Faculty

Jakki Mohr

Regents Professor Emerita of Marketing

Personal Summary

Dr. Jakki Mohr is the Regents Professor Emerita of Marketing at the University of Montana. She joined the University of Montana in 1997 and retired in 2023.
She is a high-energy, award-winning marketing professor, skilled at teaching all levels (undergraduate, graduate, executive education and training programs). She is also a savvy consultant regarding all facets of marketing strategy; passionately committed to sustainability with a focus on using marketing strategy for sustainable innovation, and social and environmental benefit--and to ensuring when firms misuse marketing strategy and cause social and environmental harms, that they are held accountable.

Jakki focuses on how marketing strategies can be used for social and environmental benefit. Her interests at the intersection of business and nature has led to several funded projects, including analysis of innovations in the field of ecological restoration to restore degraded landscapes; companies’ valuations of natural capital; and companies’ efforts to leverage data and technology for supply chain transparency. In research sponsored by the Marketing Science Institute, she studies how companies use biomimicry (innovations inspired by nature, based on underlying biological mechanisms) to solve technical and engineering challenges. She served on the National Academies of Sciences Committee to overcome barriers to electric vehicle deployment in the United States (2012-2015), which included an invitation to participate in a think-tank workshop at KAPSARC in Saudi Arabia.

An innovator in the field of strategic marketing of disruptive innovations, Mohr achieved international acclaim for Marketing of High-Technology Products and Innovations (2010, 3rd edition, with Sanjit Sengupta and Stanley Slater), used by colleges and universities worldwide (translated into three languages) as well as by managers for executive training sessions. In addition, her book has resulted in invitations to guest-teach at the Drucker School of Management (Claremont Graduate University), IEDC in Bled, Slovenia, ORT University (as a Fulbright Specialist) in Montevideo, Uruguay, as well as universities in Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, India, France, and Italy to conduct executive education at companies both large (such as Fujitsu) and small. Her skills in data analytics to drive innovation led to invitations to deliver executive education programs on “Harnessing the Power of Data Analytics for Innovation.”  For example, she was an Erskine Fellow at the University of Canterbury (Christchurch, New Zealand) in November 2018.  She also mentors start-ups, particularly women-owned start-ups, with a passion for entrepreneurship and technology.

Her early research focused on organizational communication between partners in strategic alliances/ partnerships and between distribution channel members. She also has participated in NSF-funded research as the innovation & commercialization lead for those projects. 

Mohr's research has received national awards and appears in the Journal of Marketing, the Strategic Management Journal, the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, the Journal of Product and Innovation Management, Restoration Ecology, the Journal of Public Policy and Marketing, the Journal of Retailing, among others.

The winner of numerous teaching awards, including the 2018 Montana Educator of the Year (presented by the State of Montana), the 2008 Outstanding Marketing Teacher Award (presented by the Academy of Marketing Science) and the 2005 Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching "Montana Professor of the Year," she also received University of Montana’s Most Inspirational Teacher of the Year in 2002, voted by graduating seniors.

In her spare time, she enjoys many outdoor activities with her active family.  

Education

Ph.D.           University of Wisconsin-Madison  (Marketing; Emphasis in Organizational Sociology)
M.S.              Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado   (Marketing)
B.B.A.           Boise State University, Boise, Idaho  (Marketing)

Courses Taught

Principles of Marketing (required course for all School of Business juniors)

Marketing of High-Technology Products and Innovations (a senior-level elective for both marketing and MIS students focusing on developing marketing strategies to successfully commercialize emerging technologies)

Data Analytics & Innovation (a graduate course in the Master’s of Science in Business Analytics focused on integrating data-driven insights into organizational processes, and new product/service offerings to add new value, with particular attention to customer privacy and data governance)

Branding Strategies for the Digital Age (a graduate course on leveraging brand strategies to cement relationships with customers, and how those strategies must be modified for the new digital customer journey and leveraging new technologies such as digital voice assistants/platforms such as Alexa)

Pursue Your Passions (elective course for women entrepreneurs)

