The Sources of Marketing Theory

In the preceding chapter we were concerned primarily with defining the nature and function of theory in order to justify our view that a theoretical foundation is essential to the development of any body of knowledge. Further, we endeavoured to show that improvement in practice is dependent upon the development of such a body of knowledge which, in turn, would seem to proceed most effectively when based upon a scientific approach. In this chapter we turn our attention to an examination of the progress made towards the evolution of theory in marketing.