Spencer Heath Archive

Item 2964

Thermofax copy from an article by Robert Bartels, Ohio State University, “Development of Marketing Thought and Science,” in Kelley, Eugene J. and William Lazer, Managerial Marketing: Perspectives and Viewpoints. Homewood, Ill: Richard D. Irwin, Inc., 1958. Sent to Heath by Spencer MacCallum. Emphases are by Heath. Bartels has several Internet listings, would have been a good contact for Heath.

No date but later than 1958

 

 

 

 

The Ethical Dimension

Man’s discoveries and achievements are the effects of causes, of which men are largely unaware. Their efforts to understand the principle of the universe are captured in their various sciences and systems of thought, of which marketing thought is one. The ethical dimension of marketing thought is indicated by the extent to which developments in marketing coincide with the spiritual forces unfolding in the world. Contradictory evidence notwithstanding, the world has in recent centuries, and especially during the past half century, experienced unprecedented ethical fermentation of thought and improvement of behavior.

 

  The development of marketing thought has coincided with this trend. In 1900, when the study of marketing was begun, business was typically characterized /Here Heath substituted the word, “adulterated.”/ by deception, extortion, selfishness, and guile. Today, in the name of marketing, many of these qualities have in a degree been removed from most representative business practice in the United States. Never before has business been so motivated by consideration of the needs and desires of the market; never before have competitive practices been more constructive, fair, and honest. The tenet of marketing thought that “good marketing best serves the market” is a practical interpretation in layman language of a spiritual principle. They who have contributed to the development of marketing thought have been receptive to the trends of these items.

 

  Marketing thought has not generally included ethical concepts, even as in the past it has been short in its temporal, spatial, and interdisciplinary dimensions. Yet, the ethical dimension of marketing thought should now be recognized, for this recognition will open areas of thought heretofore unexplored and rich in promise for the development of marketing.