To be, or not to be .. alone

To be alone, or to be one among many? This is a question of survival also for fish stored on ice at the supermarket. Mark Pasquine questions consumer's choice in his PhD.

09.06.2008 10:32 - Kristin Risvand Mo

Mark Pasquine. Photo: Kristin Risvand Mo

Imagine you were a producer of organic fish. Will a higher proportion of organic to non-organic fish alternatives shown in the supermarket increase the chances that consumers will buy your fish instead of another company's fish?

- My assumption is that a consumer's decision to buy organic versus regular will be influenced by the displayed selection of fish. And that a larger selection of organic fish will generally attract more consumers to organic fish.

Why?
- This is based on research that has shown that the context in which products are displayed influences purchase decisions when consumers are faced with a hard trade-off between available choices, such as environmental responsibility versus price or taste.

- We know that context can influence consumer decisions in simplified lab experiments, usually limited to three alternatives, but we don't know as much about the strength of context effects in the real world. So, I'm thinking about conducting my research in a more natural environment.

What is your academic background?
- I have a Bachelor in Political Science from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, and an MBA from Babson College (Boston); one of the top schools for MBA programs in entrepreneurship (ranked by Financial Times and Wall Street Journal). I also worked in direct marketing, for a financial services company and a couple of adverting agencies, for seven years.

How did you end up at NHH?
- I have a fiancée from Fosnavåg near Ålesund. We met in Boston, were she worked for Hallvard Lerøy. After half a year I had to choose between following her back to Norway or continuing my career in USA.

I ended up selling my car, quitting my job and packing my bags. In Bergen, I worked on a project for the Norwegian Seafood Export Council, to research the market for cold water shrimp in the US and at the same time I applied to the PhD program at NHH.

Why research?
- I wanted to stay in Norway and was looking for a job. The research project fits my background and I've long been interested in teaching at the university level. My marketing experience relates to research when it comes to methodology and a focus on consumers. Except from that, it is a rather different world I'm a part of now.

What are your research interests?
- Consumer choice psychology, international marketing, business to business marketing and brand valuation.

What are you working on now?
- I'm reading literature and writing about consumer choice; mostly trying to formulate my research question as clearly and completely as possible. I'm also doing a lot of teaching.

What makes the difference in the working environment between Norway and the USA?
- In some ways, the working situation here is less stressful. In the US I was used to tight schedules, clear demands and expectations and significant pressure to perform. The challenge here is to motivate yourself to work efficiently without a defined structure. In the Norwegian system you are much more responsible for creating you own way of working.

If you would have to choose another occupation, what would it be?
- Bass player in a rock band.

What is your favorite professional book?
- Kathleen Eisenhardt is my favorite academic journal writer. She is a professor of Strategy and Organization at Stanford University.

… and your favorite night table book?
- Bill Bryson Down Under. A funny book, Bryson writes about travelling experiences, trying to find the "real Australia".

Where do you see yourself in ten years?
- Married, kids… (laughs). Either in a consultancy firm or in academia at NHH. I am very happy with my job and I like the combination of research and teaching.