Richard J. Semenik

Chinese Managers' Attitudes toward Advertising in China

Abstract With the advent of Deng Xiaopings “market socialism” and the ambitious objectives set for the development of Chinas economy, the business environment has changed dramatically in China. As part of this change, advertising is being more heavily relied on as a business tool. This changed environment and the recent emergence of advertising in the country represents a unique opportunity to study the advertising process. This paper discusses the nature of the changes in the economic environment in China and investigates the attitudes and beliefs held by Chinese managers regarding various economic and social aspects of the use of advertising.

Preferred Solutions to the Energy Crisis as a Function of Causal Attributions

Results of two studies support the hypotheses that those accepting personal responsibility for the energy crisis favor and report adopting the personal “solution” of voluntary energy conservation, and those making attributions to nonpersonal causes (OPEC, oil companies, U.S. government) are most likely to favor nonpersonal solutions. Implications are discussed.

Measuring preferences with hybrid conjoint analysis: The impact of a different number of attributes in the master design

Abstract Experiments, using approximately 300 college seniors, were run to compare the cross-validations of a traditional conjoint model, two self-explicated models, and several hybrid conjoint models. This experiment varied both the number of respondents across which the hybrid task was aggregated and the number of attributes used to describe each concept. The hybrid conjoint model displayed strong cross-validation evidence. Furthermore, the sample sizes, across which the hybrid models were aggregated, had little impact on the predictive power of the hybrid models. Contrary to expectations, increasing the complexity of the design, i.e., the number of attributes in the profiles, did not lead to higher cross-validations for the hybrid models relative to the traditional conjoint model. Consistent with previous studies, segment-level hybrid models did not lead to higher cross-validations than corresponding aggregate models.

Is there a generalized energy conservation ethic? A comparison of the determinants of gasoline and home heating energy conservation

Abstract The body of research that has attempted to identify and characterize the “ecologically concerned” or “socially responsible” consumer is challenged for its assumption that this is a single group sharing a general disposition to conserve. Based on a comparison of gasoline and home heating energy conservers from a single sample, evidence is provided that these are two unique groups and that those who are conservers in both areas form a third unique group that is closer to the original notion of a generalized conservation ethic. Implications are discussed for future research focusing on energy conservation and social responsibility.

Corrective Advertising: Evolution of the Legal Theory and Application of the Remedy

Abstract During the 1970s the Federal Trade Commission became increasingly active in consumer protection. New theories of deceptive and unfair advertising were eveloped and new remedies were sought. Corrective advertising was at once one of the most controversial and potentially one of the most effective of the new remedies proposed. This paper traces the corrective advertising remedy as it was fashioned in consent agreements and finally in a litigated order during the 1970s. It examines issues of evidentiary requirements for imposing corrective advertising and of compliance and effectiveness goals in designing corrective advertising orders. It concludes with a discussion of future prospects for the use of corrective advertising by the Commission.

The FTC'S ‘Reasonable Basis’ for Substantiation of Advertising: Expanded Standards and Implications

Abstract In an order issued September 9, 1981 in American Home Products (I), the Federal Trade Commission elaborated its “reasonable basis” requirement for the substantiation of advertising claims and set standards for the proof of comparative superiority claims for analgesics. The American Home Products decision also addressed the issue of the necessity for corrective advertising to ameliorate the lingering effects of past deceptive advertising. The purpose of this paper is to present the Commissions theories of deception and its remedies and to discuss the implications for advertisers.

Volunteerism Among Professional Males

Volunteerism, that act by an individual or group of individuals that constitutes the allocation of discretionary time without monetary compensation, represents a broad based economic and behavioral force in a society. A variety of welfare, civic, philanthropic, and artistic organizations are essentially dependent upon volunteerism behavior for survival. Despite the scope and fundamental nature of volunteerism, the topic has received little attention from a marketing perspective. The current study offers evidence that within a group of professional males, it is possible to identify motivations for joining and allocating time to a civic organization. The identification of motivations within this group provides insights regarding the basic nature of the volunteer act and possibilities for recruiting strategies which have the potential for fostering greater numbers of volunteers.

A Test of Inducements for Stimulating Consumer Participation in Laboratory Experiments

An experiment was undertaken to evaluate the cost of obtaining and the representativeness of consumer subjects for a laboratory experiment. Results indicate that a representative subject group can be obtained through the use of particular inducements at a cost lower than that for purchasing subjects from a research firm.