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When modern‐day students of marketing turned from the economic explanation of consumer behavior, learning theory was one of the first resources in which they sought more useful alternative concepts. This was a logical move for two reasons: because of the abundance of research conducted in psychology and social psychology; and because learning is close to the central interest of many of those concerned with consumer behavior. However, marketing scholars have given little consideration to one of the most influential perspectives developed in psychology‐the instrumental‐learning approach stimulated by the work of B. F. Skinner. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of instrumental learning and demonstrate its application in a marketing situation.

Using the Internet to carry out their schemes, fraudsters now have access to the consumers of the world as well as the potential to destroy the image of an entire country. One particular type of Internet fraud, known as the Nigerian money fraud, has become associated with that nation, damaging the brand equity of the country and its region, Africa. The purpose of this article is to discuss the impact that the electronic version of the Nigerian money fraud may have had on the brand equity of Nigeria and Africa and what steps can be taken to diminish these negative effects.

This paper aims to extend knowledge about virtual teams and their advantages and disadvantages in a global business environment.

Based on a literature review and reported findings from interviews with experts and practitioners in the field, the paper has identified and discussed the advantages and problems associated with creating and managing virtual teams.

In today's competitive global economy, organizations capable of rapidly creating virtual teams of talented people can respond quickly to changing business environments. Capabilities of this type offer organizations a form of competitive advantage.

By identifying the advantages and problems associated with virtual teams, organizations will be better able to successfully establish and manage such teams.

The purpose of this study is to test theoretically based hypotheses linking task and team-shared mental models (SMMs) with multiple dimensions of conflict and conflict asymmetry. SMMs are viewed as an underlying mechanism of team processes. While current research has begun to clarify their influence on functional team processes, their influence on dysfunctional processes is still unknown.

The survey was administered to 17 graduate business classes working on intense semester-long group projects. A total of 295 individual responses were received which comprised 90 (N = 90) teams.

Results suggest that team SMMs reduce all dimensions of conflict and relationship conflict asymmetry, while task SMMs increase all dimensions of conflict and relationship conflict asymmetry.

This study captured the influence of SMMs on conflict at one stage of group development. Future research should examine the impact of SMMs on conflict at multiple stages of group development.

This study contributes to the literature on both mental models and conflict. In addition, based on our literature review, it was the first to empirically link SMMs and conflict asymmetry.

The purpose of this study is to determine the extent that extrinsic product attributes (brand name/packaging) influence consumers' perceptions and resulting evaluation of intrinsic product attributes, quality, and purchase intention.

A 2 (brand) x 2 (treatment group) experimental “taste‐test” design was created using two brands of cookies (national versus store brand) and two treatment conditions (whether the cookie was in its respective package or placed in the competitor's package). T‐tests were used to compare mean scores of six product attributes (taste, texture, appearance, purchase intent, value) measured on five‐point bi‐polar adjective Likert scales.

Subjects' evaluations of the national brand were significantly higher compared to the store brand across five of the six cues with the exception of value (as measured by willingness to pay MSRP) when the national brand was in its respective packaging. Subjects also rated the national higher on four of the six cues when it was in the store brand bag. The reverse was not found when the store brand cookie was in the national brand bag.

The results suggest that store brand managers must increase the quality of their product if they expect to capture market share from the national brands. Further research is recommended using other brands and product categories.

Store brands may be able to narrow the market share gap with the national brands only if the quality of the store brands increase. Consumers are more objective in evaluating intrinsic cues than previously thought.

Offers a fresh outlook for managing the delicate interaction between the customer and the contact employee in the service environment. Emphasizes that the quality of the customer‐employee interfacehas a great effect on customers′ perceptions of the quality and value of the service, as well as on their satisfaction. Suggests a model of how companies can improve this interface by treating employees ascustomers and customers as employees, thus developing lower cost and higher quality services and also higher levels of satisfaction on the part of both customers and employees. Recommends various steps for management to take.

This “viewpoint” article aims to chronicle the history and evolution of the Journal of Services Marketing from 1987 through 2011, from the vantage point of Professor Charles L. Martin, who served on the journal's Editorial Advisory Board from 1987‐1990 and as Editor from 1990 to the present day.

The article summarizes the events and publisher's philosophy leading up to the founding of the journal, and discusses the policies/practices and content of the journal from 1987 through 2011.

The journal has evolved as the field of services marketing has evolved – from many conceptual, “how to” and idea articles to those more empirically‐based and theory‐driven. However, the journal's commitment to managerial implications or other implications continues.

Understanding the history and evolution of the journal promises to help service researchers better understand the field's archives, identify gaps in the literature and position their research for the future. The paper promises to help service researchers and business practitioners alike to understand that the field of services marketing is not static; rather it has evolved and developed over the years and will continue to do so in the future.

It is useful for any organization – including journals – to periodically document and reflect on its history in order to set its sights on the future.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the possibility that individual differences in consumer choice of cognac are at least partially influenced by parental cultural capital. Also examined are ten value orientations factors (e.g. hedonism and self-direction) and attitudes toward France, cognac’s country-of-origin that may affect the degree of this intergenerational influence.

The survey research measures parents’ cultural capital, value orientations and attitude toward France and purchase intention using recognized scales. Data were collected from the faculty and students of a major university located in the southeast of the USA. The sample size was 234.

The results confirm that parental cultural capital, consumer value orientations and attitudes toward France have significant impacts on the consumer’s willingness to purchase cognac. Adult children of high cultural capital parents are more likely to buy cognac.

The findings of this paper provide meaningful insights into intergenerational influences on consumer purchase intention of cognac and socialization theory. The paper provides several managerial implications for segmentation, targeting and positioning of cognac in the US market.

As the first of its kind, this paper introduces the parents’ cultural capital into the consumer research regarding cognac. The longer-term effects that parents can have on grown children’s consumer behavior are confirmed, suggesting that parental influence persists well into adulthood and has impact on their brand preference.

The growth in the number of marketing firms emphasising international perspectives in both their philosophy and scope of operations points to the need for additional studies focused on marketing practices in other nations. A knowledge of the nature of the relationship between marketing structure, marketing practices, and the environment in which the marketing institution operates is essential. This article reports on a research study which assesses the relationship between the size of household appliance distributors in Nigeria, and the economic, technological, and socio‐cultural environment. It also examines how the existing relationship could explain the marketing practices.