Operationalising the Relationship between Marketing and Economic Development: Some Insights from Less Developed Countries

Far from being parasitic and of no value to developing economies, marketing makes an increasingly positive contribution — relaying information, stimulating demand, transmitting price decreases and raising living standards. Nine LDCs are studied here, the results showing marketing as a co‐ordinator of production and consumption activities. The stages of development passed through by marketing systems are analysed, and indications of economic development highlighted. Countries are not identical, so a knowledge of these is vital to understand the pattern of marketing response and practice which emerges. Western techniques can only be transferred with respect to the social and cultural differences between countries, so a study of the long‐term evolution of their organisations is necessary.