The Regulatory Perception of the Marketing Function: an Interpretation of UK Competition Authority Investigations 1950-2005

john k. Ashton () and Andrew Pressey ()
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Andrew Pressey: Norwich Business School, University of East Anglia

No 07-1, Working Papers from Centre for Competition Policy, University of East Anglia

Abstract: This paper explores and quantifies the link between marketing and rulings on competition or antitrust law made by UK competition or antitrust authorities. This examination is timely due to both the changing form and increasing severity of competition law in the UK and the strong associations identified between marketing and antitrust law in the US literature. Through a comprehensive examination of past UK competition rulings from 1950-2005, the frequency and content of the principal forms of uncompetitive behaviour during the last half century are recorded. A high proportion of competition law violations are associated with the marketing function. UK competition authorities have viewed specific marketing practices and, more generally, the direction, scope and scale of marketing activity to be causes for concern. We conclude that marketers need to develop a greater awareness of competition law and contribute more to the ongoing discussion as to the present and future form of competition policy.

Keywords: Marketing; marketing practices; competition law; antitrust law; anticompetitive behaviour (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: M31 K21 L42 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-com, nep-his, nep-law, nep-mkt and nep-reg
Date: 2007-01

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