Marketing orientation in professional organisations: the case of further education

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Fook, N.Y.-M., 1994. Marketing orientation in professional organisations: the case of further education. PhD, Nottingham Trent University.

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Abstract

The study looks at the development of marketing orientation in Further Education colleges. Some resistance to marketing practices, with their strong association with commercialism, could be expected in colleges where "professional" rather than commercial values have tended to be dominant. Major changes in the environment of these colleges have recently changed this situation but there are differences in the attitudes to marketing principles between senior college managers and many lecturing staff.

The study looks at the possibilities and problems of colleges moving from a traditional to a marketing orientation and, applying a social science perspective to these issues, a conceptualisation of the key issues is developed. This identifies three behavioural areas: client orientation, employee orientation and organisational coordination. The ultimate logic of developing a marketing orientation is identified as assisting the long-term survival of the organisation in which it exists. A qualitative case-study style of research is used to investigate the perceptions of change in general and marketing issues in particular in three Further Education colleges. In addition to observation and informal interviews, 180 formal semi-structured interviews were carried out with four groups of people: college staff members, students, employers who use the colleges and people working in related institutions.

The study has three major outputs which contribute to knowledge in these fields. First, a scale of six levels has been developed which relate to different perceptions of groups of people in the colleges: selling\advertising, image, segment, needs, quality and integration. This framework helps the analysis of the way different perceptions influence the tensions affecting the pace of development of a marketing orientation. Second, a four- stage model of development of marketing orientation is offered: traditional, sales, quasi marketing and marketing orientation. This helps in understanding the stages a college is at in relation to the three behavioural components of the main conceptual analysis. Third, a change strategy for the adoption of a marketing orientation is suggested. The four wave model enables a college's management to identify their problems so that gaps may be identified and implementation processes planned.

Item Type:

Thesis

Creators:

Fook, N.Y.-M.

Date:

1994

ISBN:

9781369325454

Identifiers: