Profile

Jill A. Kurp (Maher), Ph.D.
University Professor of Marketing (Marketing)
Director, Center for Sales Excellence (Rockwell School of Business)
Chief Academic Outreach and Impact Officer (Office of the President)
kurp@rmu.edu
412-397-6365 phone (M)
412-397-2172 fax
Nicholson Center 260


Educational Background

  • Ph.D., Marketing, Kent State University, 1999
  • Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Marketing, Slippery Rock University, 1990
  • Master of Business Administration, Ashland University, 1994

Professional Background

  • University Professor of Marketing, School of Business, Robert Morris University, Moon Township, PA, (August 2011 - present). Courses taught include Product Development, Consumer Behavior, Consumption and Sustainability Marketing, Advertising, Nonprofit/Social Research Methods, Nonprofit Marketing, Marketing Research, and Marketing Management at undergraduate and graduate levels.
  • Professor of Marketing, School of Business, Robert Morris University, Moon Township, PA, (June 2008 - August 2011). Courses taught include Product Development, Consumer Behavior, Consumption and Sustainability Marketing, Advertising, Nonprofit/Social Research Methods, Nonprofit Marketing, Marketing Research, and Marketing Management at undergraduate and graduate levels.
  • Associate Professor of Marketing, School of Business, Robert Morris University, Moon Township, PA, (August 2005 - June 2008). Courses taught include Product Development, Consumer Behavior, Advertising, Nonprofit/Social Research Methods, Nonprofit Marketing, Marketing Research, and Marketing Management at undergraduate and graduate levels.
  • Assistant Professor of Marketing, School of Business, Robert Morris University, Moon Township, PA, (August 2001 - August 2005). Courses taught include Product Development, Consumer Behavior, Advertising, Nonprofit/Social Research Methods, Nonprofit Marketing, and Marketing Management at undergraduate and graduate levels.
  • Banking Center Manager, Bank One, Akron, N.A., Akron, Ohio, (June 1990-June 1993). Managed a $22M community banking office with supervision of a staff of seven employees. Responsibilities included developing internal sales promotions, increasing market share and business growth, promoting staff development, and maintaining a superior level of customer service.
  • Adjunct Lecturer, Erivan K. Haub School of Business, Saint Joseph's University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, (June 1999 - July 1999). Taught Marketing Communications.
  • Doctoral Candidate, College of Business, Department of Marketing, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio, (August 1995 - August 1999). Full responsibility for various research projects and teaching. Courses taught include Consumer Behavior, Principles of Marketing, Advertising & Promotion, and Retailing Management.
  • Adjunct Lecturer, Department of Management and Marketing, Mt. Union College, (January 1998 - May 1998). Taught Consumer Behavior.
  • Manager of Retail Bank Sales, Bank One, Akron, N.A., Akron, Ohio, (July 1993-August 1995). Managed the sales process for over 60 bank branches for traditional retail bank products and investments. Developed promotional sales programs and incentive packages. Initiated marketing and advertising plans to promote market presence and increased sales. Implementation of investment program resulted in a 37.5% growth rate within the first eight months. Conducted telemarketing and sales training courses.
  • Assistant Professor of Marketing, Erivan K. Haub School of Business, Saint Joseph's University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, (August 1999 - August 2001). Courses taught include Marketing Research, Consumer Behavior, Marketing Communications, Marketing Management, and Promotional Strategy at undergraduate and graduate levels.

Area of Expertise/Research

  • She has conducted and published consumer-oriented research in the Journal of Advertising, the Journal of Current Issues and Research in Advertising, the British Food Journal, the Journal of Nonprofit Management and Leadership, the Journal for the Advancement of Marketing Education, and the Journal of Marketing Management. She has presented her research at several national conferences. She has also conducted field research in the financial services, food, and sports & leisure industries.
  • While Dr. Maher's research interests vary, and have been published in different types of outlets, her primary focus is in areas related to advertising to child consumers. While she has studied and published scholarly work related to children's processing of television advertisements, she has also investigated gender and ethnic biases in children's television advertising. Most recently she has examined the obesity implications of food marketing initiatives targeting children. Thus, her research interests involve effective marketing strategies targeting children, as well as the social and policy issues surrounding marketing to this protected class of consumers.

