In this Issue

Marketing the hegemony of development: of pulp fictions and green deserts

“…What we have tried to show in this paper is that this ontology is embattled. In our view, critical marketing theory needs to make visible these struggles and challenge the widespread and dominant assumption that marketing is just a philosophy of business, an organizational function or a set of managerial tools (Webster, 1992) essential to the economic development of corporations and even countries (Dholakia and Sherry, 1987;Hosley and Wee, 1988;Shultz et al, 2005;Wood and Vittel, 1986). Our case has shown that at the heart of marketing there are ruptures, resistances and ideological battles about what constitutes 'development' itself.…”

“…The pro-marketing stream states that there is a positive relationship between marketing and international stability as a result of conflict reduction caused by trading nations' prosperity (Alderson, 1965;Layton and Grossbart, 2006); marketing can be used to stimulate the development of the Third World, as developing countries are often referred to, through actions such as organizing information networks, making distribution channels more efficient, and promoting social development as well as social values like consumerism, innovativeness and an entrepreneurial outlook (Hosley and Wee, 1988); marketing can aid poor countries' planners in negotiations at the international level (Dholakia and Sherry, 1987); marketing is a catalyst to development in less developed countries because it provides utility to consumers through saving time and money in the buying process (Wood and Vittel, 1986); consumer culture stimulated by marketing strengthens trade and makes war less probable (Droge et al, 1993); marketing systems build bases for peace through community cohesion, global inclusion, sustainable development and quality of life improvement (Shultz et al, 2005).…”