Posts by: Tim J. Smith, PhD

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Lufthansa Systems Goes to Market with iPad In-flight Entertainment Systems: EVM Case Study

By Tim J. Smith, PhD December 3, 2012

Thales SA and Panasonic Corp. have recently begun marketing Wi-Fi-enabled iPad in-flight entertainment systems alongside traditional wired and seatback entertainment systems. Does handing out iPads to passengers and going Wi-Fi make sense for other airlines or is this a frivolous luxury for the elite that commoners will never see? A modeling of the Exchange Value can determine.

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Top 6 – November 2012

By Tim J. Smith, PhD November 1, 2012

“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all…

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Mark Hurd’s 5 Sales-Force Design Principles

By Tim J. Smith, PhD November 1, 2012

As Mark Hurd, co-president of Oracle re-emerges on the public stage, we see him once again focusing on the sales force.  Within Oracle’s sales force, he has changed job descriptions, reporting structures, compensation plans, staff size, and corporate routines in a stated effort to improve revenue and profits.  But what principles guide his sales-force design?  Is he a sales-force master architect or a tinkerer that will destroy Oracle’s revenue?

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Top 6 – October 2012

By Tim J. Smith, PhD October 3, 2012

Fine. Life sucks and then you die. Get over it. Be happy. Do your work. Any executive can blame a bad market…

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A Case Study on Sears versus Target and Divergent Responses – Blame the Market Environment or Command Your Performance

By Tim J. Smith, PhD October 3, 2012

Charting a winning corporate strategy is rarely an easy task, and 2012 has been particularly difficult for executive decision-making. Yet difficult times do not get executives off the hook for poor performance. A case in point: Sears is floundering while Target is advancing. What is driving the significant divergence in performance between these two competitors? Is a role reversal possible in the next 18 months?

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Top 6 – September 2012

By Tim J. Smith, PhD September 4, 2012

How do you know you have a bad (unprofitable) customer (also known as a leech)? Look for one of these known telltale…

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Launching LeBron X Nike Plus at a $300 + Price Target: An Evolving Case in Price Communication and Public Relations

By Tim J. Smith, PhD September 4, 2012

This fall, Nike is rumored to be launching the above $300 LeBron X Nike Plus basketball shoes. What was expected to be a highly promising product launch has morphed into a management and political quagmire regarding its high price, potential violence, and target market abuse. What should Nike do?

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Top 6 – August 2012

By Tim J. Smith, PhD August 1, 2012

According to Young & Rubicam’s BAV measures, the four pillars of brand value are Knowledge, Relevance, Esteem, and Differentiation. On which of…

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Trust and Business Relationships

By Tim J. Smith, PhD August 1, 2012

Trust is central to business relationships, that most everyone would agree.  But what exactly does trust mean?  What are the dimensions of trust?  How related are trust and decisions?  And, more to the point for this journal, how does trust affect customer purchase decisions?

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Top 6 – July 2012

By Tim J. Smith, PhD July 2, 2012

“Taking a defensive position can, at best, only limit losses. And we need gains.” Peter Drucker, HBR, (1961). Core values drives performance. …

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About The Author

timjsmith
Tim J. Smith, PhD, is the founder and CEO of Wiglaf Pricing, an Adjunct Professor of Marketing and Economics at DePaul University, and the author of Pricing Done Right (Wiley 2016) and Pricing Strategy (Cengage 2012). At Wiglaf Pricing, Tim leads client engagements. Smith’s popular business book, Pricing Done Right: The Pricing Framework Proven Successful by the World’s Most Profitable Companies, was noted by Dennis Stone, CEO of Overhead Door Corp, as "Essential reading… While many books cover the concepts of pricing, Pricing Done Right goes the additional step of applying the concepts in the real world." Tim’s textbook, Pricing Strategy: Setting Price Levels, Managing Price Discounts, & Establishing Price Structures, has been described by independent reviewers as “the most comprehensive pricing strategy book” on the market. As well as serving as the Academic Advisor to the Professional Pricing Society’s Certified Pricing Professional program, Tim is a member of the American Marketing Association and American Physical Society. He holds a BS in Physics and Chemistry from Southern Methodist University, a BA in Mathematics from Southern Methodist University, a PhD in Physical Chemistry from the University of Chicago, and an MBA with high honors in Strategy and Marketing from the University of Chicago GSB.