National Culture, Education, and Antecedent Values of Corporate Social Responsibility

This study investigated the relationship national culture has on two antecedent values of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) operationalized as concern for the environment and trust in social institutions. Random samples from World Value Surveys (WVS) for the two countries Sweden and Taiwan were utilized. Results showed antecedent values of CSR to be different for the two countries that are at opposite ends of Hofstede’s (2001) cultural value dimensions. Results also demonstrated education to have significant influences on antecedent values of CSR for the Taiwanese sample but not for the Swedish sample. Implications and direction for future research are discussed

The Impact Of Consumer Attitudes About Bioengineering On Purchase Behavior Intentions: Moderating Effects Of Innate Consumer Innovativeness And Anxiety

Biotechnology is anticipated to be the next generation of innovations and is predicted to surpass the IT revolution in terms of economic prosperity (Darby and Zucher, 2003).  But available behavioral and social research relating to biotechnology is at its infant stage.  Most studies are qualitative in nature (i.e., focus groups) and are limited to public policy issues such as awareness, knowledge, and perception of risks (Bredahl, 1999; Frewer et al., 1997; Frewer, Howard, and Shepherd, 1997). According to Bredahl, 2001, few research projects have yet to determine how consumer attitudes can be expected to influence subsequent purchase behavior intentions with genetically modified products. As the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continues to approve more and more inventions of biotechnology (i.e., foods such as genetically engineered potatoes and rice; industrial plastic from genetically modified organisms; and life saving pharmaceuticals for diseases such as cancer, HIV, and Alzheimer’s) there is a need for research that investigates how consumer attitudes about genetically modified products influence their purchase intentions and subsequent purchase behavior.  The primary purpose of this research is to investigate how consumer attitudes about bioengineering influence their purchase behavior intentions. Second, the influence of two personal variables innate consumer innovativeness and general anxiety about bioengineering as they relate to purchase behavior intentions will be investigated.  Finally, the study also makes an attempt to determine if the relationship between attitude and behavior intentions is moderated by the two personal variables innate consumer innovativeness and general anxiety about bioengineering.  Personal variables such as these can reasonably be expected to have a differential impact on the relationship between attitude about bioengineering and purchase behavior intentions.  That is, the strength of the relationship between attitude and purchase behavior intentions is likely to be stronger for consumers that are innovative and less anxious about bioengineering than others.  The study results have implications for both researchers and promoters of bioengineering. For researchers, it should be noted that an extensive literature search was unable to find any empirical research to date that have investigated the moderating effects on the relationship between attitude about bioengineering and purchase behavior intentions.  For practitioners, the study will aid biotechnology firms in their efforts in building a more positive attitude about biotechnology in general and to identify the profile of consumers that are more likely to purchase and use products of this technology

Factors Associated with Salespersons' Use of Influence Tactics and Their Outcomes : An Exploratory Study

The use of influence tactics by sales representatives appears to be related to a number of latent constructs and factors such as, manifest needs, role conflict and role ambiguity, and perception of sales managers' power bases. However, such relationships have not been examined by researchers. These relationships were examined in this study in an effort to improve the current level of understanding of causes and results of the use of influence tactics in a sales environment. The contention of this study was that individuals in work settings engage in a variety of influence tactics, and that the type of influence tactics used are influenced by factors such as personal characteristics of the salespersons, the nature of goals to be achieved, the salespersons' perceptions of their superiors' power bases, and the nature and complexity of the dyadic relationship that exists between supervisor and subordinates

Cheating, Internet Style: Guarding Against Online Term Paper Mills

The growth of online term paper mills has recently exploded. With access to term papers available at their fingertips, student cheating, by submitting a purchased term paper, becomes much easier and quicker than in the past. As a means of student outcome assessment, more emphasis today is being placed on outside the classroom activities (homework, cases, term papers). How much of a threat to marketing education is the proliferation of these term paper services? The purpose of this paper is 1) to identify the services available, 2) to determine how many marketing term papers are offered by these services, and 3) to suggest techniques marketing instructors can use to combat usage of the proffered materials