Contact Information
M/C 706
Champaign, IL 61820
Biography
Carlos Torelli is a professor of marketing, associate head of the department of business administration, and James F. Towey Faculty Fellow at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His areas of expertise include global branding, cross-cultural consumer behavior, self-regulation, and persuasion. He looks to identify the key cultural factors that drive consumer behavior in a globalized economy and to uncover the underlying socio-cognitive processes for such culturally-driven behaviors. From 2016-2019, Torelli was a Center for Professional Responsibility faculty fellow, and from 2017-2020 he was executive director of Executive Education. He joined the University of Illinois in 2016, and earned a BE in civil engineering from Andres Bello Catholic University in 1986, an MBE from Simon Bolivar University in 1993, and an MBA from Marquette University in 1997. In 2007, he received his PhD in business administration from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Research Interests
My areas of expertise include global branding, cross-cultural consumer behavior, self-regulation, and persuasion. My research is primarily aimed at identifying the key cultural factors that drive consumer behavior in globalized economy, as well as on uncovering the underlying socio-cognitive processes for such culturally-driven behaviors.
Education
- Ph.D., Business Administration, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2007
- M.B.A., Marquette University, 1997
- M.B.E., Simon Bolivar University, 1993
- B.E., Civil Engineering, Andres Bello Catholic University, 1986
Grants
- Latino Healthy Community Environments in Chicago: The Case for Business Investment in Effective Communications (denied), Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2016
Awards and Honors
- James F. Towey Faculty Fellow, University of Illinois, Gies College of Business, 2019 to present
- Center for Professional Responsibility Faculty Fellowship, University of Illinois Gies College of Business, 2016-2019
- Outstanding Reviewer, Journal of Consumer Research, 2017
Courses Taught
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Emp. Res. Methods in Bus. Adm. (BADM 507) Research methodology for the study of administrative, industrial, and consumer behavior and organizations; Foundations of measurement - Construct definition, Domain delineation, Reliability, Dimensionality, and Validity, Reliability analysis, Exploratory and Confirmatory factor analysis; Alternative methods of data collection - laboratory experimentation, survey research design, and qualitative research. A completed individual research project involving the development of an entire method is formally presented in class and submitted as a paper.
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Brand Management (BADM 590) Special topics in the general area of business. Topics are selected by the instructor at the beginning of each term.
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Global Impact:CulPsych&BusEth (MBA 547) This course enables students to understand how globalization changes consumers at a psychological level, and provides tools for infusing brands with cultural meanings—creating iconic brands—that can resonate with global consumers. The focus is on understanding that culture exists in the mind (e.g., values and beliefs) as well as in the environment (e.g., objects, brands, and institutions), and that globalization creates multi-cultural spaces in contemporary societies. In addition, this course seeks to examine some of the ways in which people evaluate problems associated with human conduct and moral conflict. This course in business ethics and corporate responsibility seeks to bridge the gap between the moral behavior of the individual as a private citizen and the challenges afforded by organized business activity in the marketplace. 4 graduate hours. No professional credit. Credit is not given for both MBA 547 and BADM 590, Global Impact: Cultural Psychology & Business Ethics.
Recent Publications
- Torelli, C. Forthcoming. Cultural Equity: Knowledge and Outcome Aspects. International Marketing Review.
- Torelli, C., Shen, D., & Rodas, M. Forthcoming. Culture and Consumer Behavior: A Review and Agenda for Future Research. Oxford Handbook on Culture and Organization.
- Xu, A., Rodas, M., & Torelli, C. (2020). Generosity without Borders: The Interactive Effect of Spatial Distance and Donation Goals on Charitable Giving. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 161 65-78. link >
- Torelli, C., Leslie, L., To, C., & Kim, S. (2020). Power and Status across Cultures. Current Opinion in Psychology, 33 12-17. link >
- To, C., Leslie, L., Torelli, C., & Stoner, J. (2020). Culture and Social Hierarchy: Collectivism as a Driver of the Relationship between Power and Status. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 157 159-176. link >
- Wang, J., Torelli, C., & Lalwani, A. (2020). The Interactive Effect of Power Distance Belief and Consumers’ Status on Preference for national (vs. private-label) Brands. Journal of Business Research, 107 1-12. link >