BSc (Monash), GradCertBus(Mkt) (Moorabbin TAFE ...€¦ · BSc (Monash), GradCertBus(Mkt) (Moorabbin TAFE), GradDipMkt (Monash), MBus(Mkt) (Monash) Submitted in total FULFILMENT of

MARKETING EDUCATION: INVESTIGATING THE

SKILLS AND TASKS ESSENTIAL FOR THE

ESTABLISHMENT OF MARKETING CAREERS

JOHN BOYD-GERNY BSc (Monash), GradCertBus(Mkt) (Moorabbin TAFE), GradDipMkt (Monash),

MBus(Mkt) (Monash)

Submitted in total FULFILMENT of the requirements of the

degree of Doctor of Philosophy

Faculty of Business and Enterprise

Swinburne University of Technology

2015

i

ABSTRACT

The higher education sector in Australia employs over 100,000 people, contributes $170

billion per annum in wages, and is the third largest export industry within the economy.

Continued growth is fundamental to economic and social improvement, however,

increased competition from overseas institutions, international economic volatility and

perceptions of curriculum relevance have placed the industry at risk.

Over the past decade, studies have identified deficiencies in the capacity of higher

education programs to develop the skills required by graduates to establish careers in a

dynamic, global environment. These findings suggest that the ability of Higher

Education institutions in Australia to attract both domestic and international students

may be diminished. By examining the perceptions of marketing managers of the skills

required to enable career establishment, this study extends our knowledge of the skills

that are required within the contemporary marketing environment. The study then

furthers our understanding of the role of post-graduate marketing programs in

developing or refining these skills and highlights a number of areas where the

curriculum is perceived to be inadequate.

A mixed methods approach is employed, which involves four phases of research. The

first phase included a comprehensive review of literature and a content analysis of;

Australian post-graduate course curricula, marketing management job advertisements,

and marketing position descriptions. Phase two involved in-depth interviews with

marketing industry professionals, academics and marketing management recruitment

consultants. The third phase was a mail survey of marketing managers to capture their

perceptions of career establishment skills, and the role that their post-graduate studies

played in developing these skills. The fourth and final phase involved the presentation

of results of the survey to Phase two respondents in order to validate these results.

The survey found that a wide range of skills were perceived to be important for career

establishment, but the key skills were people management skills. This finding was

confirmed by identifying the tasks required by marketing managers and the frequency of

conduct of these tasks as well as the identification of the skills needed to undertake such

ii

tasks. Survey respondents, all of whom had undertaken a post-graduate marketing

program in Australia, also reported that the programs they had undertaken did not

provide the skills which they saw as fundamental to their management roles.

As well as extending knowledge, the research findings provide an opportunity for

academia and policy makers to reflect on the higher education curriculum to ensure that

the skills required in later career stages are indeed delivered to postgraduate students.

iii

STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP Except where reference is made in the text of this thesis, this thesis contains no material published

elsewhere or extracted in whole or in part from a thesis submitted for the award of any other

degree or diploma. No other person’s work has been used without due acknowledgement in the

main text of this thesis. This thesis has not been submitted for the award of any degree or diploma

in any other tertiary institution.

All research procedures reported in the thesis were approved by the relevant Ethics Committee or

Safety Committee or authorised officer.

Signed ----------------------------------------------------------------

John Boyd-Gerny

Dated ------------------------------------------------------------------

iv

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to acknowledge and offer my sincere gratitude to all those people who

have supported and assisted me in making this thesis possible. I would like to thank

the management and staff at Swinburne University for accepting me into their PhD

program. I would like to make particular attention to the following:

Professor Valarie Clulow – who with her encouragement and belief started me on my

academic journey towards my PhD,

Joel Haire – who believed in the story and why it should be told,

Dr. Judy Rex – who introduced and coached me in the art of marketing research,

Professor Linda Brennan – who patiently prepared and taught me the art of academic

research,

Dr. Joan Grainger – who is my mentor and for whose assistance I am eternally indebted,

Mr Craig Allen – who as a true friend helped and guided me in completing this thesis,

Professor Barry O’Mahony – for his patience, guidance, and imparting his immense

knowledge, that without which I could not have imagined completing this study,

To the Marketing Managers, Marketing Management Recruitment Consultants and to

the academics who gave their time so freely, my sincere appreciation,

And finally to my immediate family to whom this thesis, I dedicate to. My daughter,

Caitlin Boyd-Gerny and my wife, Renita Boyd-Gerny whose emotional support and

strength for all of these years, I will now spend the rest of my life repaying.

v

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT .......................................................................................................................... I

STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP ............................................................................. III

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................... IV

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION .................................................................................. 1

1.1: OVERVIEW ............................................................................................................... 1

1.2: THE CONTRIBUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION .......................................................... 4

1.3: THE QUALITY FRAMEWORK FOR THE HIGHER EDUCATION SECTOR IN AUSTRALIA . 6

1.4: EDUCATION AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF MARKETING MANAGERS ......................... 8

1.5: SKILLS AND TASKS OF MARKETING MANAGERS ...................................................... 9

1.6: IMPORTANT SKILLS FOR MARKETING MANAGERS ................................................. 11

1.7: CAREER ANCHORS OF MARKETING MANAGERS .................................................... 14

1.8: PURPOSE OF THE RESEARCH .................................................................................. 16

1.9: RESEARCH QUESTIONS .......................................................................................... 16

1.10: OVERVIEW OF RESEARCH DESIGN ....................................................................... 18

1.11: JUSTIFICATION ..................................................................................................... 20

1.12: CONTRIBUTION .................................................................................................... 21

1.13: OVERVIEW OF STRUCTURE OF THE THESIS .......................................................... 22

CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW ...................................................................... 24

2.1: INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................... 24

2.2: BACKGROUND .................................................................................................. 25

2.3: CHANGING CAREER STRUCTURES, IMPLICATIONS AND DRIVERS OF SUCCESS ..... 27

2.3.1: THE TRADITIONAL AND NEW CAREER STRUCTURE ........................................ 29

2.3.2: IMPLICATIONS OF CHANGING ENVIRONMENT FOR EDUCATORS, MARKETERS

AND EMPLOYERS ...................................................................................................... 31

2.3.3: IMPLICATIONS OF CHANGING CAREER STRUCTURES FOR EMPLOYERS ........... 35

2.3.4: CAREER ANCHORS AS DRIVERS OF SUCCESS .................................................. 36

2.4: ROLE OF THE MARKETING MANAGER ................................................................... 45

2.4.1: CHANGES IMPACTING MARKETING MANAGEMENT ........................................ 46

2.4.1.1: THE WEB.................................................................................................. 46

2.4.1.2: THE DATA EXPLOSION ............................................................................. 47

2.4.1.3: CHANGING COMPANY NETWORKS ........................................................... 47

vi

2.4.1.4: NEW BRANDING CHALLENGES ................................................................. 47

2.4.2: MARKETING MANAGEMENT PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT ......................... 48

2.4.3: ROLE AND TASKS OF MARKETING MANAGERS ............................................... 50

2.4.4: CHARTERED INSTITUTE OF MARKETING FRAMEWORK: IDENTIFYING THE ROLE

OF MARKETING MANAGERS: .................................................................................... 52

2.4.5: RESEARCH INTO THE ROLE OF MARKETING MANAGERS IN AUSTRALIA ......... 56

2.4.6: MAJOR TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF MARKETING MANAGERS ............... 60

2.5: SKILL REQUIREMENTS FOR ESTABLISHED MARKETING MANAGERS ............ 63

2.5.1: MARKETING SKILL REQUIREMENTS IDENTIFIED IN RECENT STUDIES ............. 65

2.5.2: MARKETING KNOWLEDGE .............................................................................. 66

2.5.3: FINANCIAL SKILLS .......................................................................................... 69

2.5.4: NEGOTIATION ................................................................................................. 71

2.5.5: LEADERSHIP .................................................................................................... 73

2.5.6: CREATIVITY .................................................................................................... 75

2.5.7: PEOPLE MANAGEMENT .................................................................................... 77

2.5.8: VERBAL AND ORAL COMMUNICATION SKILLS ................................................ 79

2.5.9: INTERPERSONAL SKILLS .................................................................................. 81

2.5.10: ANALYTICAL SKILLS ..................................................................................... 83

2.5.11: CRITICAL THINKING ...................................................................................... 85

2.5.12: DECISION MAKING SKILLS ............................................................................. 86

2.5.13: PROBLEM SOLVING ....................................................................................... 87

2.6: THE ROLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN PREPARATION OF STUDENTS

FOR SUCCESSFUL CAREERS ................................................................................. 90

2.7: SUMMARY ............................................................................................................. 93

CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH DESIGN & METHODOLOGY .................................... 97

3.1: INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................... 97

3.2: RESEARCH DESIGN: A MIXED METHODS APPROACH ............................................ 99

3.3: THE CHOICE OF RESEARCH METHODS ................................................................. 100

3.4: OVERVIEW OF THE RESEARCH DESIGN ................................................................ 104

3.5: JUSTIFICATION OF RESEARCH DESIGN ................................................................. 106

3.6: PHASE ONE: CONTENT ANALYSIS ....................................................................... 106

3.6.1: CONTENT OF ANALYSIS OF JOB ADVERTISEMENTS ....................................... 107

3.6.2: CONTENT ANALYSIS OF POST-GRADUATE MARKETING PROGRAMS ............. 108

vii

3.6.3: PHASE TWO - IN-DEPTH INTERVIEWS WITH STAKEHOLDERS ........................ 109

3.6.3.1: THE SETTING .......................................................................................... 111

3.7: SUMMARY OF PROFILES OF PARTICIPANTS IN QUALITATIVE STUDY .................... 113

3.8: RESEARCH HYPOTHESES ..................................................................................... 114

3.9: PHASE THREE: QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH .......................................................... 115

3.10: MAIL SURVEY ................................................................................................ 116

3.10.1: SUPPLIER OF THE MAILING LIST ................................................................. 117

3.10.2: SAMPLE SIZE ............................................................................................... 118

3.10.3: DATA COLLECTION ..................................................................................... 119

3.10.4: RESPONDENTS ............................................................................................. 120

3.10.5: SURVEY INSTRUMENT ................................................................................. 120

3.10.5.1: PILOT TESTING OF SURVEY INSTRUMENT ............................................. 122

3.10.5.2: SECTION 1: SKILLS OF A MARKETING MANAGER ................................. 122

3.10.5.3: SECTION 2: TASKS OF A MARKETING MANAGER ................................. 123

3.10.5.4: SECTION 3 CAREER ANCHORS OF A MARKETING MANAGER ................ 124

3.10.5.5: DEMOGRAPHICS ................................................................................... 127

3.11: ETHICS APPROVAL ............................................................................................ 127

3.12: CHAPTER SUMMARY.......................................................................................... 127

CHAPTER 4: THE QUALITATIVE STUDY ..................................................................... 128

4.1: INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 128

4.2: DATA COLLECTION AND PREPARATION FOR QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS ................ 130

4.3: STEP 1 DATA REDUCTION .................................................................................... 131

4.4: RESULTS .............................................................................................................. 132

4.4.1: THE CONTENT ANALYSIS OF ROLES IN MARKETING JOB APPLICATIONS ...... 132

4.4.2: THE CONTENT ANALYSIS OF SKILLS IN MARKETING EMPLOYMENT

APPLICATIONS ........................................................................................................ 132

4.4.3: THE CONTENT ANALYSIS OF POST-GRADUATE MARKETING PROGRAMS. .... 133

4.5: RESULTS OF EXPERT INTERVIEWS ....................................................................... 134

4.6: STEP 2 – DATA DISPLAY ...................................................................................... 135

4.6.1: THE IMPORTANT SKILLS FOR MARKETING MANAGERS................................. 135

4.6.1.1: PEOPLE MANAGEMENT SKILLS .............................................................. 135

4.6.1.2: FINANCIAL SKILLS ................................................................................. 136

4.6.1.3: MARKETING COMPREHENSION SKILLS ................................................... 137

viii

4.6.1.4: INTERPERSONAL SKILLS ......................................................................... 138

4 6.2: THE COVERAGE OF SKILLS IN POST-GRADUATE MARKETING PROGRAMS .... 140

4 6.3: THE EMPHASIS OF SKILLS IN POST-GRADUATE MARKETING PROGRAMS ...... 142

4.7: THE TASKS OF MARKETING MANAGERS ............................................................. 144

4.7.1: CIM PROFESSIONAL FRAMEWORK ................................................................ 145

4.7.1.1: RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS ..................................................................... 145

4.7.1.2: STRATEGY AND PLANNING ..................................................................... 147

4.7.1.3: BRANDS ................................................................................................. 148

4.7.1.4: IMPLEMENTATION OF MARKETING PROGRAMS ...................................... 149

4.7.1.5: MEASURING EFFECTIVENESS ................................................................. 152

4.7.1.6: MANAGING PEOPLE. ............................................................................... 154

4.8: STEP 3 – CONCLUSION AND VERIFICATION .......................................................... 155

4.8.1: CONTRIBUTION OF QUALITATIVE FINDINGS TO QUANTITATIVE STUDY ........ 156

4.9: SUMMARY ........................................................................................................... 158

CHAPTER 5: QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS .......................................................... 160

5.1: INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 160

5.2: SURVEY ............................................................................................................... 160

5.3: SURVEY RESPONSE RATE .................................................................................... 161

5.4: RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY OF SURVEY INSTRUMENT ....................................... 162

5.4.1: MISSING VALUES .......................................................................................... 163

5.4.2: ASSESSMENT OF NORMALITY ....................................................................... 164

5.4.3: DATA SCREENING ......................................................................................... 165

5.5: METHODS OF DATA ANALYSIS FOR PHASE THREE .............................................. 165

5.6: SURVEY PARTICIPANT PROFILE ........................................................................... 168

5.7: IMPORTANT SKILLS FOR MARKETING MANAGERS ................................................ 170

5.7.1: PEOPLE MANAGEMENT SKILLS ..................................................................... 171

5.7.2: RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN IMPORTANT SKILLS ............................................. 174

5.8: COVERAGE OF IMPORTANT SKILLS IN POST-GRADUATE MARKETING PROGRAMS.

................................................................................................................................... 178

5.8.1: COMPARISONS BETWEEN IMPORTANCE AND COVERAGE OF SKILLS .............. 181

5.9: EMPHASIS PLACED ON SKILLS IN POST-GRADUATE MARKETING PROGRAMS ...... 185

5.9.1: IMPORTANT SKILLS COMPARED TO PROGRAM EMPHASIS ............................. 188

5.10: TASKS OF THE MARKETING MANAGER .............................................................. 192

ix

5.10.1: THE MOST IMPORTANT TASKS OF THE MARKETING MANAGER .................. 193

5.10.2: RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TASKS OF THE CIM FRAMEWORK ...................... 195

5.10.3: FREQUENCY OF CONDUCT OF TASKS BY THE MARKETING MANAGER ........ 196

5.10.3.1: FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT ................................................................... 199

5.10.4: SKILLS USED TO UNDERTAKE THE TASKS OF A MARKETING MANAGER ...... 200

5.11: THE CAREER ANCHORS OF ESTABLISHED MARKETING MANAGERS .................... 204

5.11.1: DOMINANT CAREER ANCHOR ..................................................................... 205

5.11.2: DETERMINANT OF SKILLS IMPACTED BY SCHEIN’S CAREER ANCHORS ........ 206

5.11.2.1: MODEL FIT ........................................................................................... 206

5.12: SUMMARY OF RESULTS .................................................................................... 209

CHAPTER 6: SUMMARY, DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS ....................... 213

6.1: INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 213

6.2: IMPORTANT SKILLS FOR MARKETING MANAGERS .............................................. 214

6.2.1: KEY SKILLS .................................................................................................. 215

6.2.2: DISCIPLINE KNOWLEDGE: MARKETING AND FINANCIAL .............................. 216

6.2.3: RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE 14 SKILLS UNDER INVESTIGATION ................ 218

6.3: COVERAGE AND EMPHASIS OF SKILLS IN POST-GRADUATE MARKETING PROGRAMS

................................................................................................................................... 223

6.3.1: MARKETING KNOWLEDGE ............................................................................ 225

6.3.2: FINANCIAL KNOWLEDGE .............................................................................. 227

6.3.3: SKILL GAPS IN HIGHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS ........................................... 228

6.4: TASKS AND RELATED SKILLS OF A MARKETING MANAGER ................................ 232

6.4.1: RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS ............................................................................ 235

6.4.2: STRATEGY AND PLANNING ........................................................................... 237

6.4.3: BRANDS ........................................................................................................ 239

6.4.4: IMPLEMENTATION OF MARKETING PROGRAMS ............................................. 240

6.4.5: MEASURING EFFECTIVENESS ........................................................................ 242

6.4.6: MANAGING PEOPLE ...................................................................................... 243

6.4.7: FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT ............................................................................ 244

6.4.8: SKILLS USED TO COMPLETE THE TASKS OF THE CIM FRAMEWORK ............... 245

6.5: CAREER ANCHORS OF MARKETING MANAGERS .................................................... 249

6.5.1: SKILLS AND CAREER ANCHORS .................................................................... 255

6.6: CONCLUSIONS ................................................................................................ 256

x

6.7: PHASE 4 – TRIANGULATION OF QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE

RESEARCH RESULTS ............................................................................................ 259

6.8: THEORETICAL CONTRIBUTION OF RESEARCH ...................................... 261

6.8.1: NEEDED SKILLS FOR MARKETING MANAGERS ............................................. 261

6.8.2: THE ROLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN SKILL DEVELOPMENT ........................ 262

6.8.3: ACTIVITIES AND TASKS OF MARKETING MANAGERS ................................... 263

6.8.4: CAREER ANCHORS OF MARKETING MANAGERS ........................................... 264

6.9: PRACTICAL CONTRIBUTION ....................................................................... 265

6.9.1: IDENTIFIED SKILLS FOR MARKETING MANAGERS IN THE HIGHER EDUCATION

SECTOR ................................................................................................................... 265

6.9.2: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS ......................... 266

6.9.3: ACTIVITIES AND TASKS OF MARKETING MANAGERS .................................... 269

6.9.4: ROLE OF CAREER ANCHORS ......................................................................... 269

6.10: LIMITATIONS ................................................................................................ 271

6.11: DIRECTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH .................................................... 272

6.11.1: STUDY EXTENSION ..................................................................................... 272

6.11.2: INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES .......................................................................... 273

6.11.3: SITUATIONAL VARIABLES ........................................................................... 273

6.11.4: SKILL DEVELOPMENT ................................................................................. 273

REFERENCES ................................................................................................................. 275

APPENDICES ...................................................................................................................... 1

