Innovation is transforming the management and structure of modern retailing. Achieving corporate goals for shareholder and customer value now means that technology be effectively managed and that timing and choice of technological innovations be optimal.

Retailing is witnessing the explosive growth of the Internet, advanced software applications, efficient in-store systems, data warehousing and mining programs, advanced point-of-sale technology, and shipment-tracking systems. Such developments, combined with complex retail analytics, have enabled and forced retail firms to rethink how IT and other technologies should be integrated into overall management and strategy.

Moreover, as burgeoning electronic commerce opens new markets and new ways of reaching and serving customers, managerial challenges continue unabated. Facing established retailers are lower barriers of entry for new competitors and greater pressure on profit margins. To meet such threats and to capitalize on the emerging opportunities, new business models (emphasizing management of technology, e-business and innovation) are required.

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Acquiring Knowledge and Skills Integrating Technology and Management for Effective Decision Making
The MOTIR Track explicitly provides participants with the knowledge and skills for integrating technology and management, which is now demanded by today¹s new retailing. In this new setting, companies, professionals and managers in retailing must translate a keen understanding of information technologies, e-business and technological innovation into ongoing effective managerial decisions and unique strategies.