PurposeManagement is constantly looking for ways to show how exactly the competitive advantage can be enhanced to achieve the desired results. As such, control mechanisms that are designed to ensure that the desired results are achieved play an important part in the successful implementation of a business strategy, which is why, in this study, the authors analyze how formal and informal control levels are deduced from the marketing decisions that operationalize the organizational strategy.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted a cross-section survey among 301 marketing managers. To determine which types of strategies are prevalent, the authors performed a hierarchical cluster analysis using the IBM SPSS Statistics 24 software and then constructed an ANOVA table to see whether there are differences in the characteristics of the different clusters. To determine the configuration of marketing control across strategy typologies, the authors conducted a mean difference test, aligning marketing control mechanisms with the strategies under study, significantly changing the intensity levels from one to another.FindingsIt is worth emphasizing that higher levels of control are related to prospector strategic business units (SBUs) and that informal control was significantly more prevalent than formal control for all the strategy typologies the authors' studied.Originality/valueThis research provides empirical evidence to gain a better understanding of the role marketing decisions play on formal and informal control mechanisms.

Background. It is undeniable that human capital is a highly valued resource in today’s increasingly competitive and interconnected world. Management education involving decision-making is a fundamental issue in today’s education systems. Particularly, the marketing audit improves the decision-making process based on the assessment of the marketing performance and the analysis of the market results. Although marketing audits are not widely used among organizations yet, marketing control mechanisms have become more important in organizational performance studies and must be integrated into marketing and finance education programs. Method. This quasi-experimental study followed a pretest/posttest design to measure differences in the scores 281 marketing and finance students in Colombia taking part in a game of marketing audit. Results and conclusion. All students significantly improved their higher grades after taking part in the game. Marketing and finance students also improved their responses. For the students in the final semester and for the male and mixed groups, there is insufficient evidence to suggest that the game can improve their cognitive results. Decisions between marketing and finance professionals must be reinforced, to allow academic organizations involved in developing markets and characterized by low levels of competitiveness improve their education levels.

Purpose This paper aims to examine the relationship between control mechanisms and marketing performance based on a sample of marketing managers. To that end, this paper focuses on the relationship between the types of controls used in marketing and the market and business results. Methodology This study collected the data through a survey among marketing professionals with experience and decision-making capacity involving marketing budgets and plans, in practical terms a sample of 97 marketing managers and analyzed the data via a structural equation model using Smart PLS 3. Findings The findings confirm that marketing control mechanisms have a significant impact on business results, demonstrating the relationship of formal controls with market results and the relationship between informal controls with financial results. Likewise, the authors were able to prove that there is a relationship between formal and informal control. Practical implications The implementation of the control mechanisms should be based on the development of a detailed evaluation system of the activities carried out by the marketing employees and an analysis of their capabilities and abilities. In addition, managers should integrate formal control decisions into their marketing strategy to improve organizational results. Originality The results of this study help explain the relationship between marketing control mechanisms and organizational results and allow to understand what the level of influence is that marketing control mechanisms have on market and financial results.

The importance of consumer satisfaction has increased in the last decades. This is why its measurement has been considered as the greatest weight indicator for defining consumer preferences and expectations. The objective of this article is to evaluate the relationship among the satisfaction levels of hotel service consumers in Colombia, their gender, place of origin and the connotation of the reviews made online as a result of hotel ethical behaviour. The applied methodology uses the non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test to validate the relations between the variables. A regression model is run to better understand the causal relations. Clusters are analyzed under the biphasic cluster procedure and a previously validated ethical behaviour scale is used to classify negative comments. Messages from 356 consumers on the Booking.com platform were analyzed. The results highlight that the place of origin and the comments made online have a significant impact on customer satisfaction. In addition, the level of ethical behaviour of hotels is affected mainly by the expectations about room, price and service provided by hotel employees.

Given that one of the central elements in marketing spending is advertising, this study aims at analysing how the advertising planning process is influenced by the types of responses expected from the audience, the measurement methods used to assess advertising effectiveness and the expected results. This study was empirical and exploratory based on the application of a cross-sectional survey to 150 marketing managers of medium and large-sized companies in Colombia. The results show if organisations measure the level of compliance with the goals established in terms of IMC, they will make better decisions and allocate marketing budgets consistent with their objectives, resources and capabilities. As the results of the present study indicate, organisations can experience weaknesses in implementing measurement methods that guarantee the proper calculation of organisational results concerning advertising investment.