Journal of Marketing Education current issue

The Guest Editors' Corner

Rundle-Thiele, S. R., Polonsky, M. J. — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:33:45 PDT

Modeling the Constructs Contributing to the Effectiveness of Marketing Lecturers

Sweeney, A. D. P., Morrison, M. D., Jarratt, D., Heffernan, T. — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:33:45 PDT

Student evaluation of teaching has been examined in higher education research for over 70 years but there are gaps in our knowledge about the contribution, and relationships between, the relevant constructs. Recent literature encourages researchers to test multivariate models of Teaching Effectiveness. Seven main constructs known to influence Teaching Effectiveness have been variously selected for inclusion in previous literature; however, previous multivariate studies have examined only a subset of these constructs, with the majority considering four or fewer constructs. The comprehensive model of Teaching Effectiveness developed in this study examines the main and mediated influence of all seven constructs on Teaching Effectiveness. Data have been collected from undergraduate marketing students. Three constructs (Clear Communication, Delivery Dynamism, and Assessment Fairness) contribute directly to Teaching Effectiveness. Real-World Knowledge, Rapport, Subject Organization, and Subject Difficulty contribute indirectly to Teaching Effectiveness. Consistent with previous research, these findings highlight the importance of personal attributes (communication, delivery, real-world knowledge, and rapport) on Teaching Effectiveness.

Can Australian Universities Take Measures to Increase the Lecture Attendance of Marketing Students?

Dolnicar, S., Kaiser, S., Matus, K., Vialle, W. — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:33:45 PDT

Lectures are a central element of traditional university learning, but Australian lecturers increasingly face very low levels of lecture attendance. A significant amount of research exists that investigates the drivers of lecture attendance. However, those studies typically study single factors in an isolated manner, thus overestimating the importance of individual factors. This study contributes to the understanding of lecture attendance (and nonattendance) by including a range of factors that potentially affect lecture attendance simultaneously, thus accounting for possible interactions between factors and identifying the key drivers of lecture attendance. The study uses a survey among all students of an Australian university to compute a regression model with the probability of lecture attendance as the dependent variable. Results indicate that only four of the factors previously investigated are significant for marketing students (i.e., the difficulty of the subject, the quality of the lecture as perceived by the student, the quality of the student as indicated by his or her average mark, and the format of the lecture), which leaves little opportunity for Australian universities to improve attendance with simple measures. Instead, the data suggest that universities need to improve the quality of lectures to achieve better attendance levels.

Experiencing the Product Life Cycle Management Highs and Lows Through Dramatic Simulation

Pearce, G., Jackson, J. — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:33:45 PDT

Product life cycle (PLC) stages and diagrams are briefly and dispassionately covered in the standard marketing textbook format with little attention to the social-psychological experiences of those actually participating. This qualitative study used process drama as a teaching tool and a research instrument to probe the PLC phenomenon in a different way. A useable sample of 27 students used the educational drama convention called Space Mission to Mars, a form of process drama, to bring first-hand contact with, and relevance to, this marketing concept and practice. Student journals were analysed through content analysis, and this was combined with lecturer observations and some semistructured probe interviewing. The study found that students clearly expressed a new, more involved, and more insightful appreciation of the actual conceptual marketing processes and emotional experiences that marketers have when directly involved in PLC activities.

Poster Sessions in Marketing Education: An Empirical Examination

Stegemann, N., Sutton-Brady, C. — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:33:45 PDT

Poster sessions provide a creative and stimulating alternative to traditional assessment methods in marketing. Poster sessions, as a means of assessment, have long been used in science fields. This article presents the successful implementation of poster sessions as a means of assessment in a postgraduate unit of study. Poster sessions in conference style were used as an alternative method of assessment in a postgraduate unit. The article provides information for marketing educators seeking to use poster presentations as a means of assessment in addition to providing the first empirical examination of the use of posters in a marketing education context. It focuses on gaining a better understanding of student perceptions of anxiety, stress, the level of creativity, and academic confidence in addition to understanding independent variables such as gender, age, and cultural background. Findings show that students are enthusiastic about poster sessions, which encourage creativity and provide an interactive learning environment.

