Toward the general theory of marketing: The state of the art and one more approach

Abstract

In this paper the author has reviewed in brief advances and obstacles met on the way of the marketing thought to construct the general theory of marketing. The attention, in considerable part, is focused on understanding general theory of marketing in Russia. Based on analysis of the most important works, made by Western scholars in the field of marketing, the conclusions highlighting a huge work as well as its incompleteness is made. The original classification schemes designed by well-known Western marketing scholars are estimated as the approaches to the general theory of marketing only. The hypotheses concerning a need to use a deductive approach supported by positive instruments of Marxist political economy was formulated. The author has made the conclusion the kit of tools for designing the general theory of marketing is to be added by an analytical knowledge extracted from exact sciences. Finally, a holistic model of emphatically-communicative approach to building general theory of marketing, applicable, to the author's opinion, to putting in order partial marketing theories (sub-theories) and arranging well-focused theoretical studies in this field of marketing science.