Research in marketing and international business

Our research explores the complexities of consumers and consumption by examining phenomena such as digital, tourism, luxury, health, wellbeing, and prosocial consumption. We investigate the interplay between cultural practices, rituals, and psychological factors like decision-making, preferences, and engagement.

Key working projects

• Beyond ‘Loud’: How Mindfulness Shapes Intrinsic Motivations for ‘Quiet’ Luxury Brand Prominence; research looking at how conscious consumption can shape preferences for luxury consumption; in partnership with Cartier; this project has received funding from the French Aotearoa Science and Technology Association
• Mindful luxury: A case of the Faroe Islands: This research explores how luxury research can in fact overlap with conscious consumption, resulting in practices such as slow travel; this project has been covered in numerous media outlets such as The Conversation, and on interviews with ABC Australia
• The ‘democratisation’ of future food technologies: An exploration of consumer empowerment; in partnership with Plant & Food Research, this research explores how consumers may engage with different types of novel food technologies, such as genetic editing or vertical farming, to create various levels of participation in the food system
• Gamifying rehabilitation care for patient health and wellness; This interdisciplinary project funded by the Health Research Council of New Zealand aims to understand the needs of patients and clinicians, assess the feasibility of integrating gamification into rehabilitation care settings.
• Psychological pathways: the influence of immersive technologies on consumer well-being; this research explores the key psychological mechanisms through which immersive technology consumption influences well-being outcomes
• Digitalisation paradoxes in healthcare: a study examining the inherent paradoxical tensions that shape engagement with digital health technologies and how health practitioners apply digitalisation to foster positive health outcomes and enhance patient well-being (internally funded research project).
• Virtual reality meets real world: engagement in immersive technologies and consumer well-being: this research examines how the alignment between the real-world environment and the virtual reality image impacts user engagement and, ultimately, their well-being.
• Does service provider’s behaviour matter? The case of healthcare; this research investigates the underlying mechanisms responsible for the role of doctors’ service behaviours in the development, maintenance, or enhancement of patient satisfaction.
• Man-Machine Symbiosis in Service Provision; this research studies the symbiotic relationship between human and robotic system in co-creating value for customers
• Reconceptualising competence – exploring current concepts used in marketing such as ‘competence’ and how they foster a dichotomous understanding of people, and exclude a wealth of skills and resources people use to navigate marketplaces
• Navigating the complexity of home organisation: An exploration of strategies for managing household order and tidiness
• The constructive role of disorder: Investigating the impact of household mess on family dynamics, productivity, and well-being
• Effects of ambient sound on beverage choice and sales: A population level study. This Marsden Fast-Start project explores the unintended consequences of sound in alcohol retailing environments, especially for vulnerable and lower socio-economic consumers.
• From the store to the kitchen: Herbal scents drive wholesome food choice: This project explores whether herbal scents can influence consumers to choose wholesome foods in supermarkets. The research has gained attention in outlets like The Conversation and through an interview on TVNZ’s Breakfast show.
• Consumer privacy literacy: Ongoing research into consumers’ levels of awareness of the practices of big digital firms in the collection of personally identifiable information.

Researchers in consumption and consumer behaviour

• Associate Professor Crystal Yap
• Associate Professor Ken Hyde
• Associate Professor Jungkeun Kim
• Dr Amy Errmann
• Dr Grace Park
• Dr Khanh Le
• Dr Yingzi Xu
• Dr Rongmei Zhang
• Dr Jamal Abarashi
• Cordelia Stewart
• Dr Eathar Abdul-Ghani
• Dr Megan Phillips
• Dr Anca Yallop

Our research focuses on multidisciplinary studies in entrepreneurship, strategy, and international business. We examine how organisations, governments, and communities navigate the complexities of glocal markets – shaped by global and local forces – while addressing innovation and intricate social issues.

Our work focuses on strategies for glocal competition, non-market approaches to social and political challenges, and entrepreneurial processes driving growth and value creation. Key areas include Māori and social entrepreneurship, data-driven strategy, internationalisation, and non-market strategies.

Through collaboration with industry partners and leading academic institutions globally, our research aims to foster competitive, sustainable, and socially responsible business practices.

