bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cyclacanthia n.g. (Demospongiae: Poecilosclerida: Latrunculiidae incertea sedis), a new genus of marine sponges from South African waters, and description of two new species
Authors: SAMAAI TOUFIEK , GOVENDER VASHA , KELLY MICHELLE
Published: December 2018

The new genus Cyclacanthia n.g. is erected in the poecilosclerid Family Latrunculiidae for the type species Latrunculia bellae Samaai & Kelly, 2003, and two further species, Cyclacanthia cloverlyae sp. nov., and Cyclacanthia mzimayiensis sp. nov.. The latter species are from the subtropical east coast of South Africa, whereas C. bellae has only been found further south in warm temperate Algoa Bay. Cyclacanthia n.g. differs from other Latrunculiidae genera in the ontogeny, morphology and structure of the mature microsclere, the isospinodiscorhabd, which has only three major whorls of projections as opposed to the four in species of Latrunculia du Bocage. Additional diagnostic characters include the presence of broad swathes of megascleres that diverge from the base of the sponge towards the upper choanosome, where they form loose brushes and the typical whispy reticulation of most Latrunculiidae. The ectosome is composed of a dense tangential layer of megascleres, an irregular palisade of microscleres at the surface, and a permanently encrusting habit. Cyclacanthia n.g. is the second new latrunculid genus recently described from shallow subtidal South African waters, following major revision of the family. The presence of species in four of the five known genera in the family, on South African coastlines, suggests a diversity hot-spot for the family in this region.
Thermodynamic and Dynamic Mechanisms for Hydrological Cycle Intensification over the Full Probability Distribution of Precipitation Events
Authors: Chen Gang , Norris Jesse , Neelin J. David , Lu Jian , Leung L. Ruby , Sakaguchi Koichi
Published: December 2018

Precipitation changes in a warming climate have been examined with a focus on either mean precipitation or precipitation extremes, but changes in the full probability distribution of precipitation have not been well studied. This paper develops a methodology for the quantile-conditional column moisture budget of the atmosphere for the full probability distribution of precipitation. Analysis is performed on idealized aquaplanet model simulations under 3-K uniform SST warming across different horizontal resolutions. Because the covariance of specific humidity and horizontal mass convergence is much reduced when conditioned onto a given precipitation percentile range, their conditional averages yield a clear separation between the moisture (thermodynamic) and circulation (dynamic) effects of vertical moisture transport on precipitation. The thermodynamic response to idealized climate warming can be understood as a generalized “wet get wetter” mechanism, in which the heaviest precipitation of the probability distribution is enhanced most from increased gross moisture stratification, at a rate controlled by the change in lower-tropospheric moisture rather than column moisture. The dynamic effect, in contrast, can be interpreted by shifts in large-scale atmospheric circulations such as the Hadley cell circulation or midlatitude storm tracks. Furthermore, horizontal moisture advection, albeit of secondary role, is important for regional precipitation change. Although similar mechanisms are at play for changes in both mean precipitation and precipitation extremes, the thermodynamic contributions of moisture transport to increases in high percentiles of precipitation tend to be more widespread across a wide range of latitudes than increases in the mean, especially in the subtropics.
Sex-based harassment and organizational silencing: How women are led to reluctant acquiescence in academia
Authors: Fernando Dulini , Prasad Ajnesh
Published: December 2018

The #MeToo and the Time’s Up movements have raised the issue of sexual harassment encountered by women to the level of public consciousness. Together, these movements have captured not only the ubiquity of sexual harassment in the everyday functioning of the workplace, but they have also demonstrated how women are silenced about their experiences of it. Inspired by the political and the social currents emerging from these movements, and theoretically informed by ideas of discursive hegemony, rhetorical persuasion and affective practice, this article draws on a qualitative study of early- and mid-career female academics in business schools to answer the following question: How are victims who start to voice their experiences of sex-based harassment silenced within the workplace? Our findings reveal that organizational silence is the product of various third-party actors (e.g. line managers, HR, colleagues) who mobilize myriad discourses to persuade victims not to voice their discontent. We develop the concept of ‘reluctant acquiescence’ to explain the victims’ response to organizational silencing. In terms of its contributions to the extant literature, this article: (i) moves away from explanations of sex-based harassment that focus solely (or predominately) on the actions of individual perpetrators; and (ii) shows how reluctant acquiescence leads to maintaining the status quo in the organization. In highlighting features of academic work that facilitate reluctant acquiescence, we call for more contextualization of the dynamics of sex-based harassment specifically, and other forms of workplace mistreatment broadly.
In Defense of Class Wars in Population Health: The New Landscape of Social Class With Bourdieu, Neo-Marxists, and the Kohn/Schooler/Wright Integrative Models
Authors: Muntaner Carles , Gunn Virginia
Published: December 2018

The field of social inequalities in health has been dominated by an individual attributes approach with a small number of indicators, namely occupation, income, and education. We review the weakness of this approach and detail the emergence of sociological alternatives tied to the writings of Bourdieu, Marx, and Weber. A particularly rich theoretical development stems from the integration of Weberian and Marxian approaches, associated with sociologists Melvin Kohn, Carmi Schooler, and Erik Olin Wright.
The Challenge of Tomorrow's Markets
Authors: Hauser Philip M.
Published: December 2018

Here is a look into the future that no marketing man can neglect.

