Marketing Education: Reflecting on Relevance

Marketing is one of the fastest-growing employment areas within commerce. Most of the growth lies in the role of digital technologies and in promoting sustainability rather than consumerism. However, students with mostly theoretical knowledge, even if in these areas, may not necessarily satisfy this demand, nor will students armed with strategic knowledge that is not required in entry-level jobs. There is increased demand from the marketing industry for job-ready graduates with both technical and multidisciplinary soft skills. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to reflect on the relevance of marketing education in universities in Australia, New Zealand and the Asia-Pacific region. At the beginning of this new decade and following a global health pandemic that has severely impacted the university sector, the time is right for such a reflection. Specifically, we reflect on how we teach and what we teach. Under how we teach, we consider two main issues: online learning and the role of industry certifications. Under what we teach, we consider three main issues: content relevance, soft skills and industry experience. We conclude with key questions for individual educators and marketing departments, and we provide some recommendations as to how, collectively, we can deal with the question we pose.

Industry Certifications in Digital Marketing and Media Education: Examination of Perceptions and Use Among Educators

Technology and media have created skill needs that modern educators are compelled to address to stay relevant. As a result, an emerging educational tool in marketing and media courses is the integration of third-party certifications that give students an industry credential for current topics or media platforms (i.e., Google, HubSpot, Hootsuite, etc.). To understand the diffusion of these certifications among educators, how they are being integrated, and current perceptions of their effectiveness, we conducted a cross-disciplinary survey of 122 college faculty who teach digital marketing and media topics. Findings revealed that certifications enjoy high awareness, with a small number receiving higher adoption rates. Users report a variety of benefits to themselves and students, along with some challenges. We also identify sources of major perception gaps between users and nonusers. These findings suggest that certifications are a permanent course fixture and are perceived as directly contributing to job and career readiness. An understanding of current perceptions and practices can guide educators in improving their use of certifications as well as industry partners looking to facilitate adoption and positive educator experiences.

Sustainability and Depoliticisation: Certifications in the Cut-Flower Industry at Lake Naivasha, Kenya

This article focuses on the emergence of certification schemes in the cut-flower industry in Naivasha, Kenya. It is shown that, although this turn is often legitimised through references to “sustainability,” the change was mainly brought about by the growing importance of a new value chain of “direct sales.” The article furthermore elaborates on the most well-known certificate in Naivasha, Fairtrade. This certificate aims to enhance sustainability by empowering workers, yet it does not profoundly change power relations within the industry. The article concludes that “sustainability” in the context of Naivasha has been an ill-defined concept, used to legitimise a turn to certifications. Rather than bringing about a profound transformation of the production process, these certifications obscure and even consolidate the existing socio-economic configuration of the industry. Certifications thus run the risk of having “depoliticising” effects.

Entry Level Systems Analysts: What Does the Industry Want?

This study investigates the skill sets necessary for entry level systems analysts. Towards this end, the study combines two sources of data, namely, a content analysis of 200 systems analysts’ online job advertisements and a survey of 20 senior Information Systems (IS) professionals. Based on Chi-square tests, the results reveal that most employers prefer entry level systems analysts with an undergraduate Computer Science degree. Furthermore, most of the employers prefer entry level systems analysts to have some years of experience as well as industry certifications. The results also reveal that there is a higher preference for entry level systems analysts who have non-technical and people skills (e.g., problem solving and oral communication). The empirical results from this study will inform IS educators as they develop future systems analysts. Additionally, the results will be useful to the aspiring systems analysts who need to make sure that they have the necessary job skills before graduating and entering the labor market.