Research and Researchers: The Enduring Value of Conferences to Logistics and Supply Chain Scholars

• Published date: 01 September 2017
• Author: Thomas J. Goldsby,Walter Zinn
• Date: 01 September 2017
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/jbl.12171

Editorial

Research and Researchers: The Enduring Value of Conferences to

Logistics and Supply Chain Scholars

Thomas J. Goldsby and Walter Zinn

The Ohio State University

Academic conferences serve the critical purposes of bringing together scholars to not only advance the state of the art in research, teaching,

and practice, but also to socialize with established and prospective members of the academic society. In this way, conferences help to instill

and reinforce the values of the academic society. Logistics and supply chain scholars are increasingly targeted to join in the dialogue of different

academic networks and attend conferences in tangential disciplines. This editorial speaks to the growing affinity for logistics and supply chain

scholars in different disciplinary settings, yet underscores the CSCMP Annual Global Conference (AGC) and its Academic Research Symposium

(ARS) as the premier forums for advancing the state of the art in supply chain scholarship and reinforcing the discipline’s traditions and values.

Keywords: logistics; supply chain; research; Internet of Things, Blockchain

As summer transitions to autumn, the schedule picks up with a

host of school-related activities. Our universities teem with life

as students return to campus, classes resume, and, yes, the meet-

ing schedule surges. The seasonal transition also serves as a har-

binger of the academic conference season.

Conferences serve the vital purposes of discussing the state of

the art in research, teaching, and practice. Beyond these funda-

mentals, conferences also provide opportunities for forging new

relationships and fostering established ones. With regard to

rekindling those established relationships, annual conferences

often resemble family reunions, with much of the dialogue

occurring outside of the meeting rooms. It is through these struc-

tured and unstructured interactions that we enculturate new and

aspiring academics to join our ranks. In doing so, the social

dimension of conferences should not be underestimated as a criti-

cal means of reinforcing the values of the academic society.

There was concern early in the new century that the fate of

(physical) conferences would be challenged by the overwhelming

popularity of Internet connectivity and its ultra-low-cost means of

bridging distance. In other words, it was believed that we might

congregate online more often and meet in person far less. While

Internet-based conferences/symposia and, certainly, online collab-

orations among research teams enjoy established footholds in the

modern socialization of research activity, nothing has taken the

place of gathering (physically) in one place at one time to advance

our individual and collective scholarship and relationships.

Logistics and supply chain scholars find themselves in consid-

erable demand these days when it comes to conference atten-

dance. Several traditional forums hosting business logistics/

supply chain dialogue remain, while new suitors in marketing,

general management, engineering, and environmental science, to

name a few, are reaching out in earnest. These tangential fields

are adding sessions and entire tracks that focus on our topics.

Further, they are adding special interest groups that seek to

engage us not only during, but also beyond the confines of the

conference meetings.

There are several possible explanations for appeals directed

squarely at logistics and supply chain scholars. For one, the

problems at the heart of our scholarship are red-hot these days.

Among the hot-button issues identified in The Conference

Board’s most recent (2017) annual survey of CEOs, logistics and

supply chain expertise factored prominently in several of them,

including the ability to navigate a highly uncertain global econ-

omy, the development of internal resources and external net-

works for innovation, and the imperative to be customer-centric

through high-tech, high-touch, and high-value strategies (Shayon

2017). There is unprecedented interest in our field in light of its

criticality to business success and the upsurge in business models

focused on availability, timeliness, and convenience, as reported

in our previous editorials (Goldsby and Zinn 2016a,b; Zinn and

Goldsby 2017a,b).

Another possible reason for the heightened interest in drawing

logistics and supply chain scholars is the cross-functional nature

of our focal problems. Traditional logistics problems addressing

topics like inventory, customer service, and total cost minimiza-

tion call for extralogistics understanding, recognizing the impli-

cations of logistics decision making on related business

functions, and vice versa. So, it is in our DNA to embrace the

boundary–spanning nature of our field (Stock and Lambert 1992;

LaLonde and Powers 1993; Bowersox and Daugherty 1995; Bal-

lou 2007). Pressing business problems today (e.g., supply chain

visibility, sustainability, and risk management) involve an even

broader perspective and the coordination of multiple functions

across multiple firms. This broadening of the problems brings

logistics and supply chain scholars into the conversation, natu-

rally, and we are keen to contribute.

Afinal consideration is one of simple economics. With a

growing number of conferences and options available in the mar-

ket, conference organizers are appealing to a larger and more

diverse array of prospective attendees to maintain vibrancy.

Corresponding author:

Thomas J. Goldsby, Department of Marketing & Logistics, Fisher

College of Business, The Ohio State University, 2100 Neil Avenue,

Columbus, OH 43210, USA; E-mail: goldsby.2@osu.edu

Journal of Business Logistics, 2017, 38(3): 148–150 doi: 10.1111/jbl.12171

© Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals