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Showing papers in "Journal of Macromarketing in 2009"


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In addition to favorable institutions and knowledge accumulation, there is a third significant set of factors that could and should be taken into the analysis of economic growth as discussed by the authors, namely, specialized roles and market structures needed to handle trade efficiently.
Abstract: In addition to favorable institutions and knowledge accumulation, there is a third significant set of factors that could and should be taken into the analysis of economic growth. Where there is specialization there must also be trade, and, overtime, where there is trade there will also emerge the specialized roles and market structures needed to handle trade efficiently. These specialized roles and market structures, identified as marketing systems, together with institutions and technology constitute the three essential sets of factors needed for growth to occur. While institutional change tends to be long term, and technological change is often discontinuous and medium term, marketing system changes leading to improvements in either or both of effectiveness and efficiency in trade have a much more immediate impact on the well-being of the community. If the marketing systems that play such a central role are poorly adapted to the environments in which they operate, or lack in health, resilience or respon...

159 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors use insights gained from the unique context of subsistence marketplaces, or the base of the pyramid, to put forth a sustainable market orientation for businesses, using qualitative research and case studies of businesses, ingraining social good in a product relevant sense is argued to be central and essential for businesses in subsistence contexts to be successful.
Abstract: This article uses insights gained from the unique context of subsistence marketplaces, or the base of the pyramid, to put forth a sustainable market orientation for businesses. Using qualitative research and case studies of businesses, ingraining social good in a product-relevant sense is argued to be central and essential for businesses in subsistence contexts to be successful. This analysis is unique in taking a bottom-up in orientation and begins at the microlevel, drawing on psychological and sociological aspects of subsistence marketplaces to derive macrolevel implications.

133 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examine various aspects of materialism including its individual or social consequences, and most of these studies examine different aspects of the materialism and its individual and social consequences.
Abstract: Studies of materialism have increased in recent years, and most of these studies examine various aspects of materialism including its individual or social consequences. However, understanding, and ...

72 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the history of relationship marketing (RM) is challenged and it is demonstrated that RM themes have been present in the marketing literature for longer than is recognized by the contemporary scholars.
Abstract: In this article, the history of relationship marketing (RM) is challenged. Similar to discussions of the marketing concept, the debates surrounding RM are largely ahistorical. This is despite numerous scholars indicating that RM has a far longer history than is currently appreciated. In contrast to received wisdom that RM emerged in the late 1970s, it is demonstrated that RM themes have been present in the marketing literature for longer than is recognized by the contemporary scholars.

54 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, a case analysis of a campaign by the Divine Chocolate Company suggests the importance of transcending the polarization of the radical and pragmatic visions of FT and also the within or without dichotomy of macromarketing in terms of moving consumers along a pathway to sustainable development.
Abstract: Effective communication strategies are fundamental to achieving sustainable consumption, yet there is a gap in the literature with respect to their design. Moreover, there is considerable debate with respect to the starting point for such strategies: whether the shift to sustainable consumption can be achieved within the dominant social paradigm or whether a new paradigm is required. Fair trade (FT) marketing presents a valuable case study of these issues in practice. Case analysis of a campaign by the Divine Chocolate Company suggests the importance of transcending the polarization of the radical and pragmatic visions of FT and also the within or without dichotomy of macromarketing in terms of moving consumers along a pathway to sustainable development. The campaign's synergism further has significant implications for the design of communication strategies to effect sustainable consumption. These are presented in terms of two working propositions for exploration in alternative contexts.

46 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, a survey of 819 urban Chinese families was conducted to directly compare the influence generated among three generations of family members in nuclear and extended family households from both the parents' and the children's perspectives.
Abstract: With its strict population policy and unprecedented economic growth, urban China offers a unique environment in which to examine how radical changes in state policy can affect family consumption behavior. The objectives of this study are to examine children's influence in purchase decision making and to explore factors thought to explain variation observed in children's influence. A survey of 819 urban Chinese families was conducted to directly compare the influence generated among three generations of family members in nuclear and extended family households from both the parents' and the children's perspectives. The analysis found that, while the influence of children varied by product category and by the character of the purchase decision, the children's influence on family decision making was less dominant than would be suggested by the popular image of China's only children.

