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

The Winemaker As Entrepreneurial Marketer: An Exploratory Study

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine, through the lens of entrepreneurial marketing theory, everyday business practices of small-scale winemakers in a challenging small wine region in the USA. Design/methodology/approach – In-depth interviews and participant observations were utilized to elicit rich descriptions of entrepreneurial marketing efforts of six New Mexico winemakers. Findings – This article describes winemakers’ entrepreneurial marketing efforts. We find that survival drives all other entrepreneurial marketing dimensions where accounting for risk is pervasive rather than a stand-alone dimension. Knowledge gained from intense customer focus is used for new product and service innovations. The leveraging of individual and shared resources is another dimension of entrepreneurial marketing that is demonstrated in our analysis. Originality/value – As entrepreneurs stake their claim in developing small wine regions, understanding entrepreneurial marketing concepts will enable academics and practitioners to understand challenges of a business that is not only dependent on the economics but also on mother nature’s whims

From Trash To Treasure And Beyond: The Meaning Of Voluntary Disposition

Extant consumer research literature focuses on the subtleties, multiplicity of meanings, and values consumers attach to acquisition of personal possessions. Researchers have devoted less attention to consumers’ disposition behaviors, including factors that influence disposition decisions. This paper explores voluntary disposition using data gathered through participant observations and in-depth interviews with a range of consumers, including those involved in clothing exchange (CE) events. The findings provide support for the a priori themes of values and consumption patterns, extending the life of self and goods, and consumers’ self-concept. Additionally, the findings yield emergent themes of role transitions, role models and family patterns, and shared community. Utilizing our findings, and extant literature, we propose a conceptual Framework of Voluntary Disposition that can be utilized to analyze further meanings of consumer disposition patterns in different contexts

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

Anti-Consumption In East Germany: Consumer Resistance To Hyperconsumption

A common ideology of consumption is that more things translate to a higher quality of life. This paper challenges this ideology. We explore the consumption resistance (anti-consumption) of ‘‘cheap and low-quality’’ goods experienced by consumers living in former East Germany. We interviewed men and women who lived in East Germany about their consumption experiences before, during, and after Reunification. We present three emergent themes: ‘‘consumer resistance – emergence of anti-consumption,’’ ‘‘continued frugality – resistance to contemporary throwawayism?,’’ and ‘‘Western Brand Resistance.’’ Our research reveals a deep aversion among East Germans to the modern, bureaucratic and obligatory practice of throwawayism and hyperconsumption. We find feelings of resentment and betrayal and discover a much deeper issue with consumption: the fact that consumption is often a disillusioning experience and that material possessions and abundance are actually driving East Germans apart – making them feel less socially connected. As East Germans are swept up in the global economic juggernaut of capitalism, they find that their collective identity and sense of community is also swallowed up. Upon this realization, dialogism appears, and we uncover this as resistance to Western practices of hyperconsumption, frugality-as-an-ethic and an aversion to low quality throwaway-type products. Based on our findings, we make suggestions for marketing practice and for future research

Do-It-Yourself Projects As Path Toward Female Empowerment In A Gendered Market Place

The role of women as homeowners and heads of households are changing the dynamics in which women engage in do-it-yourself (DIY) behavior. Because there is limited extant theory associated with female involvement in DIY behavior, a qualitative study using in-depth interviews was conducted. Through grounded theory analysis several themes emerged during the coding process, and the themes of empowerment were especially relevant to the informants in this study. Five dimensions of empowerment were identified: empowerment through project initiation, production mastery, adding economic value to goods and services, unleashing creative potential, and empowerment through ownership. The findings show women’s involvement in DIY behavior and the consumption of DIY-related goods is closely tied to the concept of female empowerment