Luke Greenacre

An examination of socially destructive behaviors in group work

With the increasing prevalence of group work in marketing courses there is a need to consider the impact of students’ social dynamics on both learning and satisfaction outcomes. This article explores one such dynamic at both intra- and intergroup levels. Using data generated from multiple sources, it was identified that students who are actively contributing to group processes have difficulty distinguishing between students, and indeed groups, that are socially loafing and those that are genuinely struggling with the material. As a consequence, the struggling students are subject to incidences of socially destructive behaviors, critically harming their ability to develop. This has the potential to harm not only the individual struggling student and their group but also burden the other members of the class with a class member that will never be able to meaningfully contribute. Using social interdependence theory, a framework is proposed to explain how this confusion among contributing students arises. Recommendations are made regarding how to design curriculum so as to minimize the incidence of this phenomenon as well as intervention strategies to mitigate its effect should it present.

A Memory-Theory Perspective of Country-Image Formation

Traditional country-of-origin strategy in international marketing uses a country-image halo to cue beliefs about the countrys products. With expansive trade globalization, domestic consumers are likely to have experience with foreign products but know little of the products’ origin country. Thus, equally important as traditional theory is the question of whether product beliefs can imbue country image, but little is known of this reverse influence. If product beliefs can generalize into a favorable country image, a chain effect will then enable traditional country-of-origin effects to benefit the countrys other products. In this study, the results of three surveys across two countries show that product beliefs can indeed influence country image. However, the influence weakens with increasing country familiarity and exists only when the product and country are congruent. Furthermore, the influence can operate outside of conscious awareness. The authors draw on the associative network theory of memory to explain their findings. This research improves the theoretical understanding of country- and product-image halo and provides the grounds for product and brand managers to work with government and tourist organizations for increasing mutual effectiveness.

Creative That Sells: How Advertising Execution Affects Sales

Advertising creative is widely accepted as critical to advertising success. However, generalizations of what works in applied settings across different conditions are few. The present study replicates the seminal work of Stewart and Furse (1986), who investigated the effect of more than 150 creative devices on several copy-testing measures of advertising effectiveness. We replicate the analysis using the original codebook but examine the link to in-market, short-term sales effectiveness. We use a large sample of 312 television ads from several product categories aired in multiple countries. Our findings indicate that the codebook remains relevant for characterizing current advertising practices but many of the creative devices found most (or least) effective differ to those from the original study. Similar to Stewart and Furse (1986), no single creative device can do much alone to explain sales effectiveness. There is no one simple cookbook for making sales effective advertising, though such research offers some important guidelines.

International brands in emerging markets: the myths of segmentation

Purpose – International brands are expanding their business into emerging markets seeking new consumers for their products. Multiple research studies suggest that there are two key differentiators between developed and emerging markets that managers must take into account. These are that consumers differentiate between local and international brands, and that consumer segments differ between emerging and developed markets. This paper refutes these myths. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – The authors examine large-scale data of purchase behaviour across seven countries and six product categories through telephone or online data collection. Surveys conducted in conjunction with research consulting projects form the basis of data collection, with samples skewing towards middle-income population from urban areas within the emerging markets. The different survey methods used support the empirical generalisability of the findings. Findings – The authors find that brand user p...

UK higher education viewed through the marketization and marketing lenses

This paper uses the Economic Market mechanisms and the 4P Marketing Mix as lenses to review the context of UK higher education (HE) and to explore the relationship between the market and marketing disciplines and practice. Four Economic Market mechanisms – autonomy, competition, price and information – are contrasted with the four Ps of marketing: product, price, place and promotion. This paper demonstrates how market forces influence HE institutions and, in contrast, how HE institutions shape the environment via marketing practice. Knowing how one discipline relates to another is crucial for those who strive to understand the context of HE.

Cross-cultural and cross-national consumer research: psychology, behavior and beyond

Globalization leads to a need to understand consumer behavior across national boundaries. The call for this special issue noted: “Consumers from different countries and cultures may be similar on some dimensions but differ on others. This provides researchers with the opportunity to explore how changes in multiple aspects of the cultural and national context can influence consumer theory.” This special issue is particularly relevant given the blurring of geographic cultural boundaries and the reshaping of society though global flows relating to mediascapes, ethnoscapes, ideoscapes, technoscapes, and finanscapes (Appadurai, 1990). The blurring of boundaries and the associated emergence of a ‘global consumer culture’ (Cleveland and Laroche, 2007; Zhou et al., 2008) allows companies to standardize their branding and communication strategies. Nevertheless, meaningful cultural differences can still be found in consumer psychology and behavior across countries (e.g., Walsh et al., 2014).

My-music my-self

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to use an extended model of self to understand the consumption of music and similar entertainment products. Design/methodology/approach – In-depth interviews using experts within the music field were used to penetrate the private worlds of musical theatre enthusiasts. Multiple qualitative analytic techniques were used to explore the different aspects of the self underlying music consumption. Findings – Repeated exposure to musical theatre allowed subjects to refine their consumption of specific performances that reflect the preferred aspect of their extended self. It is found higher order consumption needs are an integral part of the extended self, and form an important basis for consumption decisions. Of particular importance is the reflection of the self that assists others in their consumption choices. Originality/value – Present research widely recognises consumers are seeking more than just “entertainment” when they consume an entertainment product, but strugg...

