Marketing theory and critical phenomenology: exploring the human side of management practice

<p>PurposeThis paper uses phenomenology as a critical theoretical lens through which to view marketing managementtheory. The aim is to demonstrate that it can uncover the extent to which established theory neglects the humanside of marketing.Design/methodology/approachTo facilitate a phenomenological discussion, the critical framework of Mingers (2000) is utilised. Thisidentifies a critique of rhetoric, of tradition, of authority and of objectivity. Secondary sources are then used tohighlight the central role played by individual meaning in marketing practice, as opposed to the systemic basedframework of the dominant theory.FindingsFindings suggest that traditional theory is based on questionable assumptions regarding the nature of theindividual and their managerial practice. Marketing theory is not a transferable objective technology, but isconstituted by the vagaries of the human agent. It is also posited that the subject boundaries of marketing are setby established authorities that are prone to discourage alternative perspectives.Research limitations/implicationsThis is a position paper and additional empirical research could be undertaken in order to help further discussthe claims made.Practical implicationsThis paper suggests that marketing management has the potential to be understood in ways that go beyondthe representation of it in established theory. Alternative conceptions of marketing hold the potential ofinforming future theory and practice developments.Originality/valueInsights into marketing practice, acquired through the use of an innovative and critically informedphenomenological framework, have led to the questioning of a dominant theory that routinely ignores thehuman side of marketing activity.</p>