43 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present an understanding of cross-border human trafficking as a marketing system, and explicate the societal effects of that system and show how the extent of cross border trafficking may be estimated, using as an example several countries where it is believed to be a substantial problem.
Abstract: Human trafficking, as defined here, is moving human beings across borders for the purpose of enslaving them. Human trafficking may be in the sex trade, forced labor or service, extraction of body parts, or other forms of exploited labor or debt bondage. The market is believed to be extensive, with its own distribution channels, pricing systems, and other market functions. The purposes of this article are to present an understanding of cross-border human trafficking as a marketing system, to explicate the societal effects of that system, and to show how the extent of cross-border trafficking may be estimated, using as an example several countries where it is believed to be a substantial problem. Additionally, we seek to show that cross-border human trafficking may be a much more serious problem than what is visible to governments.

41 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This paper introduced a four-volume tome, Macromarketing, a major research collection for which the authors served as editors, focusing on equity, poverty, and societal development.
Abstract: This commentary introduces a four-volume tome, Macromarketing, a major research collection for which the authors served as editors. Equity, poverty, and societal development were the primary foci. A lengthy vetting process resulted in eighty articles for inclusion. Among them are articles recently published in the Journal of Macromarketing; most of the articles however are drawn from economics, foreign policy, sociology, and the literature of other disciplines. This eclectic mix reveals other fields and leading scholars in them who share interests with macromarketers. The table of contents and organizational structure of the tome are presented in Table 1. Influential articles that ‘‘just missed the cut’’ for reasons explained in the commentary are included in Table 2.

36 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors discusses the use of market and consumer research at Lever/Unilever and its advertising agency in Britain and the United States, J. Walter Thompson (JWT), in the interwar period.
Abstract: This article discusses the use of market and consumer research at Lever/Unilever and its advertising agency in Britain and the United States, J. Walter Thompson (JWT), in the interwar period. Research surveys conducted by JWT in the 1920s and 1930s helped Lever reposition its international soap brand Lux. The case demonstrates that Lever deployed qualitative market research techniques much earlier than usually acknowledged. Qualitative and quantitative consumer research methods allowed marketers at Lever and JWT to take account of autonomous consumer practices that limited the scope of management. The article also shows that marketing's cultural practices often predate its conceptualization and academic theorization.

35 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A distinct and significant African American elite market segment began its growth prior to the U.S. Civil War, flourished as a result of two world wars, and has continued to expand and diversify.
Abstract: A distinct and significant African American elite market segment began its growth prior to the U.S. Civil War, flourished as a result of two world wars, and has continued to expand and diversify. Today, the segment comprises three subsegments including a conventional upper middle-class, the traditional elite, and the nouveau riche. This market segment is distinct both from other African American groups and from the white elite in terms of products and services consumed. This distinction results from this group's isolation and lack of opportunities through the civil rights era and the importance placed on such factors as ancestry and affiliation within this group. This paper presents a four-phase periodization model of the development of the African American elite market segment, linking its development to key events and historical eras. This segment has practiced a unique form of economic consumer activism in the marketplace—referred to as ``marketplace activism''—in the quest for respect and equal treatm...