Introduction to Marketing (elective course featuring 10 different professional pathways in marketing, for any person curious about what a career in marketing entails as well as the skills required for success in marketing)

Teaching Experience

University of Colorado-Boulder (1989-1997)
Adjunct Faculty (short-term teaching) at:
IEDC Bled (Slovenia) School of Management:  May 2019; May 2021
University of Otago/Dunedin, New Zealand:  September 2018
Claremont Graduate University, Drucker School of Management, 2005-2017
ORT University, Montevideo, Uruguay, 2010-2018
University of Bern, Switzerland (Institute of Innovation Management): 2004, 2011, 2015
Stockholm University, 2012 (January) and 2015 (November)
Ecole d’Management, Grenoble, France 2007
Indian School of Business, Hyderabad, India – November 2006  

Research Interests

I study the challenges technology companies face in developing and commercializing breakthrough innovations, particularly in their partnerships and in their innovation capabilities.

Most recently, my research has addressed issues at the intersection of business and the natural environment, including (1) how companies infuse sustainability (environmental) considerations into their innovation processes, with a focus on biomimicry specifically (nature-inspired innovations) and (2) how business strategies affect and are affected by ecological concerns, such as ecological restoration.
Theoretically, I draw on a wide range of disciplines, including the resource-based view of the firm, dynamic capabilities, knowledge and learning theories, and more recently, social-ecological systems (coupled human-natural systems).

My early research focused on communication, information sharing, governance, and related behaviors in distribution channels and strategic partnerships in high-tech industries. In addition, I have studied communication and information sharing behaviors of marketing managers (i.e., the use of information in resource allocations; issues with proprietary information, etc.).

Projects

Part of a $20 million / five-year (2018-2023) NSF-funded EPSCoR (State of Montana) project:  Consortium for Research on Environmental Water Systems (CREWS).  My role is training researchers and students on commercialization potential of their scientific discoveries. http://mtnsfepscor.org/projects/rii-track-1-consortium-research-environmental-water-systems-crews

Part of a $200,000 / three-year (2018-2021) NSF-funded project to establish the University of Montana as an iCorp Site. My role will be monitoring and assessment. http://news.umt.edu/2018/09/092718stem.php

AY 2017/2018    $5000 Funding for Grad Student on the Business of Restoration                       
$15,000 Funding for Undergrad Student on Valuations of Natural Capital

Field of Study

As a marketing professor, my specialty is in technology marketing, also known as marketing of technology and innovation. Technology companies face market and competitive uncertainties in successfully commercializing their innovations; moreover, the engineering-driven, technology-oriented culture of these companies further complicates their ability to successful develop marketing strategies. Hence, technology marketing requires a unique approach to strategic planning, including developing an organizational culture focused on customer understanding and market knowledge. My research projects and consulting practice allow me to credibly work with students, companies, executive education programs, and trade associations to train managers to be adept in the complicated environment of technology, science, and innovation.

Most recently, I have studied large companies' efforts to infuse sustainability and environmental considerations into their business processes. One project has a particular focus on biomimicry, or the conscious seeking of creativity and inspiration from nature to solve technical and design challenges in the innovation process. Another project looks at how companies place a valuation on their natural capital. Another examines how companies move from a goal of "net zero" environmental footprint to "net positive,"--a goal to restore nature. Finally, I am also working on how innovation can be used to transform the business of ecological restoration--a multi-million dollar industry to restore degraded landscapes.

In addition, my strong commitment to leveraging marketing for social and environmental benefit infuses my classes and my research. A recent project (2023) focuses on a framework for how companies inappropriately leverage marketing strategy to sell products that cause social and environmental harm, including opioids, guns, fossil fuels. The fact that the companies marketing these products are facing myriad lawsuits for the inappropriate marketing speaks to the reason why companies should attend carefully not solely to revenue, but also harms their products cause. 
An award-winning teacher, I have taught marketing for 25+ years in a university setting, and have consulted with a wide variety of high-tech companies both large and small. I also teach in a variety of executive education programs around the world.

