Conference article

Federico Brunetti
University of Verona, Italy

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Published in: 11th QMOD Conference. Quality Management and Organizational Development Attaining Sustainability From Organizational Excellence to SustainAble Excellence; 20-22 August; 2008 in Helsingborg; Sweden

Linköping Electronic Conference Proceedings 33:74, p. 879-896

Published: 2008-12-09

ISBN:

ISSN: 1650-3686 (print), 1650-3740 (online)

Methodology/Approach: A conceptual approach is taken; trying to provide an understanding of the long-term changings that took place in the firm-marketplace relationship in its first part; and to raise some relevant issues about the evolution to come in is second part.

Findings: In the firm-marketplace relationship evolution five significant stages are to be found: product and selling orientation; marketing orientation; total quality management; one-to-one/relationship marketing; experience economy.

So; if one looks retrospectively and on the whole at the evolution occurred in the above mentioned relationship through the different stages; it’s quite easy to realize that a shift took place from:

• mass to individual as supply’s addressee
• unsatisfied needs to sensations to be felt as customer’s end
• goods and things to services and experiences as transaction’s core in a context of ever growing supply’s quantity; variety; quality and accessibility.

As a matter of fact; it seems really hard to imagine for almost any product a more plentiful marketplace; a greater choice among alternative offers; a superior technical performance; an easier purchase availability; a higher customization; a stronger perceived utility and satisfaction.

As long as such analysis proves right; it’s quite logical to conclude that the ongoing paradigm has reached its possible maximum outcome. If so; it becomes reasonable to hypothesize the rising of a new paradigm in the firm-marketplace relationship; considerably different from the actual one.

(Not) to conclude; some insightful questions for discussion and future research could be:

• how much frequent is a product shortage situation?
• what can be products’ quality level?
• is it harder to choose because of too many alternatives or too little ones?
• what can be there beyond a brand able to provide even love?
• how come business ethics and corporate social responsibility are so popular topics of discussion today both among academics and practitioners?
• how come consumption-wellbeing relationship; happiness or; better; happiness paradox are getting more and more attention nowadays?
• how can simplicity-oriented lifestyle choices and growing number of anti-business movements be explained?
• are there any weak signals of innovative firm behaviour detectable?
• what is the direction such changings are pointing to?

Originality/Value: The paper tries to take in and to relate to the managerial field some broad issues often discussed in civil; social and economic realm. While firms are deeply involved in the actual state of capitalism and society at large; it seems no equivalent contribution has been made by management scholars in order to find a more suitable role for the firm.

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