Search

This paper proposes a framework to create a small business and entrepreneurship accelerator designed based on prior work in evolving traditional place-based pedagogy to a more critical pedagogy of place. The case is crafted to utilize the built-in resources of a university as the core components in providing necessary resources for success, including expert-level technical assistance and a safe, empowering third space for collaboration. The included case focuses on a suburban/urban campus near several historically underserved geographies. This is important as the proposed framework for a small business and entrepreneurship accelerator focuses on educating and guiding local populations--including high school students--in growing their businesses. The case in this paper brings together university resources, local community elements, small business owners, social entrepreneurs, and high school students by activating a critical pedagogy of place rooted in improving economic conditions while addressing social issues.

The benefits of undergraduate research continue to receive academic attention and it is becoming an engaged learning practice present on many college campuses today. As research participation grows, an opportunity exists to showcase the work being accomplished and to use this public presentation to foster a culture of undergraduate research on campus, lobby for additional funding, and increase student and faculty participation. We describe the innovation and evolution of a student conference in business, sharing lessons learned and measureable results for the ten years this conference has been in place.

AACSB accreditation, a student-centered mission statement, and the continuous quality improvement that most educators engage in have resulted in an increase in student research projects. This presented an opportunity to develop a venue for students to showcase their research. The paper describes a model for a student research conference in business that has resulted in increased student engagement and an increase in student-faculty research collaboration.

This study investigates the effects of celebrity endorsers on donations and views of nonprofits. Celebrity endorsers and their relationships with nonprofits evoke a series of emotions that greatly affect how people perceive and donate to nonprofit organizations. Past research demonstrates the tremendous growth in individual philanthropy and the importance of celebrities as influencers on social media. Data was obtained from a random sample of 277 individuals and subjected to statistical analyses. By studying two different celebrities that come from a different race, gender, and background, we found that our findings and significance values changed depending on which celebrity was tested. Our findings indicated that ads that evoke positive emotions are more likely to convert to donations. Demographic characteristics, such as age, gender, and income also affect donations. In some cases, the nonprofit’s cause and advertising message were powerful enough to override the impact of the celebrity. Our findings can help marketers style their ads to evoke certain emotions, by using celebrity endorsers that will help them increase donations. Furthermore, understanding what drives donors will help nonprofits tailor marketing strategies. It is expected that by targeting their donor base effectively, non-profits will then witness an increase in donations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This empirical study examines whether scale-checking habits cause differences among responses to three types of semantic differential scales: a scale in which all the favorable adjectives were on the left side of the scale; a scale in which all the favorable adjectives were on the right side of the scale; and a scale in which the right-to-left and left-to-right scales were randomly mixed. The questionnaire consisted of fifteen items designed to rate customer attitudes toward three local malls. One additional issue of interest was to test if the reaction time to each of these scales was significantly different. As expected, the reaction time for the random scale displayed more variability around the mean. The type of scale used had a definite and statistically significant effect on the responses. The L-R scale biased the responses towards the favorable adjective, the R-L scale generated a bias in the opposite direction, and the mixed scale successfully eliminated any such bias. The implications of the findings are of interest to marketing scholars and practitioners that regularly use semantic differential scales and are concerned about the psychometric properties and consequent validity of the results obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Past literature has suggested maximizing customer satisfaction as a strategic choice to increase customer loyalty and ensuring revenues. However, the relationship between increased customer satisfaction and resultant revenue has remained unexamined. This research focuses on optimizing customer satisfaction rather than maximizing it. This optimization of customer satisfaction is based on maximizing profitability. In aiming for higher customer satisfaction levels with no regard to profitability, a company runs the risk of self-annihilation. Based on conceptual foundations of prior research on Return on Quality (ROQ), we propose the construct of Return on Satisfaction (ROS). We review frameworks of customer satisfaction examined by scholars in marketing and then propose a conceptual ROS model. We use empirical data (n=1597) obtained from an institution of higher education to test the conceptual model we propose. Results indicate that the data demonstrates construct validity and points to promising directions for further research. We conclude by underscoring managerial implications as well as the scholarly contributions of this research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The theory of intraperson games propounded by Ding (2007) proposes internal constructs of consumer decision making that are labeled as efficiency agents and equity agents. The next important step in theory development is the creation of empirically validated scales, so that managers may be able to use the theory in a strategic and meaningful manner while examining consumer decision making processes. We operationalize the theoretical constructs of efficiency and equity agents and proceed to develop multi-item measures of the constructs. We empirically validate the scales using a national random sample of three hundred respondents and arrive at validated scales that may be used for future studies. Our results will be of interest to academic scholars and marketing practitioners that would like to use the theory of intraperson games in their strategy formulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This exploratory study modifies two theoretical scales from consumer behaviour and social psychology and tests their psychometric properties through empirical data obtained from a sample of customers in an ethnic diaspora. Upon validation, the relationship between brand community integration and the Suinn-Lew ethnicity scale is examined. Preliminary results indicate the scales to be relatively robust in their modification. The results of this study contribute by introducing a respected scale from social psychology to the marketing literature, validating an existing scale of brand community in the ethnic marketing context, and suggesting implications for future research with larger samples and scope. Findings of the study are of interest to US firms employing marketing strategies to reach ethnic minorities in the country. In addition, firms in other countries would find the results of the study to be of interest as they employ marketing strategies targeting the ethnic diaspora in the USA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research examines consumer perceptions of choices of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms (ADRM) in resolving financial services and product dissatisfaction. The paper begins with a detailed analysis of various dispute resolution mechanisms available to customers and firms in the United States. It then proceeds to highlight the salient features of ADRM. A national random sample of US consumers is used to obtain data on customer perceptions of ADRM and possible choices in using ADRM in conflict resolution. Results indicate that as the cash at risk increases, consumers indicate a preference for litigation over alternative forms of dispute resolution. The findings have strategic implications for strategy formulation in marketing of financial services and product as well as improving customer satisfaction through amicable resolutions of customer complaints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]