Purpose – This is a polemical paper challenging both the principle and practice of journal ranking. In recent years academics and their institutions have become obsessive about the star‐ratings of the journals in which they publish. In the UK this is partly attributed to quinquennial reviews...

Full-text of this article is not available in this e-prints service. This article was originally published in International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, published by and copyright Emerald.

Wal‐Mart is the world’s largest retailer with ambitious plans to increase its international sales. Europe is a logical target for Wal‐Mart to consolidate and build upon acquisitions in Germany and the UK. This paper assesses the opportunities for Wal‐Mart in these markets and in France,...

Purpose – This paper aims to explore Wal‐Mart's varying performance in Europe and eventual exit from the German market by singling out the role of consumer acceptance of Wal‐Mart's market propositions. Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses the macro‐constructs of institutional...