For the researchers who attend, this event is an opportunity to exchange ideas and insights with like-minded researchers about a shared research interest. It is also an opportunity to hear about real-world trust challenges and evolving market practices, which will provide insights that spark new research ideas and opportunities.
The event is sponsored by the Direct Selling Educational Foundation. Direct selling is an approach to product distribution that depends heavily on trust for success. Executives from a variety of industries and backgrounds will attend and participate.
Tuesday, August 29 | |
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11:30am |
Registration Opens |
12:00pm – 1:00pm |
Working Lunch Managing Trust in Your Market and in Your Organization Conference Co-Chairs Professor Sandy Jap and Professor Kent Grayson, Northwestern University In this session, Kent Grayson and Sandy Jap will provide insights about what business leaders can learn from academic research on how to manage employee and consumer trust in their brands. |
1:00pm – 2:00pm |
What Constitutes Harm in Voluntary Business Arrangements Professor Anne Coughlan, Northwestern University Uncertainties inherent in the entrepreneurial direct selling distributor opportunity suggest the possibility of ex post outcomes that fail to meet a distributor’s ex ante expectations. This research analyzes when and whether such divergences rise to the level of true economic harm to a distributor. True harm is defined as “Avoidable Economic Loss,” or AEL, and used to analyze an economic model of distributor participation that reveals the underlying conditions for true harm to occur. The results suggest that trust in a DS distributorship economic opportunity may be best maintained not by trying to assure “gains” to all, but instead through persistent efforts to educate prospects and participants about the entrepreneurial nature of DS and its attendant uncertainties. Similarly, economic analysis of these entrepreneurial opportunities requires that the analyst clearly disclose the underpinnings of their analyses in order for the reader to have trust in their findings. |
2:00pm – 2:30pm |
Break |
2:30pm – 3:30pm |
Self-Regulation: Revolution to Improve the Marketplace Professor Linda Ferrell, Auburn University Professor O.C. Ferrell, Auburn University Professor Robert Peterson, The University of Texas Peter Marinello, Direct Selling Self-Regulatory Council, BBB National Programs Professor Kent Grayson, Northwestern University In 2019, the BBB National Programs in consultation with the Direct Selling Association created the independently operated Direct Selling Self-Regulatory Council (DSSRC). The purpose of the DSSRC is to remove deceptive earnings and product claims from the entire direct selling marketplace. The DSSRC can quickly remove these claims from the marketplace, but there are always areas for improvement. Executives from the DSSRC, academics and critics of the program will talk about program performance as well as recent research on the metrics, benefits and recommendations for improvement. |
3:30pm – 4:30pm |
Law Enforcement Views Perspectives of Direct Selling: Working Together to Protect Consumers Kathleen Daffan, U.S. Federal Trade Commission Federal and state law enforcement officials will discuss how they enforce relevant laws to distinguish between legitimate businesses and bad actors. Based on experience and enforcement actions, they will describe how they analyze and review the business practices of companies and independent salespeople to ensure that consumers are protected. |
4:30pm – 4:45pm |
Day One Wrap Conference Co-Chair Professor Sandy Jap |
5:00pm – 6:00pm |
Reception |
Wednesday, August 30 | |
8:30am – 8:45am |
Day Two Opening Remarks Conference Co-Chairs Professor Sandy Jap and Professor Kent Grayson |
8:45am – 9:30am |
Building Trust in a Fake News World Social media can have a significant impact on brand trust. Brands often build trust via social media, but trust can also be shattered by online activity. This panel features researchers who have studied how people navigate a social-media environment, where distrust can be high and where claims cannot easily be evaluated for truth or falsity. The conversation will also examine the factors that encourage people to share fake news, what inspires people to “cancel” brands online, and how firms can counter online disinformation. |
9:30am – 10:15am |
Plenary |
10:15am – 10:30pm |
Break |
10:30am – 11:15am |
Building Trust in Sales Relationships Professor Michael Ahearne, University of Houston What does it take for a salesperson to build a trusting relationship with a customer? This panel of senior sales practitioners will discuss the evolving role of trust in buyer/seller relationships. There will be a particular emphasis on the evolving expectations of customers as well as the changing strategies of sales organizations. |
11:15am – 12:00pm |
Building Trust Online Professor Sandy Jap, Emory University There is a lot of research on how trust is built between salespeople and their customers. But much of this presumes that their interactions are face-to-face and in person. What happens when salespeople only know their customers online? Strategies for building trust online including personal branding, Facebook groups, curiosity marketing and many sales practices will be explored. |
12:00pm – 12:45pm |
Plenary |
12:45pm – 1:45pm |
Lunch Co-Chair Led Discussion on Future Research Priorities |
1:45pm – 2:45pm |
Crafting the Passion to Persist Professor Victoria Crittenden, Babson College Professor Charla F. Brown, Troy University Professor Nicole Dilg Beachum, University of Alabama at Birmingham Economic inequality and workforce re-skilling are topics of keen interest in today’s ever-changing economic environment. This panel led by Professor Vicky Crittenden will explore the potential for micro-entrepreneurs to increase their self-confidence while growing their direct selling businesses. This economic and societal empowerment occurs via the technological training and support provided by direct selling companies that see the value in extending resources beyond traditionally bounded relationships. |
2:45pm – 3:45pm |
Research Roundtable Ideation |
3:45pm – 4:00pm |
Research Ideas Collected |
4:00pm – 4:30pm |
Day Two Wrap and Closing Remarks Conference Co-Chairs Professor Sandy Jap and Professor Kent Grayson |