Mapping the intellectual linkage of sustainability in marketing

• Published date: 01 June 2023
• Author: Yating Tian,Qeis Kamran
• Date: 01 June 2023
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/basr.12313

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Mapping the intellectual linkage of

sustainability in marketing

Yating Tian

1

| Qeis Kamran

2

1

Department of Design Production &

Management, University of Twente,

Enschede, the Netherlands

2

Faculty of International Management,

International School of Management

GmbH, Dortmund, Germany

Correspondence

Yating Tian, University of Twente,

Department of Design Production &

Management, Drienerlolaan 5, 7522, NB

Enschede, the Netherlands.

Email: y.tian-1@utwente.nl

Abstract

This study explores the status quo regarding the inter-

face between marketing, social and environmental

issues, culture and consumers, and strategic manage-

ment by integrating sustainability. A qualitative display

network technique, based on the bibliometric method-

ology of co-citation analysis, was applied to examine

research clusters. An integrative review was conducted

to explain the connections within these clusters. To

evaluate potential patterns among the studies through

citations, different sets of relationships among applica-

ble sustainability theories in marketing practice were

paired in different sets and analyzed. After mapping

the scientific structure of journal publications and

intellectual linkages, six cluster groups emerged,

reflecting the important role of marketing in linking

sustainability, society, environment, consumers, and

corporate sustainable development. This study contrib-

utes to social and marketing research and corporate

sustainability practice by categorizing the intellectual

structural network within various streams and indicat-

ing the influence of social and cultural notions on

consumer-focused sustainable marketing.

KEYWORDS

corporate social responsibility, ethical marketing, green

marketing, public policy, sustainability, sustainable marketing

Received: 1 July 2022 Accepted: 23 May 2023

DOI: 10.1111/basr.12313

This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distrib ution and

reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

© 2023 The Authors. Business and Society Review published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of W. Michael Hoffman Center for Busi-

ness Ethics at Bentley University.

Bus Soc Rev. 2023;128:251–274. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/basr 251

1|INTRODUCTION

Economic goals need to be set in terms of sustainability in all countries, and all societal stake-

holders should be involved (Brundtland, 1987). However, such a transition proposed challenges

in different environments, marketing systems, and corporate goals. This leads to fragile theoret-

ical development and confuses practical business with societal difficulties. Therefore, it is

important to straighten these theories to find appropriate drivers for the business.

The current conceptualization of sustainable marketing (Charter et al., 2002; Kenning, 2014)

and sustainability marketing (Belz & Peattie, 2012; Kirchgeorg & Winn, 2006) are slightly differ-

ent from each other in terms of focus and reflect the evolution of sustainability in marketing.

Elkington's triple bottom line (TBL) with three pillars (economic, environmental, and

social) analyzed the achievement of sustainability goals by assessing the level of corporate social

responsibility (CSR) commitment and the financial cost of environmental impacts

(Elkington, 1994; Elkington, 2018). Subsequently, ethical marketing (Gundlach &

Murphy, 1993), environmental marketing (Van Dam & Apeldoorn, 1996), green marketing

(Polonsky, 1994), and sustainable marketing concepts (Sheth & Parvatiyar, 1995) have been

developed. Broader discussions have also addressed macro-demarketing solutions for sustain-

able marketing systems (Little et al., 2019).

However, these theories have not provided a consistent definition. For example, studies that

focus on the capabilities, capacities, and success of firms may use the term “sustainability mar-

keting”(Kirchgeorg & Winn, 2006; Schrader & Diehl, 2010), while others define it as “sustain-

able marketing”that is considered as a part of a firm's corporate strategy and long-term goals.

Some of the world's leading companies have taken the first steps to promote sustainability

through their CSR practices, some with the help of other organizations, such as the Global

Reporting Initiative; however, others may have been penalized by their respective governments

for posing environmental threats and displaying a poor level of responsibility toward society.

The pursuit of sustainability goals raises ethical and moral business issues. Companies have

faced challenges in this regard.

There are different streams in the conceptualization of sustainability and marketing

(Lunde, 2018;Peattie&Belz,2010). However, the interactive development of concrete theories

and the existing practical application difficulties are left out. Instead of conducting an exhaustive

review, this study aims to explore the relationship between the essential research perspectives

and identify the challenges and opportunities for marketing practice based on the design science

method. Therefore, the research questions are: What is the status quo of the theoretical founda-

tions? What has been emphasized more or vice versa? How do these theoretical foundations

interact, and how can these interactions help develop future research and business practices? We

answer these questions through an integrative review using a bibliometric methodology of co-

citation analysis. This paper contributes to marketing research by providing a cluster analysis

with design thinking to reveal the emphasized and less developed theories and their interactive

linkages to enrich interdisciplinary studies. Further practical implications enlighten managers in

developing markets and products toward sustainability, consumer, and society.

2|THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

The sustainability framework in marketing has been subjected to definitional fragmentation

and different development focuses, particularly on sustainability and sustainable marketing

252 TIAN and KAMRAN