Gary Mankelow

Attitudes about Work Practices, Time Allocation, and Publication Output: Profiles of U.S. Marketing Academics

This study examines attitudes of U.S.-based Academy of Marketing Science members toward teaching, research, participation in administration (including service), and academic promotional issues. Individuals were grouped using Ward’s and K-means clustering procedures, which revealed four groups—established academics, research-focused academics, less satisfied midcareer academics, and satisfied teachers. Clusters were further profiled according to the amount of time spent on teaching, research, and administration; research output; and individual demographic and institutional characteristics. Overall, clusters were generally dissatisfied with a range of work-related issues, with workload stress appearing as an issue that needs to be addressed within marketing academia.

Social responsibility paradox of small business human resource management practices

This article investigates social responsibility (SR) and human resources management practices focused on internal stakeholders, namely employees, in a context of small business. SR is defined as ‘obligations to constituent groups in society other than stockholders and beyond that prescribed by law and union contract’ Jones (1980, pp. 59–60). Numerous studies have addressed the economic significance and effects of small business but contributions to HR within small businesses have remained relatively unexplored in contemporary SR literature. A case research methodology employing theoretical replication was used to select 10 small businesses across industry sectors. These were chosen with the assistance of the Hunter Business Chamber, Australia. A semi-structured face-to-face interview with the owner of the business who also functioned as the manager was undertaken using a research instrument comprising eight qualitative and open-ended questions. The questions specifically addressed the small business owners HR priorities, motivations, and financial contribution to SR. This research is designed to fill a gap that exists in the literature and can be considered innovative and timely given the growing interest by society in SR. The principal objective of this research is to broaden the understanding of small business by addressing the research problem: ‘Are human resource management practices of small businesses socially responsibility or market driven?’

Towards a Process Model of Independent Growth Firm Creation

Abstract This paper outlines a theoretical model of the broad entrepreneurial process that takes place during founding episodes that lead to the creation of independently-owned, new growth firms. The model outlines four broad stages, containing fourteen major steps that map the entrepreneurial behavioural process pursued during founding episodes of new growth firms. The model was developed from a synthesis of theory and the growth firm creation experiences of the authors. The process model has been used by the authors to guide the learning of more than 2,200 undergraduate and postgraduate university students in Australia studying the entrepreneurial process of creating new growth firms. Student feedback suggests high levels of acceptance and satisfaction with the model as a guide to understanding the entrepreneurial process.

A Structural Overview of Undergraduate Marketing Education in Australia: Implications for Defining Core Competencies

This paper examines the structure and curricula of marketing educational programs on offer in Australian Universities. This paper reveals that there may be an identity crisis of the marketing degree programs in Australia, as there is little consistency across degrees. Although not the primary objective of the exercise, some limited comparisons are made to marketing programs in the United States and patterns similar to those in Australia are identified. Overall, the paper raises the important speculation of what core competencies define a marketer. There is a lack of consistency amongst marketing offerings. This may be a result of efforts to cater for divergent market needs and if this is the case the marketing discipline may require less coherent and definable core skills for it to constitute a profession.

Are Serial Entrepreneurs Different? An Examination of Australian Microfirms

Abstract Serial entrepreneurs are business owner-operators who commence, operate and dispose of a number of business ventures. Whilst most entrepreneurial activity is related to one specific venture, serial entrepreneurs progressively “work through” a variety of different enterprises over time. Although the existence of such continuous or habitual entrepreneurs has been occasionally noted, little is presently known about the nature of such enterprising individuals and their firms. This paper draws on responses by 199 micro-small firms in New South Wales, Australia, to construct a more detailed picture of serial entrepreneurs. It examines the background and characteristics of these owner-operators, some aspects of their current operations, and whether the businesses of these serial entrepreneurs are more likely to grow than other entrepreneurial ventures. The results indicate that serial entrepreneurs tend to be male, relatively well educated, aged between 30–49, and Australian-born. Many (just under half) come from a family with a prior background in business ownership. A third of them concurrently operate another business, and the majority have a strong growth orientation. Testing of data between serial and other entrepreneurs revealed some statistically significant differences between the two cohorts. Compared to other entrepreneurs, serial entrepreneurs are more likely to concurrently operate another business; less likely to operate their current venture as a home-based enterprise; and more likely to want to expand their business in future. Serial entrepreneurs, when compared to other entrepreneurs, also tend to be slightly older, are more likely to be male, and are more inclined to buy a business as a going concern.

Marketing Academics in Australasia: Who We Are, What We Do, and Where Are We Going?

This paper examines Australian and New Zealand (Australasia) marketing educators’ perceptions of the most pressing issues in marketing theory, marketing practice, and academia. An overview of individual and institutional demographics is presented and includes how marketing academics allocate their time amongst a diverse range of work-related activities. It was found that the respondents undertook a broad range of activities (teaching research and administration) and that many felt that a stronger applied focus was warranted. A critical issue was the need to expand collaboration with the business community ensuring marketing education had practical relevance. It also seemed that there are some initial signs that pressures on marketing academics are increasing, as such it may be more important for them to develop career plans that consider the range of activities they need to undertake. Some recommendations for implementing solutions to the problems identified by respondents are also presented.

Socially responsible practices of Australian SMES: a marketing perspective

While issues of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and practices of large corporations have been widely addressed, the CSR practices of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in an Australian context have remained largely unexplored in the literature. Australian SMEs are making significant financial contributions to community welfare which is reflected in their annual contribution of A

Where Are We Going? Perceptions of U.S. Marketing Academics

251 million to the Australian community (ABS: Generosity of Australian Businesses, 2002). This paper applies a modified version of an empirically tested CSR framework (Quazi and O’Brien, 2000) and uses a case study methodology to map the state of CSR practices of SMEs in Australia. The findings indicate that SMEs demonstrate their social obligations in terms of two contrasting orientations; profit versus non-profit and marketing versus altruism. These findings highlight important implications for marketing theory and practice.