Contemporary thinking on marketing theory is turning away from abstract structures and formalised frameworks to embrace new ways of thinking that seek to align marketing theory and practice with the real perceived needs of the market. As Grönroos (2002:140) has observed: ...what we are experiencing today with the growing awareness of the relationship marketing approach is a return to the natural systemsoriented way of managing customer relationships that existed before marketing became a far too clinical decision making discipline, and an over-organized and isolated function … What marketing deserves is new approaches, new paradigms, which are more market oriented and where the customer indeed is the focal point as suggested by the marketing concept. Several authors have thought along similar lines. In the 1990s customer relationship management (CRM) became an extension of relationship marketing directed to implement relational thinking in business systems, and in the 2000s service-dominant (S-D) logic took the lead in service thinking. The contention of the present study is that these approaches, and marketing theory in general, can be augmented by the fundamental principles of the ‘Viable Systems Approach’ (VSA) (Golinelli, 2000, 2005, 2009; Barile, 2000; 2008). The (VSA), which has been developed and widely diffused within the Italian cultural community in the past decade, is a multidisciplinary approach that is linked with network analysis and general systems theory. Despite its solid theoretical foundations, the (VSA) is not strictly a theory; rather, it represents a methodological approach that is useful for the comprehension of complex phenomena involving individuals, communities, business, and society in general. The aim of this contribution is to assist researchers, scholars and practitioners to gain a better understanding of the characteristics and potential of (VSA) for application in modern marketing theory. The paper is structured as follows. The next section describes recent trends in marketing theory, with a particular focus on relationship marketing and service research. The third section proceeds to describe the roots and principles of the (VSA). The fourth section applies the principles of (VSA) to contemporary marketing theory. The final section present the major findings and implications of the study.
The Viable Systems Approach and its potential contribution to marketing theory
POLESE, Francesco
2011-01-01
Abstract
Contemporary thinking on marketing theory is turning away from abstract structures and formalised frameworks to embrace new ways of thinking that seek to align marketing theory and practice with the real perceived needs of the market. As Grönroos (2002:140) has observed: ...what we are experiencing today with the growing awareness of the relationship marketing approach is a return to the natural systemsoriented way of managing customer relationships that existed before marketing became a far too clinical decision making discipline, and an over-organized and isolated function … What marketing deserves is new approaches, new paradigms, which are more market oriented and where the customer indeed is the focal point as suggested by the marketing concept. Several authors have thought along similar lines. In the 1990s customer relationship management (CRM) became an extension of relationship marketing directed to implement relational thinking in business systems, and in the 2000s service-dominant (S-D) logic took the lead in service thinking. The contention of the present study is that these approaches, and marketing theory in general, can be augmented by the fundamental principles of the ‘Viable Systems Approach’ (VSA) (Golinelli, 2000, 2005, 2009; Barile, 2000; 2008). The (VSA), which has been developed and widely diffused within the Italian cultural community in the past decade, is a multidisciplinary approach that is linked with network analysis and general systems theory. Despite its solid theoretical foundations, the (VSA) is not strictly a theory; rather, it represents a methodological approach that is useful for the comprehension of complex phenomena involving individuals, communities, business, and society in general. The aim of this contribution is to assist researchers, scholars and practitioners to gain a better understanding of the characteristics and potential of (VSA) for application in modern marketing theory. The paper is structured as follows. The next section describes recent trends in marketing theory, with a particular focus on relationship marketing and service research. The third section proceeds to describe the roots and principles of the (VSA). The fourth section applies the principles of (VSA) to contemporary marketing theory. The final section present the major findings and implications of the study.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
