Although images of the relationship between marketing science and practice have
been dominant features of past and contemporary marketing thought, surprisingly
little research has been conducted on the subject, particularly at the level of
the marketing practitioner. This article provides a framework for characterizing
and better understanding the ways in which practitioners value and use academic
theory, and defines a set of propositions for guiding research into this area.
The exercise is intended to urge fellow researchers to refine, test and augment
the working hypotheses suggested herein in order to achieve a better
understanding of the ways in which marketing practitioners attend to, value and
use marketing scientific theories. Managerial implications of this research are discussed.
Abrahamson, E.
(1991)
‘Management Fads and Fashions: The Diffusion and Rejection of Innovations’
, Academy of Management Review16(3):
586-612
.
2.
Abrahamson, E.
(1996)
‘Management Fashion’
, Academy of Management Review21(1):
254-285
.
3.
AMA Task Force on the Development of Marketing Thought
(1988)
‘Developing, Disseminating and Utilizing Marketing Knowledge’
, Journal of Marketing52 (October):
1-25
.
4.
Anderson, J.R.
(1993) Rules of the Mind.
Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum
.
5.
Anderson, P.F.
(1983)
‘Marketing, Scientific Progress, and Scientific Method’
, Journal of Marketing47 (Fall):
18-31
.
6.
Argyris, C.
and
Schön, D.
(1974) Theory in Practice: Increasing Professional
Effectiveness.
San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass
.
7.
Astley, W.G.
and
Zammuto, R.F.
(1992)
‘Organization Science, Managers, and Language Games’
, Organization Science3(4):
443-460
.
8.
Barley, S.R.
and
Kunda, G.
(1992)
‘Design and Devotion: Surges of Rational and Normative Ideologies
of Control in Managerial Discourse’
, Administrative Science Quarterly37:
363-399
.
9.
Bartels, R.
(1983)
‘Is Marketing Defaulting its Responsibilities?’
, Journal of Marketing47 (Fall):
32-35
.
10.
Beyer, J.M.
and
Trice, H.M.
(1982)
‘The Utilization Process: A Conceptual Framework and Synthesis of
Empirical Findings’
, Administrative Science Quarterly27:
591-622
.
11.
Boden, D.
(1994) The Business of Talk: Organizations in Action.
Cambridge: Polity Press
.
12.
Bogart, L.
(1986)
‘Progress in Advertising Research?’
, Journal of Advertising Research26:
11-15
.
13.
Boggs, J.P.
(1992)
‘Implicit Models of Social Knowledge Use’
, Knowledge: Creation, Diffusion, Utilization14:
29-62
.
14.
Brinberg, D.
and
Hirschman, E.C.
(1986)
‘Multiple Orientations for the Conduct of Marketing Research: An
Analysis of the Academic/Practitioner Distinction’
, Journal of Marketing50:
161-173
.
15.
Brown, S.
(1996)
‘Art or Science? Fifty Years of Marketing Debate’
, Journal of Marketing Management12:
243-267
.
16.
Brownlie, D.
and
Saren, M.
(1997)
‘Beyond the One-Dimensional Marketing Manager: The Discourse of
Theory, Practice and Relevance’
, International Journal of Research in Marketing14:
147-161
.
17.
Burke, R.R.
,
Rangaswamy, A.
,
Wind, J.
and
Eliashberg, J.
(1990)
‘A Knowledge-based System for Advertising Design’
, Marketing Science9:
212-229
.
18.
Charnes, A.
,
Cooper, W.W.
,
Learner, D.B.
and
Philips, F.Y.
(1985)
‘Management Science and Marketing Management’
, Journal of Marketing49 (Spring):
93-105
.
19.
Churchill, G.A. Jr.
(1979)
‘A Paradigm for Developing Better Measures of Marketing Constructs’
, Journal of Marketing Research16 (February):
64-73
.
20.
Cornelissen, J.P.
(2000)
‘Toward an Understanding of the Use of Academic Theories in
Public Relations Practice’
, Public Relations Review26(3):
315-326
.
21.
Cornelissen, J.P.
(2002)
‘Academic and Practitioner Theories of Marketing’
, Marketing Theory2(1):
133-143
.
22.
Cornelissen, J.P.
and
Lock, A.R.
(2000)
‘Theoretical Concept or Management Fashion: Examining the
Significance of Integrated Marketing Communications’
, Journal of Advertising Research40 (September/October):
7-15
.
23.
Cornelissen, J.P.
and
Lock, A.R.
(2002)
‘Advertising Research and its Influence upon Managerial Practice’
, Journal of Advertising Research42 (May/June):
50-55
.
24.
Daft, R.L.
and
Wiginton, J.C.
(1979)
‘Language and Organization’
, Academy of Management Review4 (April):
179-191
.
25.
Day, G.S
and
Montgomery, D.B.
(1999)
‘Charting New Directions for Marketing’
, Journal of Marketing63 (October):
3-14
.
