By Ihezue Chiemerem Osinachi
The fundamental objective(s) of most businesses is primarily to maximize profit(s) without any regard to the threat posed on the environment due to their multifarious businesses activities. This insatiable and inexhaustible quest for profit maximization is been brought under strict scrutiny and great criticisms. Over the years, various stakeholders have indeed opined that businesses are not in essence set up solely to make profit(s) only rather should include the advancement of the interests and protection of the totality of the society and its environment as a whole. Due to the recent awareness in the proper role of businesses in the society and has led to an increased sensitivity to social, environmental and ethical issues. This has further necessitated the need for effective and efficient adoption, implementation and execution of policy guidelines in line with the rudiments, tenets and principles of societal marketing concept postulated by Philip Kotler. Multinational oil companies after a careful perusal of data obtained in the field have not adequately internalized the principles of societal marketing concept. In contrast to the expectation(s) of their host communities, thus, resulting in a situation where residents of the host communities feel marginalized, abandoned, neglected and left at their own whims and caprices without bearing in mind that their immediate environment (both flora and fauna) have been greatly ravished and abused. As a measure in streamlining and mitigating the adverse impact on the lives of the residents of host communities as gathered from analysis of data obtained by the researcher in the field, basically due to the presence and activities of these multinational oil companies. There is indeed an urgent need for an increased and routine periodic review on the scope and implementation of societal marketing concept by these multinational oil companies.