FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Matthew A. Waller, a professor in the marketing and logistics department in the Sam M. Walton College of Business, has been appointed the editor-in-chief of The International Journal of Logistics Management.

“Matt Waller is an outstanding scholar in logistics,” said Thomas Jensen, chair of the marketing and logistics department and the Wal-Mart Lecturer in Retailing. “His appointment as the editor exemplifies the respect his peers have for his research and judgment. In addition, his recent research in China and experiences with supply chain systems and businesses there will prove beneficial to his editorship of the journal as well as in his classrooms.”

The International Journal of Logistics Management provides a global forum for the exchange of new ideas and practices in the dynamic field of logistics management and the emerging area of supply chain management. Edited for broad appeal to practicing managers and researchers as well as to teachers and students, the journal spans the gap between the theoretical approach of academic works and the case history journalism of trade magazines.

Waller, who holds the Oren Harris Chair in Logistics, is also heading up a new executive master of business administration program for the Graduate School of Business. The 16-month program will be taught in Shanghai and meet twice at the University of Arkansas. The degree will focus exclusively on consumer products retailing and logistics with the purpose of developing leadership talent in China.

Waller joined the Walton College in 1994 where he teaches logistics and supply chain management. He received a bachelor of science, summa cum laude, from the University of Missouri and a master of science and doctorate from Pennsylvania State University. His research focuses on replenishment, forecasting and consumer products supply-chain management. He is often involved in projects to improve supply-chain management processes at leading consumer products companies. 

His research has been published over the past 17 years in journals such as Decision Sciences, Journal of Business Logistics, Journal of the Operational Research Society, Transportation Journal, International Journal of Production Economics and others. He is an inventor on a patent issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, involving replenishment, assortment and space optimization: Waller, M.A. and Dulaney, E.F.: System, Method and Article of Manufacture to Optimize Inventory and Merchandising Shelf Space Utilization, Patent No. US 6,341,269 B1: Date of Patent Jan. 22, 2002. 

The International Journal of Logistics Management was founded by Martin Christopher of the Cranfield School of Management, United Kingdom, and Douglas Lambert of The Ohio State University and the University of North Florida in response to the tremendous growth of interest in logistics and supply chain management. Published three times a year, the journal has won wide acclaim for the breadth and depth of its content on the application of logistics to corporate strategy and the achievement of competitive advantage.