Nature and Geography

This chapter considers the appropriateness and importance of including the natural environment (i.e., nature and geography) as part of the external business environment featured in marketing textbooks. Based on myriad examples from industry, the natural environment is regarded as an uncontrollable force that constantly affects decisions about markets and marketing activities. Thus, it deserves some (greater) mention next to economic, competitive, regulatory, and other variables typically featured in most marketing textbooks. Based on a review of business news, industry concerns, and marketing textbooks, this chapter considers the current listing of uncontrollable environment forces typically discussed within twenty-five popular marketing textbooks. It is observed that nature and geography, common priorities for business decision makers, are conspicuously absent from mention within most of these textbooks. This chapter shows that the natural environment is mentioned in only five of twenty-five marketing textbooks: two introductory marketing; one marketing management; and two international marketing. Based on scholarly definitions and industry examples, nature and geography are, in fact, uncontrollable influential forces that affect markets and marketing activities. Consequently, there is reasonable cause for including them in more marketing textbooks. Textbook authors and instructors can provide students a more complete picture of how domestic and international markets and marketing activities are affected by the natural environment. In practice, business people acknowledge that the natural environment affects and is affected by markets and marketing activities in virtually all industries. Alas, marketing textbooks seldom little, if ever, acknowledge that nature and geography (e.g., topography, climate, weather, solar flares, natural disasters) affect how companies think about their markets and marketing mix. This chapter offers simple, actionable steps for discussing the natural environment in marketing textbooks and courses.

From Marketing Education in a Developing Country to a U.S. Master's and/or Doctoral Degree in Marketing

This chapter outlines the pathway to advanced marketing education by students in a developing country. We begin by contrasting the similarities and differences in undergraduate marketing education in Saudi Arabia versus the U.S. The analysis includes the typical markers of language and access to secondary sources, and culture-specific differences in the perception of time and various cultural influences using Hofstede's cultural dimensions. This is followed with a description of the pathway students from Saudi Arabia take to pursue a Master's and/or Doctorate in marketing in the U.S. The chapter concludes with the unique insight - unlike a sizeable number of foreign students in the U.S., most students from Saudi Arabia return to Saudi Arabia and in so doing stem the ‘brain drain' so many other countries face when their brightest head to the U.S. for advanced study.

The Mismatch between Undergraduate Marketing Education and Employers' Requirements in Portugal

The debate on what should be offered by universities concerning their marketing education curricula in order to serve the market needs, specifically the employers' has been widely present in the literature. Its relevance derives from the fact that employers are one of the most important stakeholders of higher education institutions, given their responsibility in the career of graduate students. In this chapter we intend to contribute to the understanding of the state of undergraduate marketing education offered by Portuguese universities and assess whether there is a mismatch between marketing education and market needs. A better understanding of the mismatch and its implications can lead to better marketing education programs, increasing not only the acceptance and employability of students but also the transfer of innovative marketing knowledge to companies. The findings show that there is indeed a gap between what is being offered by the academia and what is requested by the job market, in terms of marketing, that could be higher than 50% of the requirements expected by employers.

Reflections on Teaching a Global Markets Course at Jesuit Commons

In a world, increasingly confronted with conflict and various social issues, universities play a larger role in regards to understanding how education can be best deployed to advance social justice, freedom, equality, and human development. This chapter aims to share with readers - students and educators - valuable insights gathered from the online teaching experience of three educators based in various parts of the globe, who have come together “virtually” to teach a global markets course to refugees and indigenous people of diverse cultural backgrounds from various refugee camps in Africa- Kakuma, Kenya and Dzaleka, Malawi, and Amman in Jordan. The chapter provides insights into how digital pedagogy, culturally relevant curriculum design, support from community partners and commitment from volunteer educators can sustain the goal of educating those at the margins and promote social change towards sustainable human development.

Ethical Marketing

This chapter addresses those fundamentals and ethical issues related to the profession of marketing, as well as indirectly to other decision makers in companies, to guide human action in a moral sense. The main objective will be to provide different insights to business and marketing professionals to identify and analyze ethical problems in the various elements of a marketing strategy to propose alternatives, so that they may adjust their behavior according to the set of life and judging human acts (own and externals) according to the accepted norms and values. The chapter leads readers to an open invitation to reflect about his/her professional field: how I can contribute from an ethical perspective? From the ethics of marketing, how I can make decisions based on principles such as confidentiality, truthfulness, loyalty, transparency, fairness and accountability?

