Russ Belk, autobiographical reflections

Abstract

Purpose

By tracing something of my history in becoming a marketing professor and conducting research, I hope to demonstrate that if I can flourish without compromising my ideals or losing my enthusiasm for research, so can anyone.

Design/methodology/approach

I attempt to show my trajectory, emphasizing the little turns along the way that have sent me in certain directions. I also discuss several of my most cited articles and discuss how they emerged.

Findings

I emphasize reading broadly, working with interesting co-authors, learning from my students and breaking free of narrow disciplinary boundaries as ways that have helped to stimulate and inspire me. The implicit message here is to take a chance and dare to do something different from what seems to be the mainstream.

Practical implications

There is certainly no single way to pursue a successful career. But I hope that by showing how I happened to get to where I am, I may give support and encouragement to those who may feel they are outside the academic mainstream in marketing or that their ideas don’t quite jell with those of colleagues.

Originality/value

The story and opinions here are mine alone. Together with others’ biographies and autobiographies (Shaw and Wilkinson, 2011), hopefully the reader can find a range of possibilities.

Citation

Belk, R. (2017), "Russ Belk, autobiographical reflections", Journal of Historical Research in Marketing, Vol. 9 No. 2, pp. 191-202. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHRM-11-2016-0026