New Assistant Marketing Professor Joins Department

This year our department welcomed Dr. Fei Weisstein who came from The University of Texas – Pan American where she was also an assistant professor of marketing. She earned her Ph.D. in marketing in 2009 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an MBA from San Francisco State University. 

Dr. Weisstein describes what she brings to the BGSU classroom as a teacher and researcher. “Since students learn in various ways, I teach using various methods and styles in order to be most effective in the classroom. I see research and teaching as complementary activities. I believe that it is important for me to maintain an active research agenda and actively participate in research conferences and seminars so that I can bring new ideas when I return to the classroom which in turn spark more new thoughts and stimulate classroom discussion.”

In regards to her research, the new BGSU marketing professor describes her focus. “My current research interests are in the areas of behavioral pricing strategies and consumer behavior, including consumer price perception, consumer information processing, dynamic pricing and consumer online buying behavior. A large proportion of my work involves studying how consumers process price information and respond to various sales promotions and framing strategies in both online and brick-and-mortar settings.”

Dr. Weisstein outlines her latest research project. “I am studying how consumers’ math anxiety influences their responses to different sales promotions. Mathematics anxiety is an emotional state resulting in negative responses to math problems and numerical information. Studies show that nearly 93% of American adults have experienced math anxiety to some degree. Math anxiety is relevant to marketing as it interferes with consumers’ processing of numerical information. Our study shows that math anxiety negatively influences purchase intentions when consumers exposed to price promotions framings requiring price calculations (e.g., percent-off discount). Math anxious consumers prefer promotions such as buy-one-get-one-free.”

In her first year at BGSU she says her experience has been “very positive and rewarding.” Dr. Weisstein thinks our students are great! “In the classroom, they actively engage and participate in class discussions and show great interest in learning marketing. Outside the classroom, they are very friendly as well.” She adds that the marketing faculty have given her great support and advice.