The games people play: How the entertainment value of online ads helps or harms persuasion

This research examines consumer reactions to online ads varying in levels of entertainment value. Results show that more favorable brand attitudes and more positive purchase intentions are formed when consumers are exposed to an ad that generates a high (game ad), rather than a low (banner ad) level of entertainment value. However, such effects are qualified by consumers' shopping goals. When consumers have access to their goals to seek specific product information, affect transfer is impaired, such that the advantage of entertaining ads dissipates. This research also documents moderating roles of individual differences in need for cognitive closure and Internet usage versatility. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Beyond Neo-Malthusians and Cornucopians: comment on Chenoweth and Feitelson

In a recent paper in Futures, Chenoweth and Feitelson test of the validity of the projections of the Global 2000 Report to the President and The Resourceful Earth: A Response to Global 2000. This commentary critiques their approach, focusing on their comparison of the two studies' Year 2000 projections, and the pitfalls for near-term tests of long-term projections. Empirically, their paper does little to resolve the neo-Malthusian and Cornucopian debate. Nonetheless, given the past history of this acrimonious debate, their conclusions may undermine current efforts to balance global economic, social, and environmental concerns.     

Authors’ Reply: Two Paradigms for the Market Value of Liabilities - Discussion by David F. Babbel; Michael Cohen; J. Peter Duran; Luke N. Girard; Thomas S.Y. Ho; Craig Merrill

Abstract

In this article, we express a concern that certain commonly accepted methods of predicting mortality will likely prove to be inadequate in the future. Specifically, the Lee-Carter method, which overall has been empirically successful, uses auto-regressive moving average (ARMA) technology and contains no structural mortality equation. This structure means that no information other than previous history can be introduced. We argue that rapid advances in medical science are taking place and that failure to reflect this information in our projection methodology will make resulting projections unsuitable.     

THE EFFECT OF CEO TENURE ON THE RELATION BETWEEN FIRM PERFORMANCE AND TURNOVER

We analyze the effect of CEO tenure on the relation between firm performance and forced turnover. We find that the performance‐forced turnover relation is conditional on CEO tenure. Our results suggest a constant negative relation between firm performance and forced turnover throughout an inside CEO's tenure. Founders are entrenched early in their careers but held accountable for firm performance later in their careers. We find evidence that outside hires experience a probationary period, followed by a period of apparent entrenchment during their intermediate years that weakens later in their tenure. JEL classification: G34, J63.     

Consumer ethics: An assessment of individual behavior in the market place

A national sample of 362 respondents assessed the ethical predisposition of the American marketplace by calculating a consumer ethics index. The results indicate that the population is quite intolerant of perceived ethical abuses. The situations where consumers are ambivalent tend to be those where the seller suffers little or no economic harm from the consumer's action. Younger, more educated, and higher income consumers appear more accepting of these transgressions. The results provided the basis for developing a four-group taxonomy of consumers which retailers should find insightful in assessing potential consumer actions in a variety of situations. Sam Fullerton is a professor of marketing at Eastern Michigan University. In addition to his academic career, he has worked as a product manager and is the Vice President of the Sports Research Institute, Ltd. Besides coauthoring a text on marketing research, his work has appeared in numerous journals; among them are Current Issues and Research in Advertising, Health Marketing Quarterly, and Strategic Management Journal.Kathleen B. Kerch participated in an international marketing seminar series in Tokyo, Singapore, and Hong Kong. She is currently employed as a marketing representative for Audio-Video Distributors in Wixom, MI. H. Robert Dodge is a professor and head of the Department of Marketing and Law at Eastern Michigan University. He has published books in the areas of personal selling, marketing research, and business-to-business marketing. Additionally, his work has appeared in a number of journals including Strategic Management Journal, The Journal of Small Business, and Current Issues and Research in Advertising. He is actively involved in consulting including his position as President of the Sports Research Institute, Ltd.     

Public Goods in the Field: Katrina Evacuees in Houston

Crises and disasters, whether natural or man-made, are defined by conditions of uncertainty, disorder, and stress. In this research, we explore the extent to which individuals who were evacuated from New Orleans to Houston in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina cooperated with one another in a public goods game. The study focuses on predominantly African-American evacuees from New Orleans who were relocated to Houston-area shelters in the weeks immediately after Hurricane Katrina. In this study, 352 evacuees participated in small groups across six different Houston evacuation shelters from September 10 through 19, 2005. The experiments reported here are adaptations of “dictator” and “public goods” experiments. We find strong evidence of group cooperation in the Houston-area shelters.     

Cultural diversity and sustainable futures

This article outlines an approach to the analysis of alternative cultural futures using methods of cultural accounting and scenario analysis. These techniques are developed using a cultural matrix defined by the interrela- tionships between knowledge, technology and the natural environment. Although the methods are illustrated using hypothetical scenarios and stylized data, they may be applied to a variety of culturally diverse societies.     

Knowledge transfer in corporate venturing activity and impact of control mechanisms

This study investigated how control mechanisms impacts knowledge transfer between a parent company and its new ventures in corporate venturing (CV). Based on the knowledge-based theory, we proposed that autonomy and incentive scheme may stimulate or eliminate knowledge flows in CV activity, and such relationships may be moderated by the extent to which CV activity is aimed at exploring new technologies/markets. Using a sample of 61 companies in both Japan and the United States, we found strong evidence that the impacts of autonomy and incentive schemes are contingent upon various CV objectives.     

The impact of index‐insured loans on credit market participation and risk‐taking

Index‐insured loans offer considerable advantages over standalone insurance policies for improving farmers’ access to agricultural credit. However, research on demand for such products and their impact on profitable investment decisions has been limited and conflicting. In this article, we investigate the impact of index insurance on demand for credit and investment decisions using a lab‐in‐the‐field experiment conducted in rural Tanzania. We find that index insurance increases demand for credit and high‐risk high‐return investments.