HOW RESEARCH ON MARKETING IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE CAN ADVANCE INTERNATIONAL MARKETING THEORY

This paper deals with the question of how research on marketing issues in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) can contribute to the international marketing theory. Regional studies provide valuable insights into business environments, marketing systems and practices in specific countries and geographical areas, which explain their high appeal among marketing practitioners. While contributing to the general body of knowledge in marketing, they often lack a strong role in theory development. Two approaches which link regional studies to the advancement of international marketing theory are presented and discussed: research on CEE has to be either integrated into existing theories or used as a starting point for the building of new theories. The choice of an inductive or deductive research approach is rather secondary as long as unique marketing phenomena are addressed. Unique marketing phenomena originating from a CEE context bring forth innovative insights and have a large potential to add value to the international marketing theory.