The erosion of the unusual susceptibility defense: The case of the disadvantaged consumer

Marketing practitioners and academics have exhibited an increased concern for the problems of disadvantaged consumers in recent years. During the same time period, the product liability field has become increasingly volatile. In this article the overlap between these two seemingly independent trends is presented via hypothetical case examples. A decision process to guide marketers who potentially deal with disadvantaged market segments is outlined and discussed. The implications of these developments are also described in detail.     

“Enterprise boards and economic strategy”

Centre for Local Economic Strategies, undated: Enterprise Boards: their Contribution to Economic Development and Investment. Manchester: Centre for Local Economic Strategies, £2.50.

Cochrane, A. (editor), 1987: Developing Local Economic Strategies: Milton Keynes: Open University Press, no price stated.     

Industrial and occupational change and trade unions

Report of an international trade union seminar for delegates from the UK, USA and USSR held at Nottingham University and Northern College, Barnsley, 4–15 April 1987     

The economics of external reporting: Three frameworks for the classroom

In this paper three frameworks are presented that can be used by accounting instructors to explain some of the economic issues surrounding the external reporting process. The first framework explains accounting numbers in terms of the relationships among capital providers, managers, and auditors. The second framework explains external reporting in terms of its role in determining capital market allocations. The third framework focuses on the policymaking process and the notion of “economic consequences.” In each case the framework is first described and then some suggestions are provided on how it might be used in the classroom. The frameworks have been developed for use in introductory, intermediate, and advanced accounting courses at both the undergraduate and graduate level.     

Students in marketing research: Surrogates vs. role-players

The usefulness of the student surrogate has been debated extensively in the marketing literature. The results discussed here suggest that business students are ineffective role-players with regard to anticipating consumers' and businesspersons' reactions; however, students' own evaluations were very much like those of businesspersons.     

Keeping Up With the Joneses: Analyzing the Effect of Income Inequality on Consumer Borrowing

Household debt relative to disposable income increased from 60% in 1980 to 104% at the end of 2003. ‘Buying on credit’ has become so popular that an increasing number of firms generate more profit from financing than from selling their products. In this paper, we show that rising income inequality has substantially contributed to increased consumer borrowing. Income inequality affects all components of total household debt, but the impact is strongest on non-revolving debt (installment loans), which is used to finance the purchase of consumer durables. We argue and provide evidence that the income inequality effect on consumer borrowing is a result of conspicuous consumption. Rising income inequality has forced households with smaller income gains to use debt to keep up their consumption level relative to households with larger income gains.JEL Classification: D12, G29, J31, M30