Business for social, cultural and environmental renewal

The Distinguished Scholars Speaker Series is hosted by Dr. John Schouten, Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in social enterprise at Memorial University.

Dr. Schouten will host internationally renowned scholars from around the world in this speaker series, with events taking place in March, April and May at Memorial’s Faculty of Business Administration.

Wednesday, March 27

Presentations: 4-5 p.m., BN-4031 (Faculty of Business Administration)
Reception: 5-6:30 p.m., Social Changemaker Space (Centre for Social Enterprise)

Eric Arnould
Aalto University School of Business, Helsinki, Finland

Dr. Eric Arnould is emeritus professor at the Aalto University Business School, Helsinki, Finland.

He has pursued a career in applied social science since graduating from Bard College in 1973. He earned a PhD in anthropology from the University of Arizona in 1982. From 1977 until 1990, he worked extensively as an applied anthropologist, primarily in Francophone West Africa on development projects associated with agriculture, natural resources and market systems.

A global nomad, Dr. Arnould has been on university faculty in four European countries and several U.S. states. He served as PETSMART Chair of Consumer Marketing at the University of Arizona, and Distinguished Professor of Marketing & Sustainable Business at the University of Wyoming. He briefly held a chair in the Danish Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS) at University of Southern Denmark.

Aalto University awarded him an honorary doctorate in 2016 and SDU also awarded him an honorary doctorate in 2020 that recognized his scholarly work in codifying the field of consumer culture theory and in bringing ethnographic work into academic marketing research.

With Melanie Wallendorf, Dr. Arnould initiated the Qualitative Data Analysis roundtable, now an annual feature of the Consumer Culture Theory Consortium conference. With Linda Price and George Zinkhan, he authored two editions of a textbook, Consumers, for McGraw-Hill. He has co-edited a second edition of Consumer Culture Theory for Sage Publications.

Dr. Arnould’s research on consumer culture, cultural marketing strategy, services marketing, sustainability, and marketing and development appears in over 100 articles and chapters in major social science and managerial periodicals and books.

He was an associate editor at Journal of Consumer Research for 10 years and has served in this role at Journal of Retailing and International Journal of Research in Marketing.

Topic: Neo-animism for Social Enterprise

Neo-animism offers social enterprises a transformative framework for promoting inclusive and sustainable economic relationships.

By integrating its principles, social enterprises can develop ethical supply chains, prioritize environmental stewardship and community engagement, foster strong stakeholder bonds, and ensure alignment with their social mission. These principles foster positive social and environmental impact alongside business resilience.

Anu Helkkula
Hanken School of Economics, Helsinki, Finland

Anu Helkkula is senior research specialist, research ethics, at the Hanken School of Economics. Her expertise includes service experience, value co-creation, service design and innovation. Her research has appeared in a wide range of journals and edited books.

In her research, she concentrates on cultivating innovative ideas that not only contribute theoretically but also carry substantial practical significance and exert societal impact. She combines marketing and service research with consumer behaviour and management.

Her research focuses on value, value co-creation, service design, innovation, practices and experiences in a range of services and service ecosystems, including sustainable service innovation and design, innovation processes, health care, transformative hospitality services and digital marketing (telematics, robots, A.I.).

Dr. Helkkula is a member of the editorial board of the following journals: The Journal of Service Research (IF 21), The Journal of Service Management (IF 5,4), and The Academy of Marketing Science Review.

In addition to her academic career, she has a long experience working together with companies and organizations. Her recent projects have included companies, organizations and the third sector.

She also delivers keynote speeches on giving organizations a competitive advantage through service design and the customer experience.

Before entering academia, Dr. Helkkula first worked as an advertising and campaign designer. Following that, she gained experience in service management, entrepreneurship, and consultancy with a variety of companies and organizations, including the city of Helsinki and university hospitals.

Topic: Transformative Hospitality Services

In the ever-evolving hospitality landscape, the shift towards well-being practices is evident. However, the roadmap for designing services that truly elevate overall well-being remains largely undiscovered.

Introducing Transformative Hospitality Services (THS) – a catalyst for innovation reshaping the industry. This presentation unlocks the transformative potential of THS, offering invaluable insights and actionable strategies to foster holistic well-being for all stakeholders.

Speakers and details for April and May will be announced at a later date.