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Discusses Wal‐Mart’s entry into Europe. Explains the factors that have contributed to the success of the company, for example an efficient logistics system, extensive internal communications, and a capacity for innovation and reinvention. Outlines Wal‐Mart’s strategy for expanding into Europe, which is based on acquisition. Details the main challenges to Wal‐Mart’s entry into Europe, namely the size of the competition and cultural differences.

To show how consumer researchers can learn from novels and analogous works of fiction.

Close reading of two recent novels, The Savage Girl by Alex Shakar and Jennifer Government by Max Barry.

The paper shows how works of fiction can be used as a intellectual resource by the consumer research community. It argues that fiction refreshed the parts that other research methods cannot reach.

Much depends on the caliber of the novels. Not every work of art is a work of genius. The article contends that consumer researchers need to move beyond singing the praises of fiction and, in pursuit of new paths to thick description, seek instead to novelise our findings. Or narrate them better at least.

Marketing practitioners might learn more from reading novels than the academic marketing literature.

There is nothing particularly original in the paper. It reiterates what several scholars have said already. The message is sufficiently important to warrant constant repetition, however.

Information technology (IT) makes business process reengineering possible—and makes it worthwhile. For example, PC and network technologies facilitate simplified processes, promote decentralized decision making, and empower front line employees. So IT and reengineering should be seen as Siamese twins—don't expect to get far with one without paying close attention to the other.

Emphasizes that without management that is active and astute, brand “intent” will not translate into what might be called the “customer experience” – the feelings and thoughts of people who learn, buy and purchase etc. Recommends four fundamental blueprints for building a solid internal foundation: create the brand intent; align the organization; deliver the customer experience; and measure and refine. States in summary that, when a company makes and fulfils its promises re its brands, customers will stick with that company, such as Heineken, Wal‐Mart, Dell Computers, Audi, FedEx and Wendy’s, which are all at the top of their categories’ growth in sales.

Radio frequency identification (RFiD) programs are being mandated by many entities, such as Wal‐Mart and the Department of Defense, but what factors lead to successful implementation of these programs by their business partners?

This paper is conceptual in nature. It briefly reviews current applications of RFiD technology and proposes a model for RFiD implementation through partners.

While some companies are quickly adopting RFiD technology, little is known regarding important factors for successful implementation. To address the interorganizational nature of RFiD, this research uses assimilation theory to provide insight as to the key factors impacting the deployment of this technology across trading partners.

The paper provides a theory‐based framework for companies' RFiD initiatives and identifies specific factors that enable a business partner to implement successfully an RFiD technology program initiated by a powerful supplier or customer.

After Hurricane Katrina hit the coast of Louisiana on August 29, 2005, Wal-Mart initiated emergency operations that not only protected and reopened its stores, but also helped its employees and others in the community cope with the disaster's personal impact. This response was part of a wider effort by the company under CEO Lee Scott to improve its public image. Wal-Mart's efforts were widely regarded as the most successful of all corporations in the aftermath of the disaster and set the standard for future corporate disaster relief programs.

Move beyond the operational dimensions of disaster response and appreciate how disaster response is connected to the company's strategy and its position in the market place. Understand how disasters are different than other types of reputational crises and are subject to different expectation from the public. Understand how a company can do well by doing good: how it can do the right thing and benefit its business at the same time. Discuss the changing expectations of companies to act in the public interest.