Two Different Aspects of Technology Regarding Marketing Education

The role of technology in marketing education can be described from two different points of view, the role of the technology as a tool for marketing education and the role of technology in marketing as part of the curriculum of marketing education. We begin with a description of the role of technology in education in general. That has been a focal point for research for the last two decades and in that aspect marketing education is no exception, in fact it is even more relevant for marketing education as marketing uses communication as a major tool. Alternatively, the changing world of communication changes how marketing is viewed, opening new venues for opportunities but also exposing new threats, one cannot be called a marketing expert without understanding the new rules of communication. The chapter will than present two cases one of a threat and another of an opportunity to demonstrate that point while also discussing the role of technology in education in an effective way for marketing education. It ends with a suggestion for electives for marketing education curriculum.

Marketing Education in Sarawak

The state of Sarawak is the biggest among the 13 states in Malaysia. It is strategically located in South East Asia in the island of Borneo. In the state of Sarawak, Marketing education has seen a tremendous growth over the years. Marketing is one of the most sought-after business courses by many school leavers. In Sarawak, Marketing education is provided by public and private universities and institutions of higher education in the form of degree and diploma courses. Marketing education views marketing as a discipline that can be learned through the classroom (off the job). However the employers' perspectives differ as they prefer hands on (on the job). The main challenge confronting the Sarawak institutions of higher learning is to produce marketing graduates capable of being competent marketing practitioners serving in public and private sectors. The question that remains unanswered is whether the marketing education curriculum content matches the trends and major forces in our external environment as proper attention to these dimensions will enable the institutions to produce graduates equipped with the relevant skills in the workforce or whether the curriculum content has been designed in recognition of the fact that students will need to cope with the complex nature of today's business planning and decision-making. The literature on marketing education in Sarawak, is limited and very few research articles are found exploring the effectiveness. The authors have contributed to the field of Marketing education in Sarawak in one of their previous article published five years ago. Therefore this chapter is an attempt by the authors to explore the effectiveness of marketing education in meeting the organizational needs in Sarawak from the perspectives of employers. This study uses qualitative methods which includes interview (face-to-face and telephone), informal discussions, email communications with managers, personal observations by the authors, and a review of literatures in the area of Marketing education. Marketing education, like marketing practice, is dynamic. Marketing education should continually evolve in such a manner to accommodate and satisfy various stakeholders such as government, business and industry, academics as well as students. The findings reveal several issues and challenges of Marketing education from the employers' perspectives in Sarawak. These findings will be useful for curriculum design of marketing courses. It will also assist marketing educators in understanding the organizational needs of marketing knowledge, skills and abilities required of a graduate. Future marketing students will also be able to know the industrial and organizational expectations required of them as a marketing graduate. This chapter clearly identifies some of the deficiencies in the area of practical skills required by marketing graduates in the context of Sarawak. This chapter is expected to provide the framework and prospect for conducting an in-depth quantitative research in Marketing education in future in Sarawak (Borneo).

Logistic Issues in Introducing Remote Learning Devices

Educational organizations have to face logistic hurdle when introducing remote learning using mobile devices. Unlike the introduction of a new textbook, the introduction of e-learning into educational environment requires adaptation, on the physical as well as the human infrastructure levels. The case study below describe such a move in a regional high school in Israel and presents the major logistic question the move presented to the school and other interested parties. The answers may differ from country to country but the questions seem to be more generalize, and therefore should at least be considered when preparing for the move. The paper ends with some of the lessons learnt, and recommendations for the future.

A Mental Model for Teaching Strategic Marketing Management

The complex realities of the increasingly global nature of business require managers who are able to see and comprehend the multiple interrelationships of factors in the environment to optimize decision making. This paper offers a mental model used by the authors to help students better understand the heuristic thinking processes that successful strategic marketing managers use in decision making and problem solving. The authors argue that seeing the “whole” marketing system and understanding how to integrate marketing knowledge is a key ingredient in heuristic thinking. To this end, the paper details the foundation for and the construction of a mental model for a strategic marketing management course. An application is discussed.

Promoting Effective Learning in Diverse Classrooms

Cultural diversity in society, the workplace and classrooms is more or less is a global phenomenon. The multi-cultural classroom provides an opportunity for students from different cultures to bring their enormous range of experiences, knowledge, perspectives and insights to the learning – if the process is enabled. Many firms around the globe are expanding their businesses beyond domestic markets. These trends indicate that many individuals are likely to study or work in multicultural environments domestically and abroad. Research suggests that faculty and trainers adapt their teaching style and classroom policies to accommodate multicultural learners. Disconnections may arise, however, regarding the willingness to include these accommodations. This chapter explores various issues which faculty and students face regarding adjustments in teaching style, content, and policies to adapt to multicultural learners. Specific recommendations to meet the challenges of multicultural learning are also provided.