Donna J Bergenstock Associate Professor, Business & Economics |
Education
Teaching Interests
I am forever intrigued by the manner in which marketing and promotions can be used to direct and redirect the perception and consumption by people of products, places and experiences in our culture. I am also a passionate advocate for ethical and moral marketing practices.
Marketing as manipulation does occur, but my Muhlenberg students learn that the appropriate use of marketing, be it old-school print ads or social/digital media platforms, is to disseminate information to aid decision-making. Creativity and responsibility go hand in hand.
I am also fascinated by the manner in which individuals (as consumers and citizens) and businesses must adjust their behavior, decisions, strategies and tactics to accommodate diversity and change occurring domestically and abroad. International/global issues are of paramount importance to all of us, in both our personal and professional lives.
I believe students need to learn how to conduct themselves in a world where borders are shrinking, a world where a nation’s failing economy, cultural crisis or political upheaval will have rippling effects across the globe. My students learn that they are responsible not only to themselves and their careers, but also to customers, communities, the environment and the planet as a whole.
Research, Scholarship or Creative/Artistic Interests
For nearly 25 years I have been a scholar of the international diamond industry. My prior research and publications addressed the interaction of Russia with the De Beers Corporation. Economic issues of diamond supply, price manipulation and Russia budgetary concerns coupled with decades of diamond-demand management through brilliant advertising and promotional campaigns led me to a fascinating dissertation topic. Additional publications focused on changes in De Beers supply chain and the controversial topic of conflict “blood” diamonds.
More recently, my scholarship has focused on best practices in teaching marketing. I have presented papers and participated in discussions on new disciplinary practices, curricular changes and challenges and marketing within the liberal arts.
Since 2016, my research focus has reverted to diamonds, specifically the Kimberley Process of certifying that rough, newly mined diamonds are not funding conflicts or supporting regimes that engage in human-rights violations. I am interested in finding out if retail establishments educate customers on the issue and if diamond customers really care about the source of their precious jewels. Is that teal blue Tiffany box or the fact that “he went to Jared’s” more important than the treatment of people? Stay tuned!