The author, one of the foremost population experts of the world, presents the trends in national population … households … income … metropolitan population … metropolitan structure … birth rates and death rates … labor force … and ethnic composition.

The information given is essential in the planning of any major marketing program. And the implications for the businessman are clearly pointed out.
The Inequalities of Television Franchises
Authors: Sandage C. H.
Published: December 2018

Is there a way to save U. S. television from the present quasimonopoly position that stems from the scarcity of VHF channels? This brief article calls attention to some serious inequities that have developed from the manner in which this vital public property has been exploited, and suggests methods for reducing such inequities.
How to Win or Lose Sales at the Point of Purchase
Authors: McMurry Robert N.
Published: December 2018

A noted marketing consultant spots some serious flaws in the selling of “big-ticket” items. Using an actual case history, he shows why better research into point-of-purchase influences is needed.

Special techniques uncover the real reasons why, once they are in the dealer's place of business, many people do not buy. Understanding buyers’ motives, doubts, fears, and anxieties helps the manufacturer to assure a better buying climate at the point of purchase and to increase sales.
Retailing in Brazil
Authors: Taylor Donald A.
Published: December 2018

This article examines the kinds of retail establishments in Brazil, and changes in the level of retail sales. The material is based on firsthand observations by the author.
Should the Marketing-Research Manager be Promoted?
Authors: Payne Stanley L.
Published: December 2018

Voiced here is a strong dissent to the view that the marketing-research manager should be promoted to broader responsibilities.

Not all marketing researchers want to leave research. Some look upon their work as a calling, and consider it demeaning to marketing research to treat it as a line function.
The Changing Demographics of Women
Authors: Lazer William , Smallwood John E.
Published: December 2018

Trends that have great and growing significance for marketing management
The Modern Feminine Life Style
Authors: Reynolds Fred D. , Crask Melvin R. , Wells William D.
Published: December 2018

Is modern feminine orientation synonymous with working status; and if so, what are the marketing implications?
Sex Role Portrayals in Advertising
Authors: Lundstrom William J. , Sciglimpaglia Donald
Published: December 2018

Are women and men critical of the way they are shown in ads, and how does this affect their attitudes toward products?
Using Free Papers for Customer Surveys
Authors: Klompmaker Jay E. , Lindley J. Daniel , Page Robert L.
Published: December 2018

A low-cost way for retailers to obtain valuable market information.
Marketing Cost Analysis: A Modularized Contribution Approach
Authors: Dunne Patrick M. , Wolk Harry I.
Published: December 2018

For managers concerned with the profitability of their various products, territories, and types of customers.
A Comparative “Made In” Product Image Survey among Japanese Businessmen
Authors: Nagashima Akira
Published: December 2018

How are United States products now perceived by the Japanese compared to eight years ago? (Also German, English, and French products)
Developing a New Residential Market for Carpeting: Some Mistakes and Successes
Authors: Carr Richard P.
Published: December 2018

This new market generated approximately $10,000 supplementary profits for a retail firm in West Texas.
Service Positioning through Structural Change
Authors: Shostack G. Lynn
Published: December 2018

The basis of any service positioning strategy is the service itself, but marketing offers little guidance on how to craft service processes for positioning purposes. A new approach suggests that within service systems, structural process design can be used to “engineer” services on a more scientific, rational basis.
Social Responsibility, Ethics, and Marketing Strategy: Closing the Gap between Concept and Application
Authors: Robin Donald P. , Reidenbach R. Eric
Published: December 2018

The authors review the concepts of social responsibility and business ethics as well as some of the reasons why their adoption by marketing practitioners has been somewhat limited. An approach is developed to integrate these concepts into the strategic marketing planning process.
International Market Entry and Expansion via Independent or Integrated Channels of Distribution
Authors: Anderson Erin , Coughlan Anne T.
Published: December 2018

Manufacturers introducing an industrial product to a foreign market face a difficult decision. Should the product be marketed primarily by captive agents (company salesforce and company distribution division) or by independent intermediaries (outside sales agents and distributors)? This is an issue of downstream vertical integration. The authors explore the issue through an empirical investigation of distribution channel choice in foreign markets by U.S. semiconductor companies. Using original interview data, they develop scales to measure key variables. With these measures they build a logistic regression model of what factors affect the form of the distribution channel chosen in various foreign markets. The results indicate that integration is associated with the degree of transaction specificity of assets in the distribution function and whether or not the product being introduced is highly differentiated. There is evidence that the product will be sold through whatever channel is already in place, if any. Further, American firms seem more likely to integrate the distribution channel in highly developed industrialized countries (Western Europe) than in Japan and Southeast Asia, which are more culturally dissimilar. Implications for managers faced with a channel choice are explored.
Ethical and Legal Foundations of Relational Marketing Exchanges
Authors: Gundlach Gregory T. , Murphy Patrick E.
Published: December 2018

Previous study of exchange by marketing scholars has emphasized events and conditions leading to and the outcomes of exchange interaction. However, limited attention has been directed toward the role of ethics and law in exchange. The emerging perspective of relational exchange suggests the importance of these foundations. The authors examine the interrelationship of contract law and ethics for building and sustaining marketing exchanges. They explore dimensions of ethical exchange and offer managerial and research implications.
A New Approach to Country Segmentation Utilizing Multinational Diffusion Patterns
Authors: Helsen Kristiaan , Jedidi Kamel , DeSarbo Wayne S.
Published: December 2018

Country segmentation has been proposed to assist in marketing strategy decisions for international marketing managers. Such schemes typically consist of grouping or clustering a set of specified countries on the basis of a wide array of macroeconomic variables. The authors focus on the merits of such country classification schemes in gaining an understanding about multinational diffusion patterns. More specifically, they analyze the extent to which countries belonging to the same (different) grouping reveal similar (dissimilar) diffusion patterns. To that end, they compare the results of traditional segmentation approaches with diffusion-based country segments derived for three different consumer durable goods. For the latter, they rely on a recently developed latent-structure methodology, here modified to accommodate the Bass diffusion model, which simultaneously determines the segments and segment-level estimates of the diffusion parameters. They find that the market segments derived from these two approaches differ dramatically and that macro-level variables do not fully explain differences in diffusion patterns across countries. In addition, country segments formed on the basis of diffusion patterns often differ by product. Finally, they discuss some managerial implications and directions for future research.
Sustainable Competitive Advantage in Service Industries: A Conceptual Model and Research Propositions
Authors: Bharadwaj Sundar G. , Varadarajan P. Rajan , Fahy John
Published: December 2018

The purpose of competitive strategy is to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage (SCA) and thereby enhance a business's performance. The authors focus on the distinctive organizational skills and resources underlying SCA in service industries and the moderating effects of the characteristics of services, service industries, and firms within an industry on the skills and resources underlying a business's competitive positional advantages. The proposed conceptual model of SCA in service industries and propositions builds on relevant literature in the fields of marketing, strategic management, and industrial organization economics.
Using Advertising Alliances for New Product Introduction: Interactions between Product Complementarity and Promotional Strategies
Authors: Samu Sridhar , Krishnan H. Shanker , Smith Robert E.
Published: December 2018

In this article, the authors investigate the effectiveness of advertising alliances (in which two brands from different product categories are featured together in an advertisement) for introducing new brands. The authors identify degree of complementarity between the featured products, type of differentiation strategy (common versus unique advertised attributes), and type of ad processing strategy (top-down or bottom-up) as important factors in determining ad effectiveness. The conceptualization captures the effects of these factors on brand awareness, brand accessibility, brand beliefs, belief accessibility, and brand attitudes. The theory was tested in an experiment using print advertisements to manipulate the three factors in conditions of high consumer involvement. The results show an interesting pattern of interactions among the factors, which has important implications for managers of new and established brands.
The Ownership Effect in Consumer Responses to Brand Line Stretches
Authors: Kirmani Amna , Sood Sanjay , Bridges Sheri
Published: December 2018

In this article, the authors examine how ownership status moderates the effects of stretch direction (up or down), brand image (prestige or nonprestige), and branding strategy (subbrand name or direct) on consumer responses to price-based line stretches. An “ownership effect” is proposed whereby owners have more favorable responses than nonowners to the brand's extensions. The ownership effect occurs for upward and downward stretches of non-prestige brands and for upward stretches of prestige brands. For downward stretches of prestige brands, however, the ownership effect does not occur because of owners’ desire to maintain brand exclusivity. In this situation, a sub-branding strategy protects owners’ parent brand attitudes from dilution. A field study and two lab studies confirm the hypotheses.
Sales Planning and Control Using Absorbing Markov Chains
Authors: Thompson William W. , Mcneal James U.
Published: December 2018

