Robert D. Straughan

Environmental segmentation alternatives: a look at green consumer behavior in the new millennium

Looking to the future of green marketing, examines the dynamic nature of ecologically conscious consumer behavior. The study also provides a method of profiling and segmenting college students based upon ecologically conscious consumer behavior. Findings indicate that, despite a significant amount of past research attention, demographic criteria are not as useful a profiling method as psychographic criteria. Consistent with past findings, the study indicates that perceived consumer effectiveness (PCE) provides the greatest insight into ecologically conscious consumer behavior. Further, the inclusion of altruism to the profile appears to add significantly to past efforts. Additional constructs examined suggest that environmental segmentation alternatives are more stable than past profiles that have relied primarily on demographic criteria.

An international investigation of cultural and demographic effects on domestic retail loyalty

Noting the lack of research on cultural effects on retailing, the present study uses the cultural framework developed by Hofstede as the foundation for an investigation of loyalty to domestic retailers. A multi‐country survey of consumer attitudes about domestic versus international retailers explored the effects of two cultural variables (individualism and uncertainty avoidance), two individual‐level demographic variables (age and sex), and one country‐level demographic variable (the ratio of imports to GDP). Results indicated that cultural individualism is negatively correlated with loyalty to domestic retailers, uncertainty avoidance is positively related to loyalty to domestic retailers, the ratio of foreign imports to GDP is negatively correlated to loyalty to domestic retailers, and men exhibit greater loyalty to domestic retailers than women do. Age was not a significant predictor. A procedure is presented for extending these findings to more than 45 additional countries. Implications of these findings for international strategic planning by retailers and directions for future academic exploration are discussed.

Financial services advertising in eight non‐English speaking countries

Although services, in general, have increased in significance worldwide, financial services face a less encouraging future. Market saturation has led to a search for growth opportunities. One approach has been to utilize traditional marketing techniques such as advertising. Another approach has been to expand into international markets. Managing the international advertising efforts of financial service firms is incredibly complex. This nine country study looks at consistency between advertising content and points of emphasis from financial strategy research. The comparison yields similarities and differences between critical managerial dimensions and themes in international financial service advertisements. Discussion of these findings and implications are provided.

Exploring Innovative Teaching among Marketing Educators: Perceptions of Innovative Activities and Existing Reward and Support Programs

This study examined the perceptions of innovative teaching activities and critical support and extrinsic reward mechanisms among marketing academicians. A review of the marketing education literature and exploratory research yielded 21 specific types of educational innovation, 4 types of support for innovation, and 2 types of extrinsic rewards for innovation. Analysis of data collected from an Internet questionnaire indicated that the specific forms of innovation can be adequately described by six dimensions. Faculty adoption of innovation is positively associated with both support and extrinsic rewards. A comparison of the perceived and desired levels of credit for the six dimensions of innovation show incongruence between the levels of support and reward faculty see as desirable and those provided by their respective institutions. More specifically, faculty perceive the reward and support systems to be lacking. A discussion of the key research findings and some suggested directions for future research are provided.

Student Perceptions of Study Abroad Programs: A Survey of US Colleges and Universities

This study examined 656 students’ perceptions of international education and study abroad programs. Respondents included business students from seven universities, both public and private, across the United States. The research addressed four issues: general perceptions of international course work; general perceptions of study abroad programs; perceptions of study abroad program costs in both time and money; and desired program characteristics. The results indicated that many of the students were misinformed regarding their university’s programs. The research offers insight for developing and modifying study abroad programs that will encourage student participation.

Managing Internal Markets: A Conceptual Framework Adapted from SERVQUAL

Framework Adapted from SERVQUAL The link between internal marketing and services marketing goes beyond the traditionally stated objective of improving the quality of service to external customers. The job experience itself is a service that is designed and delivered to internal customers -all employees of an organisation -and the internal customer satisfaction derived is a function of the quality of the internal marketing efforts of that organisation. SERVQUAL, a wellestablished theoretical model of service management, is adapted and examined as a tool for assessing the process and effectiveness of internal marketing to employees. Each of the adapted SERVQUAL gaps is considered, and attention is given to effective management of each as it relates to internal marketing.

Marketing Education Research: Credit for the Advancement of our Own Profession?

While the relative emphasis on teaching and research clearly differs from university to university, pressure from a variety of sources has raised questions as to whether these should be treated as mutually exclusive dimensions. One way to combine these activities is to conduct research on business education. Questions have been raised regarding the legitimacy of marketing education as a research field. If such concerns are prevalent, the professional credit researchers receive for conducting education research should reflect the concerns. This research examines three key questions. First, is research appearing in education journals rewarded to a lesser extent than research appearing elsewhere? The results show less credit is awarded to research appearing in education journals. Second, is education research rewarded to a lesser extent than non-education research appearing in the same or comparable journals? The results show less credit is given to education studies relative to other research in similar journals. Finally, does the reward system provide motivation for education researchers to target higher tier journals? The results suggest that while researchers do receive more credit for education research in top tier journals, the incremental gain for such research is significantly less than the incremental gain for non-education research. Discussion of these findings and directions for future research are offered

The Impact of Image Management, Self-Justification, and Escalation of Commitment on Knowledge Development in the Marketing Discipline

The paramount role of scholarship in the modern academic environment is manifest across program accreditation, individual evaluation, and institutional reputation processes. At the microlevel, success in this domain positively influences scholars’performance evaluations and institutions’external reputations. At the macrolevel, research expands and deepens the boundaries of the discipline. It is widely accepted that knowledge development is seminal to the advancement of marketing as a discipline. Accordingly, the academic community is increasingly concerned with potential limits and constraints on knowledge development. This article explores the influence of image management, self-justification, and escalation of commitment within the marketing discipline. A two-phase study using both a broad survey of marketing academicians and in-depth interviews of faculty at two universities indicates that these influences may be constraining creative marketing thought and may limit knowledge development.

The Semantic Structure of Time-Oriented Retail Service Guarantees: The Moderating Role of Cultural Norms on Perceived Performance Risk–Abstract

Past research of warranties and guarantees has examined the importance of structure and phrasing (Shimp and Bearden, 1982). Previous research by Straughan and Albers-Miller (2000) examined the semantic dimensions of time-oriented service guarantees. Their work looked at the effects time and redress specificity played in reducing consumers’ perceived risk. The present study seeks to examine their findings in a cross-cultural context.