Research Area Leader
Dr Rui Bi
Research Area Leader
Dr Abhishek Dwivedi
This Research Area (RA) is focused on the key marketing areas of customer behaviour and marketing practice. Within customer behaviour, our researchers are investigating problems relating to social (including health) and environmental marketing, the nature and function of branding, consumer responses to brand extensions, understanding the motivations behind purchase decisions, and consumer responses to marketing communications (eg celebrity endorsements). Within the area of marketing practice, research is being conducted on value creation, innovation, entrepreneurship and how practitioners are currently applying marketing techniques and processes. Research in marketing has been recognised by the ERA as being of world standard (a rating of 3) in the last two assessments in 2015 and 2018.
Consistent with Charles Sturt University's primarily regional location, our research is focused on the regional context; however we also conduct research at a national level as well cross-culturally given the university's stated aim to "create new knowledge and practice that creates solutions for the benefit of our communities locally, nationally and internationally". A good example of this is recent research on the implementation of the NDIS, importance of tourism in regional areas and how human can co-exist with animals such as Kangaroos and shark management.
Our RA members have expertise in a range of qualitative techniques. This includes multimodal sentiment analysis, and common qualitative analysis approaches, as well as narrative analysis. Regarding quantitative analysis techniques, in addition to the common multivariate approaches, our researchers are experienced in using structural equation modelling (SEM), partial least squares (PLS), discrete choice modelling techniques and multi-level modelling. We have also expertise in the use of simulations to understand complex systems, such as retailing and business development.
Our researchers work actively with external partners. Past industry and government research partners include:
Our research has previously been published in a range of reputed peer-reviewed marketing journals, including:
| Photo | Name | Title/Position | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Morrison | Professor | Bathurst |
|
| Rui Bi | Senior Lecturer | Albury |
| Ian Coghlan | Adjunct Lecturer | Albury |
|
| Abhishek Dwivedi | Associate Professor | Albury |
| Jodie Kleinschafer | Lecturer | Bathurst |
| Morgan Miles | Adjunct Professor | Bathurst |
| Tahmid Nayeem | Senior Lecturer | Albury |
| Felicity Small | Senior Lecturer | Bathurst |
| Project Name | Brief Description | Funding Body | Investigators |
|---|---|---|---|
| Social and Environmental Marketing | |||
| Climate Change Segmentation and Communications | Replicates and extends Maibach et. al. (2011) Six America's household segmentation analysis in Australia. | Charles Sturt and ILWS | Mark Morrison, Roderick Duncan, Kevin Parton and Chris Sherley |
| Social media and shark mitigation policy | Explores public attitudes, perceptions, thresholds, and boundaries in relation to shark management in NSW, including applying multi and mixed-method | Department of Primary Industries (NSW) | Michael Mehmet, Pete Simons |
| Transformative consumer research: The implementation of NDIS in regional NSW | Looks at the transition to a more consumer based model of disability services. | Association of Consumer Research, USA. | Jodie Kliensafer, Felicity Small, Monia Niki (UOW) |
| Improving the drinking culture in Australia | Examines factors which determine binge drinking and how consumer education can prevent this. | Memento Hospitality | Steven D’Alessandro, Leanne Carter (MQ), Cynthia Webster (MQ). |
| Understanding farmer burnout | Looks at the emotional stresses and strains on farmers and how these can be prevented | David Falapu, Linda Ovington, Morgan Miles. | |
| Gay tourism: Saviour of the regions. | Examines the impact of Mardi-gras on regional gay tourism and community development | Clifford Lewis, Felicity Small. Michael Mehmet. | |
| Human factors in Cybersecurity | Considers the human aspect of cybersecurity and how practices can be improved. | Steven D’Alessandro and Terry Bossomaier. | |
| Cultural values, political ideology and luxury consumption in China | Professor Steven D'Alessandro, Professor Lester Johnson and Dr Gong Sun (Macquarie) | ||
