Complementing the Dominant Social Paradigm with Sustainability
Journal
Journal of macromarketing
ISSN
0276-1467
ISSN-Digital
1552-6534
Type
journal article
Date Issued
2017-03-23
Author(s)
Abstract
The dominant social paradigm (DSP) defines the basic belief structures and practices of marketplace actors and is manifested in existing exchange structures. Sustainability – a so-called megatrend – challenges the DSP by questioning its underlying assumptions, resulting in tensions or conflicts for different marketplace actors. This study examines a specific case of an alternative market arrangement that bridges tensions between the DSP and environmental concerns. Ethnography in the context of retail food waste disposition reveals tensions experienced by several marketplace actors – namely consumers, retail firms and regulators – and investigates an alternative market arrangement that alleviates those tensions by connecting the actors and their practices in a creative new way. We identify complementarity as the underlying mechanism of connection and resolution. Compared to previously identified alternative market arrangements that are either oppositional or parallel to the DSP, complementarity opens another path toward greater environmental sustainability through market-level solutions.
Language
English
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
HSG Profile Area
Global Center for Customer Insight
Refereed
Yes
Publisher
Sage
Publisher place
Thousand Oaks, Calif.
Volume
37
Number
2
Start page
143
End page
152
Subject(s)
Eprints ID
250333
File(s)![Thumbnail Image]()
Name
2017_01_10_FinalRound_JGtoJS.docx
Size
183.03 KB
Format
Microsoft Word XML
Checksum (MD5)
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