Introduction

This dissertation documents an attempt to rethink one of the most exciting socio-economic phenomena of the emerging 21

st

century: the concept and reality of

marketing

. As marketing is a world of its own, which it takes at least a decade of reading and practice to travel across, it is important to mention what this thesis is not going to deliver. This study does not intend to rewrite any of the innumerable theories

in

marketing, nor is it a fast practical guide on how to sell more at lower costs. It is not a basis for another marketing hype, nor a suitable asset when opening a consulting agency. And, it is not another attempt to revitalize a longforgotten 30-year-old business idea in the new costume of marketing.