Developing successful theories in marketing: insights from resource-advantage theory

Abstract

1 Yadav's (2010) analysis actually understates the importance of theoretical articles because, unquestionably, many of the articles classified as "empirical" in his study were subsequently cited because of the theory developed in the "front half" of the articles, not the empirical part in the "back half." That is many articles (e.g., Morgan and Hunt 1994) classified as "empirical" by Yadav (2010) are subsequently cited for their theories, not their empirics.Abstract All disciplines require both (1) the development of theories that explain and predict important phenomena and (2) empirical research that tests the theories. Purely conceptual/theoretical articles are central to theory development and are generally more influential than empirical articles. However, not all conceptual articles are equally successful. This article addresses the issue of why some theoretical articles are more successful than others. Using a highly successful theory in marketing, resource-advantage theory, as a case-example, this article develops five guides for authors seeking to develop successful theories: (1) focus theory development on important issues in macromarketing and/or micromarketing, (2) craft theories with high explanatory and predictive power, (3) respect other disciplines' literatures, (4) publish the theory in nonmarketing journals, and (5) explore the normative implications of the theory.

Marketing resources, performance, and competitive advantage: A review and future research directions

“…In contrast to RBT, RAT posits that a firm can achieve sustainable competitive advantage only if it manages and manipulates its internal resources in such a way that their consumption in a dynamic industry competition provides superior financial performance for a firm (Hunt, 1997(Hunt, , 2011. The theory adopts a resourcebased view (RBV) of the firm by focusing on marketing resources in terms of their ability to obtain competitive advantage.…”

Effects of Sustainable Brand Equity and Marketing Innovation on Market Performance in Hospitality Industry: Mediating Effects of Sustainable Competitive Advantage

“…The purpose of this study is to fill this gap in literature by testing sustainable marketing approaches in the Pakistani hospitality market. By sustainable marketing assets, we mean brand equity and marketing innovations that can ensure continuous business success, creating a sustainable business opportunity.According to resource advantage theory (RAT), when a firm orchestrates and manages its resources in a dynamic way, the consumption of its products or services provides superior market performance [8,9]. Resource advantage theory takes on a resource-based view (RBV) of organization by paying attention to marketing resources in terms of their capacity to gain a sustainable competitive advantage (SCA).…”

Ruminations about making a theoretical contribution

“…Further elaborating on advice about theory development, Hunt (2011) in "Developing Successful Theories in Marketing: Insights from Resource Advantage Theory" has provided insights into what makes a theory great and offers five guides for authors seeking to develop successful theories in marketing. Drawing from his own very successful marketing theory that has in excess of a thousand citations, tens of thousands search engine hits, and garnered numerous awards, Hunt seeks to derive the characteristics of successful theories in marketing.…”