Oswald A. J. Mascarenhas

Buyer–Seller Information Asymmetry: Challenges to Distributive and Corrective Justice

Buyer—seller information asymmetry (BSIA) is a growing problem despite electronic modes of free global communications. The authors investigate this BSIA phenomenon from a macromarketing perspective. They first identify the defective structures and outcomes of BSIA and then examine the underlying structures of injustice that BSIA implies from a distributive justice view. Although distributive justice focuses on a universal mission of distributing burdens and benefits among all stakeholders, a complementary system, corrective justice, is needed to rectify specific injustices inherent in individual exchanges. Accordingly, the authors propose a BSIA reduction protocol based on both distributive and corrective justice principles so that the risks and causes of consumer harm inherent in BSIA will be progressively reduced. Finally, the authors discuss managerial implications of this combined justice approach and the BSIA reduction protocol it grounds.

An Empirical Methodology for the Ethical Assessment of Marketing Phenomena Such as Casino Gambling

The methodology proposed here exemplifies how psychometric measures can be dovetailed to assess ethical dimensions of social marketing phenomena such as legalized casino gambling. Three traditional ethical theories—Deontology, Teleology, and Distributional Justice—are incorporated in the methodology design. Reactions of metro household-heads to legalizing casino gambling in their city were obtained from an existing metro panel. A pro-gambling attitudinal scale developed for this purpose, and tested for its reliability, discriminant and nomological validity, was the basis for deriving valid and insightful teleological and distributive assessment measures. As expected, casino gamblers and gamers obtained higher pro-gambling scores than non-gamblers. While teleological and deontological justifications of casino gambling were decisively low, distributive-justice related conditional acceptance of casino gambling was higher.

Marketing Services Globally: A Fourfold Typology

With the various service industries accounting for more and more of the worlds GDP, it is fast becoming a necessity for U.S. service firms to globalize their market offerings. This article offers a typology that categorizes services as being core or augmented and then determines both the process and content of service delivery and an appropriate delivery mode for each. This article integrates the concepts of service marketing and service standardization by offering a new typology for global service marketers.

Governmental and Corporate Role in Diffusing Development Technologies: Ethical Macromarketing Imperatives

SUMMARY Despite the recent growth and globalization of production and trade, global income inequalities are widening, especially among the developing nations and global sustainability is weakening. We suggest a macromarketing approach to resolve this situation. It is in the best interest of the governments and the multinational corporations of the developed world to offer and diffuse their development technologies among the developing nations. We apply the theories of economic resources, development technologies, global sustainability and distributive justice to characterize the nature, structure and ethics of such developmental interventions.

Marketing Educational Services to Returning Adults

This research investigates service attributes and factors that influenced potential returning adults in college/university choices. Respondents rank quality-faculty, accreditation, and job-oriented majors highest among academic factors and convenient schedules, campus location and safety highest among non-academic factors. Marketing strategies for targeting returning adults are discussed.

Identifying and Profiling the Yuppie Baby Boomer Segment

This paper presents a relatively simple instrument for identifying and profiling the yuppie baby boomer market segment in a given market area. The demographic, sociographic and psychographic profiles that emerge from a real administration of this instrument on a metro household panel establish the internal and external validity of this psychographic segmentation instrument.

The Susceptibility of Teens to Interpersonal Influences when Shopping for Leisure Products

This paper investigates recently validated normative versus informative interpersonal influence scales in relation to teen shopping for leisure products. Three major influence sources - parents, peers, and the media - were considered, each under ordinary versus special shopping contexts. The normative/informative typology was generally verified. Parent informative influences significantly exceeded parent normative and peer influences. Media informative influence emerged as the next highest influence. Parental normative and informative influences during special leisure shopping significantly exceeded those under ordinary leisure shopping.

Simultaneous Optimization of Questionnaire Length and Sample Size in Marketing Research: A Matrix Sampling Approach

This paper introduces the Matrix Sampling Approach for optimal research designs in Marketing Research. Specifically, the paper presents models for a simultaneous optimization of both questionnaire designs and corresponding sample sizes for each design, using the matrix sampling methodology. The first model incorporates no overlap, which the second does. Solution procedures for both models are indicated, and simulation results presented to illustrate the use and implications of the models. The models are then applied to a known data base, and empirical findings indicate the timely usefulness of this joint optimization process in data collection procedures.

Towards a Measure of Consumer Purchase Responsibility

This paper demonstrates the use of a step-by-step approach that has been suggested elsewhere in developing measures of new marketing constructs. The concept of consumer purchase responsibilitity is defined,and a known procedure is applied in the development of a measuring instrument for the above concept. A multicriteria approach is utilized to test the internal consistency of the instrument. Some potential uses of the measurement device are discussed. Further research directions are examined.

Students as Surrogates in Advertising Research

The use of college students as a data source by academicians has been a common practice in marketing research. Students have been used as surrogates for broader population groups because they are readily accessible, manageable and inexpensive to use. The suitability of the use of a sample in this fashion is open to question. This paper reviews the literature and examines suitability of student samples in the area of advertising research.