The purpose of this article is to explore the historical differences in wages between different groups (women, minorities, older employees, and other distinct groups) and to analyse whether wage gaps are due to discrimination. Statistical data on wages, population, and education were accumulated from the US Department of Education, the US Department of Labor, and the US Census Bureau. Other reference materials were used to examine various theories for pay differences. Specifically, the gender wage gap is partially due to women’s domestic responsibilities and occupational sex‐typing. Race differences were found to have a correlation to education attainment. However, the wage gaps cannot completely be explained by other factors, indicating that negative stereotypes and discrimination do exist. The existence of discrimination is further supported by the growing number of pay discrimination lawsuits. In 2002, over $52 million was paid out by employers found guilty of employment discrimination in cases filed by the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. This article will define pay discrimination and examine ways to evaluate whether differences in pay are attributable to discrimination. Historical inequalities between men and women’s pay will be presented and evaluated in detail. Race differences between White, African‐American, Hispanic and Asian employees will be thoroughly addressed. Other less common forms of pay discrimination will also be covered. The analysis will reveal the non‐discriminatory as well as discriminatory reasons for differences in pay among individuals with similar aptitude and provide suggestions for improving the situation.

The purpose of this paper is to examine how participants in diverse schools newly implement the Sanford Harmony social and emotional learning (SEL) program and perceive its benefits for students and overall school climate.

The current study employed a convergent parallel mixed-methods design with a sample of five elementary schools in the western USA. Measures included classroom observations, administrator interviews, teacher interviews and focus groups, student focus groups, and a teacher questionnaire.

Findings indicated expected variation in implementation across schools, although all participants reacted favorably to the program and, importantly, would recommend the program to others. Administrators, teachers and students all saw the value of the program, particularly in terms of student relationship building and improved school climate. Implementation challenges experienced by schools were consistent with research on diffusion of innovations.

The present study demonstrates the importance of effective professional development, continued support, collective decision making and intentional integration of the SEL program throughout a school to support robust implementation and ultimately achieve intended outcomes.

Researchers have yet to examine in-depth implementation of the Sanford Harmony program and how best to support scale-up and more intentional implementation in schools. As implementation fidelity is a key component of a program achieving intended outcomes, the findings from the present study contribute to the knowledge base of supporting SEL program implementation.

Founded in 1971 and acquired by CEO Howard Schultz in 1987, Starbucks was an American success story. In forty years it grew from a single-location coffee roaster in Seattle, Washington to a multibillion-dollar global enterprise that operated more than 17,000 retail coffee shops in fifty countries and sold coffee beans, instant coffee, tea, and ready-to-drink beverages in tens of thousands of grocery and mass merchandise stores. However, as Starbucks moved into new market contexts as part of its aggressive growth strategy, the assets and activities central to its competitive advantage in its retail coffee shops were altered or weakened, which made it more vulnerable to competitive threats from both higher and lower quality entrants. The company also had to make decisions on vertical integration related to its expansion into consumer packaged goods.

Understand how strategy needs to be adapted to new contexts. Understand how to manage tradeoffs involved in growth. Be able to identify possible threats to competitive advantage as a result of growth.

Morality is primarily a system of values, meanings, convictions, beliefs, principles, and drivers of good behavior and good outcomes in any organization. Using systems thinking concepts and applications introduced and developed during the last 50 years or so by various scholars from MIT, Stanford, and Wharton, such as Chris Argyris, Russell Ackoff, G. K. Forrester, Peter Senge, Stephen Covey, and Jim Collins, this chapter seeks to explore various past and contemporary market systems and challenges in terms of specific inputs, processes, and outputs. Systems thinking reckons everything in the cosmos (usually classified as subjects, objects, properties, and events) as a system (composed of two or more interactive parts with individual and interactive effects) that is connected to every other system in the universe. Various systems thinking laws and archetypes that have been developed thus far by systems thinkers will be introduced in order to identify basic patterns, structures, and constraints of human thinking and reasoning that create market phenomena. The academic and managerial challenge is to identify, explore, and capitalize such nonobvious connections for creating and developing new markets and corporate growth opportunities in the highly turbulent markets of today. In a globalized, digitized, and networked planet and universe, systems thinking is a very effective tool for analyzing turbulent market systems holistically and in an inclusive and integrated manner, with their specific inputs, processes, and outcomes. Several contemporary market cases will be included to illustrate the contents of this chapter.