A stochastic model that generates data for sales planning and control is described. An example is presented that shows how these data are used to plan short-run sales activities and train effective salesmen. In the model, changes in customer propensities to buy are treated as Markov processes. Finally, it is suggested that the concepts developed here may be computerized and integrated into existing systems for planning and control.
Paired Comparisons and Graph Theory
Authors: Kernan Jerome B.
Published: December 2018

This article is a technical note on a problem frequently encountered in assessing consumer preferences. Intransitivity is seen in situations where Product a is preferred to Product b, b to c, but c to a. Inadequate preference transitivity casts suspicion on rank orders of products derived from series of paired comparisons. This problem can be given graph theoretic treatment which, although it offers no absolute solution, does make the problem clearer and emphasizes the area of the analyst's judgment.
Determinants of Private Brand Attitude
Authors: Myers John G.
Published: December 2018

Differences in price and promotional elasticity are potentially the most useful criteria for market segment identification of low cost consumer goods. This article presents an approach to segment identification using private brand attitudes. Various possible determinants are tested on data from a field study of females’ attitudes toward private brands.
Estimating Marketing Policy Effects on Sales of a Frequently Purchased Product
Authors: Sexton Donald E.
Published: December 2018

Determining the optimal marketing mix for a firm requires information about the sales effects of the marketing policies under consideration. A model and estimation procedure to obtain such market intelligence for frequently purchased products are described and some empirical results are discussed.
Trade Area Boundaries: Some Issues in Theory and Methodology
Authors: Bucklin Louis P.
Published: December 2018

In this article consumer store choice preferences are linked to retail trading areas by a new measure of the forces of geographical competition in marketing. Initial examination suggests that existing methodology does not model the overlap between intraurban trading areas correctly. The new measure may also offer improved opportunities for the study of consumer propensity to search.
Television Program Types
Authors: Frank Ronald E. , Becknell James C. , Clokey James D.
Published: December 2018

TvQ data over a three-year period are the basis for a factor analytic study which includes development and use of two regression models to adjust raw data for effects of program and viewer characteristics. The raw and adjusted data are compared and further research is recommended.
What Big Agency Men in Europe Think of Copy Testing Methods
Authors: Boyd Harper W. , Ray Michael L.
Published: December 2018

Although research directors of large European advertising agencies and their U.S. counterparts generally have similar overall outlooks, their opinions differ on advertising campaign measures, such as those having to do with predispositions and sales. European opinions differed sharply depending on agency size, extent of U.S. influence, and nation of operation.
The Self-Confidence–Advertising Response Relationship: A Function of Situational Distraction
Authors: Bither Stewart W. , Wright Peter L.
Published: December 2018

The relationship between a receiver's self-confidence and his attitudinal acceptance of a television advertisement was found to be systematically dependent on the level of potential distraction contained in the commercial. Absolute increases in acceptance under distracting conditions occurred only among subjects with moderate to high self-confidence.
Communications-Effectiveness of Comparative Advertising: A Laboratory Analysis
Authors: Prasad V. Kanti
Published: December 2018

Recent debate on comparative advertising has focused on its ethical rather than its effectiveness dimension. A laboratory experiment was performed to assess the communications-effectiveness of a comparative advertisement in relation to its “brand X” counterpart. Results indicate that though a comparative advertising format can enhance message recall to some extent, it also can result in some loss of effectiveness from consumer perceptions of low credibility of its claims.
An Experiment in Brand Choice
Authors: Charlton P. , Ehrenberg A. S. C.
Published: December 2018

The experiment shows how effects of marketing action on the consumer can be investigated by use of small ad hoc consumer panels and door-to-door selling. The effects of price differentials, a promotion, advertising, an out-of-stock condition, the introduction of a new product, and certain weak forms of brand differentiation are examined. The experiment also confirms earlier findings that buyer behavior under semi-artificial conditions resembles that in real life.
The Effect of Question Form on Gathering Income Data by Telephone
Authors: Locander William B. , Burton John P.
Published: December 2018

An experiment varying question form in an interview gathering data by telephone produced significant differences in the income estimates. Two of the four forms tested proved to yield better estimates of household income.
Graphic Positioning Scale: An Economical Instrument for Surveys
Authors: Narayana Chem L.
Published: December 2018

Attitude scales form the bulk of many survey questionnaires and contribute to respondent fatigue and boredom. The contention is presented that a substantial reduction in the length of a survey questionnaire can be achieved, without loss of any information, by judicial use of the attitude scale. An alternative measurement scale, the graphic positioning scale, is presented which was compared with the traditional scale by means of an empirical study. The results support the contention of the report.
Is Random Digit Dialing Really Necessary?
Authors: Rich Clyde L.
Published: December 2018

