Future Directions in Marketing Theory

RECENT controversial developments in marketing theory call for a reevaluation of goals and directions in the theoretical development of the discipline. In two widely read articles, one by Kotler and the other by Kotler and Levy, the authors clearly state the intention of extending marketing thought to processes and institutions previously considered to lie outside its traditional boundaries.1 This paper is designed to explore the probable causes for the Kotler-Levy position, to evaluate that position as an alternative to the more traditional one (quite well stated by Luck),2 and to suggest that there are at least two other appropriate directions in which marketing may