Factors enabling pervasiveness of belief and ethics-based marketing practice: an interpretive structural modeling approach

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to identify enablers of belief and ethics-based marketing practices, establish relationships among the factors and present them in a hierarchical model to derive critical insights. This paper emphasizes interpretations of the in-depth interviews to decipher the market pervasiveness of the evolved model. Design/methodology/approach In-depth interviews were conducted with individuals and small groups of informed and elite respondents pursuing marketing guided explicitly by ethics and led by belief. The interview data further corroborated with the related literature contributed to specific factors. Finally, interpretive structural modeling has been implemented step by step to develop a systematic model for enablers. Findings This paper contributes a structural relationship of morality and ethics, strengthening faith and belief through philosophical understanding, which traverses into the actions related to societal benefits with the support of market opportunity development while bringing in value, enhancing the demand in return and establishing market pervasiveness. The crux of this paper is that the foundation of belief will reduce the hierarchy of other related factors while strengthening their interdependencies with equity to contribute to the development of the pervasiveness of the market for such organizations. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study exploring and examining the enablers contributing to belief and ethics-based organizations’ pervasiveness along with their interrelationships. The initial intrigue that led to the inquiry was evidence of the market pervasiveness of such organizations’ products and services across various streams.