Introduction
The study of marketing systems have had mixed reactions as to its link to macro marketing, even though most scholars agree that they are linked. Several articles have suggested that marketing systems be placed under the discipline of macro marketing, this has not gone well with some scholars who feel it should remain supportive but independent of macro marketing.
Some scholars have gone to an extent of reviewing the definition of marketing system so as to relate it closely with macro marketing. This comparative paper will try to review, critique, summarize as well as, make a substantial comparison between two per reviewed articles on marketing systems (Lusch 227-240).
Literature Review
In order to understand the link between marketing systems and macro marketing, one needs to comprehend the meanings and reviews on both marketing systems and macro marketing, independently. This way, one can critically assess their interrelation and come up with proper views and understanding on their linkage. In the preceding headings, we shall try to go through the literature review of the two concepts.
Marketing Systems
Businesses aim to sell their goods and services as well as improve on their quality to invite more customers. This cannot be achieved without a proper marketing system. Marketing systems are aimed at increasing the sales, researching for new market regions, and creating new products as well as market ventures, among others. Marketing systems started long ago even before welfare came into play.
The most significant marketing characteristic in the past was barter trade. In this respect, macro marketing is quite important as it provides the platform for marketing systems, having considered all the options availed. Marketing systems today are sophisticated and modernized with emerging technologies; this has globalized it, placing it as one of the best marketing tools (Lusch 227-240).
Macro marketing
Macro marketing is a very important tool in addressing issues relating to marketing and the society. Macro marketing research is usually carried out by stakeholders and marketers on markets and systems that affect marketing. It tries to convey both the shortcomings and opportunities presented by marketing. Its aim is to enhance marketing systems and processes so that more productivity would be realized.
To achieve this objective, extensive research is usually carried out on the various segments of the market and systems. Macro marketing is believed to be as old as the society itself, given that these practices started during the barter trade era and specialization (Layton 240-245).
Welfares were created and these formed societies whose main responsibilities were to enhance marketing strategies and group development. These systems transformed into a series of marketing institutions that the modern world has embraced and continued to promote as well as support in Macro marketing.
The present times have seen macro marketing morph at a higher rate as it draws uncountable number of diverse and new followers. According to editors of journal of micromarketing, macro marketing has entrenched several sub discipline, including marketing systems, as suggested by Layton. It now holds various meetings throughout the world which are aimed at understanding the marketing world.
Purpose
This paper is aimed at making a comparative analysis of the two articles, by reviewing, summarizing and making a critique of the same.
Approach
To achieve its purpose, the paper aims to review critique and summarize each of the articles provided on marketing systems and macro marketing. In addition, the paper will try to compare the two articles, giving their similarities and differences as pertains the understanding of marketing systems and macro marketing. Finally the paper will endeavor to research implications and conclusion on the two articles.
Analysis
One article has been chosen for review and analysis, the other one researched from per review sources. These two articles are to be summarized, reviewed and analyzed critically. They are also top be compared, giving their similarities and differences (Layton 240-245).
Article 1: Marketing Systems—A Core Macro marketing Concept
This article was written by Layton, and tries to link marketing systems to macro marketing. He believes that marketing systems make the core concept of macro marketing. The following subheadings shall follow through its review, critique as well as the summary.
Review
According to Layton, the author of the first article on marketing systems, marketing system as a concept relies heavily on macro marketing. In his fully reviewed article, he tries to explain the link between marketing systems and macro marketing. It provides the main area of study in which marketing systems are entrenched in macro marketing.
The article continues by providing various documentaries, examples and literature to arrive at a new definition for marketing systems, which he relates to macro economics more easily. The article goes further to give four ways in which the study of marketing systems can be made, giving details and examples of such examples. The article is full of citations from other authors whom he feels are of ideas that support his proposals.
Throughout the articles, several examples are given, for instance, the examples for different social settings such as Ghana, Australia in which he vividly describes the trade routes across the aboriginal (Layton 240-245).
The article is endowed with facts from other rich sources such as Dowling, Dixon and the rest.
The article gives a number of market places as examples that support market systems; these include, The Makola, in Accra, Ghana, the Dutch Village of Aalsmeer which has a Flower Market, marked as a significant hub that links global trade, The Salaula, which ventures in second hand cloths, and Ito-Yokada a 7-Eleven store based in Tokyo, Japan, among others.
All these have been used by the author to drive his point in marketing systems. At this point, he comes up with a new definition for marketing systems, describing it as a network of individuals, or groups, or/and entities that are directly or indirectly linked to each other through shared or sequential participation in exchanges of economic purposes.
