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on Marketing |
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Issue of 2010‒02‒05
three papers chosen by Joao Carlos Correia Leitao Polytechnic Institute of Portalegre and Technical University of Lisbon |
| By: | Iyer, S.; Velu, C.; Mumit, A. |
| Abstract: | Marketing communication is a vital strategic tool for religious organizations to achieve competitive differentiation. The determinants of religious organizations’ use of direct and indirect communication channels offers valuable insights into their modus operandi. This paper uses novel primary survey data on 568 Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh and Jain organizations spread over 7 major states in India that we collected over the period 2006-2008, to investigate the determinants of communication channel selection by religious organizations. The findings suggest that state-specific effects for Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal; and religion-specific fixed effects for Muslims play a predominant and persistent role in communication channel selection decisions. Religious organizations adopt direct channels more extensively to communicate changes to non-religious service provision. In a competitive framework, religious organizations also use indirect channels more extensively in response to information received about competitors. Additionally, intensive market competition leads religious organizations to increase their use of direct channels in response to information received about competitors through direct channels. Collectively, the findings suggest that across all religions in India, marketing communication plays a very important role for religious organizations in order for them to differentiate themselves from other competitors. |
| Keywords: | Religious marketing, marketing communication, competition, religious organizations, India. |
| Date: | 2010–01–27 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cam:camdae:1008&r=mkt |
| By: | Nelson, Richard; Consoli, Davide |
| Abstract: | Evolutionary economics badly needs a behavioral theory of household consumption behavior, but to date only limited progress has been made on that front. Partly because Schumpeter's own writings were focused there, and partly because this has been the focus of most of the more recent empirical work on technological change, modern evolutionary economists have focused on the "supply side". However, because a significant portion of the innovation going on in capitalist countries has been in the form of new consumer goods and services, it should be obvious that dealing coherently with the Schumpeterian agenda requires a theory which treats in a realistic way how consumers respond to new goods and services. The purpose of this essay is to map out a broad alternative to the neoclassical theory of consumer behavior. |
| Keywords: | Household Consumption Behaviour; Evolutionary Economics |
| JEL: | D11 O33 D83 |
| Date: | 2010–01–22 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:20197&r=mkt |
| By: | Zimmerman, Paul R. |
| Abstract: | Hypermarkets are large retail suppliers of general merchandise or grocery items that also sell gasoline, often at very low margins. Using panel data for 1998-2002, this paper estimates the impact of hypermarkets on average state-level retail gasoline prices. The empirical results suggest a robust, economically (and statistically) significant effect of increased competition from hypermarkets. Furthermore, the results also suggest that refiners’ lower the delivered wholesale prices charged to their affiliated lessee-dealer and open-dealer stations in response to increased hypermarket competition, which in turn translates to lower retail (street) prices. The presence of a state motor fuel sales-below-cost (SBC) law may lessen the price-reducing effects from hypermarket competition by 40-67 percent while independently imparting no other offsetting price reductions. Finally, using recently published estimates of the short-run own price elasticity of demand for gasoline, consumer welfare is estimated to have increased in the neighborhood of $488 million over the sample period. |
| Keywords: | Dealer tank wagon; Hypermarkets; Motor fuel SBC laws; Petroleum; Vertical integration |
| JEL: | L11 L71 L22 |
| Date: | 2009–06–18 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:20248&r=mkt |