Dr Paul Burke is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Marketing and member of Centre for the Study of Choice (CenSoC), University of Technology Sydney (UTS) with an extensive background in applied and theoretical aspects of choice modelling and consumer behaviour. He has particular research interests in understanding how to simultaneously model a consumer's preferences for various product features and the consistency with which these choices are made. His insights and advancement in statistical techniques have been applied in his consultation with numerous commercial clients including Westpac, Toyota, Motorola, and Bose. Paul has also worked with several government organisations such as the NSW Department of Fisheries, NSW Department of Education, and Australian Defence Force. In the not-for-profit sector, he is currently working jointly with the War Memorial, and the Australian, Powerhouse, Maritime, National and Melbourne museums. He is involved with UTS Fluorosolar Lighting System project, which is a new technology developed at UTS for piping sunlight into rooms without windows. He has also worked with the CSIRO, as a research officer at Memetrics (an Internet research company), and marketing manager at the Sydney University Sports & Aquatic Centre. He was a lecturer in the Discipline of Marketing, University of Sydney. He is a graduate of the University of Sydney with a Bachelor of Economics (First Class Honours in Marketing). While completing his Ph.D. he was the recipient of an Australian Postgraduate Award, Sydney University Sports Union Scholarship, Sakasawa Young Leaders Fellowship, Centre for Applied Marketing Research (UNSW/AGSM) Award and UTS FOB Doctoral Completion Scholarship. At UTS he has been the recipient of a UTS Team Teaching Award and National Carrick Citation Award for his teaching innovations in Business Statistics. He was a recipient of the ANZMAC 2006 Best Paper Award (New Products Track) for his work on ambiguous and meaningless features.
Abstract: The present paper utilizes a random utility theoretic experimental design to provide estimates of the relative value that selected consumers place on the social features of products. Experiments were conducted in Hong Kong and Australia using both university students and supporters of the human rights organization Amnesty International. The paper focuses on two classes of social features, “labor practices” and “animal rights and the environment”. The results show that the social features of products can, on average, affect an individuals' likelihood of purchasing a product. Also, this paper finds distinctive segments of ethically orientated consumers.
Notes: Other related paper:
Auger, P., Burke, P.F., Devinney, T.M. & Louviere, J.J. 2003, 'What will consumers pay for social product features?', Journal Of Business Ethics, vol. 42, no. 3, pp. 281-304.
Abstract: This paper examines the impact of attribute presence/absence in choice experiments using covariance heterogeneity models and random coefficient models. Results show that attribute presence/absence impacts both mean utility (systematic components) and choice variability (random components). Biased mean effects can occur by not accounting for choice variability. Further, even if one accounts for choice variability, attribute effects can differ because of attribute presence/absence. Managers who use choice experiments to study product changes or new variants should be cautious about excluding potentially essential attributes. Although including more relevant attributes increases choice variability, it also reduces bias.
Abstract: We argue that consistent decision making in judging a patent's validity and basing this on its underlying technological quality are important elements of patent office service (“assessment”) quality. To understand which level of assessment quality patent offices (can) provide, particularly in new technological areas, we study the concordance of the European Patent Office's (EPO) granting and opposition decisions for individual patents. Using the biotechnology industry in the 1980s (an emerging patenting area then) as an example, we find no empirical evidence that the EPO provided maximal or optimal assessment quality as far as can be told from bibliographic indicators. We discuss research limitations and consequences of this first empirical analysis, and suggest ideas for refinements in future work.
Abstract: Government and public services have to not only enforce the requirements of the regulatory policies, but also have to satisfy the needs of preferences of their clients and customers. In this paper, we summarize the results of a multi-year case study conducted to assess the choices of campground users at the Shawnee National Forest (Illinois), which is managed by United States Forest Service. The results show how users’ tradeoff between location, capacity-related and pricing attributes when choosing a campground. The case study provides guidance for design and development of new services and more effective management of effective resources within the national forest.
Abstract: The importance of ethical consumerism to many companies worldwide has increased dramatically in recent years. Ethical consumerism encompasses the importance of non-traditional and social components of a company''s products and business process to strategic success – such as environmental protectionism, child labor practices and so on. The present paper utilizes a random utility theoretic experimental design to provide estimates of the relative value selected consumers place on the social features of products.
