Dr. Wesley Friske has recently been published in high quality research publications, including his recent work in Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science (JAMS).

Dr. Wesley Friske’s recent research speaks on sustainability reports and greenwashing in marketing.

According to Dr. Friske, “Sustainability reports are popular marketing communications tools, but given the general public’s concerns about greenwashing and investors’ skepticism regarding the validity of ESG metrics, do they add to a firm’s market value?”

Dr. Wesley Friske, an Associate Professor in the Marketing Department, has been investigating this research question for the past two years. Dr. Friske and his co-authors, Seth A. Hoelscher (Missouri State University) and Atanas Nik Nikolov (Kennesaw State University), recently published a study on sustainability reporting in Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science (JAMS). The results of their analysis on a large sample of reporting and non-reporting organizations for the period 2010 – 2020 indicate that sustainability reports positively contribute to firm value over time, although they are initially costly. External auditing of sustainability reports establishes credibility and further enhances their value. One of the main takeaways from the study is that sustainability reporting is an effective signal of a firm’s commitment to sustainable business activities. To view an abstract of the study or to read the article in its entirety, please click on the following link: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11747-022-00879-2.

The publication in JAMS, which is widely regarded as one of the top journals in marketing, aligns with Dr. Friske’s research interests in macromarketing. Macromarketing research examines how society affects marketing and how marketing affects society. Sustainability research is one dimension of macromarketing. More articles from this line of work appear in Journal of Macromarketing (JMK), Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice (JMTP), and Sustainability. To learn more about Dr. Friske’s research, please see his Google Scholar profile (https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=0TNdXH8AAAAJ&hl=en) or visit his personal website (https://www.wesleyfriske.com/).

Congratulations on your research findings, Dr. Wesley Friske!