Scott Connors joining DAN Management

June 18, 2018

Scott Connors, Assistant Professor, DAN Management

Photo submitted/Story by Rob Rombouts

Scott Connors is joining the DAN Department of Management & Organizational Studies as an Assistant Professor.

Connors completed his PhD in Marketing at Washington State University.

Connors researches in the areas of branding, self-identity and implicit cognition, exploring “both the light and dark sides of consumers’ interactions with brands to develop strategies to either enhance or protect the brand accordingly.”

“On the light side I examine how our self-concept (i.e. who we are as a person) influences, and is influenced by the brands that we consume,” said Connors. “On the dark side, I focus on issues of scepticism, retaliation, and sub-optimal decision making in the face of brand transgressions.”

In recent publications in this area, Connors showed that consumers’ inherent scepticism towards brands’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) claims can be mitigated by providing concrete, or psychologically close CSR information. Connors also explored consumers’ tendency to engage in unethical actions (i.e. lie, cheat, and steal) to punish brands that they perceive to be harmful.

Connors is excited to join Western, which will be a homecoming of sorts; “Having begun my Ph.D. at Western prior to following my doctoral advisor out to Washington State, the Mustangs have always had a special place in my heart,” said Connors. “I am looking forward to joining such a tight knit and productive consumer behaviour group at DAN.”

“There is some real growth happening right now and I am excited to be a part of shaping the department moving forward,” said Connors.

“Being a consumer behaviour researcher allows opportunities for collaboration across the Faculty as our field encompasses facets of psychology, sociology, and economics,” said Connors. “I look forward to future conversations with the excellent researchers that are my new colleagues.”