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Developing a customer value-based theory of the firm

  • Marketing In the 21st Century
  • Commentary
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Conclusion

Just as it was inappropriate to characterize this as the development of a new theory of the firm, it also is premature to suggest that this commentary articulates a comprehensive customer value-based theory of the firm. The foundation for this theory was laid decades ago, and the ideas presented in this commentary must be more thoroughly developed before it can appropriately deemed a “theory of the firm.” However, as marketers, we should be committed to the proposition that the creation of customer value must be the reason for the firm’s existence and certainly for its success. Thus developing this theory further and testing the propositions that comprise it should be a high priority for marketing scholars.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. the University of Washington, Bothell

    Stanley F. Slater

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  1. Stanley F. Slater
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His research is focused on the nature and benefits of a market orientation and of being a learning organization, as well as on issues concerned with developing and implementing a market-focused strategy. His work has been published in theJournal of Marketing, theEuropean Journal of Marketing, theJournal of Strategic Marketing, theInternational Marketing Review, theJournal of Market-Focused Management, andBusiness Horizons, among others.

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Slater, S.F. Developing a customer value-based theory of the firm. J. of the Acad. Mark. Sci. 25, 162–167 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02894352

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