Gift giving has been studied by a variety of marketing researchers. Some researchers use survey methods to understand how consumers think about gifts and why they make the choices they do. Others try and analyze secondary data. They look at retailers’ point of sale systems to capture details of gift sales. Today, therefore, in the…
Success As A Marketing Academic
People find interesting things that impact them. As a result, it probably shouldn’t be surprising that I’m interested in Zamudio and Meng’s work. It is after all on success as a marketing academic. That matters to me. Promotions The authors research which scholars got promoted. The promotions in question are from assistant to associate professor….
Reference Dependence In Primary Elections
Reference Dependence involves comparing outcomes to what we are focused on rather than an absolute scale. Thus higher pay after a cut may make us less happy than lower pay after a raise. Comparison to the reference, here past earnings, helps explain behavior. What then can we deduce about reference dependence in primary elections? Reference…
Using Marketing Analytics
Two of my MBA professors, Paul Farris and Ron Wilcox, along with a newer Darden professor Raj Venkatesan, have a new book. This examines using marketing analytics through cases. (Raj also runs the marketing analytics initiative at Darden). Numbers-Based Marketing The cases describe scenarios relevant to numbers-based marketing. For example, they allow readers to see the…
Competitor Orientation And The Evolution of Business Markets
My first major article was on Competitor Orientation And The Evolution of Business Markets. I think it is a fun one. Even though it took years and years to publish. Some may have agreed. it was fun That said, it is a bit mathy at times. Aiming To, Is Not Maximizing Profits When people envisage…
Natural Monopoly And The Beer Store
A natural monopoly occurs when an industry gives the best social outcome if it is run by a single firm. For instance, building two railways lines to a small town wastes resources. the two lines, therefore, don’t increase public welfare. What can we say about natural monopoly and the Beer Store? The Problem Of Monopoly…
The Tragedy of Common Sense Morality
Joshua Greene uses the Tragedy of Common Sense Morality as a central theme in his book — Moral Tribes. His suggests that our brains are actually surprisingly well adapted to solve the tragedy of the commons. In the tragedy of the commons, our personal incentives to behave uncooperatively cause disaster for everyone. Greene calls this…
Dimensions of Morality
Jonathan Haidt believes he can bring people of different political approaches together. To do this it is important to understand the dimensions of morality. Understanding Others Haidt’s is an admirable goal. He is surely right when he notes that differences are not simply because “some people are good and others evil” (Haidt, 2012, page 370)….
Variety Seeking And Halloween Candy
Variety Seeking Behavior Has A Large Literature My Halloween post is about variety seeking. This is an active topic in consumer psychology. There is a strain of research that asks why some people embrace variety more than others. I generally am less excited by work on the stable differences between people, traits. People do differ…
More On Evaluating Student Evaluations
Today’s piece has more on evaluating student evaluations. Braga, Paccagnella, and Pellizari’s (2014) article is a useful contribution to the debate about student evaluations. The Challenge Of Evaluating Evaluations This research does have limitations. For example, it is based on one school. Furthermore, the very strength of the article (random assignment of students to classes)…
