The launch of the new journal ROMS is simply a reflection of the changes going on around us in technology, management and business education. Do these changes mean that there is a need for a new journal in marketing? That should be the question on the minds of all that read this, and as editor, I hope to answer it. We are in a new age of communications in which information is accessed rapidly and through means not available even ten years ago. Research findings become obsolete faster than before. And yet, the basic demands on published research must remain the same. Research findings need to be examined carefully before they can be used, and the way new results are obtained and validated must be scrutinized. So, it has become necessary to find faster and more efficient ways of making available research to fellow-researchers and practitioners. ROMS aims to fill this need by using the World-Wide Web for processing and publishing research. With these considerations in mind, the detailed scrutiny of research is left to existing print journals. Instead, ROMS will focus on speedy and efficient access to the latest research in marketing. First, research will be screened for novelty and correctness of research procedures. ROMS is fortunate that numerous leading scholars from around the world have agreed to help in making the review process both timely and useful for authors and readers alike. This means that readers will be assured of quality and they stand to gain by accessing new material faster since all revisions and extensive editing will be reflected by publication later in a print journal. Second, ROMS will only publish long abstracts of research papers with electronic links to the current version of the research through ROMS Working Paper Series. This has advantages for authors who will be able to gain from the speedy dissemination of research while also having the opportunity to gain form the recognition from publishing more complete and polished versions of their research in print journals. A repository of working papers stored in electronic form will benefit readers by offering greater convenience of access and "one-stop shopping". Authors would also benefit from the Working Paper Series, as they would find it less expensive than mailing papers to potential audience for their work. A most important benefit is the global reach that the Web provides today, even as marketing practitioners and researchers become more widespread in geography. Finally, connectivity on a global scale means that forums that take advantage of it will be important in the future. ROMS aims to provide such a forum for researchers in marketing. In the next few months ROMS will have a Debating Corner. It is designed as a moderated discussion of a current research issue. More details on this can be found in the site.

As you will see from the first issue, the papers are diverse in the issues they address. There are four papers in this issue. They are all in the stage of completed working papers. Based on our screening process the papers have been judged to be novel and essentially correct. We expect that these papers will eventually find their way to prestigious print journals. In future ROMS expects to publish between seven and ten papers in each issue, to appear quarterly.

As ROMS takes shape I would like to thank my advisory board for their critical input, encouragement and advice. I also thank all the scholars who have so graciously agreed to serve on the editorial board of a promising vehicle but set on uncharted waters. And, finally I thank my colleagues at The University of Texas at Dallas for their support and especially Dean Hasan Pirkul for his belief and confidence in ROMS.