Publications

March 2018
Article

How Context Affects Choice

By: Raphael Thomadsen, Robert P. Rooderkerk, On Amir, Neeraj Arora, Bryan Bollinger, Karsten Hansen, Leslie John, Wendy Liu, Aner Sela, Vishal Singh, K. Sudhir and Wendy Wood

Due to its origins in the literature on judgment and decision-making, context effects in marketing are construed exclusively in terms of how choices deviate from utility maximization principles as a function of how choices are presented (e.g., framing, sequence,... View Details

Keywords: Decision Making; Decision Choices and Conditions; Situation or Environment; Consumer Behavior

09 Apr 2024
Book

Why Work Rituals Bring Teams Together and Create More Meaning

can become imbued with meaning, Norton says: “The emotions that people can access with rituals are powerful.” You Might Also Like: Rituals at Work: Teams That Play Together Stay Together Latest Isn’t Always Greatest: Why Product Updates Capture View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding

25 Nov 2009
Working Paper Summaries

The Devil Wears Prada? Effects of Exposure to Luxury Goods on Cognition and Decision Making

Keywords: by Roy Y.J. Chua & Xi Zou; Consumer Products; Consumer Products

January 2009
Supplement

Live Nation Faces the Music (B)

By: Stephen P. Bradley, Frank V. Cespedes and Kerry Herman

In 2008, concert producer and promoter Live Nation, faces a decision about its strategy in light of the tumultuous changes in the music industry and the increasing power of the major artists. As the music business once again recreates itself in response to new... View Details

Keywords: Arts; Transformation; Revenue; Framework; Five Forces Framework; Demand and Consumers; Industry Structures; Relationships; Opportunities; Power and Influence; Business Strategy; Music Industry

19 Oct 2010
First Look

First Look: October 19, 2010

PublicationsFeeling Good about Giving: The Benefits (and Costs) of Self-interested Charitable Behavior Authors:L. Anik, L. B. Aknin, M. I. Norton, and E. W. Dunn Publication:In The Science of Giving: Experimental Approaches to the Study of Charity Abstract While lay... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

2013
Article

Rituals Enhance Consumption

By: J. Vohs, Y. Wang, F. Gino and M. I. Norton

Four experiments tested the novel hypothesis that ritualistic behavior potentiates and enhances the enjoyment of ensuing consumption—an effect found for chocolates, lemonade, and even carrots. Experiment 1 showed that ritual behaviors, compared to a no-ritual... View Details

Keywords: Practice; Satisfaction; Consumer Behavior

June 2019
Article

Debt Traps? Market Vendors and Moneylender Debt in India and the Philippines

By: Dean Karlan, Sendhil Mullainathan and Benjamin Roth

A debt trap occurs when someone takes on a high-interest rate loan and is barely able to pay back the interest, and thus perpetually finds themselves in debt (often by refinancing). Studying such practices is important for understanding financial decision-making of... View Details

Keywords: Borrowing and Debt; Household; Personal Finance; Decision Making; Behavior; India; Philippines

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23 May 2023
Research & Ideas

Face Value: Do Certain Physical Features Help People Get Ahead?

features align with the average features of all people of the same gender, race, and approximate age. Average faces tend to be perceived as more attractive—though they’re not always the most charismatic. The researchers mined psychology, View Details

Keywords: by Kara Baskin

05 Sep 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research and Ideas, September 5, 2017

and rural landlessness. Publisher's link: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=53164 in press Psychological Science Polluted Morality: Air Pollution Predicts Criminal Activity and Unethical Behavior By: Lu, J., J.J. Lee, F.... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

December 2008
Article

Behavioral Frontiers in Choice Modeling

We review the discussion at a workshop whose goal was to achieve a better integration among behavioral, economic, and statistical approaches to choice modeling. The workshop explored how current approaches to the specification, estimation, and application of choice... View Details

Keywords: Mathematical Methods; Integration; Goals and Objectives; Decision Choices and Conditions; Problems and Challenges; Business Processes; Customers; Behavior; Economics

25 Jan 2016
Research & Ideas

When Negotiating a Price, Never Bid with a Round Number

Initial Offer Precision and M&A Outcomes. Their research builds on several previous social psychology studies showing that people place more value on precise numbers than on relatively round numbers. People tend to assume, true or... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

2023
Working Paper

Can Evidence-Based Information Shift Preferences Towards Trade Policy?

By: Laura Alfaro, Maggie X. Chen and Davin Chor

Amid public skepticism about trade, we investigate whether evidence-based information--a concise statement of a research ﬁnding--can shape preferences towards trade policy. Across survey experiments conducted over 2018-2022 on U.S. general population samples, we... View Details

Keywords: Evidence; Preference; Trade Policy; Information; Trade; Policy; Attitudes

September 2003 (Revised January 2005)
Case

Bridges to Excellence: Bringing Quality Health Care to Life

By: Richard M.J. Bohmer, Ingrid Marie Nembhard and Robert Galvin

General Electric launched Bridges to Excellence Diabetes Care Link, a program through which enrolled physicians receive bonuses of up to 10% of their salary for delivering quality care to diabetic patients covered by a participating employer or health plan. A day... View Details

Keywords: Health Care and Treatment; Motivation and Incentives; Programs; Ethics; Quality; Moral Sensibility; Service Delivery; Compensation and Benefits; Health Industry

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Article

The Social Utility of Feature Creep

By: Debora V. Thompson and Michael I. Norton

Previous research shows that consumers frequently choose products with too many features that they later find difficult to use. Our research shows that this seemingly suboptimal behavior may in fact confer benefits when factoring in the social context of consumption.... View Details

Keywords: Impression Management; Social Influence; Conspicuous Consumption; Signaling; Product Features; Consumer Behavior; Information Technology; Experience and Expertise; Status and Position

18 Jun 2020
Research & Ideas

What Is an "Essential" Purchase for a Low-Income Family?

causes. In 11 experiments, they found that—relative to higher-income earners—people with lower incomes were judged more harshly for what they chose to buy, even when the two groups made identical consumer choices. It's a concept Hagerty... View Details

Keywords: by Rachel Layne

10 Apr 2012
First Look

First Look: April 10

psychological safety, and embracing failure and conflict. Individuals who learn to team well acquire knowledge, skills, and networks. Organizations learn to solve complex, cross-disciplinary problems, build stronger and more unified... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

February 2011
Article

Welfare Payments and Crime

By: C. Fritz Foley

Analysis of daily reported incidents of major crimes in twelve U.S. cities reveals an increase in crime over the course of monthly welfare payment cycles. This increase reflects an increase in crimes that are likely to have a direct financial motivation like burglary,... View Details

Keywords: Crime and Corruption; Motivation and Incentives; Welfare; United States

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31 May 2023
HBS Case

From Prison Cell to Nike’s C-Suite: The Journey of Larry Miller

View Video Editor's note: Watch the video in "full screen" mode for the best viewing experience. Before shaping one of the world’s largest sports brands, Nike executive Larry Miller spent years of his youth and early adulthood behind bars for several crimes, including... View Details

Keywords: by Jamal Meneide; Consumer Products; Consumer Products

2017
Working Paper

Reinventing the American Wine Industry: Marketing Strategies and the Construction of Wine Culture

By: Ai Hisano

This working paper examines the remarkable growth of wine consumption in the United States since the 1960s. The country is now the largest wine consumer in the world, exceeding the wine-producing European countries such as France and Italy, which had long dominated... View Details

Keywords: Marketing Strategy; Industry Growth; Transformation; Perception; Food and Beverage Industry; United States

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