Program

Prof. Dr. Charles R. Taylor (Villanova School of Business, Pennsylvania)
“Food Advertising Under Threat? Why New Restrictions May Not Be Based on Sound Science”

30.04.2026, 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Ludwigstr. 28 VG, 211b

Abstract:
This presentation report critically reviews scientific literature on the relationship between food advertising - particularly for less healthy food (LHF) products - and childhood obesity. With new regulations in the United Kingdom and elsewhere restricting the advertising of LHF products, it is important to assess the current evidence on the impact of such advertising on childhood obesity rates and consumption patterns. A comprehensive review of the literature is conducted to identify the best scientific knowledge on: i) the primary causes of childhood or adult obesity; ii) whether advertising is a significant causal factor associated with childhood or adult obesity; iii) whether advertising expenditures are increased with higher consumption of less healthy food; iv) whether advertising restrictions and bans are likely to be effective in reducing consumption of less healthy food; and v) what types of initiatives/programs, if any, have been found to show promise for reducing the prevalence of children being overweight. While some studies published in medical journals appear to support the notion that advertising of less healthy food is a causal factor in obesity, the weight of the evidence from studies that focus on the causes of obesity does not find that advertising is a significant factor. Moreover, evidence from the marketing literature strongly suggests that advertising does not increase primary demand for a product type and that bans on advertising are not effective in reducing aggregate demand. Research showing what types of programs can actually contribute to reducing childhood and adult obesity will be discussed, and suggested future research directions for marketing scholars are provided.

Bio:
Charles R. "Ray" Taylor is John A. Murphy Professor of Marketing at Villanova University. He is currently Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Advertising. Professor Taylor is a Past-President of the President of the American Academy of Advertising. He is the recipient of the Ivan L. Preston Award for Outstanding Lifetime Contribution to Advertising Research from the American Academy of Advertising and the Flemming Hansen Award for Outstanding Contribution to Advertising from the European Advertising Academy. Professor Taylor is a Senior Contributor to Forbes.com, has provided consulting services to many companies, and is frequently quoted in national and global media.

Prof. Dr. Julia Kotlarsky (University of Auckland, New Zealand)
tbd

19.05.2026, 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
Ludwigstr. 28 VG, 211b

Abstract:
tbd

Prof. Dr. Tobias Dennerlein (Purdue University, USA)
"Empowered to Blow the Whistle or Squelched to Look the Other Way? The Interactive Effect of Empowering Leadership and Unethical Pro-Organizational Behavior Climate on Employee Moral Potency and Whistleblowing"

29.05.2026, 10:30 am - 12:00 pm
Ludwigstr. 28 (VG), 211b

Abstract:
Whistleblowing - the disclosure of illegal, immoral, or illegitimate organizational practices - provides an invaluable public service as it can help avoid societal harm caused by corporate wrongdoing. Yet, organizational scandals persist, and criminal investigations regularly point to leadership practices and organizational climates as key reasons. Although empowering leadership is widely used in today’s flat and team-based organizations, and the agency it promotes could play a key role in the whistleblowing process, its effects on employees’ moral cognitions and ethical conduct remain unclear. Drawing from whistleblowing theory, this study examines whether and why empowering leadership could promote whistleblowing. I argue that empowering leadership increases employee moral potency and, ultimately, whistleblowing. Moreover, I identify employees’ perceptions of their organizations’ unethical pro-organizational behavior climate as a moderator of this effect. I posit that climates endorsing an “ends-justify-the-means” mentality (i.e., a high unethical pro-organizational behavior climate) suppress the positive effects of empowering leadership on moral potency and subsequent whistleblowing. Findings support the proposed conceptual model in three studies employing different methodologies, demonstrating the robustness of the model by contrasting the proposed mediator and moderator with alternative constructs. I discuss the contributions of my research to theory and practice.