Referral types and peer activation: Who to ask?

Abstract This paper explores how consumers select different peers in their social network when obtaining positive verses negative referrals, and the role of social cues in this selection process. An inductive framework incorporating a mixed method process was employed. Thirty in-depth interviews were used to understand how consumers activate specific peers when seeking referrals. First, participants mapped their peer networks and, second, debriefs were undertaken to understand how their peer networks were used across ten product categories. Our research identifies that the choice of peer when seeking referral information is conditional on the type of referral sought. Also, that the cues used by consumers when selecting the most appropriate peer differ depending on the type of referral sought. The different peer activation for these two types of referrals indicates a need to adopt strategies specific to the different referral types.

Editors’ Corner: The “Work-Ready” Marketing Graduate

There is a growing acceptance in business schools today of the need to address the marketing industry’s demand for “work-ready” graduates. What constitutes “work-ready” and how it can be effectively developed in marketing majors remains open for debate. A particular issue is the depth and breadth of preparation that marketing programs should provide. Is it sufficient to develop graduates with the skills to obtain their first job? Or should marketing faculty prepare students not only for their first job but also to be career-ready and valuable to society at the same time? Stakeholder groups have differing expectations about what comprises a “work-ready” graduate. From the education institutional perspective, work readiness ensures that all marketing graduates have achieved at least a minimum standard in specific business-related learning goals including effective skills in communication, teamwork, ethics, and the ability to integrate the various business disciplines (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, 2013). The business perspective expands the educational perspective to include immediate (add value for the organization) and longer term objectives that encompass career goals and aspirations. Such raises the question: How can marketing faculty deliver an optimal mix of skills and knowledge that ensure that graduates have the tools to adapt to the challenges of the post-graduation marketplace and fulfill their potential? While there has been much discussion in the Journal of Marketing Education about the skills that stakeholders believe should be developed and assessed, there are benefits in expanding the conversation (Cummins, Peltier, Pomirleanu, Cross, & Simon, 2015; Finch, Nadeau, & Reilly, 2013; Schlee & Harich, 2010; Walker et al., 2009). To understand the current and the “best” possible trade-offs, we must evaluate the influence that employers and their current needs have in shaping the curriculum, the tendency for classroomdeveloped skills to be focused on employability rather than career management, and whether current specializationfocused marketing curricula effectively prepares “careerready” graduates who are often required to work in cross-cultural or multidisciplinary groups. Articles in this special edition of the Journal of Marketing Education examine and expand existing thinking about what “work-ready” presently means and what it should mean in and beyond the marketing classroom. The articles examine the issues from both the business and academic perspectives, and they challenge the value of a specialist marketing education. In the first article, Regina Schlee and Gary Karns examine how technological transformations in marketing and the need to integrate considerably large data into marketing planning have both affected skill requirements and compensation for entry-level graduates. Their analysis of job postings illustrates the dynamic nature of the knowledge, skills, and personal attributes required for entry-level positions. Schlee and Karns found that three quarters of the job listings included one or more required analytical or technological skills. They discuss several recommendations for curricular adjustments including the need to increase students’ quantitative analysis skills and their familiarity with marketing technology, and to promote cross-functional cooperation (e.g., between marketing and information systems faculty). Continuing in this vein, Ellen McArthur, Krzysztof Kubacki, Bo Pang, and Celeste Alcaraz examine job postings, focusing on employers’ descriptions of the required skill sets and attributes of graduate applicants for entry-level jobs. The most frequently required skills and attributes include motivation, time management skills, communication skills, and digital marketing experience. The authors identify two primary gaps between the content in marketing programs and requirements in job advertisements: (1) the range of digital marketing specialties and (2) effective communication skills (primarily writing). The authors raise the issue of the marketing degree’s purpose and whether marketing curricula achieve that purpose. The third article focuses on the academic perspective. Duleep Delpechitre and David Baker examine developing cultural intelligence in the classroom given today’s increasingly globalized and multicultural business environment. They examine the importance of sales students’ cultural intelligence and how it influences their adaptive selling 712411 JMDXXX10.1177/0273475317712411Journal of Marketing EducationBacon editorial2017

Marketers' Intuitions about the Sales Effectiveness of Advertisements

Advertisements vary enormously in their sales effectiveness, so choosing the more effective advertisements to air is an important marketing task. Such decisions are often made intuitively. This study assesses the intuitive predictions made by a global sample of marketers regarding which television ads are more or less sales effective. The findings show that marketersÂ’ predictions were correct no more often than random chance. Multivariate analysis suggests that those with category experience and those in marketing or consumer insights roles make slightly better predictions. Aside from who makes better predictions, further research is needed on how to improve advertising decisions, including use of evidence-based decision support systems and team decision-making.