Marketing for participation, managing for success: the Louisville Racquet Club

Examines two different perspectives concerning the success of a tennis club. Case of the Louisville Racquet Club; Role of the coaching professional in the club; Elaboration on the equally valid perspective of the club owner; Analysis on data collected at the club.

The marketing audit and business performance: an empirical study of large Australian companies

The conceptual framework of the marketing audit has been well developed by different contributors since the late 1950s. At the present time, the popular marketing textbooks and the published academic and general literature deal primarily with the theoretical and practical aspects of the marketing audit without offering any rigorous empirical justification of the practice. The teaching of the marketing audit appears to be based on the logical expectation of its usefulness, isolated case studies, and anecdotal evidence. There is little indication of how the marketing audit is actually being used, the procedure in conducting it, and how the industry perceives and evaluates its benefits. This paper attempts to explore and profile the current practice of the marketing audit in larger Australian firms. The results of this industry-based survey of 216 large Australian businesses indicated that about 48 per cent of the respondents have used the marketing audit, with 75 per cent using the self-audit method in conducting it. The respondents’ perception was that the implementation of the recommendations of the marketing audit had contributed mostly between one per cent and 10 per cent to their organisational performance.

Experimentation and self learning in continuous database marketing

We present a method for continuous database marketing that identifies target customers for a number of marketing offers using predictive models. The algorithm then selects the appropriate offer for the customer. Experimental design principles are encapsulated to capture more information that will be used to monitor and refine the predictive models. The updated predictive models are then used for the next round of marketing offers.

A systemic approach to the database marketing process

The role of database marketing (DBM) has become increasingly important for organisations that have large databases of information on customers with whom they deal directly. At the same time, DBM models used in practice have increased in sophistication. This paper examines a systemic view of DBM and the role of analytical techniques within DBM. It extends existing process models to develop a systemic model that encompasses the increased complexity of DBM in practice. The systemic model provides a framework to integrate data mining, experimental design and prioritisation decisions. This paper goes on to identify opportunities for research in DBM, including DBM process models used in practice, the use of evolutionary operations techniques in DBM, prioritisation decisions, and the factors that surround the uptake of DBM.

Self-determination theory and needs satisfaction in marketing education : are we meeting the needs of students in large marketing classes?

The aim of this study is to assess whether universities are meeting the needs of students in large marketing classes. In so doing the study investigates the application of self determination theory and psychological needs satisfaction. The basic needs scale, comprising of three constructs; Control, Competence and Caring was adapted and used to evaluate students’ perception of an introductory marketing subject. The study used a multi-method approach consisting of a literature review, a qualitative phase involving in-depth interviews with marketing teaching staff and focus groups with marketing students and a survey of students about introductory level marketing. An adapted version of the basic psychological needs scale was included in a questionnaire that was administered to a convenience sample of 366 students. MANOVA, ANOVA and descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data. The results show that the psychological needs satisfaction of many students are not being fully realised. It was also found that marketing degree students enjoyed the challenges and were more stimulated by the subject. The higher achieving students enjoyed the challenge of the subject more than the lower achieving students. As a result of this study, there are three suggestions for further research. Firstly, further study should compare subjects, with relatively small enrolments, to those with large enrolments to corroborate the value of this method of assessing student satisfaction. Secondly, the use of a larger sample across other universities would confirm whether these findings hold for other institutions. Finally, it is suggested that a structural model should be developed to extend this investigation of student satisfaction and the constructs used in the study.

Investigating social marketing, benchmarking and public policy development in environmental management

This paper discusses, an application of social marketing relating to pro-environmental awareness and social change. The integration of consumer behaviour theory into social marketing has been highlighted in the literature as requiring greater attention. Social marketing campaigns, like all marketing activities, rely on an understanding of stakeholders' attitudes and motivations in regard to the issue of concern, as well as towards the desired modified behaviour or lack of behaviour. The study highlights the marketing paradigms of benchmarking and social marketing in a not for profit governmental environment. Serrated Tussock has been designated as a weed of national significance and therefore the program has national implications (Thorp 2000). Even though issues associated with introduced species are less publicised than other environmental issues on the world stage, the associated environmental problems are no less severe than those caused by production and consumption activities. Weed control is a widespread problem facing individuals, communities and governments at all levels. A triangulatory approach, involving three distinct phases and incorporating both qualitative and quantitative tools, was used for the research design. The qualitative phase involved focus groups and in depth interviews with landholders, focus groups with professionals in the field and a focus group of key stakeholders. The mail survey resulted in a representative sample of 608 usable responses from the infestation area. The research conducted in this study illustrates how the various stages in the social marketing process were achieved and recommendations consistent with social marketing theory were generated.