APPENDIX 1: GLOSSARY OF TERMS ................................................................................ 1

APPENDIX 2 - SUMMARY OF CORE SUBJECTS IN POST GRADUATE MARKETING

PROGRAMS IN AUSTRALIA ............................................................................................ 1

APPENDIX 3: LIST OF SKILLS FOUND IN THE LITERATURE ............................................... 1

APPENDIX 4 - SUMMARY OF TRANSCRIPTS FOR QUALITATIVE RESEARCH .................. 1

LIST OF INTERVIEWERS – INDUSTRY ........................................................................... 1

LIST OF INTERVIEWERS – LECTURERS ......................................................................... 4

LIST OF INTERVIEWERS – MANAGEMENT CONSULTANTS ........................................... 6

APPENDIX 4.1: INTERVIEW NO. 1 (FULL TRANSCRIPT) .................................... 8

APPENDIX 4.2: INTERVIEW NO. 2 (FULL TRANSCRIPT) .................................. 15

APPENDIX 4.3: INTERVIEW NO. 3 .................................................................. 23


xi






APPENDIX 4.10: INTERVIEW NO. 10 .............................................................. 39






APPENDIX 4.16: INTERVIEW NO. 16 (FULL TRANSCRIPT) ............................... 49





APPENDIX 5: ROLES AND SKILLS FREQUENTLY FOUND IN JOB ADVERTISEMENTS FOR

MARKETING MANAGERS ................................................................................................. 1

APPENDIX 6: SKILLS FREQUENTLY FOUND IN JOB ADVERTISEMENTS FOR MARKETING

MANAGERS ..................................................................................................................... 1

APPENDIX 7: ROLES FREQUENTLY FOUND IN JOB DESCRIPTIONS FOR MARKETING

MANAGERS ..................................................................................................................... 1

APPENDIX 8: COVER SHEET OF SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE................................................ 1

APPENDIX 9: SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE .......................................................................... 1

APPENDIX 10 – ETHICS APPROVAL FOR STUDY .............................................................. 1

APPENDIX 11 – CIM PROFESSIONAL STANDARD FRAMEWORK ...................................... 1

APPENDIX 12: FULL ANALYSIS OF HYPOTHESIS 5.2. ...................................................... 1

xii

LIST OF TABLES

Table 2.1 Typology of Career Anchors ...................................................................................................... 40 Table 2.2 CIM Framework for a Marketing Manager ................................................................................ 53 Table 2.3 Tasks of Product Managers (Dawes and Patterson, 1987) as they relate to the CIM Professional

Standards Framework ....................................................................................................................... 59 Table 3.2.1: Profile of Marketing Managers in Industry .......................................................................... 113 Table 3.2.2: Profile of Academics ............................................................................................................ 113 Table 3.2.3: Profile of Marketing Management Recruitment Consultants ............................................... 114 Table 3.4: The Skills under Investigation ................................................................................................ 123 Table 3.5: The Skills of a Marketing Manager ......................................................................................... 123 Table 3.6: The Tasks and Skills of a Marketing Manager ........................................................................ 124 Table 3.7: Career Anchors of Marketing Managers ................................................................................. 125 Table 3.8: Profile of Survey Respondents ................................................................................................ 127 Table 5.1: Reliability of Career Anchor Scale in Main Study .................................................................. 163 Table 5.2: Description of the Survey Respondents .................................................................................. 169 Table 5.3: Important Skills required by Marketing Managers ................................................................. 170 Table 5.4: Important Skills required by marketing managers for 3-5 years, 5-10 years and Greater than 10

years ................................................................................................................................................ 173 Table 5:5: Important skills Scale Factor Analysis with Varimax Rotations ............................................. 177 Table 5.6: Coverage of Important Skills in Post-Graduate Marketing Programs ..................................... 179 Table 5.7- Comparison of Important Skill for Marketing Managers and Coverage of Skills taught within

Programs ......................................................................................................................................... 183 Table 5.8: Emphasis on Important Skills in Post Graduate Marketing Programs .................................... 186 Table 5.9: The Ranking of Important Skills and the Emphasis of Skills in Post Graduate Marketing

Program .......................................................................................................................................... 190 Table 5.10: Ranking and Correlation of Tasks of the CIM Framework ................................................... 194 Table 5.11: Importance and Frequency of Marketing Tasks with the CIM Professional Standard

Framework ...................................................................................................................................... 197 Table 5.12: The Skills required undertaking the CIM Framework .......................................................... 202 Table 5.13: Career Anchors of Marketing Managers ............................................................................... 204 Table 5.14: Dominant Career Anchor ...................................................................................................... 205 Table 5.15: Model Summary .................................................................................................................... 206 Table 5.16: Anova Values ........................................................................................................................ 207 Table 5.17: Collinearity Coefficients ....................................................................................................... 207 Table 5.18: Parameter Estimates .............................................................................................................. 208 Table 5.19: Summary of Results .............................................................................................................. 210 Table 6.1: Summary of Results: Hypotheses Testing of Important skills ................................................ 214 Table 6.2: Classification, Importance and Ranking of Skills ................................................................... 214

xiii

Table 6.3 Summary of Results: Hypotheses Testing of Perceptions of Post-Graduate Marketing Programs

........................................................................................................................................................ 223 Table 6.4: Comparison of Importance versus Coverage/ Emphasis in Post-Graduate Marketing Programs

........................................................................................................................................................ 224 Table 6.5 Summary of Results: Hypotheses Testing of Tasks and Skills of Marketing Managers .......... 232 Table 6.6: Importance of Tasks of Marketing Manager ........................................................................... 233 Table 6.7: Ranking of Most Important Skills Required to Conduct Tasks ............................................... 246 Table 6.8: Summary of Results: The Career Anchors of Marketing Managers ....................................... 249 Table 6.9: Career Anchors of Managers .................................................................................................. 251

xiv

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 5.1: Types of Descriptive Statistical Analysis 166

Figure 5.2: Scree Plot for Exploratory Analysis for Grouping of Important Skills 176

Figure 6.1: Career Anchors of Marketing Managers by Importance 250

1

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

1.1: OVERVIEW

The Higher Education sector throughout the world is facing increasing pressure to

perform in an era where resources are shrinking and there are increasing demands from

key stakeholders including students (Phillimore and Koshy, 2010). There is general

agreement within the literature that Higher Educational Institutions are entering an era

of turbulence where their role in society is unclear, the value of programs is disputed

and current modes of delivery, along with the content of some programs are being

questioned (O’Mahony and Salmon, 2014). Where universities were once seen as places

where students valued learning and were encouraged to ask questions and critically

evaluate those things we sometimes take for granted, they now operate under a

framework of neoliberalism, which refers to the generation of wealth by opening up

countries to free trade (Ayikoru, Tribe and Airey, 2008). Within the boundaries of this

thesis, neoliberalism refers to Higher Education institutions and their deregulation,

which has had a significant impact on university resources, syllabi and content.

Neoliberalism posits that Higher Education Institutions must prepare graduates with

appropriate skills, to achieve ones end goal, establish a career and add value to industry

and the economy. Thus, graduates are valued as a source of economic input and as a

future labour force as well as a central element in the development strategy of nations

and their economies (Rieckmann, 2012). The notion that Higher Education Institutions

exist in society to provide communities with education as a public good is now being

examined to the extent that the value of the curriculum is assessed in terms of the

development of the knowledge skills and attributes graduates require to succeed in the

world of work as well as students perceptions of measures of satisfaction (O’Mahony

and Salmon, 2014).

Within this increasingly competitive global environment, Australia has been successful

in recruiting international students and continues to register year-to-year increases in

international student enrolment (Burdette and Crossman, 2012). Such is the impact of

2

international students on the higher education budget; university administrators in

Australia are concerned that their system of higher education is becoming dangerously

dependent on overseas students for their future viability (Slattery, 2008).

Australian Higher Education has a strong international reputation and is known for its

effective structure and innovative policy developments. The Australian Government has

invested significant resources into the development of a national framework for the

delivery of quality education (Australian Quality Framework), and into the

establishment of bodies to manage and monitor quality in the education system.

However, Slattery (2007) noted that Australia is losing its edge as a competitor in

higher education due to the perception of Australian education as a “beer-and-beaches

holiday” as opposed to a valuable learning experience. With this in mind, any

suggestion that the curriculum does not address important learning issues could have a

significant negative impact on the Australian Higher Education industry.

A review of Australian Higher Education has affirmed that the reach, quality and

performance of the nation's higher education system will be key determinants of its

economic and social progress in the future (Australian Government, 2011). The Higher

Education sector is Australia's third largest export industry and is expected to continue

to grow at 4.2 % per annum (IBIS, 2014). From many perspectives, therefore, the

maintenance of a quality higher education system is seen as key to the maintenance of

economic and social well-being.

In 2010, the Australian Qualifications Framework Council determined that Australia

needed an outstanding, internationally competitive higher education system with

increased participation and higher attainment levels in order to be globally competitive

and to secure improve employment in the future. Australia also needs quality Higher

Education Institutions to sustain the international education industry and a specific goal

of Government has been to ensure that this goal is realised. In order to develop and

deliver a quality education, however, Australian Higher Education Institutions must

concentrate their efforts on the needs of the range of stakeholders invested in this

process. For example, in Australia, the Karpin Report (1995) recommended that tertiary

education improves business and management education to meet the needs of industry

more effectively. Suggestions included ‘an increasing emphasis on soft skills,

3

internationalization and cross-functional integration, diversity, and links to industry’

(Karpin, 1995, Report Ch. 11, p. 300). Other marketing research (Achrol and Kotler,

1999; Homburg, Workman and Jenson, 2000) suggested a requirement for major

changes in the marketing education landscape. These changes have implications for the

manner in which marketers are prepared for an effective role in a marketing

organisation and in the development of an ongoing career in marketing. This thesis

considers whether Higher Educational Institutions have fallen behind in their efforts to

develop programs that accommodate the massive changes that have occurred in the

marketing landscape over the past decade.

Most research into the skill development outcomes of higher education programs has

focussed on students at the entry or novice stage of their career. There is scant research

into the outcomes of post graduate programs and the skill needs of marketing

professional that are seen as established in marketing management roles. This is

particularly concerning as there is a long-standing understanding that a post-graduate

qualification increases the career potential and success of individuals who undertake

these qualifications.

Whilst there are many areas of education that warrant attention, given the importance of

the marketing management role to business success, the success of individual

organisations and the national economies, research into the demands placed on

marketing managers1 requires investigation. This research sought to identify the current

tasks of marketing managers and the skills they need to effectively undertake these

tasks. In addition, the research investigates marketing manager’s perceptions of the

effectiveness of their post graduate marketing qualifications in developing the skills

needed at this mature stage of a marketing professionals’ career.

The following sections of this chapter identify the broad issues impacting the

development and delivery of higher education in Australia as well as the skill needs of

marketing managers. Support for the research questions to be investigated in this thesis

is also provided

1The term “marketing manager”, will be used to cover this wide range of marketing professionals in management roles in industry.

4

1.2: THE CONTRIBUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION

Higher Education and the resources that support it play a critical role in the development

of what is referred to as the Knowledge Society. The knowledge society is an entity that

is founded on diversity and is valued for its capabilities to improve conditions for all

citizens (UNESCO, 2005). As a result, the protection of the quality and the relevance of

Higher Education Institutions programs as a means to reduce inequity and increase living

standards are fundamental to society. However, learning in society is not just about

learning theoretical concepts and skills, but understanding them in context. Higher

Education Institutions therefore have a major responsibility to assist in achieving these

goals because Higher Education Institutions are responsible for the facilitation of

knowledge and the provision of access to social community and economic benefits.

The importance of Higher Education Institutions within communities is significant. In

Australia, these Institutions contribute over $170 billion per year in wages to our

economy, as well employing over 100,000 staff. University graduates comprise of 25%

of the population but generate almost a third of Australia’s wages. As a consequence, its

significance to the economy is immense. At the same time, the education sector has

become the third largest export industry contributing $26.6 billion dollars to the

economy in 2011 (IBIS, 2014). This is the largest export earner after resources within the

national economy. Higher Education therefore, has major role in the ongoing social and

economic development of society. At a more local level, within the next decade,

employment in the Australian state of Victoria is predicted to grow by almost 14%.

Occupations that require formal university qualifications will form part of this growth.

To address the emerging need for qualified employees, post-graduate degrees are

predicted to increase significantly (Shah and Burke, 2007). This presents an opportunity

for Higher Education Institutions to support and capitalise on this anticipated growth.

However, increased competition from overseas Institutions, together with a volatile

economy, possibly caused by the Global Financial crisis could dramatically impact this

growth. Higher Education programs must prepare students for a dynamic industry sector

5

and for professional life by ensuring the content of programs and the units (or subjects)2

that make up the programs adequately and appropriately prepares them. In the context of

this thesis, this means ensuring that post graduate marketing programs deliver the

necessary knowledge and skills required by marketing professionals to establish and

advance their careers.

A substantial number of marketing professionals undertake post-graduate programs to

prepare for careers in marketing and to develop the appropriate skills required to

successfully progress to managerial positions. Consequently, this study examines

marketing managers’ perceptions of the adequacy of their post-graduate studies in

providing the skills required for career establishment and organisational success. In order

to obtain recent and relevant information to assess this, it is felt that asking marketing

managers who have at least three years’ experience in a marketing role about their skills

which have enabled them to obtain and sustain their current positions will best achieve

this aim.

In order to establish the appropriate curriculum content of post graduate programs, it is

important that researchers, managers and academics within Higher Educational

Institutions, keep abreast of the changing roles of marketing professionals. This will

allow a complete focus on identifying and developing the business skills necessary for

success among post-graduate marketing students. As a result, this thesis examines the

tasks, skills, and career anchors of post-graduate marketing managers in Australia.

This chapter will now provide a review of potential supporting literature followed by an

outline of the key questions examined in this thesis, the justification for the study and the

contribution of the study to knowledge. The next section will briefly explain the role of

Higher Education in the preparation of competent graduates that are capable marketing

professionals in a position to tackle the emerging challenges of a marketing role.

2 Within this thesis, a course is the term used to denote is a unit or subject of degree program. A degree program is composed of

various units which the student needs to complete successfully in order to graduate. The term program is used throughout this thesis

to denote a degree while a unit is use d to describe a subject within a degree. (O’Mahony, Whitelaw and McWilliams, 2008)

6

1.3: THE QUALITY FRAMEWORK FOR THE HIGHER

EDUCATION SECTOR IN AUSTRALIA

The strength of the Australian education system is, in part, attributed to the Australian

Qualifications Framework (AQF) which encompasses the national policy for regulated

qualifications in Australian education and training. The Australian Qualifications

Framework (AQF) is administered by the Australian Government Department of

Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. The content of programs provided

by Australian Tertiary Education Institutions, at both undergraduate and post-graduate

levels is regulated by standards incorporated in the Australian Quality Framework

(AQF).

The national framework of qualifications benefits not only education and training

providers, but employers as well by ensuring that the programs are standardised and

recognised across Australia. The framework identifies the expected learning and skill

outcomes under various levels of educational qualification. The framework, developed

in conjunction with various stakeholders, also identifies the skills and tasks that allow

graduates of educational programs to succeed in the workplace upon graduation and to

sustain employment. As such, the framework seeks to support and facilitate delivery of

educational outcomes that meet the expectations of employers and allow the students to

operate effectively in a contemporary work environment.

To supplement the development of the Australian Quality Framework, The Australian

Parliament passed the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Act 2011

(hereafter referred to as TEQSA) to ensure that current standards of provision are

improved and a quality education system is maintained. Thus, TESQA is charged with

monitoring the performance of all Australian Universities and other higher education

Institutions. The performance of education providers is to be assessed against a Higher

Education Standards Framework that comprises five fields: These are: Information

Standards and Research Standards, Provider Standards, Qualification Standards,

Teaching and Learning Standards. Higher Education Institutions must achieve all of

these standards to remain within Australia’s higher education classification. In this way

TEQSA seeks to encourage and promote a higher education system that is appropriate to

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_of_Australia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Department_of_Education,_Employment_and_Workplace_Relations

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Department_of_Education,_Employment_and_Workplace_Relations

7

meet Australia’s social and economic needs now and in the future (Australian

Government, 2011). In order for TESQA to achieve this objective, there must be an

understanding of the skills and tasks required by graduates to become established in their

marketing careers. Dreyfus and Dreyfus (1985) refer to this as competent professionals

with three years’ experience or more, which is referred to in this thesis as “established in

their careers”. However it is by correctly identifying the skills required at the various

levels of study that TEQSA’s objectives can be achieved. In this thesis marketing

managers selected as respondents because, as well as having three or more years’

experience, they had achieved a level of career advancement that suggests an overall

competence in the marketing, and as such were more likely to have made a decision to

continue to build their career in the marketing profession.

Under the Tertiary Education and Standards Agency accreditation standards Act,

universities have the authority to self-credit their programs of study. In order to self-

accredit, however universities are required to ensure that programs comply with the

Provider Course Accreditation standards. There are six standards, one of which is

program design and the appropriateness of the program to meet the qualification

standards. This standard ensures the content of Higher Education Institutions programs is

drawn from a large and comprehensive body of knowledge. In other words, the content

of the program is relevant and up to date and meets industry demands. For this goal to be

fulfilled, Higher Education Institutions must understand the needs of the industry in

terms of the knowledge and relevant skills that are included in the curriculum as such to

achieve the graduate outcomes that are relevant to industry. This research sought to

identify the skills and knowledge that enable marketing professionals to be successful,

and to examine the extent to which the post graduate marketing programs that have been

undertaken by these professionals have contributed to this skill development.

In summary, Australian Higher Education Institutions currently operate within a strong

quality framework. Some stakeholders perceive that the quality framework places too

much emphasis on institutional quality assurance and not enough on learning outcomes

(D.E.S.T, 2002). The current employment environment places emphasis on developing

graduate attributes in Higher Education programs, a move that has been influenced, in

part, by a greater focus on the relationship between education and the employment

outcomes of graduates (Cummings, 1998). As a result, Higher Education Institutions are

8

expected to develop programs that are designed to facilitate successful career outcomes

for graduates. Such outcomes are seen as beneficial not only to the individual student,

but also to the community and the economy in which the individual participates.

The intent of this thesis is not to examine the role of educational Institutions in Australia

but rather to identify and understand the skill requirements and contribution of post-

graduate marketing education to the development of the skill sets of marketing managers.

In this respect, it concentrates on the learning standards and the emerging issues of these

standards of Higher Education Institutions by examining the skills developed within

post-graduate programs that are required for marketers to become established in their

careers after they have graduated from their tertiary marketing programs. Thus, the

emphasis on the output of Higher Education Institutions, rather than the input that makes

up the programs they deliver (Australian Government, 2011). Consequently, the

following sections of this chapter provide a discussion of the skills, tasks and factors

critical to the success of marketing managers. This is followed by a brief outline of the

thesis research questions, its justification and contribution.

