The Loveliest Village

Exploring Auburn University’s campus, you will encounter numerous faculty members conducting their own research in countless different fields.  Some research is class-related, some may be personal, other research may be in preparation for further education.  However, no matter what the purpose for experimenting, the results are nearly always thorough and intriguing.

    The business professors at Auburn are no different.  For nearly four years now, Dr. Edith F. Davidson, a professor in the marketing department, has been conducting her own research.  Although she has only been a faculty member at Auburn University for two years, Dr. Davidson has spent several years evaluating the discrimination of minority members within situations at retail settings.  With two or three years left to conclude her findings, Dr. Davidson believes that she has much more to discover.

    “Perceived retail discrimination is defined as a consumer’s perception of discrepant treatment and/or negative attitudes experienced in a retail setting attributed primarily to the consumer’s racial or cultural background,� explains Dr. Davidson.

    Specifically interested in African American women, Dr. Davidson uses a phenomenological approach to her research.  In layman’s terms, this means that her findings are based on the idea that objects and events exist as they are perceived or observed in a particular setting, so if you can see it, it exists. 

    “My research has shown that unfortunately perceptions of discrimination in retail settings are widespread, but may be minimized by specific strategies that retailers can engage in,� she said.  

    Since beginning her experiment, Dr. Davidson has uncovered significant patterns.  She has observed enough behavior to classify the discrimination into four different categories ranging from invisible/criminal treatment to racism exists, both self-explanatory. 

    Overall, Dr. Davidson has enjoyed her study and has been intrigued by the thorough results.  The information that she has gathered is helpful to her position as a marketing professor, specifically in her Retail Management classes. 

    “I have immensely enjoyed this research thus far,� she said.  “The results are managerially relevant as well as theoretically insightful.�

    Dr. Davidson looks forward to continuing her research in the future.  She hopes to attain a large plethora of information before she makes her final conclusions and looks forward to any new or different insights into perceived retail discrimination. 

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