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This study aims to investigate emerging adults’ emotional responses to a commercial with materialistic cues, and the commercial’s perceived and actual effect on materialism – taking the role of pre-existing attitudes toward advertising into account.

The paper used a mixed-method design to gauge emotions evoked by materialistic cues both qualitatively and quantitatively. Emotions were assessed using both open-ended and close-ended questions. Perceived effectiveness was also measured using close-ended questions. To establish the commercial’s actual effect, an online experiment was conducted. In total, 179 individuals between the ages of 18 and 25 years participated.

Emerging adults’ pre-existing attitudes toward advertising predicted their emotional responses toward a commercial with materialistic cues (i.e. influencing whether they are negative, neutral or positive) as well as the perceived effectiveness of materialistic cues in advertising. A one-time exposure to a commercial with materialistic cues does not increase materialism.

Emerging adults who dislike advertising, tend to also dislike advertising with materialistic cues and perceive it as less effective. However, young consumers with an interest in advertising do appreciate the use of materialistic cues and perceive them as being effective. Although no actual effect was found, this could be a reason for advertisers to use materialistic cues.

This paper is the first to investigate consumers’ emotions toward materialistic cues, and to study their perceived and actual effect. Moreover, it is the first to examine the link between advertising exposure and materialism among emerging adults.

To demonstrate that mainstream current ethical stances of corporate governance and associated strategic and operational management are contributors to global unsustainability, and to discuss issues and approaches for bringing governance and management into alignment with sustainability.

A representative model of a business is used to predict outcomes for financial wealth creation and environmental sustainability under mainstream ethical stances for corporate governance.

Analysis of the model concludes that, given these stances, enhanced management practice and/or technological innovation is unlikely to take such businesses above the threshold of sustainability. This leads to proposal of a model that demonstrates seven alternative pathways to achieving alignment of governance and management with planetary sustainability. One pathway retains current mainstream ethical stances, that must be constrained by government interventions. The other six pathways show alternative influences that cause corporates to shift their ethical stances autonomously and hence to change governance and management strategies and action.

The paper reaches theoretical conclusions that could be further developed as research propositions for empirical testing and raises issues that can be considered directly by corporate directors and managers.

The paper introduces models and analysis that have not appeared elsewhere in the literature.

This issue is a selected bibliography covering the subject of leadership.

Life studies are a rich source for further research on the role of the Afro‐American woman in society. They are especially useful to gain a better understanding of the Afro‐American experience and to show the joys, sorrows, needs, and ideals of the Afro‐American woman as she struggles from day to day.

The division between town and country in most areas of the world is marked and shows little evidence of any closer association, but in this country recent history with its wide economic changes has made the division less deep than in times past, but still within living memory. Time was when country folk were almost a distinct breed, living under conditions for the most part primitive.

Acknowledges the multiperson nature of the industrial business buying process and the development of the buying centre as the unit of analysis for business/organization buying behaviour. Addresses two main themes: conceptual issues and alternative views; and methodological dilemma. Looks at the concept of the buying centre and discusses structural properties and process considerations of the buying centre. Closes by outlining research opportunities. Concludes that present research suffers from two major flaws which inhibit development; that buying centre research tends to be descriptive, with over‐reliance on anecdotal information so that research is devoid of any theoretical foundation; and secondly many present findings have grown from research which reflects individual methodologies.

Despite the vast proliferation of conceptual, theoretical, and empirical studies in adaptation‐selection research, debate continues to surround a key question: how do firms strategically coevolve with their environments? This paper attempts to address part of this question by drawing on advances in strategic choice theory and resource‐advantage theory. A scenario‐based group methodology based around the “think tank” described in the first paper of this special issue is presented whereby marketing analyses of environmental contexts are described which lead to a series of recommended marketing strategies for response (selection), which fit the changing environments (adaptation). Various conclusions are derived from this marketing strategy determination process and finally, consideration is given to issues of complexity and chaos in environmental assessment terms.