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Although one recent study concluded that physical distribution has reached semi‐maturity, the structure of the field has yet to be clearly defined. Despite the attempts of practitioners and academicians alike to portray PD, writers in the field have not provided a comprehensive, databased description of its structure which can be widely referred to the various firms engaged in distribution.That is, we still do not have generalisable empirical evidence on what constitutes the areas of PD and how they are related to one another.

In the last four years, since Volume I of this Bibliography first appeared, there has been an explosion of literature in all the main functional areas of business. This wealth of material poses problems for the researcher in management studies — and, of course, for the librarian: uncovering what has been written in any one area is not an easy task. This volume aims to help the librarian and the researcher overcome some of the immediate problems of identification of material. It is an annotated bibliography of management, drawing on the wide variety of literature produced by MCB University Press. Over the last four years, MCB University Press has produced an extensive range of books and serial publications covering most of the established and many of the developing areas of management. This volume, in conjunction with Volume I, provides a guide to all the material published so far.

Although the movement of goods by consumers represents a large proportion of the economic and environmental impact of the distribution chain, this topic has been insufficiently explored in the retailing literature. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the understanding of shopping travel-mode choice in the context of grocery shopping.

The paper presents findings from a Swedish national survey of 1,694 respondents that included questions regarding travel-mode choices and consumer characteristics, mobility conditions, shopping behaviours and environmental interests and engagements.

This paper shows how travel modes interrelate and how various consumer characteristics, shopping behaviours, mobility conditions and environmental interests and engagements relate to and affect travel-mode choice in grocery shopping. General travel patterns and distance to store are shown to be the most important factors in explaining the mode of transport for grocery shopping.

This paper presents data from a national representative survey and provides novel analyses of travel-mode choices in grocery shopping and the interrelationships among those choices, in addition to the interrelationship between travel-mode choice and the use of home delivery. This paper contributes to a further understanding of consumer mobility in the context of grocery shopping.

Technologies are dramatically reshaping various aspects of the store space, modifying design, services and usage. Accordingly, several studies tackled technology impact on each of these aspects, investigating design, service and usage singularly, but lacking a holistic viewpoint. Thus, this paper aims to identify the different dimensions of the store space (levels) and assess the impact of technology introduction on store space dimensions (levels).

The research employs a qualitative approach based on direct observations of apparel brand stores located in London between March and April 2023. Data collection followed a structured observation protocol covering store information, adopted technologies and their effects across various store space levels, i.e. consumption activities, service environment and customer experience.

Results show that the store space can be defined as the sum of different dimensions consisting of consumption activities, service environment and customer experience. Accordingly, technology introduction holistically influences each of the three store space levels as follows: (1) first, technologies redefine how activities are performed or alters the location where certain activities are consumed; (2) within the service environment, technologies replace traditional elements, fill empty spaces and enhance the atmospherics; finally, (3) customer experience is enhanced in hedonic and/or utilitarian terms due to technology adoption.

This paper defines the space as a dynamic entity, providing a deeper understanding of how the store space is produced, from a holistic point of view and the role of retail technology in this process.

The objective of this study is to develop a model for analyzing the relative importance of facilitating and constraining factors that determine changes in the structure of distribution channels as a country progresses along the path of economic development.

Data on channel structure were collected on national, regional and municipal levels. The hypotheses in this study were tested by using time series and cross‐sectional data. The ordinary least squares method was used for multiple regression and correlation analyses.

The most significant findings from the above research are that channel structure is determined by economic development and, to some extent, by government policy. Both of these factors work hand‐in‐hand to affect distribution reform. First, economic development provides the need for more efficient channels, first as more privately‐owned intermediaries enter the distribution system, and later as the number of channel intermediaries contracts, partly stemming from vertical integration and from a shakeout of less efficient enterprises. Second, government policy can be formulated to encourage these developments. In order to promote distribution reform, the government's “open policy”, which allows for market access by foreign firms as well as local ones, should be continued.

More cross‐sectional data for China are needed in order to better analyze the impact of different economic sectors (at different levels of development) on channel evolution. As more data become available, these analyses will be possible.

Very little is known about the factors that shape a nation's channel system. Improvements in distribution systems are crucial to upgrading marketing systems in developing countries. Understanding how improvements in distribution systems contribute to economic development can aid decision makers in developing countries to improve resource allocation. This study has contributed to the theory of channel evolution in developing countries.

Omni-channel shopping affords consumers a variety of delivery options to receive products based on their preferred times and locations. By considering consumers' contributions (physical, social and attentive efforts) in co-creating delivery services, this study investigates their preferences for parcel delivery.

A scenario-based questionnaire survey is conducted for data collection in Singapore (n = 483). Furthermore, a multinomial logistic regression is performed to assess consumers' choice mode of delivery among five alternatives, that is attended home delivery, unattended home delivery, automated self-collection locker, attended pickup point and click-and-collect.

