For years, insurance distribution remained largely unchanged – relying primarily on independently affiliated agents and brokers. The process of selling to and servicing insurance customers was for the most part based on “high-touch” customer encounters. These interactions consumed a lot of time and energy – requiring agents to educate and assist customers with their research and subsequent purc...

Much of human behavior is directed toward goals: fi nding food, selling services, curing cancer, making meaning. Achieving goals requires action. Action requires effort. Effort requires energy and attention applied over time. Effort overcomes obstacles. Obstacles tax our patience, sap our resolve, and cause us stress. English (as well as many other languages) includes many metaphors that frame ...

Firms selling goods whose quality level deteriorates over time often face difficult decisions when unsold inventory remains. Since the leftover product is often perceived to be of lower quality than the new product, carrying it over offers the firm a second selling opportunity and an ability to price discriminate. By doing so, however, the firm subjects sales of its new product to competition f...

Although take-it-or-leave-it pricing is the main mode of operation for many retailers, a number of retailers discreetly allow price negotiation when some haggle-prone customers ask for a bargain. At these retailers, the posted price, which itself is subject to dynamic adjustments in response to the pace of sales during the selling season, serves two important roles: (i) it is the take-it-or-lea...

W characterize the effect of anticipated regret on consumer decisions and on firm profits and policies in an advance selling context where buyers have uncertain valuations. Advance purchases trigger action regret if valuations turn out to be lower than the price paid, whereas delaying purchase may cause inaction regret from missing a discount or facing a stockout. Consumers whom we describe as ...

this research aims to apply a model to the study and analysis of environmental and natural resource costs created in supply chains of goods and services produced in thailand, and propose indicators for environmental problem management, caused by goods and services production, based on concepts of sustainable production and consumer behavior. the research showed that the highest environmental co...