Kenneth R. Deans

The Position of Marketing Education: A Student versus Employer Perspective

Presents the viewpoints of both students of marketing and employers of these students, in an attempt to ascertain if we, as educators, are satisfying the needs of both sets of customers, namely the students studying for a sound practical business degree, and the employers requiring students with a solid grounding in the essentials of business coupled with practical skills. Researches first‐year marketing students, outlining their expectations and understanding of the subject and focuses on recent employers of marketing graduates and their expectations and understanding of what a graduate should offer. Findings indicate that students are looking for a degree which furnishes them with a wide knowledge base, so improving their employment opportunities. Suggests that employers prefer business graduates, although they also consider there to be a requirement for task‐specific training.

E‐marketing in perspective: a three country comparison of business use of the Internet

Compares business use of the Internet (Net) and World Wide Web (Web) across Australia, New Zealand and the UK. The reported inter‐country comparison involves studies conducted by the authors in a similar timeframe and using similar methodologies. Finds both similarities and differences across the three countries in how business uses the Web with UK firms more likely to be seeking strategic advantage from use of the Internet. In all countries, business use of the Web involves marketing communication; however, use of the Internet as a marketing channel for transactions is much lower. UK firms are more likely to use the Internet in relationship management than are Australasian firms. Concludes that there is less sophisticated business use of the Internet by Australasian companies relative to UK companies. Further concludes that there is a need for further research to resolve the conundrum facing marketing organisations in all three countries.

Educational supply chain: a tool for strategic planning in tertiary education?

Examines the concept of adapting industry models to higher education, with specific reference to the idea of an educational supply chain, in which employers, students, university staff, schools and colleges work in collaboration to ensure that the needs of all are satisfied. The empirical research was undertaken as part of the University of Strathclyde’s Department of Marketing’s review of the undergraduate programme. It involved both students and employers in the decision‐making process and gauged the reaction of both sectors to the idea of becoming more integrated into the university planning structure. Results show that both student and employer markets welcome the idea of further integration and collaboration and that there are some valuable lessons to be learned from industry in the arena of strategic planning.

Quest for social safety in imported foods in China: gatekeeper perceptions.

Concerns about food safety, and mistrust of food production systems within China, result in imported food products generally enjoying a higher reputation than locally produced food products. Findings from interviews of gatekeepers are discussed in relation to conspicuous consumption, social trust, and the symbolic value of foreign brands and production. The issue of social safety emerges as a dominant consideration in determining product choice. Culturally bound constructs are integrated with price-perceived value constructs in order to build a comprehensive model of social risk avoidance applicable to food channel gatekeepers in China.

Towards the "Internetalization" of International Marketing Education

In an increasingly global environment, marketing educators face a growing challenge in terms of internationalizing offerings. Much of the focus of recent developments centers on the development of distance education programs, with the proliferation of such offerings. However, rather less attention has been paid to how the new technologies can be utilized to enhance existing, more conventional programs. Utilizing a framework proposed by Arpan et al. (1993), Kwok & Arpan (1994) and Kwok et al. (1994), this contribution focuses on the application of new technologies in order to enhance and “internetionalize” extant academic provisions, specifically in the area of International Marketing. The authors contend that the new information technologies provide excellent opportunities to internationalize international marketing courses in a very creative and cost-effective manner. Recent examples of how this has been achieved via the use of the World Wide Web (WWW), video conferencing and other emerging educational technologies are provided. Other ideas as to how these technologies might be usefully applied are also suggested.

A qualitative approach to investigating online strategic decision making

Purpose – Companies operating on the internet need appropriate metrics to make strategic marketing decisions. This paper applies established qualitative research methods to the online environment to evaluate how web managers generate and incorporate web metrics to inform strategic marketing decisions.Design/methodology/approach – Initial theories were developed using a comprehensive literature review as well as exploratory interviews with New Zealand companies. Applying a mixed methodology, the exploratory research used interviews to assess current practice within the industry, refine the research questions and set up the research design. An in‐depth case study in the USA evaluated best practices and highlighted issues that affect the use of web metrics. The main data collection utilized case studies to generate the in‐depth information necessary for theory building.Findings – The exploratory results showed that companies currently measure web site performance and consumer behaviour online but are still u...

Localizing Cultural Values on Tourism Destination Websites: The Effects on Users’ Willingness to Travel and Destination Image

The present study contributes to the current localization literature by revealing the effects of localizing cultural values on tourism destination websites on users’ destination image and willingness to travel. Reporting on two tests, the first is an analysis of the depiction of cultural values on 48 New Zealand, 36 Indian, and 46 Chinese destination sites. Results indicate significant differences in the cultural values exposed among the three countries. The second study reports on an experiment requiring 400 New Zealand participants to visit four versions of a fictitious experimental destination website. Commensurate with motivations for holiday tourism, results indicate that the depiction of incongruent cultural values to a target audience on destination websites generates a more positive destination image and greater willingness to travel, contradicting the current localization literature. Finally, managerial implications are also discussed.

Marketing practices in wine clusters: insights from Chile

Purpose – This research aims to investigate cooperative strategies within the Chilean wine cluster, in particular the factors that influence the development of inter‐firm marketing cooperation.Design/methodology/approach – A 2011 census of the Chilean wine cluster was undertaken. A 30 per cent response rate was obtained and the results are presented.Findings – The results highlight that location benefits of collaboration and access to information and technologies are important to success. Previous research has tended to focus on the issue of terroir. Results also provide evidence of cooperation between firms located close to the focal firm, in particular those directly involved in its value chain. There is also evidence of firms cooperating in marketing activities designed to attract new customers and to strengthen the resulting B2B relationship.Research limitations/implications – The findings shed light on strategies for the enhancement of formal and informal business networks as a facilitator of effecti...

Web Marketing Practices of Service Providers

A comprehensive study of service providers in New Zealand suggests that Internet marketing tends to be used for tactical, communication purposes, with few firms adopting a strategic approach. Although many top performers claim that information technology is a source of competitive advantage, relatively few firms appear to be using it to lower transaction costs or enhance customer relationships. Possible barriers to adopting more strategic Internet marketing practices include concerns by senior managers that the technology is still too slow, that customers are not ready and/or that customers perceive that electronic services should be cheaper, causing profitability concerns.

The use of emetrics in strategic marketing decisions: a preliminary investigation

Companies operating on the internet need appropriate metrics to support strategic marketing decisions. These metrics may relate to traditional performance measures but have the potential to include new metrics or new ways of collecting existing metrics. This paper addresses the question of how web-based companies can use emetrics for strategic marketing decisions. Specifically, it identifies some aspects of the current use of emetrics in strategic marketing decisions within the web environment. In a preliminary investigation, interviews with web-based business units revealed that companies currently measure website performance and consumer behaviour online but are uncertain how best to use those metrics to inform strategic marketing decisions. The findings suggest that businesses are looking for recommendations regarding management and choice of emetrics that will increase comparability among companies as well as overcome current data limitations.