The Fifth Subsistence Marketplaces Conference
Consumption and Entrepreneurship in Subsistence Marketplaces: Spanning Geographies and Substantive Domains
June 13-15, 2014 Champaign, Illinois
Call for Papers
Conference Chair
Madhu Viswanathan
mviswana@illinois.edu
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Themes / Co-Chairs
Consumption and Conservation
Chris Blocker, Colorado State University, and Roland Gau, Univ. of Texas, El Paso
Entrepreneurship
Geoffrey Kistruck, York University and Srinivas Sridharan, Monash University
Substantive Domains of Subsistence
Jeremy Guest, University of Illinois
Diverse Geographies
Esi Elliot, Suffolk University, and Kelly Martin, Colorado State University
Social Innovation
Raed Elaydi, Roosevelt University, and Ben Lough, University of Illinois
Research Methods
Oana Branzei, University of Western Ontario, and Lisa Jones Christenson, University of North Carolina
Curricular Innovation
TBD
Junior Scholar Mentorship
Srinivas Venugopal, University of Illinois
Organized by the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, the fifth Subsistence Marketplace Conference will be held at the I-Hotel in Champaign, Illinois.
Subsistence marketplaces consist of consumer and entrepreneur communities living at a range of low income levels, and are concentrated in developing countries and regions such as Brazil, India, China, Vietnam, and Sub-Saharan Africa. In the last decade, the Subsistence Marketplaces Conference has been a leading forum for evolving and sharing research and fostering best practices in these communities.
In its fifth edition, the 2014 conference is titled to highlight consumption and entrepreneurship while emphasizing diverse geographies and substantive domains of subsistence. Specific themes include consumption and conservation, entrepreneurship, substantive domains of subsistence, diverse geographies, social innovation, and curricular innovation. The theme of consumption and conservation emphasizes the need to understand the environmental issues that impinge on day-to-day living and basic needs. The theme of entrepreneurship covers the gamut from survival and subsistence to thriving and transformational.
Specific substantive domains of subsistence such as water, food, sanitation, and energy will be of particular focus, with each of these vital life realms representing significant challenges and opportunities. This theme is particularly germane for work conducted in a variety of disciplines encompassing the social and physical sciences. The theme of diverse geographies highlights the need to study, compare, and contrast a range of subsistence contexts, across regions around the world. Cutting-edge research and practice relating to social enterprises in subsistence marketplaces are highlighted through the theme of social innovation. The theme of curricular innovation will focus on modules, courses, and programs that bring subsistence marketplaces into the classroom.
The conference will begin with an evening reception Friday, June 13, and sessions through Saturday and mid-afternoon Sunday, June 15. The conference will include plenary sessions, participatory workshops, special sessions on specific topics, and presentations of papers submitted in response to this call. An emphasis will be on sharing ideas and knowledge among researchers, practitioners, and students. A pre-conference workshop for doctoral students and junior researchers is planned for Friday afternoon, June 13. A poverty simulation and a movie showing is planned for the evening of June 13.
Academics, students, social entrepreneurs, policy makers, and business and nonprofit practitioners are encouraged to submit papers and attend. Some suggested topics are provided overleaf; however, submissions may go beyond these topics.
Suggested Topics
• Consumer behavior in subsistence marketplaces
• Entrepreneurship in subsistence marketplaces
• Substantive domains of subsistence (e.g., water, sanitation, energy, food)
• Emergence of marketing systems
• Environmentalism of subsistence consumers and consumer-merchants
• Issues of environmental justice relating to subsistence marketplaces
• Sustainable product design for subsistence marketplaces
• Inventing and re-inventing new products and services for subsistence marketplaces
• Organization design and re-design for operating in subsistence marketplaces
• Collaborative models for business innovations
• Supply chain and distribution challenges and opportunities
• Pricing for value and sustainability
• Marketing communication and education
• Innovative research methods
• Economic and financial perspectives on subsistence marketplaces (e.g. financial literacy)
• Health, well-being and justice in subsistence marketplaces
• Merging social and business missions through social innovations
• Incorporating business practices in nonprofit organizations developing social innovations
• Social innovation alliances and partnerships among NGOs, governments, and businesses
• Bringing subsistence contexts into the classroom
• Multidisciplinary teaching initiatives addressing subsistence phenomena and regions
Abstract Submission Requirements
All authors are asked to submit a three-page abstract, from which acceptance decisions will be made and preliminary session planning will be carried out. Proposals for special sessions are also welcome.
Page 1: Title, author(s), and full contact information including email.
Pages 2-3: Double-spaced abstract of the paper or special session, inclusive of references, tables, and other key materials.
Format: Please email as a Word attachment to mviswana@illinois.edu.
Submission Deadline: 31 January 2014
Notification of Review Decision: 15 February 2014
Submissions for Journal Review for Special Issue
A special issue or a special section of the Journal of Public Policy and Marketing will be published based on articles developed from research presented at the conference and submitted to the review process. Prior conferences have led to a book (Advances in International Management series by Elsevier in 2007), and special issues/sections of journals (Journal of Business Research, Journal of Macromarketing, and Journal of Marketing Management). Further details will be available as they are finalized. A tentative schedule is as follows:
Submission Deadlines for Full Drafts:
August 31, 2014: Deadline for paper submission after incorporation of comments from
conference participants and conference chairs
November 30, 2014: Feedback to authors after peer review
January 31, 2015: Deadline for revised submission
May 31, 2015: Final deadline for subsequent revisions
Publication Submission Requirements
Page 1: Title, author(s), and full contact information (including e-mail).
Pages 2-35: Double-spaced paper not to exceed 35 pages including references, appendices, and exhibits.
Format: Please email as a Word attachment to mviswana@illinois.edu.
www.business.illinois.edu/subsistence/events/conferences.html
Madhu Viswanathan
Diane and Steven N. Miller Professor in Business
183 Wohlers Hall, 1206 South Sixth Street, Champaign, IL 61820
Phone: 217-333-4550; Fax: 217-244-7969; email: mviswana@illinois.edu
Homepage: http://www.business.illinois.edu/~madhuv/homepage.html
Subsistence Marketplaces Initiative:
http://www.business.illinois.edu/subsistence
Non-profit website: www.marketplaceliteracy.org
Oana Branzei, PhD
Associate Professor, Strategy
Director, Sustainability Certificate Program
Richard Ivey School of Business, Office 2683
1255 Western Road, London, Canada N6G 0N1
Tel: 519 661 4114 / Cell: 734 834 4025
Email: obranzei@ivey.uwo.ca
Web: http://www.ivey.uwo.ca/faculty/directory/oana-branzei/
Visiting Professor
Center for Positive Organizational Scholarship
Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise at the University of Michigan
Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, Office R4462
701 Tappan St., AA MI 48109-1234
Tel: 734 763 8636 / Cell: 734-834-4025
Email: obranzei@umich.edu
Web: http://www.centerforpos.org/2012/08/a-passion-for-hope-%e2%80%93-visiting-scholar-oana-branzei/