Engagement with companion animals has become an integral part in the lives of many consumers, manifesting in consumption behaviors and contributing to a growing number of consumers striving for ethical consumption or actively engaging in projects to improve animal welfare and rights. Our mission is to extend knowledge about these consumption trends and to develop an understanding on how the love of animals can transform into human action that benefits people, animals, and the environment we inhabit.
Track Leaders
Nancy V. Wünderlich (nancy.wuenderlich@upb.de) is Professor and Chair of Service Management at Paderborn University, Germany. Her research focuses on the dynamics of service relationships, in particular the adoption of technology-mediated services and the impact of social support in transformative service. Nancy has explored triadic relationships between providers, customers and animal companions in animal care and veterinary services with a special focus on the interdependencies between the service relationships and the impact on the well-being of all actors involved. Her work has appeared in journals including MIS Quarterly, Journal of Service Research, Journal of Retailing and Journal of Business Research.
Jill R. Mosteller (jmosteller@ut.edu) is Associate Professor of Marketing at The University of Tampa in Florida, USA. Her research focuses on consumer engagement and well-being, examining online and companion animal contexts. Jill’s research focuses on person-environment interactions and identifying factors that support or thwart desired outcomes. Her work has appeared in a variety of journals including Journal of Service Research, Journal of Interactive Marketing, Journal of Business Research and Journal of Consumer Affairs. She has presented at international and national animal welfare conferences across various disciplines, as well as facilitated market research efforts for various animal welfare agencies.
Michael Beverland (m.beverland@sussex.ac.uk) is Professor of Marketing at the University of Sussex, UK. Michael has written on animal-companions and the tensions involved in managing the respective needs of human and non-human animal. He has explored consumer’s use of zoomorphic identities to project their authentic self. Most recently his work has explored the role of diet and sustainability, identifying the challenges involved in reducing the consumption of animal proteins. Michael’s work has been published in (among others) Journal of Advertising, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Macromarketing, and the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science.