Marketing Schools of Thought and Their Present Day Relevance

The present article is the compendium of the 12 schools of thought (namely, ‘commodity’, ‘functional’, ‘regional’, ‘institutional’, ‘functionalist’, ‘managerial’, ‘buyer behaviour’, ‘activist’, ‘macro-marketing’, ‘organizational dynamics’, ‘systems’ and ‘social exchange’) in the marketing discipline since its inception in the early 1900s. These 12 schools of thought belong to the four quadrants on the two dimensions, namely ‘Interactive/Non-interactive’ perspective and ‘Economic/Non-economic’ perspective. The similarities, dissimilarities and focal points of these schools of thought have been briefly discussed. The article highlights, how the focal points across the schools of marketing thought have been continuously changing. The major contributions under these schools have also been discussed. Further, the article provided a general overview and criticism of these schools of the marketing discipline. The article further discusses the five controversies around the history of marketing, which are about the dominant perspective in marketing, the relationship between marketing and society, homogeneity of the internal subdivisions of marketing, the debate about marketing as science or arts and the creation of the general theory of marketing. The article also discusses the important issue of plugging the gap between the academic and managerial perspectives of the marketing theories.

Macromarketing, the Indispensable Discipline

The guest-editors introduce the Ruby Anniversary Issue of the Journal of Macromarketing. They provide an overview of the field, highlight the evolution and contributions of the Journal over the past 40 years, and share synopses of the articles and commentaries that comprise this special issue. Major themes addressed by contributors include the genesis and stages of the marketing field, including its origins in macromarketing and the various forces that necessitate a redoubled emphasis on macromarketing, today and in the future. All contributors explore fundamental issues pertaining to the interactions among markets, marketing and society. Some focus on particular periods; some examine timeless and timely subthemes, such as marketing systems, sustainability, globalization, societal well-being, marketing ethics and social justice, and marketing history. And some focus on the expanding reach, impact, perspective, and topics of macromarketing – the discipline’s capabilities to influence business, policy and consumption, to redress current and historical shortcomings and transgressions, and to help solve the most pressing challenges confronting humanity. Moving forward, those challenges also create opportunities. The type and systemic complexity of those challenges/opportunities, and the ubiquity of markets and marketing, make macromarketing indispensable to the sustainability of our world, and the well-being of its inhabitants.

Hidden in Plain Sight: Building Visibility for Critical Gender Perspectives Exploring Markets, Marketing and Society

In this introduction to the special issue on gender and macromarketing, we explore how gender research within the journal has remained “hidden in plain sight”; and, offer concrete proposals to build visibility for critical gender perspectives which explore markets, marketing and society. This introduction is divided into four sections. First, we examine existing research in the journal which has focused on gender. Next, we provide a summary of the eight articles published in this special issue. We then examine systemic gender inequalities and injustices currently evidenced within macromarketing. Finally, we proffer suggestions for future gender research directions within the journal, alongside our reflections on addressing the problematic gendered dynamics that persist within the journal and the Macromarketing Society.

Macromarketing Pedagogy: Empowering Students to Achieve a Sustainable World

The United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are challenging the world to work towards a more sustainable future. Its 17 goals are ambitious, requiring concerted and system-based efforts driven by critical and socially aware thinking. However, marketing education is largely falling short of teaching students to think that way. Given macromarketing’s unique perspective on the interactions among markets, marketing, and society, macromarketers are poised to contribute to marketing pedagogy and to commit students to realizing the SDGs. This article first looks back at the previous 40 years of macromarketing pedagogy, before offering contemporary approaches to teaching macromarketing through four illustrative case studies found in an online repository called Pedagogy Place. It then looks forward, setting an aspiring vision for macro-oriented classrooms in the coming years.

Vietnam

Vietnam is an evolving political economy and marketing system. Since the implementation of Doi Moi, the 1986 policy to invoke a shift from central economic planning to a more market-oriented system, the country has made extraordinary progress on several socioeconomic indicators. Some observers contend Vietnam is a development model; others suggest the country still has numerous challenges to overcome before it can reach its development goals. This article provides an overview of Vietnam’s socioeconomic development; it introduces eight refereed articles and four commentaries that comprise the scholarly contributions to the first special issue of the Journal of Macromarketing to feature research on a single country. Vietnam is that country. Contributors provide detailed research, analysis, and reflection on the interplay of markets, marketing, and society. Topics studied include system complexity and entrepreneurship, retailing evolution, consumption dynamics and societal wellness, family policy and consumption, education and human resource development, living standards and quality of life, ethical/unethical foreign direct investment, ritualistic consumption, and marketing, trade and protectionism, land policy and environmental sustainability, and implications for Vietnam’s economic and geopolitical future.