1.4: EDUCATION AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF MARKETING

MANAGERS

A primary objective of marketing programs in Higher Education Institutions is the

preparation of graduate and post-graduate students to be productive performers in

organisations. In Australia, Higher Education Institutions comprised of public and

private universities and registered training organisations, some of whom deliver post-

graduate marketing programs. The notion of professional competence has been the focus

of research attention across the spectrum of applied and vocational disciplines for some

time (Hunt 2007), and the marketing discipline has been no exception. Indeed, the

critical components of marketing education have been the subject of debate by academics

and marketing professionals for many years. In particular, this debate has centered on the

skills, knowledge and competencies that are needed by graduates at different stages of

professional development. However, research into the contribution of Higher Education

Institutions to the development of marketing professionals has focused, in the main, on

9

its contribution to undergraduate education (Kelley and Bridges, 2005; Gray, Ottesen,

Bell, Chapman, and Whiten, 2007).

Employers have expressed concern that Higher Education post-graduate programs and

the curriculum does not adapt to changes in the marketing landscape. One aspect in

particular, is the perceived lack of adaptation of the marketing curriculum to changing

technology (Lamont and Friedman, 1997; Baker, Kleine and Bennion, 2003; Schlee and

Harich, 2010). Indeed a number of studies such as Teer, Teer and Kruck (2007), provide

empirical evidence of the slow pace of the marketing curriculum to incorporate

technological developments in the practice of marketing which has resulted in

deficiencies in student skill sets (Lamont and Friedman, 1997; Koch, 1997; Floyd and

Gordon, 1998; Mitchell and Strauss, 2001; Smith, 2004). In all, these findings give

support to the notion that Higher Education Institutions are not adapting program

curricula to meet the demands of the marketing professional. As a result, a

comprehensive understanding of the tasks of marketers would inform universities of the

skills and competencies marketers need to be established in the contemporary marketing

environment. In the following section a brief discussion of the skills and tasks of

marketing mangers is undertaken.

1.5: SKILLS AND TASKS OF MARKETING MANAGERS

The past decade or so has been seen as a period of revolutionary change in the marketing

landscape. For example, the use of technology such as the web, access to information,

the changing company networks and brand proliferation have all had a profound impact

on business success (Achrol and Kotler, 1999). It is therefore critical that marketing

programs maintain their relevance to the changing needs of business and graduates. In

fact, Higher Education Institutions must keep abreast of these changes and assist in the

development of the skills required by aspiring marketing professionals in a dynamic,

global environment. This will also allow Higher Education Institutions to develop

competitive advantages as they seek to increase student numbers.

10

As a result, an understanding of the nature and frequency of tasks undertaken by

marketing managers is a necessary basis to develop an understanding of the skills

required of marketing professionals to operate successfully in the work place. A review

of relevant literature (Thomas, 1984; Constable and McCormick, 1987; Boatwright and

Stamps, 1988; Porter and McKibben, 1988; Middleton and Long, 1990; Handy, 1994)

has found that studies into the daily tasks of a marketing manager are scant with only two

studies identified. This is problematic given that an individual’s career success will be

influenced by how well these tasks are perceived to be undertaken and the extent to

which the task objectives are met.

The two major studies on marketing tasks include a study of marketing managers by

Dawes and Patterson (1987) and the more recent study of marketing professionals

conducted by the Chartered Institute of Marketing, UK. This study resulted in the

development of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) Professional Standard

Framework which provides a comprehensive view of the tasks of marketing

professionals at various levels, including those of marketing managers. The review of the

suitability of the CIM framework for Australian conditions was conducted as a part of

this research. The CIM Standard Framework, which is fully discussed in Chapter Two

did provide a useful benchmark for the performance of post-graduate marketing

professionals in this thesis.

As noted above, the CIM framework recognises the different tasks undertaken at

various stages in an individual’s marketing career. Dreyfus and Dreyfus (1985)

provided a model identifying five stages of professional career development. The stages

range from beginner to competent professional and include: novice, advanced beginner,

competent, proficient and expert stages.

The first stage of professional development, the novice is described as having a rule or

theory orientated behaviour with little experience of the industry. Novices

understanding of marketing are essentially based on their educational studies. This stage

is normally seen as the graduate level where the position is normally sales support or

even a sales role. The role of education therefore at this level is to provide them with the

basics so they obtain an entry level position.

11

The advanced beginner has had at least 1-2 years’ work experience. This group is

perceived to have enough work place experience to allow them to differentiate

situations. Those at this level can apply their knowledge to company initiatives and

according to the Dreyfus and Dreyfus (1985) model, they are essentially marketing

assistants or account managers. The role of education in their careers is now concerned

with initiating a career as they begin to consider marketing as their profession.

Marketers who have three to five years of work experience, under the Dreyfus and

Dreyfus (1985) model may be described as competent. This means they can organise,

plan, and deal with some unpredictable situations (Daley, 1999; Walker, Tsarenko,

Wagstaff, Powell, Steel and Brace-Govan, 2009) suggested that after three years the

professional marketer should understand the tasks and skills that have allowed them to

be gainfully employed. Their research concurs with Dreyfus and Dreyfus (1985) that

this is a period in which the post-graduate marketer has become established and

competent in their careers.

The next two stages are proficient professionals, who are expected to have a holistic

approach to the company, and the expert professional, who are experiences enough to

have an innate understanding of problems when they are confronted with them and

understands how to overcome them. They now view marketing as their career and any

form of further education must therefore enhance or contribute to their chosen

profession. Their choice of program now becomes dependent on their specialised aspect

of business (Monks and Walsh, 2001). Higher levels of the model are most value to the

economy because they have experiences the industry and decide the make a career in

marketing. There is a need to explore the literature to ascertain the skills that scholars

believe are necessary for marketers to undertake the tasks required for each stage in the

Dreyfus and Dreyfus (1985) model. This is discussed in the next section.

1.6: IMPORTANT SKILLS FOR MARKETING MANAGERS

Professional competence has been the focus of research attention across the spectrum of

generalised learning and activities for some time (Daley, 1999). In this context, this

thesis was broadly focussed, rather than specific to a domain or even a level of academic

12

or professional level. Of particular interest to this thesis, is the identification of the

different skill needs of marketing professionals who are established in their careers, as

distinct from novice professionals. As noted by Schlee and Harich (2010), the skill needs

of marketing professionals are seen to vary by job level, with the expectation of

enhanced knowledge and skills as careers develop. In essence those respondents at the

marketing manager level are the most appropriate group to answer the research questions

proposed in this research. For that reason, the thesis will only concentrate on the

marketing managers.

In developing the marketing curriculum at the post-graduate level, Higher Education

programs seeks to obtain an optimum balance between generic (Buchanan, Yu,

Wheelahan, Keating and Marginson, 2010) and marketing specific skills (Walker et al,.

(2009).The skills are made more difficult by ever-changing marketing organisation

structures which redefine roles and tasks. The need for industry-specific marketing

skills will also influence these tasks.

In the case of marketing professionals it is widely recognised that discipline specific

knowledge and skills are essential. However, other skills, which are often labelled

transferable or generic skills, are also seen as important. Transferable skills are those

skills which are required in almost any job. Such skills were described as including

basic literacy and numeracy, the ability to work well with others, communication skills,

self-motivation, the ability to organise one’s own work, and a basic capability to use

information technology (DfEE, 1997). It was posed that all of these skills are vital, and

the absence of any would seriously limit one’s usefulness (Stewart and Knowles, 2000).

The question then becomes, to what extent established marketing professionals are

seeking the development of marketing knowledge as well as, generic or even more

advanced management skills in the post graduate programs they undertake with a view

to enhancing their career success?

The most significant concern of industry, educators and students alike relates to the

quality of business school education. It appears there are a sizeable proportion of

business graduates that are perceived as lacking communication (Davis, Misra and Van

Auken, 2002; Bruce and Schoenfeld, 2006), managerial skills (O’Brien and Deans,

1995) analytical thinking (DETYA, 2000), and negotiation skills (Cunningham 1999;

13

Dacko, 2006). This lack of acceptable graduate outcomes has been blamed on marketing

academics, which have been perceived to allocate a disproportionate amount of their

time to research and consulting activities at the expense of devoting time to students

(Keillor, Bush and Bush, 1995; Madhavaram and Laverie; 2010). With increasing

professional demands on academics (from research requirements and non-traditional

students), an environment marked by an explosion of information technology, and, in

many cases, decreasing resources from downsized faculties (Smart, Kelley and Conant,

1999), there is considerable pressure on Higher Education Institutions to deliver with

reduced and continually diminishing resources. Smart, Kelley and Conant (1999)

contradict a number of these acquisitions. They suggest that there is a common theme

running through business schools generally, and within the marketing faculty is that

there is a greater emphasis on teaching which allowed students to develop those

distinctive competencies (e.g., problem solving) which are in demand by prospective

employers.

In today’s workforce employees are ultimately responsible for managing their own

career progression an era where mobility is often sideways and uncertainty abounds

(Anakwe, Hall and Schor, 2000; Tempest, McKinlay and Starkey, 2004; Ballout, 2007).

Though there is a strong case for employers to fulfil all of the staff career management

as it could promote staff stability it unlikely going to happen. Therefore, there appears a

need for post graduates to be directed to mentors or career advisors that can assist them

in making the right career decisions. The career management literature suggests

individuals should be aware of their own limitations and strengths in order to fulfil their

own career ambitions. In order for this to occur, they will need to build up on their self-

awareness skill sets. These skills allow the individual to possess the knowledge and

abilities to make informed decisions about their career (Malkin, Allen, Hambly and

Scott, 1997). This would mean that the new marketer has to be more actively engaged in

their management of their career. For this reason, many see post-graduate degree

programs as a viable option for professional development and this is perceived to have

two benefits. Firstly, the completion of a post-graduate marketing qualification is often

seen as a mechanism to signal one’s career aspirations (Monks 1993; Brown, Bimrose

and Barnes, 2010). Secondly, it is assumed to provide the pre-requisite skills to advance

to high level positions within an organisation. With this in mind, this thesis seeks to

determine if Higher Education Institutions are developing the skills in demand by

14

employers and ultimately aid post-graduate students to advance their careers. In order to

answer this question, the research seeks to determine which skills are required by

marketing managers and if their post graduate marketing studies have met these skills

needs.

This study is innovative in that it focuses on identifying the skills that are required for

career advancement. In this study, the respondents are marketing managers, who have

undertaken post-graduate marketing programs as part of their professional development.

The marketers’ perceptions of important skills, and the perceived adequacy of the post-

graduate program in developing those skills, are examined. It is envisaged that the

career aspirations of a professional marketing manager will have an influence on the

skills they have or need to possess in the future. The next section of this chapter briefly

examines the influence of internal factors on the career success of the marketing

manager.

1.7: CAREER ANCHORS OF MARKETING MANAGERS

The emphasis on employees as strategically important to a firm’s success has contributed

to the interaction and convergence of a firm’s strategy and human resource management.

In effect, human capital has become one of the most important resources a businesses

can use to become competitive in the global economy (Tan and Quek, 2001). As a

consequence, the development of skills provided in post-graduate marketing programs

are seen as not just important for the individual employee, but also a requirement for

organisational success (Burgoyne, Hirsch and Williams, 2003).

In the changing work environment, companies no longer expect individual’s to develop a

hierarchical career within a single organisation. The companies that remain competitive

and retain the greatest number of employees are those that emphasise continuous training

for their staff (Tan and Quek, 2001). Not surprisingly then, post-graduate marketing

education has appeal to both organisations and individuals for the benefits that should

accrue from improved skills and job performance. Whilst an individual having acquired

high level skills places themselves in a position to achieve career success, there are other

factors that are also important determinants.

15

In looking to examine the determinants of career success, another factor, that is, the fit of

the individual’s internal career need with their occupations, was seen as having relevance

to understanding success among marketing managers. Internal careers are defined as an

individual’s perception of work and personal definition of success (Schein, 1986). The

theory developed by Schein (1986) provides that perceptions of career success are seen

as strong, the greater the congruity between an individual’s career anchor and their job.

Additionally, past studies of career anchors have found different skill sets and skill levels

associated with certain career anchors. A career anchor is viewed as cluster of self-

perceived talents that form the basis of a person’s occupational self-interests (Schein,

1975). In other words, they are the foundation one chooses in an occupation which meets

their career needs (Cromie, 1994). A review of literature has found that no known studies

have been conducted that examined the career anchors of marketing managers who have

post graduate degrees and have at least three years’ experience in Australia.

It is considered that the study of these career anchors would provide additional insights

into the career aspirations and skills of marketing managers and therefore add value to

the current study. Career anchors are seen as guiding future career directions and

decisions and can be thought of as the values and motives the individual will not give up

if forced to make a choice (Schein 1978). Career Anchors provide a useful means of

linking the individual’s career stabilisers or anchors to their career choices. It is posited

that Schein’s managerial or creativity anchors should be the dominant career anchor of

marketers who have undertaken post-graduate programs. This thesis will explore the

relationships between career anchors and the orientations of marketing managers with a

view to obtaining insights into the skill development of marketing managers.

The previous sections of this chapter have examined the importance of the higher

education sector at the broadest level, to both the Australian economy and society, and to

the individuals who are undertaking studies to improve their potential for career success.

In the following sections, the purpose, methodology and justification of the thesis is

articulated.

16

1.8: PURPOSE OF THE RESEARCH

The key problem to be addressed in this research is:

“What are the skills and career anchors that enable marketing managers, who

have a post-graduate marketing qualification, to become established in their

career?”

The key focus of the research is to examine the perceptions of marketing managers, with

a post graduate marketing degree, of the important skills and knowledge that enabled

them to become successful in their career. In doing so, the study will examine the skills

that are important for career establishment. In addition, it will identify respondent’s

perceptions of the role of their post-graduate marketing qualification in developing the

needed skills.

The study examines the professional marketer’s skills in the context of current marketing

tasks and industry needs. The career anchors of the marketing professionals are also

examined, with a view to identifying some commonalities in career anchors and career

choice and links between career anchors and skills.

1.9: RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The industry standards as set by TESQA suggest that graduates of programs post-

graduates must be prepared for industry requirements in order for Higher Education

Institutions providers to retain their accreditation. This research seeks to identify the

perceptions of marketing managers of the quality of the post graduate marketing

qualifications they have undertaken. The results of the research should provide

information on the marketing manager’s perceptions of the contribution of the program

skill development outcomes as contributing to their career success. Such insights should

provide understandings that will enhance the delivery of quality outcomes for

stakeholders in the delivery of post graduate marketing programs. In particular, the

relevant higher education Institutions and TESQA should develop understandings into

the needs of established marketing professionals in the research findings.

17

However, an understanding the skills that allow post-graduate marketing managers to

become established will not uncover what tasks have to be undertaken. In order to

determine what tasks are to be completed, the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM)

Professional Standard framework was used. The framework was developed with aid from

the British Government to ensure that marketing professionals met a specific standard. In

a sense, it is a more precise standard than TEQSA has implemented. The determination

of what tasks and how often they were completed will aid in the understanding of what is

needed for today’s marketing professional. In addition, the determination of what skills

are needed to complete these tasks will provide a further understanding of the importance

of skills to complete particular tasks. This study will be the first research, in Australia

that has utilized the CIM task classification as a basis for investigation of tasks required

of Australian marketing professionals albeit in a global context.

Marketing managers play a central role within an organisation. As such, performance can

affect many areas of an organisation. As a result, understanding of their career anchors

will aid in the retention and ultimately the performance of the organisation. It is therefore

important to understand the career anchors of marketing managers. The career anchor

theory as proposed by Schein (1978; 1990) suggested that there is one career anchor that

professionals will adopt. In this study it is posited that the identification of this career

anchor will provide an understanding of career aspirations of marketing managers.

In drawing the above identified issues together, a series of research questions have been

developed, which also provide a framework for this thesis. These questions to be

answered by this thesis are as follows and were derived from the literature review which

is presented in the next chapter:

18

What are the important skills marketing managers need to undertake the tasks

required for career establishment?

What is the relationship between skills? Do these relationships support the

identification of composite or layered skills?

What are the perceptions of marketing managers, who have undertaken

postgraduate education, of the effectiveness of these programs in covering

important skills for their career establishment?


postgraduate education, of the effectiveness of the programs they undertook in

emphasising important skills for their career establishment?

What are the important tasks required of established marketing managers?

What tasks of the CIM Professional Standard Framework do established post-

graduate marketing managers undertake?

What is the frequency of the tasks an established post-graduate marketing

manager undertakes relative to the CIM Professional Standard Framework?

What are the important skills marketing managers use to confirm with the CIM

Professional Standard Framework?

What are the career anchors of established marketing managers who hold Post-

graduate marketing qualifications?

1.10: OVERVIEW OF RESEARCH DESIGN

In order to answer these research questions, a mixed method approach is used. The

mixed method approach offers the researcher the opportunity to answer the research

19

questions simultaneously by two different methods, qualitative and quantitative

techniques (Tashakkori and Teddlie, 2010). These two methods are best thought of as

complementary (Das 1983), as they allow the researcher to obtain insights and results

from one method, and to test these ideas uinganother method. Yin (1994) refers to this

research approach as triangulation, which is essentially a combination of methodologies

to study the same occurrence.

Four phases of research were undertaken in this thesis. The first two phases are

exploratory. They include the identification of the skills seen as necessary to perform

the tasks of a marketing manager. In addition, the common skills that are seen by

universities to be relevant to the professional marketer and incorporated in the post-

graduate program curriculum are identified. This was achieved by firstly, conducting a

literature review, followed by the content analysis of advertisements for senior

marketing managers, job descriptions and a review of the content of marketing post-

graduate programs within Australia. The second phase of the qualitative research

involved a series of interviews with academics, professional marketers and marketing

management recruitment consultants in order to .further clarify the list of skills obtained

from the content analysis of the previous phase.

The third phase, which is the quantitative phase of the research, involved a study of the

perceptions of marketing managers about their roles required, tasks, skills and career

anchors. The study also solicited their perceptions of the adequacy of their post-

graduate program in cultivating the skills required for career development and success.

Following, the quantitative phase, a further reaffirmation of the results was conducted

with participants who participated in the interview stage of the qualitative research.

Each of the research phases is fully described in Chapter 3.

The study participants were marketing managers who were registered with a commercial

database, List Bank. All of the registered marketing professionals in List Bank’s

database, who had a post-graduate marketing qualification, were invited to participate in

phase three, the survey.

20

1.11: JUSTIFICATION

This study draws upon a rich area in educational studies and may be justified on several

grounds. First, the study represents an extension of existing studies into student skill

requirements to specifically study the needs of marketing managers, and the extent to

which post-graduate marketing programs are meeting those needs. This study is seen as

most important in the current competitive educational climate, as Australian Higher

Educational Institutions face significant challenges in not only meeting the demands of

various local stakeholders, but also in meeting the demands of international students

seeking quality post-graduate education.

