KOREASCHOLAR

Despite the continued and increasing relevance of public policy and regulatory issues in managerial marketing, legal topics related to marketing are often covered in little detail. “Business law” or “legal environment of business” courses typically address marketing issues superficially, while courses for marketing majors may include a few references to legal or regulatory topics as anecdotes or archaic history (e.g., Sherman Antitrust Act). Managerially germane topics such as consumer privacy, antitrust, consumer protection, product safety, or intellectual property may be cursorily included in an introductory business law course or principles of marketing course, but this does not insure connection of these concepts with “real life” significance. Many practical factors, such as globalization, and academic factors, such as those related to the establishment of a broad domain of research and conceptual development in “marketing and public policy,” have expanded the domain of marketing from a pure business orientation to one through which law, regulation, and public policy are worthy of more in-depth treatment of these topics in the tertiary marketing education curriculum. This paper outlines why and how “marketing and public policy” can be taught and how it can complement the broader curriculum of the business school. From the manager’s perspective, the legal environment of business often represents a series of challenges or impediments to the manager’s decisions and to a business’ success. At the same time, whether or not a consumer is aware of it, these same business impediments often represent protections to the consumer from financial or physical harm. Criminal sanctions in a global (or national) marketing context can include imprisonment for managers or multimillion dollar judgments against companies; this should provide sufficient incentive for marketing practitioners in the business community to develop an interest in marketing law, and this interest can be fostered through examples, cases, and student research. Public policy topics often compel decision makers to consider broad questions (“what is a market?”) as much as they must bear in mind matters related to consumers and competitors (“Is comparative advertising effective?”). Teaching marketing students to be concerned and informed about the law can produce marketing managers who are aware of their social and legal environments. Incorporating public-policy related examples across courses can also satisfy pedagogical objectives.

• Steven W. Kopp(University of Arkansas, USA)