The purpose of this paper is to trace the history of the social indicators or quality-of-life (QOL) research movement up to today, forecast future developments, and pave the way for future growth. Broadly speaking, we tried to review historical antecedents from the point of view of different disciplines, with specialists in each discipline preparing the basic text and co-authors helping to polish the material into a finished product. Briefly, we begin with an overview of the conceptual and philosophical foundations of our field of research. That is followed by a historical overview of the sociological roots of our field. In the third section, the main contributions from the discipline of economics are reviewed. Following that, the fourth section covers a historical overview of the literature on health-related quality of life is provided. Next, the history of QOL research from a marketing perspective is reviewed followed by a history from the perspectives of industrial/organizational psychology and management. Finally, we offer some forecasts for future QOL studies that are intended not only to predict what might happen, but to encourage, stimulate and motivate researchers to undertake new initiatives.

The quality-of-life (QOL) research movement : Past, present, and future

In this article we build on the program of research in well-being marketing by further conceptualizing and refining the conceptual domain of the concept of consumer well-being (CWB). We then argue that well-being marketing is a business philosophy grounded in business ethics. We show how this philosophy is an ethical extension of relationship marketing (stakeholder theory in business ethics) and is superior to transactional marketing (a business philosophy grounded in the principles of consumer sovereignty). Additionally, we argue that well-being marketing is based on duty ethics concepts, specifically the duty of beneficence and non-maleficence. Subsequently, we show how the well-being concept guides marketing decisions for consumer goods firms.

Well-being Marketing: An Ethical Business Philosophy for Consumer Goods Firms

It has long been a belief that marketing has a positive effect on quality of life by delivering material well-being. Furthernore, many marketing scholars urge that greater emphasis be placed on marketing in developing countries to improve the quality of life. This conventional wisdom has not been investigated empirically because of inadequate conceptualizations of the relationship between marketing and the quality of life and because of the lack of necessary measurements. In the present study, these conceptualizations and measurements have been supplied, and a model utilizing a satisfaction/dissatisfaction framework has been developed and tested. According to the model, an individual's satisfaction with different domains of life (for example, work life, material possessions) has a significant positive effect on his or her overall satisfaction with life (quality of life). Data obtained from residents of the developing country of Thailand were used to test the hypotheses.Results of the study show that satis...

Investigating the Relationship between Marketing and Overall Satisfaction with Life in a Developing Country

Marketing scholars are becoming more concerned with the impact of their discipline on the development of human well-being. The study of quality-of-life (QOL) is a means to that end. The marketing e...

The Interface between Quality of Life and Marketing: A Theoretical Framework:

The essay reviews the historical development of the field, mainly in North America, and describes the uses of social indicators and the concept of quality of life (QOL). A concluding section addresses prospects for future developments in social indicators and interdisciplinary research guided by the QOL concept.

Prologue: The Development and Evolution of Research on Social Indicators and Quality of Life (QOL)

Social Indicators and Marketing

The business simulation provides an interesting opportunity for incorporating quantitative methods and techniques into marketing management courses. The simulation model can be used to generate a realistic data bank of information on the costs and results of the firm's marketing efforts. Rather than beginning without a history of company operations and results, the simulation becomes an ongoing one where student managers employ data from past simulated operations as inputs to quantitative analyses to support current decisions. Meaningful data is provided in a context that encourages student learning and discovery of the benefits and limitations of decision science techniques.

Curricula and State of the Profession

Consumer research generally confirms that the elderly are less active consumers and shoppers than young adults. But the single-category treatment of older consumers does not provide insight into just when their life-space contraction begins, how rapidly it develops, and how extensive and varied are its effects on consumer lifestyles. The consensus of gerontological research seems to be that approximately 75 years of age marks the transition point into advanced age. Unfortunately, there has been very little investigation of the effects of aging on actual consumer behavior. Particularly lacking is detailed information on shopping and other consumption-oriented leisure activities and how these patterns and their accompanying lifestyle and socioeconomic status change with chronological aging. Compounding the problem, as Bernhardt and Kinnear (1975) point out, most of the existing studies of elderly consumer behavior use quite small samples and unrepresentative "captive audiences" of a single elderly residence or attendants of a single senior center.

Richard A. Scott

Papers

Social Indicators and Marketing

Curricula and State of the Profession

Shopping and Leisure Activity Patterns within the Elderly Consumer Segment: The “Young-Old” and “Old-Old”