Gregory S. Black

The Importance of Course Design on Classroom Performance of Marketing Students.

The main objective of this study was to investigate the impact of course design on marketing student outcomes by examining data gathered over several semesters from 563 undergraduate students enrolled in marketing classes at a major university. During this period of time, respondents were enrolled in one of four marketing courses, each of which was offered in three different course designs: experiential, participative, and traditional. Results indicate that course design influences student perceptions about how the class was conducted and their performance on assessments of seven specific marketing concepts: marketing environment, buyer behavior, marketing research, product, price, promotion, and place.

Matchmaking in Marketing Class: Using Fisher's Personality Profiling to Form Student Teams.

Each term, instructors are dealt a hand when presented with a surprise buffet of personalities from which to form teams. We need to make the best of it. While the benefits of team projects in marketing classes are well documented, they are not without pitfalls. A primary issue with student teams relates to the method of team formation, which often leads to many problems within student groups. We suggest a simple and innovative application of personality profiling to assist in forming student teams. Results comparing student teams formed using this technique with teams formed without using this technique look promising.

Sustainable and non-sustainable consumer behavior in young adults

Purpose Using broad definitions of sustainable and non-sustainable consumer behavior, identifying key elements of these types of consumer behavior and differentiating between spirituality and religiosity, the purpose of this study is to develop and test a research model. Design/methodology/approach A systematic literature review was conducted to identify elements of the research constructs. Literature on sustainable business practices was particularly important. Once elements were identified, measures used in previous consumer behavior research were used to collect data from 116 undergraduate students enrolled in marketing and management classes at a major university located in the southwestern USA. Findings Results indicate that the level of a consumer’s spirituality affects both sustainable and non-sustainable consumer behavior. In addition, the model predicts that the level of a consumer’s religiosity has no impact on non-sustainable consumer behavior, and this prediction is verified by the study results. Practical implications As it is important for businesses to conduct sustainable business practices, it may also be beneficial to consumers to practice sustainable behavior. A significant predictor of this sustainable consumer behavior is spirituality, and it is important to distinguish spirituality from religiosity. Originality/value Sustainable consumer behavior is more thoroughly described. Also, religiosity and spirituality are delineated. Finally, for the first time, the separate and distinct impact of religiosity and spirituality on sustainable and non-sustainable consumer behavior is assessed.

The Effects of Membership and Demographics on Consumer Satisfaction and Loyalty in Service Organizations

Service organizations that require customer membership must monitor and evaluate consumer retention, satisfaction, and loyalty. A common problem in member-based service organizations is that some consumers leave the organization and then return. Levels of consumer satisfaction and loyalty are likely different between those who continue their membership and those who let their membership lapse. This research assesses consumer satisfaction and loyalty of 8,376 U.S. Masters Swimming current members. Results indicate that age, marital status, and number of children impact membership mode (continuous or lapsed) and that membership mode impacts several measures of both loyalty and satisfaction.

Attitudes, Opinions, and Characteristics: Creating a Profile of Sales Students

This study was conducted with the objective of identifying and assessing factors that influence students to have a disposition toward a sales career as well as positive attitudes toward salespeople. Two studies were conducted to measure the impact of different treatments. Data were collected from 263 undergraduate students in marketing and/or sales-related classes, in order to empirically test two experiments. The results of ordinary least-squares regression analysis indicate that students enrolled in sales-related classes are much more likely to have a disposition toward a sales career and to have a positive attitude toward salespeople, while simply reading a passage describing the sales profession and how it is likely for many college graduates to have a career in sales had little impact. The implications include the development of a sales students’ profile, which describes students who are likely to pursue sales as a career and to have a positive attitude toward salespeople. This profile can be important in identifying potentially successful members of professional sales forces while they are still in our universities and by doing so, enable sales educators to properly prepare them for their careers.