Department News

Articles about activities within the academic departments

Pi Sigma Epsilon Happenings

Posted on by Nancy White

PSE Regionals

Pi Sigma Epsilon Places in National Level Competitions

by Emily Vasington, Co-president of Pi Sigma Epsilon

During the 2014-2015 academic year, Pi Sigma Epsilon (PSE) involved itself with the local and national community. Pi Sigma Epsilon is a professional, co-ed business fraternity with over 65 chapters at different schools across the country. Locally, members participated in Huskython for the first time, organized a golf tournament with local marketing and sales professionals, and volunteered at elementary schools in the Storrs area.Continue Reading

Shared and Connected: Interpersonal Relationships and Shared Brands

Posted on by Nancy White

Brands and Brand Relationships (BBR) Conference, May 2015, Boston MA
Selcan Kara and Anna J. Vredeveld

Selcan Kara, doctoral candidate in Marketing, presented her work entitled “Shared and Connected: Interpersonal Relationships and Shared Brands” (Co-author: Anna J. Vredeveld) at Brands and Brand Relationships (BBR) Conference in Boston, MA. Kara and Vredeveld’s research examines how married consumers form relational brand connections. Findings show how shared brand consumption and marital satisfaction influence the nature of the consumer’s connection to the brand and the perceived importance of the brand to the marital relationship.  From a theoretical perspective, Kara and Vredeveld examine the effect of how consumers incorporate brands into their personal relationships (experiential vs. mundane), and resulting shared brand consumption, on consumers’ brand evaluations. From a managerial perspective, the findings address important implications especially in the advertising domain.

Accelerate UConn Program Launches

Posted on by Melissa Ferrigno

UConn Launches Program to Help Students, Faculty Transform Ideas for Technology into Commercialized Products

New Haven Register – The University of Connecticut is launching a program to help students and faculty transform ideas for technology into commercialized products. The school kicked of its Accelerate UConn program with a ceremony Tuesday in Storrs. The program, which builds upon UConn’s existing technology transfer, incubation and commercialization infrastructure, is being funded by a three-year, $300,000 grant by the national science foundation.

An Empirical Model of Drug Detailing: Dynamic Competition and Policy Implications

Posted on by Nancy White

Management Science, forthcoming

Hongju Liu. Co-authors: Qiang Liu, Sachin Gupta, and Sriram Venkataraman

Although the pharmaceutical industry is mainly driven by innovation, it spends an enormous amount of money on marketing. Among various marketing vehicles, detailing – personal selling through representatives – accounts for the single largest expenditure. The vast amount of detailing spending in the pharmaceutical industry has drawn the attention of the public and of policy makers. As a result, the practice of detailing in the marketing of prescription drugs is undergoing significant changes. Continue Reading

How Competitor Brand Names Affect Within-Brand Choices

Posted on by Nancy White

Marketing Letters (forthcoming)

Kunter Gunasti and Berna Devezer

In a recent research forthcoming at Marketing Letters, Dr. Gunasti and his co-author show that consumer choices among different models of a brand name can be affected by exposure to a competitor brand name that forms an incidental trend with the numbers in the focal brand names. For instance, a consumer shopping for a Mercedes and trying to choose between a Mercedes C330 vs. C340 can be exposed to a competitor brand such as a BMW 320i, which increases the chances that he will leave the store with the higher number focal brand Mercedes C340. Although the competitor brand is not even available to choose and it is not considered, its mere presence seems to affect consumers’ focal choices.Continue Reading

Research Seminar with Caglar Igmak, University of Miami

Posted on by Nancy White

On the invitation of the Marketing Department, Professor Caglar Irmak from the University of Miami gave a research seminar titled, “Merely Available: Products May Be Effective without Actual Consumption” on Friday, April 3. This research shows that providing people with access to a relevant product, without them actually using it, can enhance their performance. For example, participants with access to coffee were faster at a reaction-time task than those without access to coffee. Continue Reading

Time to Flex

Posted on by Melissa Ferrigno

Giving Workers More Control of Their Time May Be Good for All

Rep-Am.com – When she first began working there 15 years ago, Beekley Corp. in Bristol was a fairly traditional company. “We were of the mind that everybody needed to be here, 9 to 5,” said Maureen O. Gallo, vice president of human assets and operational excellence at the medical supply company. But when the company began asking its employees what it could do to make them perform at their highest level, one fact was clear: They wanted flexibility.

Research Seminar with Ting Zhu, University of British Columbia

Posted on by Nancy White

On the invitation of the Marketing Ph.D. students, Professor Ting Zhu from the University of British Columbia gave a research seminar about “Can Price Matching Defeat Showrooming?” on Friday, April 17th. This research studies the impact of Best Buy’s recent price-matching policy on the price competition between Best Buy and Amazon. Specifically, she examines whether the policy can defeat consumers’ showrooming behavior. Data indicate that both Best Buy and Amazon adjusted prices in the same directions. Continue Reading

Business Hall of Fame Induction

Posted on by Claire Hall
2015 Hall of Fame Recipients
Pictured L to R: 2015 Hall of Fame inductees David B. Greenfield ’84, Norman W. Lacroix ’72 MBA, Wendy Reeves Watkins ’74

Alumni Say Though Campus Has Changed, the Camaraderie at UConn Remains the Same

The School of Business welcomed four new members to its Hall of Fame and paid tribute to veterans of the U.S. Armed Services in a May 8 ceremony at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford.

Among the inductees were: David B. Greenfield ’84; Norman W. Lacroix ’72 MBA, Wendy Reeves Watkins ’74. The late Brigadier Gen. James S. Creedon ’53 was inducted posthumously.

Dean John A. Elliott noted that this year’s inductees have not only achieved tremendous success in their careers, but have made a personal commitment to the betterment of their communities by advocating for and supporting higher education, theaters and museums, food banks and many other deserving institutions.Continue Reading

UConn’s Insider Guide to Living Your Best Life

Posted on by Melissa Ferrigno

UConn Today – What are the secrets to success? How can you make the most of every day? Whether you’ve long wished you were more creative or have always wondered how to land your dream job, our UConn-inspired how-to handbook will offer you valuable insight into some of life’s burning questions.

We’ve rounded up a selection of UConn alumni, faculty, and current students — from a NASA chief scientist to an up-and-coming beer brewer — to share their practical advice on how you can live your own best life.