Tony Conway

Strategic Planning in Higher Education

The Education Reform Act 1988 brought about a number of radical changes in the structure and funding of UK higher education institutions particularly within the “new university” and college sector. As a result, they now operate within a much greater competitive context and need therefore to incorporate a greater market orientation into their strategic planning process in order to acquire a competitive advantage over their rivals. Reports on exploratory research undertaken to assess the degree to which these higher education institutions are aware of the complexity of the student′s role and whether this complexity is considered in the development of an institutions mission statement. Assesses the degree to which institutions display an awareness of the various types of customer that need to be taken into consideration when formulating their strategic plans.

International relationship marketing ‐ The importance of psychic distance

This conceptual paper outlines why, when working in the international as opposed to the domestic environment, the success of a relationship marketing strategy is heavily dependent on levels of psychic distance. The higher the level of psychic distance, the greater the time and effort required to develop successful business relationships. At the different stages of relationship development, different variables of psychic distance assume relatively greater levels of importance which are likely to have implications for the implementation of a relationship marketing strategy.

The role of expectations in the perception of health care quality: developing a conceptual model

Proposes a conceptual model of quality which incorporates an expectation framework. The model was prompted by a related empirical study examining effectiveness in a health care setting which highlighted the importance of quality measures in a contracting environment. The model attempts to understand the relationships between perceived service quality and patient expectations, experience and satisfaction. Makes recommendations which are considered to be relevant to NHS policy makers.

Internet Crisis Potential: The Importance of a Strategic Approach to Marketing Communications

The Internet as a communications medium has the ability to instantaneously distribute information to a mass audience at low‐cost and provides a powerful basis for Internet Crisis Potential (ICP) when stakeholders negatively affect the reputation of a corporation and/or its brands. This paper focuses on an exploratory study that analyses current ICP management practice. More specifically, primary research investigates how the ICP is currently perceived and managed by corporations. The findings highlight a gap between corporate attitudes in terms of the necessity to manage the ICP and business practice. Online monitoring is undertaken irregularly and stakeholder and issues management on the Internet are not conducted on a constant basis by the majority of corporations. These elements, however, are regarded by managers as important for Internet crisis prevention. Although the integration of the Internet into the corporate crisis communication strategy is realised by the majority of corporations, only a minority has it fully integrated, for example, by having a “dark site” prepared. The implications of the findings are that communications professionals should gain knowledge and expertise of using and understanding the Internet medium. The strategic importance to manage the ICP needs to be communicated at all levels in the organization. An ICP management process is also recommended.

Relationship marketing in the subsidised arts: the key to a strategic marketing focus?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to consider whether successful subsidised arts organisations are more likely to apply a relationship rather than transactional marketing approach to overcome the tendency of not‐for‐profit organisations generally, and subsidised arts organisations particularly, to use marketing for short‐term, tactical purposes.Design/methodology/approach – Research was undertaken to identify whether “successful” subsidised performing arts organisations were indeed more strategic in their focus, whether they had applied a relationship marketing approach and whether such an approach had been influential in the development of their “success”. Preliminary research led to the production of a conceptual framework that identifies major partnerships and specific stakeholder types that need to be considered by a subsidised performing arts organisation if an effective relationship marketing approach is to be developed. This was used as the basis for subsequent research involving a multiple ca...

Staging the past, enacting the present: experiential marketing in the performing arts and heritage sectors.

Purpose – This paper seeks to investigate experiential marketing as a potential strategy for cultural attractions operating in a highly competitive leisure marketplace.Design/methodology/approach – The paper examines the relevance of the experiential approach for the UK arts and cultural sector with its multiple stakeholders and innate tensions between commercial objectives and curatorial/artistic goals, between visitor access and preservation and between scholarship and entertainment.Findings – Experiential marketing is evaluated as a means by which organizations in the arts and cultural sector can capture uncontended market space while satisfying the wants and expectations of an increasingly discerning visitor. The analytical basis for the evaluation is provided through comparative case studies – one from the heritage sector and one from the performing arts.Originality/value – The experiential approach is considered and the findings applied to a conceptual model, with a view to offering proposals for th...

Strategic marketing and clinical management in health care: a possible way forward

This article examines and comments on the role of clinical directors in the NHS (UK), with specific reference to the relevance of a strategic marketing emphasis. It utilises qualitative methodologies to collect data from stakeholders--in particular, clinical directors and other managers--from two NHS trust hospitals. It examines the extent to which a marketing approach is applicable to clinical managers working in these two hospitals. It utilises a conceptual framework devised by Kottler and Andreason, to highlight whether a marketing approach is, in fact, utilised by these managers. It suggests that a strategic marketing approach (based upon relationships), remains relevant to clinical management, notwithstanding recent changes in government policy.

Relationship‐based services marketing

This conceptually‐focused paper looks at particular changes implemented in the UK National Health Service. The specific context is the creation of a new organisational form: the primary care group, which brings together general practitioners and other primary care staff in a given locality. The paper attempts to examine the consequences, for the development of these groups, of the shift from competition (in the internal market) to relationships based on collaboration and partnership. The broad policy objectives envisage much greater emphasis on working in partnership, participating in strategy and planning (via new health improvement programmes), developing joint working, and promoting the integration of service delivery. A relationship marketing perspective is explored as one way of conceptualising the development of new relationships between primary care groups, health authorities, local authorities, trusts and other agencies and the paper suggests that relationship marketing offers a way of facilitating policy change.

A local authority management development programme

Evaluates a competence‐based management development programme for a public sector client. Utilizes qualitative methodology to gather data about the impact of the programme on participants′ behaviour and skills. The focus is a large city council, and the participants are from a varied occupational background, e.g. careers, environmental health, social work. Concludes that while behavioural changes are evident, there is also continued merit in the more traditional academic aspects of development.

Reducing hospital associated infection: a role for social marketing

PURPOSE Although hand hygiene is seen as the most important method to prevent the transmission of hospital associated infection in the UK, hand hygiene compliance rates appear to remain poor. This research aims to assess the degree to which social marketing methodology can be adopted by a particular organisation to promote hand hygiene compliance. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH The research design is based on a conceptual framework developed from analysis of social marketing literature. Data collection involved taped interviews given by nursing staff working within a specific Hospital Directorate in Manchester, England. Supplementary data were obtained from archival records of the hand hygiene compliance rates. FINDINGS Findings highlighted gaps in the Directorates approach to the promotion of hand hygiene compared to what could be using social marketing methodology. Respondents highlighted how the Directorate failed to fully optimise resources required to endorse hand hygiene practice and this resulted in poorer compliance. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS From the experiences and events documented, the study suggests how the emergent phenomena could be utilised by the Directorate to apply a social marketing approach which could positively influence hand hygiene compliance. ORIGINALITY/VALUE The paper seeks to explore the use of social marketing in nursing to promote hand hygiene compliance and offer a conceptual framework that provides a way of measuring the strength of the impact that social marketing methodology could have.