Research
Dr. Ellinger’s research examines human resource developmental approaches and strategies for improving customer service performance and promoting cross-functional integration in supply chains. Over the course of his 24 years in academia, he published approximately 75 refereed journal manuscripts in leading supply chain management/strategy, business logistics, and business-to-business marketing journals, as well as 50 refereed national and international conference proceedings. As of April 2021, his research has accrued nearly 10,000 citations in Google Scholar (h-index 46; i-10 index 72). Approximately 20 of these refereed manuscripts are co-authored with Ph.D. students and/or faculty scholars.

Dr. Ellinger’s research has been recognized with Best Paper awards for manuscripts in Supply Chain Management – International Journal (1996), International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management (1997), Journal of Business Logistics (2002), Human Resource Development Quarterly (2003), and Journal of Marketing Theory & Practice (2008), as well as Highly Commended Paper awards from Journal of Product & Brand Management (2012), Supply Chain Management: International Journal (2013) and International Journal of Logistics Management (2016). In 2018, Dr. Ellinger received the University of Alabama President’s Faculty Research Award.

Dr. Ellinger’s reputation as a leading scholar in his field has been recognized with frequent invitations to present at business logistics and supply chain management doctoral symposiums and as keynote speaker at international conferences, particularly during the period that he served as Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management (2010-2019).

Teaching
During his tenure, Dr. Ellinger was consistently recognized as a dedicated, challenging, and respected teacher of the customer service strategy aspects of supply chain management. Building
on the course content of his Faculty Hall of Fame predecessor Professor Jay Sterling, he developed a core course for marketing majors that complements the marketing curriculum and sales concentration by focusing on the customer service provision elements of marketing. Dr. Ellinger taught Supply Chain Management at the undergraduate, MBA, and EMBA levels as well as several Ph.D. seminars. Dr. Ellinger’s classes were designed to incorporate experiential learning through field trips to local distribution centers, site visits, and research projects for local businesses that were focused on helping students to better understand customer service provision operations. In order to prepare students to thrive in the workplace, his teaching approach sought to provide rigorous and practically useful classes that emphasized important general business concepts. His teaching proficiency was recognized with the Board of Visitors Teaching Award (2016), the T. D. Moore Undergraduate Teaching Award (2015), The University of Alabama EMBA Program Professor of the Year (2011), the Morris Mayer Merit Award for Ongoing Service to Students (2011) and the Culverhouse College of Commerce Outstanding Marketing Educator Award (2009).

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Service to the University and Profession Dr. Ellinger served as the Chair of the Marketing Department Promotion and Tenure Committee in 2015, 2016, and 2017, as a member of the College Promotion and Tenure Committee in 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2020, and on the Faculty Executive Board (2003-2008). He was co-director of the Supply Chain Institute (2007-2015), co-organizing and hosting the Fourth Annual Logistics Doctoral Symposium in 2008, and enabling many MBA students in the supply chain concentration to attend the CSCMP national conference to network and seek employment. He was a member of 14 dissertation committees, serving as Chair on three of these, and participated in the Honor Student Faculty Mentorship Program since 2002. Dr. Ellinger also led a study abroad class in the People’s Republic of China in the summer of 2011. Further, he was chair of the University International Education Standing Committee (2007-2008), a member of the University International Education Standing Committee (2005-2007), and a member of the University Human Relations Council (2007-2008).

With regard to external service to his profession, Dr. Ellinger served as Editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management (2010-2019) and received the Emerald Literati Leading Editor Award in 2013. In addition to promoting inclusivity by striving to earn the trust of non-U.S. authors, attracting Special Issues on cutting-edge, practically relevant, strategic SCM topics was a strong foundation for the journal’s success. When he stepped down as Editor of IJPDLM in 2019 after 8 1/2 years of service, the journal had a 2-year Impact Factor of 4.215 (5-year IF 4.181) for 2018, placing it 31/208 journals in the Management category of Web of Science. The journal consistently received in excess of 400 manuscripts per year. In addition to editorial duties, he made “State of The Journal” promotional presentations at multiple conferences in the U.S., Sweden, Denmark, Norway, France, and Taiwan from 2015-2018.

Dr. Ellinger served as Associate Editor for Journal of Business Logistics and on the editorial advisory boards of Industrial Marketing Management, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, International Journal of Logistics Management, International Journal of Physical Distribution and Logistics Management, Supply Chain Management: International Journal, and Journal of Supply Chain Management and Supply Chain Forum. Dr. Ellinger also served in various capacities as a member of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals and the Warehouse Educational Research Council and was track chair at more than ten national conferences.