About

Frank May is an Associate Professor at Virginia Tech, holding the Mary F. McVay & Theodore R. Rosenberg Junior Faculty Fellowship. His role is within the Department of Marketing at the Pamplin College of Business. The provided page does not include specific details about his research focus, background, or key contributions.

Research topics

• Computer Science
• Business
• Geology
• Industrial organization
• Econometrics
• Marketing
• Reliability engineering
• Mathematics
• Engineering
• Economics

Selected publications

• The effect of firm size on perceived product healthiness

  Marketing Letters · 2023 · 3 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding
  • Business
  • Marketing
  • Industrial organization
  PublisherDOI

• Practical Experience of Natural Esters Quality Maintenance

  2020

  • Computer Science
  • Computer Science
  • Reliability engineering

  Nowadays, the environmental requirements in the electrical industry have increased. Natural Esters are one of the alternatives to replace mineral oils in power and distribution transformers due to their high biodegradability and environmental clearness in general. This paper explains the differences in processing natural ester fluids as compared to processing regular mineral oils. The experimental work involves the use of single and double-stage vacuum degassing systems applied for natural esters processing for power transformers. A series of oil analysis methods including but not limited to: dielectric strength, total dissolved gasses, and water content were measured to classify service-aged natural ester fluids. As it is recommended by IEEE Std. C57.147, two methods can be applied to recondition natural ester oil: mechanical (vacuum dehydrator) and chemical and adsorbent (oil regeneration plant). Before the filling and during the operation process, the natural ester dielectric fluid must be serviced. Natural esters have lower gassing tendency as compared to mineral oils. The chemistry of esters is significantly different from petroleum-based oils and requires a different approach for processing. The results showed that high and low vacuum dehydration systems are is efficient not only for mineral oils but also for natural ester oils. The interface to operate the system considers temperature control and other parameters to recondition vegetable-based transformer oils to the “like new” condition.

  PublisherDOI

• Reminders of One's Middle Name Result in Decreased Indulgence

  Journal of Consumer Psychology · 2019-12-09 · 6 citations

  articleSenior author

  This research investigates the effects of reminding consumers of their middle name. The authors hypothesize that because it is a common parenting strategy to use a child's middle name when disciplining him/her after he/she has done something wrong, consumers possess an association between “middle name” and “guilt.” Thus, exposure to one's middle name will automatically trigger feelings of guilt. In turn, consumers will engage in consumption that will mitigate this guilt. Five studies provide evidence of the proposed association and demonstrate that reminders of one's middle name lead to increased guilt and decreased preference for indulgent consumption, as well as an increase in virtuous behavior. Contributions emerge for the literatures on names and self‐control.

  PublisherDOI

• The “Upper Limit Framing” Effect: Upper Limit Framing of a Cost Estimate Influences Consumption Choices

  ACR North American Advances · 2018-01-01

  articleSenior author
  Publisher

• The Effects of Rarity on Indulgent Consumption: Non-Impulsives Indulge When Low Frequency Is Salient

  Journal of Consumer Research · 2018-01-09 · 30 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding

  Although much research has investigated why and how impulsive individuals indulge, little research has explored the conditions under which non-impulsive consumers do. This research examines the effects of the salience of the notion “rare,” or low frequency, on the tendency to indulge. The authors find that when the notion of rarity is salient, non-impulsive consumers’ tendency to indulge increases, but it does not affect indulgence tendencies of impulsive consumers. This effect occurs because, for non-impulsives, the actual act of indulging is a relatively rare occurrence—it is something that happens with low frequency. This means that they have formed a strong association between the concepts of rarity and indulgence. Thus, for these individuals, making the concept of rarity salient activates the concept of indulgence. Nine studies provide evidence for this association and its downstream consequences. Contributions emerge for the literatures on impulsivity and self-control.

  PublisherDOI

• The Effect of Future Focus on Self-Control Is Moderated By Self-Efficacy

  ACR North American Advances · 2018-01-01

  articleSenior author
  Publisher

• Eliciting Time versus Money: Time Scarcity Underlies Asymmetric Wage Rates

  Journal of Consumer Research · 2017-04-26 · 36 citations

  article

  Marketing strategies are often tied to how consumers spend time (e.g., waiting in lines, searching across stores) in return for money (e.g., receiving a discount). Viewing such time-money tradeoffs in terms of a reservation wage rate for consumers, we identify a wage-rate asymmetry between two elicitation procedures: (a) Money-Elicit (MEL): state the minimum amount of money, M, that you would accept in return for spending a given number of hours, T; and (b) Time-Elicit (TEL): state the maximum number of hours, T, that you would spend in return for accepting a given amount of money, M. While these procedures are normatively equivalent, we propose that TEL (vs. MEL) wage rates are higher because time scarcity receives a higher weight in TEL judgments. In eight studies including both hypothetical and real settings, we document the wage-rate asymmetry, the time scarcity process, and a downstream consequence of TEL (vs. MEL) reducing the likelihood of accepting a time-money tradeoff. We discuss the implications for practice, and for research on wage rates, time versus money, procedural invariance, and scarcity.

  PublisherDOI

• Time Window as a Self-Control Denominator: Shorter Windows Shift Preference toward Virtues and Longer Windows toward Vices

  Journal of Consumer Research · 2016-10-21 · 23 citations

  article

  When planning future consumption, individuals are known to opt for large virtue quantities and small vice quantities as a means of self-control. We argue that such planning may also involve the time window within which a given quantity needs to be consumed because the final objective is to plan for a desired consumption rate (i.e., quantity/time window)—a high virtue rate and a low vice rate. Five studies reveal that, when quantity is held constant, a short window (i.e., high rate) nudges individuals toward virtues, and a long window (i.e., low rate) toward vices. We find this effect for hypothetical and real virtue-vice choices, preferences, and willingness to extend a time window. Furthermore, these effects are mediated by the pursuit of long-term health goals, and are moderated such that the effect of time windows is stronger for those who need more help in meeting their self-control goals—that is, impulsive individuals. While these effects are consistent with self-control, we discuss a blend of mechanisms that may be working in conjunction, particularly at the stage that we focus on: planning rather than consuming. Our results offer strong theoretical implications and important consequences for the marketplace where expiration periods and other time windows are ubiquitous.

  PublisherDOI

• Framing Wait Time Changes Time Perception and Patience

  ACR North American Advances · 2016-01-01

  article1st authorCorresponding
  Publisher

• The many futures of drug utilization research

  2016-04-08

  other
  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Ashwani Monga

  Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

  10 shared

• Damien Giulieri

  Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique

  9 shared

• Jean‐Marie Giraud

  Hôpital d'Instruction des Armées Bégin

  9 shared

• Karsten Plamann

  Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique

  9 shared

• O. Albert

  Centre Procédés, Energies Renouvelables et Systèmes Energétiques

  9 shared

• W Davis

  Physical Sciences (United States)

  8 shared

• Fla Jacksonville

  University of New Orleans

  8 shared

• Rafay A. Siddiqui

  Santa Clara University

  7 shared

Awards & honors

• Pamplin College of Business Annual Faculty Award for Excelle…
• Pamplin College of Business Annual Faculty Award for Excelle…
• 2019 MSI Young Scholar by the Marketing Science Institute