Marketing Scientific Progress, and Scientific Method

1. Marketing
Scientific
Progress, and
Scientific
Method
Introduction

2. About the Article
Purpose:
An attempt to provide an overview on the question of scientific method and
scientific progress and bring possible links to Marketing as a discipline.
Method:
literature review.
Focus:
The philosophy of Science with few examples on Marketing.
Proposed Title:
“The Development of the Philosophy of Science
and the Status of Marketing as a Field of Inquiry”

3. What is Scientific?
Scientific Fact Vs.
Real Truth
Epistemology
Positivism
Philosophy of
Science

4. Black & White
Is it Black? Is it White?

5. Fact Vs. Truth Example One

6. Fact Vs. Truth Example Two

7. Background
Scientific Fact:
An observation that has been confirmed repeatedly and
is accepted as true (although its truth is never final)
Truth:
The quality or state of being true.

8. Background
Epistemology:
It is the study of knowing. It deals with the nature of
knowledge, how do we know things, what do we know,
why we know, is what we know true, and what are the
limits of knowledge.
Euler diagram representing a
definition of knowledge.

9. Background
Positivism:
It is the philosophy of science that information derived
from logical and mathematical treatments and reports of
sensory experience is the exclusive source of all
authoritative knowledge and that there is valid
knowledge (truth) only in this derived knowledge.
Auguste Comte

10. Background
Empiricism:
It is a theory which states that knowledge comes only or
primarily from sensory experience.
John Locke, a leading philosopher
of British empiricism

11. Background
Demarcation Problem:
The demarcation problem in the philosophy of science is
about how to distinguish between science and non-science,
i.e. belief, metaphysics, paraphysics or
magic…etc.

12. Evolution of Positivism to Logical
Empiricism
• Carnap 1936
• Positivism is not adequate to explain
claims
• Dodo birds

13. Adoption of Logical Empiricism in
Marketing
• Shelby D. Hunt - 1983
• Marketing Theory
• One of two pillars on Positivism

14. Logical Empiricism and PIMS
• Profit Impact of Marketing Strategies
• Relationship market share and ROI
• Observation of 57 corporations representing 620
individual businesses.
• Generalized and converted to strategy

15. Difficulties with Logical
Empiricism
• Not enough empirical evidence
• Circular connection of inductive argument
• Measurement Error
• Subject to interpretation
• Theory laden

16. Falsification Impacts on
Philosophers and Scientists
• Can justify theory previously hard to justify
• Can verify theory through conjectures and
refutations

17. Problems in Falsificationicism
• Cannot refuse theory based on empirical data
Why ? Flaw can be caused by intervention
or anomaly
• Major theories advance in spite refutations of
empirical data

18. Problems in Falsificationicism

19. PERCEPTUA
L
EXPERIENC
ES
IMAGE OF
REAL
WORLD
STRUCTURE
A PRIORI
MODEL OF
THEORY
HYPOTHESI
S
EMPIRICAL
TESTS
TENTATIVEL
Y ACCEPT
THEORY
LOGICAL EMPIRICAL MODEL OF
SCIENTIFIC METHOD
NOT CONFIRMED
THE FALSIFICATIONIST MODEL OF
SCIENTIFIC METHOD
EXISTING
THEORY
PERCEPTUA
L
EXPERIENC
E
CONSISTEN
T?
NEW
THEORY
HYPOTHESE
S
EMPIRICAL
TESTS
TENTATIVELY
ACCEPT NEW
THEORY
YES
ACCEPT
THEORY
NO
FALSIFIED
REJECT NEW
THEORY
NEGATIVE FEEDBACK

20. THOMAS KUHN
• New approach in the philosophy of science
• Concept of a Paradigm
• Values of criteria for theory appraisal
• “The Structure of Scientific Revolutions”
• Defined a scientific paradigm as: "universally recognized
scientific achievements that, for a time, provide model
problems and solutions for a community.

22. Kuhn’s Model
Failures
• Lakatos, Laudan,
Fayerabend, Shapere
• Historical Inaccuracy
• Lack of rational choice from the
scientific process
• Act of “faith”

23. Larry Laudan
• Objective of science is to solve problems, i.e. “to provide
acceptable answers to interesting questions”
• Non-Refuting Anomaly
• Conceptual Problems: Logical inconsistencies with the
theory itself

24. Epistemological Anarchy
• There are no universal standards
of scientific practice.
• Scientists may allow standards to
guide the research or they may
allow the research to suspend
standards.
Paul Kar l Feyerabend
(1924–1994), originator of
epistemological anarchism.

25. The Cognitive Sociology of Science
• The production of scientific knowledge must be viewed
as a sociological process.
• Bloor and Barnes claim that scientific beliefs are as
much a function of cultural, political, social, and
ideological factors as are any beliefs held by members
of a society.

26. Implications on
Marketing as a Science
• There is no consensus on the nature or the very
existence of a unique scientific method.
• Research areas will tend to evolve as changes take place
in methods, concepts, values, beliefs and theories.
• Positivism has been abandoned
despite its prevalence in marketing.

27. Science1 vs. Science2
• Science1 is based on the objective knowledge. Here,
science seeks to discover the “truth” via the objective
methods of observation, test, and experiment.
• Science2 emphasizes the importance of societal
consensus… Science is what society chooses to call
science.
Natural Science Astrology

28. What about Marketing?
World War I
Beginning of Modern
Conception of
Marketing
Before After
Traditional
Conception of
Marketing
Now ???

29. What is marketing now?
• Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes
for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging
offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners,
and society at large.
(American marketing association, 2013)
• Profit Maximization
• Relationship Marketing
• Business Marketing
• Branding approach
• Societal marketing
• Online Marketing / e-Marketing.

30. Is Marketing science?
Let’s do an experiment… remember “secret”?!!

31. Experiment One
• Who wants to know what is “secret”?
5
4.5
4
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
Yes No

32. Hypothesis…1
• Suspension as marketing tool has positive effect
on the publicity of the product
Yes / No

33. “SECRET”
• “Secret” is a product... It is a LAPTOP!

34. Experiment Two
• Which one do you want to buy?
MIRROR NOTEBOOK
500 GB HDD
4GB RAM
1200 RMB
SECRET NOTEBOOK
500 GB HDD
4GB RAM
1200 RMB

35. Experiment Two
• Which one do you want to buy?
5
4.5
4
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
Secret Mirro

36. Hypothesis…2
• Suspension as marketing tool has positive effect
on the saleability of the product
Yes / No

37. Story Time
• Science
• Positivism
– Logical Empiricism
– Falsificationicism
• Paradigm
• Research Traditions
• Epistemological Anarchy
• Cognitive Sociology of Science
• Science 2
M
A
R
K
E
T
I
N
G

38. Is there a Conclusion?