An Experiential Approach for Developing Conceptual Skills in Marketing Doctoral Students

Abstract

Traditional approaches to specifying the domain and meaning of social concepts are based on the classical approach, which assumes a static view in which the researcher discovers and reveals the fixed boundaries of concepts. The authors introduce an alternative approach to concepts, based on a Wittgensteinian philosophy of science. This approach assumes that social concepts are dynamic, changing, and value laden. Varying boundaries for concepts may be appropriate depending on the social context and purposes of the research. The authors propose a step-by-step approach to analyzing concepts as a pedagogical tool. Here the student systematically examines the boundaries of concepts by studying the empirical uses of concepts in everyday life. They suggest that theories will be more relevant and useful if they are built on meanings that are grounded in experience.