Joe F. Alexander

Undergraduate Marketing Students, Group Projects, and Teamwork: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly?

The ability for students to work within a team environment has long been a skill set prized by most marketing educators and practitioners. What has not been altogether clear is how to best learn such skills. Some educators would argue that along with the “good,” there is truly some “bad” and “ugly” inherent in the framework many use to teach teamwork. The authors of this study focus on the use of group projects in the classroom. Results suggest that educators need to reexamine this issue to ensure that marketing students are developing both discipline-related and support skills.

Integrating Business Technology and Marketing Education: Enhancing the Diffusion Process through Technology Champions

Basic and discipline-specific technological competencies are needed by marketing and business school faculty, students, and their employers. Integration of basic technologies is common and easily accepted among younger students and readily supported, at least philosophically if not practically, by most business schools. Conversely, many marketing and business faculty face difficulties and problems with integration of new and discipline-specific technologies. The authors propose that these difficulties are most likely due to limited budgets and time, nonspecialized technical support, and lack of a formal process. This article presents the diffusion of innovations theory as a process for accomplishing a more formal integration of discipline-specific technologies into a marketing and business program. The use of “technology champions” is proposed as a means of enhancing the technology diffusion process.

Developing Self-Marketing Skills: Are Marketing Students Prepared for the Job Search?

Sooner or later, most marketing and business students realize that today’s job market is competitive, challenging, and requires substantial effort in order to pursue successfully. This article presents the authors’ observations, job market statistics, relevant academic literature, and survey results concerning the marketing and business student job search process. The research findings guide several recommendations for developing student self-marketing and job search skills, with the perspective of teaching students to apply what they have learned in their marketing courses.

An Assessment of Selected Relationships in a Model of the Industrial Marketing Negotiation Process

Given the importance of understanding the determinants of successful buyer/seller negotiations in industrial sales settings, the authors tested specific relationships in a general model proposed by Graham (1987). Sixty industrial managers participated in a simulated sales negotiation exercise, which involved the potential purchase/sale of a high-end industrial product. Insights are provided regarding the effects of demographic and personality variables on the use of coordinative (versus competitive) communication strategies in sales negotiating, as well as the subsequent effects of different strategies on both deadlock and satisfaction outcomes.

An Involvement-Oriented Approach in a Medium-Sized Marketing Principles Class.

Abstract Presented in this article is a proposed involvement-oriented solution to the lecture/discussion and multiple-choice/essay dilemma confronting instructors of medium-sized (50–100 students) business classes. The approach was developed and subsequently implemented in a marketing principles class. The position taken by the authors is that knowledge and understanding developed through active learning can best be cultivated through practical application and involvement. An involvement-oriented approach is presented that has been designed to increase the level of active student learning. More specifically, the following pedagogical methods are explained and their use rationalized: (a) in-class involvement exercises, (b) chapter summary notes, (c) application-type, multiple-choice questions, and (d) the exam written-appeal process. Upon implementation, the instructors and students concluded that, though increased effort was required, the results made it worthwhile.

Teaching a Distance Marketing Course: A Case Study for First-Timers

The purpose of this paper is to examine the issues and lessons for “first-timers” teaching an undergraduate marketing course by distance technology and methods. The course planning and promotion process, design of the classroom and explanation of the distance and supporting technology are discussed.

NAFTA Revisited: The Role of Business Educators

Abstract The initiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) by Canada, Mexico, and the United States in January 1994 represented an unparalleled opportunity for U.S. marketers. Since the inception of NAFTA, trade between the United States and Mexico, in particular, has grown significantly. Presented are (a) a brief review of the current status and projected future of NAFTA, (b) an examination of some important characteristics of Mexicos business culture and economy that are very similar to those of other Latin American countries but often overlooked in international business courses, (c) recommendations for changes and additions to programs that prepare students and/or executives for doing business in Mexico and in other Latin American countries, and (d) a description of an example of a developing NAFTA business center.