34 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Results show there is significant opportunity to efficiently tailor corporate health programs and that well-being programs and marketing approaches significantly improve employee health and depend on company size and employee gender.
Abstract: Health is a major component of well-being and quality of life (QOL) and an increasingly costly one. We examine the role of employers for promoting QOL. A meta-analysis examines the impact of fifty well-being programs, which address six health issues and use seven marketing approaches. The analysis indicates that well-being programs and marketing approaches significantly improve employee health and depend on company size and employee gender. Results, based on sixty studies, show there is significant opportunity to efficiently tailor corporate health programs.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the social teachings of the Roman Catholic Church are considered to be an encompassing and coherent normative theory, a source of principles that can be used to explain the social practices of the Church.
Abstract: This article updates earlier work by the authors and proposes the social teachings of the Roman Catholic Church to be an encompassing and coherent normative theory, a source of principles that addr...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors found that wisdom in marketing is characterized by the recognition and management of five central paradoxes (e.g., the need for expertise versus the need to admit knowledge limitations, the need of authority and accountability versus the ego control), which is the zenith of human virtues, through pertinent literature and interviews with executives nominated for their wise decision making.
Abstract: The macromarketing system is largely the function of many micromarketing decisions made each day. But this connection has not been probed thoroughly in the macromarketing literature, and there is a need for conceptual frameworks that can successfully link the challenges of effective micromarketing with the laudable goals of the macromarketing field, which focuses on the interdependencies between marketing and society. To this end, we explore wisdom, the zenith of human virtues, through pertinent literature and in-depth interviews with executives nominated for their wise decision making. We discovered that wisdom in marketing is characterized by the recognition and management of five central paradoxes (e.g., the need for expertise versus the need to admit knowledge limitations and the need to enact authority and accountability versus the need for ego control). We discuss the implications of these findings for the theory, practice, and teaching of macromarketing and for basic wisdom theory.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors considered the cattle industry as a political economy, and the concept of task environment paradigm was integrated with the political economy framework to analyze the marketing development prospects of an entire industry.
Abstract: The discovery of the first domestically originating North American bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) case dominated discussions concerning the marketing development prospects of an entire industry. By considering the industry as a political economy, the concept of the task environment paradigm, as recognized in marketing literature, is integrated with the political economy framework. Marketing activities in the cattle industry pervade the framework presented in this article. Dimensions of environmental uncertainty are also presented. Personal testimony from beef producers is considered to add a human element to the theoretical discussion. Furthermore, this article provides an empirical perspective on the means by which sudden effects from the macroenvironment of a marketing channel create uncertainty, which is intensified in today’s increasingly complex and turbulent agrifood markets.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a Journal of Macromarketing, 2009, 29 (3), pp. 303-324, is published, which is available from http://jmk.sagepub.com/content/29/3/303.
Abstract: This paper was published as Journal of Macromarketing, 2009, 29 (3), pp. 303-324. It is available from http://jmk.sagepub.com/content/29/3/303. Doi: 10.1177/0276146709334305

