This dissertation aimed to empirically test and advance the conceptualization of pleasure as a differentiated phenomenon, which holds that hedonic experiences can produce different types of pleasures. A second goal of this work was to examine the benefits of a four-type differentiated conceptualization of pleasure for assessing the marketing outcomes of hedonic experiences. Across four independent complementary studies, results confirmed that experiences may be classified into four types of pleasure: sensory, social, emotional, and intellectual. Study 1 was a qualitative inquiry into the scripts formed around everyday hedonic experiences. The study produced rich and comprehensive details of the content and unfolding of such experiences and provided material for the subsequent studies. Study 2, study 3, and study 4 tested the superior validity of a four differentiated pleasure typology (versus more parsimonious conceptualizations) and moved toward the development of a quantitative assessment tool for these pleasures. Study 2 examined different types of pleasures associated with product categories. Exploratory factor analysis supported the four-pleasure typology. Study 3 explored pleasures gained from brand websites; confirmatory factor analysis validated the four-pleasure structure. In the study, the impact of pleasure types and personality traits on marketing outcomes showed a combination of contrast (negative relationship between the value assigned to the target and the context) and assimilation (positive relationship between the value assigned to the target and the context) effects. Study 4 tested the impact of four different advertisements, each promising one of the four pleasures at a fictitious café, thus testing a differentiated hedonic positioning strategy. Again, results demonstrated the appropriateness of a four pleasure typology. Consistent with study 3, the impact of differentiated pleasures on marketing outcomes (e.g., timing of visit, attitude toward ad/brand, intent to visit/recommend) revealed a combination of contrast and assimilation effects. This dissertation addressed two previously overlooked issues. First, it provided evidence for the validity of a four factor differentiated view of pleasure, positioning it as complementary to the unitary view, which affords no room for qualitative differences between pleasurable experiences. Second, the research addressed the dearth of scientific investigation regarding the evaluation of hedonic consumption experiences and their marketing outcomes. / Cette thèse développe une conceptualisation du plaisir en tant que phénomène différencié qui fait des expériences hédonistes la source de différents types de plaisirs. De manière empirique, les bénéfices de cette conceptualisation pour évaluer les conséquences de chaque type de plaisir sont examinés. Quatre études confirment la validité d'une conceptualisation incluant quatre types de plaisirs : sensoriel, social, émotif et intellectuel. La première étude, une enquête qualitative présentant des scénarios formés autour d'expériences hédonistes, a permis de recueillir de riches détails quant au contenu et au déroulement de ces expériences. Les trois autres études visent à tester la validité de quatre types de plaisirs différenciés (par opposition aux conceptualisations alternatives plus parcimonieuses) pour se diriger vers l'évolution d'un outil quantitatif d'évaluation des plaisirs. Plus spécifiquement, la seconde étude examine divers types de plaisirs tels qu'associés à des catégories de produits en général. La troisième étude s'attarde aux plaisirs que procurent les sites Web de grandes marques. Grâce à l'analyse factorielle, ces deux études supportent la typologie des quatre plaisirs. L'impact des types de plaisirs et des traits de personnalité sur les mesures d'intérêt pour des professionnels du marketing démontre divers effets de contraste (relation négative entre la valeur assignée à la cible et au contexte) et d'assimilation (relation positive entre la valeur assignée à la cible et au contexte). La dernière étude vérifie l'impact de quatre publicités présentant chacune un des quatre plaisirs dans un café fictif, et met à l'épreuve une stratégie de positionnement hédoniste différencié. Les résultats démontrent la pertinence de la typologie des quatre plaisirs. Ici aussi, l'impact des plaisirs différenciés sur les conséquences marketing (par ex. : intention de fréquenter le café, attitude envers la publicité et la marque, intention de revisiter ou de recommander) révèle des effets de contraste et d'assimilation. En termes de contribution scientifique, cette thèse fournit une conceptualisation différenciée du plaisir, complémentaire à la vision unitaire qui ne laisse aucune place aux nuances qualitatives. Également, elle contribue à minimiser la pénurie de recherche scientifique sur l'évaluation des expériences hédonistes de consommation et leurs conséquences sur les comportements de consommation.