The purpose of this article is to suggest that, for some studies, samples which include only published numbers may be adequate.
An Investigation into Interviewer Effects in Market Research
Authors: Mckenzie J. R.
Published: December 2018

Results of a survey of attitudes toward a range of potential new products are analyzed to detect interviewer effects by means of a nested random effects analysis of variance model. The relationship of such effects to interviewers’ views on the products and to question content also is investigated.
Cluster Analysis in Marketing Research: Review and Suggestions for Application
Authors: Punj Girish , Stewart David W.
Published: December 2018

Applications of cluster analysis to marketing problems are reviewed. Alternative methods of cluster analysis are presented and evaluated in terms of recent empirical work on their performance characteristics. A two-stage cluster analysis methodology is recommended: preliminary identification of clusters via Ward's minimum variance method or simple average linkage, followed by cluster refinement by an iterative partitioning procedure. Issues and problems related to the use and validation of cluster analytic methods are discussed.
Effects of Group Cohesiveness on Attitude Polarization and the Acquisition of Knowledge in a Strategic Planning Context
Authors: Whitney John C. , Smith Ruth A.
Published: December 2018

Successful implementation of a corporate strategic plan requires the support of all individuals in the organization, some of whom play different, and possibly conflicting, roles. Cohesiveness within groups that favor different sides of an issue was examined to determine its effect on attitude polarization. The findings suggest that cohesiveness can result in greater polarization, thereby impeding the successful implementation of the strategic plan. The study findings also afford insight into the attitude polarization process brought about by group interaction. The social comparison and persuasive-arguments theories, which make different predictions about this process, are not necessarily competing as has been previously suggested. The results suggest that the relative validity of the explanation offered by each theory is determined by the environment in which interaction between groups occurs. Specifically, when group cohesiveness was enhanced, information was not transmitted effectively as predicted by the persuasive-arguments theory. However, when the value of group membership was de-emphasized, an effective transmission of information occurred during intergroup discussions.
An Empirical Comparison of the Predictive Validity of Self-Explicated, Huber-Hybrid, Traditional Conjoint, and Hybrid Conjoint Models
Authors: Akaah Ishmael P. , Korgaonkar Pradeep K.
Published: December 2018

The authors compare the predictive validity of different types of self-explicated, Huber-hybrid, traditional conjoint, and hybrid conjoint models. The results indicate that traditional and hybrid conjoint models outperform the self-explicated and Huber-hybrid models but are comparable in predictive validity terms. A sharp drop in validity measures from calibration to validation predictions is observed for all the models except those of the self-explicated category.
Design and Analysis of Simulated Consumer Choice or Allocation Experiments: An Approach Based on Aggregate Data
Authors: Louviere Jordan J. , Woodworth George
Published: December 2018

The authors integrate concepts in conjoint analysis and discrete choice theory in econometrics to develop a new approach to the design and analysis of controlled consumer choice or resource allocation experiments. The article is concerned with estimating the parameters of conjoint-type functions from discrete choice or allocation data. Emphasis is placed on the multinomial logit model and aggregate choice or allocation data to illustrate the concepts in a series of empirical examples ranging from simple to complex. The authors present limited external validity evidence to support the approach and make comparisons with traditional conjoint approaches.
A Comparison of Market Share Models and Estimation Procedures
Authors: Ghosh Avijit , Neslin Scott , Shoemaker Robert
Published: December 2018

The authors compare market share models differing in terms of functional form, estimation procedure, and level of parameterization. They evaluate the models by testing the accuracy of predicted shares as well as the validity of the estimated parameters. The tests indicate that valid parameter estimates and similar forecasts are obtained with linear, multiplicative, and attraction models. Better share forecasts generally are obtained from models with brand-specific parameterization and OLS estimation. Most of these conclusions are contrary to previous findings. Several implications for researchers are discussed.
Testing Alternative Econometric Models on the Existence of Advertising Threshold Effect
Authors: Bemmaor Albert C.
Published: December 2018

Threshold effect of advertising has received wide attention in the marketing literature, but little formal representation of this phenomenon has been developed. On the basis of monthly time-series and cross-sectional data, the author tests for the existence of a threshold effect in a consumer good market. Alternative models are developed and estimated. A switching regression model which assumes a concave function to a cutoff point seems consistent with the evidence. The cutoff point below which advertising has little effect is estimated and the shift of advertising elasticity is assessed. The results show that advertising elasticity increases above the cutoff level, price elasticity is larger for heavily advertised premium brands than for less advertised low-price brands, and a minimum threshold level on advertising share is consistent with the theory.
Competition as a Moderator of the Effect of Advertising on Sales
Authors: Gatignon Hubert
Published: December 2018

