Purpose – The authors propose to reply to the comment by Mario Rese on the article “The explanatory foundations of relationship marketing theory.” Design/methodology/approach – This paper provides a critical analysis. Findings – The comment of Rese has misspecified the major problems...

Determining the strategic thrust of the firm, it may be argued, is the principal task of top management. This task is aided by recent theories of business and marketing strategy, including the normative imperatives based on industry factors, resource factors, competences, market orientation, and...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to argue for including historical perspectives in doctoral seminars in marketing theory. Design/methodology/approach – The paper describes how marketing history is currently incorporated into the author's doctoral seminar in marketing theory. Findings...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a personal retrospective on six of the key events/experiences that influenced the development of the structure, foundational premises, and models of the resource‐advantage theory of competition. Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses...

Purpose – Societies highly value economic growth because economic growth results in increase in societal standards of living. This paper addresses the issue of why economies grow and what public policy makers should favor in order to increase economic growth. Design/methodology/approach –...

Rethinking marketing should start with answers to three questions: Why has our discipline made so few original contributions to the strategy dialogue? Why have we focused on dysfunctional, rather than functional, relationships, i.e. on unsuccessful marketing practice rather than successful...

Resource‐advantage theory is an interdisciplinary, evolutionary, process theory of competition that is proving to be extraordinarily provocative. A General Theory of Competition: Resources, Competences, Productivity, Economic Growth pulls together many of the articles that develop the theory....

Historically, “closing the gap” or “bridging the divide” between marketing academe and marketing practice has been one of the most hotly debated issues in marketing. This article, based on the professional discipline view of marketing, maintains that the “gap” debate would be more...

Despite the vast proliferation of conceptual, theoretical, and empirical studies in adaptation‐selection research, debate continues to surround a key question: how do firms strategically coevolve with their environments? This paper attempts to address part of this question by drawing on...

One of the true classics in Marketing is now thoroughly revised and updated. ""Marketing Theory"" is both evolutionary and revolutionary. As in earlier editions, Shelby Hunt focuses on the marketing discipline's multiple stakeholders. He articulates a philosophy of science-based 'tool kit' for...