Zeppelin Universität gemeinnützige GmbH

Data-driven decision-making is increasingly prevalent but can clash with managerial beliefs, risking biased decisions. A prime example is pricing strategy optimization, where traditional methods for estimating price elasticities of demand often lead to counter-intuitive results due to model misspecification and the reliance on single-point estimates. To address this, we propose utilizing structural vector-autoregressions (SVARs) to generate identified sets of elasticities, integrating managerial beliefs into the analysis to improve decision-making processes. Using weak restrictions about the directional effects of supply and demand shocks on sales and prices, and assumptions about the functioning of in-store promotions effectively sharpens the identified sets. Specifically, we analyze the demand for beer at a large scale for 1,953 stores in the US. For many stores (i.e., at least 40%), both recent endogeneity-robust single-equation methods and alternative identification strategies for SVARs used in marketing studies yield positive price elasticity estimates that oppose behavioral fundamentals. Hence, these are hardly informative for designing pricing strategies. Instead, the suggested approach to set identification yields elasticity estimates that are sufficiently precise to improve the design of retail pricing strategies and offer insights into customer’s distinct price sensitivities in grocery and drug stores. Overall, our approach emphasizes the importance of combining data-driven analysis with managerial insights for evidence-based decision-making.

In the battle against unethical behavior in organizations, fostering employees' moral courage proves vital beyond conventional regulation and compliance efforts. To propel this frontier and empower individuals to uphold moral values, a robust measure of workplace moral courage becomes imperative. This paper introduces the Workplace Moral Courage Scale (WMCS), which, unlike previous measures, stands out by capturing the diverse ways in which moral courage can manifest in workplace settings. Building on data from two diverse German employee samples (total N = 995), we unveil five distinct factors: challenging colleague and supervisor misconduct, opposing unethical orders, confessing mistakes, and initiating positive changes. The WMCS exhibits good psychometric properties and convergent and discriminant validity. Confirming its concurrent validity, the WMCS effectively predicts various forms of employee silence, even after controlling for organizational influences. The paper concludes with a discussion of the results and implications of the WMCS.

This paper studies the impact of real convergence in the EU countries on inflation synchronization between these countries and the Eurozone. Inflation co-movement between the Eurozone and the EU countries serves as an important measure of the adequacy of the single monetary policy for both current and future members of the common currency area. We report three major results. First, countries with higher relative GDP per capita in the EU countries report stronger inflation co-movement. Second, the relationship between real convergence and the inflation synchronization is non-linear. Third, lower income inequality is associated with greater inflation co-movement. Our findings suggest that real convergence in the EU is associated with stronger inflation synchronization between the EU countries and Eurozone and more effective common monetary policy in the long run. These results provide support for the “coronation theory” which underscores that monetary integration should follow, rather than precede, the process of real convergence. We show that for the catching-up countries with relatively high GDP per capita the value of waiting for the income gap to narrow is limited as additional convergence implies only moderate increase in inflation co-movement.

When individuals committed to a certain long‐term identity goal fall short of relevant activities, they experience the state of self‐incompleteness. This motivational state leads them to prioritize the identity goal pursuit by engaging in self‐symbolizing behaviours. The present research investigates whether inducing a deliberative mindset in incomplete individuals by offering a choice will lead to a stronger preference for more effective options. In four studies, committed runners ( N = 625) chose between two available options. In Studies 1 and 2, runners who experienced self‐incompleteness were more likely to choose a more effective massage roller than runners who experienced self‐completeness. In Studies 3 and 4, incomplete runners preferred a more effective phone application than complete runners. In Study 4, this effect was independent of a social reality induction. Further analyses revealed that effectiveness was related to the perceived effort of an option. Even though from a rational point of view people should prefer options that require less effort, participants committed to the identity goal of being a runner preferred to deal with their self‐incompleteness feelings by engaging in the more effective but effortful means.

Research indicates that family firms often engender a sense of trustworthiness among stakeholders. However, little is known as to whether this trustworthiness is beneficial or detrimental to family firms in the face of an ethical scandal. Ethical transgressions can profoundly undermine stakeholders’ perceptions of a firm’s integrity and benevolence. Our research examines how stakeholders perceive and react to ethical transgressions committed by family firms, as compared to those committed by non-family firms. Drawing upon expectancy violations theory and social identity theory, we theorize that while family firms inherently enjoy a higher degree of trustworthiness, they suffer significantly more in the aftermath of an ethical transgression. Two scenario-based experimental studies support our theorizing, demonstrating that family firms experience a steeper decline in trustworthiness following an ethical transgression than do non-family firms. We uncover the psychological processes behind this finding, revealing that this vulnerability is attributed to heightened stakeholder expectations and pronounced identification with family firms. We empirically show that expectancy violations primarily diminish integrity perceptions, while identity threats degrade benevolence perceptions of family firms. This research broadens the understanding of ethics in family firms, highlighting how their initially perceived trustworthiness may become a double-edged sword during ethical crises.

Research suggests that acting more extraverted (outgoing, assertive, and/or energetic) boosts subjective well‐being in the short term for most people; however, some work indicates that acting more extraverted could be aversive for those who are relatively more introverted. To further understand participants' experiences in extraverted behavior interventions, we analyzed free‐response data from a study in which undergraduate participants generated ideas on desirable outcomes, anticipated obstacles, and prospective plans in their efforts to act more sociable. Additionally, to understand the potential relationship between components of person‐activity fit (how natural, enjoyable, and meaningful a person finds an intervention activity like acting more extraverted), we conducted exploratory correlational analyses between the components of fit, personality traits, desire to change extraversion, and the endorsement of outcomes, challenges, and plans identified from our thematic qualitative analysis. Our results suggest four main takeaways: (a) dispositional and situational shyness are highly prevalent challenges that bear on behavioral efforts to act more sociable; (b) lack of specificity in participant‐generated plans to act more sociable and their focus on thoughts and feelings instead of actionable behavior may inhibit desired behavior change; (c) participants' sense that their own personality serves as a barrier to desired change is negatively related to how natural, enjoyable, and meaningful they rate the intervention; and (d) more agreeable participants rate the intervention as more enjoyable and meaningful. We close by offering theoretical and practical recommendations for future research and interventions focused on fostering extraverted behaviors.