My thesis consists of two essays on the affective influences of attitude importance and product involvement on judgment and choice. The first essay examines the role of attitude importance in judgment formation. For example, consider the ease-of-retrieval phenomenon, a typical finding on metacognitive effects in judgments: consumers who are asked to think of many reasons in favor of a product (which is difficult) tend to like the product less than those who are asked to think of only a few reasons (which is easy), showing that the experienced metacognitive difficulty during the reason-generation process affects the evaluation of a product negatively. In contrast, I show in four studies that when consumers attach great importance to an attitudinal object, they become more and not less extreme in their assessment after a long reason-generation task. I also show that this result is caused by the pleasant or unpleasant emotions people experience when they assert their attitudes, which I refer to as attitude-assertion affect. The domains under investigation cover the evaluation of BMW, the main contenders in the 2008 U.S. presidential elections, and the Dutch professional soccer team's potential to win the 2010 World Soccer Cup. The second essay focuses on the affective influences of product involvement on choice. Though commonly believed to benefit consumers, greater variety from which to choose has been shown to lead to a lower probability of choice and weaker preferences (Iyengar and Lepper 2000; Chernev 2003), because choosing from extensive choice sets is experienced as more difficult than choosing from limited choice sets. In contrast, I argue and show in three studies that extensive (not limited) assortments enhance choice satisfaction when consumers are highly involved with a product category because of their higher levels of involvement-induced affect. Moreover, the results show that the presence of a default option in extensive choice sets benefits consumers with both high and low product involvement. My thesis concludes with a discussion of managerial implications and avenues for further research. / Ma thèse comprend deux essais sur les conséquences affectives de l'importance de l'attitude et de l'engagement avec une catégorie de produits sur le jugement et le choix des consommateurs. Le premier essai examine le rôle de l'importance de l'attitude dans la formation des jugements évaluatifs. Considérons le phénomène de « facilité de rappel ». Une conclusion typique sur l'impact d'expériences métacognitives sur l'évaluation de produits est que les consommateurs à qui l'on demande de penser à plusieurs raisons en faveur d'un produit (ce qui est difficile) tendent à aimer ce dernier moins que ceux à qui l'on demande de penser à moins de raisons (ce qui est facile), ce qui démontre que le niveau de difficulté métacognitive éprouvé lors de la génération d'arguments affecte négativement l'évaluation du produit (Schwarz 2001). Par contre, je démontre à travers quatre études que quand les consommateurs attachent une grande importance à un objet attitudinal, cela mène à un effet de polarisation des attitudes et non pas d'atténuation après la génération de plusieurs arguments. Je démontre aussi que cet effet est déclenché par les émotions plaisantes ou déplaisantes que les personnes éprouvent lorsqu'elles affirment leurs attitudes. Ces émotions sont considérées comme l'affect attitude-assertion. Ces quatre études couvrent plusieurs domaines comme l'évaluation de BMW, les principaux candidats lors des dernières élections présidentielles aux États-Unis et les chances de l'équipe hollandaise de gagner la Coupe du Monde de football en Afrique du Sud. Le deuxième essai traite de l'impact affectif de l'engagement avec une catégorie de produits sur le choix des consommateurs. Une plus grande sélection de produits, bien que généralement considérée bénéfique pour les consommateurs, peut diminuer la probabilité de faire un choix de même que le niveau de satisfaction envers l'option choisie (Iyengar et Lepper 2000; Chernev 2003), notamment parce que faire un choix à partir d'une grande sélection de produits est perçu comme étant plus difficile que de choisir à partir d'une petite sélection. En revanche, je montre à travers trois études que des sélections extensives (et non pas limitées) augmentent la satisfaction lorsque les consommateurs sont fortement engagés envers une catégorie de produits à cause de leur niveaux plus élevés d'affect induits par leur implication. De plus, les résultats démontrent que la présence d'une option de défaut dans les grandes sélections est bénéfique tant pour les consommateurs avec un haut niveau d'engagement envers le produit que pour les consommateurs avec un niveau d'engagement plus bas. Les implications managériales et les pistes futures de recherche sont aussi discutées.

