James E. Nelson

Effects of Humor in a Radio Advertising Experiment

Abstract This paper reports results of a radio programming experiment that extends prior research by examining the impact of perceived humor on nine managerially relevant dependent variables. Findings show significant humor effects on attention to the ad, liking the ad, liking the product, and irritation. Findings also support the position that attitude-toward-advertisement mediates humors impact on product preference and intention to buy.

Coping with organizational role stress: Intrinsic motivational orientation, perceived role benefits, and psychological withdrawal

Researchers have long recognized that individuals in stressful marketing roles find ways to cope with organizational role stress. This study examines the effects of three psychological coping strategies—intrinsic motivational orientation, perceived role benefits, and psychological withdrawal—in a model of organizational role stress. Results indicate that intrinsic motivational orientations reduce perceptions of role conflict and role ambiguity, and increase job satisfaction; that perceived role benefits positively influence job satisfaction; and that job dissatisfaction is the primary cause of psychological withdrawal. The study supports the importance of coping efforts in models of organizational role stress among marketing personnel.

The shielding effects of brand image against lower quality countries-of-origin in global manufacturing

Abstract Two studies are conducted, based on the framework of accessibility–diagnosticity and information integration. The goals of these studies are to examine the protective effects of brand image against lower quality countries-of-origin in global manufacturing. Study 1 shows that brands with high familiarity and high quality reputations (called strong brands hereafter) have much smaller perceived-quality discounting for lower quality countries-of-origin than brands with mediocre familiarity and mediocre quality reputations ( weak brands hereafter). Study 2, conducted with a different set of brands and consumers from a different country, shows similar shielding effects of brand image as found in Study 1. The findings of judgment-weight allocation of Study 2 strongly support the hypotheses of accessibility–diagnosticity and information integration, explaining why the shielding effects of brand image occur. The authors discuss implications of the findings, especially with regard to the global manufacturing/country-of-origin management, and the brand management for strong and weak brands.

How Acquaintanceship and Analyst Can Influence Focus Group Results

Abstract Little empirical work has investigated the influence of acquaintanceship among the members of a focus group on the output of that group. None has examined the influence of analyst identity on group output, occurring in the scoring of a transcript of the groups conversations. This research investigates these two effects and their interaction on idea quantity and idea quality. Findings show small interaction and acquaintanceship effects but moderate to large analyst identity effects. Findings have important implications for basic and applied research using focus groups.

A Model for Controlling Social Desirability Bias by Direct and Indirect Questioning

This study develops a model for controlling social desirability bias in self-report measures. The model incorporates both direct and indirect questioning for a sensitive construct and takes into account method variance of direct and indirect questioning via method factors. The study tests the model with data containing a socially sensitive construct, and finds that the model effectively controls social desirability bias. The rationale for employing both direct and indirect questioning and implications of the findings are discussed.

Do interviewers follow telephone survey instructions

Researchers have identified a diverse set of actions and three categories of possible causes of misbehaviour by interviewers in survey research. Interviewers themselves must be recognised as the most immediate and ultimate cause of many actions classified as misbehaviour. Some activities represent interviewer actions that are dishonest or less than completely honest (Hunt, Chonk & Wilcox 1985). Others represent the product of either low morale (Crespi 1945-46) or a ‘hired hand’ mentality an interviewer’s belief that interviewing is not a scientific search for truth, but instead an assembly-line process where output quotas must be met (Roth 1966). Still others represent an interviewer’s desire to improve research quality as, for example, when an interviewer rephrases an awkwardly-worded question in hopes of clarifying part of an interview.

Comment on “Humor and Advertising Effectiveness after Repeated Exposures to a Radio Commercial”

Gelb and Zinkhan (2) interpret results of a recent study to show that humor in a radio commercial is negatively related to advertising recall, positively related to brand atttitude, and not directly related to purchase probability or choice behavior. They also conclude that any effect humor may have on purchase probability or choice behavior appears to be mediated through brand attitude. This comment questions Gelb and Zinkhans conclusions, based on a measurement issue and a number of data analysis issues.

Customer orientation, merchandising competencies, and financial performance of small fashion retailers in Bangkok

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine customer orientation and fashion merchandising competencies to learn which strategic option has a stronger relationship with retailer financial performance.Design/methodology/approach – A cross‐sectional survey was used to collect self‐report data from a random sample of 275 small specialty retailers of womens clothing in Bangkok. Retailers offer similar merchandise assortments and customer services in dense, highly competitive, agglomerative environments. The survey form contained multi‐item scales measuring customer orientation, fashion merchandising competencies, and store financial performance. Bivariate correlations, multiple regression coefficients, and hierarchical linear model coefficients describe relationships of interest, controlling for retailer location.Findings – Results show medium to large effect sizes for several fashion merchandising competencies but no substantive effects for the two customer orientation constructs. Effect sizes depend ...

Toward an understanding of the distraction construct in marketing

Abstract The results of a conceptual explication and empirical investigation of the construct of distraction are reported. The study begins with a literature review of distraction and the development of a conceptual model. The model is applied in a measurement process to create a distraction effects. A sample of 180 students was selected to establish convergent, discriminant, and nomological validity. Another sample of 64 students was used to show individual differences in distraction and to estimate relationship between distraction, recall beliefs, factual recall, and forgetting. The results indicate the scales potential to increase knowledge about distraction in theoretical and applied setting.