RESEARCH INTERESTS

My scholarly interests are focused on investigating two specialized areas (1) “deletion” of products and brands by firms and (2) “disposal” of products by consumers. At its very core, business involves creating and marketing a product or brand that meets consumer needs and wants. Thereby two important entities in a business are (1) products/brands and (2) consumers. I found considerable research on purchase and consumption behaviors of consumers, as well as, creation, acquisition, and management of products and brands by firms. However, despite their strategic importance and significant implications for theory, practice, and policy, there is scant research on brand/product deletion strategy and product disposal behaviors. Guided by my research philosophy and the impact these phenomena have in the real world, this research gap fueled my curiosity and drew my attention to these important yet scarcely researched areas.

  • Brand/Product Deletion (Firm perspective)

    To understand the brand/product deletion phenomenon (theoretically, conceptually, and practically).

    Brands are rare and inimitable, intangible resources that significantly contribute to firm performance and have the potential for producing a comparative advantage, which, in turn, may provide a position of sustainable competitive advantage in the marketplace. However, not all brands remain strong and profitable across their life cycles. It is not unusual for several brands in a house-of-brands portfolio to fail to contribute to the value of the brand portfolio or, even, to devalue the brand portfolio. Deleting such weak brands is critical to brand management in order to protect and enhance the value of other important resources such as, the firm’s overall brand portfolio and its strong brands. Despite numerous financial, operational, and strategic advantages, firms are reluctant to delete weak brands. This is because the crucial decision to delete a brand is often complex, emotional, and daunting for managers.

    While the literature strongly supports the importance of brand deletion to brand portfolio management, there is relatively little research on the phenomenon of brand deletion itself. This stream of research fills this research gap, contributes a theoretical foundation to this under-explored field of brand portfolio management, and offers important practical implications for firms, brand/product managers, and brand/product portfolios. The aim of my research is to address this gap in our understanding of brand portfolio management by exploring the phenomenon of brand deletion (theoretically, conceptually, and practically) using qualitative and quantitative methods.

  • Product Disposal (Customer perspective)

    To understand consumers' product disposal behaviors.

    Products carry information that can influence disposal behaviors of customers. One such information is expiration dates on perishable food products.  My research aims to understand the influence of this piece of information in the context of perishable food products. Every year tons of good edible food past its expiration date is disposed by Americans and wasted (Lieb et al, 2013). Therefore, shedding light on the unclarity confusion related to expiration dates is crucial. My research explores consumer experiences, perspectives, and opinions about expiration dates and the confusion surrounding them that influences food disposal and eventually causes food wastage. This line of research holds several implications for consumers, public policy makers, manufacturers, and retailers. The findings suggest that consumers need education on food safety information and freshness characteristics that will enable proper handling, safe food storage, and disposal at the consumers’ end.