Research Feature with Dr. Yuanfang Lin

Dr. Yuanfang Lin is an associate professor and graduate program coordinator in the Department of Marketing and Consumer Studies. His research focuses on substantive marketing issues, constructive parsimonious analytical models that yields fundamental insights about firm and consumer behaviour, and seeking empirical validation of theory predictions using appropriate data.

His forthcoming paper titled "Effects of information quantity and diversity on consumers under complex uncertainty" is accepted for publication by the Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services.

This is a direct research output from his SSHRC IDG. Dr. Yuanfang Lin took a different perspective from the extensive studies on the "panic" behaviour (buying, stocking, etc.) of consumers during the pandemic and propose a framework of rationally processing information under complex uncertainty, and his theoretical findings were validated empirically using survey data collected via SSHRC IDG grant.  When he started working on this project, the aim was just to study consumer information process under the pandemic. As the research is completed, he found that it actually has wider application given that today's consumer globally is living under complex uncertainties of various types including pandemic, war conflict, natural disaster, economic recess... His studies thus generate important policy recommendations for government agencies and business organizations when it comes to implementing effective communication strategies in mitigating the negative effect of fear and misinformation when making decisions, and to improve social welfare.

Dr. Yuanfang Lin pursued knowledge dissemination activities in December 2023. 

On December 8th, 2023, Dr. Yuanfang Lin was the Keynote Speaker at the 2023 Taiwan Institute of Marketing Science (TIMS) Research Conference. On December 13, 2023, he delivered a research talk at Renmin University's Marketing Research Workshop in Beijing. The topic of his speech was based on a most recent ongoing research project of his which examines the efficiency issues related to competitive information gathering, R&D investment, and product innovation in the marketplace. The title of his speech is "Information Gathering about Competitors’ R&D: Good or Bad?"