Douglass K. Hawes

Information Literacy and the Business Schools

Abstract In todays “information society,” the amount of information to which we are exposed each day—in addition to that we could access if we knew it existed —is astounding. Yet with a few exceptions, todays business school graduate is not being adequately prepared to function in an information-literate fashion in a world of knowledge workers. In this article, I examine the topics of information, the information society, overload, and the concept of information literacy and establish a rationale for why universities—and business schools in particular—should be teaching the skills that form the foundation of an information-literate person. A review of what business schools are currently doing in this area (based on a literature review) concludes that not enough is being done, perhaps because of a lack of serious attention to this issue by the business school accreditation organizations.

The Role of Marketing in Facilitating the Diffusion of Microcomputers and "The Information Society"

“The average American, by our estimate, is exposed to 61,556 words from the mass media each day ... That works out to just under 4,000 words per waking hour, about 60 words per waking minute per person per day. This represents a growth of 151 percent from 1960 to 1980”. (Neuman and de Sola Pool 1984, p. 5)

Pricing and Advertising Practices in Small Retail Businesses

The literature on small business pricing and advertising practices is nearly nonexistant. Most articles are quite prescriptive in nature. Yet, without an understanding of actual practice, it is difficult to know what specifically to prescribe, particularly in an educational context. The study reported here focused on one form of truly small business — the tourist oriented gift or souvenir shop. A statewide mail survey found that approximately 86 percent of the sample ignored or deemphasized demand factors in setting prices. Additionally, while 88 percent of the respondents used some form of advertising, no single medium was overwhelmingly preferred.

Profiling visa and MasterCard holders: An overview of changes - 1973 to 1984, and some thoughts for future research

Replication is critical in furthering both the science and art of marketing; too often academicians and practitioners alike operate on the basis of outdated information. The author reports on a partial replication, conducted in 1984, of a 1973 study of bankcard holders and explores the changes in holdership and use patterns of consumers possessing either a VISA card, a MasterCard or both. Some notable changes have occurred in the eleven years since the first study was conducted. While MasterCard was the leading card in 1973, VISA has now taken a commanding lead. It is also the card of choice among holders of both cards. Average annual use of the cards has also increased, with single card holders increasing their use of their card more than holders of both bankcards.

Profiling bankamericard (visa) and master charge holders

Recently, legislation affecting the granting of credit, and the desire of many banks to become dual issuers of the two national bank cards (Bank Americard (Visa) and Master Charge), have created a need for more information about bank credit cards and the holders of either or both of these two national cards. Both bankers and retailers are interested in knowing more about the market segments holding one or both of these cards, and whether or not there is any difference in theusage of credit between holders of either or both cards. This paper compares the socioeconomic characteristics, attitudinal response, and credit usage of a nationwide probability sample of Americans who possess one or both of these two national bank credit cards.

Allocation of Time to Leisure Activities Norwegian and American Patterns

A comparative study of the time use behavior of samples of American and Norwegian consumers uncovered significant relationships within and between countries in time expenditures. Females were found to specialize in home-oriented and males in career-oriented activities; the home orientation of females also affected the nature of their leisure. Furthermore, there were important differences between the two countries in leisure behavior.

Human Values and Use of Time

The history of interest in human values as moderating variables in behavior has been most thoroughly traced by Clawson and Vinson (1978). The potential utility in understanding “our society’s transition into affluence” by studying both human values and the allocation of time was noted by Nicosia and Glock (1968). Most reported studies in this area have adopted the Rokeach (1973) framework of “instrumental” and “terminal” values. There are excellent summary discussions of the Rokeach paradigm found in the Clawson and Vinson (1978) and Vinson, Munson and Nakanishi (1977) papers.

Leisure and Consumer Behavior: A “Social Indicators” Update

It is reported that Americans have revised the traditional definition of success. According to that view, wasteful materialism is increasingly being rejected along with a lifelong competition for wealth and privilege. Instead, nonmaterial standards of personal growth and development are favored. Along with such a development, there is a growing skepticism of big governmental and private organizations. There is a growing recognition that social values, attitudes and beliefs will have a decisive influence on economic growth. Growth is no longer a dominant value and increasingly the public is concerned with the price tag of growth in terms of other values that are considered important. (Conrad Taeuber, 1981: viii)