The present situation of Australian Universities is not as assured as it once was. Now

Higher Education is confronted with a stronger Australian dollar, increased competition

particularly from the USA and the United Kingdom, changes in student visa rules and

skilled migration. At the same time, highly publicised attacks on international students

have resulted in a decline in international students coming to Australia. The decrease in

international students’ coupled with current government to propose changes to funding

could have a dramatic effect on the sustainability of universities. In order to prospering

Higher Education providers will have to develop units and programs that at least satisfy

the needs of both local and international students in attempt to attract and sustain

university enrolments. This thesis contributes to this goal by uncovering the skills and

the tasks that professional marketers who have established their careers actually possess

and are relied on in professional practice. The results will therefore assist Higher

Educational Institutions in develop programs that could potentially attract prospective

business students to Australia. Furthermore, it will aid in the choice of University

programs for prospective students.

Despite the importance of Higher Education in developing competent marketing

professionals, there is only one published study (Walker et al., 2009), that has examined

the perceptions of graduates about the skills and competencies that are essential to

progress from a novice graduate to a level of career establishment. Much of the previous

research has focussed on entry-level positions, and the development of entry-level skills

(Walker et al., 2009), while larger studies (Schlee and Harich, 2010) into the roles and

21

required skills of professionals have been undertaken using job content analysis surveys,

rather than directly approaching individual employees. It is expected that once graduates

move from entry-level positions, and undertake post-graduate marketing qualifications,

that more sophisticated or enhanced skills are required, and this study examines if this

requirement is being met in post-graduate programs.

This study is, to the author’s knowledge, one of the first to identify the career anchors of

post-graduate marketing managers in Australia. It is expected that a knowledge of the

career anchors of these individuals, which are posited to be largely managerial in nature,

would provide further insights into their career needs and also into how these individuals

will measure their success.

Finally, the examination of the marketing managers’ skill requirements in the context of

the tasks undertaken in the work-place will enable academics and industry alike to

identify the current tasks of established marketing managers. It could be expected that

these tasks would reflect changes in the marketing landscape. Those changes, for

example, could be a result of technological developments consequent to the increase in

use of the internet. Moreover, the CIM Professional Standard Framework has been used

as the basis for benchmarking the marketing professional’s role (Woodburn 1999), and

this is one of the few studies that have examined this model, or marketing roles, in an

Australian context. These findings should assist academics to design program curriculum

with a better idea of the nature of tasks required in industry.

1.12: CONTRIBUTION

Even though there is an increasing interest in education outcomes, and post-graduate

marketing education in particular, there have been few studies (Walker et al., 2009) of

the important skills marketing managers require for career establishment. The primary

purpose of this study is to advance our understanding of marketing skills research, by

examining the tasks and skills of marketing managers. This study uncovers the

perceptions of marketing managers, rather than relying on the more familiar content-

analysis approach which is seen as a common methodology in this area of research. In so

doing, the thesis no only identifies what are considered important skills for career

22

success at a middle-level career stage, together with marketers’ perceptions of the role of

their post-graduate programs in developing the required skills, but also provides a richer

tapestry of the context in which these skills are practiced.

The value of this research is therefore to aid Higher Education Institutions to determine

the skills and tasks that marketers must possess and practice competently to become

established in their careers. These skills can then be embedded in program structures thus

creating a bridge between the industry and academic demands. In a sense, the

identification of these skills can enhance and sustain the programs within marketing post

graduate schools and reinforce their ability to meet the quality framework of the

Australian Higher education system.

The thesis also provides guidance for students, recruiters and industry alike, in having an

up-to-date appreciation of the tasks of marketing managers. As such, the thesis findings

may better inform graduates embarking on a career in marketing of the tasks they will

need to undertake to achieve career success. The determination of the career anchors of

professional marketing managers should also provide insights into the career aspirations

of post-graduates that translate into the development of successful marketers.

To sum up, an understanding of the tasks required of marketing managers and the skill

required to complete these tasks as well as an appreciation of career anchors, adds to our

understanding of the individual’s career aspirations. This information provides a more

comprehensive and in-depth view of this segment of post-graduate marketing managers,

and the needs these marketers have in terms of career development. It is in the interests

of both the marketer, and the firm, that these individuals receive professional

development, so that they progress on their career path and are retained within the

industry.

1.13: OVERVIEW OF STRUCTURE OF THE THESIS

Chapter 1 contains the introduction and background to the research problem. This

chapter also includes the problem statement and outlines the justification and

contribution of the study.

23

Chapter 2 provides a literature review to ground the various core constructs and to

provide support for the basic structure of the research design. The chapter is important as

it allows the reader to develop an appreciation of the tasks undertaken by a marketing

professional, together with identification of the skills that are needed to successfully

conduct the tasks. The changing nature of professional careers is outlined, and the

implications for the marketer in terms of career development are covered. In particular,

the importance of an individual’s career orientation in influencing success is examined.

Chapter 3 outlines the research plan and methodology. This chapter also includes the

steps undertaken in data collection in all four phases of the research (the qualitative and

the quantitative phases).

Chapter 4 presents the findings and discussion of the qualitative research.

Chapter 5 presents the quantitative results which were designed to support the

implementation of Phase Three, the quantitative study survey.

Chapter 6 presents the discussion of the overall findings as well as a review of the

limitations and contributions, of this research. In addition, the theoretical and managerial

implications of this research are reviewed, and recommendations for further research are

outlined.

24

CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1: INTRODUCTION

There is a consensus in the marketing literature that an organisation holding a marketing

orientation is more likely to obtain organisational success. The role of the marketing

manager in cultivating this orientation and developing and managing products that

deliver profitability to the firm is seen as pivotal. Consequently, marketing professionals

who attain a management role in marketing see this as a statement of career success.

The key focus of this thesis is to is examine the role of individual factors, principally the

skills needed to undertake the role of a marketing manager, that marketing managers

ascribe to their success. The literature thus examined in this chapter will look to not

only the needed skills but first examine the role of the marketing manager, and changes

impacting the role that have implications for skill development.

This chapter is organised into four parts. First, a very brief introduction to the chapter

by identifying the importance of the role of the marketing manage is delivered. Second,

an overview of the organisational drivers, that are providing the environment and

employment structure in which marketing professionals operate, is presented. Third, the

roles and activities of marketing managers are identified, and environmental changes

impacting on their activities are discussed. The implications of these environmental

changes on the needed skills to effectively undertake marketing management roles are

examined. Finally, the needed skills of the marketing manager are identified through an

examination of research that has been undertaken in both the Australian and

international context. In this part, the contribution of higher education institutions to the

development of these needed skills is also identified and discussed.

25

2.2: BACKGROUND

The marketing concepts view is to determine the needs and wants of its target market and

to satisfy them more successfully and proficiently than the competition. The organisation

focused on serving its customers by the continual development of products and services

will ultimately be in a position to gain a competitive advantage over their competitors.

One of the basic tasks of a company, therefore, is to market its products and services

(Lehmann and Winer, 2004). In this sense, marketing and innovation, through new

product development, could be deemed as an essential activity of any business as without

either, long term success may be compromised (Drucker 1974; Dougherty, 1992;

Leonard-Barton, 1995; Slater and Narver 1998). As such, the marketing managers

responsible for these tasks have primary responsibility for the success of the company’s

products and services, and the long-term viability of the organisation. Given the

importance of the role of marketing managers in the creation of organisational

profitability, it therefore behoves researchers to develop an appreciation of the skills

needed by marketing managers to effectively undertake these roles. This situation is

particularly warranted as there appears to be a growing resource-based view of strategy

that involves investment in human knowledge and skill development, as facilitators of

successful corporate performance (Dunphy and Griffiths, 1998). In order to develop a

fuller appreciation of the factors or drivers of the performance of marketing managers, as

well as identifying their skills, this study will also examine their career anchors and the

perceived impact of post graduate education on skill development.

As the intent of this thesis is to examine factors that influence the career development of

marketing professionals, it is important to provide some context in relation to the people

that undertake a marketing management role. Not every marketing organisation has a

position with the exact title of “Marketing Manager”. Typical positions for marketing

professionals include marketing, product, brand and communication managers,

marketing directors, market segment managers, geographic segment managers, national

account managers, database marketers and specialist roles of marketing research,

advertising, sales promotion, and on-line. For the purpose of this study, therefore, the

term “marketing manager”, will be used to cover this wide range of marketing

26

professionals in management roles in industry. Appendix 1 provides a Glossary of terms,

including a description of the generic marketing management roles identified above.

An examination of the role of the marketing manager, and the factors (largely internal)

that influence their attainment of marketing management roles in organisations, can best

be understood with reference to the changing organisational climate. In this context, it is

recognised that widespread corporate restructuring and economic uncertainty, has had a

profound impact on traditional career structures (Kanter, 1989; Schein, 1996). This

impact is broad in nature and has implications for the career development structure or

pattern for marketing professionals. The pattern of change in organisations has been said

to see the end of traditional career structures for employees, with the attendant upward

progression to management roles, in favour of a ‘new’ career structure. The “new” career

encompasses notions of individual career choices and self-management, which lead to

multidirectional-multiemployer career orientation (Baruch, 2004). In this context,

employment security is sought not in a particular organisation, but in an employee’s own

transferable skills and employability (Mihail, 2008). This change away from the

traditional career, where indicators of success were visible and easily measured by

movements up the corporate ladder, has led to scholars examining internal measures

impacting career success, rather than external measures (Schein, 1990). Hence, the

concept of career orientations or anchors is examined in this study, as a measure of

internal career success.

An individual’s skill set is seen as a significant factor in enabling the development and

implementation of a successful career strategy. The extent to which an individual has

developed the needed skill-set, the more effective will be the implementation of a career

strategy that will enhance the individual’s career success. So, the skills-set needed to

effectively undertake the roles of marketing managers are examined.

In Australia, Higher Education Institutions are the key providers of business programs at

the post-graduate level. The ability of post-graduate marketing programs to enhance or

upgrade the required skill of marketing professionals is examined. In doing so, a range of

perspectives on the desire, or ability, of Higher Education to meet the needs of marketing

professionals is discussed.

27

2.3: CHANGING CAREER STRUCTURES, IMPLICATIONS AND

DRIVERS OF SUCCESS

The focus of this section is a discussion of the impact of the changing career structures

on the individual’s need to manage his or her career. The section starts with a discussion

of changes in career structures and examines the implications for individuals not only in

terms of being responsible for developing their skills, but also in terms of managing their

career. The implications for educators in terms of meeting the changed requirements of

students undertaking post-graduate marketing programs are explored. This discussion is

followed by an examination of career anchors with a view of establishing a link between

career and drivers of success. Studies which have confirmed the motivational and

success links are examined. In investigating these issues, in line with the thesis

objectives, the career of the professional marketing manager is the one under examined

with particularly reference to changes to the traditional career structure.

Traditionally a career was considered an unfolding sequence of a person’s work

experiences over time (Arthur, Hall and Lawrence, 1989; Arthur and Rousseau, 1996;

Stewart and Knowles, 1999). A career was therefore a pattern of work preparation and

experience for people in professional fields (e.g., medicine, law). It also implied that a

career was in fact a race to the top of the field or office. In this traditional schema there

was a reasonable consensus about what the "ideal" career looked like (Reitman and

Schnee, 2008). The nature of a career is now changing, and this change is largely a

consequence of the increasingly competitive business environment.

Today, the business environment is highly turbulent resulting in changes that are neither

predictable nor regular (Hanvanich, Sivakumar and Hult, 2006). In order to survive in

such an environment, companies need to be very responsive to the changing needs of

customers. In fact, organisations have been and are still currently undergoing a

metamorphosis and no one would challenge the fact that profound changes are occurring.

Regardless, whether one thinks of it as “downsizing”, “rightsizing”, “flattening”, or

becoming a “learning organisation”, or simply as “transformation” (Schein, 1996), the

altering of organisations is having an effect on today’s marketing managers. These

changes in the occupational environment are seen to mark the demise of the traditional

28

career, and to have implications for career development in the future. The changes in the

environment and the career development could have a profound on the activities and the

skills that are required for a marketing manager to complete their roles in an

organisation.

In the traditional career schema, employees saw money and hierarchical position as the

most frequently used measures of career effectiveness (Hall, 1996). In the new career

schema, it is considered that an individual’s career progression may not be as easily

externally validated given the reduction in management positions and the tendency

towards horizontal, as distinct from vertical, movements. In this context, it would seem

reasonable to broaden the understanding of career success to incorporate measures

outside the traditional external measures of role title. Indeed, Hall (1996) suggested that

an individual’s personal evaluation of his or her own career can be another important

measure.

A number of researchers have sought to examine internal and external careers with a

view of better understanding the motivations leading to an individual’s perception of

career success. The concept of “internal career” is defined as the subjective sense of

where one is going in one’s work life (Suutari and Taka, 2004). In comparison, the

“external career”, covers the formal stages and roles that are defined by organisational

policies and societal concepts of what an individual can expect in organisational structure

(Schein, 1978, 1990, 1996). In studying careers longitudinally, Schein (1996) found that

most people form a strong self-concept, termed a career anchor, which holds the internal

career together even when dramatic changes in their external career are experienced.

In the following section, the changing nature of career structures is examined for its

influence on career patterns. This discussion is followed by the identification and

discussion of career anchors, an internal factor that influences the individual’s choice of

career paths and perception of success. The intent of this thesis is not to examine success

determinants per se, but to investigate a selection of factors that will influence the

professional marketer’s career development. As such, the thesis will consider the

individual’s career anchor as an indicator of career success. In later parts of this chapter,

the knowledge and skills that are needed by professional marketers for undertaking the

role of a marketing manager are identified and discussed. In addition, the role of Higher

29

Education in the development of competent marketing professionals at later stages of

their career (i.e., marketing managers), will also be examined.

2.3.1: THE TRADITIONAL AND NEW CAREER STRUCTURE

Traditionally, a career was considered a series of experiences which were generally

vertical progressions in a succession of related positions. In this traditional structure,

career success was seen as one’s rate of ascent up the ladder, and was often measured in

terms of one’s salary and job title (Hall, 1976).The traditional contract, was when an

employee entered a firm, worked hard, performed well, was loyal and committed, and

thus received ever greater rewards and job security. This traditional career is

acknowledged as being out dated (Handy, 1994; Bridges, 1995; Arthur and Rousseau

1996).

However, what has been regarded as a traditional career has been replaced by a structure

which places responsibility for career choice, development and success clearly in the

hands of the individual. In this situation, the driver of career success is built upon

ambitions, personal values and expectations (Wood, 1999).Two concepts, the Protean

career (Hall, 1976, 2002) and the Boundaryless career (Arthur, 1994), describe the new

career, where employees have more input into their career, and are outlined below.

A protean career is driven by the individual, not the organisation. The protean career

views the individual having clearly defined career goals, and these goals become, in

some cases, motivations or ambitions to achieve (Hall, 2002). In this schema, an

individual’s career is reinvented by the person from time to time, as the individual and

environment change (Hall, 1996).

The boundaryless career, proposed by Arthur (1994) suggests that individuals will not be

confined to one career. The word boundary is “…something to be crossed over in a

career behaviour” (Arthur and Rousseau, 1996 p.6). In other words, the boundaryless

career differs from the traditional career, principally in terms of career and employer

stability. The traditional career generally involved one single employment setting

(Briscoe and Hall, 2006). The boundaryless career encourages multi-directional and

multi-employer career decisions (DeFillippi and Arthur, 1996; Baruch, 2004).

30

In view of the decline of the traditional career structure, the popular measures of career

success now too become subject to reassessment. In fact, as careers potentially become a

more fragmented set of jobs, one’s sense of where one is going with one’s life becomes

more important (Schein, 1996) to the assessment of success. The idea of an internal

career, as viewed by Schein (1996) provides a sense of internal motivations into one’s

working life. In fact, an individual’s career anchor may be more important than the

sequence of positions a marketer has held (Wood, 1999) in defining career success, and

this aspect is examined in a later section of this chapter.

Regardless of the different perspectives given to the new career structures, researchers do

agree that there are significant consequences for the development of professional careers.

For marketing professionals, the limitations on career development and progression

within an organisational framework may not be as restricting as for other professions

given the boundary spanning nature of the marketing function. As marketing is not

confined to one department or one area of an organisation (Webster, 1992; Shipley,

1994; Song, Weiss, and Schmidt, 1997), the potential for a marketer to change careers by

moving to other functional areas or departments of a firm is highly realistic. The

professional marketing role by virtue of its connectedness to various functional areas of a

firm, as well as with external stakeholders, is a role which places them in a good position

to take up career development opportunities outside the immediate functional area.

In order to progress within a functional area, or to cross boundaries, employees need to

acquire and develop certain skill sets. Among the skills needed to operate effectively in

this environment are communication skills that enable teamwork and collaboration

between departments (Arthur and Rousseau, 1996). Employees who possess these skill

sets would be enabled to seek and obtain career change to achieve career goals. The

attainment of a marketing management role does, as could be expected, require an

individual to also possess management skills. Coincidentally, the development of

management skills was seen to be an area of needed skill development for career

establishment in a marketing professional role (Webster, 1992). A detailed discussion of

marketing skills is developed in the final part of this chapter.

31

The standards by which an individual measures his or her own success may be quite

different from those adopted by another person. Furthermore, they also differ from

society at large. In examining the factors that marketers ascribe to their career success, as

well as examining the skills that have enabled their career establishment, it is considered

appropriate to measure the marketers’ subjective measure of success as reflected in their

career anchor.

In the following section, a discussion of the implications of this changing organisational

environment on marketing management is examined from a range of perspectives.

2.3.2: IMPLICATIONS OF CHANGING ENVIRONMENT FOR EDUCATORS, MARKETERS AND EMPLOYERS

The changing environment and organisational structures have resulted in the

development of the new career orientations, the protean and the boundaryless career.

These new orientations both stress the role of the individual in career planning and

development, but differ in their key focus. The boundaryless career stresses identification

of opportunities, whilst the protean career aligns itself with individualism. In most cases,

the orientations do not extend themselves to a discussion of the tactics that enable an

established career performance.

In line with the move for employees to be more responsible for their career development,

is the recognition that employees must take responsibility for their own skill

development. This need has been encapsulated in the term ‘employability security’

(Opengart and Short, 2002). This term refers to the situation where employers expect

their employees to consider their obligations and responsibilities. This puts the onus on

the employee to continually update their skill-set. Since the environment is constantly

changing, the marketer needs to adapt to these changes. It is in this context, that the key

focus of this thesis is to determine the skills that are relevant of the development of a

successful career in marketing management.

The rapid changes influencing the marketing environment have introduced revolutionary

changes to the practice of marketing (Achrol and Kotler, 1999). These changes have

required the development of new marketing strategies and tactics that are often

technology based. As a result, they also require the development of new knowledge and

32

skills. If a goal of Higher Education is to aid marketing managers in their career, it would

seem important for the programs developed to accommodate these changes in knowledge

and skill requirements.

