This paper analyses the market for professional (expert) services where the experts are motivated by reputational concerns. A key feature of such markets, which is often overlooked, is that clients can have specific characteristics that affect their evaluation of the service, and (or) the...

We analyze the problem of strategic poaching of consultants by clients with particular reference to the business consulting industry. This article presents a market equilibrium in a mixed economy where three categories of agents, consulting groups, client firms and consultants strategically...

The delisting of brands is frequently used by retailers to strengthen their negotiating position with the manufacturers and suppliers of their product assortment. However, retailers and manufacturers have to consider the risk of potential reactions when customers are faced with a reduced or...

In general, consumer preferences depend on the context of a decision situation. This paper highlights the context-dependence of substitution behavior in out-of-stock (OOS) situations and provides evidence for the relevance of promotion as essential driver of customers' OOS reactions. We...

The paper discusses the nested logit model for choices between a set of mutually exclusive alternatives (e.g. brand choice, strategy decisions, modes of transportation, etc.). Due to the ability of the nested logit model to allow and account for similarities between pairs of alternatives, the...

The following research is guided by the hypothesis that products chosen on a shopping trip in a supermarket can indicate the preference interdependencies between different products or brands. The bundle chosen on the trip can be regarded as the result of a global utility function. More...

The need to understand and leverage consumer-brand bonds has become critical in a marketplace characterized by increasing unpredictability, diminishing product differentiation, and heightened competitive pressure. This is especially true for fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) manufacturers and...

Context effects can have a major influence on brand choice behavior after the introduction of a new product. Based on behavioral literature, several hypotheses about the effects of a new brand on perception, preferences and choice behavior can be derived, but studies with real choice data are...

In this paper we estimate and empirically test different behavioral theories of consumer reference price formation. Two major theories are proposed to model the reference price reaction: assimilation contrast theory and prospect theory. We assume that different consumer segments will use...