Marketing Education: Reflecting on Relevance

Abstract

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.

The Future of the Australasian Marketing Academy: Challenges and Priorities

“…Having set the scene for this broad vision, the following papers in the special section focus on specific challenges and groups within the marketing academy. The second paper by Harrigan et al (2021) 'Marketing Education: Reflecting on Relevance' considers the role and value of marketing education in the post-pandemic university. The authors highlight that despite marketing being one of the fastest growing employment areas across a range of sectors, students may not be currently equipped with the skills necessary to satisfy this demand.…”

“…In interrogating what we teach, the authors consider content and curriculum relevance; whether the value of a university-level education outweighs the acquisition of skills developed in the workplace; the need to diversify program offerings and delivery structures; and the ways soft skills can be enhanced to develop ‘work ready’ graduates. Harrigan et al (2022) conclude with a series of questions designed to trigger proactive reflection on the purpose of a marketing degree for individual educators as well as questions for senior leadership to foster the cultural change needed to promote and emphasise fit for purpose marketing education in university departments. In building on extant conversations on the relevance of marketing education, this paper prompts needed reflection on how marketing education can not only survive in the current environment but moreover thrive in the future.…”

Re-imagining Marketing Scholarship in the era of the UN Sustainable Development Goals

“…More recently, the calls for critical self-examination have reached a crescendo (e.g. Chandy et al, 2021;Conduit et al, 2021;Harrigan et al, 2021;Jedidi et al, 2021;Schmitt et al, 2022). The primary concerns of scholars have been the lack of urgency to embrace societal purpose (Chandy et al, 2021;Haenlein et al, 2022;Lindgreen et al, 2021a) and the relevance of marketing scholarship to practice (Jedidi et al, 2021;Wieland et al, 2021).…”

Developing and Sustaining a Vibrant Regional Academic Organisation

“…Graduates are universities' primary output to the broader community. Developing quality graduates in terms of knowledge and employability is paramount to industry that wants job-ready graduates with a range of technical and soft skills across several disciplines (Harrigan et al, 2021). A balance of teaching and research-focussed academics can offer a rounded skill base to students.…”