Rae Yule Kim

Biography

Dr. Rae Yule Kim joined Montclair State University in 2020. He holds a Ph.D. in Management from Rutgers University and an M.S. in Information Systems from Johns Hopkins University. He has served as an academic editor for the social psychology and management science sections of PLOS ONE. His research has been featured among the most read works in IEEE publications, and he is the author of the forthcoming book AI Hype: A Psychological, Economic, and Technological Analysis by Cambridge University Press.

Dr. Kim leverages large-scale data from over ten million real-world transactions to study how social information, such as online reviews, shapes decision-making under uncertainty. His research identifies systematic patterns of social influence in technology adoption, with applications ranging from online shopping behavior during the pandemic to public acceptance of humanoid robots. He has also been an advocate for sustainable innovations that balance long-term growth potential with short-term gains.

His work has supported international organizations, including the World Bank and the European Union, in developing a deeper understanding of consumer behavior. His research has been published in IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, Communications of the ACM, IEEE Engineering Management Review, and The Cambridge Handbook of Cyber Behavior. Dr. Kim also contributes to leading industry publications such as California Management Review, ACM Interactions, and IEEE Technology and Engineering Management Society Leadership Briefs.

In addition, Dr. Kim has led collaborations with Lean In Networks and the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) to advance STEM education initiatives, and has partnered with leading international technology firms, including Siemens, across China and Europe.

Education

• BS, University of Bristol
• MS, Johns Hopkins University
• PhD, Rutgers University

Resume/CV

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Research

Social Influence, Social Norms, Social Planning

Why do people fear new tech, and how can we ease that fear?

My work investigates how social influence affects technology adoption decisions under uncertainty, with applications including online shopping behavior during the pandemic and public acceptance of humanoid robots. My research adds insight into how social influence can help people feel comfortable about taking risks and trying new technologies.

