Wendell R. Smith - American Marketing Association

Leaders in Marketing
sue of the JOURNAL OF MARKETING. This article
vifon the Alpha Kappa Psi Foundation award as the
most significant marketing article of the year.
Another avenue of challenge opened for Wendell
Smith in January, 1959. He joined the Corporate
Staff of the Radio Corporation of America in New
York, serving first as Director of Marketing Research
and Development, then as Staff Vice President
for Marketing Development. He stayed with
RCA until April, 1962, when he was appointed President
of the Marketing Science Institute.
The brain-child of Thomas B. McCabe, Chairman
of the Scott Paper Company, the Marketing Science
Institute has these stated objectives: "(1) To contribute
to the emergence of a science of marketing,
and (2) to accelerate the application of science to
the defining and solving of marketing problems."
Fifty major business firms give financial support to
the Institute, and a variety of subjects have already
been probed by its staff.
Smith was a logical choice for the post. His background
makes for ease of communication with businessmen,
research personnel, and educators. He is
well-qualified to administer the work of a research
foundation. He sees his role at the Marketing
Science Institute as that of an objective observer of
the entire marketing world.
The Institute is exploring whether responsibility
for performance in international marketing should
be handled on the basis of similar socio-economic
patterns in various countries, or by the traditional
approach which calls for the welding together of
contiguous geographic areas. This particular suggestion
springs from one of two important considerations:
the Communication Explosion and the Information
Explosion.
With a strong international orientation in its
present operations, it is only natural that the Institute's
President travels to many parts of the world.
Moreover, he is a Director of the Council for International
Progress in Mana.Q:ement. and a member of
the Marketing Committee of the International Chamber
of Commerce. He served a.s a Visiting Professor
in 1963 and in 1964 at the Athens School of
Economics and Business Science.
Dr. Smith retains his title of Professor of Marketing
(on leave) at the Wharton School of Finance
and Commerce, University of Pennsylvania; and he
serves on the Advisory Board of its Management
Science Institute. Many awards have come to him,
including election to the Distribution Hall of Fame
in Distribution in 1962.
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