Category: Seminar Archive (2026)

Date: 19 January 2026, Monday Time: 10.30 – 11.30 Place: MA-330 " Digital Solutions to the Obesity Crisis: Evaluating the Impact of Online Grocery Delivery Services " by Alireza Golmohammadi Belk College of Business Abstract  Despite extensive efforts in developed nations to combat obesity, rates continue to rise, particularly in the U.S., with low-income populations being disproportionately affected. This study examines the potential of third-party online grocery delivery services (OGDS) to mitigate obesity. Utilizing a staggered difference-in-differences approach, we analyze the impact of OGDS’s entry on obesity rates. Our findings reveal that OGDS entry is associated with a significant reduction in obesity rates, averaging -.64%, which translates to an annual medical cost saving of $2.91 billion. However, the positive impact of OGDS entry is less pronounced in low-income areas, indicating…

Date: 07 January 2026, Wednesday Time:10.30 – 11.30 Place: MA-330 “Inclusive Exclusion: When Market Expansion Reinforces Exclusion” by Utku Ay University of Arizona Abstract  Firms often seek growth through inclusion, extending their brands to new consumer groups. Yet these initiatives frequently reproduce exclusionary structures rather than dismantle them. This study introduces inclusive exclusion, an empirically derived and theoretically grounded construct that explains how inclusionary marketing strategies can perform inclusion while sustaining exclusionary order. Drawing on an ethnographic investigation of football in Turkey, we identify three mechanisms of market participation that structure consumer inclusion and exclusion: consumer role assignment, consumption pathways, and infrastructural support. Inclusion emerges under conditions of role alignment, coherent pathways, and strong infrastructural support, which foster legitimate market participation. Conversely, when firms invite new consumers, but these mechanisms…