Publications

  • Refereed Publications
  • Hughner, Renee Shaw and Jill Kurp Maher (2003), "Changing Students' Lives: Facilitating Learning through the Incorporation of Supplementary Books," in the MEA Diamond Attractions: Ideas for Innovation Conference Proceedings, J. Schibrowsky & B. Anderson (eds.), Scottsdale, AZ: Marketing Educators Association Conference, 78.
  • Maher, Jill K., Clark, John S., & Darlene G. Motley, (2011). Measuring Museum Service Quality in Relationship to Visitor Membership: The Case of a Children's Museum. International Journal of Arts Management, 13(2), 29-42.
  • Hughner, Renee Shaw, Jill Kurp Maher, Nancy Childs, William Nganje (2009) "Fish: Friend or Foe? Food Policy and Subpopulation Warnings for Consumers," Food Policy, 34, (April), 185-197.
  • Hughner, Renee Shaw, Jill Kurp Maher and Nancy M. Childs, (2008) "Review of Food Policy and Consumer Issues of Mercury in Fish," Journal of the American College of Nutrition 27 (April), 185-194.
  • Watt-Geer, Bobbi, Jill K. Maher, and Michele T. Cole, (2008) "Managing Nonprofit Organizations: The Importance of Transformational Leadership and Commitment to Operating Standards for Nonprofit Accountability" Public Performance and Management Review 32 (September), 51-75.
  • Gooden-Ledbetter, Melva, Michele T. Cole, Jill K. Maher, Al Condeluci, (2008) "Impact of Interdependence and Self-Efficacy on Life Satisfaction: Implications for Independent Living Programs," Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 27 (3), 153-161.
  • Maher, Jill K. Maher, Kenneth Herbst, Nancy M. Childs, and Seth Finn (2008) "Racial Stereotypes in Children's Television Commercials: An Examination of the Current State of the Practice," Journal of Advertising Research, 48 (March), 80-93.
  • Trautmann, Kristy, Jill K. Maher, Darlene Gambill Motley, (2007) "Learning Strategies as Predictors of Transformational Leadership: The Case of Nonprofit Managers," Leadership and Organization Development Journal, 28 (3), 269-287.
  • Maher, Jill Kurp, John B. Lord, Renee Shaw Hughner, and Nancy M. Childs (2006) "Food Advertising on Children's Television: An Exploratory Look at Changes in Products and Appeals 2000-2005," Young Consumers: Insight and Ideas for Responsible Marketers, 7 (4), 41-52.
  • Clark, John S. and Jill K. Maher, (2006) "If You Have Their Minds, Will Their Bodies Follow? Factors Affecting Customer Loyalty in a Ski Resort Setting," Journal of Vacation Marketing, 13 (1), 59-71.
  • Hughner, Renee Shaw and Jill Kurp Maher (2006), "Factors that Influence Parental Food Purchases for Children: Implications for Dietary Health," Journal of Marketing Management, 22 (9), 929-954.
  • Finn, Seth, Jill K. Maher, and Jeffrey Forester (2006), "Indicators of Information and Communication Technology Adoption in the Nonprofit Sector: Changes Between 2000 to 2004," Nonprofit Management and Leadership 16, (Spring) 277-295.
  • Maher, Jill and Renee Shaw Hughner, (2005) "Experiential Marketing Projects: Student Perceptions of Live Case and Simulation Methods" Journal for Advancement of Marketing Education, 7 (Winter), 1-10.
  • Maher, Jill K. and Michael Hu, (2003), "The Priming of Material Values on Consumer Information Processing of Print Advertisements," Journal of Current Issues and Research in Advertising, 25 (Fall), 21-30.
  • Maher, Jill K. and Nancy M. Childs (2003), "A Longitudinal Content Analysis of Gender Roles in Children's Television Advertisements: A 27 Year Review," Journal of Current Issues and Research in Advertising, 25 (Spring), 71-81.
  • Childs, Nancy M. and Jill K. Maher (2003), "Gender in Food Advertising to Children: Boys Eat First," British Food Journal, 105 (7), 408-419.
  • Maher, Jill K. and Michael Hu (2002), "Materialistic Cue Effects in Print Advertising," Journal of Current Issues and Research in Advertising, 24 (Spring), 64-72
  • Refereed Abstracts and Proceedings
  • Maher, Jill K. (2011), "It's Called Fruit Juice so it's Good for My Children.....Right?: An Exploratory Study of Parents'Fruit Content Inferences Made from Food Brand Names and Packaging," Atlantic Marketing Association 2011 Annual Conference, (Sept.), Charleston, SC.
  • Maher, Jill K. (2010), "Fruit = Good for Me: Food Brand Names and Packaging Signals as Indicators of Fruit Content for Children," International Applied Business Research Conference, (Jan.) Orlando, FL (1-3). (ISSN: 1539-8757). This paper received the Best Paper award.
  • Childs, Nancy and Jill K. Maher (2009), "Comparing Nutrition Icon Usefulness of Consumer Groups with Self-identified Health Concerns, Institute of Food Technologists Annual Meeting, (May) Anaheim, CA., (290). (ISSN: 1082-1236)
  • Maher, Jill (2008) "It's called Fruit Juice so It's good for me Right?: Brand Names and Packaging Cues as Indicators of Fruit Content for Children," in the Proceedings of the Marketing and Public Policy Conference, John Kozup, Charles R. Taylor, and Ronald Paul Hill (eds.), Philadelphia, PA, (97).
