Are U.S. Managers Superstitious about Market Share?

Keywords

superstition effects, market share myth, demand volatility

Abstract

Superstition has always had a big impact on human behavior, sometimes yielding macroeconomic effects for even the most industrialized societies. An example of the effects of superstition is the rate of Japanese births from 1960 to 1990 (see Figure 1). A general, steady decline is evident in recent decades. But what jumps out is the single-year 25 percent drop in 1966. Such a sudden dip and recovery in birthrates meant all kinds of problems for companies selling baby cribs in 1966 or bicycles in 1972, for colleges and universities in 1984, and for employers in 1988.

Original Publication Citation

Anterasian, Cathy, John L. Graham, and R. Bruce Money (1996), “Are U.S. Managers Superstitious About Market Share?” Sloan Management Review, 37 (Summer), 67-77.

Document Type

Peer-Reviewed Article

Publication Date

1996

Publisher

Sloan Management Review

Language

English

College

Marriott School of Business

Department

Marketing

University Standing at Time of Publication

Full Professor

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