Faculty and Staff | Business Administration
Dr. Ramaprasad Unni
Department: Business Administration
Title: Associate Professor
Expertise: Consumer Behavior, Digital Marketing, Survey Design, Data Analysis
Office: Avon Williams Building K439
Phone: 615.963.7343
Email: runni@tnstate.edu
BIO
Ramaprasad Unni, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Marketing in the College of Business at Tennessee State University where he teaches several marketing courses such as Marketing Management, Retailing, Consumer Behavior, Sales Management, and Principles of Marketing.
He began his career as an engineer at Tata Steel in India. He then earned an MBA from Indian Institute of Management and worked as a Brand/Product Manager in the confectionery division at Mondelez Inc. (formerly Cadbury). Subsequently, he came to Indiana University and earned a M.S. and PH.D.in marketing.
His research interests are primarily in the area of consumer behavior in interactive environments. In his research he has examined the relative effectiveness of virtual product trial, consumer evaluations of wireless location-based marketing, value creation through customization, and use of information sources in different shopping contexts. He has published in the Journal of Retailing, Journal of Interactive Advertising, Journal of Consumer Marketing, Marketing Education Review, Journal of International Business and Management Research, and conference proceedings like the Proceedings of the AMA Educators Conference, Proceedings of Association for Consumer Research, and other national conferences. He has also been a member of the American Marketing Association for several years.
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EDUCATION
Ph.D. Marketing – Indiana University, 2000
M.B.A. – Indiana University, 1998
P.G.D.M. (M.B.A.) – Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta, India, 1989
B.Tech. – Indian School of Mines, India, 1986
COURSES TAUGHT
Undergraduate Courses
Basic Marketing
Selling and Sales Management
Retailing
Consumer Behavior
Sports Marketing
Graduate Courses
Marketing Management
PUBLICATIONS AND AWARDS
Academic Papers and Articles
Baker, D. M., & Unni, R. (2022). “Factors affecting student satisfaction with transition to online classes in HBCUs due to COVID-19 pandemic.” The Consortium Journal of Hospitality & Tourism.
Baker, D. M., & Unni, R. (2021). Comparing Factors That Influence Minority Students’ Attitude and Preference for the Hybrid Course Format: An Examination of Hospitality and Marketing Majors. The Consortium Journal of Hospitality & Tourism , 23 (1), 23-30.
Baker, D. M. & Unni , R . (2018). Characteristics and Intentions of Cruise Passengers to Return to the Caribbean for Land-Based Vacations. Journal of Tourism, 26 (2) , 1-9.
Unni, R. (2014), “Influence of deal proneness in evaluation of location-based marketing,” Journal of International Business and Management Research, 5 (16).
Lukosius, V. & Unni, R. (2013), “An initial examination of motivational components of game playing behavior,” Journal of International Business and Management Research, 4 (12).
Mathwick, Charla, Janet Wagner, and Ramaprasad Unni (2010), “Computer Mediated Customization Tendency (CMCT) and the Adaptive e-Service Experience,” Journal of Retailing, 86(1), 11-21.
Unni, Ramaprasad, Douglas Tseng, and Deepa Pillai (2010), “Context Specificity In Use of Price Information Sources,” Journal of Consumer Marketing, 27(3), 243-250.
Unni, Ramaprasad and L.P. Douglas Tseng (2009), “Perceptions of Online and On-campus Business Programs: Implications for Marketing Business Programs,” Review of Higher Education and Self-Learning, 2(4), 19-30.
Unni, Ramaprasad and Robert Harmon (2007), “Perceived Effectiveness of Push vs. Pull Wireless Location-Based Marketing,” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 7(2), Spring, 28-40.
Unni, Ramaprasad (2005), “Value Perceptions and Retention of Textbooks Among Marketing and Other Business Majors,” Marketing Education Review, 15(2), 71-79.
Peer-Reviewed Book Chapters
Unni, Ramaprasad M. (2022). “Programmatic Advertising”, in SAGE Handbook of Digital Marketing , Annmarie Hanlon and Tracy Tuten (eds.), Chapter 19, ISBN: 9781529743791
Unni, Ramaprasad and Harmon, Robert (2006), “Location-based services – Opportunities and Challenges,” in Handbook of Research on Mobile Business Handbook of Research in Mobile Business: Technical, Methodological and Social Perspectives,” Ed. Bhuvan Unhelkar. Hershey, PA: Idea Group Publishing, 18-34.