26.
Eccles, R.G.
and
Nohria, N.
(1992) Beyond the Hype: Rediscovering the Essence of
Management.
Cambridge, MA: Harvard Business School Press
.
27.
Ehrenberg, A.S.C.
(1995)
‘Empirical Generalizations, Theory and Method’
, Marketing Science14:
G20-G28
.
28.
Eighmey, J.
(1988)
‘The Main Effects of Science on Advertising: The Good, the Bad
and the Ugly’
, Journal of Advertising Research28:
RC3-RC6
.
29.
Frambach, R.T.
and
Schillewaert, N.
(2002)
‘Organizational Innovation Adoption: A Multi-Level Framework of
Determinants and Opportunities for Future Research’
, Journal of Business Research55(2):
163-176
.
30.
Gibbons, M.
,
Limoges, C.
,
Nowotny, H.
,
Scott, P.
and
Trow, M.
(1994) The New Production Of Knowledge: The Dynamics of
Science and Research in Contemporary Societies.
London: SAGE
.
31.
Green, P.E.
,
Krieger, A.M.
and
Wind, Y.
(2001)
‘Thirty Years of Conjoint Analysis: Reflections and Prospects’
, Interfaces31:
S56-S73
.
32.
Greyser, S.A.
(1978)
‘Academic Research Marketing Managers Can Use’
, Journal of Advertising Research18:
9-14
.
33.
Grønhaug, K.
(2002)
‘Is Marketing Knowledge Useful?’
, European Journal of Marketing36:
364-372
.
34.
Gruber, W.H.
and
Niles, J.S.
(1975)
‘The Science-Technology-Utilization Relationship in Management’
, Management Science21(8):
956-963
.
35.
Hirschman, E.C.
(1986) ‘Marketing, Intellectual Creativity, and
Consumer Research’, in
E.C. Hirschman
and
M.B. Holbrook
(eds) Advances in Consumer Research, pp.
433-435.
Ann Arbor, MI: Association for Consumer Research
.
36.
Holbrook, M.B.
(1985) ‘Why Business is Bad for Consumer
Research’, in
E.C. Hirschman
and
M.B. Holbrook
(eds) Advances in Consumer Research, pp.
145-156.
Ann Arbor, MI: Association for Consumer Research
.
37.
Holbrook, M.B.
(1986) ‘Whither ACR? Some Pastoral Reflections
on Bears, Baltimore, Baseball, and Resurrecting Consumer
Research’, in
E.C. Hirschman
and
M.B. Holbrook
(eds) Advances in Consumer Research, pp.
436-441.
Ann Arbor, MI: Association for Consumer Research
.
38.
Hubbard, R.
and
R.M. Lindsay
(2002)
‘How the Emphasis on “Original” Empirical
Marketing Research Impedes Knowledge Development’
, Marketing Theory2:
381-402
.
39.
Hunt, S.D.
(1991) Modern Marketing Theory: Critical Issues in the
Philosophy Of Marketing Science.
Cincinatti, OH: South-Western Publishing Co
.
40.
Hunt, S.D.
(2002)
‘Marketing as a Profession: On Closing Stakeholder Gaps’
, European Journal of Marketing36:
305-314
.
41.
Jacoby, J.
(1985) ‘Serving Two Masters: Perspectives on
Consulting’, in
E.C. Hirschman
and
M.B. Holbrook
(eds) Advances in Consumer Research, pp.
157-163.
Ann Arbor, MI: Association for Consumer Research
.
42.
Jones, D.G.B.
and
Monieson, D.D.
(1990)
‘Early Development of the Philosophy of Marketing Thought’
, Journal of Marketing54 (January):
102-113
.
43.
Kover, A.J.
(1976)
‘Careers and Noncommunication: The Case of Academic and Applied
Marketing Research’
, Journal of Marketing Research13:
339-344
.
44.
Landry, R.
,
Amara, N.
and
Lamari, M.
(2001)
‘Climbing the Ladder of Research Utilization’
, Science Communication22:
396-422
.
45.
Leeflang, P.S.H.
and
Wittink, D.
(2000)
‘Building Models for Marketing Decisions: Past, Present and Future’
, International Journal of Research in Marketing17:
105-126
.
46.
Lilien, G.L.
and
Rangaswamy, A.
(2001)
‘The Marketing Engineering Imperative: Introduction to the
Special Issue’
, Interfaces31:
S1-S7
.
47.
Lilien, G.L.
,
Rangaswamy, A.
,
Van Bruggen, G.H.
and
Wierenga, B.
(2002)
‘Bridging the Marketing Theory-Practice Gap With Market Engineering’
, Journal of Business Research55:
111-121
.
48.
Little, J.D.C.
(1970)
‘Models and Managers: The Concept of a Decision Calculus’
, Management Science16:
B466-B485
.
49.
Malhotra, N.K.