He goes further to state that these exchanges transform, create, assembles and provide availability of product assortments which are given according to the customer demand. These products can be tangible or intangible.
The article provides a varied range of information on the flow of marketing systems as well as research on these systems. This clearly indicates the author’s ability to provide an in-depth focus on marketing systems as he tries to relate it to macro marketing. The author then tries to answer to his questions at the beginning of the discussion.
These answers pertains to information on essential social and economic structures of a marketing system, the relevant linked or parallel marketing systems, the kind of focus on marketing systems (weather wholesome or in parts), and the distinctive characteristics of a system environment (considering both generic and specific).
The article concludes by giving the attributes, models and measurements that marketing systems take. This article is well articulated with evidences and examples from several credible authors. It is a test of a true researcher and conveys the full mind of its author (Layton 240-245).
Critique
According to this article, the author insists that marketing systems make the core concept of macro marketing, at the same time, he also claims that marketing systems do not only narrow on macro marketing, but from other fields like economic anthropology, sociology and strategic management, among others.
This seems confusing, since when something is core, then it should contain almost all elements of the discipline, in this case macro marketing. At the end of his article, the author states that marketing systems are still limited and gives an optimistic conclusion on further studies that may open new opportunities for a productive future.
This tells us that there are still some limitations to the subject of marketing systems, in this modern age, in is quite imperative to note that more extensive research sold, or may have been carried out to extend this limit, which may have been ignore in this article.
The link between marketing systems and the standard of living of a population could be far fetched; this is because the globe contains varying cultures that control their marketing systems, using those systems to predict the standard of living without considering other factors can give misinterpretation and misleading information (Layton 240-245).
Summary
The article by Layton is well embodied with facts and examples from credible sources. The author talks of marketing systems, which he believes forms the basic concept of macro marketing. In article, he gives ways through which the study of marketing can form the basis of macro marketing.
He also gives several examples of marketing systems, such as Salaula in Zambia that deals in secondhand cloths, Aalsmeer in Netherlands, which deals with flowers, and Makola marketplace which is based in Ghana among others.
Worth noting is his description of the flow of market systems throughout the globe as well as an in-depth of research systems. The other moves on to give the models, attributes and system measures that relate to system marketing. He claims that system marketing enables availability of assorted products to customers (Layton 240-245).
System marketing, as is claimed, makes the core and the drive in macro marketing. Societies and stakeholders research on macro marketing to enhance system marketing. In concluding he talks of the standard of living being directly related to system marketing. To prove this, he gives an example of United States population, by quoting Mazur’s article, that there is a strong link between the standard of living and marketing system output.
The link, as he claims, is in the concept of assortment. The article proposes that studying marketing systems is very important and makes the basis for macro marketing. The article also envisages that this output of marketing system is an assortment of products which may be tangible or intangible, availed to the customers whenever required. This assortment, as is claimed, has a direct link o the living standards of a population.
This poses great challenge to the very existence of marketing systems, which although are observable, can bring more complexities. He however agrees that studying marketing systems does not only narrow on macro marketing, but from other fields like economic anthropology, sociology and strategic management, among others.
Finally the article narrows down on the advantages or benefits of macro marketing and marketing systems, to expound on his, the author states clearly that one needs to have an in-depth understanding of the processes involved in marketing systems and macro marketing.
Marketing systems and macro marketing contributes heavily to the development of flow linking systems that bring together marketing participants. He ends by stating that macro marketing and marketing system as a discipline has a productive future as stakeholders venture on various range of such systems (Layton 240-245).
Article2: The Small and Long View
This peer reviewed article is written by Lusch. He uses his creativity to relate macro marketing to marketing systems and instead concentrate on what macro marketing should keep as its focus. The following sub heading will review, critique and summarize Lusch’s idea of macro marketing as well as marketing systems (Lusch 227-240).
Review
The article tries to define macro marketing and its supposed purpose and focus. The author thinks that just as his title ‘The Small and Long View’, macro marketing should follow its foot steps. To make this work, he proposes that macro marketing focus more on the micro actions as well as the micro actors which in the long run make up micro structures.
He also believes that apart from focusing on the micro elements, macro marketing should embrace or hold on to a long view of things. He says this because according to him, macro marketing has not channeled its focus and thought on the long term things.
