The earliest phase of academic research is the least supported by tools and methods, yet it shapes everything that follows. Stremersch (IJRM 2023) documents the dysfunctions: We generate too few ideas, get feedback too late, and let weak ideas persist. Klemens Knöferle introduces Arkhe, a new platform he is building: a workspace where researchers capture their early-stage ideas, structure and stress-test them with AI and peers, refine them version by version, with every contribution on record.
Klemens Knöferle is Professor of Marketing and co-founder of the Center for Multisensory Marketing (CMM) at BI Norwegian Business School. He received his PhD from the University of St. Gallen in 2011 and has worked as a postdoc at Oxford University and as a visiting researcher at the University of Michigan. His research focuses on consumer psychology and sensory marketing and has been published in top-tier academic journals. In his teaching, he connects students to industry by using project work built around custom live cases, expert practitioner input, and continuous, rubric-based feedback, to create strong learning experiences. He has supervised research projects in collaboration with firms from various industries (e.g., food, automotive, retailing, consumer electronics, appliances).