Dr. Chris Groening is a Professor of Marketing and Associate Dean of Graduate and Online Programs at Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship, Kent State University. Part of Dr. Groening's academic research centers around investigating stakeholder influence on the financial outcomes of a firm. He examines different micro- and macro-level conditions through which customer satisfaction and corporate social responsibility (CSR) affect firm value. Another part of his research is based on work with PhD students and their varied marketing-related interests. His research has been published in numerous top-tier academic journals. Prior to his role as Associate Dean of Graduate and Online Programs, Dr. Groening primarily taught marketing strategy courses at all levels (undergrad, MBA, Executive MBA, and PhD). In a previous career, Dr. Groening spent nine years working in the multimedia field in various tech firms in the San Francisco area.