Integration of Functional Areas of Business : A Research Agenda

Since the early 1980's relationship marketing theorists have increasingly underlined the need to ensure harmonious interfunctional relationship between marketing and other functional areas, in order to profitably satisfy the customer. A major gap in the literature, however, is the lack of understanding of interfunctional relationship in the non-Western context. To contribute to addressing this imbalance in the literature, this paper aims primarily to inspire researches that illuminate the non-Western context, which will be characterised by cultural fabrics and trading patterns that contrast the Western norms. The methodological approach in this paper is two folds. First, review of literature is undertaken to identify the core themes (and variables) and the debates in the existing literature. Second, a template is proposed to guide knowledge development in the area.