Key working projects

International business and non-market strategy

• Populism and the erosion of public goods/institutions: This project is connected to a NZ$5.3 million (EUR 3 million) Horizon Europe research grant (HORIZON-CL2-2024-DEMOCRACY-01-03) on “Valuing Public Goods in a Populist World” (called VALPOP) in collaboration with the University of Innsbruck (Austria), Copenhagen Business School (Denmark), WU Vienna (Austria), Kozminsky University (Poland), Sabanci University (Türkiye), Rheinisch-Westfaelische Technische Hochschule Aachen (Germany), LUISS University (Italy) and IN-JET Aps (Denmark). The VALPOP project uses state-of-the-art methods (AI and machine learning) to collect historical and contemporary data on societal networks and public goods to explore how some groups within society, particularly elite (political) groups, absorb public goods into their networks
• Research capacity building in the South Pacific: This project focuses on research capacity building of PhD students and early-career researchers in the South Pacific and/or based in New Zealand and doing research on the South Pacific. The aim of the project is to empower a new generation of international business and policy experts within/from the region to engage with one of the least understood yet geopolitically and environmentally most crucial regions of the world. The project has received a NZ$50,000 public diplomacy grant from the U.S. Department of State via the U.S. Mission to New Zealand, the Cook Islands and Niue (SNZ95024GR0040) and is conducted in collaboration with the Academy of International Business (AIB) Oceania Chapter
• (Mis)Understanding corruption: This project looks at the social, cognitive and institutional drivers of corruption and its implications on multinational enterprises and international business. Non-research outputs from this project have included a commentary on New Zealand’s slide in the global corruption rankings and its implications for Brand NZ in The Conversation and an expert consultation for a 2024 Helen Clark Foundation report on Improving transparency in New Zealand’s political and governance systems

International business partnerships in emerging markets

• New Zealand and China sustainable practices in food manufacturing: Empirical insights from circular economy implementation: This research explores how circular economic constructs have been implemented in an emerging market context and explores the factors driving and hindering the adoption of circular economy concepts in the food manufacturing industry in China and Aotearoa New Zealand. The project was awarded external funding from North Asia CAPE - CAPE
• Addressing environmental sustainability challenges through cross-border intra-sectoral knowledge spillovers in the agricultural sector: This research aims to investigate how intra-sectoral knowledge spillover can address environmental sustainability issues between cross-border collaboration between China and New Zealand (internally funded research project)

Innovation and research & development capacity building

• Building New Zealand’s innovation capacity – this research is connected to the Science for Technological Innovation National Science Challenge. Ongoing projects include the role trust plays when academic researchers engage with stakeholders from industry, government, international collaborators, policy agents, indigenous organisations, and industry bodies; effectuation in a STEM R&D research environment; supporting early career researchers in science and innovation; innovation in traditional low- medium tech industries including primary, manufacturing, engineering, and service industries
• Building family business research capacity – connected to faculty research funding, the ongoing research supports developing a foundation of research capabilities in the context of entrepreneurial family businesses. Projects include promoting sustainable longevity in New Zealand family businesses; stigma in family businesses; family business innovation in extreme events

Small enterprise research

• Unveiling sustainable agritech entrepreneurship in New Zealand: a multi-level case analysis(internally funded research project)
• Applied small enterprise research in Australia and New Zealand: bridging theory, practice, and impact: The critical role small enterprises play in driving economic growth and social development, shifting from predominantly theoretical research to applied research, and providing actionable insights that deliver tangible benefits to both industry and society

Social entrepreneurship

• Social Value Creation in Social Entrepreneurship: Paradoxes of care within a developing country context
• Legitimacy and Entrepreneurship: Bridging macro to micro translation of legitimacy in entrepreneurship
• Stigma and family businesses

Data-driven business strategy

• Data-Driven Strategy: Advancing Responsible and Sustainable Business Practices Across Industries and Sectors
• Data Ethics in Strategic Decision-Making: Data Privacy and the Responsible Management of Consumer Data and Information in Guiding Strategic Business Decisions.
• Navigating the Ethics of Emerging Technologies: Fostering Responsible and Sustainable Business and Marketing Strategies (internally funded research project)

Researchers in entrepreneurship, strategy and international business

• Professor Ella Henry
• Associate Professor Fiona Hurd
• Associate Professor Matt Raskovic
• Dr Paul Woodfield
• Dr Smita Singh
• Dr Sitong (Michelle) Chen
• Dr Taghreed Hikmet
• Dr Andrea Zorn
• Courtenay Basnayake
• Dr Anca​ Yallop

Our research explores the evolving landscape of marketing communication, branding, digital marketing strategies, and service management.