| Branding and Tourism | |||
| Adoption of supply chain integrity devices: What do consumers value? | Examines industry and market acceptance of assurance of quality mechanisms in beef. | Meat Livestock Australia | Mark Frost Paul Forbes, Morgan Miles and Steven D’Alessandro |
| Brand Extension Feedback Effects: A Mediated Model | Traditionally, the effect of consumers' brand extension attitude on change in parent brand equity is conceptualised and modelled as a direct effect, thus probably obfuscating underlying processes that allow the conversion of attitudes to reciprocal equity evaluations. The present research examines consumers' value perceptions as mediating the impact of extension derived attitudes on change in brand equity. The study thus explicates vital underlying processes of feedback effects. | Abhishek Dwivedi and Bill Merrilees (Griffith). | |
| Brand Extension Feedback Effects on Relationships and Loyalty | Investigates the impact of brand extensions on consumers' loyalty with moderating influences. | Abhishek Dwivedi and Bill Merrilees (Griffith) | |
| Brand-extension Feedback Effects: an Asian Branding Perspective | Most of the literature on feedback effects emanates from the West, and is thus relevant to Western brands. The purpose of this paper is to model the impact of brand-extensions on parent brand-equity within the Asian (specifically Indian) context. Additionally, parent brand trust is examined as a new antecedent of brand-extension feedback. This research is a first-of-its-kind from the Asian region (specifically, India) to measure brand-extension feedback effects on change in brand-equity of a parent brand. | Abhishek Dwivedi and Les Johnson (Swinburne). | |
| From Paddock to plate: Farm to local institution supply chain development | Regional Development Australia | Mark Frost, Morgan Miles. Branka Krivokapic-Skoko. | |
| Regional Tourism and Branding | Looks at push (motivation factors) and pull (attractions0 which influence millennials and over 55 year olds to visit regional and rural Australia | Clifford Lewis, Steven D’Alessandro, Abhishek Dwivedi | |
| Other | |||
| Determinants of research performance in Australian and New Zealand Universities | Considers the role of university strategy and practice versus individual motivation in determining research performance. | Steven D’Alessandro, Lauren Gellatly and Leanne Carter (MQ). | |
| Agent based modelling simulations and complex systems. | This research seeks to understand the challenges in the retail sector from online competition by the development of simulations | Steven D’Alessandro, Terry Bossomaier. | |
| Formative vs Reflective Models | Empirical comparison of formative and reflective conceptualisations. | Abhishek Dwivedi, Steven D’Alessandro | |
| Students' Satisfaction and Complaints with Online Resource Material: A Cross-Cultural Examination | Cross-cultural investigation of student perceptions of university digital servicescapes. The purpose of this study is to examine students' satisfaction, expectations, cultural values and complaint behaviour. The study will be conducted using an online survey across five countries. The data will be analysed using regression and cluster to determine the nature of the relationship between the factors and identified different consumer groups based on complaint behaviour. The whole project will be examined using cross-cultural values to see the affect of culture on interaction, satisfaction and complaint behaviour in online education | Charles Sturt | Felicity Small, and David Dowell (Aberystwyth Uni) |
| Project Name | Brief Description | Funding Body | Investigators |
|---|---|---|---|
Social and Environmental Marketing | |||
| Social Research for the Great Eastern Ranges Initiatives | Application of marketing tools to natural resource management | NSW Environmental Trust and Hawkesbury Nepean CMA | Mark Morrison, Jenni Greig, Michael Lockwood (UTAS), David Waller (UTS) and Rod McCulloch (USC) |
| Closing the Recycling Loop | Explores consumers' responses to products made using recycled products. The purpose of this project is to examine and understand consumers' knowledge and attitudes towards products made from recycled materials, and how that affects their purchase intentions and behaviours. The overall aim is to try to understand consumers' demand for this kind of product and how this will ultimately affect the supply chains for organisations. | Charles Sturt | Felicity Small, Jodie Kleinschafer, and David Dowell (Aberystwyth Uni) |
