Profiling contemporary marketing practices in Bangladesh

Purpose &ndash; The purpose of this paper is to explore how different types of firms relate to their markets interms of contemporary marketing practices (CMP) in an emerging country, Bangladesh. Additionally,the paper also examines the various marketing performance measures used by Bangladeshi firms.Design/methodology/approach &ndash; The CMP survey was used on 165 marketing managers chosen froma range of industrial sectors as a basis for data collection. Data were analyzed using cluster analysis and other descriptive statistics.Findings &ndash; The study found that a pluralistic marketing approach is predominant among the majority ofthe Bangladeshi firms, while few other firms also practise transactional marketing. Results also revealthat Bangladeshi firms apply a blend of performance indicators rather than relying on specific financialorclient-based measures to evaluate business success.Research limitations/implications &ndash; The present study provides a benchmark for future studies onCMP in emerging/developing countries and inspires further research designed to deepenunderstanding about how marketing is practised in emerging markets and how they may differ fromdeveloped markets.Originality/value &ndash; Since very few studies have been conducted regarding CMP by incorporating bothbusiness-to-business and consumer goods/services firms for a specific country into an emergingmarket, this study adds a new dimension to the horizon of CMPs.<br /

Understanding the dynamics between social entrepreneurship and inclusive growth in subsistence marketplaces

This article explores how social entrepreneurs utilize their unique circumstances and resources at a micro level to facilitate the creation of shared value at the meso level, leading to inclusive growth at a macro level in the context of subsistence marketplaces. Drawing from explanatory case studies of two social enterprises&mdash;Waste Concern (Bangladesh) and Seven Women (Nepal)&mdash;the findings suggest that social entrepreneurs act as bricoleurs to integrate their operant and operand resources in subsistence marketplaces to facilitate inclusive growth. The authors further connect with and extend three discourses of research&mdash;social entrepreneurship, social bricolage, and service-dominant logic&mdash;to develop a framework providing insights into the &ldquo;bottom-up&rdquo; approach, the underlying dynamics of shared value creation, and inclusive growth in subsistence marketplaces by social entrepreneurs. The findings also strengthen Dees\u27s (2001) definition of social entrepreneurship, confirming its applicability and relevance in subsistence marketplaces and further extending the theory of social bricolage. The authors discuss the implications of these findings, including tactical interventions aimed at providing better understanding of how social entrepreneurs create value in resource-constrained marketplaces, from a bottom-up perspective