Our mission is to understand how organisations can effectively engage customers, build strong brand equity, enhance service experiences, and leverage digital technologies to drive innovation and performance. By integrating insights from these interconnected fields, we aim to develop strategies that empower businesses to excel in today’s dynamic marketplace.

Key working projects

• How AR enhances customer experience: examines the balance between perceived value and intrusiveness in the use of mobile AR apps, focusing on how users’ self-efficacy and decision-making quality influence their experiences
• Symbolic service recovery strategies: explores the role of communication strategies in fostering trust during healthcare service recovery
• Employee’s competency degradation in working with Generative AI
• The Role of Narrow AI in Enhancing Service Recovery in Hotels
• AI washing, where companies exaggerate their AI capabilities or that of their offering. Consumer perceptions and brand drivers
• Strategic Opportunities for Bystander Brands: How Political Orientation Shapes Reactions to Competitor Brand Activism. Featured in The Conversation
• Explaining the missing link between digital literacy and well-being: The moderating role of digital addiction
• The Influence of Sentiment and Emotion on Online Reviews: A Multi-Method Investigation into Millions of Helpful and Unhelpful Reviews
• The Effect of Model’s Natural Beauty on Brands During Crises: The Moderating Role of Childhood Socioeconomic Status
• The Double-edged Sword of AI Influencers for Different Product Types
• The Effect of AI Influencers in Promoting Different Levels of Brand Familiarity

Researchers in digital innovation, service management, and contemporary branding

• Dr Jessica Vredenburg
• Dr Yingzi Xu
• Dr Khanh Le
• Dr Noke Tipgomut
• Dr Helene Wilkinson
• Dr Rongmei Zhang

The focus of our research is on society, particularly the interactions between markets, marketing, and societal health and well-being, with the goal of improving our communities for the benefit of all, not just business.

We’re interested in addressing complex and pressing societal challenges, also known as wicked problems, including those affecting marginalised consumer groups. Specific areas of research include disadvantaged/vulnerable consumers who struggle to find a voice in markets, sustainability and ethical consumption, and marketing for social good/impact.

Key working projects

• Effects of ambient sound on beverage choice and sales: A population level study. This Marsden Fast-Start project explores the unintended consequences of sound in alcohol retailing environments, especially for vulnerable and lower socio-economic consumers
• From the store to the kitchen: Herbal scents drive wholesome food choice. This project explores whether herbal scents can influence consumers to choose wholesome foods in supermarkets. The research has gained attention in outlets like The Conversation and through an interview on TVNZ’s Breakfast show
• Retail atmospheric nudges as a socially responsible retail strategy. Rising global obesity rates and the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda highlight the urgent need to address food retailing’s influence on consumer health. This project offers a proactive approach that shifts responsibility from individual consumers to stakeholders, acknowledging the collective effort required to create healthier retail environments and consumer behaviours
• Green shelves, poor choices: The unintended consequence of colour on wholesome food choice. Retailers frequently use green in their store environments to evoke a sense of freshness, health, naturalness and sustainability, reinforcing their brand values. However, this colour choice might have unintended consequences on consumer health. This research explores this problem
• Sustainable grocery systems. What relationships and interactions within supermarkets, manufactures and governance combine to create a (non) positive and encouraging environment to enable the everyday consumer to choose the sustainable option
• Circular economy
• Transitioning to sustainable mobility
• Barriers to compostable bioplastics in geotextiles
• What do we need to change to move to a just society and economy?
• Brand activism: Do brands have a platform to create/nudge social change?