Specialties: technology marketing 
commercialization of technology 
intersection of business and nature
use of biomimicry in company innovation

Publications

Yuksel, Seher and Jakki J. Mohr (2023), “Disrupting the Plate: Cultured Meat Technology,” California Management Review Insights, July 31,   https://cmr.berkeley.edu/2023/07/disrupting-the-plate-cultured-meat-technology/

Freeman-Wong, Jessica, Daisy Munguia Flores, and Jakki J. Mohr (2023), “Building a Strategy to Harness ChatGPT in Education:  Lessons from Business Use of Emerging Technologies,” California Management Review Insights, August 20, https://cmr.berkeley.edu/2023/08/building-a-strategy-to-harness-chatgpt-in-education/

Jake M. Robinson, Riley Hodgson, Siegy Krauss, Craig Liddicoat, Ashish Malik, Belinda Martin, Jakki J. Mohr, David Moreno-Mateos, Miriam Muñoz-Rojas, Shawn Peddle, Martin F. Breed (forthcoming), “Opportunities and challenges for microbiomics in restoration ecology,” Trends in Ecology & Evolution (December 2023).

Mohr, Jakki, Tina Cummins, Theresa Floyd, Elizabeth Covelli Metcalf, Ray Callaway and Cara Nelson (2023), “Age, experience, social goals, and engagement with research scientists may promote innovation in ecological restoration,” PLoS ONE, 18(4): e0274153. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0274153

Mohr, Jakki and Carmen Thissen (2022), “Company Valuations of Impact & Dependencies on Nature: Lessons from Leaders,” California Management Review, 65 (1, Fall): 91-118.
(This article was excerpted on CMR Insights on Dec. 12, 2022: https://cmr.berkeley.edu/2022/12/measuring-and-disclosing-corporate-valuations-of-impacts-and-dependencies-on-nature/)

Searcy, Cory, Pavel Castka, Jakki Mohr, and Sönke Fischer (2022), "Transformational Transparency in Supply Chains: Leveraging Technology to Drive Radical Change," California Management Review, 65 (1, Fall): 19-43. This article was reprised on the London School of Economics blog: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/businessreview/2023/01/20/transformational-transparency-can-improve-supply-chains-social-and-environmental-performance/)

Mohr, Jakki, Peter Harrison, Jessica Stanhope, and Martin Breed (2022), “Is the “Genomics” Cart Before the “Restoration” Horse? Royal Philosophical Transactions B, 377, no. 1857: 20210381. This publications was featured in The Conversation, “Drones and DNA tracking: we show how these high-tech tools are helping nature heal,” June 27, 2022: https://theconversation.com/drones-and-dna-tracking-we-show-how-these-high-tech-tools-are-helping-nature-heal-185140 With Jake M Robinson, Jakki Mohr, Martin Breed, Peter Harrison, and Suzanne Mavoa 

Castka, Pavel, Cory Searcy, and Jakki Mohr (2020), “Technology-Enhanced Auditing:  Improving Veracity and Timeliness for Social and Environmental Supply Chain Performance,” Journal of Cleaner Production (June), 10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.120773.

Martin F. Breed, Peter A. Harrison, Colette Blyth, Margaret Byrne, Virginie Gaget, Nicholas J. C. Gellie, Scott V. C. Groom, Riley Hodgson, Jacob G. Mills, Thomas A. A. Prowse, Dorothy A. Steane and Jakki J. Mohr (2019), “The potential of genomics for restoring ecosystems and biodiversity,” Nature Reviews Genetics, 20(10), pp.615-628.

Mohr, Jakki and Elizabeth Covelli Metcalf (2018), “The Business Perspective in Ecological Restoration: Issues and Challenges,” Restoration Ecology, 26 (2), 381-390.

Lauer, Frederick, Alex Metcalf, Elizabeth Covelli Metcalf, and Jakki Mohr (2018), “Public engagement in social-ecological systems management: An application of social justice theory,” Society & Natural Resources, Vol. 31 (1): pp. 4-20. * Awarded Rabel J. Burdge and Donald R. Field Outstanding Article Award for 2018. 

Nordin, Fredrik, Annika Ravald, Kristian Moller, and Jakki Mohr (2018), “Network management in emergent high-tech business contexts: Critical capabilities and activities,” Industrial Marketing Management, 74 (2018): 89-101 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2017.09.024

Trent, Lindsey and Jakki Mohr (2017), “Marketers’ Valuation Approaches to Brand Equity:  Insights for Accountants,” The CPA Journal, (July), pp. 58-61.  

Jakki J. Mohr, Linda L. Price, and Aric Rindfleisch (2016), “Marketing’s Quest for Environmental Sustainability: Persistent Challenges and New Perspectives,” Review of Marketing ResearchMarketing in and for a Sustainable Society, N. Malhotra, Ed; Volume 13 (pp. 29-59), Bingley, United Kingdom: Emerald Group Publishing Limited.  *  Received the Best Article Award (awarded Fall 2020). 

Elizabeth Metcalf, Jakki Mohr, Laurie Yung, Peter Metcalf, and Dave Craig (2015), “The Role of Trust in Restoration Success: Public Engagement and Temporal and Spatial Scale in a Complex Social-Ecological System,” Restoration Ecology, 23 (3), 315-324.

Slater, Stanley, Jakki Mohr, and Sanjit Sengupta (2014), “Radical Product Innovation Capability: Literature Review, Synthesis, and Illustrative Research Propositions” Journal of Product Innovation Management, 31 (3): 552-566.

Mohr, Jakki, Sanjit Sengupta, and Stanley Slater (2012), “Serving Base-of-the-Pyramid Markets: Matching Organizational Approaches to Underlying Conditions,” Journal of Business Strategy, 33 (6), pp. 4-14.

Affiliations

Fellow, Institute on Ecosystems

American Marketing Association

 

Specialized Skills

Marketing forensics: analysis of  marketing strategies to assess contribution to social and environmental harms (e.g., opioids, privacy violations, etc.)
Data analytics & innovation
Innovation in ecological restoration
Biomimicry 
Commercialization of technology & innovation 
Technology marketing 

Professional Experience

Expert witness research and testimony based on evaluating marketing strategies and their impacts.

Consulting and corporate training for a variety of technology-oriented businesses and trade associations, including Fujitsu; British Columbia Technology Industry Association; Montana Photonics Industry Alliance; Communitech (Waterloo, Canada)

Keynote lecturer for large marketing/sales/technology groups  as well as for Society of Ecological Restoration

Prior to her academic career, she worked in Silicon Valley for Hewlett-Packard (hp). 

International Experience

Executive Education in several countries, including New Zealand (University of Canterbury),  India (Indian School of Business); Uruguay (ORT University); Chile (Santiago, University of Alberto Hertado), Finland. 

Fulbright Specialist at ORT University, Uruguay (2010)

Undergraduate and Graduate teaching in New Zealand (University of Otago), Switzerland (University of Bern); Sweden (University of Stockholm); France (Grenoble School of Management)

Served as keynote/plenary speaker at the Society of Ecological Restoration/Australia/Asia (Striving for Restoration Excellence), September 25-28, 2018, Brisbane, Australia
Title: Innovation in Ecological Restoration:  Individual, Company, and Project Factors

Served as keynote/plenary speaker at the VII World Conference on Ecological Restoration (Linking Science & Practice for a Better World) by the Society of Ecological Restoration (Foz D’Iguassu, Brazil) August 27-September 1, 2017 
Title:  “Innovation in Restoration: Barriers and Opportunities”

Global transportation and energy workshop, Saudi Arabia, (www.kapsarc.org)

Honors / Awards

Erskine Fellowship, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand (November 2018) 
Montana Educator of the Year (August 2018)
Outstanding MSBA Faculty Teaching Award:  Spring 2020
Outstanding Marketing Faculty Teaching Award (voted by the graduating seniors): 2019/2020, 2016/2017, 2013/2014, 2011/2012 and 2009/2010
Fulbright Specialist, ORT University, Montevideo, Uruguay (November 2010)

 

Hobbies

Running, skiing, backpacking, gardening, cooking, reading