Idea posted: April 2014

Institutions: Kellogg School of Management    MIT Sloan School of Management   

Many Internet retailers give customers the opportunity to review their products on their site, and some Internet companies even specialize in reviews only (e.g. Yelp and TripAdvisor). Given, as research…

Idea posted: April 2014

Institutions: Ivey Business School at Western University    University of British Columbia    University of Colorado Boulder Leeds School of Business   

In a classic episode from the old American TV show The Odd Couple, the main character Felix replaces all of the traditional furniture in his apartment with new furniture featuring…

Idea posted: April 2014

Institutions: New York University Stern School of Business   

More and more people are feeling financially constrained. In the U.S., half of American families recently surveyed considered themselves ‘financially fragile’. Financial constraint does not refer to income level, but…

Idea posted: March 2014

Institutions: University of North Carolina at Charlotte Belk College of Business    The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania    Duke University Fuqua School of Business   

In the real world, brands are rarely seen alone.  Whether on television, radio, or in print, brands are usually surrounded by other brands — numerous advertisements fill the pages of…

Idea posted: March 2014

Institutions: Tuck School of Business   

While research shows that people generally view CSR activities favourably, the question remains whether that positive attitude changes consumer behaviour. To answer this question, a team of professors from Dartmouth’s…

Idea posted: March 2014

Institutions: Henley Business School   

Customer effort research has been around since the 1940s but the debate gained momentum following a 2010 article, ‘Stop Trying to Delight Your Customers’, in the Harvard Business Review (HBR). In…

Idea posted: March 2014

Institutions: Washington University Olin Business School    University of Toronto Rotman School of Management   

Consumers often have a choice between products that are convenient or easy- to-use and products that offer greater functionality but are less convenient. When making a purchase that involves a longer time…

Idea posted: February 2014

Institutions: Georgetown University    UCLA Anderson School of Management   

What makes a message persuasive? Marketing departments everywhere are constantly looking for the answer to this question and much research has been conducted on this subject; previous research has shown…

Idea posted: February 2014

Institutions: Harvard Business School    University of Toronto Rotman School of Management   

Outsourcing is no longer just an operational issue. As globalization takes hold and more companies shift more activities to suppliers in emerging economies, outsourcing is now a strategic concern. Slowly,…