puppy shipping documents for more than 100 New York pet stores in all. Our investigation concluded that, regardless of what pet stores’ sales staff tell shoppers about their puppy sources, all of the stores investigated were buying from inhumane mass-breeding facilities known as puppy mills -- including some of the worst known puppy mills in Missouri and other top puppy mill states.

Identifying The Characteristics Of Key Account Managers That Drive Performance, Lesley Murphy, Joseph Coughlan

Conference papers

A conceptual model of the factors that are linked to the performance of a Key Account Manager has been developed. There is a paucity of research in the correlation between the Key Account Manager’s personal and behavioural characteristics and their influence of the individual and organisation performance. A review of the literature underlines that the Key Account Manager can described as a strategic orchestrator or lynch pin and their key role is to coordinate activities with other members of their organisation. As a result, their individual characteristics will be tested against trust, collaboration and communication which are essential for the …

Consumer’S Motivation For Purchasing Fair Trade Clothing, Erika Ferrell

Theses and Dissertations--Retailing and Tourism Management

The purpose of this research is to determine if a consumer’s demographics, perceived consumer effectiveness, and awareness of fair trade practices affect their level of hedonic and utilitarian motivations that ultimately influence their purchase intentions. Two separate studies were conducted: a focus group and a survey. Middle-aged and older respondents were more motivated to buy fair trade clothing by both hedonic and utilitarian motivations than younger respondents. Respondents with only some college or an Associate’s degree are more hedonically motivated than other education levels. Respondents with a high household income are more motivated by their hedonic and utilitarian motivations than …

Do Green Lifestyle Consumers Appreciate Low Involvement Green Products?, Bela Florenthal, Priscilla Arling

Scholarship and Professional Work - Business

Green products have become popular and have been targeted toward consumers who lead green lifestyles. Still, some green products are assumed to be more appealing to this group than others, sometimes based on level of involvement. This study tests a low involvement green product in terms of being appealing to consumers with green lifestyles. A theoretical model was developed and tested using a structural equation model. Results indicate that consumers with green lifestyles do value green attributes of low involvement products, in terms of consumer’s attitudes and behavioral intentions. These results imply that companies with green low involvement products should …

The Prevalence And Influence Of The Combination Of Humor And Violence In Super Bowl Commercials, Benjamin J. Blackford, James W. Gentry, Robert L. Harrison, Les Carlson

Department of Marketing: Faculty Publications

The growing concern over violence in the media has led to vast amounts of research examining the effects of violent media on viewers. An important subset of this research looks at how humor affects this relationship. While research has considered this subset in television programming, almost no research has explored this in the context of advertising. This paper builds on the little research that exists by examining the effects of combining humor and violence, as well as the theoretical approaches that underlie these effects. A content analysis is conducted to identify the prevalence of violence, humor, and the combination of …

Mobile Application Adoption By Young Adults: A Social Network Perspective, David G. Taylor, Troy A. Voelker, Iryna Pentina

WCBT Faculty Publications

The use of mobile applications, defined as small programs that run on a mobile device and perform tasks ranging from banking to gaming and web browsing, is exploding. Within the past two years, the industry has grown from essentially nothing to a $2 billion marketplace, but adoption rates are still on the rise. Using network theory, this study examines how the adoption of mobile apps among young consumers is influenced by others in their social network. The results suggest that the likelihood of adoption and usage of mobile apps increases with their use by the consumer's strongest relationship partner. In …

Transformational Teams And Their Impact On Customer Satisfaction At One Firm, Timothy J. Crader D.B.A., Stephen M. Brown Ed, D.

WCBT Working Papers

This study examined the relationships between core selling teams (CSTs) and customer satisfaction within the mission critical power design industry. The literature indicates that CSTs, which are considered a state of the art sales model, deserved further research. The SERVQUAL survey was used to measure customer satisfaction with Company X’s most strategic customers. The difference in customer satisfaction for customers serviced by CSTs and traditional sales personnel were compared. The investigation found support indicating that a CST approach had a positive relationship to increased customer satisfaction levels. Based on the results of the study, it is recommended that sales leaders …

A Theory Of Mental Credit, Jason Soll

CMC Senior Theses

Many philosophical subjects attempt to analyze the basis of human welfare. Theories of desert, distribution of property, and happiness tend to dominate philosophical discourse. Mental credit, which is the mental acquisition of credit for one’s accomplishments and the satisfaction one derives from this credit, is absent from this discourse despite its underlying role in the way people think about their lives. Mental credit is an eternal cognitive good that deserves thoughtful attention and pious decisions for implementation. The following theory of mental credit seeks to serve as a unifying theory for the mental calculations that guide life’s most imperative decisions, …

Customer Satisfaction, Loyalty And Repurchase: Some Evidence From Apparel Consumers, Tamilla Curtis, Russell Abratt, Paul Dion, Dawna L. Rhoades

Management, Marketing and Operations - Daytona Beach

While customer satisfaction, loyalty and repurchase intent are some of the most researched areas in marketing and consumer behavior, there is little certainty on the direction and strength of these relationships. After completing a literature review, this study develops a model of loyalty dimensions, satisfaction and repurchase intent. A sample of 499 respondents who had purchased jeans was interviewed in the Southeastern United States. Results were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling. The results of nine hypothesized relationships are discussed. A significant positive relationship exists between commitment and repurchase/repurchase intent. Some surprising findings also emerged as the model was modified. It …