Archive for May, 2019

DSEF Announces Doctoral Sales Grant Program

Direct Selling Education Foundation Awards
New
Doctoral Sales Grants

Carissa Harris, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and Jen Riley, Kennesaw State University Named Grant Recipients

WASHINGTON, DC—May 15, 2019The Direct Selling Education Foundation (DSEF) is pleased to announce its 2019 Doctoral Sales Grant Program recipients. Carissa Harris from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Jen Riley from Kennesaw State University were each awarded grants that will help Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)-accredited doctoral granting institutions build, recruit and retain the next generation of aspiring sales-focused faculty and scholars. Clarissa is working with Dr. Ravi Sohi and Dr. Blake Runnalls, and Jen is working with Dr. Brian Rutherford.

“All of us at DSEF congratulate Clarissa and Jen,” Gary Huggins, DSEF Executive Director, said. “The Foundation’s Sales Doctoral Student Grants Program not only provides recipients with a valuable research or dissertation opportunity, it recognizes the integral role that sales excellence plays in the ongoing success of the direct selling channel.”

Dr. Fernando Jaramillo, (Associate Dean for Students and Programs, Associate Professor of Marketing, University of Texas at Arlington) and Dr. Greg W. Marshall, (Charles Harwood Professor of Marketing and Strategy, Crummer Graduate School of Business at Rollins College) administered the grant program, along with two members of the DSEF leadership team.

“The number and quality of the submissions on this initial round of the grant program really speaks to the robust nature of sales academic community,” said Marshall. “Fernando and I want to thank DSEF for providing this opportunity for these two doctoral students’ research projects to receive funding, and we’re excited about the potential for their work to enhance the field of direct selling.”

The grant recipients were selected from a pool of applicants who submitted proposals relevant to the direct selling channel, DSEF and Direct Selling Association (DSA) member companies. Over a four-year period, the recipients will receive $4,000 to develop and execute a research project focusing on a topic of relevance for DSEF or one or more DSA member companies.

 

ABOUT DSEF

For more than 40 years, DSEF has partnered with members of the academic community to support research and education programs. These programs expand the knowledge and understanding of the fundamental principles of direct selling. The Foundation works with more than 200 professors in a variety of disciplines—such as entrepreneurship, marketing, ethics, sales, consumer studies, business and economics—to develop direct selling-related academic research, case studies and teaching content. In 2017, retail sales from direct selling were more than $34 billion annually and currently there are more than more than 18 million people involved in direct selling in the United States.

 

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Eric Liguori Appointed To AAC

Rowan University’s Eric Liguori Appointed to the Direct Selling Education Foundation’s Academic Advisory Council

Nina Krey and Renee Watson Named DSEF Fellows

WASHINGTON, DC—May 2019The Direct Selling Education Foundation (DSEF) is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Eric Liguori, William G. Rohrer Professorial Chair in Entrepreneurship and Executive Director, Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Rowan University, to the Foundation’s Academic Advisory Council (AAC), whose mission is to strengthen DSEF’s connection to the academic community and advance the understanding of the direct selling business model, value proposition and the industry’s commitment to ethical entrepreneurship.

“Dr. Liguori will be a valuable addition to the AAC,” DSEF Executive Director Gary Huggins said. “He’s at the national forefront of entrepreneurship education, and his experience in entrepreneurship teaching, research and publishing will bring new insights to the AAC, as the Council advises DSEF leadership on the development of cutting-edge academic initiatives.”

The Foundation is also pleased to announce that two Rowan University faculty members have been named DSEF Fellows. Dr. Nina Krey, Assistant Professor of Marketing, and Ms. Renee Watson, Faculty Lecturer, will join more than 200 academic leaders who work with DSEF and industry executives to gain deeper insights into the direct selling channel of distribution, both as a go-to-market business strategy and pathway to micro-entrepreneurship.

ABOUT DSEF
For more than 40 years, DSEF has partnered with members of the academic community to support research and education programs. These programs expand the knowledge and understanding of the fundamental principles of direct selling. The Foundation works with more than 200 professors in a variety of disciplines—such as entrepreneurship, marketing, ethics, sales, consumer studies, business and economics—to develop direct selling-related academic research, case studies and teaching content. In 2017, retail sales from direct selling were more than $34 annually and currently there are more than more than 18 million people involved in direct selling in the United States.

 

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What DSEF Delivers to You and Your Company

What DSEF Delivers to You and Your Company

The Direct Selling Education Foundation is committed to helping today’s students understand the benefits and business principles of direct selling. We do this by equipping professors and other educators with the knowledge and materials they need to provide students with an accurate understanding of the channel. As more professors produce data and research, and incorporate direct selling content into their courses, today’s policymakers and our next generation of leaders will have a true understanding of what direct selling is about.

In 2019 the Foundation has achieved essential milestones that will change the way direct selling is taught in universities and viewed by future generations. We help you tell your story.:

  • 219 DSEF Fellows representing leading colleges and universities across the US are helping to mainstream the channel through teaching, research and publishing.
  • The Foundation commissioned 23 research projects and case studies to educate the public and key stakeholders about the relevance of the channel.
  • The program’s student reach– delivered through campus events, DSEF Fellow-led data-driven research and an array of classroom teaching content – make direct selling part of the education of more than 70,000 students.
  • More than 50 senior executives from direct selling’s broadest array of companies have led campus-wide events and classroom lectures and will be featured in video content that reaches thousands more students.
  • DSEF developed a library of more than 50 industry-specific videos used by professors to teach direct selling to students and help you counter critics of the channel.
  • DSEF Fellows contributed direct selling-related articles to academic journals and monographs, and included direct selling company case studies in widely-used marketing and entrepreneurship textbooks.
  • Foundation case studies and case videos are featured by the Global Jesuit Case Series, reaching 200 Jesuit colleges and universities globally.

And we’re not done yet. To find out how you can help us maintain our momentum, contact us today.

Students and Direct Selling: Key Takeaways from Our Fellows

DSEF recently asked its Fellows to share their experiences using the Foundation’s teaching content, research and case studies in the classroom. Here are a few highlights:

My students have pointedly benefited from DSEF case materials. The Big Data video is highly insightful and garners substantial discussion. The Cocoa Exchange case, particularly the related video, is wonderful for discussing corporate social responsibility, women’s empowerment and direct selling.

Dr. William F. Crittenden
Professor, International Business and Strategy
Northeastern University

 


 The students relate to selling Cutco because of Vector’s business model of using college students to sell the products. I am thrilled with the opportunities to bring experiential learning into my classroom and students gain real world skill sets which will help them in their careers.

Dr. Wendy Ritz
Assistant Teaching Professor- Marketing
Florida State University Panama City

 


As a DSEF Fellow, I have had amazing opportunities to engage with direct selling industry leaders, and it has really helped shape my research agenda. I was able to develop a teaching case that connected my research interest in effectuation and social entrepreneurship with the founders of Trades of Hope and was awarded a research grant at my university.

As a bonus, many students were introduced to the direct selling distribution channel as an avenue for social entrepreneurship and considered it in the development of their own social enterprise.

Dr. Christine Mollenkopf-Pigsley
Assistant Professor & Program Director- Applied Organizational Studies
Minnesota State University Mankato


The DSEF pedagogical support materials address real-world, timely marketing practices. I am able to leverage the articles and case videos in highly-engaging discussions about the increasing role of disintermediation in marketing channels. I also use the materials to reinforce how direct selling is an inextricable opportunity in the ‘Gig Economy.’ This is important because my students are likely engaged in the Gig Economy.

Dr. Lou Pelton
Associate Professor of Marketing
University of North Texas