Publications

• Journal Article: R. Kim (2020). The Value of Followers on Social Media. IEEE Engineering Management Review
• Conference Proceedings: R. Kim (2020). When Do Online Reviews Matter?. Society for Marketing Advances
• Conference Proceedings: R. Kim (2020). The Niche Effect: Are Social Media Followers for Niche Brands More Loyal?. American Marketing Association
• Conference Proceedings: R. Kim (2019). Can Advertising Spending Increase Market Share?. Atlantic Marketing Association
• Journal Article: R. Kim (2019). Does National Culture Explain Consumers’ Reliance on Online Reviews? Cross-Cultural Variations in the Effect of Online Reviews on Consumer Choice. Electronic Commerce Research and Applications
• Conference Proceedings: R. Kim (2020). Do Social Media Followers Impact Sales?. Society for Marketing Advances
• Conference Proceedings: R. Kim (2020). How Can Ad Spending Improve Market Dominance?. American Academy of Advertising
• Conference Proceedings: R. Kim (2020). Selling After COVID-19. Atlantic Marketing Association
• Journal Article: R. Kim (2020). Share of Voice: Findings from the US Automotive Industry. Economics Bulletin
• Journal Article: R. Kim (2020). The Impact of COVID-19 on Consumers: Preparing for Digital Sales. IEEE Engineering Management Review
• Journal Article: R. Kim (2020). The Influx of Skeptics: An Investigation of the Diffusion Cycle Effect on Online Review. Electronic Markets
• Conference Proceedings: R. Kim (2022). Text Mining Customer Reviews: What Makes an Impactful Review?. American Marketing Association
• Journal Article: R. Kim (2021). What Makes People Happy? An Empirical Investigation of Panel Data. Applied Economics Letters
• Journal Article: R. Kim (2020). An Unforeseen Story of Alpha Woman: Breadwinner Women are More Likely to Quit the Job in Work-Family Conflicts. Applied Economics
• Journal Article: R. Kim (2021). When Does Online Review Matter to Consumers? The Effect of Product Quality Information Cues. Electronic Commerce Research
• Journal Article: R. Kim (2021). Using Online Reviews for Customer Sentiment Analysis. IEEE Engineering Management Review
• Conference Proceedings: R. Kim (2021). The Role of Anthropomorphism in Customer-Robot Interaction. American Marketing Association
• Journal Article: R. Kim (2021). Shopping with Robots. Journal of Futures Studies
• Conference Proceedings: R. Kim (2021). Do Social Media Followers Impact Sales?. INFORMS Society for Marketing Science
• Conference Proceedings: R. Kim (2022). Predicting NFL Ticket Sales with Social Media Data. Academy of Marketing Science
• Conference Proceedings: R. Kim (2022). Retail After COVID-19: Use Virtual Reality to Enhance Ecommerce. IEEE Technology and Engineering Management Society
• Journal Article: R. Kim (2023). Robots in Healthcare. ACM Interactions
• Conference Proceedings: R. Kim (2022). Online Review Helpfulness: Findings From Sentiment Analysis. INFORMS Society for Marketing Science
• Journal Article: R. Kim (2023). Bounded Rationality: Are Higher Online Review Ratings Always Better for Sales?. Behaviour & Information Technology
• Conference Proceedings: R. Kim, N. Belei, R. Vaidyanathan, S. Heitz-Spahn (2023). From Eerie to Aww - Embracing the Imperfect Side of Humans Can Improve the Consumer Robot Interaction. Academy of Marketing Science
• Other: R. Kim (2023). How to Use Social Media (Properly) for Business?. ACM Interactions
• Conference Proceedings: R. Kim (2023). Unexpected Price Promotions Can Hurt Sales. INFORMS Society for Marketing Science
• Book Chapter: R. Kim (2024). Online Reviews and Consumer Decisions. The Cambridge Handbook of Cyber Behavior, Cambridge University Press
• Journal Article: R. Kim (2023). Data-Driven User Experience Design. ACM Interactions
• Magazine/Trade Publication: R. Kim (2023). How to Market to Gen Z on Social Media. IEEE Potentials
• Conference Proceedings: R. Kim (2023). Predicting Social Media Conversion with a Decision Tree. American Marketing Association
• Journal Article: R. Kim (2024). Being in a Crowd Shifts People’s Attitudes Toward Humanoids. International Journal of Social Robotics
• Magazine/Trade Publication: R. Kim (2024). Exploring the Link between Crowds and Risk-taking. The Academic
• Journal Article: R. Kim (). Risk Aversion, Social Signals, and Humanoid Robot Acceptance. IEEE Transactions on Human Machine Systems
• Journal Article: R. Kim (2024). Anthropomorphism and Human-Robot Interaction. Communications of the ACM
• Journal Article: R. Kim (2024). Gender and Workplace Promotion: A Case Study of a Multinational IT Corporation. IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management
• Journal Article: R. Kim (2023). Text Mining Online Reviews: What Makes a Helpful Online Review?. IEEE Engineering Management Review
• Magazine/Trade Publication: R. Kim (2025). Navigating Consumer Preferences: The Role of Social Signals in Overcoming Uncertainty. IEEE TEMS Leadership BRIEFS
• Conference Proceedings: R. Kim (2025). Positivity Bias in Processing Health Information. American Marketing Association
• Journal Article: R. Kim (). The Effect of Cultural Norms on Consumer Feedback. Journal of International Marketing
• Journal Article: R. Kim (2025). The Fifth Wave: The Sustainability Age and New Industrial Revolution. IEEE Engineering Management Review
• Journal Article: R. Kim (). Examining the Positivity Bias in Drug-Related Information Processing: A Study of Online Reviews on Drugs.com. Journal of Information Technology
• Journal Article: R. Kim (). Now That I Have a Job, I Shouldn't Be a Mother (I Should Be a Father): Work and Fertility Choices . Review of Economics of the Household
• Book: R. Kim (). AI Hype: A Psychological, Economic, and Technological Analysis. Cambridge University Press
• Conference Proceedings: R. Kim (2025). Understanding the Role of Media in AI Acceptance. American Marketing Association
• Journal Article: R. Kim (2025). Price Promotion Does Not Always Work: Online Reviews, Price-Quality Heuristics, and Risk Aversion. Electronic Commerce Research
• Journal Article: R. Kim (). Why Do People Listen to Others? Uncertainty and Decision-Making with Online Reviews. Production and Operations Management
• Journal Article: R. Kim (). Social Influence in AI Adoption. IEEE Engineering Management Review
• Journal Article: R. Kim (). Risk Increases Negativity Bias: Expectation and Bias in Online Review Helpfulness. Journal of Marketing
• Journal Article: R. Kim (2026). What Makes Things Catch On? Understanding Consumer Engagement with Video Content on Social Media. Electronic Commerce Research
• Journal Article: R. Kim (2025). Redefining Marketing in the Era of Data. California Management Review
• Conference Proceedings: R. Kim (2025). The Loss-Construal Rule and Construal Aversion: Why Do People Try New Things?. INFORMS Society for Marketing Science
• Journal Article: R. Kim (2025). The Prompt Imperative: How Generative AI is Rewriting the Rules of Advertising. California Management Review
• Journal Article: R. Kim (). The Loss-Construal Rule and Construal Aversion. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)
• Journal Article: R. Kim, Z. Yu (). The Ick Factor: Understanding What Drives Consumer Churn in AI Interactions. Communications of the ACM
• Journal Article: R. Kim (). Social Technology Acceptance Model (STAM). Research Policy
• Journal Article: R. Kim (2026). Investigating Techonomy: The Multilevel Effect of R&D Investment on Economic Performance. The Journal of Technology Transfer
• Journal Article: R. Kim (). Imaginability Bias and Selling Narratives: Relatable Social Media Content is More Likable. Communications of the ACM
• Journal Article: R. Kim (). Involvement and Reliance on Online Reviews for Decision Making . Electronic Commerce Research
• Journal Article: R. Kim (). ESG Performance and Firm Value. IMF Economic Review
• Journal Article: R. Kim, R. Vaidyanathan, S. Heitz-Spahn, Y. Ryoo (). Risk Aversion is Natural: Nature Salience Increases People's Aversion to Humanoid Store Staff. Journal of Marketing

Honors & Awards

• Excellence in Scholarship Award, Montclair State University (May 2021)
• Research Grant Finalist, Academy of Marketing Science and Association Française du Marketing (French Marketing Association) (February 2021)
• Fellow, Academy of Marketing Science Doctoral Consortium (March 2020)
• Dean's Grant Finalist, Rutgers Business School, Rutgers University - New Brunswick (July 2019)
• Program Committee, IEEE International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management (IEEM) (June 2025)
• Contributor, Clarivate Academic Reputation Survey Panel for U.S. News Universities Rankings (October 2024)
• Academic Editor, PLOS ONE (September 2024)
• Program Committee, IEEE International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management (IEEM) (May 2024)
• Visiting Professor, Association of National Advertisers (June 2025)
• Top Scholars in Engineering Management (5-Year Impact: 3/36,794; Lifetime Impact: 27/36,794), ScholarGPS (December 2025)