Marketers often use scarcity to influence consumers, with announcements such as "limited quantities," "until stocks last," "few tickets left for this event," "limited time offer," or "24 hour sale." Past research indicates that scarcity often has a positive effect on product evaluation. In essay 1, I show that the positive effect of scarcity can be attenuated when consumers' persuasion knowledge is activated. Specifically, I identify four factors – salience of persuasion knowledge (study 1), frequency of exposure to scarcity (study 2), disconfirmation of scarcity (study 3), and decision reversibility (study 4) – that activate persuasion knowledge and hence moderate the effect of scarcity on product evaluation. I also show that these effects are mediated by inferences about falsity of the scarcity claim. In summary, my results suggest that scarcity claims benefit products only when persuasion knowledge is not salient, frequency of exposure to scarcity is low, disconfirmation of scarcity is absent, or decision reversibility is high. In essay 2, I build on reactance theory to argue that scarcity can reduce consumers' perceived flexibility and hence create feelings of inconvenience. Based on this argument, I show that the positive effect of scarcity on product evaluation is moderated by time pressure (study 1), time precision (study 2), store flexibility (study 3), and incentive flexibility (study 4). I also show that these moderating effects are driven by perceived inconvenience associated with scarcity. In summary, my results suggest that scarcity claims benefit products only when time pressure is low, time precision is low, store flexibility is high, or incentive flexibility is high. / Les marketeurs utilisent souvent la rareté pour influencer les consommateurs, avec des annonces du type « quantités limitées, » « jusqu'à épuisement des stocks, » « seulement quelques billets restant pour cet événement, » « offre à durée limitée, » ou « vente 24 heures. » Des recherches précédentes indiquent que la rareté a souvent un effet positif sur l'évaluation de produit. Dans l'essai 1, je démontre que l'effet positif de la rareté peut être atténué quand les connaissances des consommateurs relatives aux techniques de persuasion sont activées. Plus spécifiquement, j'identifie quatre facteurs – la saillance des connaissances relatives aux techniques de persuasion (étude 1), la fréquence d'exposition à la rareté (étude 2), la réfutation de la rareté (étude 3), et la réversibilité de la décision (étude 4) – qui activent les connaissances relatives aux techniques de persuasion et qui modèrent donc l'effet de la rareté sur l'évaluation de produit. Je démontre également que ces effets sont médiés par les inférences faites par les consommateurs quand à la véracité de l'affirmation de rareté. En résumé, mes résultats suggèrent que les affirmations de rareté sont profitables pour un produit uniquement lorsque les connaissances relatives aux techniques de persuasion ne sont pas saillantes, la fréquence d'exposition à la rareté est faible, la réfutation de la rareté est absente, et la réversibilité de la décision est élevée. Dans l'essai 2, je me base sur la théorie de la réactance pour affirmer que la rareté peut réduire la flexibilité perçue par les consommateurs et donc créer un sentiment de désagrément. En me basant sur cette affirmation, je démontre que l'effet positif de la rareté sur l'évaluation de produit est modéré par une contrainte temporelle (étude 1), une précision temporelle (étude 2), la flexibilité du magasin (étude 3), et la flexibilité des incitatifs (étude 4). Je démontre également que ces effets modérateurs sont occasionnés par la perception de désagrément qui est associée à la rareté. En résumé, mes résultats suggèrent que les affirmations de rareté sont profitable pour un produits uniquement lorsque la contrainte temporelle est faible, la précision temporelle est faible, la flexibilité du magasin est élevée, ou la flexibilité des incitatifs est élevée.

