Paul Messinger is Associate Professor of Marketing & Principal Investigator of Web Interaction Research Alliance at the University of Alberta’s School of Business. Paul’s research interests include new retail and internet formats, service science, virtual worlds and second life, power in distribution channels, dynamic competitive strategy and survey-based market research. He is widely published on all of these topics. He is the founding Director of the University of Alberta School for Retailing and has served as Director, Canadian Institute of Retailing and Services. Paul has won numerous teaching and paper awards.