Erasmus PhD Programmes in Management and Economics

In her dissertation, Navigating Temporal Dimensions: Consumer Decisions from Past to Future, ERIM's Libby Chun extended the existing understanding of the influence of time information and temporal perception on consumer judgments. Libby demonstrated how task duration neglect affects consumer decision to act on now versus later; what beliefs consumers have about the temporal categorisation of recent action and whether this belief is aligned with their decisions in pursuing a goal; and whether consumer media preference changes when they reminisce about special events from the past. Through her research, Libby highlighted several novel factors that explain consumer decision-making in the present, such as duration neglect, context-dependent temporal categorisation of actions, and emotional and motivational drivers for a recall. By recognising these temporal and motivational factors, we can make better choices that align with our long-term goals, whether in our personal lives or as consumers navigating an increasingly complex marketplace.

Volunteering is broadly embedded in our communities. Academics, practitioners, and media often speak to the value volunteers add to society. Existing academics, practitioners, and media often describe the value-added role of volunteers in the replacement of paid staff in means of cost-saving. In her dissertation, "Appreciating What Matters: The many dimensions of volunteer value", ERIM's Philine van Overbeeke challenged the simplistic financial view about volunteers to further explore how volunteers, described as ‘the glue of our country’, create value in different ways. Through the dissertation, Philine demonstrated how to steer away from the conventional cost-saving approach towards a value-based framework to make more effective and efficient staffing decisions within volunteer-involving organisations.