REFERENCE LETTERS AND THE UNINFORMED BUSINESS EDUCATOR: A U.S. LEGAL PERSPECTIVE

While providing references to students, business professors have to meet dual demands of giving sincere references to prospective employers while avoiding any potential litigation claims of “defamation” and “violation of privacy” from the students. While the approach of providing bare minimum information may seem to mitigate the risk of litigation claims of defamation from former students, it might serve as a potential pitfall for facing “intentional misrepresentation” liability from the prospective employer. This paper addresses these concerns, together with other legal issues U.S. business educators face in this area of potential liability. Suggestions are offered to those who provide references for the purpose of minimizing the possibility of litigation exposure, either from the student or from his future employer

Greening an Integrated Marketing Communication\u27s Course: An Assessment of Sustainability Literacy

This article showcases efforts of incorporating Sustainability Issues in an Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) class during three semesters during the academic years of 2013/2014 and 2014/2015. The course was re-designed using Fink’s (2013) course recommendations of designing significant learning goals. In addition to the way the course was delivered (both face-to-face and online), the instructor worked with a Higher Ed publisher to customize a textbook to include sustainability issues related to the course content (i.e., reflecting IMC topics). The course re-design included sustainability assignments such as Virtual Field Trips (visiting corporate websites and other organizations to study their CSR statements and sustainability efforts). Sustainability related articles were pre-requisites for all assignments. In addition, the students had to watch several movies, including “So Right So Smart,” “Story of Stuff,” and other voluntary (not controlled for) movies dealing with social justice, natural capital or the dark side of “business as usual” provided through the university’s sustainability film series

Price Surcharge And The Effects Of Construal Level

The growth of ecommerce has increased the importance of providing efficient pricing information in online offerings. We examine consumers’ inherent construal level to understand effectiveness of partitioned versus combined online pricing strategies. In two studies we investigate a scenario where an individual’s construal level moderates the effectiveness of the pricing format (partitioned versus combined) on perceived value and purchase intention. Building on prior partitioned pricing research our first study uses a reasonable surcharge amount and our second study uses an unreasonable surcharge amount. Our results provide evidence that consumers evaluate online product offerings differently depending on their inherent construal level

Cultural Appropriation Of The Death Celebrations: The Case Of Halloween

Major cultural death celebrations such as Mexico’s Day of the Dead, Halloween, and All Saint’s Day in many Christian countries, all involve the remembrance of the ancestral dead in various aspects. Holiday celebrations can differ in purpose. Some focus on recommitment – aiding in socialization of society’s members, social integration, and reaffirming commitment to values. Others serve as tension management holidays, enabling celebrants to “let off steam” or “let loose.” Tension management holidays only indirectly enforce shared beliefs by offering the occasional release from conformity and behavioral norms of society (Etzioni and Bloom 2004; Durkheim 1965). Studying holidays as cultural products offers a unique perspective of society’s cultural values and enhances our understanding of consumer interpretation of foreign consumption rituals

Marketization, Nostalgia, And Social Connectedness: An Exploratory Study In Eastern Germany

The purpose of this paper is to uncover how East Germans reacted to product shortages following product abundance immediately after reunification and over time. The authors conduct in-depth interviews to document the stories of the individuals during this time period. Our data analysis reveals that East Germans experienced surprising trade-offs during this transition period. On the one hand, they now had access to an abundance of products. But on the other hand, something unexpected was lost. East Germans no longer needed extensive social networks to obtain products and services. As a result, the importance of maintaining social networks decreased leading to a lack of social connectedness and security. As their disenchantment with the new market system grew, Ostalgie - a form of nostalgia indigenous to the region characterized by a deep longing for the past - emerged. This seems to indicate that societies based on materialism can have unforeseen consequences of feelings of insecurity. Business can use these results to fundamentally reconsider their role in the well-being of consumers. As a result, marketers that focus on creating opportunities for social connection will satisfy a fundamental human need leading to more successful business models

The Impact Of Price Level And Appeal Type In Hotel Advertising: A Pilot Study

Limited extant experimental research on advertising appeal effectiveness in the presence of price cues in a service offer provides the motivation for this study. While past research has found support for the effectiveness of both rational and emotional appeals in services marketing, this research, in the context of hotel advertising, shows that appeal type effectiveness may vary with the price level of the service. More specifically, this study finds that rational appeals are more effective than emotional appeals for low-priced hotels, but for high-priced hotels, rational and emotional appeals show no significant difference in influencing consumer evaluations of the offer

Alternative Marketplaces In The 21st Century: Building Community Through Sharing Events

We examine alternative consumption including collaborative consumption, sharing, and unconsumption (i.e., postconsumption activities such as upcycling, reuse, recycling, etc.) at non-monetary-based private and public sharing events including Really Really Free Markets (RRFMs). These alternative marketplaces (RRFMs) were initially organized by the Anarchist Movement as a form of resistance to the capitalist economic model. However, many consumer groups now utilize this model to stage public sharing events as a means of raising awareness about various issues including sustainability and overconsumption. Participants bring, share, and take goods without any expectation of monetary or other exchange. There is limited research on collaborative consumption and sharing in non-monetary marketplaces. We address this gap by exploring alternative marketplaces, organized by consumers for consumers, utilizing qualitative research methods. Our findings indicate that a sense of community is both a driver of participation and an outcome of these events. Organizers and participants utilize these venues to share knowledge and possessions for various ideological and practical reasons. Our findings also indicate that these events challenge the entrenched notions of exchange and reciprocity. Our research contributes to the literature by highlighting the importance of community, collaboration, and changing consumer mindsets to the success of such sharing efforts

Navigating The Regulatory Environment In The Swedish Sharing Economy

Sharing services have become and seem to remain popular with both investors and consumers. PwC has estimated its growth to 235 billion dollars in 2025 (PwC 2016). There are many examples of companies making up the Swedish Sharing Economy: Uber, Airbnb, Sunfleet, Swinga bazaar, Taskrunner, Baghitch, Urb-it, Netflix, Spotify, and the many bike sharing and carpools arranged by different municipalities in Sweden. The Sharing Economy is a phenomenon where broad segments of the population can collaboratively make use of under-utilized inventory. On the demand side, buyers are able to profit from the Sharing Economy by renting goods and not having to worry about the risks of ownership. On the supply side, individuals can provide short-term rentals of their own homes, vehicles and tools, or even pets (BorrowMyDoggy). According to Lamberton and Rose (2012) as cost of sharing is minimized and utility maximized relative to ownership, people’s tendency to select a sharing system will continue to rise