Marketing

Scientific

Progress, and

Scientific

Method

Introduction

About the Article

Purpose: An attempt to provide an overview on the question of scientific method and scientific progress and bring possible links to Marketing as a discipline.

Method:literature review.

Focus:The philosophy of Science with few examples on Marketing.

Proposed Title:

“The Development of the Philosophy of Science

and the Status of Marketing as a Field of Inquiry”

What is Scientific?

Scientific Fact Vs.

Real Truth

Epistemology

Positivism

Philosophy of

Science

Black & White

Is it Black? Is it White?

Fact Vs. Truth Example One

Fact Vs. Truth Example Two

Background

Scientific Fact:

An observation that has been confirmed repeatedly and

is accepted as true (although its truth is never final)

Truth:The quality or state of being true.

Background

Epistemology:

It is the study of knowing. It deals with the nature of

knowledge, how do we know things, what do we know,

why we know, is what we know true, and what are the

limits of knowledge.

Euler diagram representing a

definition of knowledge.

Background

Positivism:It is the philosophy of science that information derived

from logical and mathematical treatments and reports of

sensory experience is the exclusive source of all

authoritative knowledge and that there is valid

knowledge (truth) only in this derived knowledge.

Auguste Comte

Background

Empiricism:

It is a theory which states that knowledge comes only or

primarily from sensory experience.

John Locke, a leading philosopher

of British empiricism

Background

Demarcation Problem:The demarcation problem in the philosophy of science is

about how to distinguish between science and non-

science, i.e. belief, metaphysics, paraphysics or

magic…etc.

Evolution of Positivism to Logical

Empiricism

• Carnap 1936

• Positivism is not adequate to explain

claims

• Dodo birds

Adoption of Logical Empiricism in

Marketing

• Shelby D. Hunt - 1983

• Marketing Theory

• One of two pillars on Positivism

Logical Empiricism and PIMS

• Profit Impact of Marketing Strategies

• Relationship market share and ROI

• Observation of 57 corporations representing 620

individual businesses.

• Generalized and converted to strategy

Difficulties with Logical

Empiricism

• Not enough empirical evidence

• Circular connection of inductive argument

• Measurement Error

• Subject to interpretation

• Theory laden

Falsification Impacts on

Philosophers and Scientists

• Can justify theory previously hard to justify

• Can verify theory through conjectures and

refutations

Problems in Falsificationicism

• Cannot refuse theory based on empirical data

Why ? Flaw can be caused by intervention

or anomaly

• Major theories advance in spite refutations of

empirical data

Problems in Falsificationicism

PERCEPTUAL

EXPERIENCES

IMAGE OF REAL

WORLD STRUCTURE

A PRIORI MODEL OF THEORY

HYPOTHESIS

EMPIRICAL TESTS

TENTATIVELY ACCEPT THEORY

LOGICAL EMPIRICAL MODEL OF

SCIENTIFIC METHOD

THE FALSIFICATIONIST MODEL OF

SCIENTIFIC METHOD

EXISTING THEORY

PERCEPTUAL

EXPERIENCE

CONSISTENT?

NEW THEORY

HYPOTHESES

EMPIRICAL TESTS

TENTATIVELY ACCEPT NEW

THEORY

ACCEPT THEORY

YES

NO

REJECT NEW THEORY

FALSIFIED

NOT CONFIRMEDNEGATIVE FEEDBACK

THOMAS KUHN

• New approach in the philosophy of science

• Concept of a Paradigm

• Values of criteria for theory appraisal

• “The Structure of Scientific Revolutions”

• Defined a scientific paradigm as: "universally recognized

scientific achievements that, for a time, provide model

problems and solutions for a community.

Kuhn’s Model

Failures

• Lakatos, Laudan,

Fayerabend, Shapere

• Historical Inaccuracy

• Lack of rational choice from the

scientific process

• Act of “faith”

Larry Laudan

• Objective of science is to solve problems, i.e. “to provide

acceptable answers to interesting questions”

• Non-Refuting Anomaly

• Conceptual Problems: Logical inconsistencies with the

theory itself

Epistemological Anarchy

• There are no universal standards

of scientific practice.

• Scientists may allow standards to

guide the research or they may

allow the research to suspend

standards.Paul Karl Feyerabend

(1924–1994), originator of

epistemological anarchism.

The Cognitive Sociology of Science

• The production of scientific knowledge must be viewed

as a sociological process.

• Bloor and Barnes claim that scientific beliefs are as

much a function of cultural, political, social, and

ideological factors as are any beliefs held by members

of a society.

Implications on

Marketing as a Science

• There is no consensus on the nature or the very existence of a unique scientific method.

• Research areas will tend to evolve as changes take place in methods, concepts, values, beliefs and theories.

• Positivism has been abandoned despite its prevalence in marketing.

Science1 vs. Science2

• Science1 is based on the objective knowledge. Here,

science seeks to discover the “truth” via the objective

methods of observation, test, and experiment.

• Science2 emphasizes the importance of societal

consensus… Science is what society chooses to call

science.

Natural Science Astrology

What about Marketing?

World War IBeginning of Modern

Conception of

Marketing

Before AfterTraditional

Conception of

Marketing

Now ???

What is marketing now?

• Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large.

(American marketing association, 2013)

• Profit Maximization

• Relationship Marketing

• Business Marketing

• Branding approach

• Societal marketing

• Online Marketing / e-Marketing.

Is Marketing science?

Let’s do an experiment… remember “secret”?!!

Experiment One

• Who wants to know what is “secret”?

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

5

Yes No

Hypothesis…1

• Suspension as marketing tool has positive effect

on the publicity of the product

Yes / No

• “Secret” is a product... It is a LAPTOP!

“SECRET”

Experiment Two

• Which one do you want to buy?

MIRROR NOTEBOOK

500 GB HDD4GB RAM1200 RMB

SECRET NOTEBOOK

500 GB HDD4GB RAM1200 RMB

Experiment Two

• Which one do you want to buy?

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

5

Secret Mirro

Hypothesis…2

• Suspension as marketing tool has positive effect

on the saleability of the product

Yes / No

Story Time

• Science

• Positivism

– Logical Empiricism

– Falsificationicism

• Paradigm

• Research Traditions

• Epistemological Anarchy

• Cognitive Sociology of Science

• Science 2

M

A

R

K

E

T

I

N

G

Is there a Conclusion?