Figure: A Representation of Knowledge Generation and Sharing at Universities
My research interests span various areas within the field of marketing, incorporating theories from consumer psychology, economics, and organizational ecology. Strategy, brand management, innovation, product development and pricing are my main research domains.
With Ibrahim Unalmis (Professor of Economics), we investigate the impact of strategic planning on management quality across different countries. By utilizing an established marketing model, we analyze an evolving market, where the choice between high and low flexibility strategies in capacity utilization determines the quantity of goods supplied over time. Our findings reveal that firms pursuing high flexibility strategies may underperform if short-term cost advantages are coupled with increased demand uncertainty. Additionally, we explore the relationship between strategic planning capability and management quality across a sample of 7,299 companies from 35 countries. Notably, our findings highlight that the increase in strategic planning is more costly for manufacturing firms operating in high technology industries in the United States and Canada compared to their counterparts in other regions, aligning with longstanding critiques of strategic planning.
Another focal area of my research revolves around pricing dynamics, which I believe is strongly influenced by the economic environment in which firms operate. I have been involved in two working papers alongside my doctoral co-advisors, Koen Pauwels (Distinguished Professor of Marketing) and Berk Ataman (Associate Professor of Marketing), as well as a research project with Erdem Basci (Professor of Economics). In the first working paper, we delve into explaining the phenomenon of price response asymmetry at the brand-SKU level, examining a dataset encompassing 243,150 product time-series from 2,178 brands across 742 retail stores in consumer markets in the United States. We adopt the regulatory focus theory from psychology to shed light on this phenomenon, incorporating labor market resilience as an operational variable that moderates the process. In the second working paper, we explore the asymmetry in relation to the business cycle. Additionally, our research project aims to reconcile macroeconomic theories with empirical evidence on brand pricing, specifically focusing on temporal asymmetries in the context of the business cycle.
In my research on new product development, I collaborate with a research group at the IE Business School in Madrid, including Eda Sayin, Yegyu Han, and Jeanne Kim, all Assistant Professors of Marketing. Together, we employ a multi-method approach combining empirical analysis and laboratory experiments to examine the factors contributing to crowdsourcing success. Furthermore, in collaboration with Alexa Burmester, an Assistant Professor of Marketing, we explore the role of team dynamics in the success of developing complex products.
Within the realm of digital marketing, I have contributed to the SAGE Handbook of Digital Marketing with a chapter published in 2022. This chapter provides a theory-based review of e-commerce types from the lens of transaction cost economics, offering valuable insights into this rapidly evolving field.
I co-authored a research paper titled “Privacy Concerns in Consumer E-commerce Activities and Response to Social Media Advertising: Empirical Evidence from Europe” with Tekin Kose, an Associate Professor of Economics. Our study investigates the relationship between consumers’ micro-level response to social media advertisements, their participation in e-commerce, and their online privacy protection activities. Drawing on a representative sample of 153,053 consumers from 29 European countries, our findings underscore the significance of empowering consumers with control over their online privacy to foster online demand and promote positive responses to social media advertising. For this research project with Dr. Kose, we reinstated TED University as a research university with the European Commission and were able to gain access to Eurostat microlevel datasets.
Looking forward, I am particularly intrigued by emerging trends, such as the impact of artificial intelligence, blockchain, and augmented reality on marketing strategies and brand management, especially when, global need for responsibility in environmental and social issues are increasing. I desire to foster a collaborative and inclusive research environment. I actively seek interdisciplinary collaborations and embrace diverse perspectives. Additionally, I am dedicated to mentoring and guiding students in their research endeavors, to pass on a passion for rigorous inquiry in their academic and professional pursuits.
In summary, I consider myself a theory-savvy empirical modeler in marketing, driven by a desire to contribute through high-quality research. I am seeking an institution that offers resources and support original research and scholarship.