The author investigates the impact of competition on the sales response function. In particular, the influence of advertising on consumers’ price sensitivity (elasticity) is explored. Two opposing schools of thought, information theory and market power theory, explain how advertising changes consumer price elasticity. These two theories provide conflicting predictions of the direction of change in price sensitivity. The author proposes and estimates a model specifying conditions under which one of the two theories would apply. The impact of advertising on other parameters of the sales response function also is examined. The crucial determinant of the sign of these coefficients is competitive reactivity. An operational definition of this construct is proposed, and the hypotheses are tested empirically by an analysis of airline industry data.
Identifying the Generics-Prone Consumer: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Szymanski David M. , Busch Paul S.
Published: December 2018

The authors conducted a meta-analysis of the generics literature. The meta-analysis reveals the strongest predictors of a proneness to buy generic products are consumer perceptions of generics’ quality and price and consumers’ overall evaluation of generic products. Demographic and psychographic variables and consumer shopping behaviors are related only weakly to consumers’ proneness to buy generics.
The Information Processing of Coordinated Media Campaigns
Authors: Edell Julie A. , Keller Kevin Lane
Published: December 2018

Marketers are increasingly coordinating their advertising campaigns across media. The authors use information processing theory to examine consumer response to coordinated TV and radio ads. “Radio replay” is defined to occur when a consumer views a TV ad and later hears the audio track from the TV ad as a radio ad. The outcomes from radio replay are posited to depend on the relative extent of comprehension, retrieval, and elaborative processes that consumers undertake during the reinforcing radio ad exposure. The results of a laboratory experiment examining coordinated radio and TV ads show that when consumers heard a radio replay, they did very little critical, evaluative processing. Rather, they appeared to replay mentally the video from the television ad. Recall results are consistent with this processing. Judgments of the ads and the brands, however, are as positive for radio replay as they are for the television repetition condition. Implications of these findings for advertising theory and practice are discussed.
Knowledge Bases and Salesperson Effectiveness: A Script-Theoretic Analysis
Authors: Leong Siew Meng , Busch Paul S. , John Deborah Roedder
Published: December 2018

Salesperson effectiveness in customer interaction is evaluated from a script-theoretic perspective. Differences in salesperson performance are traced to differences in knowledge of the actions and events across and within sales situations and the salesperson's ability to abstract from relevant previous experience. Results of two experiments conducted in an insurance context indicate that, as hypothesized, high effective salespeople provided more elaborate, distinctive, contingent, and hypothetical scripts than low effective salespeople. Moreover, these effects were accentuated in less typical sales situations, as suggested by results in the homeowner's insurance but not the life insurance experiment. Theoretical, methodological, and managerial implications of the findings are discussed.
An Alternative Explanation for Lower Repeat Rates after Promotion Purchases
Authors: Neslin Scott A. , Shoemaker Robert W.
Published: December 2018

Several authors have observed that average repeat rates are lower after a promotion purchase. One interpretation of this result is that a media-coupon or cents-off promotion undermines the consumer's repeat purchase rate. The authors describe an alternative explanation. The explanation is that the promotion temporarily attracts a disproportionate number of households with low purchase probabilities. When the repeat rates of these households are averaged with the repeat rates of those that would have bought the brand even without a promotion, the average rate after a promotion purchase is lower. This effect is demonstrated by means of a numerical example, a closed-form equation for repeat rates, a Monté Carlo purchase simulation, and a logit choice model. An exploratory empirical analysis supports these arguments. Implications for marketing management, research methodology, and future research are discussed.
Confidence Interval Construction by Stein's Method: A Practical and Economical Approach to Sample Size Determination
Authors: Gillett Raphael
Published: December 2018

A two-stage method of confidence interval construction developed by Stein is a practical and straightforward approach to sample size determination when one wants to estimate the mean of a normal distribution of unknown mean and variance. The technique has several advantages over the modified version of current informal practice proposed by Shiffler and Adams in a recent JMR article: (1) the need for correction factors is eliminated, (2) the precision of the confidence interval is fixed rather than uncertain and the desired level of confidence is guaranteed, irrespective of the unknown population variance, and (3) a sound theoretical basis is provided for making an economical choice of sample size.
Pricing a Bundle of Products or Services: The Case of Nonprofits
Authors: Ansari Asim , Siddarth S. , Weinberg Charles B.
Published: December 2018

