Shelby D. Hunt

The commitment-trust theory of relationship marketing

Relationship marketing—establishing, developing, and maintaining successful relational exchanges—constitutes a major shift in marketing theory and practice. After conceptualizing relationship marke...

A General Theory of Marketing Ethics

Almost all the theoretical efforts in the area of marketing ethics have been normative, not positive. Th1at is, almost all theoretical works have focused on developing guidelines or rules to assist marketers in their efforts to behave in an ethical fashion. In contrast, the model developed in this article is descriptive, not prescriptive. It attempts to explain the decision-making process for problem situations having ethical con-tent. The article begins with a discussion and evaluation of the two major normative ethical theories in moral philosophy. deontological theories and teleological theories. Although these theories are normative, to the extent that people actually follow their prescriptions, any positive theory of marketing ethics must incorporate them. The article then develops a positive theory of marketing ethics and uses that theory to help explain some of the empirical research that has been conducted in the area of marketing ethics

The Identity Salience Model of Relationship Marketing Success: The Case of Nonprofit Marketing

Researchers suggest that developing long-term relationships with key stakeholders is an important strategy in todays intensely competitive business environment. Many organizations have embraced this concept, which is referred to as relationship marketing. Much of the research on relationship marketing success has examined relationships that (1) are primarily economic in nature, (2) involve business-to-business marketing, and (3) involve for-profit firms. However, the authors argue that relationship marketing is a viable strategy in such contexts as those involving high levels of social exchange, business-to-consumer marketing, and nonprofit marketing. In these contexts, relationship marketing success may require different relationship characteristics from those identified in previous research. The authors develop “the identity salience model of relationship marketing success,” which they posit is useful for explaining relationship marketing success in exchange relationships that (1) involve individuals and (2) are based primarily on social exchange. The authors further develop and test the model in the context of nonprofit higher education marketing. The results provide support for the model.

Alliance Competence, Resources, and Alliance Success: Conceptualization, Measurement, and Initial Test

This research examines the effect of an alliance competence on resource-based alliance success. The fundamental thesis guiding this research is that an alliance competence contributes to alliance success, both directly and through the acquisition and creation of resources. Using survey data gathered from 145 alliances, empirical tests of the hypotheses provide support for the posited explanation of alliance success. The findings indicate that an alliance competence is not only antecedent to the resources that are necessary for alliance success but also to alliance success itself.

Modern marketing theory : critical issues in the philosophy of marketing science

Part One: Philosophy of Marketing Science. Introduction. The morphology of explanation. Explanation - issues and aspects. The morphology of scientific laws. Scientific laws - issues and aspects. Part Two: Philosophy of science - historical perspectives and current status. Natural philosophy and the rise of science from Plato to Hegel. The development of the discipline of philosophy of science - from classical realism to logical empiricism. The rise and fall of historical relativism in philosophy of science.

The Pretest in Survey Research: Issues and Preliminary Findings

Despite their widely recognized importance in survey research, pretests have received little methodological attention. The authors summarize the current state of the art and report results from an ...

The General Theory of Marketing Ethics: A Revision and Three Questions:

The general theory of marketing ethics, first published in the Journal of Macromarketing by Hunt and Vitell (1986), has been the focus of much discussion and empirical testing. As a result, the theory was revised in 1993. This article overviews the 1993 revision of the model and addresses three questions that are often asked by those who use the model in the classroom and/or in research: (1) What is the justification for using normative ethical theory as a starting point for positing a positive ethical theory? (2) Is the Hunt Vitell (H-V) model a causal model, that is, is each concept in the model a construct to be measured? (3) How, specifically, can the H-V theory be used to teach marketing and business ethics?

Marketing and Machiavellianism

Critics often attack marketing as being manipulative and unethical, or “Machiavellian” in nature. Are these critics correct? Is marketing Machiavellian? This article presents the results of a resea...

Relationship-Based Competitive Advantage: The Role of Relationship Marketing in Marketing Strategy

Abstract Relationship marketing research to date has focused for the most part on two sets of issues. First, what are the benefits of relationship marketing adoption? Second, how are marketing relationships built and maintained? Although these are important questions for researchers to address, we believe an understanding of the strategic impact of relationship marketing is equally important. We hold that relationship marketing should only be adopted when it offers, or contributes to, a firms competitive advantage—a competitive advantage that, it is hoped, proves sustainable. As a first step toward better understanding the strategic role of relationship marketing, adopting a resource-based approach, we first clarify the role that resources gained through relationships may play in marketing relationships. Then we isolate and discuss the various kinds of resources that might be gained through relationships. Finally, we develop five propositions for assessing the strategic worth of these resources in marketing relationships.

Organizational Commitment: One of Many Commitments or Key Mediating Construct?

This study developed and tested two rival views of how organizational commitment can be reconceptualized to accommodate both global organizational commitment and constituency-specific commitments. ...