“Pay 80%” versus “get 20% off”: The effect of novel discount presentation on consumers’ deal perceptions

Consumers often undervalue price promotions because they discount the discounts. In this research, we examine the effect of using a novel type of discount presentation (e.g., “Pay 60% of the regular price”) on deal evaluations, and compare it to that of an equivalent discount presentation commonly used in the U.S. (e.g., “Get 40% off the regular price”). In three experiments we show that the former discount presentation results in higher perceived savings and higher purchase likelihood than the latter. Using process measures, we demonstrate that this effect is due to increased systematic processing induced by the novelty of the discount presentation, which improves calculation accuracy and hence decreases the underestimation of discounts. We also report a boundary condition of the effect of discount presentations on deal evaluations by showing that it is eliminated when consumers do not need to expend effort to accurately process price information. Both authors contributed equally and are listed in alphabetical order     

Energy Informatics

Due to the increasing importance of producing and consuming energy more sustainably, Energy Informatics (EI) has evolved into a thriving research area within the CS/IS community. The article attempts to characterize this young and dynamic field of research by describing current EI research topics and methods and provides an outlook of how the field might evolve in the future. It is shown that two general research questions have received the most attention so far and are likely to dominate the EI research agenda in the coming years: How to leverage information and communication technology (ICT) to (1) improve energy efficiency, and (2) to integrate decentralized renewable energy sources into the power grid. Selected EI streams are reviewed, highlighting how the respective research questions are broken down into specific research projects and how EI researchers have made contributions based on their individual academic background.     

Gender Role Portrayals in Japanese Advertising: A Magazine Content Analysis

Abstract

The authors report a content analysis that assessed gender role portrayals in advertisements from highest circulation Japanese magazines. They found that, although some indigenous gender stereotyping was evident, several traits previously associated with Japanese women (devoted, obliging, rattle-brained, superstitious, thorough) were associated with men. Also, men were not linked with certain stereotypical male traits (autocratic, blustery, forgiving, generous, severe). Other findings included women being shown in a positive way as often as men. In terms of common international stereotypes, women were not associated with low priced products or portrayed as being more deferential than men. However, women still were portrayed as more concerned with appearance and as younger than men, were not depicted as product authorities, and were shown more often in sexist than in nonsexist depictions.     

Patent-based investment funds as innovation intermediaries for SMEs: In-depth analysis of reciprocal interactions,motives and fallacies

SMEs and academic spin-offs play an important role in generating innovations but face resource and competency constraints that have implications for commercializing their technologies. In two in-depth case studies we analyze how patent-based investment funds (PBIFs), operating as innovation intermediaries, help overcome these constraints. In contrast to other patent intermediaries, PBIFs acquire patents and patentable inventions at an early stage of technology development when access to capital is particularly critical. They invest in the technological and legal advancement of their portfolio, which is mostly conducted in close interaction with the technology-providing SMEs and their original inventors. These PBIFs not only provide high added-value in the course of technology commercialization but also operate international networks to facilitate the commercialization of SMEs' technologies at an international scale. Although PBIFs are a promising new agent in the heterogeneous field of innovation intermediaries, their commercialization results and the actual rate of returns are not yet well established.     

Zur optimalen Abfolge von Investitionsprojekten

Zusammenfassung  Wenn Unternehmen bei beschr?nkten Kapazit?ten mehrere Investitionsprojekte durchführen k?nnen, stellt sich die Frage nach der optimalen Reihenfolge dieser Projekte. Ein Entscheidungskriterium in Analogie zur Annuit?t kann zur Bestimmung der optimalen Abfolge herangezogen werden. Bestehen für die Projekte zeitliche Restriktionen in Form von sp?test zul?ssigen Endterminen, so kann die optimale Abfolge nur noch mit einem nicht-linearen Modell ermittelt werden. Dieses Modell kann in ein gemischt-ganzzahliges lineares Programm transformiert und mit g?ngigen Softwarepaketen gel?st werden.      

A multi-level perspective on the introduction of hydrogen and battery-electric vehicles

Alternative vehicles powered by electricity or hydrogen hold the potential to solve a number of challenges that relate to automobile use, such as climate change, deterioration of local air quality, security of energy supply, and high fuel prices. This article addresses the question as to how a transition to vehicles powered by hydrogen or electricity could take place. Recognizing that transitions result from joint development of technology and society, a co-evolutionary, multi-level perspective is adopted. The perspective is used to analyze the dynamics of the relationship between car manufacturers and consumers and developments that put pressure on this relationship. Building on the analysis, two sets of scenarios for a transition to battery-electric and fuel cell vehicles are identified. In one set of scenarios, tightening emissions regulation stimulates carmakers to scale up experiments with alternative vehicles, moving them into the commercialization phase. In the other set, rising fuel prices prompt carmakers to first extend their current product line-up with plug-in versions, and later with battery-electric and fuel cell vehicles. The two scenarios have different implications for the actors involved and for the requisite supporting infrastructure.     

The effect of spicy gustatory sensations on variety‐seeking

Can spicy gustatory sensations increase variety‐seeking in subsequent unrelated choices—and if so, how? The present research explores these questions. Based on the metaphor “variety is the spice of life,” and drawing on research on metaphors and embodied cognition, the authors propose that spicy gustatory sensations may activate a desire to be interesting that leads to greater variety in subsequent unrelated choices. Specifically, the first study demonstrates that tasting spicy vs. mild potato chips results in greater variety‐seeking in candy bars—but only when there is a time delay between the gustatory sensation and the variety‐seeking choice task, suggesting an underlying motivational process. Further, the effect of spicy gustatory sensations on variety‐seeking strengthens as the time delay increases, consistent with a motivational account. The second study provides evidence for a metaphor‐based explanation of the effect by demonstrating that while there is no difference in variety‐seeking among consumers who have tasted a spicy candy and those merely primed with the metaphor “variety is the spice of life,” variety‐seeking is lower among consumers who have tasted a mild candy. This study also rules out taste‐related factors as an alternative explanation.     

Buchbesprechungen

Ohne Zusammenfassung