He envisages that only a long view of things such as system behavior can detach successful public policy from those that are not. In that regard, his plea is to ensure that macro marketing is transformed in terms of focus for the future and what makes it (Lusch 227-240).
The article states that research in macro marketing started in areas such as ethics, and social marketing. The author goes on to give part of his biography on his experience and knowledge on macro marketing systems, claiming that he spent fifteen year gaining knowledge on macro marketing.
Through his experience and with a number of cited authors, he explains how he arrived at this view of ‘The Small and Long View’ He explains how he went through mare observation to examine the function of policy simulations and its relation to the Long View.
He goes on to give more information on research and works that he did on macro marketing, and insists that his enduring interest for a long time had been to understand how marketing systems work (Lusch 227-240).
The article goes on to describe S-D LOGIC which he conveys as part of exchange system. In defining microscopic actions he expects macro marketing to focus on, he begins with division of labor. He believes that man should interact with others and not with nature alone; it is through this description that he comes up with specialization which in itself is division of labor.
He uses this logic to develop the connection between human beings and through micro actions as well as macro actions to finally come up with his view of (small view and long view). With this, he explains that from division of labor which is a micro action (small view), emerges a complex system (macro marketing), which according to him has evolved over a long period (long view).
It is from this logic that he professes focus on micro actions and micro actors as well as the long term policies. This way he believes, macro marketing will keep improving. Finally, he uses his S-D LOGIC to suggest that marketing systems forms primary divers of society. He also uses the logic to give public policies and comes up with his model known as ABM (Agent-Based Modeling) (Lusch 227-240).
Critique
The author talks of his experience throughout the article, giving hi opinions and restricting much of other author’s opinions. As much as his biography credits him with several years of study, he is still prone to mistakes and may hold to misleading opinions about macro economics and marketing systems at large.
It is therefore quite important for him to involve as many people as possible in sharing his opinions based on facts and research. The article is narrowed so much on the author’s opinions, it has not given any chance for criticism nor has he given any example of other thoughts about the same from any of the numerous scholars worldwide (Lusch 227-240).
Summary
According to the author, macro marketing research should begin with a proper understanding of his small elements known ads the micro actions. These macro actions, he says, are of the agents such as sellers, buyers and government. He also states that it is these micro actions in combination with their agents named above, who form macro structures for marketing systems and macro marketing.
In conclusion, he emphasizes on the need to focus on what makes something and suitable future policies that can keep the structures stronger. He also mentions the fact that researches conducted as either cross sectional or longitudinal researches of a decade or two, are likely to be limited in information and thus misleading (Lusch 227-240).
Discussion
These two articles were written by different authors, one on marketing systems and how they link to macro marketing, while the other on what he thinks macro marketing should focus on, as well as its link with marketing systems. However, they have several parallels and differences, the sub headings below shall provide facts on these similarities and differences (Layton 240-245).
Similarities
The two article share some ideas in their thought on macro marketing and marketing systems, these similarities include. One clear similarity is the fact that macro economics began in the area of ethics and social marketing.
This sentiment is shared by Layton who also believes that macro marketing began in the social field. The two article talk of an exchange system in reference to marketing system and macro marketing although Lusch provide an in-depth view on it (Lusch 227-240).
Both the authors believe that for one to understand macro marketing and marketing system, they must have a thorough understanding of the process. Both articles are adequately backed up by other credible scholar, enhancing their credibility. At the end of their statements, they both allude to the fact that much is yet to be done on improving the understanding of macro marketing and marketing systems (Layton 240-245).
Differences
Even though these article seems to share several points, they also differ in a number of them, for instance, while Layton builds his evidence based on the numerous number of credible authors he has cited, Lusch on the other hand, provides his brief biography on experience in macro economics in addition to citing other authors.
Lusch’s article is more of a personal based writing than Layton’s. This is because he cites most of his researches and his books as opposed to Layton who brings together different views to argue out his points (Layton 240-245).
Research Implications
At the end of each of the articles, the writers allude to limitations in their view and are optimistic of better and concise researches in the future.
Conclusion
Marketing systems form an integral part of macro marketing (Lusch 227-240). The standard of living in many areas especially, United States are closely linked to marketing systems. Macro marketing research should focus on the small view and long view (Layton 240-245).
Works Cited
Layton, Roger. “Marketing Systems-A Core Macromarketing Concept”. Journal of Macromarketing. 28.02.2011. 27.04.2010.
Lusch, Robert. “The Small and Long View”. Journal of Macromarketing. 14.05.2007.27.04.2011.