Unni, Ramaprasad and Robert Harmon (2003), “Location-Based Services: Models for Strategy Development in M-Commerce,” in Technology Management for Reshaping the World, Eds. Dundar F. Kocaglu and Timothy R. Anderson, Piscataway, NJ: IEEE., 416-424.
Peer-Reviewed Conference Proceedings
Thach, S., Unni, R., & Abdelmoety, Z. (2018), “Local brands and global brands: competition in emerging markets,” XVII International Business & Economy Conference, San Francisco, January 4-7.
Thach, S., Unni, R., & Yang, C. (2015). Finding, Holding, and Using an Advantage: Domestic Competition Versus International Brands. XIV International Business & Economy Conference. Bangkok, January 5-8.
Unni, R. (2014). Influence of deal proneness in evaluation of location-based marketing. Proceedings of the Intellectbase International Consortium, Nashville, TN.
Unni, R. & Roberts, J. (2012). Altruism of College Students: An Exploratory Examination of Volunteering Intentions. 2013 Association of Collegiate Marketing Educators (ACME) Conference, Albuquerque, NM.
Unni, R. & Roberts, J. (2012). Attitudes toward donations of used clothing- implications for thrift stores. Association of Collegiate Marketing Educators Conference.
Unni, Ramaprasad and Douglas Tseng (2009), “Perceptions of Online and On-Campus Business Programs: Implications for Marketing Online Business Programs,” Proceedings of the Intellectbase Academic Conference, Atlanta, GA, October. This paper was selected for publication in a peer-reviewed journal, Review of Higher Education and Self-Learning, 2(4), 19-30.
Lukošius, Vaidotas and Ramaprasad Unni (2009), “Modeling Video Game Preference Using Personality and Motivation,” Association of Collegiate Marketing Educators (ACME) Conference, Oklahoma City, 2009 (received Outstanding Paper Award in the Sports and Entertainment Marketing Track).
Unni, Ramaprasad (2008), “Role of Perceived Information Efficiency on Effectiveness of Information Sources” Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the Society for Marketing Advances, November.
Harmon, Robert, Ramaprasad Unni, and Timothy Anderson (2007), “Price Sensitivity Measurement and New Product Pricing: A Cognitive Response Approach,” Proceedings of the 2007 Portland International Conference on Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), August.
Unni, Ramaprasad (2006), “An Initial Examination of Location-Based Mobile Marketing,” Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the Society for Marketing Advances, November. (received Best Paper Award in the Technology & Ecommerce track).
Unni, Ramaprasad (2003), “Differences in Information Processing from Print Ads and Web Pages,” in Advances in Consumer Research, vol. 31, Eds. Barbara E. Kahn and Mary Frances Luce, Valdosta, GA: Association for Consumer Research, 263-264.
Unni, Ramaprasad, Bruce L. Stern, Nathan R. Stevens, and Robin J. Sena (2002), “An Examination of Factors that Affect Perceived Value and retention of Textbooks and Course Packets,” Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the Society for Marketing Advances, November.
Unni, R.M. (1998), “Effects of Consumer Control in Interactive Media Environments: An Experimental Investigation,” 1998 Winter Educators’ Conference, Vol. 9, Eds. Dhruv Grewal and Connie Pechmann, Chicago, IL: American Marketing Association.
Unni, R.M. (1997), “Enhancing Firm Credibility with Web Advertising, “Proceedings of the 1997 Society for Consumer Psychology Winter Conference, Eds. Cornelia Pechmann and S. Ratneshwar, St. Petersburg, FL, February, 77-79.
Honors, Grants, and Fellowships
Outstanding Service Learning Faculty Award, 2010
College of Business Summer Research Grant ($6000), 2010
Service Learning Mini-Grant ($1000), Service Learning Center, Tennessee State University, Fall 2009
Outstanding Paper Award in the Sports and Entertainment Marketing Track, Association of Collegiate Marketing Educators (ACME) Conference, Oklahoma City, 2009.Best Paper Award in the Technology & E-Commerce Track, Annual Conference of the Society for Marketing Advances, Nashville, TN, 2006
Doctoral Research Grant, Center for Education and Research in Retailing, Kelley School of Business, Indiana University, 1999 ($1500)
Doctoral Research Grant, Kelley School of Business, Indiana University, 1999 ($500)
Finalist in Decision Sciences Institute’s (DSI) Case Award Competition 1997 for the D&A Corvette case (co-authored with Kaushik Sengupta, Richard Bliss, and Jim Patterson)
Outstanding Discussion Leader ($250 honorarium), Fall 1994
Travel Grants, Portland State University, 2002-2006 ($2500)