A Case Study of Teaching Marketing Research Using Client-Sponsored Projects: Method, Challenges, and Benefits

Bove, L. L., Davies, W. M. — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:33:46 PDT

This case study outlines the use of client-sponsored research projects in a quantitative postgraduate marketing research subject conducted in a 12-week semester in a research-intensive Australian university. The case study attempts to address the dearth of recent literature on client-sponsored research projects in the discipline of marketing. Evaluation results provided from students in a 3-year period indicate support for the use of client-sponsored projects because they provide a number of benefits. In particular, students feel that such projects give invaluable opportunities to develop consulting and research skills that are highly sought after by industry. However, despite the advantages of the client-sponsored research projects, the quantitative nature of the marketing research subject is still an impediment to attaining high student quality teaching scores. Furthermore, there can be problems if students lack basic statistical knowledge, do not practice SPSS outside of class, and segment project tasks within the team. Finally, although client-sponsored marketing research projects can improve the profile of marketing research courses, they demand high levels of energy by the lecturer, a small class size (up to 35 students), and are dependent on a strong degree of client commitment.

Do Business Students' Culturally Anchored Values Shape Student-Driven or Teacher-Driven Learning Style Preferences?

Mitsis, A., Foley, P. W. — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:33:46 PDT

University education is part of a globally competitive service industry and contributes more to Australia’s export earnings than agriculture. This article argues that a deeper understanding of diverse cultural student groups is important for Australian and other universities that wish to differentiate their education service offerings by customizing them to different segments. International and domestic students are commonly seen to have different learning style preferences. This study empirically explores whether an understanding of culturally anchored values provides a better customer segmentation measure to predict learning style preferences than existing domestic and international student measures. Three questions are empirically addressed: Do business students’ culturally anchored values explain variation in learning style preferences? Do students’ culturally anchored values predict a preference for a more student- or teacher-driven learning environment? and Can an understanding of culturally anchored values provide a better customer segmentation variable to identify learning style preferences than the more commonly used categories of domestic and international? This study found that culturally anchored values provided stronger predictors of learning style preferences than domestic and international student categorizations. Implications for marketing undergraduate business programs are identified.

The Development of Competent Marketing Professionals

Walker, I., Tsarenko, Y., Wagstaff, P., Powell, I., Steel, M., Brace-Govan, J. — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:33:46 PDT

The process of transition from university undergraduate to business professional is a crucial stage in the development of a business career. This study examines both graduate and employer perspectives on the essential skills and knowledge needed by marketing professionals to successfully perform their roles. From in-depth interviews with 14 graduates and 14 employers, it is apparent that the transition trajectory is both diverse and dynamic. The first main finding is that the transition from marketing graduate to employee is marked by a lack of skills to organically "fit the organization." Another finding is related to specific competencies such as the ability to have and, most importantly, apply marketing knowledge. These findings have strong implications for the development and redesign of curricula to produce highly skilled, employable graduates and to assist universities in retaining a competitive advantage within the tertiary sector.

Advertising Education in Australia: Looking Back to the Future

Kerr, G. F., Waller, D., Patti, C. — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:33:46 PDT

In Australia, advertising is a $13 billion industry that needs a supply of suitably skilled employees. Over the years, advertising education has developed from vocational-based courses to degree courses across the country. This study uses diffusion theory and various secondary sources and interviews to observe the development of advertising education in Australia from its early past to its current-day tertiary offerings, to discussing the issues that are arising in the near future. Six critical issues are identified, along with observations about the challenges and opportunities within Australian advertising education. By looking back to the future, it is hoped that this historical review provides lessons for other countries of similar educational structure or background, or even other marketing communication disciplines on a similar evolutionary path.