| Encouraging Landholder Participation in Market Based Instruments and Incentive Programs | Understanding marketing tools in a natural resource management context. Market segmentation tools were used to identify different landholder segments, the drivers of participation in incentive programs and how participation differs across segments. Research provides insights into how to communicate more effectively with landholder segments. | Land and Water Australia, Central West and Northern Rivers CMA's | Mark Morrison, Jenni Greig, Jeanette Durante and John Ward (CSIRO) |
| Online health forums, social capital and co-created value | Examined the role of health forums as a source of expertise and support for those with chronic conditions and their carers. | Steven D’Alessandro, Susan Stewart Loane (Macquarie) and Cynthia Webster (Macquaire). | |
| Consumer behaviour and branding | |||
| Customer Equity Drivers in Australian Supermarket Retailing | Examined a model of brand, value and relationship equities in impacting loyalty intentions | Abhishek Dwivedi | |
| Brand Extension Feedback Effects in Australia | Tested a holistic model of brand extension feedback | Abhishek Dwivedi and Bill Merrilees (Griffith) | |
| Celebrity Endorsers and The Trust-Commitment Framework | This study extended the endorsement literature by examining it in the trust–commitment framework. Specifically, the trust–commitment framework is examined as a mediator of the effect of endorser credibility on consumer perceived brand equity as well as consumer expectations of relationship continuity. The conceptual model is estimated using a sample of 525 Indian consumers that evaluate some of the major Indian telecom sector brand-and-endorser combinations. | Abhishek Dwivedi and Les Johnson | |
| Cultural values, political ideology and luxury consumption in China | Research which examined the changing impact of political values compared with more traditional values in China on luxury consumption. | Steven D’Alessandro, Gong Sun and Lester Johnson (Swinburne). | |
| Research on brand switching in mobile phones | Examined the role of inertia and market conditions of fairness and trust as factors which influence switching | Steven D’Alessandro, Leanne Carter (Macquarie) and David Gray. | |
| Name | Award | Topic | Supervisor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jason Howarth | PhD | MOOCS as a pathway to university study | Steven D’Alessandro, |
| Reece George | PhD | Understanding Indigenous perspectives in social marketing | Steven D’Alessandro, |
| Eyad Shammout | PhD | Culture, materialism and luxury consumption in the Middle East | Steven D’Alessandro, |
| Hassan Jamil | PhD | Working from home: Microbusinesses owners / home users’ cyber-practices and risk perceptions. | Steven D’Alessandro, |
| Emily Webster | PhD | Reinvigorating regional communities through entrepreneurial activity | Morgan Miles, |
| Samantha Ward | DBA | Is marketing orientation a way forward for Australian universities? | Steven D’Alessandro, |
| Rebecca Harris | DBA | The influences of hedonic and utilitarian motivations on user experience and engagement within the tertiary student credit card market | Steven D’Alessandro, |
| Olive Lockett | Hons. | Building a framework for organising LGBTIQA+ Pride events in Regional Communities | Felicity Small, |
The following opportunities exist in Marketing:
| Supervisor | Topic |
|---|---|
| Professor Mark Morrison mmorrison@csu.edu.au 02 6338 4253 |
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| Dr Rui Bi rbi@csu.edu.au 02 6051 9321 |
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| Dr Abhishek Dwivedi adwivedi@csu.edu.au 02 60519815 |
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| Dr Jodie Kleinschafer jkleinschafer@csu.edu.au 02 6338 4851 |
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| Dr Clifford Lewis cllewis@csu.edu.au 02 6338 6364 |
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| Dr Tahmid Nayeem tnayeem@csu.edu.au 02 6051 9291 |
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Dr Felicity Small fsmall@csu.edu.au 02 6338 4242 |
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