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explore the impact of compliance-based versus strategic-based regulation approaches on firm innovation and overall corporate social responsibility (CSR) and find that regulatory responsiveness decreases innovation when firms expend resources only on compliance.
Abstract: The authors provide evidence that firms can enhance their own objectives by internalizing the objectives of most stakeholder groups. This suggests that society’s objectives, as defined by stakeholders to the firm, can be augmented by the self-interest motivation at the heart of a market system. Specifically examined was the impact of stakeholder responsiveness on innovativeness. The second objective of this study was to explore the impact of compliance-based versus strategic-based regulation approaches on firm innovation and overall corporate social responsibility (CSR). Findings suggest that regulatory responsiveness decreases innovation when firms expend resources only on compliance. Firms adopting strategic-based approaches, such as voluntary regulatory programs and collaborative strategies between the firm and government, however, are more innovative and demonstrate greater CSR. This study presents empirical tests that provide a strong first step in understanding how society’s goals can be further int...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explored place attributes and their impacts on business customer satisfaction in Tien Giang, a province in the Mekong delta of Vietnam, and found that among these attributes, only quality of technical schools, government services, investment incentives and quality of life play significant roles in business satisfaction.
Abstract: This study explores place attributes and their impacts on business customer satisfaction in Tien Giang, a province in the Mekong delta of Vietnam. In-depth interviews with place marketers and business customers identify three groups of place attributes— business infrastructure (basic infrastructure, land and labor costs, and quality of technical schools), government support (incentives, trade assistance, and government services), and quality of life. The results of the quantitative study indicate that, among these attributes, only quality of technical schools, government services, investment incentives and quality of life play significant roles in business customer satisfaction. In addition, the level of satisfaction of privately owned firms is lower than that of firms of other ownership types. Firm characteristics, such as the number of employees, number of years in business, and type of business, have no impact on business customer satisfaction. Some implications for economic development are discussed.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors examined the cultural representations of commercial advertising during the Second World War and concluded that the more down-to-earth language of advertisers proved to be more appropriate than the lofty rhetoric of government propaganda.
Abstract: This paper examines the cultural representations of commercial advertising. Based on a case study of the British home front during the Second World War, it explores the efforts of commercial advertisers to speak in the idiom of the time, charting their reactions to the dramatic events being played out around them. Alongside this, it draws on a variety of sources to characterize the nature of the people's interaction with the war and thereby examines whether the more down-to-earth language of advertisers proved to be more appropriate than the lofty rhetoric of government propaganda. The conclusion suggests that commercial advertising offers an important insight to the historian in characterizing past cultures and societies.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors integrate theories from macromarketing, economics, and sociology to develop a conceptual model assessing the effects of international trade and economic development on physical quality of life (PQOL), individual freedom, and the environment (carbon dioxide [CO2] emissions and environmental performance).
Abstract: The authors integrate theories from macromarketing, economics, and sociology to develop a conceptual model assessing the effects of international trade and economic development on physical quality of life (PQOL), individual freedom, and the environment (carbon dioxide [CO2] emissions and environmental performance). The study introduces new measures of individual freedom and environmental performance to the macromarketing literature. Research hypotheses are tested on time-lagged data from 104 countries using structural equation modeling. Results suggest that international trade is associated with economic growth that enhances the well-being of people and their ‘‘visible’’ natural environment but with a deleterious impact on global warming through increased CO2 emissions. Increases in PQOL and individual freedom are associated with lower CO2 emissions and improved environmental performance. These findings have important implications for public policy makers, marketing academics, and practitioners.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explored the economics of HIV and treatment from a social marketing perspective and used three specific case histories of successful social marketing organizations in Africa, Asia, and South America to inductively generate a consumer (patient)-centric marketing model.
Abstract: It is more than mere coincidence that the highest rates of HIV occur in the world’s poorest countries. Of the over forty million people currently living with HIV, 95 percent are in the developing world. The first part of this article explores the economics of HIV and treatment from a social marketing perspective. The second part of the article uses three specific case histories of successful social marketing organizations in Africa, Asia, and South America to inductively generate a consumer (patient)-centric marketing model. The focal organizations are unique in that they all identify patient needs first, then work backwards to develop economically viable solutions. Their solutions are not without flaws, and the future of these programs remains uncertain, but the authors hope that illuminating specific cases within the consumer-centric marketing paradigm will shed light on ways in which other organizations may be able to serve the poor profitably.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In the United States, consumers are seeking to lead healthier lives by eating more healthful foods as mentioned in this paper, however, some are unknowingly consuming foods that are less healthful and...
Abstract: An increasing number of consumers are seeking to lead healthier lives by eating more healthful foods. In the United States, however, some are unknowingly consuming foods that are less healthful and...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present an overview of the issues that propelled the formation of large retailers in the Canadian grocery industry during the interwar era, and the factors that slowed the ability of the firms to achieve market dominance.
