Science and practice: developing science utilization theory in marketing research
Joep Cornelissen
Although images of the relationship between marketing science and practice have been dominant features of past and contemporary marketing thought, surprisingly little research has been conducted on aspects of this relationship, particularly at the level of the marketing practitioner. In this article, the author (1) argues for the validity of the practitioner perspective in the context of the relationship between marketing science and practice, (2) provides a framework for characterizing and better understanding the ways in which practitioners value and use academic theory and research, and (3) defines a set of propositions for guiding research into this area. This conceptual framework and research agenda are informed and guided by an integrative review of prior work on the relationship between marketing science and practice complemented with the general literature on science utilization. The exercise is intended to urge fellow researchers to refine, test and augment the working hypotheses suggested herein in order to achieve a better understanding of the ways in which marketing practitioners attend to, value and use marketing scientific theories.