http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/ Knowledge@Wharton is an online resource that offers the latest business insights, information, and research from a variety of sources. Content includes analysis of current business trends, interviews with industry leaders and faculty, articles based on the most recent business research, book reviews, conference and seminar reports, and links to other websites. en-us Copyright (c) 2012 The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania http://www.wharton.upenn.edu/faculty/no_pic.gif http://www.wharton.upenn.edu/faculty/ 125 45 Wharton Faculty Research Marketing http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=2863&source=rss Online product reviews have become ubiquitous -- but does the text of these critiques tell a story that a star system can't? How does a consumer's definition of happiness affect buying habits? Are stock options always the best way to encourage risk-averse CEOs to invest in unpredictable but potentially value-creating projects? Can the desire for one reward be fulfilled with another? Professors Anindya Ghose, Cassie Mogilner, Christopher Armstrong and Jonah Berger, respectively, examined these issues -- and what they mean for business -- in recent research papers. Wed, 26 Oct 2011 14:21:51 EST Marketing http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=2849&source=rss After more than three years of belt-tightening, the word "cheap" is losing its stigma. Experts at Wharton and elsewhere say the recession has shifted priorities for consumers, who are now more willing to trade quality for a lower price. While some argue that consumers will pick up their spending as the good times return, others say Americans have permanently embraced a cheapskate philosophy, and are unlikely to go back to their spendthrift ways anytime soon. Wed, 28 Sep 2011 13:16:47 EST Marketing http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=2703&source=rss Starbucks has emerged over the last 20 years as one of the premier consumer brands in the world. Now, the company has decided to give that brand a facelift by revamping its ubiquitous logo. While logo overhauls can successfully communicate a company's evolution and growth, they can also trigger a backlash among loyal customers. In the case of Starbucks, the new logo highlights a strategic shift for the company, but has sparked criticism from outspoken fans as well. Wed, 02 Feb 2011 15:51:26 EST Human Resources http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=2675&source=rss What exactly is the relationship between money and happiness? It's a difficult question to pin down, experts say. While more money may make us happier, other considerations -- such as whether you live in an economically advanced country and how you think about your time -- also play into the equation. An increasing number of economists, sociologists and psychologists are now working in the field, and most agree that there is a strong link between a country's level of economic development and the happiness of its people. Wed, 19 Jan 2011 16:05:35 EST Marketing http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=2551&source=rss Fads are hard to miss. Whether it's this summer's craze -- Silly Bandz, the rubber-band bracelets that have become a must-have accessory for children -- Beanie Babies or the Rubik's Cube, they take off like a rocket in popularity and then seem to fizzle out just as quickly. You might think fads are kids' stuff. But adults aren't immune to the fad machine -- remember all those grownups sporting Crocs a few years ago? And while fads present challenges to businesses riding that wave, they can also spell opportunity if managers take the cash generated by these crazes and use it to build a sustainable business. Wed, 21 Jul 2010 15:16:28 EST Strategic Management http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=2427&source=rss Nonprofits are presumed generous, kind and honest, and for-profits competent, capable and skillful. Such are the findings of new research about how consumers pigeonhole both types of organizations. Fair or not, these stereotypes are powerful enough that they can affect not only general product and brand perceptions, but also consumers' willingness to make a purchase, according to Wharton marketing professor Cassie Mogilner, one of the study's authors. For a growing number of nonprofits and for-profits, the authors note, changing these perceptions may be a matter of survival. Wed, 03 Feb 2010 16:52:49 EST Marketing http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=2341&source=rss Pick up a magazine or turn on the TV and prepare for a flood of marketing messages about how you spend your time and money. Whether the product is beer or banking, Rolex watches or Ziploc bags, advertisers routinely invoke financial or time-related themes in their ad campaigns. Yet little is known about how consumers' attitudes and behaviors are influenced by a product's association with time or money, according to Wharton marketing professor Cassie Mogilner. New research by Mogilner and a colleague from Stanford University sheds light on how companies should use these concepts when promoting their products. Wed, 16 Sep 2009 16:45:37 EST Managing Technology http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=2307&source=rss According to Wharton faculty who follow the complicated, emotionally fraught subject of how we buy and sell literature, devices such as Amazon's Kindle and an on-demand book-printing machine called Espresso are helping to upend longstanding customs in the slow-to-change business of book publishing. Wed, 05 Aug 2009 16:41:52 EST