Marketing managers face many challenges in implementing effective brand strategies.

The issue then becomes for marketers to be adequately prepared for their roles though

formal marketing education. There is no doubt that an important goal of marketing

education to provide students with the skills and knowledge (McCorkle, Alexander,

Reardon and Kling 2003; Rinaldo, Tapp and Lavarie, 2011) that allows them to

understand the techniques to enable a career in marketing. The question then becomes

are marketers with post-graduate marketing qualifications being adequately prepared for

their roles through formal education. This is one of the research questions of this thesis.

In this period of a rapidly changing environment, marketers often find themselves

responsible for meeting ambitious short-term profit targets. These objectives are the

result of financial market pressures and senior management imperatives (Keller, 1998).

As a result, marketing managers may find themselves having the dilemma of having to

make decisions with short-term benefits and but long-term costs (e.g., cutting

promotional expenditures). These pressures may encourage marketing managers to

favour decisions that are “quick fix” solutions, with perhaps adverse long term solutions.

The marketing manager thus needs the capacity to address the new challenges in

marketing management created by a changing marketing environment as well as the

capacity to cope with differential organisational pressures.

As noted previously, companies have a variety of organisational forms for their

marketing function (Webster, 1992). The complexity of the marketing function varies by

firm. Also, the company tailors its operation to the requirements of the industry, as do the

title and status of the marketing professionals. For a marketing manager to be effective

he or she needs a sound knowledge base and key skills that facilitate effective

performance. A core base for effective delivery of the marketing management role is a

relevant, reasonably extensive knowledge base for the particular industry. The

importance of a strong knowledge base is acknowledged by Drucker (1999), who saw the

basic economic resource as not materials, labour, or capital, but knowledge.

33

The actual roles and activities of marketing managers will of course vary by organisation

and industry. Rather than examine a particular industry, this thesis seeks to develop an

appreciation of a segment of the marketing domain. In this case, it is the understanding

of marketing managers who have a post-graduate marketing qualification.

Marketing managers often continue to operate in the one or highly related industries.

Their effectiveness is often linked to having a strong knowledge base of the industry in

which they operate. This knowledge can include knowledge about the industry and its

technology, success factors, market structure and competitive situation, brand strength

and product range, channel relationships and customer behaviour. The survey of

marketing managers by Bennett (2002) suggested that the most common need for

knowledge is marketing communication, consumer behaviour, product and brand

management and strategic marketing. This finding provides some support to the CIM

Professional Standard Framework classification of activities which will be outlined later

in this chapter. In addition to having a knowledge base, which is considered to be the

groundwork on which skills are built, marketing professionals need certain skills to

undertake the various functions of marketing management.

As a consequence, for a marketing manager to advance beyond the level of novice on to

a marketing management role, the marketing professional will need a combination of

knowledge and skills (Floyd and Gordon, 1998). For example, a post-graduate marketing

graduate could have significant knowledge, but without skills they would be unlikely to

become established in their career. On the other hand, a post-graduate marketer who has

the skills without the knowledge is unlikely to understand what needs to be done in their

marketing position. Ultimately, their career would also be less likely to be established.

As both the knowledge and skills of potential marketing professionals can be developed,

and marketers often take a program of study in higher education to progress their careers,

in the following paragraphs the role of higher education in developing marketing

managers is examined.

In considering the role of Higher Education Institutions, it is generally viewed that it is

infeasible for Higher Education programs to provide students with a complete and

comprehensive list of skill outcomes that ensure career advancement and success. At this

point of time, anyway, there is no clear agreement among the various stakeholders as to

34

the most desirable skill set or even the most important skills. However, there is

agreement that the skill set should incorporate a broad range of skills, regardless of the

degree (Binks and Exley, 1992; AGR, 1995, Harvey, Moon, Geall and Bower, 1997;

Dearing, 1997; Nabi and Bagley, 1998; Yorke 2006; DfES, 2002).

In Higher Education Institutions, the marketing programs are designed to provide the

necessary knowledge and skills to enable students to successfully embark on, or develop,

their professional marketing career. In this period of environmental change, Higher

Education Institutions was seen to be struggling to produce graduates who were

competent in their marketing fields and who possessed the knowledge and skills needed

to succeed in their profession (Bowden, Hart, King, Trigwell and Watts, 2000). In fact,

Higher Education Institutions was not seen as enhancing employability of the graduates

(Davies, 2000; Ellis, 2000; Curtis and Lucas, 2001). This position must be seen of great

concern because of the almost universal claims of Higher Education Institutions,

covering both undergraduate and post-graduate programs, of student outcomes that

deliver graduates fit for employment and career success.

In research into MBA programs, Dacko (2006), for example, found that decision making

skills were not emphasised enough for the MBA program structures. The research found

that employers, seeking marketing post-graduates, believed the decision making skill sets

of their MBA candidates were deficient. Furthermore, the research suggested that the

MBA graduates themselves also saw the emphasis on decision making skills in the

program was deficient. This finding of a lack of satisfaction with decision making skills

in the MBA program was consistent with an earlier study by Eberhardt, Moser and

McGee (1997).

Contrary to the findings in the abovementioned study of MBA programs, Duke (2002)

found that novice graduates considered that decision making skills were adequately

covered by the undergraduate marketing curriculum. In this study, Duke (2002) found

that decision making skills were the third most important of nine skills covered in the

undergraduate marketing degree.

It would seem intuitive that the requirements for skill development by marketing

professionals at different stages of their career, whether novice or marketing manager,

35

would be different. This notion is evidenced by the findings of the above studies which

found differences in perceptions of important skills by students at the post-graduate and

undergraduate level. At this stage it is noted that there have been numerous studies into

the perceptions of students of their undergraduate programs in skill development, and

these studies are examined in the last part of this chapter. Whilst there have been a few

studies into the perceptions of students of the effectiveness of MBA programs in skill

development, the researcher is not aware of any studies that have investigated the

perceptions of marketing managers who have a post-graduate marketing qualification.

Consequently, given the perceived gap in the literature in terms of an understanding of

the effectiveness of post-graduate marketing programs in developing needed skills, this

thesis intends to study the perceptions of marketing managers of important skills and the

effectiveness of post-graduate marketing programs in delivering these skills.

2.3.3: IMPLICATIONS OF CHANGING CAREER STRUCTURES FOR EMPLOYERS

The employment of marketing managers was seen to be conducted in a very competitive

marketplace. The competition was no longer centred on what degree or qualification an

applicant held, but rather the skill sets of the potential employees (Harvey et al., 1997).

In other words, the applicants for marketing management positions must be able to

demonstrate the required skills to be considered for the position. There are many studies

which suggest various skills, particularly transferable skills, are desirable by employers

(Stewart and Knowles, 1999; Tomlinson, 2008; Ehiyazaryan and Barraclough, 2009).

The changes in the external environment which require marketing managers to operate in

a fast pace and turbulent environment has consequences for the skills they need to

operate effectively and achieve career success. More immediately, the changing

organisational environment is placing the onus on the marketer to align his or her skill

development to the needs of the employer.

The consequence of the new career, whilst on the one hand decreasing the need for the

organisation to be actively involved and fostering the career development of its

employees, has the unintended consequence of promoting employee mobility. If

occupational mobility is an accepted event and employees will change jobs more often

(Martin (b), 1997), then companies cannot expect to have a stable work force (Lewis,

1993; Pemberton and McBeth, 1995). This may cause a lack of experience and

36

knowledge within the organisation, as employees leave the company. The study by

Marchant (1999), found that only 8% of United Kingdom managers were promoted

within the same company. This finding would be of concern to employees seeking

promotion, and should flag the need to develop retention strategies for key employees.

One potential strategy may be for firms to develop an understanding of the motivations

of their employees with a view to identifying, and satisfying their needs. An

understanding of the career motivations of employees could provide the employer

opportunities to develop an employee retention strategy by providing the appropriate

incentives (Hsu, Jiang, Klein and Tang, 2003).

In summary, there are many changes in the external environment that are impacting on

the professional marketer, and these changes may influence the marketer’s ability to

achieve career success. For example, the move towards making employees more

responsible for their own career development places responsibility on the acquisition of

up-to-date skills with the employee. Later in this chapter, the tasks and skills that are

needed for career development of the professional marketer are discussed. As career

development relies on many factors, one such factor, the motivation of the employee is

examined in the next section.

2.3.4: CAREER ANCHORS AS DRIVERS OF SUCCESS

In developing a career, an individual’s choice may be influenced by their self-perceived

skills, talents, values, interests and other psychological dimensions. A person's beliefs

about his or her basic values, skills, talents, and interests, encourage them to choose an

occupation that was in tune with those views so as to meet their needs (Duff &

Cosgrove, 1981; Cromie, 1994). Schein’s (1975) concept of a career anchor seems to

approximate this notion. The career anchor is seen as a cluster of self-perceived talents,

motives and values that forms the nucleus of a person’s occupational self-concept.

The career anchor functions in the person’s work life as a way of organizing their

experiences. It identifies one’s area of contribution in the long run by generating criteria

for the kinds of work settings in which one wants to function. Generally, an individual

wants and values a career in which he or she does well. Career anchors in a sense aid in

identifying patterns of ambition and criteria for success by which one will measure

oneself (Schein, 1975).

37

The principal architect and researcher into career anchors has been Edgar Schein. In a

series of publications, Schein proposed a construct called “career anchors” (Schein,

1975, 1978, 1987). Schein suggested that through successive trials and challenges

experienced in their first few years out of school, young adults gain a more accurate and

more stable career self-concept. He labelled this stable career concept “career anchor”.

The metaphor of “anchor” was seen as apt, as it referred to the stabilising force in an

individual’s career. The career anchor was seen to be a constraining force on the

decisions an individual makes about which jobs to pursue and how to balance personal

and work-life.

Most research into career development has focussed on external factors and the more

visible elements of career success, such as, income and role title. This thesis is taking an

approach that seeks to identify an internal factor, being an individual’s career orientation,

or career anchor, and its link to the individual’s perspective on success. In doing so, the

study will examine the proposition by Schein (1996) that individuals have long-term and

fairly permanent preferences for their work and work environment.

Schein (1978) coined the term career anchor to describe a constellation of self-perceived

talents, motives and values which develop over time. Once developed, they shape,

constrain and stabilise career choices and directions. The career anchor may be thought

of as a central component of the self-concept that individuals are unwilling to relinquish,

even when forced to make a difficult choice. The career anchor is a significant career

influence and particularly relevant to the aims of this study. It influences career choices,

affects decisions to move from one job to another, shapes what individuals are seeking in

life, determines their views of the future, influences the selection of specific occupations

and work settings, and affects one’s reactions to work experiences (Schein, 1987). In

other words, the career anchor may be seen to have an effect on the motivations and

career choices of marketing managers, among others.

Schein (1993) noted that all people develop some kind of picture of their life work and

their role in it. He postulated that individuals’ career anchors gradually come to be their

own definition of career success (Schein, 1975, 1978). Schein (1990) saw career

anchors as important elements of an individual’s internal career. In this context, the

38

career anchor theory implies that nonmonetary or psychological factors influence

perceptions of career success (Barth, 1993). Schein (2007) noted that as individuals face

a job shift through being promoted, fired, moved geographically or functionally, they

confront their self-image and become aware their career anchors.

Schein (1978) initially identified five career anchors during his research,

Managerial Competence represented the need to be competent in the activities

associated with management such as problem analysis, emotional stability, and

interpersonal competence;

Technical Competence was associated with motivation for a challenge in a

technical field, functional area, or work content;

Security/Stability represented the desire for long-run stability in job or career,

good benefits and job security;

Entrepreneurial Creativity embodied the need to create something, or undertake

new projects; and

Autonomy encompassed an employees need to be free of constraint to pursue

professional or technical competence.

DeLong (1982a, 1982b) attempted to validate the career anchor model empirically.

Beyond the five anchors identified by Schein, Delong investigated an additional three

anchors. These were:

Identity represented by the desire for status and prestige from belonging to certain

companies and organisations;

Sense of Service represented by concern with helping others and seeing changes

that result from efforts; and

Variety embodying the desire for challenge.

Studies by DeLong (1982a, 1982b) validated Schein’s model by clearly identifying the

five initial anchors, and confirmed the additional three anchors under investigation. He

also found that the Security/Stability anchor emerged as two independent anchors. One,

Stability, represented individuals who would accept an organisational definition of their

career. The other, Security, represented individuals who were willing to move from

39

company to company in order to ensure permanence in a geographic area (DeLong,

1982a, 1982b). Schein (1993) subsequently established that the identity anchor could be

viewed as an extension of the Security/Stability anchor. Therefore, there are nine career

anchors within the Schein career anchor theory. The evidence of nine career anchors was

observed within the study by Ramakrishna and Potosky (2003) on information system

personnel.

Further studies (Igbaria, Greenhaus and Parasuaman, 1991; Igbaria and Baroudi, 1993)

identified a type of career anchor defined by the belief that it should be possible to

integrate work, family, and self-concerns into a coherent lifestyle, representing a

Lifestyle anchor. Studies by Igbaria, Greenhaus and Parasuaman (1991), Igbaria and

Baroudi (1993) and also Schein (1993) have also reported that the variety factor is

favoured by individuals who see all work situations as self-tests that are won or lost

against an absolute standard or an actual competitor. Therefore, the label Pure Challenge

was adopted as the essence of the variety anchor.

A study by Suutari and Taka (2004), into the careers of global leaders, identified an

Internationalisation anchor, which represented individuals who were primarily excited

by working in international task environments, and searching for new experiences in

unfamiliar countries and cultures.

In reflecting on the results of the career anchor self-analysis exercises, conducted for the

most part in the 1970's and 1980's, Schein (1990), noted that the studies obtained fairly

consistent results with roughly 25% of respondents anchored in general management

another 25 % in technical/functional competence, 10 % each in autonomy and security

and the rest spread across the remaining anchors. The results provided a broad

distribution of anchors in every occupation even though one might imagine that some

occupations would be highly biased toward a given anchor. Schein (1990) noted further

that even management students who might be expected to have primarily a general

management anchor were found to be spread across the whole spectrum of anchors,

with only about 25% in that category. Interestingly, it was found that even in the case of

middle managers and senior executives, rarely was the percentage having primarily a

general management anchor above 50%.

40

The career anchors identified in the Schein (1978, 1990, 1993), Delong (1982a, 1982b,

and Igbaria and Baroudi, (1993) are listed, together with a brief description in Table 2.1.

Table 2.1 Typology of Career Anchors

Anchor Description Managerial Employees are more generalists in their career. They appear to be interested in general

management so they can use their power, influencing others and associate their achievements with their own efforts. They tend to measure their success by the amount of responsibility and the size of their professional responsibilities (Schein, 1978). As a general manager, they tend to have strong analytical and problem solving competencies as well as emotional competencies.

Technical Employees prefer the technical career ladder in order to fully utilise their skills and to remain challenged in their specific area. They are also inclined to be in technical positions (Igbaria and Baroudi, 1991) and are inclined not to move into managerial positions beyond their technical paths (Feldman, 1988; Igbaria, Grennhaus and Parasuraman, 1991).

Organisational Stability

These employees tend to have a more predicable career path. This indicates a more of a reliable employee. They are more likely to look for an organisation that provides job security and career stability (Schein 1978, 1996). They will forgo the use of the talents to ensure stability (Barth 1993) and will do what is required by the company to maintain the job security

Autonomy Employees are more concerned about having control over their work activities and freedom from supervision (Schein 1990). They are inclined to work at own pace and time schedule and their work interests are confined to areas that fit their needs. They tend to have high levels of entrepreneurial intentions (Lee and Wong, 2004.)

Creativity and Entrepreneurial

They are similar to the above as well as being a capable manager. They are specifically interested in using their own competencies or talents and their desire to create something new. This often translates into being self –employed, so they have the opportunity to use their own skills and creativity. They tend to be persistent and have constant to drive change and overcome challenges.

Pure Challenge

Employees are primarily concerned with problem solving in order to win and defeat the competition. Their skills set are in overcoming obstacles to achieve personal goals. They tend to be very single minded and do not understand other possible aspirations.

Service and Dedication

Employees try to serve others to make the world a better place (Schein, 1978, 1990). They seek work in a particular field that meets their values, rather than their skill set and will change occupations/careers in pursuit of these opportunities.

Geographic Security

Employees believe that geographic security is important for their career advancement.

Lifestyle Employees would alter employment if it affects their social, personal and requirements of their careers. They consider success as balancing their careers with their total life (including family, career and self-development). As the employees’ emphasis on a dual career (job and family) increases, this anchor’s importance may increase in importance.

Source: Schein (1978,1990); Derr (1986); Delong (1982a)

41

The career anchor theory is well accepted by scholars, but there are some critics, and the

two key concerns are briefly examined. The primary criticism was that the career anchor

framework had been subject to limited empirical investigations; hence some

inconsistency of results had been observed (Feldman and Bolino, 1996; Arnold, 1997;

Yarnall, 1998). External influences and certain demographics, such as age (e.g., Deer,

1986), had been shown to change career anchors over time. These findings were

inconsistent with Schein’s finding. Furthermore, Schein (1990) acknowledged that whilst

the empirical evidence was inconclusive, the weight of evidence was on the side of

stability.

Second, the idea of one anchor had been challenged by Feldman and Bolino (1996). It

was of note that Schein even more strongly in his later works (1987; 1990), than his

earlier works, argued that an individual simply cannot have two or more career anchors.

Schein (1990) argued that if no one anchor emerges clearly, it was because the individual

had not had enough life experiences to develop priorities that determine how to make

choices. The findings of some recent studies suggest that there may be both primary and

secondary anchors. For example, the study by Rasdi, Ismail, Uli and Noah (2009) on

Malaysian Public sector managers, suggested there was evidence of respondents who had

a primary anchor and two or more secondary anchors. Further evidence of secondary

anchors was found in the study by Ramakrishna and Potosky (2003) on information

system personnel and Crepeau, Crook, Goslar and McMurtey (1992) proposed that IT

workers have multiple career anchors. Despite these criticisms of Schein’s career anchor

theory, the basic anchor classifications were still accepted by many scholars. In doing so,

the main attribute that drives Schein’s model, “congruence”, was accepted. Schein

argued and presented supporting evidence that when individuals achieve congruence

between their career anchor and their work environment they are more likely to achieve

positive career outcomes. Once congruence is achieved, positive career outcomes such as

job satisfaction and career stability ensue (Schein, 1975; 1990).

If the role an individual undertakes was not congruent with the individuals career anchor,

then career dissatisfaction could be the end result. Conversely, the relationship between

congruence of career anchor and career outcomes should be stronger for those

individuals whose personal career anchors were consistent with the dominant profile in

the industry (Feldman and Bolino, 1996).

