CALL FOR PAPERS
SPECIAL ISSUE OF THE
JOURNAL OF THE ACADEMY OF MARKETING SCIENCE
A Tribute to Peter Drucker
Guest Co-Editors:
George Day, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
Stan Slater, College of Business, Colorado State University
Jenny Darroch, The Drucker School of Management, Claremont Graduate
University
Peter Drucker passed away on November 11, 2005 at the age of 95. Often
described as the greatest management thinker of the 21st century and the
first philosopher of management, Drucker coined terms and provided insights
that still frame much of our understanding of management and marketing
practice today. The Academy of Marketing Science will publish a special
issue of the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science as a tribute to
Peter Drucker. The primary purpose of the special issue is to preserve
Peter Drucker's legacy by creating conversations around many of his ideas
related to marketing. Accordingly, papers will be judged both on the depth
of conversation contained within the paper and the ability of the paper to
generate future dialogue.
Possible papers may include, but are not limited to, the following areas:
Marketing or selling? Drucker believed that marketing is merely
rhetoric in many organizations and suggested that too many organizations
still emphasize selling (which Drucker labeled the antithesis of marketing)
(Drucker, 1973). Done well, marketing should make selling superfluous.
Rather than examine what marketing is, a paper in the special issue might
examine how many businesses truly embrace marketing. What are the
consequences of emphasizing marketing over selling?
The primary goal of business is to satisfy customer needs. Drucker
(2001) added that businesses should start out by identifying the needs,
realities and values of customers. Those products and processes that do not
add value should be eliminated. What are the implications of eliminating
products and processes that do not add value? What is the impact of
emphasizing customer satisfaction as the primary goal of a business? How
does Druckers perspective interface with our current understanding of a
market orientation?
Managers must systematically monitor changes occurring within and
external to the business in order to identify innovative opportunities
(Drucker, 1985). What methods do managers use to identify changes?
Alternatively, a new conceptual model could be developed that embraces
terms currently used in the marketing literature: (1) creating vs. serving
customers; (2) reactively vs. proactively responding to market changes; (3)
identifying expressed vs. latent customer needs; and (4) being market
driven vs. driving the market.
The role of profit in business. If the purpose of a business is to
create a customer then what is the role of profit? Drucker considered
profit maximization irrelevant to the function and purpose of a business.
He went so far as to label profit maximization a meaningless, harmful and
misunderstood concept because of the perceived contradiction between the
role of profit and the ability of a business to make a social contribution
(Drucker, 2001). Therefore, how do managers balance the need for profit
maximization, a goal frequently rewarded by the financial markets, and
processes that result in innovation and customer creation? How has profit
and profit maximization been treated in the marketing literature? Can
businesses pursue dual goals of profit maximization and customer creation?
How do processes, capabilities and performance outcomes differ between
profit maximizing and customer creating businesses?
Marketing and the knowledge economy. Drucker was among the first to
recognize the profound impact of advances in communication and information
technology on management practice (Drucker 1995); in fact Drucker first
talked of the emergence of knowledge work and of the knowledge worker
following the passage of the Bill of Rights just after World War II. How
has the development of a knowledge economy enabled innovative organization
structures and permitted the coordination of extended networks of partners?
Have marketing information systems responded by providing metrics upon
which to base future actions, rather than simply providing an historical
record? Has the development of a knowledge economy accelerated the
convergence of previously distinct industries?
Opportunity recognition. The theory of the business is built on
assumptions about the environment and the core competences of an
organization. This, in turn, dictates the strategic choices of markets to
serve, how to compete in those markets and what constitutes meaningful
results. Drucker (1994) argued that businesses fail when these assumptions
are no longer valid. How can marketing keep an organization alert to market
changes, and capable of changing itself? What are the early warning signals
of threats as well as missed opportunities? What strategic choices are most
durable?
Consumerism, which has taken on different meanings over time
e.g., the overuse of advertising and selling to create customers, over
consumption for happiness and pleasure and the protection of consumer
rights. What is consumerism? What impact has consumerism had on society?
How does consumerism fit with Primum non nocere (i.e., Above all, not
knowingly to do harm). According to Drucker (2001), Primum non nocere is
the first responsibility of a professional, and the basic rule of
professional ethics, as spelt out in the Hippocratic Oath.
Both conceptual and empirical papers will be considered. This Special Issue
will contain competitive submissions and a small number of invited papers.
In the spirit of creating conversations around Druckers work, invited
papers will be followed by two invited commentaries. Papers not selected
for the Special Issue may be considered for publication in a regular issue
of JAMS. Potential authors are invited to contact Jenny Darroch for further
clarification on any aspect of this Special Issue.
Manuscript submission guidelines for the Journal of the Academy of
Marketing Science (www.j-ams.org) must be followed. However, manuscripts
are limited to 25 pages double spaced. Please e-mail Jenny Darroch an
electronic copy of your manuscript in a Word or PDF file. Manuscripts are
due by 1 February 2007. The anticipated publication date of the special
issue is 2008.
Jenny Darroch
Jenny.darroch@cgu.edu
George Day
dayg@wharton.upenn.edu
Stan Slater
Stan.slater@business.colostate.edu
References
Drucker, Peter. F. (1973). Management Tasks Responsibilities and Practices.
London: Butterworth Heinemann.
Drucker, Peter F. (1985). Innovation and Entrepreneurship. NY: Harper
Collins.
Drucker, Peter F. (1994). The Theory of the Business. Harvard Business
Review, (September-October), 95-104.
Drucker, Peter F. (1994). The Information Executives Truly Need. Harvard
Business Review, (January-February), 54-63.
Drucker, Peter. F. (2001). The Essential Drucker. NY: Harper Business.