Neal Hooker   is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics at The Ohio State University.  He has also worked at Colorado State University and Texas A&M University.  He holds a research, teaching, and extension position in the general areas of agribusiness marketing, management, policy, and international trade. Dr. Hooker’s work focuses on the economics of food quality and particularly the management and marketing of safety and nutrition attributes by all types and sizes of agricultural and food firms.  Hooker holds a Ph.D. in Resource Economics from the University of Massachusetts, a M.A. in Economics from the University of British Columbia, and a B.A. from the University of Essex. Contact Hooker.27@osu.edu Go to Neal's Web Page

 

Stan Ernst is Outreach Program Manager and marketing instructor in the Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics at The Ohio State University. His research focuses on adoption of information technology by firms in the food and agriculture sector, specifically the role of attitude and experiences of firm managers in the adoption decision. And on the role of IT and e-commerce in niche-market development. Research over the past 15 years has related to IT adoption by farmer, rural business, and media; international food advertising; and marketing within numerous food and farm sectors. Ernst also provides training in marketing and on strategic use of emerging communication technologies. He holds a B.S. in Journalism from the University of Maryland and an M.S. in Agricultural Economics from The Ohio State University. Contact Ernst.1@osu.edu Go to Stan's Web Page

 

Marvin Batte is the Fred N. VanBuren Professor in the Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics at The Ohio State University.  He has a teaching and research appointment.  His primary research has been in technology adoption by agribusiness firms, including computer and information systems technologies, use of the internet, e-commerce, precision farming technologies, biotechnology, and organic farming systems. Other recent research relevant to this proposal includes an assessment of consumer willingness to pay for organic and locally produced foods and other differentiated food products.  Batte earned the Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics at the University of Illinois. Contact: Batte.1@osu.edu Go to Marv's Web Page

 

Curtis Haugtvedt is Associate Professor of Marketing, specializing in consumer psychology and E-Commerce in the Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State University. He is President of the Society for Consumer Psychology. Haugtvedt’s consumer psychology research generally focuses on attitude strength, with specific interests in attitude formation, change processes and factors associated with attitude persistence and resistance. He studies personality variables in consumer behavior, E-Commerce, and web advertising, and does computer-based behavioral research. He holds a Ph.D. in Social Psychology and Marketing and M.A. in Social Psychology from the University of Missouri-Columbia, and a B.S. and B.A. in Psychology and Sociology/Criminal Justice from North Dakota State University. Contact: haugtved@cob.ohio-state.edu Go to Curt's Web Page

 

Mark Tucker  is Associate Professor of Agricultural Communication at Purdue University. His primary research focus is on risk communication, with an interest in farmer and consumer perceptions of agricultural and environmental hazards. An important component of this work is in audience analysis, particularly farmers' and consumers' use of various communication sources and channels for risk and technical decision-making. Prior faculty positions include teaching and research in agricultural communication at Ohio State University, Texas Tech University, and the University of Missouri-Columbia. He also has a decade of editorial and journalism experience. Tucker holds a bachelor's degree in Agricultural Journalism from the University of Missouri and master's and doctoral degrees from Ohio State in Agricultural Communication and Rural Sociology. Contact matucker@purdue.edu

 

Richard Widdows is Professor and Department Head of the Consumer Sciences and Retailing Department at Purdue University. Widdows has published widely in consumer sciences journals on topics related to consumer economics, customer satisfaction, and technology and the consumer. He has Taught in Universities and Colleges in the UK, the US, Australia, China, Taiwan and Malaysia. He has been active in the American Council on Consumer interests and the Society of Consumer Affairs Professionals in Business, has worked cooperatively on consumer satisfaction issues with several major Corporations. He holds a B.S. in Economics from the University of Leeds and an M. A. and Ph. D. from University of Missouri at Columbia. Contact: widdowsr@cfs.purdue.edu

 

Heejin (Jeanie) Lim is an Assistant Professor at the University of Tennessee in the  Department of Retail and Consumer Sciences. Her research interests focus on consumer behavior, decision making, and virtual experience in the electronic commerce environment. She holds a B.S. in Clothing & Textiles from Ewha Women's University in Seoul, Korea and M.S. in Retail Management and a Ph.D. in Consumer Sciences and Retailing both from Purdue University. Contact: hlim@utk.edu   Go to Jeanie's Web Page

 

Leslie Stoel is an Assistant Professor at The Ohio State University in the Department of Consumer Sciences. Dr. Stoel holds a B.S. degree in Fashion Merchandising from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, a M.S. in Management from Purdue University, and a Ph.D. in Merchandising Management from Michigan State University. Stoel’s research examines competitive marketing strategies of retailers and their channel partners, with an emphasis on rural retailers; consumer attitudes and shopping behaviors in malls and online; and retailer and consumer acceptance of the Internet. Contact: stoel.1@osu.edu Go to Leslie's Web Page

 

Vanessa P. Wickliffe is an Assistant Professor of Merchandising at the University of Kentucky in the Department of Merchandising, Apparel, and Textiles. Dr. Wickliffe holds both a M.S. degree in Human Resource Management and a Ph.D. in Merchandising Management from Michigan State University. Wickliffe has taught consumer behavior and research methodology courses to master’s students at Kadena Air Force Base in Okinawa, Japan. Dr. Wickliffe’s research examines cross-cultural consumer decision making, retailer and consumer usage of the Internet, and rural retail development. Contact: vpwick0@pop.uky.edu Go to Vanessa's Web Page

 

Wenjing Shang is a research assistant and third-year Ph.D. student at the Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics at The Ohio State University. Her ongoing research relates to food safety economics and policy, economics of product quality in food manufacturing industry, and the effects of e-commerce on retailers’ market structure. She earned a B.A. in Economics from Peking University, China (2003) and M. A. in Economics from The Ohio State University, USA (2004).  Contact shang.13@osu.edu

 

Casie Berning Kitzmiller received a B.S. in Agribusiness and Applied Economics from the College of Food, Agriculture, and Environmental Sciences at The Ohio State University in 2005, with a minor in Consumer Affairs from the College of Human Ecology.  Her undergraduate research enhanced our understanding of market selection processes used by the E-Grocery sector. She currently does retail planning for Sara Lee Food & Beverage US.  Contact berning.8@osu.edu

 

Jong-Youn Rha is an Assistant Professor in the Department Consumer Studies and Resource Management at Seoul National University (South Korea). Her research focuses on consumer behavior and decision-making , and customer relationship management, especially in the electronic commerce environment. She studies the role of technology on consumer behavior at each stage of the consumption process and the empowerment of consumers. She holds a B.S. and M.S. in Consumer Economics from Seoul National University and a Ph.D. from The Ohio State University. Contact: jrha@snu.ac.kr