Government influence on intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in environmental social marketing

There is a need for more effective and efficient social behavioural change programs instigated by public sector environmental management organisations. The concepts of intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation have been shown to provide insights into the environmental behaviour of various groups. The aim of the paper is to investigate the relationship between Intrinsic Motivation, Extrinsic Motivation and Government influence. In particular this study examines the inter-relationship between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in environmental management. A random sample of 566 land managers in South-eastern Australia was obtained. A structural equation model was used to develop a model which identities the relationship between intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation and government influence.

What do they think when we stack them in? A comparative analysis of student perceptions relating to large and small marketing subjects

University education is in a period of flux with emphasis being focused on quality education, competition for students both local and international as well as changes in governmental financial support and direction. It is with this scenario as a backdrop, that universities in an endeavour to obtain economies of scale offer subjects with large student enrolments. This study investigates marketing students’ perception of and participation in marketing subjects relating to teaching quality, staff availability and support, and individual student involvement in marketing education with large enrolments compared to subjects with small enrolments. This research builds on the investigations of effects of class size by Cuseo (2004) and Binney et al (2004). The study used a multi-method approach. Data from a sample of 621 students was analysed using Factor analysis, MANOVA and ANOVA. Students indicated that there was little difference in the quality of learning obtained in small or large classes. Of interest from a marketing perspective, however, is the perception by students that they are more likely to obtain practical assistance and support from tutors in smaller classes. Student perceptions generally show no major differences between large and small classes in relation to subject selection, ability to learn and lecture  attendance. Students expressed a preference for the opportunity to choose from a number of lecture streams available in subjects with large enrolments. Of interest, however is the student belief that they are less likely to actively participate in large lectures than in small lecture environments.

Cause-related marketing : an extension of the congruity concept

This paper considers the concept of congruity or 'fit' in a cause-related marketing (CRM) context. At present, there is a gap in the literature that explores how nonprofit-forprofit pairings affect a consumer's response to and evaluation of CRM campaigns. This paper develops the concept of 'fit' with particular attention being paid to three dimensions, namely, cognitive, emotional and behavioural congruity and the role these concepts play in determining consumers’ perception of the 'relatedness' of products and causes.

A strategic approach to target marketing-choosing the preferred generic customer : a model of shareholder value performance

In recent years the contribution of the marketing function has changed and interest now centres on its contribution to a firm’s financial performance. The Marketing Science Institute in the USA has stated that it is the number one marketing issue facing corporate America. The Australian Marketing Institute is promoting a set of marketing metrics that will help Australian firms measure the function’s contribution to shareholder value creation. Much of the literature relates notions such as customer satisfaction and other marketing activities with a firm’s profit. A missing link appears to be the choice firms make in terms of which customer groups to target and the resultant impact on shareholder value performance. The generic customer groups comprise: existing customers, former customers and prospects. A review of the literature reveals that marketing costs and benefits vary across these groups. The challenge for management is to determine which group represents the best target and to allocate scarce marketing resources accordingly. The task is made even more challenging because the economic value of members within each group also varies and some product lines may be unprofitable and therefore, may not be worth pursuing. To generate superior shareholder value it may not simply be the case of acquiring the maximum number of new customers from any source but to find the appropriate mix of the generic customer groups and manage the individual customer relationships accordingly. This paper seeks to firstly summarise and review the recent literature on marketing and its relationship to shareholder value and secondly to propose a model for allocating marketing resources across generic customer groups in order to generate improved shareholder value performance. Importantly, the model not only covers increasing business with customers but also shedding customers or shedding the extent of business conducted with customers as means of generating shareholder value.