This thesis comprises three essays and investigates complex effects of integrated marketing communications, using advanced statistical and econometric models. The first essay focuses on the measurement of complex multi-media communications effects such as thresholds, saturation levels and cross-media synergies. We use, MARS, a non-parametric regression method based on multivariate adaptive splines, and show that it, successfully trading-off the bias reduction and variance increase, performs superior to parametric and non-parametric benchmarks in model fit and predictive validity. The results provide compelling evidence to one or more threshold points, saturation levels, early saturation for newspaper advertisements and support for possible supersaturation for certain media. Moreover, we quantify the observed threshold and saturation levels using non-parametric derivatives and find that majority of the media perform in inefficient spending ranges. The second essay examines the dynamic effects of direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) in a market where regulations impose restrictions on the type and content of prescription pharmaceutical advertising. We identify three research questions that should be of great managerial interest: Whether DTCA is a reasonable option to choose under these regulations. If so, which type of DTCA is more effective, and when? We pursue these questions by examining data on new and refill prescriptions for a novel pharmaceutical through the implementation of an Augmented Kalman Filter with continuous state and discrete observations (AKF(C-D)). Our findings suggest the presence of complex DTCA dynamics for the two types of regulation-induced advertising messages. We discuss implications and provide extensive validation tests that confirm the superiority of our modeling approach. The final essay investigates the influence of market heterogeneity on the consumer and physician directe / Cette thèse comprend trois essais et examine les effets complexes des communications marketing intégrées, utilisant des modèles statistiques et économétriques avancés. Le premier essai se concentre sur la mesure des effets complexes des communications multimédia comme les seuils minimums, les niveaux de saturation et les synergies des médias croisés. Nous utilisons, MARS, une méthode de régression non paramétrique basée sur des courbes adaptatives multivariables, et ce qui démontre qu'équilibrant avec succès la réduction de l'erreur moyenne et de l'écart de l'augmentation, MARS s'exécute mieux aux points de référence paramétriques et non paramétriques dans l'ajustement du modèle et la validité prédictive. Les résultats fournissent la preuve irréfutable d'un ou plusieurs points de seuil minimum, de niveaux de saturation, de la saturation précoce pour les publicités dans la presse écrite et d'un appui pour une possible sursaturation de certains médias. De plus, nous évaluons quantitativement le seuil observé et les niveaux de saturation en utilisant des dérivés non paramétriques et constatons que la majorité des médias s'exécute dans des gammes de dépenses inefficaces.Le deuxième essai examine les effets dynamiques de la publicité directe au consommateur (DTCA) dans un marché où les règlements imposent des restrictions sur le type et le contenu de la publicité pour les prescriptions pharmaceutiques. Nous identifions trois questions de recherche qui devraient être de grand intérêt en gestion, c'est-à-dire : Si la DTCA est une option raisonnable à choisir conformément à ces règlements ? S'il en est ainsi, quel type de DTCA est le plus efficace et quand ? Nous poursuivons ces questions en examinant des données sur les nouvelles prescriptions et les renouvellements de prescriptions pour un nouveau médicament par la mise en oeuvre d'un Filtre Kalman Augm

Globalisation has been a subject of intense debate and continual investigation in academic circles for almost 20 years. However, the opinions on what it is and what impact it makes on national systems are still as diverse and divided as ever. This research is an endeavour to contribute further to the understanding of the processes and outcomes of globalisation by undertaking a cross-national historical study of four university systems and four elite universities over an extended period of time. By comparing and juxtaposing the changes in university objectives, provision, funding and regulation between 1946 and 1996, it seeks to establish whether globalisation has reduced national variations and led to convergence in university policies and practices. This research is structured in three parts. Part I incorporates three chapters: one on the analysis of globalisation and its driving forces; one on the concept of convergence and its manifestations in higher education; and one on the methodology of research. These three chapters together advance an understanding of the mechanisms constituting the convergence hypothesis and its investigation. Part II is comprised of four case studies which provide empirical evidence on the impact of globalisation and the investigation of the hypothesis. Part III provides an integrated analysis of the outcomes as well as a final appraisal of the study itself. Findings show that global forces do have a strong homogenising tendency causing a high level of convergence across cultures and nations. But convergence is not an inevitable outcome of globalisation. A complicated picture of convergence and divergence is found. It is shown to be possible to have convergence in one aspect of the same policy and divergence in another, as in the examples of female participation and medium of instruction. It is also possible to have convergence among some countries but not others, as in the case of university regulation. The actual result depends on, one, the aspect of policy selected for study; and, two, the dynamic interactions of the following factors: the driving impetus of economic globalisation, the powerful influence of hegemonic states and mighty economic and trade supranational organisations, and the willingness and ability of the nation-states to make the changes. That is to say, the impact of global forces is context-bound. The evidence of both convergence and divergence present at the same time vindicates the complexity and contingent nature of the globalisation process. A more accurate assessment of global effects requires a proper conceptualisation of convergence, the necessary investigation of the global-national-institutional interfaces, and longitudinal comparative studies of different cultures and nations, as illustrated by this study. / Subscription resource available via Digital Dissertations only.

