Office of the Provost and Senior Vice President

Faculty Spotlight

Gary F. Gebhardt

College of Business, Marketing Department

Undergraduate Degree

Bachelor of Science in Accounting, May 1985, University of Akron

Graduate Degree

Master of Business Administration, January 1989 Concentrations in Strategy, Marketing and Organizational Behavior, Weatherhead School Of Management Case Western Reserve University

Doctoral Degree

Ph.D. in Marketing, December 2004, Minors in Management & Organizations and Economics, Kellogg School Of Management, Northwestern University

Previous Post(s)

Five most recent posts:

• Vice President of Strategy and Operations, Package Software Associates, 1997-1998.
• Marketing Strategy and New Product Development Consultant, Kuczmarski And Associates, 1997.
• Marketing Strategy and Planning Manager : 1996 - 1997, Channel Strategy and Planning Manager : 1996, Business Development Manager : 1995 - 1996, Product Development Manager : 1994 - 1995 , at Motorola
• Consulting Manager, National Public Utilities Practice Group : 1993 - 1994, Price Waterhouse.
• Marketing Strategy and Channels Consultant : 1990 - 1993, Frank Lynn & Associates

Selected Published Works

• Gebhardt, Gary F., Gregory S. Carpenter and John F. Sherry, Jr. (2006), “Creating a Market Orientation: A Longitudinal, Multi-Firm, Grounded Analysis of Cultural Transformation,” Journal of Marketing, October 2006, Volume 70, Issue 4. *** Winner of the 2006 MSI/H. Paul Root Award, awarded by the Journal of Marketing editorial board for the published article most contributing to the practice of marketing.
• Gebhardt, Gary F. (2006), “Price Skimming Paradoxes (extended abstract),” Advances in Consumer Research, vol. XXXIII, edited by Cornelia Pechmann and Linda Price.
• Gebhardt, Gary F. and Paul A. Swindle (2007), “(a)Cultural Co-Consumption: 21 Conversations About the People We Consume With (extended abstract),” Advances in Consumer Research, vol. XXXIV, edited by Gavan Fitzsimons and Vicki Morwitz.

Area of Specialization / Research

Marketing Strategy and Implementation, Managerial Decision Making, Organizational Change, Marketing Processes within Organizations, Research Methods

Current Course Offerings

• Undergraduate Business Program : Basic Marketing (MAR 3023)
• MBA Program : Marketing Management (MAR 6815)
• MBA and EMBA Programs : Marketing Strategy (MAR 6816)
• Ph.D. Program : Marketing Models and Strategy (MAR 7667)

How and when did you first become interested in your field of study?

I was the first person in my extended family to go to college. I wanted to be a musician, but my parents wanted me to study something that would actually lead to a job when I finished school. As a compromise I agreed to study business and fully expected to go on to law school someday – while taking as many music classes as possible along the way. In my sophomore year I took two required mass lecture classes in economics and it was then that I became hopelessly fascinated by business and economics. I never took another music course again – there were too many business courses I wanted take before graduating. A year after finishing my undergraduate degree I enrolled in the part-time MBA program at the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University. Since I was a consultant and a CPA, I took classes in areas where I had less training: strategy, organizational behavior and marketing. That’s when I became really fascinated by how to manage people to develop great products that make consumers’ lives better – the foundation of capitalism.

What made you decide to pursue a career in higher education?

The year before I applied to Ph.D. programs I had three different jobs. Oddly, they were all great jobs, but I wasn’t having fun and realized that it wasn’t the jobs or the companies. I love learning new things, solving problems that no one else can figure out, studying people and markets, and teaching. Opportunities to do such things were far and few between, even as a consultant. I spent about three months doing some soul searching and realized that academia would be the perfect job for me. I could do research I found interesting instead of working on whichever consulting projects clients would pay for. I could publish my research so lots of people could benefit from the work instead of the client owning the work. I also loved the flexibility – although I work far more now than I ever did in consulting! Finally, the opportunity to have a job where I could help other people figure out how to solve problems seemed like the coolest job in the world. And I do have the coolest job in the world – for me!

Why did you choose to be a part of the academic community at USF?

Although private universities have a lot of advantages, including more money for research, everything I have accomplished professionally began with my undergraduate degree at the University of Akron. Hence, all things being equal, I wanted to work at a state school where I could “pay it forward.”

What do you enjoy about teaching the students of USF?

First, as everyone in my classes finds out quite quickly, I hate the word “teach.” It is a verb that has a subject and a direct object: I teach you. That’s not how people learn. I facilitate participant learning. I do my best to provide an environment and opportunity for participants to learn marketing. But for anyone to learn marketing, they have to put forth some effort and work with me. They have to participate in the learning process. Hence, they are participants, not students whom I “teach.” To the point of the question, I love the fact that I have the opportunity to change people’s lives. As a class progresses, it’s a wonderful gift to watch participants become more adept at analyzing complex situations and gain confidence in their own abilities. As I begin my fifth year at USF, I’ve also been blessed to get notes from former participants telling me about their successes and how much they appreciated what they learned here at USF. I can’t adequately express the joy I experience when I receive such letters. It’s the big payoff for me. It’s why I chose this profession almost a decade ago.

What do you like about the university community?

Trying to do world-class research and be a world-class educator is a tough balancing act. Actually, doing either is tough. At USF I’m proud to call a number of colleagues who do both every day my friends. They give me endless inspiration, guidance and support. What more could I ask for?