Emerald | Journal of Historical Research in Marketing | Table of Contents

Remembering “Aunt Emma”: small retailing between nostalgia and a conflicted past

literatinetwork@emeraldinsight.com (Jan Logemann) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Abstract

Purpose – This paper calls for a reconsideration of standard narratives regarding the role of small, independent retailers for twentieth-century urban communities. The paper aims to discuss the issues. Design/methodology/approach – Taking the German city of Bremen as an example, the paper problematizes the nostalgic treatment of independent “Aunt Emma” (or “mom-and-pop”) stores in Germany during the last quarter of the century, by recounting the often conflict-laden history of small retailers within the urban community. It draws on primary documents from retail associations, the chamber of commerce, municipal administrations, as well as media coverage. Findings – The romanticization of the corner grocer overlooked the often divisive role of small store-keepers in the interwar years as well as the social considerations behind some forms of retail modernization. Originality/value – Beyond the particular examples of Bremen or even Germany, the paper urges historians of modern retailing to critically analyze the everyday role shops and shopkeepers have played within their communities without at the same time embracing a market-liberal narrative of retail modernization as a function of consumer demand.

From price theory to marketing management: Danish contributions 1930-1960

literatinetwork@emeraldinsight.com (Erik Kloppenborg Madsen, Kurt Pedersen) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to show how a particular marketing paradigm developed in Denmark from the 1920s through to the 1960s. It peaked in the mid-1950s and faded out with one major publication in the early 1970s. This article aims to provide a relatively detailed study of the initial phases of the school and its key ideas. Design/methodology/approach – The study is based on primary sources, i.e. the writings of the scholars who shaped and developed the school. A significant number of the sources are available in Danish only. Findings – While the study of marketing in America developed from the inductive, descriptive approach of the German Historical School, an essential precondition for the Copenhagen approach was the second wave of microeconomic theory of the 1930s. The article argues that it was a marketing management school, and that it offered early contributions to the development of marketing theory. Originality/value – Relatively little has been written about Danish and Scandinavian history of marketing thought. The authors believe that a detailed review of the Copenhagen School of Marketing may be of some interest to marketing historians around the world.

Promoting the consumer society: Ernest Dichter, the Cold War and FBI

literatinetwork@emeraldinsight.com (Mark Tadajewski) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Abstract

Purpose – In the annals of marketing history and the history of marketing thought, there is a key figure whose influence from the mid-twentieth century through to the present day is worthy of note, Dr Ernest Dichter. The purpose of this paper is to place Dichter's writings in appropriate context and posit that arguably more insight into this charismatic figure can be discerned by taking greater account of the Cold War (1946-1991) climate in which he was working and writing. Design/methodology/approach – This paper is best thought of as an example of biographically inflected research. The paper focuses on the “socially progressive” aspect of his writings in order to display Dichter's support for the American economic system in the Cold War climate of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. The author highlights how Dichter came to the attention of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the mid-1950s. What this paper underscores above and beyond all those that have explored aspects of Dichter's life is that his character was interpreted by respondents to FBI questioning in ways that reflected geopolitical circumstance. Findings – Some of those interviewed by the Bureau praised him highly, whilst others labelled him a Communist, and accused his organisation of employing people with similar leanings. While Dichter may have had some limited associations with socialist doctrines in his early youth, such accusations were misplaced. But, overall, what this paper highlights is a highly malleable practitioner whose practices and writings both contributed to the society in which they were disseminated, but also shifted with the circumstances in which they circulated. Originality/value – This paper adds an important dimension to the biography of Ernest Dichter which has not previously been explored.

The birth of consumer behavior: motivation research in the 1940s and 1950s

literatinetwork@emeraldinsight.com (Ronald A. Fullerton) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to show how 1940s and 1950s motivation research laid the foundations of present day consumer behavior as a discipline. Design/methodology/approach – This research uses standard historical methodology – heavy reliance upon primary sources, avoidance of anachronism, heavy use of contemporary quotations, and effort to explain and interpret. Findings – Using sociology, anthropology, and clinical psychology to explain how and why consumers buy, motivation research provided business with valuable information, and, in the long run, began today's consumer behavior field of study. Originality/value – This paper offers a different view of motivation research, stressing its use of sociology and anthropology. It offers a corrective to the prevailing over-emphasis on Ernest Dichter.

Michael J. Baker: reflections on a career in marketing

literatinetwork@emeraldinsight.com (Michael John Baker) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to summarize highlights of a career as a marketing practitioner/academic extending for a period of more than 50 years. Design/methodology/approach – The paper takes an autobiographical approach. Findings – In common with other professional disciplines, the practice of marketing calls for the understanding of an extensive body of knowledge derived from prior research and experience and the ability to apply this to current and future issues and problems. The role of an academic is to codify this knowledge, communicate it through teaching and publication, and to add to it through their own original scholarship and research. While a degree of specialisation is to be encouraged, the contribution of individual academics should be based on an evaluation of their overall impact on practice based on all three activities – research, teaching, and “administration/leadership”. Originality/value – While based on a sample of one, the account illustrates that professional reputation calls for recognition by multiple constituencies using different criteria to assess one's contribution. It is hoped this will encourage younger academics (and those who sit in judgement on them) to look beyond publication in “leading journals” as the sole criterion for success.

William Lazer: reflections on my career

literatinetwork@emeraldinsight.com (William Lazer) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Abstract

Purpose – This paper seeks to record the author's personal reflections on his career as a marketing scholar. Design/methodology/approach – Personal reflections are provided in an autobiographical approach. Findings – The author's career as a student, teacher, and scholar are described in some detail. Originality/value – This paper records events and memories that might otherwise be forgotten. No other such account has been published of William Lazer's career.

Stanley Shapiro: looking backward, a personal retrospective

literatinetwork@emeraldinsight.com (Stanley J. Shapiro) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Abstract

Purpose – This paper was written to put “on record” what, in retrospect, appear to the author to be the most significant aspects of his academic career, one that spans more than half a century. Design/methodology/approach – The author begins by discussing his Wharton School experience (1957-1964) and then traces how his activities and experiences at that time laid the groundwork for a number of career long themes (academic administration, pedagogy, and quasi-governmental consulting) and academic interests (macromarketing, marketing history). Findings – The author's Wharton School experiences and, more specifically, his contacts with Wroe Alderson and David D. Monieson did indeed shape his subsequent career. Originality/value – This paper calls attention to certain events and research efforts that might otherwise be forgotten. It also serves as an example of one approach others might follow in preparing their own career retrospectives.

Editorial

literatinetwork@emeraldinsight.com (D.G. Brian Jones, Mark Tadajewski) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0100

Special issue on Italian marketing history

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 00:00:00 +0100