The authors determine the optimal number of items to be included in a service bundle for a profit-maximizing firm that uses pure components, pure bundling, or mixed bundling strategies. When applied to Venkatesh and Mahajan's (1993) data, the number of events held is shown to have a substantial impact on firm profits. The authors also study the pricing strategies of a nonprofit organization that seeks to maximize usage subject to a nondeficit constraint. Using the same data, the authors show that compared to a profit maximizing firm, a usage-maximizing nonprofit organization (1) charges lower prices, (2) holds more events, and (3) takes fixed costs into account in setting prices. For the distributions considered by Venkatesh and Mahajan (1993), there is a reversal in the order of preferred strategies, with the pure-bundling strategy dominating the single ticket strategy, though mixed bundling is still the most preferred strategy. In addition, the authors find that attendance is nor maximized by offering the greatest possible number of events. The effects of alternative objective functions, such as surplus maximization, and additional bundling policies (adding bundles consisting of only some of the events scheduled) are also examined.
Do Household Scanner Data Provide Representative Inferences from Brand Choices: A Comparison with Store Data
Authors: Gupta Sachin , Chintagunta Pradeep , Kaul Anil , Wittink Dick R.
Published: December 2018

The authors investigate whether household scanner data provide representative inferences about brand choice behavior. They show the (analytical) equivalence of the homogeneous brand choice logit and the multinomial store sales models. Then, they determine how results for the homogeneous logit model estimated with actual household data deviate from results for the multinomial model estimated with actual store data from the same community. They also perform this comparison using model specifications that provide average estimated parameters while accommodating unobserved household heterogeneity. The authors find statistical support for the hypothesis that panelist households are not representative, whether household heterogeneity is or is not accommodated. Substantively, however, the average estimated price elasticities are close for the household and store data analyzed, if the household data are selected on the basis of purchase selection. An alternative selection procedure, called household selection, which is used for the analysis of complete household purchase records, provides results that strongly differ from the purchase selection results.
The Effect of Type of Elaboration on Advertisement Processing and Judgment
Authors: Malaviya Prashant , Kisielius Jolita , Sternthal Brian
Published: December 2018

The authors examine the effect of type of elaboration on information processing and product judgments. Research participants were shown print advertisements promoting a camera in which the pictorial material depicted either product features mentioned in the copy (attribute-focused condition) or people, objects, or usage occasions captured by the camera (image-focused condition). These advertisements were presented in the context of advertisements for competing brands of cameras or for products in categories unrelated to cameras. When the context was composed of competing cameras, the attribute-focused advertisement resulted in more favorable target camera judgments than did the image-focused advertisement, whereas when products unrelated to cameras served as the context, the image-focused advertisement prompted more favorable judgments. These results are interpreted as evidence that product judgments are more favorable when an advertising message receives two types of elaboration, item-specific and relational, than when only one of these types of elaboration is dominant.
Using Demonstration to Increase New Product Acceptance: Controlling Demonstration Time
Authors: Heiman Amir , Muller Eitan
Published: December 2018

One of the major ways that manufacturers decrease the uncertainty that is involved in making a choice between competing brands of experience goods is through demonstrations of their new products. The authors investigate the issue of the length of a demonstration and, in particular, provide answers to the following three questions: What is the optimal length of a demonstration? Does the optimal length vary between different products? Does the optimal length vary between different consumers? They analyze 225 cases from the motor vehicle industry and 46 cases from the computer industry with regard to number and length of demonstrations offered and relate the findings to their theoretical model. The empirical results yield strong support for their theory. They also find that most firms offered a longer demonstration than needed and failed to use an appropriate segmentation technique for optimizing the demonstration with respect to different consumer groups.
A Characterization of Retailer Response to Manufacturer Trade Deals
Authors: Tyagi Rajeev K.
Published: December 2018

In this article, the author provides a simple characterization of retailer response to manufacturer trade deals in terms of the consumer demand conditions that the retailer faces. Specifically, the author shows conditions on the curvature of consumer demand functions that make it optimal for a profit-maximizing retailer to pass through greater (less) than 100% of the trade deal amount it gets from a manufacturer. Using these conditions, the author demonstrates that whereas the linear and all concave consumer demand functions lead to less than 100% optimal retail pass-through, there exists a subset of convex consumer demand functions for which a retailer rationally engages in greater than 100% pass-through. This subset contains many commonly used demand functions, such as the constant elasticity demand function, the negative exponential demand function, and many other varying elasticity demand functions.
Employer Knowledge of and Attitudes toward Employees who Are Blind or Visually Impaired
Authors: McDonnall Michele Capella , O'Mally Jamie , Crudden Adele
Published: December 2018

Introduction

The study presented here investigated employers’ knowledge about how persons who are blind or visually impaired perform typical job tasks (that is, use accommodations), how this knowledge relates to employers’ attitudes about these individuals as employees, and where employers seek help with job accommodations.

