Dr. Andre Maciel, assistant professor of marketing, investigates the idea of cultural inequality in sociology and consumer behavior. He explains how some activities and identities are devalued or taken as odd or awkward while others are taken as normal. Though no one asks why someone is a football fan, he said, there is a difference between being a soap opera fan and an avid reader of science fiction or liking chick flicks versus the nine versions of Fast and Furious.

Religious reminders increase the likelihood of consumer forgiveness of organizational failures. This forgiveness, however, is conditional on the organization making an effort to recover from the failure with a sincere apology. This phenomenon was found across multiple prominent world religions, as well as with non-religious consumers.

Although large companies often dominate entire industries, small and medium-sized firms can carve out vibrant niches in the U.S. craft beer market. These type of niches also exist in other market categories such as specialty coffee, community-supported agriculture and credit unions. Entrepreneurs can join forces to develop a new market category when they lack adequate resources to do so individually. By acting in concert, they can become a force to be reckoned with, enacting a marketplace version of the parable of David and Goliath.

Dr. Alok Kumar, associate professor of marketing and W. W. Marshall College Professor, explores the existing literature on American multinational corporations (MNCs) within marketing. Although MNCs represent a common and complex organizational form, there is little research devoted to channel management from an MNC perspective. Aiming to address this gap, Kumar and his co-authors, including Dr. Amit Saini, professor of marketing and W. W. Marshall College Professor at Nebraska, propose an organizing framework to spur and guide further research.

A hint of caramel, notes of chocolate and a pleasantly toasty aftertaste. When words like these are used to describe the taste of wine, artisanal bread, coffee, cigars or craft beer, consumers learn to use these terms, developing both sensory and linguistic skills. They develop these aesthetic skills through a systematic approach involving individual and collective learning practices.

How can businesses best seal the deal when negotiating price with a potential customer? To dramatically increase the likelihood of the customer accepting the revised deal, pair a request for a favor - such as writing a positive review online or recommending the firm to a friend - alongside a price concession. Learn more about the psychological underpinnings of this phenomenon and explore the magnitude of price discount required for it to take effect.