  • Childs, Nancy and Jill Maher (2008), "Reception of Nutrition Icons on Food Packaging," in the Proceedings of the Marketing and Public Policy Conference, John Kozup, Charles R. Taylor, and Ronald Paul Hill (eds.), Philadelphia, PA, (170-171).
  • Hughner, Renee Shaw, Jill Kurp Maher and Nancy S. Childs, (2007) "Fish, Methylmercury and Health: Exploring a Market-Oriented Public Advisory," in the Proceedings of the International Society of Marketing and Development and the Macromarketing Society Joint Conference, Society, Eds. Stacey Menzel Baker and Daniel Westbrook pg. 179-184.
  • Childs, Nancy M., Renee Shaw Hughner, and Jill Kurp Maher, (2007) "Fish: Friend or Foe? Food Policy, Health Claims and Subpopulation Warnings for Consumers," Institute of Food Technologists Annual Meeting, (May), p. 172. (ISSN: 1082-1236)
  • Maher, Jill Kurp, Renee Shaw Hughner, and Nancy S. Childs, (2007) "Mercury Warning Disclosure Efficacy on Consumer Beliefs and Purchase Intentions of Fish," in the proceedings of the European Advances in Consumer Research Conference, Stefania Borghini, Mary Ann McGrath, and Cele C. Otnes (eds.), Milan Italy, 337.
  • Maher, Jill K. and Kurt Schimmel (2006), "Factors Influencing Voters' Choice in Presidential Candidates: The Case of the 2004 Election" Informs Proceedings, This paper received the Best Paper award.
  • Geer, Bobbi Watt, Jill K. Maher, and Michele T. Cole (2005), "The Roles of Commitment to Operating Standards and Transformational Leadership in Describing Nonprofit Accountability," in the 2005 ARNOVA Conference Online Abstracts.
  • Maher, Jill K. and John Clark (2005), "Variations In The Perceived Importance Of SERVQUAL Dimensions: A Comparison Between Retail Banking and a Museum," in the 2005 Association of Collegiate Marketing Educators Conference Proceedings.
  • Maher, Jill K., John Clark, and Darlene Gambill Motley (2004), "Measuring Service Quality in an Arts Organization: The Dimensionality of SERVQUAL," in the Proceedings of the 2004 Social Marketing Advances in Research and Theory Conference, Debra Zabreznik (ed.), Kananaskis, Alberta, 51-54.
  • Clark, John and Jill K. Maher (2004), "An Examination of Factors Contributing To Repeat Patronage in the Ski Industry," in the 2004 Sport Marketing Association Conference Proceedings.
  • Palmer, Danette A. and Jill K. Maher (2004) "A Cross-Cultural Content Analysis of Male Images in Male Magazine Advertisements: A Comparative Analysis between Germany and the United States," in the 2004 Atlantic Marketing Association Conference Proceedings. This paper received the Best Paper in Track award.
  • Maher, Jill K., Kenneth Herbst, and Nancy M. Childs (2004), "The Frequency and Perceived Role Importance of Ethnic Minorities in Children's Television Advertising," in the 2004 American Marketing Association Marketing and Public Policy Conference Proceedings.
  • Hughner, Renee Shaw, Jill Kurp Maher, and Neil A.Granitz (2004), "Why Parents Buy: An Exploratory Investigation of the Influences Affecting the Purchase of Children's Food Products," in the 2004 Macromarketing Scholarship & Education for a Global Century: papers of the 29th Annual Macromarketing Seminar, (eds.) John D. Mittelstaedt and Stanley J. Shapiro, 258.
  • Maher, Jill K. (2003), "Students' Attitudes Toward the Experiential Marketing Research Project: An Exploratory Investigation of the Impact of Reality," in 2003 American Marketing Association Winter Marketing Educators'Conference, vol. 14 (eds.) Geraldine R. Henderson and Marian Chapman Moore, (299).
  • Maher, Jill K., Michael Hu, and Richard H. Kolbe (2002), "An Examination of Children's Processing of Form and Content in Children's Television Advertisements by Presentation Modality," in 2002 American Marketing Association Summer Marketing Educators' Conference, vol. 13, (eds.) William Kehoe and Jack Lindgren, (360-366).
  • Maher, Jill K. (2002), "Gender Roles in Children's Television Advertisements: An Examination of Current Trends," in 2002 Association of Marketing Theory and Practice, vol. 11, (ed.) Brenda Ponsford, 4.4 (2-9).
  • Maher, Jill K. and Michael Hu (2001), "The Impact of Material Values on Consumer Judgments, Evaluations, and Purchase Intentions: An Application of the Assimilation/Contrast Paradigm," in 2001 Association of Marketing Theory and Practice, vol. 10, (ed.) Brenda Ponsford, 119-126.
  • Maher, Jill K., Lawrence J. Marks, and Pamela E. Grimm (1997), "Overload. Pressure, and Convenience: Testing a Conceptual Model of Women's Attitude Toward and Use of Shopping Channels," in Advances in Consumer Research, vol. 24, (eds.) Debbie MacInnis and Merrie Brucks, Provo, UT: Association for Consumer Research, 490-498.
  • Maher, Jill K., Michael Y. Hu, and Richard H. Kolbe (2006), "Children's Recall of Television Ad Elements: An Examination of Audiovisual Effects," Journal of Advertising 35 (Spring), 23-33.
  • Maher, Jill K., "It's called Fruit Juice so it's Good for Me......... Right?: An Exploratory Study of Children's Fruit Content Inferences Made from Food Brand Names and Packaging, Journal of Applied Business Research, (forthcoming)