Abstract:

The literature on marketing for HEIs is vast (e. g Marshall, 2018; Gibbs & Murphy, 2009; Kaplan & Haelein, 2009; Nedbalová et al, 2014) however, the contribution of this work lies in its distinctive angle and a special focus on the role of internal marketing and the power of employees as part-time marketers. The theoretical rationale builds heavily on the services marketing literature. HEIs are high-contact services, with highly visible service operations, and many interactions—moments of truth— that must be carefully managed (Lovelock & Wirtz, 2011). In HEIs, the services marketing triangle logic is also insightful. The services marketing triangle is based on three key components (organisations, employees, and customers) and three forms of services marketing (internal marketing, external marketing, and interactive marketing), emphasizing the role of those who provide services and the marketing effort by the service employees directed at the organisation’s customers (Brown & Bitner, 2006; Fisk, 2008). In HEIs, service employees are extremely important because they are the ones who deliver the promise, representing the service firm in the eyes of the customer (Lovelock & Wirtz, 2011). Additionally, the distinction between Full-time Marketers (FTMs) and Part-time Marketers (PTMs) (Gummesson, 2007, 2011) can bring great consequences for the approach to marketing in the context of HEIs. The argument is that the role of administrative staff as part-time marketers must be recognized because, potentially, all of them can perform the marketing function.

More specifically, and with all these assumptions in mind, this work explores the design of a marketing training program directed at HEIs´ administrative staff. To challenge this target to (re)perspective themselves as part-time marketers, the authors discuss key choices, curriculum priorities, and specific learning strategies. Hopefully, this discussion in the context of HEIs can be useful for rethinking the relationship between marketing function and marketing department in other high contact settings.

Keywords:

Marketing education, curriculum design, HEIs, services marketing, part-time marketers.