Faye S. McIntyre

Individual Characteristics and Creativity in the Marketing Classroom: Exploratory Insights

This study explores student characteristics that affect creativity skills. Students from three marketing classes were included in the study. Using the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking, comparisons were made between students in the three marketing classes and between men and women. Executive MBA (EMBA) students scored significantly lower than both traditional and nontraditional undergraduate students on an overall Creativity Index. Gender differences appear in only one of five creativity components (elaboration), and the Creativity Index indicates no significant differences between men and women. EMBA students were exposed to creativity training during the semester, and a follow-up measure of creativity showed significant improvement in three of the five components, although the Creativity Index improvement was not statistically significant. Implications for marketing faculty and an agenda for future research are presented.

Consumer Segments and Perceptions of Retail Ethics

Using Levy and Dubinsky’s (1983) scale as the framework, telephone respondents provided information concerning the relative severity and frequency of occurrence of ethical issues in the general ret...

Service Learning in the Marketing Curriculum: Faculty Views and Participation

This article provides an overview of service learning, introduces a measurement protocol, presents findings from a national survey of marketing professors, and offers insights into how better to integrate service learning into the curriculum. Using Cleary and Bensons (1998) typology of service learning and Andreasens (1995) stages of behavior change, we develop a means of measuring faculty participation in five types of service learning. The findings provide insight into the types of service learning faculty are currently participating in and their perceptions of service learning inputs and outcomes. Finally, we identify ways to increase marketing faculty participation in service learning.

The Scholarship of Teaching: A Study of Marketing Education Journal Publications

This paper examines marketing education scholarship between 1990 and 1999 by comparing content, individual productivity, and institutional productivity in the two primary education journals within the field, Journal of Marketing Education and Marketing Education Review. Faculty from any given institution tend to publish in either JME or MER, but not in both. Further, collaboration seems to occur across schools more than within. There is no apparent correlation between the mission of the institution and the likelihood of publication in the area of teaching scholarship. In terms of content, there are slight differences between the journals, and the topics have changed somewhat over the ten year period.

An exploratory comparison of the casual dining experience: chain versus independent restaurants.

Abstract Chain restaurants in the United States now represent the majority of dollars spent in terms of overall sales when compared to independent restaurants. As a result, independents struggle to remain competitive in the marketplace. This paper reports the findings of an exploratory study that was conducted to compare consumer perceptions toward the casual dining experience between chain and independent restaurants. The results clearly show consumers view dining experiences at chain units more favorably than dining experiences at independent units. Food quality has the greatest impact on satisfaction levels in terms of chain restaurants, whereas, server responsiveness is the driving force behind satisfaction as it relates to independent restaurants.

Assessing Effective Exchange Relationships: An Exploratory Examination

This article presents the findings of an exploratory study examining how suppliers can strengthen customer relationships by developing more effective partnerships. Using a relationship marketing framework, we assess four aspects of interorganizational relationships and their impact on effectiveness. A mail survey was sent to all available retailers licensed by the state of Oklahoma LP Gas Board. An OLS regression indicates that the four predictor variables explain over one-third of the variance in relationship performance. Relational context and the ability to predict changes in the environment are both significant predictors of effectiveness; higher levels of each lead to more effective relationships. Though the coefficients for strategic synergy and environmental volatility are as expected, neither is significant. Managerial and research implications are discussed.

The Impact of Student Characteristics on Cooperative Testing in the Marketing Classroom

This study examines the impact of cooperative testing on learning in marketing classes and explores student characteristics that affect performance. Two sections of principles of marketing were included in the study. Tests indicate that cooperative testing resulted in a significant improvement of students’ grades. Analysis indicates, however, that GPA is the only characteristic affecting CT. GPA has a significant impact on degree of grade improvement, as students with lower GPAs benefit more from CT than do those with higher GPAs. Further testing confirms that both students with low and high GPAs score significantly higher on exams when CT is used. However, students with high GPAs do not benefit as much from CT as those with lower GPAs. Student responses to CT are also described.

Improving Performance in Case Courses: An Argument for Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scales

The authors describe the development of a Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scale as a means of evaluation that provides students and guidance for improving performance in case courses.

Cooperative Testing in the Marketing Classroom

Cooperative testing appears to lead to the development of higher level cognitive skills, development of interpersonal skills, and higher grades for students. This paper presents cooperative testing (CT) as a method for developing skills needed by marketing students. Five sections of principles of marketing participated in the study, where students took each interim exam individually, then re-took each exam in groups of three or four. Paired t tests indicate that students’ grades increased significantly. In addition, student perceptions of CT indicate an overall positive reaction to the format. Benefits and limitations of CT are discussed, along with future research needs.

The web as an e-commerce medium: an exploratory study of consumer perceptions in a restaurant setting.

Abstract National pizza franchisors can increase overall sales by simply increasing the number of customers who prefer to order online on the Internet. Typically, a customer ordering online spends approximately 15% more per ticket online than ordering via phone to a store or call center. Yet, many franchisors have reached the conclusion that relatively few consumers have the willingness to use the Internet as a mechanism for ordering. This article reports the findings of an exploratory study that was conducted (1) to compare differences in consumer perceptions between those who choose the online ordering option and those who do not and (2) to investigate the relative importance of the consumer attributes in terms of predicting online ordering behavior. The results clearly show customers who have previously ordered pizza via the online method prefer e-commerce over more conventional telephone ordering. The challenge then is to persuade consumers that there is an advantage to using e-commerce over the traditional telephone ordering system. Respondents in this study report that the primary perceived benefits are time utility and accuracy of order. Thus, franchisors need to develop communications that inform and persuade consumers that e-commerce ordering may deliver greater overall customer satisfaction.