Introduction

The emergence of rural markets as highly untapped potential emphasizes the need to explore them. Marketers over the past few decades, with innovative approaches have attempted to understand and tap the evolving rural markets. Some of their efforts paid off and many back fired making the evolving rural markets still an enigma.

Academic scholars in rural marketing mapped the organizational efforts and suggested alternative approaches to tap the evolving rural markets. Surge in the publications on rural marketing is an indicator of the interest in this emerging domain of knowledge. However, studies have been widely fragmented and time has come to consolidate the knowledge that has evolved over the past years. In consolidating the efforts, setting future directions would be possible.

The 2 nd Conference on "Marketing to Rural Consumers - Tapping the Evolving Rural Markets" addresses this need and seeks participation from the interested academic and practicing fraternity. The conference is scheduled during 6, 7, and 8 April, 2009 and will be conducted at Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode campus. The conference offers an opportunity for exchange of research and practical insights related to marketing to rural consumers and disseminate the knowledge generated.

Call for papers

The conference invites papers on the following themes:

• Changes in consumer behaviour and decision making process
• Product and positioning strategies
• Value offering and pricing issues
• Channels of distribution
• Issues in communication
• Social issues in tapping rural markets
• Any other issues related to the theme of the conference

Papers may be theoretical or empirical including case studies. Papers should be original (i.e. not have been published elsewhere) and relevant to the overall conference theme.

Review of Papers/ Cases

Papers/cases should be submitted as electronic attachments either in Microsoft Word or Acrobat format addressing to any of the conference co chairs at the email id markconf@iimk.ac.in. Papers should be formatted as follows; A4 size, Times New Roman font style, 12 font size, 1 inch margin on all sides, 1.5 line spacing and justified. Referencing should be in the APA style.

All abstracts and full papers / cases should have a cover page that includes the title, full author name(s), affiliation, email id and contact details. Except for cover page, author should not be identified in the paper.

Review Process

1. Abstract not exceeding 200 words describing the broad content of the proposed paper or case should be sent as an email attachment. Last date for sending the abstract is 1 October, 2008. Acceptance of the abstracts would be intimated to the authors latest by 1 November, 2008
2. Authors of the papers / cases whose abstracts are accepted should submit their full length papers / cases as an email attachment latest by 20 December, 2008. Full paper / case should be limited to 6000 words.
3. Full papers /cases would be blind reviewed and the comments of the reviewers would be informed to the respective authors latest by 1 February, 2009
4. Full papers /cases after incorporating the reviewers' comments should reach the conference co chairs latest by 1 March, 2009.

Conference co-chairs will have the final authority over the review process and all decisions related to acceptance of papers. Acceptance of full papers or cases implies that author(s) would be registering for the conference. Select few papers and cases would be published as proceedings of the conference

Sponsored Research Paper : Five full papers after the peer review process is completed would be selected for award of 'Sponsored Research Paper'. Selection would be done upon the reviewers recommendation by the conference co chairs. Each paper author (s) would be eligible for a sponsorship of Rs.10,000. The sponsorship is offered by the Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode . Authors selected for the sponsorship would receive a certificate and sponsorship amount after presentation at the conference venue.

Student Paper Contest : One full paper from student participants would be awarded a prize of Rs.10,000. The award for the full paper would be decided by the conference co chairs upon the recommendation of the peer reviewers. Student authors of the paper would receive a certificate and the prize amount after presentation at the conference venue. Note that all the authors should be a post graduate from any discipline. No author should be either a faculty or a research scholar. Students should provide the bonafide certificate as a proof to become eligible for the prize.

Dates to Remember

Registration

Registration fee for the conference is as follows

[ Download Registraton Form ]

Note:

1. Registration fee includes boarding and lodging(on twin sharing basis) at IIM K campus, conference kit and hand outs.
2. If the participant is attending the conference with a companion, an additional registration fee must be paid.
3. No discounts on registration fee would be entertained.
4. Students and research scholars must attach a certificate from the supervising guide or the head of the institute.
5. Registration fee must be paid by Demand Draft in favour of Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode payable at Kozhikode along with the duly filled in registration form. Payments to IIM K are exempted from deduction of tax vide letter No. AAAJ1012Q / ACIT / Cir-2(1) /06-07 dated 12-Apr-2007, issued by Assistant Commissioner of Income Tax, Circle - 2 (1), Kozhikode.
6. Once the registration fee is paid, there would be no refund.

Registration fee can also be paid through electronic money transfer system and confirmation to such transactions is to be intimated to the Conference Chair. The required details for such transfer are furnished hereunder;

For transfers outside India

IIM Kozhikode Branch Code : 10565
IIM Kozhikode Account No : 10401159541
Swift Code : SBININBB392

For transfers within India

IIM Kozhikode Branch Code : 10565
IIM Kozhikode Account No : 10401159541
IFSC Code : SBIN0010565

Conference Co Chairs

Dr. Sanal Kumar Velayudhan
sanal@iimk.ac.in, 0495 - 2809103 (office)

Dr. G. Sridhar
drgsridhar@iimk.ac.in, 0495 - 2809102 (office)