Abstract: Examinations of the rise of modern retail activities traditionally have emphasized developments in the United States, where firms could exploit strong economies of scale and scope and could service transcontinental markets. In middle-sized economies such as Canada, the opportunities for expansion were more limited and firms often were slower to adopt new modes of marketing organization. This study reappraises the rise of large retailers in the Canadian grocery industry during the interwar era. It provides an overview of the issues that propelled the formation of the firms, their organizational traits, and the factors that slowed the ability of the firms to achieve market dominance.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Soviet-era health posters can be viewed as social advertising, aiming to attract interest and to motivate behavior change, and the process of identifying themes, selecting artists, reviewing and pretesting posters, and undergoing censorship review is described.
Abstract: Soviet-era health campaigns relied heavily on posters. Soviet-era health posters can be viewed as social advertising, aiming to attract interest and to motivate behavior change. Health-related posters from major Russian and US collections were analyzed in terms of their themes and the types of appeals used. These posters, promoting cleanliness and better infant and child care and attacking smoking and drunkenness, used a variety of appeals, including use of statistics and graphs, testimonials, appeals to authority, appeals to fight the enemy, and bandwagon, rational and shame appeals. The Institute for Health Education, founded in Moscow in 1928, played a leading role in creating and distributing health posters. The process of identifying themes, selecting artists, reviewing and pretesting posters, and undergoing censorship review is described.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, a case study suggests that advertising played a key role in the Hawaiian pineapple industry's revival, whereas the disorganized Californian peach canning industry remained in crisis throughout most of the 1930s.
Abstract: In 1931, the Hawaiian pineapple canning industry was belatedly affected by the collapse of its principal market, the continental United States, which was in the depths of the Great Depression. The pineapple canners lost half of that market and prospects for recovery looked bleak. Canned pineapple was a nonessential food. However, the canners formed a new industry association and engineered a remarkable recovery during the remainder of the 1930s. It is often argued that those industries or companies that continue to invest in advertising during economic downturns experience better outcomes than those that either cut or eliminate expenditure on advertising. The few case studies that exist support this hypothesis. This historical case study suggests that advertising played a key role in the Hawaiian pineapple industry's revival, whereas the disorganized Californian peach canning industry, which invested less in advertising, remained in crisis throughout most of the 1930s.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This special issue of the Journal of Macromarketing took shape from papers originally presented at the joint meeting of the International Society of Markets and Development (ISMD), and the Macromarteting Society, held in Washington, D.C., in June 2007 as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: This special issue of the Journal of Macromarketing took shape from papers originally presented at the joint meeting of the International Society of Markets and Development (ISMD), and the Macromarketing Society, held in Washington, D.C., in June 2007. ISMD and the Macromarketing Society bring unique perspectives on common questions regarding the role of marketing in socioeconomic development. The ISMD serves as a forum for research and discussion for scholars from across the globe interested in the capabilities of markets to foster economic growth, stability, and justice in emerging economies. The Macromarketing Society plays a similar role for scholars interested in the nature of marketing systems and the interplay among markets, marketing, and society. For many years, the Journal of Macromarketing has served as a home for these rich, but sometimes parallel, conversations on the role of markets and marketing systems in socioeconomic development. The intent of the 2007 joint meeting was to bring together these perspectives to identify common questions for the good of markets and society, and the intent of this special issue is to further that conversation. What emerged was a renewed and broadened sense of the role of markets and marketing systems in economic development. Because goods, services, and labor often flow freely across borders, the challenges facing rural or depressed communities in developed countries cannot be separated from the issues facing towns or villages in the developing world. The premise that ‘‘marketing and development’’ is an issue important exclusively to the developing countries must be challenged. While it is typically assumed that knowledge transfer on marketing and development moves from the developed world to the developing world, there is much that developed market economies can learn from developing market economies. For example, how does a country with a wellestablished marketing system ensure adequate economic development for its rural communities? Similarly, how does a developed marketing system deal with systemic shock from a product, regulatory, or other failure? There are lessons in the market development perspective that strengthen our understanding of marketing systems. At the same time, the systems perspective of macromarketing offers a valuable viewpoint on growth and development, both in historic and in contemporary context. Over the last three decades, scholars have applied the lessons gained from macromarketing and market-and-development research to emerging and war-torn economies and to the interdependent relationships between developed and developing worlds as a result of globalization. The authors, reviewers, and editors of this special issue hoped to capture the fruits of this common labor and to expand the awareness, conceptualization, and practical reach of marketing and development. Since the initial presentation of their papers, authors have continued to develop ideas and themes, with the guidance of the editors and reviewers, through the traditional doubleblind review process required by the Journal. These collective efforts resulted in the first four articles included in the issue; they provide an interesting mix of conceptual and empirical scholarship. The last two articles are well positioned vis-à-vis themes of the joint meeting held in 2007, which are emphasized here—systems and development. At least two of the co-authors of these last two articles drew inspiration from the conference and those themes, hence the inclusion of their complementary scholarship in the issue. An introduction to all the articles is found below. Roger Layton, in ‘‘On Economic Growth, Marketing Systems and the Quality of Life,’’ argues that the efficacy and efficiency of marketing systems are indispensable components of economic growth and development. If marketing systems are poorly adapted to the environments in which they operate— or if they are unhealthy, unresponsive, or lack resilience—then growth and ultimately quality of life will be directly and adversely affected. To this end, an understanding of marketing systems, their emergence, and their role in influencing economic growth is a requisite for development and a potential catalyst for prosocial interconnectedness between institutions in the developing and the developed worlds. Layton provides a conceptual framework for both macromarketing, and marketing and development. This framework, which builds on earlier

