2017 Retail and Distribution Symposium
Call for Papers

Theme: Consumer and Retailer Views on the Distribution of Goods and Services

The 2017 Retail and Distribution Symposium will be held in conjunction with the Society for Marketing Advances (SMA) Conference, Louisville, KY, November 7-11, 2017. (Symposium: Saturday, November 11, 2017; 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., breakfast and lunch included)

All papers presented at the Symposium will be considered for publication in a special issue of the Journal of Business Research (following a formal review process).

Our intent is to expand the breadth of research on the distribution of goods and services to consumers and businesses. Potential approaches and topics include, but are not restricted, to:

• Theoretical:
  • All disciplinary perspectives: managerial, economic, geographic, anthropological, psychological, sociological, cross-cultural, sub-cultural, financial, etc.
  • Extensions of the Wheel of Retailing, Retail Life Cycle, Retail Accordion, Big Middle, etc.
• Methodological:
  • All analytical, behavioral, conceptual, empirical, experimental, and neuroscience methods
  • All geographic levels of analysis: neighborhood, rural, urban, regional, national, global
  • All temporal frameworks: tactical, intermediate- and long-term strategy
• Retail and Distribution Structures:
  • Intratype and intertype competition (bricks vs. bricks, bricks vs. clicks, etc.)
  • Franchising and other distribution channel issues; new and old retail formats
  • Exogenous factors that affect distribution:
    • Cultural (acculturation, global consumerism, etc.)
    • Economic (income inequality, etc.)
    • Ethical (use of personal information, etc.)
    • Legal (resale price maintenance, legal age of consumption, etc.)
    • Sustainability (truth in labeling, etc.)
• Studies of the Marketing Mix:
  • Detailed analyses of the mix: Old Style (radio, TV, newspapers, magazines, e-mail, etc.) and New Style (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc.)
  • Customers’ retail experiences; store and brand images; branding and digital engagement; brand communities; impact of reviews on decision making (online, word-of-mouth, etc.)
  • Locational analyses including Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
  • New technologies (digital signage, virtual and augmented reality, self-service, etc.)

Full papers (30-page max including references, appendices, tables, and figures) should follow the JBR style guide and be simultaneously submitted to Chuck Ingene (caingene@ou.edu) and Maria Kalamas Hedden (mkalamas@kennesaw.edu).

Due date for submissions: June 15, 2017

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