The focus of this research is on the role of manufacturer brands for resellers within retail channels. This topic is important because of the strategic value of manufacturer brands and the increasing influence of resellers within channels of distribution. Much of the branding research has emphasised a customer brand knowledge perspective, however emerging perspectives suggest that brands are also relevant to other stakeholders including resellers. In contrast channels research has recognised the manufacturer sources of market power, but has not considered the impact of manufacturer 'push and pull' strategies within channels. A comprehensive theoretical framework therefore did not exist that addressed the reseller perspective of the brand. As a result, a multi-method research design was adopted and consisted of two phases. The first phase involved in-depth interviews, from which a conceptual framework was developed. In the second phase this framework was tested by means of a survey of supermarket buyers on major and minor brands in several product categories. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse the survey responses. The structural model showed very good fit to the data and good construct validity, reliability and stability. Brands have several sources of value to resellers including manufacturer support, brand preference and customer demand which influence the reseller satisfaction with the brand. Reseller satisfaction in turn influences other channel outcomes such as trust, commitment and performance. Minor brands are better able to influence trust and commitment than major brands. A key contribution of this research is the development of a validated conceptual framework on the value of the brand in inter-organisational relationships from the point of view of a reseller. This research shows that it is the resources associated with the brand, not just the brand itself that creates value for resellers in channel relationships.

Globalisation has been a subject of intense debate and continual investigation in academic circles for almost 20 years. However, the opinions on what it is and what impact it makes on national systems are still as diverse and divided as ever. This research is an endeavour to contribute further to the understanding of the processes and outcomes of globalisation by undertaking a cross-national historical study of four university systems and four elite universities over an extended period of time. By comparing and juxtaposing the changes in university objectives, provision, funding and regulation between 1946 and 1996, it seeks to establish whether globalisation has reduced national variations and led to convergence in university policies and practices. This research is structured in three parts. Part I incorporates three chapters: one on the analysis of globalisation and its driving forces; one on the concept of convergence and its manifestations in higher education; and one on the methodology of research. These three chapters together advance an understanding of the mechanisms constituting the convergence hypothesis and its investigation. Part II is comprised of four case studies which provide empirical evidence on the impact of globalisation and the investigation of the hypothesis. Part III provides an integrated analysis of the outcomes as well as a final appraisal of the study itself. Findings show that global forces do have a strong homogenising tendency causing a high level of convergence across cultures and nations. But convergence is not an inevitable outcome of globalisation. A complicated picture of convergence and divergence is found. It is shown to be possible to have convergence in one aspect of the same policy and divergence in another, as in the examples of female participation and medium of instruction. It is also possible to have convergence among some countries but not others, as in the case of university regulation. The actual result depends on, one, the aspect of policy selected for study; and, two, the dynamic interactions of the following factors: the driving impetus of economic globalisation, the powerful influence of hegemonic states and mighty economic and trade supranational organisations, and the willingness and ability of the nation-states to make the changes. That is to say, the impact of global forces is context-bound. The evidence of both convergence and divergence present at the same time vindicates the complexity and contingent nature of the globalisation process. A more accurate assessment of global effects requires a proper conceptualisation of convergence, the necessary investigation of the global-national-institutional interfaces, and longitudinal comparative studies of different cultures and nations, as illustrated by this study. / Subscription resource available via Digital Dissertations only.

