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Resource shortages, which have increased in severity since the early 1970's, appear to have had a significant impact on the development of marketing thought and practice in Romania. They may well provide a practical rationale for the emergence of one of the principles underlying marketing in Romania, that of “rational and scientific” consumption. The impact of resource shortages on marketing, both at the micro and macro levels, is examined, as well as the ability of the system to meet its planned goals. It appears that resource shortages have not been instrumental in bringing about a more widespread acceptance of western‐style marketing practices in Romania. And it is doubtful whether the near future will see much change in this regard.

There is of late a renewed interest in trade opportUnitieS with the USSR and Eastern bloc nations. The availability and accessibility of marketing research on Socialist countries is thus an issue that is assuming increasing importance. This article provides an overview of major East‐West trade issues that have achieved research attention, as well as those that have seen neglect so far. An environmental constraints model, applicable to Eastern bloc countries and the USSR, is proposed that may provide guidance for future research.

The process of consumer goods planning and demand research in a centralised socialist system, that of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) is presented and analysed. The system′s degree of centralisation and performance record; and its effectiveness in meeting consumer needs are evaluated and suggestions for improvements are proposed. As recent events in the GDR have indicated, the system, while adequate for meeting “basic needs” is not as yet able to meet dynamically evolving consumer needs and expectations. The latest available reform proposals designed to overcome the system′s inadequacies, are provided.

Marketing policy concerns have been receiving increasing attention from Socialist policy makers within the last two decades, often as central components of overall reform efforts. Normative frameworks underlying Socialist marketing policy, as well as its equity and efficiency components are presented, and positive applications drawn from Hungarian Socialist experience are provided. Particular attention is given to the strategy of focusing on areas of “interest overlap”, which underlies such efforts. The Hungarian experience deserves close attention since it may well be seen as a precursor of future bloc‐wide developments.

Discusses the Romanian reforms of 1967 and 1978 which went virtually unnoticed, with particular emphasis on the latter date. Highlights recent managerial decentralization measures in Romania indicating marketing implications. Uses official and first‐hand sources in drawing the article conclusions, looking also at Romania's environment. Further investigates marketing and marketing mix implications and looks further at price, promotion and distribution. Concludes and evaluates by assessing economic reforms in eastern Europe in general and in Romania in particular. Additionally, the central plan was national control of economic activities and centralized planning reliance.

East European marketing progress has followed a series of economic reforms in different countries of the region. Changing marketing systems in these countries can be depicted as a move away from an authoritative to an integrative macro system. Most of the countries are at different points on this particular spectrum. Marketing reforms are more specifically related to both economic and managerial decentralisation. Most marketing decisions are beginning to be made at the enterprise level rather than at the central governmental level. U.S. and other Western practitioners must understand these changes so that they can expand their business with this potentially large market.

This research sought to test the existence of fragmentation between home office and overseas management and its potential impact on the planning and control of social responsiveness programs. Results indicate that fragmentation does exist between home office and overseas management especially in the perceived impact of environmental factors on strategic planning. The findings reveal that home office management appears to have a strategic orientation to management while overseas management takes a more operational approach.

A variety of topics within international marketing are reviewed: global product strategies; export marketing and distribution strategies; export and planning future business with developing countries; and the difficulties of trading within Eastern Europe.

The economic reforms sweeping Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union point to a critical need for consumer‐based market research in the region. In this study, conjoint analysis was used to analyse Russian ( n=88), Polish (n=77), and Hungarian (n=113) consumers′ decision behaviour in a single product category, colour televisions. Of particular interest were the separate and joint roles played by brand name and country of origin in the decision processes of former Socialist consumers. The results show that Russian and Polish consumers place considerable emphasis on the product′s place of manufacture, while the Hungarians were more “functional” in their decision strategy, focusing on the product′s intrinsic properties. Contrary to expectations, brand name was less important than other attributes in the decision making of all three groups. Each group also showed minimal concern with the interaction between brand name and country of origin. Discusses implications for Western firms which are seeking market and investment opportunities in the former Eastern Bloc.

Countertrade is a widely prevalent mode of trading among Eastern bloc nations. Countries and companies which wish to export to them can gain a strong competitive edge by incorporating a willingness to countertrade into their product offering. This article reports findings regarding the perceptions of benefits and problems held by British executives whose companies do practice countertrading with Eastern bloc customers. It also sheds some light on why the incidence of East‐West countertrade appears to be inaeasing.