42

Other critics of the career anchor theory included Feldman and Bolino (1996). The

researchers reconceptualised the nature of career anchors, in the light of what they saw as

a theoretically underspecified model and empirical tests that had been far from

conclusive. The re-specification of the career anchor framework presented a series of

propositions about the factors which moderated the relationships between career anchors

and career outcomes. The career anchor theory posited by Schein and his colleagues has

continued, however, to gain acceptance.

The knowledge of one’s career anchor enables the individual to set a career agenda. The

career anchor theory proposes that a career anchor directly aligns itself with career

choices. These links have been substantiated by Nordvik (1996); Igbaria, Kassicieh, and

Silver (1999); and Beck and Lopa (2001). However, an individual’s ability to fulfil a

career agenda requires more than motivation. A strong predictor of career development is

the skills an individual possesses.

Schein (1987) considered that will each occupation, there are a variety of people with

different occupational goals, talents and values. In this light, career anchors do not

determine the occupation or categorise a person as this would link to a personality

(Kniveton 2004). There was ample of evidence of occupations with different career

anchors. For example, Jarlstrom (2000) on Finnish business students; Tan and Quek

(2001) on Singapore educators; Suutari; Lee and Wong (2004) on research scientists;

Taka (2004) on global careers; Chang, Liu, Hwang and Siang (2007) on information

system students and Rasdi, Ismail, Uli and Noah (2009) on Malaysian Public sector

managers. To the researcher’s knowledge there are no studies that have examined the

career anchors of professional marketers.

In summary, the congruency between an individual’s career anchor and work role should

provide insights into his or her perception of career success. The career anchors have

marketing managers do not appear to have been the subject of empirical research,

accordingly this thesis intends to identify the career anchors of marketing managers with

a view to obtaining insights into the person-level factors that predispose a professional

marketer to embark on a management centred career.

43

Research Question: What are the career anchors of established marketing managers

with Post-graduate marketing qualifications?

In using marketing professionals (marketing managers), having a post-graduate

marketing qualification, as respondents to the study it was posed that that these

professionals would have had enough career and life experiences to be aware of, and to

have formed, their career anchors. According to Tan and Quek (2001), the career anchors

emerge after 3-5 years.

Schein (1990) has argued that each individual has only one true, or dominant, anchor.

This research seeks to identify the dominant anchor of the marketing manager who

holds a post-graduate marketing qualification. The determination of the career anchors

of a typical marketing manager should provide insights into their aspirations and

internal motivations and measures of success. It is posited that the extent to which an

individual has a career anchor that matches the profile of their career, the more positive

the career outcome for the individual. Such links between career anchors and

occupations have been found in the study of Norwegian workers by Nordvik (1996) and

research by Beck and La Lopa (2001) also suggested a typical career anchor with hotel

workers.

In considering the dominant career anchor of marketing managers, it was posited that

the dominant anchor would be managerial. Individuals with a managerial anchor were

interested in general management, where they can exercise large amounts of managerial

power and link organisational achievements to their own efforts (Schein, 1978).

Managerially anchored people measure their success by the amount of responsibilities

and the size of their job tasks. Schein (1978) reported that a person with a strong

managerial anchor typically wants a high-level position in the firm in order to exercise

more formal authority, power and influence. They have the analytical competencies to

identify, analyse and solve problems under conditions of incomplete information and

uncertainty. They also have strong interpersonal skills to manage relationships with

people inside and outside the organisation. In addition, they are able to make decisions

under conditions of risk and uncertainty and make tough decisions where no integrative

solution is possible (Schein, 1978). Hence, their need to have a high level position in a

firm and their abilities to manage in the ever-changing marketing landscape. It is

44

therefore conceivable that individuals with a managerial anchor would consider a

marketing management career. Such a career would place the individual at the apex of

the organisation where they could contribute to the firm’s ability to achieve its goals

through the effective development and implementation of the firm’s product strategy.

It is considered that support for the contention the dominant anchor of marketing

managers, with a post-graduate marketing qualification, was managerial was provided

by recent studies. The study by Schleef (2000), found that 93% of the business students,

who attended a business school, were career motivated. An earlier finding by

McDonough (1997), also suggested that business students were career motivated and

saw the need to have credentials to establish a career. The studies suggest that there

were career motivations that impel students to enter post-graduate study. The outcomes

of post-graduate study, which were new or enhanced skills, were the credentials needed

to further their career. This thesis in seeking to identify the career anchors of marketing

managers who hold a post-graduate marketing qualifications, may consider that these

attributes may be indicators that they may have a managerial orientation.

Whilst the discussion on career anchors so far has focussed on the implications for

employees, the identification of career anchors of marketing professionals has benefits

for the firm. Employees, who are established in their career, bring experience and

knowledge into the company, which may result in the achievement of organisational

goals. An understanding of the employees’ career anchors provides the employer with

information that facilitates the development of customised incentives, designed to retain

employees with different motivations (Hsu, Jiang, Klein, and Tang, 2003). However, if

the understanding of the anchors is not part of the career plan of the company, staff

turnover and company anxiety may result (Jiang and Klein, 2000). Therefore, an

understanding of employees career anchor becomes important for both the organisation

(to develop retention strategies) and marketing professional (for career planning). The

findings of studies by Judge, Cable, Bourdreau and Bretz (1995); Barusch, Bell and Gray

(2005), suggested there was a relationship between skills and work experience. So,

whilst one’s career anchor, or motivation, was the key determinant behind the marketers’

ability to set a career agenda, it may also have been indicative of the skills levels of the

marketer.

45

In summary, employees are now feeling the effects of turbulent change in the external

environment on the organisational structure and culture. The traditional career, once an

expectation of professionals, has been replaced by a new contract, based on continuous

learning and identity change (Hall, 1996). In adapting to this change, it is posed that

employees will now look to internal factors as providing measures of success.

Individuals with congruency between their career anchor, and their career profile, will

have more positive career outcomes, and perceptions of success. There is no known

study of the career anchors of marketing managers, and this thesis will examine the

career anchors of marketing managers as a means of will understanding their perceptions

of career success.

In the following part of this chapter, part three, a discussion of the role and activities of

marketing managers was undertaken.

2.4: ROLE OF THE MARKETING MANAGER

Since the Industrial Revolution, management rational about marketing in most western

economies, including Australia, has evolved through development stages, culminating in

managerial philosophies and practices having a marketing orientation (Webster, 1992).

Companies embracing the marketing concept implement co-ordinated marketing

management strategies. Marketing influences the strategic brand focus of the firm and is

responsible for delivering profitability to the organisation. In doing so, the marketing

management function undertakes a role of high level responsibility and is seen to

contribute directly to the profitability of the firm. The marketing managers who

undertake these functions need to have a wide range of skills that enable high-level

performance so as to achieve the stipulated corporate objectives.

In considering how best to describe the role of a marketing manager, the idea of calling a

marketing manager a "mixer of ingredients” is appealing (Culliton, 1948). This idea

reflects the marketing manager as one who is constantly engaged in fashioning creatively

a mix of marketing procedures and policies in his efforts to produce a profitable

enterprise (Borden, 1965). The marketing process as posed is clearly seen as one of

46

complexity, requiring creativity, and good decision-making, in a situation of fluidity or

uncertainty.

In the following section, a brief discussion of changes impacting marketing management

was undertaken as background to the development of a better appreciation of the

complexity of the role of the marketing manager. In addition, the discussion has

identified areas of new skill development needed to cope with the changing marketing

environment.

2.4.1: CHANGES IMPACTING MARKETING MANAGEMENT

Marketing managers face many challenges in adapting to changes driven by a dynamic

and knowledge rich environment (Lehmann and Winer, 2004). It is thought that the

hierarchical organisations of today are disaggregating into a variety of network forms

which may change the role of marketing in profound ways (Achrol and Kotler, 1999).

Marketing will be responsible increasingly for creating and managing new marketing

knowledge, education, real-time market information systems, intra-firm integration and

conflict resolution. In addition, marketing will have accountability for technology

forecasting, risk and investment analysis, transfer pricing, and the coordination of the

network’s economic and social activities (Achrol and Kotler, 1999, p. 146). Some of the

key changes are discussed briefly below. These impacts affect the activities and roles of

the current marketing management by focusing them on activities and roles which are

new to them. The key changes in the marketing environment are listed below.

2.4.1.1: THE WEB From the mid-1990’s, the World Wide Web has revolutionised the way organisations

communicate and deliver value to customers. For example, any company not having a

web site in 1996 was considered hopelessly out of date (Lehmann and Winer, 2004).

Today, the web is a new channel of distribution, a new communication medium, and a

way of building relationships with a brand. These changes make the role of the

marketing professional more complex as the fragmentation of channels and media has

expanded the number of strategies for the organisation. Whether or not the internet has

changed the way the marketing professional actually markets their products is beyond

this thesis. However, the web has introduced change which has required marketing

47

professionals to undertake new activities and develop knowledge and skills to handle

these changes.

2.4.1.2: THE DATA EXPLOSION Effective marketing today requires sophisticated data management (Achrol and Kotler,

1999), and marketing managers must be able to manage and respond to better and timely

information on most marketing metrics. For example, the use of database marketing has

become a key approach to creating better customer relationships and retention.

2.4.1.3: CHANGING COMPANY NETWORKS The marketing management function requires collaboration with other departments in an

organisation, and is crucial to its success (O’Leary, Rao and Perry, 2004). As a

consequence, the marketing literature extensively covers the interpersonal relationships

between various departments in an organization (Murphy and Gorchels, 1996). The term

network was once used to describe the informal ties within a company, now the term is

seen to represent a legitimate form of company hierarchy (Galaskiewicz, 1996). The

information in organisations having a hierarchical structure was often too slow to

respond. With the changing environments, networks have replaced the large vertical

hierarchies. The introduction of networks was seen to maximise organisational learning

and to reduce the cost of information transfer. Networks became a favoured

organisational structure since they were flexible and very adaptable (Achrol and Kotler,

1999). The influence on marketers was then to build networks to allow the transfer of

information. In a sense, the marketing manager of today was acting in some form of

general managerial sense as they facilitated the need for information exchange.

2.4.1.4: NEW BRANDING CHALLENGES Perhaps the most important challenge to brand builders was the proliferation of new

brands and products, in part spurred by the rise in line and brand extensions (Keller,

1998). The proliferation of brands was a key concern of marketing professionals, given

the focus on price placed by the on-line store.

All these changes, unquestionably, have had an impact on the day to day activities of the

marketing manager, and may involve changes in the way tasks were handled.

Furthermore, the changes required marketing managers to have the necessary marketing

knowledge and the skills required to develop and manage the brands under their control

in this changing marketing landscape. So, in looking at the marketing management

48

function, it seems desirable to gain a better understanding of the activities and tasks of

the current marketing manager, prior to investigating the skills that are needed for career

success. In the next section, measures of the performance of the marketing manager are

discussed.

2.4.2: MARKETING MANAGEMENT PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT

Marketers are under increasingly pressure to show their worth to the company. In a sense

they are becoming more accountable (Doyle, 2000). Measuring marketing performance

has been well researched (Donthu, Hersberger and Osmoonbekov, 2005; Lukas,

Whitwell and Doyle, 2005, Zahay and Griffin, 2010). These studies confirm that

effective performance is linked to business accomplishments (generally measured in

terms of profitability). In effect, the marketing manager is under increasing pressure to

show their worthiness in terms of shareholder value (Rust, Ambler, Carpenter, Kumar

and Srivastava, 2004). This situation was a departure from past practice where marketing

performance was often measured in terms of market share and sales (Lehmann and

Winer, 2004). Even though these measures were not necessarily bad, the marketing

manager’s past inability to show how they contributed to the company’s performance

often resulted in their lack of stature within the organisation.

Marketing performance management is defined as the association between the tasks of

marketing and business performance (Clarke and Ambler, 2001 p 13). The definition

clearly articulates that the marketer’s performance is measured in terms of the

achievement of financial metrics, thus requiring the marketing manager to have some

level of financial skills. In these changing times, the critical issue for the marketing

manager is to understand the activities and their output that allow them to be effectively

measure their performance.

In evaluating the marketing manager, it is necessary to have an appreciation of the

activities and tasks that are performed. These activities vary at different stages of career

development. In assessing the performance of marketing, it is common for effectiveness

to be measured in terms of outcomes such as sales, market share and profitability. In

recognising that these outcomes result, in part, from factors outside the marketers’

control, some marketers have called for performance measures that recognise the skill

49

input of the marketer. Bonoma and Crittenden (1988) considered that skills and activities

should be the basis of marketing evaluation, since they are what contribute to the

marketing performance. Marketing scholars have examined inputs (e.g., skill-sets), as a

measure of marketing performance (Brownlie, 1993; Rothe, Harvey and Jackson, 1997;

Morgan, Clark and Gooner, 2002). Generally, these studies considered that marketing

performance should include an assessment of the activities, and associated skills, needed

to perform the activities of the position. This type of assessment was seen as

complimentary to assessment based on contribution to overall corporate marketing

activity, usually measured in financial terms (e.g., meeting budget in terms of sales,

market share and profitability).

Most marketing managers often have general manager type responsibilities as well as the

day-to-day operations of their products (Grönroos, 1994). In addition, marketing

managers are charged with building and maintaining brand equity over a long period of

time (Lehmann and Winer, 2004). Marketing managers, generally, but not always, have

profit and loss responsibility and profit targets they have to meet or exceed. That is, the

performance of marketing management is gauged by the ability to meet financial goals

and deliver a product strategy that drives the long run profitability of the firm (Baker and

Hart, 2007). In addition, the general management duties they perform, though often not

measured, may significantly contribute to their overall performance.

The performance measures on the marketing manager and other senior managers have

made them very accountable of their actions. There is an intense pressure on marketers to

demonstrate their contribution to the company (Morgan, Clark and Gooner, 2002). This

pressure resulted from other members of the company who assess performance, as well

from the individual’s assessment of their own performance. It was found that marketing

managers often question whether or not they are actually undertaking the right activities

or aims of their department (Radford, 1997). In fact, studies have suggested that there

was a conflict between the activities the marketing manager should be attempting and

what they were actually undertaking (Andrews, 1996; Berek, 1998; Johnson, 1999). The

research by Johnson (1999) on product managers and Hooley, Lynch, and Shepherd

(1990) on chief marketing officers, suggested a focus on more tactical based, rather than

strategically focused, activities. This was in contrast with the research by Tyagi and

Sawhney (2010) who claimed that product managers prefer strategic activities. Andrews

50

(1996) suggested that marketing managers should spend more time on creativity. These

conflicting views of the key activities of marketing managers only add to the need to

develop a clearer understanding of the role and activities of marketing manager, and of

the associated skills and knowledge needed to effectively undertake the task. In the next

section, the role of the marketing manager is discussed.

2.4.3: ROLE AND TASKS OF MARKETING MANAGERS

Of recent studies into the roles and tasks of marketing managers, the role receiving most

attention has been that of product manager (Ebert, 2007; Tyagi, and Sawhney, 2010;

Hong, Doll, Revilla and Nahm, 2011). As noted earlier, there are many position titles in

organisations that denote marketing managers, but the marketer’s job title may not

definitively define his or her role and status, given the differences that abound between

companies. Marketing managers are often in charge of a division or strategic business

unit and are responsible for managing portfolios of products (rather than a single

product or product line). In addition, they appear to have responsibility for the long term

strategic direction of their business groups (Lehmann and Winer, 2004). The focus of

this thesis is to better understand influences on marketing manager’s ability to achieve

career development and success, whilst noting that there was little agreement on this

matter (Low and Fullerton, 1994; Berek, 1998: Johnson, 1999; and Gorchels, 2000).

It would be hard for any professional marketer to accurately perform the critical tasks

that determine their effectiveness without a full appreciation of them. Accordingly, the

greater the understanding of what is required to accomplish the tasks, the greater the

potential to effectively complete the tasks. The studies by Davis, Misra and Van Auken

(2002); Dacko (2006); Gray et al. (2007) and Walker, et al. (2009) identified various

important marketing knowledge areas that would aid the marketing manager in

completing these tasks, and these are discussed in the following sections of this chapter.

The lack of clarity of marketing activities and tasks suggests the need for a list of tasks of

marketing manager as a means to clearly the activities they need to accomplish. This

thesis study seeks to address this identified need, and the research question is identified

below.

51

Research question: What are the important tasks of established marketing

managers?

The literature on the functions of marketing within an organisation refers to various

roles. According to Drucker (1954), marketing became an identifiable concept once the

principles of management were applied. In this respect, the function of marketing should

be managerial based or at the very least, linked to it. This definition of marketing thought

initially to be to narrow and was broadened (Kotler, 1972; Webster, 1992). In any event,

the idea of customer orientation and innovation are embedded in the role of marketing

(Webster, 2009). Furthermore, the basic importance of strategic thinking is an attempt to

guide the firm in a changing environment. For the role of strategic thinking to occur, the

role of marketing is to share knowledge and skills (Doherty, 1992; Moorman and Rust,

1999) that contributes to effectiveness, of the organisation. Other scholars suggest that

the use skill of sharing knowledge that crosses domains within an organisation

(Lysonski, Singer and Wileman, 1989; Hooley, Lynch, and Shepherd, 1990; Day, 1994;

Wood and Tandon, 1994; Panigyrakis and Veloutsou, 1999) can increase communication

(Moenaert and Souder, 1996) is the important factor. These studies are concerned with

the role of marketing, but they have ignored how to of marketing. The how to of

marketing is the skills they need to engage the marketing departments, and the tasks

needed to operate a successful marketing division. If the value of marketing is to

contribute to the success of the firm (Moorman and Rust, 1999), then the marketers

performing the activities must have a clear understanding of their tasks. In addition, they

must understand how to perform the tasks using the skills and knowledge at a level that

may enable career progression and company success.

The problem then for the marketer is to develop their skills to a level that enables them to

undertake activities and tasks that enable career progression and success. Information on

the tasks of marketers are often not well understood, or clearly articulated. The tasks of

marketing managers are most often expressed in job descriptions or are sometimes

expressed as short term performance measures (Eastlack and Rao, 1986; Erickson and

Jacobson, 1992) and not expressed in terms of the action required that allows these

performances to be achieved. Consequently, the articulation of the tasks required to

effectively undertake the role of marketing manager may provide some confidence to the

marketer that they are on track and conducting the job effectively.

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In the marketing curricula in Higher Education Institutions, the primacy of the activity of

developing a marketing plan is highlighted. But, it is usually in the product management

subjects that the role of the marketing professional is more fully developed. The

researcher in considering an appropriate mechanism to identify the activities and tasks of

marketing managers has decided to adopt an extensively researched and tested

framework, the Chartered Institute of Marketing, UK (CIM) Professional standards

Framework (CIM 2010).

In summary, the above discussion points to a lack of understanding or clarity in defining

the role and activities of marketing managers. In the following section, the Chartered

Institute of Marketing (CIM) Professional Standard Framework, which represents a

structure covering the roles of marketing professionals at various levels in an

organisation, is discussed. This discussion will be followed by a discussion of the skills

needed to conduct the activities.

