An Alternative Paradigm for Marketing Theory

States that marketing theory experienced a scientific crisis 30 years ago and a new paradigm of “functionalism” emerged, however, current thinking in marketing reflects the older paradigm of “normal science”. Suggests a research agenda rooted in the “functionalist” paradigm. Concludes that the “functionalist” paradigm provides a general analytical framework for the study of marketing in which the firm is placed in the hierarchy of marketing systems, which can be used to guide research in marketing.