Knowledge transfer through marketing textbooks: the Howard and Sheth buyer behaviour typology as a case in point

The principal argument of this chapter is that a managerial discipline such as marketing should not generate knowledge merely to satisfy intellectual scholarly appetites. Ultimately, knowledge should be usable and applicable in particular contextual circumstances. Application of knowledge presupposes that it is transferred to ultimate users in an appropriate fashion, through appropriate vehicles. Critically appraising this overall communication process of knowledge, as well as particular aspects of that process, is therefore not a luxury afforded to academic intellectuals. One such major aspect of critical appraisal concerns the very building blocks of the marketing discipline. By this are meant fundamental concepts and typologies which are perceived as vital inputs for professional practice and more advanced study, and which for that reason are conveyed to almost any student or practitioner of the discipline. Two easy and evident examples are, of course, the marketing concept and the marketing mix classification. Apart from summarizing and representing the elementary, formalized knowledge of the discipline, building blocks play a more complex role: 1 They serve as components, stepping stones, or frameworks for new conceptual and other developments. 2 They provide a frame of reference for conveying results from applied and scientific empirical research to receivers and potential users. If the discipline’s building blocks are to serve as reliable expedients of advanced scientific and applied knowledge, a first and minimal requirement is that they themselves are correctly conveyed to end-users.