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Using in-depth interviews of the CEO/Presidents of 21 small manufacturing firms, this research explored how leaders with a high market-oriented cognitive model have intentionally pursued the implementation of that model and how their activities differed from leaders with a low market-oriented cognitive model. Results indicated that leaders in high market-oriented organizations appeared to be working from cognitive models that reflected market-oriented values, and norms consistent with those suggested by Homburg and Pflesser. Additionally, results indicated strong consistencies across firms in the mechanisms used by leaders to implement their high market-oriented cognitive models and different but equally strong consistencies in the mechanisms used by leaders to implement their low market-oriented cognitive models. Structurally, high market-oriented leaders expressed less departmentalization than low market-oriented firms, used some form of internal customer/supplier networks, had very open communication systems, and established performance management systems designed to initiate and reward market-oriented behaviors among employees.

Businesses will spend millions of dollars associating their products with athletes through product endorsements. Finding the “best” athlete to make the endorsement is a crucial decision. Several theoretical perspectives suggest that the sport from which the athlete comes may be an important factor in producing a favorable consumer response. In a study conducted to investigate the effects of the type of sport on endorsement evaluations, results indicated that the image of the sport, independent of the athlete, can contribute significantly to the consumer’s response to an endorsement. The image of the sport can enhance, or detract from, the effects of the personality and appearance of the athlete making the endorsement. These findings suggest the managers should consider the sport, as well as the athlete carefully, when picking a product spokesperson.

When studying applicants' job attribute preferences, researchers have used either direct estimates (DE) of importance or regression-derived statistical weights from policy-capturing (PC) studies. Although each methodology has been criticized, no research has examined the efficacy of weights derived from either method for predicting choices among job offers. In this study, participants were assigned to either a DE or PC condition, and weights for 14 attribute preferences were derived. Three weeks later, the participants made choices among hypothetical job offers. As predicted, PC weights outperformed DE weights when a noncompensatory strategy was assumed, and DE weights outperformed PC weights when a compensatory strategy was assumed. Implications for researchers' choice of methodology when studying attribute preferences are discussed.

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