Towards a Theory of Marketing Work
Introduction
Roles, Skills, and Structures in an Age of Intelligent Technologies, Special issue of AMS Review; Deadline 1 Oct 2026
POSTING TYPE: Calls: Journals
Posted by: Laszlo Sajtos
Call for Papers
Special Issue of AMS Review with a Focus on Marketing Work
A special issue of AMS Review, titled “Towards a Theory of Marketing Work: Roles, Skills, and Structures in an Age of Intelligent Technologies,†invites conceptual and theory-building research aimed at developing an indigenous theory of marketing work. The issue responds to growing calls within the discipline to ground marketing theory more firmly in marketing’s own phenomena and logics by focusing explicitly on the nature of marketing work itself—what marketers do, how their roles and tasks are structured, and how decision rights, identities, and skills are enacted in practice. Of particular interest is how emergent technologies such as artificial intelligence, automation, analytics, and algorithmic systems are transforming marketing work across all levels of marketing, from frontline employees and teams to firms and broader market ecosystems .
The editors welcome conceptual, integrative, and multi-level contributions that clarify foundational constructs, develop new theoretical frameworks, and connect marketing work to established perspectives such as Resource-Advantage Theory, Service-Dominant Logic, job crafting, and upper-echelons research. Indicative topics include human–AI collaboration, theories of marketing work, evolving marketing roles and identities, capability hierarchies, governance and ethical issues, transfer of labor, the value and meaning of marketing work, and implications for marketing education and leadership. Developmental workshops will be held at the 2026 AMS Annual Conference and the 2026 AMS World Marketing Congress, with the final manuscript submission deadline set for October 1, 2026 .
Guest Editors:
- Barry J. Babin, University of Mississippi, bjbabin@olemiss.edu
- Laszlo Sajtos, University of Auckland Business School, l.sajtos@auckland.ac.nz
- Nic S Terblanche, Stellenbosch University, nst@sun.ac.za
- Khashayar (Kash) Afshar, University of Mississippi, kafshar@olemiss.edu