Researchers in grand societal challenges

• Professor Ben Wooliscroft
• Associate Professor Sommer Kapitan
• Dr Jessica Vredenburg
• Dr Megan Phillips
• Penny Munro

Our interdisciplinary research explores the dynamic intersections of culture and creativity in business and education. We bring together Indigenous Māori experts, researchers specialising in diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as thought leaders in creative processes, marketing and product development, Indigenous perspectives, technological advancements and work-integrated learning.

Through rigorous research, education, and outreach, we aim to inspire transformative change that addresses the grand and wicked problems facing society and the natural environment.

Key working projects

Indigenous perspectives

• Experiences of indigenous (Māori/Pasifika) early career academics. This collective writing project is focused on a collective description of, and response to, the experience of Māori and Pasifika early career academics at AUT. The narratives contain testimony, fictionalised vignettes of experience and poetic expressions
• MĀNUKA honey: Cultural appropriation and the ethical imperatives of Kaupapa Māori. An exploration of the Mānuka Honey pūrākau to highlight the exploitation and appropriation of Te Reo (Māori language) to support a billion-dollar industry. This project highlights the lack of protection of Māori culture and language by successive governments and emphasises the lack of ethical business and marketing by Australian honey producers, happy to steal and capitalise on the kupu (term) “Mānuka” or “manuka”, without acknowledgment of their moral and ethical responsibilities. This work received a best paper award at Australian and New Zealand International Business Academy (ANZIBA) conference
• Indigenous (Māori/Pasifika) Perspectives on building ecological civilisations. This collective writing project opens a series of windows on the thinking of Indigenous researchers at AUT. In this book chapter, Megan Phillips focuses on Te ao Māori (the Māori world/view) for an ecological future in retail and business
• De-othering: indigenous perspectives on diversity, equity and inclusion. This project is focused on two indigenous perspectives of diversity, equity and inclusion. It is grounded in aspirations of de-othering and de-colonisation
• Indigenous history, culture and values as investment philosophy: lessons from the New Zealand Māori. This publication relates to work on Māori Indigenous investment strategies
• Mātauranga Māori in the media. This project was a contract with the Broadcasting Standards Authority, Te Pūni Kōkiri and the Ministry for Culture and Heritage, to analyse the role of government and legislation, business such as production companies to protect mātauranga Māori in media
• Investigating collective memory in the enactment of Māori leadership identities Ko te kōputu pūmahara hei whakatinana i ngā tuakiri hautū. This research relates to a Marsden funded project focused on Māori leadership and decision-making
• Mana Wāhine Inquiry, Treaty Claim, 2023-2024. This project involved a report to the Ministry of Justice, which is currently under review by the Waitangi Tribunal

Education

• The role of reciprocity in work-integrated learning:  This piece of research is a collaborative perspective currently in development with colleagues in the AUT’s School of Sport and Recreation
• WILSpace: reflections on establishing small significant online network groups (SSONG) to advance knowledge in work-integrated learning: A study of a global initiative aimed at supporting small virtual groups to develop conversations relating to WIL issues
• Service failure prevention: LARP experience-training in performing badly
• “Combining Design Thinking, AI and Live-Action Role-play (LARP) to advance global leadership competency development
• AI and education: This project is under early stages of development and seeks to explore and understand the use of AI assistants in higher education from the academics’ perspective

Creativity

• Finding the extraordinary in the ordinary: prompting creative collaborative conversations. This study investigates the use of creativity in driving conversations and developing responses
• Co-creating inclusive work-integrated learning opportunities: Insights for IB educators. This research examines the importance of WIL in International Business Education, and the opportunities to ensure inclusive opportunities are supported via the tripartite relationships within WIL
• Generation Kāinga, 2022-2026. This project focuses on rangatahi aspirations around Māori housing. This project was awarded MBIE Endeavour
• Creative intelligence for business executives
• The 6Ps of Creativity & Innovation: DIY personal development guide
• Building serious creative intelligence in business executives: The games we Play

Researchers in culture and creativity

• Professor Ella Henry
• Dr Megan Phillips
• Dr Rouxelle De Villiers
• Dr Helene Wilkinson