Methods

Businesses from four states were contacted by telephone to request participation; surveys were completed by 160 randomly selected businesses and 37 businesses referred by vocational rehabilitation agencies, yielding a total sample of 197. A 5-item instrument measured employers’ knowledge about how blind or visually impaired persons complete typical job tasks, and an 11-item instrument measured employers’ attitudes toward blind or visually impaired persons as employees.

Results

A majority of employers (67%) could not identify how blind or visually impaired persons perform any of the typical job tasks. Employers referred by vocational rehabilitation agencies were more likely to identify correct strategies than employers in the randomly identified sample. Knowledge levels were associated with attitudes toward blind or visually impaired persons as employees. Only 8.8% of the randomly identified sample cited an appropriate source of information about accommodations; 49.7% cited a secondary source and 41.5% were not able to identify an appropriate source.

Discussion

Most employers have limited or no knowledge about how blind or visually impaired persons perform routine job tasks. Those employers with greater levels of knowledge also had more positive attitudes toward blind or visually impaired persons as employees. It is encouraging that many employers were aware of an appropriate or secondary source of information about accommodations, and would therefore be likely to find such information if needed.

Implications for practitioners

Providing education to employers and human resources professionals about job accommodations, including where to find additional information, is necessary and would be an appropriate strategy to use when interacting with employers.
Humane Education for Students with Visual Impairments: Learning about Working Dogs
Authors: Bruce Susan M. , Feinstein Jennie Dapice , Kennedy Meghan C. , Liu Ming
Published: December 2018

Introduction

This study examined the effect of an animal-assisted humane education course on the knowledge of students about caring for dogs physically and psychologically and making informed decisions about dog ownership, including working dogs.

Method

This collaborative action-research study employed case study design to examine the effect of an eight-week animal-assisted humane education course on the knowledge and skills of four secondary students with visual impairments. Two independent raters applied constant comparative analysis for all of the following data sources: pre- and postintervention interviews, pre- and postintervention tests, videotaped observations, and field notes. Findings were determined for individual students and the class as a whole.

Results

The greatest gains made by students included learning how to greet, feed, play with, obtain, and pay for dogs; they also learned about appropriate equipment and the roles of working dogs. Effective instructional strategies included assessing prior knowledge and experience with dogs, practicing skills, using tactile techniques, using routines and repetition, and correcting misconceptions.

Discussion

Findings indicate that although students did not master all of the knowledge and skills taught in the course, they became more knowledgeable about care and ownership of dogs. Limitations of this study are the small sample size and short intervention time. Future research may feature longer intervention periods and make connections between humane education, orientation and mobility, and the core content areas of science and mathematics.

Implications for practitioners

Students with visual impairments must be provided with experiences with different types of working dogs. Ample time should be given to explore equipment and to practice skills that are essential to responsible care and ownership of dogs.
A Comparative Study on the Attitudes and uses of Music by Adults with Visual Impairments and those who are Sighted
Authors: Park Hye Young , Chong Hyun Ju , Kim Soo Ji
Published: December 2018

Introduction

This study investigated attitudes (intrapersonal, interpersonal, and communal) toward, and uses of, music among people with visual impairments compared with those who are sighted to investigate the potential of music as a means of communication and social expression.

Method

A total of 137 participants (63 visually impaired, 74 sighted) were recruited from six cities in South Korea. Participants, aged 20 to 39 years, were asked to complete a 30-question survey on music attitudes and use, which was distributed (electronically, by post, by telephone, and in person) between June 2013 and February 2014.

Results

The response rate was 87%. Attitudes toward music showed that visually impaired participants demonstrated significantly higher (more positive) values than sighted participants on interpersonal and communal survey dimensions ( p < .05). The groups demonstrated similar results regarding intrapersonal attitudes, which received the highest scores of all three categories. Visually impaired participants mainly accessed music from home via portable devices or computers, whereas sighted participants used music most frequently at their homes or in cars. The most significant difference between groups was that music was involved in the majority of leisure time for visually impaired participants, but not for sighted participants.

Discussion

Higher attitude scores in the intrapersonal category from both groups imply an important role of music, with its emotional and affective aspects, in self-expression. Findings indicated that visually impaired participants utilized music mainly for self-amusement despite perceiving it as an interpersonal and communal tool, most likely due to social restrictions.

Implications for practitioners

The role of music in the lives of visually impaired individuals could be expanded to provide more group opportunities, hands-on experiences, enjoyable outdoor activities, and psychosocial coping strategies. Group music programs should be considered in order to expand interpersonal and communal experiences for both visually impaired and sighted individuals.