(1996)
‘The Impact of the Academy of Marketing Science on Marketing
Scholarship: An Analysis of Research Published in JAMS’
, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science24:
291-299
.
50.
Menon, Anil
and
Varadarajan, P. Rajan
(1992)
‘A Model of Marketing Knowledge Use Within Firms’
, Journal of Marketing56(October):
53-71
.
51.
Muncy, J.A.
and
Eastman, J.K.
(1998)
‘The Journal of Advertising: Twenty-five years and Beyond’
, Journal of Advertising27:
1-9
.
52.
Myers, J.G.
,
Greyser, S.A.
and
Massy, W.F.
(1979)
‘The Effectiveness of Marketing’s
“R&D” for Marketing Management: An Assessment’
, Journal of Marketing43 (January):
17-29
.
53.
Myers, J.G.
,
Massy, W.F.
and
Greyser, S.A.
(1980) Marketing Research and Knowledge Development: An
Assessment for Marketing Management.
Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall
.
54.
National Science Board
(1996) Science and Engineering Indicators.
Washington, DC: National Science Board
.
55.
Nowotny, H.
,
Scott, P.
and
Gibbons, M.
(2001) Re-thinking Science: Knowledge and the Public in an
Age of Uncertainty.
Cambridge: Polity Press
.
56.
Pelz, D.C.
(1978) ‘Some Expanded Perspectives on Use of
Social Science in Public Policy’, in
M. Yinger
and
S.J. Cutler
(eds) Major Social Issues: A Multidisciplinary View, pp.
346-357.
New York: Free Press
.
57.
Peter, J.P.
and
Olson, J.C.
(1983)
‘Is Science Marketing?’
, Journal of Marketing47 (Fall):
111-125
.
58.
Pondy, L.R.
,
Frost, P.J.
,
Morgan, G.
and
Dandridge, T.C.
(1983) Organizational Symbolism.
Greenwich, CT: JAI Press
.
59.
Ratchford, B.T.
(2001)
‘Editorial’
, Marketing Science20:
III-IV
.
60.
Rich, R.F.
(1997)
‘Measuring Knowledge Utilization: Processes and Outcomes’
, Knowledge and Policy: The International Journal of Knowledge
Transfer and Utilization10:
11-24
.
61.
Rossiter, J.
(2001)
‘What is Marketing Knowledge?’
, Marketing Theory1:
9-26
.
62.
Rossiter, J.
(2002)
‘The Five Forms of Transmissable, Usable Marketing Knowledge’
, Marketing Theory2:
369-380
.
63.
Starkey, K.
and
Madan, P.
(2001)
‘Bridging the Relevance Gap: Aligning Stakeholders in the Future
of Management Research’
, British Journal of Management12:
S3-S26
.
64.
Steckel, J.H.
and
Brody, E.
(2001)
‘2001: A Marketing Odyssey’
, Marketing Science20:
331-336
.
65.
Varadarajan, P.R.
(2003)
‘Musings on Relevance and Rigor of Scholarly Research in Marketing’
, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science31:
368
.
66.
Wagner, R.K.
and
Sternberg, R.J.
(1985)
‘Practical Intelligence in Real-world Pursuits: The Role of Tacit Knowledge’
, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology49:
436-458
.
67.
Weiss, C.H.
(1977) ‘Introduction’, in
C.H. Weiss
(ed.) Using Social Research in Public Policy-Making, pp.
1-20.
Lexington, MA: Lexington Books
.
68.
Weiss, C.H.
and
Bucuvalas, M.J.
(1980) Social Science Research and Decision Making.
New York: Columbia University Press
.
69.
Wensley, R.
(2002)
‘A Bridge Over Troubled Water?’
, European Journal of Marketing36:
391-402
.
70.
Whyte, W.F.
(1986)
‘On the Uses of Social Science Research’
, American Sociological Review51:
555-563
.
71.
Wierenga, B.
(2002)
‘On Academic Marketing Knowledge and Marketing Knowledge that
Marketing Managers Use for Decision-Making’
, Marketing Theory2:
355-362
.
72.
Yale, L.
and
Gilly, M.C.
(1998)
‘Trends in Advertising Research: A Look at the Content of
Marketing-Oriented Journals From 1976 to 1985’
, Journal of Advertising17:
12-22
.
73.
Zaltman, G.
(1997)
‘Rethinking Market Research: Putting People Back in’
, Journal of Marketing Research34:
424-437
.
74.
Zaltman, G.
,
Duncan, R.
and
Holbek, J.
(1973) Innovations and Organizations.
New York: Wiley
.
75.
Zinkhan, G.M.
(1994)
‘On Positioning the Journal of Advertising’
, Journal of Advertising23:
3-7
.
76.
Zinkhan, G.M.
and
Leigh, T.W.
(1999)
‘Assessing the Quality Ranking of the “Journal of
Advertising” 1986-1997’
, Journal of Advertising28:
51-70
.
