Robert Mai (Dr. habil.) holds a diploma in industrial engineering and management (2007) and received a doctoral degree in Marketing from the TU Dresden (Germany) in 2011. Four years later, he finished his habilitation thesis in the field of Business Administration at Christian Albrecht University of Kiel (Germany). In 2017, he joined Grenoble Ecole de Management (France) as an associate professor in Marketing and was appointed Full Professor in 2019.
His current research focuses on consumer and (industrial) buyer behavior and, more specifically, on sustainability innovations, health care, and food decision making as well as international management and cross-cultural marketing. In addition, he pursues research in the field of service management and product service systems. His studies have a strong focus on quantitative methods and he also conducts research in the fields of online marketing, communication and interactions.
He publishes his research in academic journals, such as the Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Journal of Consumer Psychology, International Journal of Research in Marketing, and others.
Full publication list: https://scholar.google.de/citations?user=HJcUHgkAAAAJ&hl=de&oi=sra
- Consumer Behavior
- Marketing and Economics
- Quantitative Methods
- Bashirzadeh Y., Meunier L., Mai R., 2026.Do Business School Students Value Faculty Diversity? Insights From a Dyadic Analysis of Students’ Evaluations of TeachingAcademy of Management Learning and Education: Online first
- Schweitzer F., Mai R., 2026.Social Justice Narratives in Platform Governance Battles: Can Peer Support Fend Off Hypocrisy Accusations?Academy of Management Perspectives: Online firstPlatform governance literature has primarily focused on the platform owner’s perspective, overlooking how complementors can effectively influence governance changes. Our research highlights complementors’ activities, examining how a social justice narrative helps them gain support for change efforts. Across three studies, we (a) identify a novel mechanism, the Robin Hood perception, and explain why this narrative is effective in generating support; (b) show that hypocrisy accusations harm the narrative, in turn reducing support; and (c) find that peer firm mobilization shields complementors from this adverse effect. These findings enhance our understanding of how complementors can garner support for governance changes. They pave the way for further research on how actors beyond platform owners can shape the rules and direction of digital platforms.
- Mili S., Mai R., Wüstenhagen R., Loock M., 2026.Back to Nature or Technology to the Rescue? Climate Managers' Preferences for Investment in Carbon Dioxide RemovalBusiness Strategy and the Environment: Online first
- Canfora B., Mai R., Guetlein M.-C., 2026.Human Dominance Belief Scale: Measurement of the Belief in Humans’ Ability to Dominate NatureAMA Winter Academic Conference 2026, AMA - American Marketing Association, Madrid, Spain
- Borau S., Mai R., 2026.The gender paradox in pro-environmental engagement: Actionable insights for cause-related marketing and social advocacy campaignsJournal of the Academy of Marketing Science: Online firstThe growing gender polarization in consumers’ pro-environmental engagement—with women more engaged than men— suggests that organizations should consider gender a key criterion when targeting their cause-related marketing and social advocacy campaigns for environmental causes. However, multilevel analyses of 11 behavioral interventions across 63 countries (N = 56,582) reveal that relying on gender alone is insufficient and can even backfire, uncovering a surprising paradox: The gender gap in pro-environmental engagement widens among liberal consumers, in societies with higher gender equality, and cultures emphasizing care over competition. These gender paradoxes emerge when identities and societal contexts intersect, revealing why interventions ignoring such complexities can fail. Results show that a collective action framing is effective across several identity combinations, while a negative emotional appeal can backfire, par¬ticularly among conservative men in gender-equal countries. A web-based tool helps marketers and policymakers select effective environmental interventions across intersecting individual and country-level factors, enabling targeted advocacy and cause-related marketing.
- Lasarov W., Mai R., 2026.Exploring the Cognitive and Habitual Tensions in Sustainable Travel Decisions: A Multilevel Analysis of 32 CountriesJournal of Travel Research: Online first
- Alex L., Mai R., Rauschnabel P. A., 2026.Similar but Different: The Differential Implications of Augmented and Virtual Reality Experiences for Raising Engagement towards Climate Change ActionsComputers in Human Behavior, 174, January: 108798
- Pham-Henderson T., Quach Thaichon S., Schumacher A., Mathmann F., Mai R., 2026.Linguistically Mobilizing Customer Engagement? When and How Regulatory Mode Decreases Self-Discrepancy Message Effectiveness2026 AMA Winter Academic Conference, American Marketing Association, Madrid, Spain
- Trabandt M., Lasarov W., Mai R., Hoffmann S., 2025.How Promoting Access‐Based Consumption Provokes OverconsumptionPsychology and Marketing, 42, 8: 2089-2106
- Canfora B., Mai R., Guetlein M.-C., 2025.Human Dominance Belief Scale: Measurement of the Belief in Humans’ Ability to Dominate NatureEMAC Annual Conference 2025, EMAC European Marketing Academy, Madrid, Spain