Michael Harker

Relationship marketing defined? An examination of current relationship marketing definitions

Attempts to define “relationship marketing” have been varied and many, neatly reflecting the diverse academic and socio‐political backgrounds of RM scholars. This paper lists 26 such definitions, collected as a by‐product of a literature review. Presented alongside this resource are the results of applying a content‐analysis‐based methodology to these definitions. These results suggest that seven RM “constructs” enjoy general support. In a discussion of this, it is concluded that any integration of disparate RM theories implied by these findings is at best superficial and at worst misleading. It is further suggested that “true” and complete integration of RM theory must wait until a coherent understanding of these fundamental concepts has been developed. From the 26 definitions listed, one is judged as being more comprehensive and generally acceptable, and a new definition is presented as an inducement to further discussion.

Mind the gap: the relevance of marketing education to marketing practice

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to review the debate on the purpose, focus and necessity of UK undergraduate marketing education. Design/methodology/approach – Assumptions in this debate are challenged by the collection and analysis of interview data from practitioners, alongside additional data from UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in respect of their current marketing programmes. Findings – The results indicate that there is a large degree of commonality between the offerings at UK HEIs, and that some significant gaps between the teaching offered by the academy, and the knowledge and abilities required by practitioners do exist. Research limitations/implications – The data sets have limitations of depth and scope. Further research is needed in which the details of marketing education and the requirements of marketing practice are examined more closely, and at levels other than undergraduate, and in countries other than the UK. Practical implications – This paper should be of interest to marketing programme managers, and also to marketing module co‐ordinators as a basis on which to consider the future development of their educational practices. Originality/value – The collation of data about marketing modules offered by UK HEIs will be of interest to most marketing teachers. Further value will be obtained if this paper is used as part of the re‐engineering of a marketing programme.

Marketing and entrepreneurship : an integrated view from the entrepreneur's perspective.

This article explores the role and significance of marketing in the entrepreneurial process.Utilising an 11-year longitudinal study, supported by a context-rich interpretive approach, the interrelationship between marketing and entrepreneurship at different stages of the business life cycle are examined. Under an effectuation and enactment framework, entrepreneurship is neither ends-driven nor means-driven, but a consequence of the interplay between actors and social context through ongoing enactment. As the ‘joint core actors of the business’, entrepreneurs actively interact with their customers in shaping the marketing activities of the business to meet their ends.

Dealing with complaints about advertising in Australia: the importance of regulatory self-discipline

The regulation of advertising is a controversial and difficult process, and, given the choice, developed countries usually select a self-regulatory approach to deal with unacceptable advertising. Over the past three decades, two attempts at self-regulation have been made in Australia to produce more acceptable advertising. This article focuses on the complaint acceptance process in improving the effectiveness of advertising self-regulatory frameworks. The key findings of an Australian study, where its scheme has recently failed, are presented and discussed in this context, and theory is further developed as a key concept is uncovered and presented. The findings of this work have significant global implications, since they are important in assisting advertisers and regulators addressing the issue of effective regulation in both developed and developing countries.

What is postgraduate marketing education for? observations from the UK

Purpose – This paper seeks to highlight the significance of the recent debate on the “academic‐practitioner divide” for postgraduate marketing education in terms of informing objectives, chosen scope and structure and service provision.Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected on 60 programmes at 45 UK higher education institutions (HEIs) by desk research and from 129 PG students enrolled at five British Universities by means of a questionnaire.Findings – It was found that these were close parallels between PG and UG programmes in the UK. From the perspective of students intending to become marketing practitioners, five key strengths and weaknesses of current marketing education provision were identified.Research limitations/implications – Data on current PG marketing programmes was only collected from a sample of UK HEIs and not internationally. Data from students was collected only from five UK Universities.Practical implications – Suggestions are made for the ways and means by which PG program...

Lenses and mirrors : the customer perspective on part-time marketers

This paper discusses the relevance of the “part‐time marketer” concept to customer perspectives on relationship marketing. It reports key findings on this topic produced by primary research involving customers from ten UK high‐street names. Foremost amongst these findings are; customer expectations prior to interaction with part‐time marketers, customer perspectives on the role and management of part‐time marketers, and the impact of personal experience on service encounters. It assesses what customers want from the members of staff that deal with them and concludes by considering the implications of these ideas for theory builders and planners of retailing strategy.

Strategic alignment between relationship marketing and human resource management in financial services organizations

This paper notes the critical importance of financial services firms being able to successfully implement services and relationships orientated marketing strategies. Through summarizing recent literature and outlining strategic practice, the necessity of aligning human resource management (HRM) policies with relationship marketing (RM) to achieve and sustain corporate goals is demonstrated. The results of a set of case studies and managerial interviews with senior retail banking executives from the Greek financial services sector are used to develop a framework by which this might be done. Specifically, the role of the strategically significant Human Capital Chief Enabling Officer as a link between HRM and RM is proposed and defined.

Risky Alcohol Consumption by Young, Female Australians: The Influence of Significant others

This research used consumer behavior and social marketing principles to examine alcohol consumption among young female university students in Australia. Due to the high prevalence of risky alcohol consumption among this cohort, this study sought to examine the factors that influence the behavior of these individuals (Dowdall and Wechsler 2002; Shim and Maggs 2005). To date, this area of research has remained relatively unexplored. This article reports on the behavior of consumers in this cohort with a particular focus on reference group influence, in an attempt to make a contribution to future social marketing campaigns aimed at changing high risk behavior in the context of alcohol. The article also provides some insights into the possible components of a successful social marketing intervention program.

E-Marketing Action : An Action Learning Approach to Teaching E-Marketing

Influential marketing academics have argued that marketing education needs to be made more relevant to marketing practice. An important aspect of relevance is the acquisition of work-related skills, including group working skills. Traditional teaching methods are inappropriate for the development of such skills. Action learning is proposed as an alternative, more effective approach. The principles of action learning are described, and a case study of the implementation of an action learning module in e-marketing is used to illustrate those principles in practice.

The Influence of Residence on Young Adult Attitudes toward Healthy Eating

Like other Western countries, Australia too reports record numbers of overweight and obese individuals with young Australian adults in a particularly high-risk position. It is suspected that the transition from dependent living in the family home to independent living during young adulthood influences food choice. As such, this study sought to investigate if attitudes toward healthy eating varied by the place of residence (dependent or independent) of these young adults. Using a self-administered questionnaire, quantitative data from 310 Australians between the ages of 18 to 24 years found that young adults who lived independently displayed a significantly more positive attitude toward healthy eating than those who remained in the family home. Furthermore, we found that a significant, positive relationship between attitude toward healthy eating and the number of recommended serves consumed in both independent and dependent living arrangements. Being an unexplored area, these findings are novel and provide valuable insights for the implementation of an inducement process for planned social change as well as informing the education and motivation elements of intervention strategies.