THE MARKETING IN EASTERN EUROPE. AN ANALYSIS FROM THE COMMUNIST PHASE TO THE PRESENT TIME

Abstract: The purpose of this thesis is to deliver an integrated overview on the development of marketing in the Eastern European countries from the communist era to the present time and answer the main research question: How has marketing in the Eastern European countries changed from the communist era to the present time? In addition to this, three propositions are composed and further investigated.   The research philosophy of this thesis is based on a subjectivist ontological view and an interpretivist epistemological approach. The deductive research approach studies the research question, while adopting a qualitative research method. In addition, the practical research adopted for the purpose of this thesis is based on conducting multiple semi structured interviews with respondents, representing a diverse sample of firms. The firms are divided according to their country of origin, providing an inside and an outside view on the development of marketing in the Eastern European countries. At the same time, all the firms interviewed fulfill the criteria of being present on the Eastern European market. The final results are gained by the combination of the primary data, collected during the interviews, and secondary data, gained from a literature review undertaken by the authors.   The theoretical contribution of this thesis is represented by the empirical findings. They provide a complex overview on the most important political, economic, social and cultural changes in the Eastern Europe from the communist era to the present time, while linking them to the development of marketing within this selected geographical area.