Victor J. Massad

Comparing bidding and pricing between in‐person and online auctions

Examines the phenomenon of online auctions. Begins by developing a theoretical base for understanding how online and in‐person auctions should differ in terms of consumer risk. Online auctions with seller reserve prices are compared to in‐person auctions without seller reserve prices using data from 60 paired sales of collectible figurines. Online auctions are found to exceed in‐person auctions in both mean initial bid prices and mean final sales prices.

Interviewing the Experts: Student Produced Podcast.

Classroom instruction continues to change dramatically with new technology and pedagogy. Faculty aspire to develop innovative programs and creative education while seeking effective teaching strategies that capitalize on emerging technology and invoke student interest and involvement. Research shows that student involvement, hands-on projects, and teamwork are successful pedagogical approaches (Kayes, Kayes, & Kolb, 2005; McKeachie 1994; Passman 2001).

Effect of Buyer and Seller experience on Buy It Now pricing

ABSTRACT Although auctions have been around for centuries, online auctions are still a relatively new phenomenon. This paper examines the phenomenon of online auctions, specifically on a pricing option known as “Buy It Now.” With this option, a buyer can purchase merchandise immediately at a stated price and truncate the auction process. Auction items sold with a Buy It Now price tend to be at a higher price than the high bid price for an identical item sold through an ascending-bid auction. In addition, Buy It Now prices tend to attract risk averse bidders while high bidders of ascending-bid auctions tend to be less risk averse or risk neutral bidders. On the other hand, we found more experienced sellers sell their items with a Buy It Now price while less experienced sellers sell their items through an ascending-bid process. Thus, experience and risk are factors in choosing a Buy It Now price for the seller and buyer.

Pirates, mercenaries, scouts and saints: a segmentation approach to understanding digital downloading

Previous studies have shown that the attitudinal predictor opportunism and the demographic predictor age are correlated to the phenomenon of illegal digital downloading, or digital pirating. A framework for understanding digital pirates based on these two constructs is developed. Internet users are classified into four groups – pirates, mercenaries, scouts and saints. Four hypotheses are proposed: 1) that there will be no significant gender differences between pirates and the remainder of internet users; 2) that there will be significant differences between mercenaries and the remainder; 3) that pirates will exhibit the lowest propensity to pay for digital material; 4) that saints will exhibit the greatest propensity to pay for digital material. The first of the hypotheses was not supported. The latter three hypotheses were supported. Each of the cohorts is profiled and implications are discussed.

The Hierarchy of Internet Communication Effects: A New Paradigm for Understanding Internet Promotion

ABSTRACT The applicability of the traditional marketing models to online marketplaces has been of great interest since the advent of the Internet. This study examines the applicability of the Hierarchy of Communication Effects model to the online auction environment through the use of proprietary archival data. The results provide support for a new model, which we call the Hierarchy of Internet Communications Effects, which is applicable to online environments. The Hierarchy of Internet Communications Effects is analogous to other hierarchical effects models from consumer behavior literature known as the learning hierarchies. We provide suggestions to promote products or services at different stages in the Hierarchy of Internet Communications Effects; several implications and limitations are discussed, and future research is suggested.

An Investigation into the Roles of Gender and Experience as Antecedents to Salesperson Opportunism

This study finds that female salespersons exhibit lower levels of opportunism than male salespersons. While the gender gap appears to close with experience, the role of gender and experience interaction as it relates to opportunism was inconclusive.

The Role of Gender as an Antecedent to Opportunism: Are Women Less Opportunistic?

A construct in marketing literature is “Opportunism,” which has been defined as “self-interest seeking with guile.”