2.4.4: CHARTERED INSTITUTE OF MARKETING FRAMEWORK: IDENTIFYING THE ROLE OF MARKETING MANAGERS:

The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) Professional Standard framework represents

an industry occupational standard for the marketing professional. The development of the

CIM Professional Standards Framework was initiated by The UK Government in the

1980’s in order to improve industry standards. The government was concerned that many

organisations did not adequately test the competencies, knowledge and skills that were

required for industry employment. Subsequently, the CIM Professional Standards

Framework was developed using the collaboration of employers and employees to

describe the activities and functions of the marketing positions. The framework included

the required tasks, skills, and knowledge together with a range of situations which

enabled the implementation of the tasks. The collaboration of marketing professionals

and the CIM institute in the formulation of marketing standards was seen as an attempt to

demystify the role of marketing professionals. The resultant standards were seen as a

mechanism for benchmarking the best practices in marketing against a level of

competence and academic achievement.

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The CIM Professional Standards Framework was developed in a manner that

encompassed both future and current needs of the competent marketing manager. The

standards specified to both the employer and the marketer, the activities expected to be

undertaken. Furthermore, the framework covered various levels of career development.

These levels were associated with academic achievement, such as post-graduate study.

As such, The CIM Professional Standards Framework associated a certain level of

academic achievement with a certain level of business competency. The development of

industry standards allowed the skills and tasks needed for employment to be embedded

in the Higher Education Institution programs in the UK.

The CIM Professional Standards Framework divided the tasks of a marketing manager

into the following areas: research and analysis, strategy and planning, brands,

implementation, measurement and management of people. Table 2.2 outlines the CIM

activity classifications and provides an explanation of the activities performed (CIM

2010).

Table 2.2 CIM Framework for a Marketing Manager

Tasks Scope Research and Analysis Obtaining and analysing information Strategy and Planning Development of strategy and market planning Brands The creation and managing of brands Implementation and Marketing Programs Developing communication.

Developing product and services. Understanding competitors. Developing the marketing mix. Maintaining and improving customer relationships. Planning and managing projects

Measure Effectiveness Measure the effectiveness of marketing activities Managing People Develop teams and individuals to enhance

marketing performance Ethics and Social Responsibility3 Develop and promote ethically and consistent

practices Source: http://www.cim.co.uk/about/mktgstandards.aspx (2010)

In reviewing the roles of the marketing manager, as posed by the CIM classification, the

classification was seen to cover the range of roles expected of a marketing professional,

3 At the time of the survey, this activity was not included in the Chartered Institute of marketing Professional Standards Framework.

It will not be referred to again in this thesis. This thesis will use the standard as proposed in 2004.

54

but with one notable exception. Whilst the model noted that the marketing manager

needed to be able to measure the effectiveness of their marketing activities, there was no

link to the effect of these on the performance (profitability) of the organisation. In these

times of increased accountability, the effectiveness of the marketing manager’s activities

was generally measured in financial terms. The financial achievement was measured in

terms of the delivery of strategies that meet the firm’s income and expenditure, since

profit is often the aim of most organisations. There are various studies (Kelly and Hise,

1979; Rubenstein, 1996; and Luen, 2008) that supports this notion. They all found there

was an increasing reliance on accounting and finance in the derivation of strategy. These

findings provide clear support for the practice of professional marketers of ratifying

decisions in financial terms, as noted in earlier sects on this chapter.

The CIM Professional Standards Framework, by excluding reference to financial

performance requirements, would appear to have subsumed the assessment of these

activities into other activities and tasks of the model. For example, the development of a

marketing plan does require the assessment of market performance, including

profitability and budget development, but these financial-based tasks are not separately

identified. Since there is support for the contention that marketing managers are

becoming more reliant on finance and accounting tasks, it may be appropriate for the

researcher to adapt the CIM Professional Standards Framework to explicitly incorporate

the examination of financial-based tasks. Webster (2009) noted that as the traditional

organisation gives way to a flatter organisation, these more flexible companies push

down the operating responsibilities of the organisation, including more of a reliance on

financial skills. The incorporation of financial activities explicitly in the framework,

supports the examination of all activities of the marketing professional that encompass

total performance measurement (Tangen, 2003), and thus takes account of all the

resources that are used and the financial and brand equity outcomes achieved.

Furthermore, the inclusion of financial tasks supports the ideology of the marketing

concept. The concept claims that customer satisfaction via customer orientation of the

company leads to profit maximisation, which in turn leads to increased value to the

company. The customer satisfaction can lead to increase in financial measures

(Profitability, return on assets and return on investments). The marketing manager would

therefore need to understand these activities, given the negative customer experiences to

55

the company could result in customer satisfaction and ultimately a reduction in

profitability (Gupta and Zeithaml, 2006).

In developing an appreciation of the career establishment of marketing managers in

Australia, a better understanding of the activities they undertake, and the skills that are

needed to perform these tasks is needed. The CIM Professional Standards Framework,

though well tested in companies in the United Kingdom, has not been verified in the

Australian marketing environment. The CIM Professional Standards Framework does

have the potential to be used as a basis for examining the roles and activities of

marketing professionals. Not only may the tasks be identified against the model, but

there is also the potential to develop a better understanding of the role of the marketing

professional by identifying the frequency of the conduct of tasks. This information on

frequency of the tasks will add to the development of a profile of marketing managers,

and may also contribute to an understanding of the key skills that are required to

complete their responsibilities.

The CIM Professional Standards Framework has four principal advantages that support

its application in this research. First, the framework covers the commonly occurring

marketing activities that a typical marketing manager may encounter within their

position. The framework also covers the activities at different levels of career

development thus developing a general picture of the activities of a marketing manager.

Secondly, the model is structured in a way that enables its application to all industries. In

other words, regardless of the industry, the CIM Professional Standards Framework may

be used as a guide to the role and activities of a marketing manager. Third, the CIM

Professional Standards Framework has been developed through extensive collaboration,

and testing in the UK, to become a model of best practice in marketing. Fourth, the

framework is divided by educational level. There are four levels within the CIM

framework. The lowest; was the Introductory certificate, then the Professional certificate,

then the Professional Diploma and the highest education level was the Post-graduate

program. Finally, the Chartered Institute of Marketing has over 42000 members and the

CIM best practice model has been adopted in many developed countries (CIM, 2011).

In summary, the Chartered Institute of Marketing, UK (CIM) Standards Framework has

significant support as a framework to provide guidance on the role and tasks of

56

marketing managers. Moreover, the CIM Professional Standards Framework provides a

link to the educational undertakings needed for the conduct of marketing roles at various

levels. In particular, the framework links the conduct of taks at a marketing management

level to educational levels, and undertaking post-graduate marketing education is seen as

a pre-requisite to undertaking high level marketing management roles. The linking of the

successful conduct of a high level marketing management role, to the attainment of

needed skills through post-graduate education, provides support for this thesis to study

the perceptions of marketing managers of the effectiveness of their post-graduate

education in delivering the needed skills. This notion is examined in the final part of this

chapter.

In the following section, studies into the role of marketing professionals in Australia

were discussed.

2.4.5: RESEARCH INTO THE ROLE OF MARKETING MANAGERS IN AUSTRALIA

The research by Dawes and Patterson (1987) is to the best of the researcher’s knowledge,

was the only empirical study into the roles and task of marketing managers in Australia.

The subjects were product managers in Australia, and 201 completed questionnaires

were received. The study by Dawes and Patterson (1987) revealed that managers

undertook roles and tasks consistent with those identified in the CIM Professional

Standards Framework (CIM 2004). The results by Dawes and Patterson (1987) detailed

in Table 2.3, outlined the roles and task importance of product managers and appear to

be incorporated into the CIM Professional Standards Framework (CIM 2004). The

results indicated that all the tasks covered in the CIM Professional Standards Framework,

with the exception of two, were undertaken by product managers (Dawes and Patterson,

1987). The two CIM tasks not identified as being undertaken were management and

branding activities. Both these tasks were universally seen as central components of a

product manager’s role, but which would seem to have been excluded as they were

subsumed in other activities. For example, the development and implementation of the

marketing plan covers branding strategy, and also involves the co-ordination and

management of people both within and outside the functional marketing area. The other

difference was that the product manager study separately categorised financial-related

activities; these financial activities were not explicitly identified in the CIM Professional

57

Standards Framework. Again, this finding does provide support for the researcher to

extend the CIM Professional Standards Framework to specifically incorporate financial-

based activities in this thesis.

Research question: What tasks of the CIM Professional Standard Framework do post-

graduate marketing managers who are established undertake?

The key finding of the Dawes and Patterson (1987) study was that the most important

tasks of the product manager would appear to be implementation, with these tasks all

consistently ranked as most important. This finding is confirmed by results which

suggest that the respondents do not view long term strategic roles as being important for

the position as compared to other roles (mean score = 3.42). This was less important than

the other roles (Product Development, mean = 4.30, Short term Coordination and

implementation (mean = 4.27), and Analysis/Forecasting (mean = 4.18). Furthermore,

product managers ranked their tasks in terms of importance, with coordination and

implementation related tasks identified as 4 out of the top 10. The results by Dawes and

Patterson (1987) also suggest that none of the top 10 tasks were actually involved with

long term strategic tasks. Their study proposes that respondents in their sample did not

have a strategic role, and as their role was more tactical, the respondents may have been

at a lower level than product manager (for example, as a coordinator or analyst).

Although no studies of the perceptions of marketing managers have been identified as

following the study by Dawes and Patterson (1987). The study by Gray et al. (2007)

covering marketing professionals in New Zealand, was seen as potentially most the

comparable of the limited research that was available on the skills and the tasks of a

marketing manager. The results by Gray et al. (2007) suggested that marketing

communication, market research and analysis, consumer behaviour and product and

brand management were the most important tasks that a marketing manager may

undertake. The high rating of marketing research, and by comparison the low rating of

analysis, reflected the idea that marketers wanted to understand marketing research,

rather than conduct it. However, the study by Gray et al., (2007) did not include

managerial tasks and financial tasks which could be seen as important to their role.

58

The limited research in this area, and the conflicting findings, suggest the need to

develop an up-to-date appreciation of the tasks of a marketing manager, and the

frequency of conduct of the tasks, as a prerequisite for understanding the skills needed to

undertake the needed tasks. This leads to the following research question.

Research question: What is the frequency of the tasks of an established post-graduate

marketing manager undertake in the CIM Professional Standard Framework?

The next section of this chapter provides an overview of studies that have been

undertaken, outside Australia, into the role of marketing managers. These studies have

generally investigated the roles and tasks of marketing managers by analysing the

content of marketing job advertisements.

59

Table 2.3 Tasks of Product Managers (Dawes and Patterson, 1987) as they relate to the CIM

Professional Standards Framework

CIM classification TASKS

Tasks Dawes and Patterson (1987)

Tasks Dawes and Patterson 45 Mean Values

Ranking Dawes and Patterson

Research and Analysis Recommend market research projects

YES 4.3 7

Assess company performance and competitor analysis

YES 4.27

8

Strategy and Planning

Determine the strategic direction of marketing portfolio (department)

YES

Develop a marketing plan YES 4.44 5 Brands Develop branding strategy

Promote development of brands across the organisational portfolios

YES 4.48 3

Implementation of Marketing Programmes

Implement communication mix for portfolio or company

YES 4.65 1

Initiate new product development programs YES 4.21 10

Maintain a competitive product portfolio YES 4.39 6

Develop pricing strategy YES 4.65 1

Implement pricing strategy consistent with corporate objectives

YES 4.65 1

Develop effective channels to meet organisations objectives

YES 4.65 1

Direct and support for marketing intermediaries YES 4.65 1 Instigate a customer relationship strategy YES 4.65 1

Manage customer analysis YES 4.65 1

Establish the project management hierarchy in line with company’s objectives

YES 4.65 1

Manage the running of projects YES 4.65 1

Measuring Effectiveness Monitor actual results against planned performance

YES

Market reports to senior management YES 4.65 1

Managing People Management of staff

Co-ordinate marketing activities among sales and marketing divisions

YES 4.46 4

Contribute to the company's ability to manage change

Finance (Not included in CIM Professional Standards Framework)

Develop, monitor and control marketing budgets YES 4.25 9

Source: Dawes and Patterson (1987), CIM (2004)

4 The mean scores are for the top 10 important tasks, with Number 1 being the most important.

5 The mean score was calculated by 5 point Likert Scale on 201 usable questionnaires. All of the tasks had a mean score greater

than 2.5. The lowest mean scores were the roles of the long term strategic items which still had a mean value of 2.7. In addition,

the estimate the value of net present value had a mean score of 2.7.

60

2.4.6: MAJOR TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF MARKETING MANAGERS

A popular methodology used by researchers to determine the roles and responsibilities of

positions is the analysis of job requirements contained in job advertisements. Recent

studies of marketing jobs were undertaken by Bennett (2002); Melaia, Abratt and Bick

(2008) and Schlee and Harich (2010).

The study by Melaia, Abratt and Bick (2008), found that a marketing manager’s ability

to plan is seen as important for their managerial functions. This finding was not

consistent with the findings by Dawes and Patterson (1987), but as noted, a different

methodology and timeframe was involved which may have accounted for the different

findings. The study by Melaia, Abratt and Bick (2008), involved content analysis of 54

job specifications for advertised marketing management roles. The study findings

suggested that strategic marketing planning and implementation was the most important

measure of a marketing manager’s performance. The level of seniority of the advertised

roles may have explained the emphasis on planning as a key role. Other studies (Cowell,

1987; Middleton and Long, 1990) had similar findings.

There are many problems associated with the use of job advertisements as an indication

of the tasks, and associated skills of a marketing manager. First, the advertisement seeks

to appeal to the potential applicant, and like all advertisements, may provide a rosy

picture of the advertised role. Second, job advertisements often highlight personal

attributes, rather than experience or education, as a way of attracting the right applicants

for the position (Mathews and Redman, 1994). Finally, the contents of advertisements

generally just provide lists of potentially the most appealing tasks of the advertised role.

The role may, however, differ markedly from the actual tasks of the advertised role. In

all, the use of advertisements as a means to identify the roles and tasks of marketing

managers has a number of serious limitations. As a consequence, a direct approach to the

marketing manager to ascertain the role requirements would be a preferred approach.

Despite the limitations of these content studies, it is acknowledged that they do make

some contribution to an understanding of the roles, activities and skills required of

marketing professionals. The following paragraphs cover a number of the most recent

job content studies.

61

The findings of the job advertisement study by Schlee and Harich (2010) suggested the

need for continued marketing training in areas of marketing knowledge in order to keep

pace with these changes in the marketing landscape. Schlee and Harich (2010) noted that

employers were looking for potential applicants with advanced technological skills and

who had internet marketing experience. As the internet was developed in the mid 1990’s,

the requirement for marketers with skills to handle this new medium, is representative of

an activity area requiring new skills. The findings of Schlee and Harich (2010) more

importantly point to the need to develop an up-to-date appreciation of the roles, and

associated skill needs of marketing managers. In addition, the findings have implications

for Higher Education in pointing to the need to continually update their program

curriculum to keep pace with the changing needs of marketing knowledge and practice.

So, in line with this need, this thesis study will examine the skills that marketing

managers need to undertake the tasks required for their career establishment. The

research question thus follows, and the important skills will be discussed in the next part

of this chapter.

Research question: What are the important skills marketing managers need to

undertake to enable career establishment?

Lehmann and Winer (2004) noted that the tasks undertaken by marketing managers are

highly dependent on the organisational structure of the company in which they operate.

In support of this line of thinking, the study of chief marketing officers by Hooley,

Lynch, and Shepherd (1990) suggested that the responsibilities of the marketing manager

varied according to the company’s marketing orientation. The results by Hooley, Lynch,

and Shepherd (1990) suggested that advertising, (74.9%) marketing research (71.2%)

and promotions (68.9%) were the tasks marketers have full responsibility for. These

tasks were the most important regardless of marketing orientation of the company. The

results also suggested that these are the major activities that marketers should actually be

attempting within their position. Furthermore, the research by Hooley, Lynch, and

Shepherd (1990) demonstrated that there are a set of roles and tasks that possibly all

marketers have undertaken to achieve their career status as marketing managers.

On the contrary, some of the marketer’s activities identified by Hooley, Lynch, and

Shepherd (1990) varied considerably. For example, 12% of respondents undertook trade

62

marketing, 18% conducted pricing and product design, and 29% conducted research and

development. These findings suggest that the focus, or importance, of marketing tasks

will vary from company to company. The study by Hooley, Lynch, and Shepherd (1990)

supports the contention that there are some specialist marketing tasks that are not

undertaken in all companies.

.

Recently, Schlee and Harich (2010) examined the skills and conceptual knowledge that

employers require for marketing positions in different levels. The study covered

marketers from entry level to middle and senior level conditions. In developing their

research agenda they noted the technological developments that had transformed the way

U.S. business organisations conducted their tasks over the past 10 years. So, the study

specifically sought to establish if technical skills were being sought in marketing roles, as

these changes had been identified in other professions. Their results on 500 marketing

positions listed in Monster.com suggested that there were significant differences in skills

sought for marketers with between five or more years’ experience compared to those

with less experience. The differences were in the development of marketing plans,

management of marketing functions, product and brand management, supply chain

management, segmentation and positioning strategy. In addition, there were further

discrepancies in pricing, forecasting and budgeting, global behaviour, customer

behaviour, sales management, direct marketing and industry specific knowledge. These

results suggested that there are significant differences between the marketing knowledge

required for experienced marketers and those who are entering the industry.

Whilst the findings of the above mentioned studies are of interest, there appears to be no

clear agreement on the range of activities or tasks, or the frequency with which these

tasks are attempted, particularly in the case of marketing professionals (as distinct from

novice marketers). Whilst the study undertaken by Dawes and Patterson (1987) is more

relevant to the thesis since it focuses on product managers in Australia, it is somewhat

out of date. It is thought that many changes in both the marketing landscape and

organisational structures have impacted the role of marketing managers (Achrol and

Kotler, 1999). The need then is to undertake further studies into the activities of the

modern marketing manager in order to determine the nature of their roles.

63

In all, the discussion of studies covering the roles of marketers have not provided

consistent insights, or been undertaken using somewhat comparable approaches. Many of

the studies reviewed in this thesis are out-dated. In addition, there are only a few that

relate to the Australian business environment. This finding supports the intent of this

thesis to investigate the activities and tasks of marketing managers. It is noted here that

an appreciation of the activities and tasks of a marketer, does not of itself translate into

successful performance of a marketing role. Often, it is the skill that allows the tasks to

be completed (Cohen and Levinthal, 1990).

In the next section of this chapter, the nature of the skill-set of the marketing manager is

examined. In this context, it is thought that the insights into the role requirements, and

frequency of task performance, of marketing managers, would provide a sound basis to

better understand the needed skill-set. As noted in the preceding discussion, the CIM

Professional Standards Framework has been found to be a suitable structure against

which to examine the activities and tasks of marketing managers, and will be adopted in

this thesis.

