Mittleman, Robert

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Dr. Robert Mittelman is an associate professor of social entrepreneurship and co-director of the School of Business. Mittelman co-led Royal Roads’ application to become a designated Ashoka U Changemaker Campus and now serves as an Ashoka U change leader. His research interests relate to social entrepreneurship, corporate social innovation and non-profit marketing. His recent work explores new theories of social entrepreneurship and social innovation. He is currently working on a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council project to examine the imagery and narratives used in the marketing of international humanitarian aid. Mittelman’s work has been published as part of non-profit studies as well as in various marketing, consumer behaviour and education journals. Prior to Royal Roads, Mittelman worked as an entrepreneur, starting and running a number of small businesses and social enterprises in Canada and abroad. He has worked with micro-entrepreneurs in Peru with Kiva.org, served as a consultant with MBAs Without Borders in Guatemala, and started his own business in Nicaragua. He has taught a variety of course in entrepreneurship, international business, and marketing at the undergraduate, graduate and executive education levels with students from Canada, Colombia and Iran. Mittelman received his PhD in Management from the Sprott School of Business, Carleton University (2015) where he investigated charitable giving to distant strangers. He received his Master of Business Administration from the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford (2006) as well as a Bachelor of International Business from Carleton University (2000) and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Western University (1997).

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Recent Submissions

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
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    Why Canadians give to charity: An extended theory of planned behaviour model
    (International Review on Public and Nonprofit Marketing, 2018) Mittleman, Robert; Rojas-Méndez, José I.
    The purpose of this paper is to test an expanded model of charitable giving and the intention to donate based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). The novelty of this research resides in disaggregating the overall attitude a donor may hold into three different attitude constructs: attitude toward a charity, attitude toward helping, and attitude toward donation. An online survey was conducted of 202 potential Canadian charitable donors. By using a hierarchical multiple regression, results show that overall, the extended TPB model proposed in this study is significantly better than those found in the extant research in predicting the intention to donate. The strongest influences on the intention to donate were past behaviour, moral norms, and perceived behavioural control. Subjective norms and attitude toward charitable organisation were found to be non-significant predictors. Managerial implications are also presented at the end of the paper.
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    Teaching in Iran: Culture and consequences
    (Intercultural Education, 2018) Cray, David; McKay, Ruth; Mittleman, Robert
    The purpose of this paper is to examine cultural effects on interactions within a Canadian MBA program delivered in Iran. The analysis helps illuminate some of the important cultural differences between the countries and their importance for international education. The study also illustrates how single cause explanations often provide simplistic interpretations of culturally influenced behaviours. Results indicate that underlying cultural differences create issues for teaching and learning, but that their impact is subtle and complex.
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    Cultural intelligence and mindfulness: Teaching MBAs in Iran
    (Journal of International Education in Business, 2018) Cray, David; McKay, Ruth; Mittleman, Robert
    Purpose: A dynamic global economy has increased the need for cross-cultural flexibility and cultural intelligence. While a large literature has examined various means to increase cultural intelligence (CQ) in student and expatriate populations, its importance for teachers in cross-cultural settings has been largely unexamined. In this paper, we utilize the experiences of a group of professors in an MBA program in Iran to investigate the effect of their activity on their cross-cultural skills. Design/methodology/approach: Using structured interviews and content analysis, we draw on the experiences of business faculty from a Canadian business school who helped deliver an MBA program in Iran to investigate how their experiences in a country new to them were reflected in the components of cultural intelligence. Findings: Using an established model of cultural intelligence, we find contributions to all three facets, knowledge, mindfulness and behaviour indicating that such exchanges can be regarded as important for students and teachers alike in an international educational context. Originality/value: With more and more teaching extending across cultural boundaries in both domestic and international settings the capacity of instructors to read, interpret and react to the attitudes, beliefs and behaviours of their students is an important factor in the success of these programs. To this point, at least within the business education literature, the influence of such encounters on the instructors involved has been neglected.
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    Exploring consumer's needs and motivations in online social lending for development
    (Journal of Nonprofit & Public Sector Marketing, 2013) Mittleman, Robert; Rojas-Méndez, José I.
    This study is the first in exploring the needs and motivations of those who participate in the social phenomenon of Online Social Lending for Development (OSL4D). OSL4D represents a new form of charity support behavior that has raised numerous important theoretical issues about the evolving nature of charitable giving and the motivation of its participants. A model of lending behavior is proposed. Using data from Kiva.org, the authors consider the different theoretical needs and motivations to participate in social lending and, through content analysis of 1,283 consumer statements from the members of the Team Canada lending team about the reason they lend, conclude that OSL4D consumers are principally intrinsically motivated to make a small difference in the lives of the working poor. Managerial conclusions are offered as well as ideas for future research.
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    Biases in charitable giving to international humanitarian aid: The role of psychic distance
    (Journal of Macromarketing, 2018) Mittleman, Robert; Dow, Douglas
    At a time when government support for international humanitarian aid is decreasing, organizations devoted to helping in times of disaster are looking ever more to the individual donor for financial contributions. In this paper, we explore the relationship between the donor and the distant other by introducing the concepts of psychic distance and psychic distance stimuli to the macromarketing literature and exploring the role of psychic distance in fundraising for international humanitarian aid. It is our contention that by better understanding the biases that psychic distance introduce into the system, an improved flow of donations for the betterment of the distant needy and a more effective marketing system can be achieved. We offer four propositions for future testing and exploration.