The focus of this research is on the role of manufacturer brands for resellers within retail channels. This topic is important because of the strategic value of manufacturer brands and the increasing influence of resellers within channels of distribution. Much of the branding research has emphasised a customer brand knowledge perspective, however emerging perspectives suggest that brands are also relevant to other stakeholders including resellers. In contrast channels research has recognised the manufacturer sources of market power, but has not considered the impact of manufacturer 'push and pull' strategies within channels. A comprehensive theoretical framework therefore did not exist that addressed the reseller perspective of the brand. As a result, a multi-method research design was adopted and consisted of two phases. The first phase involved in-depth interviews, from which a conceptual framework was developed. In the second phase this framework was tested by means of a survey of supermarket buyers on major and minor brands in several product categories. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse the survey responses. The structural model showed very good fit to the data and good construct validity, reliability and stability. Brands have several sources of value to resellers including manufacturer support, brand preference and customer demand which influence the reseller satisfaction with the brand. Reseller satisfaction in turn influences other channel outcomes such as trust, commitment and performance. Minor brands are better able to influence trust and commitment than major brands. A key contribution of this research is the development of a validated conceptual framework on the value of the brand in inter-organisational relationships from the point of view of a reseller. This research shows that it is the resources associated with the brand, not just the brand itself that creates value for resellers in channel relationships.

Globalisation has been a subject of intense debate and continual investigation in academic circles for almost 20 years. However, the opinions on what it is and what impact it makes on national systems are still as diverse and divided as ever. This research is an endeavour to contribute further to the understanding of the processes and outcomes of globalisation by undertaking a cross-national historical study of four university systems and four elite universities over an extended period of time. By comparing and juxtaposing the changes in university objectives, provision, funding and regulation between 1946 and 1996, it seeks to establish whether globalisation has reduced national variations and led to convergence in university policies and practices. This research is structured in three parts. Part I incorporates three chapters: one on the analysis of globalisation and its driving forces; one on the concept of convergence and its manifestations in higher education; and one on the methodology of research. These three chapters together advance an understanding of the mechanisms constituting the convergence hypothesis and its investigation. Part II is comprised of four case studies which provide empirical evidence on the impact of globalisation and the investigation of the hypothesis. Part III provides an integrated analysis of the outcomes as well as a final appraisal of the study itself. Findings show that global forces do have a strong homogenising tendency causing a high level of convergence across cultures and nations. But convergence is not an inevitable outcome of globalisation. A complicated picture of convergence and divergence is found. It is shown to be possible to have convergence in one aspect of the same policy and divergence in another, as in the examples of female participation and medium of instruction. It is also possible to have convergence among some countries but not others, as in the case of university regulation. The actual result depends on, one, the aspect of policy selected for study; and, two, the dynamic interactions of the following factors: the driving impetus of economic globalisation, the powerful influence of hegemonic states and mighty economic and trade supranational organisations, and the willingness and ability of the nation-states to make the changes. That is to say, the impact of global forces is context-bound. The evidence of both convergence and divergence present at the same time vindicates the complexity and contingent nature of the globalisation process. A more accurate assessment of global effects requires a proper conceptualisation of convergence, the necessary investigation of the global-national-institutional interfaces, and longitudinal comparative studies of different cultures and nations, as illustrated by this study. / Subscription resource available via Digital Dissertations only.

The focus of this research is on the role of manufacturer brands for resellers within retail channels. This topic is important because of the strategic value of manufacturer brands and the increasing influence of resellers within channels of distribution. Much of the branding research has emphasised a customer brand knowledge perspective, however emerging perspectives suggest that brands are also relevant to other stakeholders including resellers. In contrast channels research has recognised the manufacturer sources of market power, but has not considered the impact of manufacturer 'push and pull' strategies within channels. A comprehensive theoretical framework therefore did not exist that addressed the reseller perspective of the brand. As a result, a multi-method research design was adopted and consisted of two phases. The first phase involved in-depth interviews, from which a conceptual framework was developed. In the second phase this framework was tested by means of a survey of supermarket buyers on major and minor brands in several product categories. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse the survey responses. The structural model showed very good fit to the data and good construct validity, reliability and stability. Brands have several sources of value to resellers including manufacturer support, brand preference and customer demand which influence the reseller satisfaction with the brand. Reseller satisfaction in turn influences other channel outcomes such as trust, commitment and performance. Minor brands are better able to influence trust and commitment than major brands. A key contribution of this research is the development of a validated conceptual framework on the value of the brand in inter-organisational relationships from the point of view of a reseller. This research shows that it is the resources associated with the brand, not just the brand itself that creates value for resellers in channel relationships.