Compared to attended home delivery, consumers who choose the alternatives are found to be more willing to contribute physical effort but less interested in responding attentively to informational updates. Efforts required for social interactions discourage consumers from choosing attended deliveries, prompting unattended alternatives (e.g. home delivery and self-collection) as more attractive choices. Additionally, socio-demographic factors and product value also influence consumers' preferences.

This study contributes to the literature by integrating the theoretical concept of consumer logistics into omni-channel studies, providing a new approach to examining consumers' channel behaviour. With detailed profiling that links product value and consumers' socio-demographics to their choice mode of delivery, the authors create practical insight into the optimal design of omni-channel distribution systems that best harness consumers' voluntary contributions.

This research is designed to characterize new generic consumers and assess their willingness to purchase generic brands in non‐generic product categories.

A total of 500 generic consumers participated in the study. Participants were customers of two large private chain stores in central Israel, known for their abundance of generic products.

the paper finds that new generic consumers have a somewhat different profile than that of generic consumers of the 1980s. Furthermore, generic consumers are prepared to purchase generic brands even in categories not defined as generic.

The study focused on a market characterized by economic instability, which may contribute to strong readiness to purchase generic brands even in product categories not generic by definition. Future research is needed to study the profile of the new generic consumer from the perspective of cultural differences among countries and not within countries.

The willingness of generic brand marketers and retailers to enter product categories not defined as generic will open new business avenues and a create a relative advantage for them over their competitors, while guaranteeing a larger market segment and an increased volume of sales in the short term.

This research is the only one which has examined generic brand consumers' buying power, on four types of buying behaviors based on the degree of buyer involvement and the degree of differentiation among brands.

To provide empirical evidence and explanation of the phenomenon that providers of home delivery of groceries are still of minor importance in highly concentrated retail markets.

Based on a critical literature review three propositions were set up. A web‐based survey was conducted with two prospective consumer groups for home delivery providers: time‐starved consumers and consumers with internet affinity. A structural equation modeling analysis was applied in addition to uni‐ and bivariate analysis.

In contrast with some assumptions in the literature shopping in stores for groceries was not generally perceived to be an annoying activity. Respondents were aware of their own shopping logistics efforts in terms of spatial and temporal distance when shopping in stores but were unable to convert these efforts into costs. Any perceived inconvenience connected with shopping for groceries had no impact on respondents' willingness to pay for home delivery services or their future intentions to use such services.

The study only investigated two specific consumer groups within highly concentrated urban grocery retail markets. However, these groups may be considered typical of most western European countries and thus the study's findings are of importance to retailers.

The major findings suggest that in general home delivery service may not be considered a strategic competitive advantage in grocery retail markets. Other marketing issues such as pricing, assortment and store personnel still substantially affect a consumer's choice of retail formats. This leads to the conclusion that home delivery providers should either appeal to niche markets and/or offer additional differential criteria compared with traditional retail formats.

The paper argues for a different viewpoint for researchers investigating the topic of internet‐based distance retailing. Further, the reintegration of logistical tasks from consumers should not be considered detached from other format choice criteria.

The paper attempts to investigate the term “environmental consciousness” and identify the underlying components of environmental consciousness and its antecedents. Also, to propose the framework explaining the linkage between environmental consciousness, its antecedents, components, and behavioral outcome, and also the variables, if any, that may intervene between environmental consciousness and environmentally conscious consumer behavior.

The paper reviews extant literature to bring conceptual clarity to the term environmental consciousness and its linkages with the related variables.

Environmental consciousness – a mental state variable – is found distinct from its antecedents and associated behaviors. It is a multi‐dimensional construct varying from low general level to high product‐specific level.

This paper provides understanding for the term environmental consciousness and its relation with other variables and thus leaves the wide scope for research in the future.

The extent to which green marketing efforts can gainfully be taken to the market and given a required scale depends upon environmental consciousness of the consumers. According to levels of environmental consciousness, green consumer segments are obtained and “greener” consumer segments can be targeted to induce pro‐environmental purchase behavior.

The proposed model in the study would allow the green marketers to support the whole idea of environment protection through appropriate marketing strategies.

Based on extant review of literature, the paper proposes the term environmental consciousness as a mental state variable, which is distinct from its antecedents and behavioural outcomes.

This paper describes the personal history and intellectual development of Morris B. Holbrook (MBH), a participant in the field of marketing academics in general and consumer research in particular.

The paper pursues an approach characterized by historical autoethnographic subjective personal introspection or HASPI.

The paper reports the personal history of MBH and – via HASPI – interprets various aspects of key participants and major themes that emerged over the course of his career.

The main implication is that every scholar in the field of marketing pursues a different light, follows a unique path, plays by idiosyncratic rules, and deserves individual attention, consideration, and respect … like a cat that carries its own leash.

In the case of MBH, like (say) a jazz musician, whatever value he might have depends on his originality.