William R. Davidson (1919-2012): a pioneer in retailing

Abstract

Purpose

This biographical sketch aims to describe the life and career of William R. Davidson.

Design/methodology/approach

The biographical research used in this study draws upon extensive personal interviews with the subject, on some archival research, and on extensive analysis of the subject's published scholarship.

Findings

Davidson fashioned a distinguished career as a scholar, teacher, and consultant in retailing management. The founding mission statement for his consulting firm, Management Horizons, included the ambition to “advance the frontier of knowledge in the distribution industries”. His tremendous success in that endeavour over a period of half a century earned William R. Davidson the recognition as a pioneer in marketing.

Originality/value

This article is adapted with permission from a chapter titled “William R. Davidson (1919-): Mr Retailing”, in Pioneers in Marketing, published in 2012 by Routledge.

Citation

Jones, B. (2013), "William R. Davidson (1919-2012): a pioneer in retailing", Journal of Historical Research in Marketing, Vol. 5 No. 4, pp. 537-547. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHRM-04-2013-0024