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examine the sustainability of the corn-based ethanol system at a critical juncture and identify the most likely winners and losers from a growing ethanol industry and directions for future research.
Abstract: Ethanol, a petroleum-alternative fuel produced in the United States primarily from corn, is being heralded as a remedy for global warming, geopolitical instability, and rural economic malaise. However, there are potential negative repercussions from increasing ethanol production, including pressure on the world food supply. Stakeholder performance and interconnections among stake-holders are explored in this examination of the sustainability of the corn-based ethanol system at a critical juncture. The most likely winners and losers from a growing ethanol industry and directions for future research are identified.


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The Journal of Macromarketing is recognized as the leading scholarly outlet for research that examines the interactions among markets, marketing systems, marketing phenomena in the aggregate, and marketing's implications for the quality of life.
Abstract: The Journal of Macromarketing is recognized as the leading scholarly outlet for research that examines the interactions among markets, marketing, and society. Since its inception in 1981, several types of articles have appeared in the Journal, including both conceptual and empirical studies. This research has made important contributions to our understanding of marketing, the function of markets, and their impacts on consumer, community, societal, national, and global well-being. A review of various methods used for studies published in JMM reveals eclectic research designs, measures, and interpretive techniques. Indeed, the scholarship published in the Journal indicates that macromarketers use a broad assortment of methodological tools. Accordingly, this special issue encourages scholars to consider ways to expand the macromarketing toolkit; to explore new metrics and interpretations; and to conduct meaningful research that examines the effects of markets and marketing on society, the impacts of social programs on marketing practice, and other aspects of marketing history, marketing systems, marketing phenomena in the aggregate, and marketing’s implications for the quality of life. When we use the term ‘‘new,’’ we do not necessarily mean ‘‘new to the world.’’ Rather, we also wanted scholars with methodological expertise applied elsewhere to explore macromarketing phenomena in novel ways and/or with tools not previously used to study those phenomena in a macromarketing context. The net result is an issue of the Journal that includes six refereed articles— three quantitative studies in which authors have used various modeling techniques to examine extant data and three qualitative studies in which authors have developed case analyses, have interpreted/reinterpreted extant documents, or have conducted historical investigations. Readers will see that, typical of the macromarketing tradition, the authors have addressed some of the most complex and intractable challenges facing macromarketers today: the HIV pandemic; marketing ethics; interactions among international trade, development, and life quality; materialism in western society; health care; and the conflict/cooperation of socioeconomic systems. A commentary also is included—namely, an interpretation and categorization of a large body of macromarketing-related literature. Zoë Chance and Rohit Deshpandé focus their article entitled ‘‘Putting Patients First: Social Marketing Strategies For Treating HIV in Developing Nations’’ on global issues of profound concern to the world’s less developed countries. From that perspective, they deal with the problem of HIV in the developing world and explore the macromarketing-related aspects of this epidemic from the viewpoint of a social marketing perspective. In this connection, they examine three cases—namely, successful applications of social marketing in Africa, Asia, and South America—in which customer-oriented marketing in general or patient-centric care in particular has placed patient needs first and worked backwards to develop feasible solutions. Although uncertainties and potential flaws remain in these programs, the authors express optimism that an examination of such cases will suggest how aspects of the consumer-centric marketing paradigm can illuminate ways in which concerned organizations can best serve the poor in an economically viable manner. The authors remind us that, to be truly effective in combating the most challenging and complex problems (e.g., the HIV pandemic), social marketing must be systemic and oriented toward macromarketing conceptualizations and outcomes. In ‘‘Applying Catholic Social Teachings to Ethical Issues in Marketing,’’ Thomas Klein and Gene Laczniak pursue an essentially qualitative analysis—that is, a philosophically and ethically oriented interpretation—to explore questions bearing on the relationship between Catholic theology and issues of relevance to macromarketing in general and to matters of business-related social responsibility in particular. In this, they argue for the applicability of the tradition in moral theology found in Roman Catholicism to ethical concerns that spring from business practices common in contemporary marketing. Journal of Macromarketing Volume 29 Number 3 September 2009 217-219 # 2009 SAGE Publications 10.1177/0276146709338705 http://jmmk.sagepub.com hosted at http://online.sagepub.com