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  • © 2006

A Twenty-First Century Guide to Aldersonian Marketing Thought

  • Will make the published writing of Wroe Alderson, marketing’s most influential 20th century thinker, available to current and subsequent generations of students of marketing, business, and management science
  • Offers editorial comments and analysis that discuss Alderson’s theoretical contributions and makes them more accessible and relevant to today’s business students
  • Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

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Table of contents (38 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xxii
  2. Wroe Alderson: The Man

    1. Wroe Alderson a Life

      • Ben Wooliscroft
      Pages 3-32
  3. Alderson’s Theory of Market Behavior — Selected Writings

    1. Towards a Theory of Marketing

      • Wroe Alderson, Reavis Cox
      Pages 39-59
    2. The Analytical Framework for Marketing

      • Wroe Alderson
      Pages 61-73
    3. Survival and Growth of Systems

      • Wroe Alderson
      Pages 95-106
    4. The Power Principle

      • Wroe Alderson
      Pages 107-108
    5. Competition for Differential Advantage

      • Wroe Alderson
      Pages 115-141
    6. Matching and Sorting: The Logic of Exchange

      • Wroe Alderson
      Pages 143-163
    7. Introduction to Functionalism

      • Wroe Alderson
      Pages 165-184
    8. Functionalism: Descriptive and Normative

      • Wroe Alderson
      Pages 185-188
    9. Information Flows in Heterogeneous Markets

      • Wroe Alderson
      Pages 217-227
    10. Transactions and Transvections

      • Wroe Alderson
      Pages 229-249
  4. Wroe Alderson — writings on Management Practice and Ethical Behavior

    1. Alderson, Sessions and the 1950s Manager

      • Robert F. Lusch
      Pages 275-281
    2. A Basic Guide to Market Planning

      • Wroe Alderson
      Pages 283-290

About this book

A Twenty-First Century Guide to Aldersonian Marketing Thought introduces readers to the life, the writings and the intellectual legacy of Wroe Alderson, the preeminent marketing thinker of the mid-twentieth century. Both Alderson’s seminal contributions to marketing theory and his "best practices" articles in the areas of marketing management and ethics have been reproduced. Contributions by others about Wroe Alderson include a biography and a number of previously published articles that build on Alderson's theoretical contributions. Six original articles further explore Wroe Alderson's life, his work, his character and his intellectual impact. This book also contains two bibliographies: one of material written by Alderson over a forty year period and the other of publications that discuss his work. This single volume provides readers with an "in depth" understanding of the nature, the scope, and the magnitude of Alderson’s highly original and lasting contributions to marketing theory and thought.

Reviews

From the reviews:

"This collection is a tour de force of Alderson's most enduring concepts and is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding why we should be not only interested in but also deeply grateful to Wroe Alderson. He was a consummate scholar, a true Renaissance man, an iconoclast, and a change agent. It is customary to refer to Alderson as the leading marketing thinker of his time. Having read this book I think it is more than appropriate to drop the "of his time" portion of this description. I know of no one who has made more enduring theoretical contributions to (marketing science). I heartily recommend this volume to anyone who cares to learn more about Wroe Alderson's many contributions." -Richard J. Lutz, University of Florida, for the Journal of Marketing

"The editors are to be commended for the way in which they have brought so much material together in one volume...representing a comprehensive appreciation of Alderson.  A Twenty-First Century Guide to Aldersonian Marketing Thought is an important contribution to the history of marketing and management theory and a demonstration of Alderson’s relevance to contemporary practice." -David Lamond, Editor, Journal of Management History

"Not just for up-coming generations of marketing scholars, A Twenty-First Century Guide to Aldersonian Marketing Thought  provides a veritable feast for all generations by offering thought provoking material for every segment of the marketing academy.  For scholars in marketing, (this volume) should be front and center on their bookshelf. A fitting tribute to the life, writings and intellectual legacy of Wroe Alderson, the Guide is a reference work of the first magnitude." -Eric H. Shaw, Florida Atlantic University, for the Journal of Macromarketing

“The book has three major themes: glimpses into the kind of interesting character he was, key excerpts from hiswritings, and commentaries on the perceived current relevance of Aldersonian marketing thought. … this book is an excellent vehicle for educating people on a guru, influencer, theoretician, practitioner and leader in the development of marketing theory. … this is a valuable resource for anyone desiring to know about marketing theory and to understand the genesis of a number of concepts currently found in today’s marketing textbooks.” (Terry Beckman and M. Dale Beckman, European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 42 (1/2), 2008)

Editors and Affiliations

  • University of Otago, New Zealand

    Ben Wooliscroft

  • University of Quebec, Montreal

    Robert D. Tamilia

  • Simon Fraser University, Canada

    Stanley J. Shapiro

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: A Twenty-First Century Guide to Aldersonian Marketing Thought

  • Editors: Ben Wooliscroft, Robert D. Tamilia, Stanley J. Shapiro

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-28181-9

  • Publisher: Springer New York, NY

  • eBook Packages: Business and Economics, Business and Management (R0)

  • Copyright Information: Springer-Verlag US 2006

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-0-387-26175-1Published: 28 September 2005

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-1-4419-3871-8Published: 29 October 2010

  • eBook ISBN: 978-0-387-28181-0Published: 23 February 2006

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XXII, 581

  • Topics: Marketing, History of Economic Thought/Methodology

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access