2.5: SKILL REQUIREMENTS FOR ESTABLISHED MARKETING

MANAGERS

The objectives of this final part of the chapter were twofold. First, to identify the skills

and conceptual knowledge that enables the professional marketer to successfully

undertake the role of a marketing manager. Secondly, to evaluate the role of Higher

Education Institutions in the development of the skills that are seen as required for career

establishment. So, the approach taken in the following discussion was to examine a range

of skills that have been identified in the literature as potentially important for

undertaking the tasks of marketing manager. In addition to marketing knowledge, which

is obviously seen as important, the following skills are discussed: Analytical, Creative,

Critical thinking, Decision making, Interpersonal, Leadership, Negotiation with staff,

Negotiation with suppliers, People management, Problem solving, Verbal

communication, Written communication and Financial knowledge.

64

A skill, as defined in this research, is an observed behaviour that is an expression of the

individual’s ability to undertake specific activities. This definition is broadly consistent

with the views of leading scholars in the field scholars. According to Middleton and

Long (1990 p 327), “a skill is a capacity for voluntary, intentional and objective-related

behaviour of an observable level of effectiveness that could not be expected in an

untrained individual. Shipp, Lamb and Mokowa (1993, p 2) defined a skill as “an

underlying ability that can be refined through practice”. Sanchez, Heene and Thomas

(1996) defined a skill as a special form of capabilities used in a specialised situation or

related to the use of a specialised asset. The idea of a skill used for a specific situation is

similar to Kunango and Misra (1992) and Boyatzis (1982) who both claimed that a skill

is the ability to demonstrate a response to a particular behaviour.

Skills, such as discipline specific skills, are thus seen as the ability to use particular

business concepts to undertake a set of work tasks. In this thesis, discipline skills cover

marketing knowledge and other skills needed to undertake marketing tasks (e.g.,

financial and management skills). In fact, there are many classification systems used to

categorise skills and transferrable skills, and technical skills, are commonly cited

classifications. Discipline specific skills are also referred to as technical skills and not as

functional skills (Bennett, Dunn and Carre, 1999).

Support skills are those skills that can be transferable across many different careers. In

this thesis, this would refer to creativity, decision making, oral and verbal

communication, analytical skills, creative thinking, interpersonal skills, negotiation with

staff and suppliers, and problem solving skills. These skills are often referred to in the

literature as transferable skills (Binks and Exley, 1992, AGR, 1995, Harvey, et al., 1997

and Nabi and Bagley, 1998) or generic employable skills (Bridgstock, 2009).

The transferable skills can be further divided into three groups: Personal attributes

(leadership, creative, managerial and negotiation skills), communication (oral and written

communication skills, interpersonal skills), and problem-solving attributes (analytical,

critical thinking, decision making, problem solving). This division is consistent with the

research by Nabi and Bagley (1998) and the initial development of the skills

classification by Binks and Exley (1992). The skills under discussion in the following

65

sections of this chapter have been addressed according to the groupings in this

classification structure, rather than explored in an ad hoc manner.

An objective of Higher Education Institutions marketing programs is the preparation of

marketing students to be productive performers in organisations. Indeed, the more able

are the postgraduate programs able to develop students with conceptual knowledge and

skills, the more able are the students to apply sound marketing principles in the field. In

the following sections of this chapter, the skills and conceptual knowledge that are

necessary for marketing managers were identified and their importance to their role

effectiveness was discussed. The implications of changes in the marketing environment

and the consequential skill changes for marketing professionals, educators and industry

were also discussed.

2.5.1: MARKETING SKILL REQUIREMENTS IDENTIFIED IN RECENT STUDIES

Given the importance of the marketing function to the development and implementation

of strategy in organisations, one would expect that a full appreciation of the skills and

knowledge needs of the marketing manager had been developed. However, scholars

seem to agree that there is no general agreement on the needed skills (Melaia, Abratt and

Black, 2008). Various studies sought to identify the skills that are seen as important for

marketers (e.g., Thomas, 1984; Constable and McCormick, 1987; Boatwright and

Stamps, 1988; Porter and McKibben, 1988; Middleton and Long, 1990 and Gray et al.,

2007). The studies have identified many different skills, but have not achieved a

consensus as to the key skills that are important for marketing success. Often the studies

cover the perceptions of students or novice marketers and the study findings have limited

application marketing management (Middleton and Long, 1990; Hill, McGowan, and

Maclaran, 1998). Furthermore, it is unlikely that any marketer would have all of these

skills and their identification of them is only one variable that contributes to the

establishment of the marketer. It is the ability of the marketing manager to use these

skills in the correct situation that quite obviously contributes to their career development

and success.

A discussion of individual skills identified as important to the development of a

marketing manager follows. The skills are discussed in the following sections in the

66

sequences as follows: knowledge or discipline skills (marketing and finance); personal

attributes (leadership, creative, managerial and negotiation skills), communication (oral

and written communication skills, interpersonal skills) and problem-solving attributes

(analytical, critical thinking, decision making, problem solving). This division is

consistent with the research by Nabi and Bagley (1998). The discussion of these

individual skills was undertaken with a view to identify if they may be seen as important,

and thereby suitable for inclusion in the thesis study. First, the knowledge or discipline

skills of marketing and finance are examined.

2.5.2: MARKETING KNOWLEDGE

Knowledge was defined as the theory based characteristic of marketing (Davis, Miscra

and Van Auken, 2002). Through the understanding of marketing knowledge, the

marketing manager was able to derive new solutions to problems. In contrast, skills are

the capacity for voluntary, intentional and objective related behaviour of an observable

level of effectiveness which could not be expected in an untrained individual (Middleton

and Long, 1990). In essence, skills are acquired via a process and refined via practice

(Shipp, Lamb and Mokwa, 1993).

Discipline related knowledge is seen as the outcome of educational, largely Higher

Education Institution programs. This type of knowledge is referred to as conceptual

knowledge and focuses on the theoretical basis of the discipline of marketing. Within this

thesis, conceptual knowledge refers to marketing and financial knowledge. The study by

Ferrell and Gonzales (2004) suggested the importance of this knowledge. Their research

found that 49.9% of students would benefit from a program by studying the conceptual

knowledge of marketing. They also found that regardless of student majors, the most

common benefit sought was an understanding of conceptual knowledge. The study by

Dailey and Kim (2001) also found that the acquisition of conceptual knowledge was

fundamental for students’ success in a marketing career.

In summary, a comprehensive theoretical foundation with practical insights was seen as

critical to the design and implementation of marketing programs and activities. The

understanding of the knowledge for example, would enable the marketer to measure and

monitor brand equity. The Higher Education sector sees its role as providing a

67

conceptual framework for the study of marketing. This entails coverage of those topics

that are considered important to practicing marketing manager, as well as tactical

guidelines on strategic brand management. As marketing skills are seen to be learned

behaviours, they seem to meet the definition of a skill used in this thesis.

Marketing knowledge is defined as the set of processes that generate, disseminate and

enable storage of marketing related information (Tsai and Shih, 2004). Marketing

knowledge may improve the individual’s marketing capabilities and aid in solving

marketing problems (Slater and Narver, 1994) and enhancing business relationships

(Glazer, 1991). Besides, the knowledge of marketing may also be seen as a strategic

asset to the company (Glazer, 1991). In all, these studies provide support for the value of

knowledge in aiding the performance of marketers. This idea is consistent with the view

of Middleton and Long (1990), who suggested that theory, or in this case the knowledge

of it, allows skills to develop.

Many scholars (Kelley and Gaedeke, 1990; Lundstrom and White; 1997; Lamont and

Friedman, 1997; Floyd and Gordon, 1998; Sneed and Morgan, 1999; Smart, Kelley and

Conant, 1999; Lamb, Shipp, and Moncrief, 1995; Gray, Whiten and Knightbridge, 2002;

Treleaven and Voola, 2008) have recognised the gap between theory and practice. These

gaps revolved around the claim that marketing knowledge was over or under emphasised

within the programs at the expense of practical skill development. The study by Davis,

Misra and Van Auken (2002) on 298 alumni who graduated 3-5 years after their studies

suggested that understanding marketing concepts was over emphasised within the

programs. On the contrary, studies by, Bradsheet (1996), Lundstrum and White (1997)

and Bruce and Schoenfeld (2006) found that the emphasis in post-graduate studies was

deficient in some of the elements that enabled the understanding of marketing

comprehension.

The study by Lundstrum and White (1997) examined the perceptions of academics and

practitioner’s on program content of 62 skills and research areas for international

marketing education. The respondents in their study included 250 marketing practitioners

and 95 academics from the American Marketing Industry. Lundstrum White’s (1997)

research found a high degree of divergence between what the academics and the

practitioners believe as being important in 43.5% of the 62 items measured in their

68

research. Moreover, they found that 13 knowledge areas and 14 research items differed

significantly. This finding points to significant differences between the perceptions of

practitioners and academics as to the importance of knowledge areas in the Higher

Education program content for international marketers. The knowledge areas for which

practitioners and academics differed significantly were; Assessing marketing potential,

General Accounting Competence, General Finance Knowledge, General World Business

Knowledge, HR management skills, Human Relation/People Skills, International

Marketing skills and Strategic Planning.

The results from the study by Ellen and Pilling (2002) suggested that the three least

important topics that employers required for undergraduates were: marketing models,

international marketing, and channels and logistics. Other research (Lundstrom and

White, 1997; Davis, Misra and Van Auken, 2002; Lincoln, 2010) suggested that the

emphasis for advanced level marketing professionals in post-graduate programs should

be sales management, promotion/advertising and internet marketing. These studies allude

to discrepancies in the content of marketing knowledge that a marketing post-graduate

could attain from their qualification. These findings are of concern given the strong focus

of higher education on delivering conceptual knowledge, often at the expense of other

needed skills. In all, there appears to be as many opinions about the most appropriate

program content for undergraduate and for post-graduate marketing programs, as there

are stakeholders. What is needed, therefore, is further research into the knowledge the

professional marketer needs for them to become established in their career.

As well as differences in perceptions of important topic in marketing programs, there are

also differences in opinion about the importance of theoretical as against practical

knowledge (Phillips and Zuber-Skerritt, 1993; Neelankavil, 1994; O’Brien and Deans,

1995; Gray et al., 2007). Studies by these scholars have examined this issue using

undergraduates, who may or may not have had sufficient marketing experience to be able

to correctly identify their needs in industry. As such, these findings may not be extended

to professional marketers who have undertaken post-graduate programs. There is clearly

a need to identify the perceptions of the adequacy of post-graduate marketing programs

by professional marketers who have undertaken these programs. The research in this

thesis, by considering post-graduates who are in marketing management roles, expects to

provide a different perspective on the requirements for marketing comprehension, and

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potentially other important skills. This intent has led to the development of the following

research questions.

Research question: What are the perceptions of marketing managers, who have

undertaken postgraduate education, of the effectiveness of the programs in covering


2.5.3: FINANCIAL SKILLS

A job description typically outlines the duties, education and necessary skills that

required for the potential employee. This document essentially explains the duties and

responsibilities of the position. A review of 87 job descriptions for marketing managers

in South Africa by Melaia, Abratt and Bick (2008) suggested that financial and

numerical skills were ranked 12th out of 49 important competences. The drivers of this,

according to Melaia, Abratt and Bick (2008), were the new financial technologies and

even IT in general.

The marketing manager has potentially many interactions with other functional areas of

the company, such as finance and accounting. Knowledge of financial concepts and basic

accounting would aid the marketing professional in their ability to interact effectively

with professionals from other disciplines and negotiate sought-after outcomes. The

research question of this thesis is the determination of the extent to which financial

knowledge is seen as important skill to career development of marketing managers.

Studies into the role of brand managers (Rubinstein, 1996; Panigyrakis and Veloutsou

1999) found that the impact of accounting and finance on the brand topped the amount of

internal company resources invested in the brand. Both of these studies appear to base

their findings on the amount of time spent in contact with the various internal

departments. The importance of accounting and finance knowledge would increase as

does the level of marketing professional, for example, marketing managers would have

more financial responsibilities than the brand managers who report to them. There is

scant evidence that connects the need for financial skills and marketer’s success. Mintz

and Currium (2013) proposed the development of marketing metrics and linked these to

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financial activities and this information influences profits (Abramson, Currim, and Sarin,

2005). It is possible that marketers do not believe that financial skills are needed for their

establishment and rely on accountants for any needed financial activity. This may be a

misconception of the present day role of a marketing manager.

Research by Wong (2008) identified gaps between the perceptions of students and

alumni and lecturers of program content in various business degrees in Malaysia. The

study results found that alumni regarded finance and accounting far more important than

the lecturers. The alumni ranked accounting as the most important, while the lecturers

considered it the least important. The results also showed that students who were

currently enrolled in the business program had similar perceptions to those of the alumni.

Though the results by Wong (2008) revealed the importance of financial knowledge, the

research findings may not be generalisable to the marketing discipline, given the small

sample (36) and that the research considered other disciplines apart from marketing. As

such, the input from other disciplines, especially accounting and finance students, may

have inflated the importance of these subjects.

Previous research by Lundstrum and White (1997) found differences between the

perceptions of practitioners and academics concerning the importance of finance and

accounting skills. In Lundstrum and White’s (1997) research, the academics considered

accounting skills more important than the practitioners. The explanation of these results

may lie in the nature of the sample which included many CEO, presidents and vice

presidents whose level of corporate status may incline them to think more broadly in

terms of financials, rather than the more detailed level of accounting which may not even

be needed by a marketing manager.

Whilst the above studies provide support for the importance of finance and accounting

knowledge to the career development of today’s business professional, other studies have

not provided support for this contention. The research by Walker et al. (2009) alluded to

finance and accounting skills in their competencies inventory, but made no mention of

them in their research findings. Studies by Floyd and Gordon (1998), Gray et al. (2002),

Dacko (2006) and Gray et al. (2007) did not include finance or accounting skills in their

review of marketing skills. These findings support a lack of consensus on the need for

the development of financial knowledge by professional marketers. However, an

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examination of the functions and performance measurement of effectiveness of

marketing managers would suggest that a capability in financial matters would be an

important skill.

In summary, the use of financial and accounting skills would seem to be an important

component of the skill-set for the establishment of a successful marketing career.

Accordingly, financial skills were included in the list of skills to be examined in this

thesis study. In the following sections, negotiation, leadership, creative, and managerial

skills are discussed.

2.5.4: NEGOTIATION

Negotiation is defined as the resolving of differences between two or more parties whose

objectives and values are based on their different ideas (Rackham and Carlisle, 1978). In

other words, negotiation can be considered a process of getting what you want from

others in the course of making a decision. Lewicki (1997) extended this definition by

adding that negotiation skills are a combination of skills that produce a single skill.

Negotiation skills allow the marketing manager to develop strategies, encourage,

communicate, persuade, learn and disseminate information (Lewicki, 1997). In order to

do this, the marketing manager would need to use interpersonal skills, critically evaluate

the situation (critical thinking skills), make a decision (decision making), show

leadership skills, analytical skills and, of course, communicate a final solution.

Often scholars consider negotiation skills in a similar thought to any other skill (Maes,

Weldy and Icenogle, 1997). This may mislead potential marketers since it does not

provide a true indication of the complex nature of skills. For example, the study by Maes,

Weldy and Icenogle (1997) examined which communication skills were considered

important and how often they were used. Their study on 150 managers suggested that

negotiation skills had a skill frequency of 3.18, measured on a five point Likert scale.

However, the components of negotiation, such as listening (4.74), conversational (4.53),

communicating (3.91), and conflict resolution (3.43) all had higher frequency of use.

Other research (Athiyaman, 2001; Ulinski and O’Callaghan, 2002; Dacko, 2006 and

Gray et al., 2007) that examined the frequency of use of negotiation skills, and its

components, found that negotiation skills were used less than its component parts. In

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other words, the components of negotiation were deemed more valuable than the entire

skill. The above mentioned studies, therefore, found negotiation skills an important skill,

but not as important as other communication skills.

Hyman and Hu (2005) published the results of a longitudinal study of skills that

compared the importance of skills in 1995 and 2002, based on surveys of 400 business

students and 216 faculty marketing members. The results found that while negotiation

skills were seen as important, they were not the most important skills identified.

Moreover, over the time period examined no discernible difference between the

importance’s of negotiation skills was established. The study by Maes, Weldy and

Icenogle (1997) also found negotiation to be an important skill, ranking it 9th out of 13

communication skills investigated.

The research on the importance of negotiation skills has largely been investigated in the

context of the perceptions of undergraduates, recruiters or MBA’s. The research has not

examined if negotiation skills are experience or position dependent. In other words,

marketing managers who are established may have more of a dependence on negotiation

skills. There is evidence in the research by Ulinski and O’Callaghan (2002) which

covered 79 MBA students who had various levels of work experience. Their results

found that negotiation skills became more important as the amount of work experience

increased. In other words, the importance pf negotiation skills are dependent on the

seniority of the marketing manager.

The study by Cunningham (1999) found that negotiation skills were considered

important by 86% of employers. However, only 35% of employers surveyed considered

that graduates had a satisfactory level of negotiation skills. Similarly, in a study by

Dacko (2006), marketing employers ratings of 22 skills, found that negotiation was the

7th lowest (mean of 6.59, using a 10 point Likert scale) of the skills surveyed.

The above studies confirm that negotiation skills are seen as important, and also seem to

suggest that negotiation skills may become more important to the effective undertaking

of marketing management activities, as the professional marketer moves from novice to a

more established role.

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The marketing manager interfaces with a wide range of both internal (e.g., sales,

purchasing, finance, legal, promotional services, and subordinates), and external

interfaces (e.g., suppliers, trade, advertising agencies), in conducting his or her role. In

managing these interfaces, it is most likely that the marketing manager will require skills

that enable some type of negotiation, persuasion, or influence management. Both

suppliers and staff relationships are seen as key interfaces and are seen to have an

influence on a marketing manager’s performance. Given the potential influence of

effective negotiation skills on a marketing managers’ performance, and the evidence of

potentially low level of importance of this skill from a range of studies, the researcher

has decided to examine the perceived importance of negotiation skills to the success of

the professional marketer. In doing so, negotiation skills are examined in relation to the

two key functions: negotiation with staff and negotiation with suppliers.

Moreover, as negotiation skills are considered to be composite skills, covering a number

of other individual skills (such as, communication, interpersonal, critical thinking skills,

and decision making), the relationship between negotiation skills, and the other skills

under study, warrants examination. This leads to the development of another research

question, which seeks to expand on the understanding of the important skills, by seeking

to identify the relationship between skills and establish the composite, or layered, nature

of some of the skills.

Research question: What is the relationship between skills? Do these relationships

support the identification of composite or layered skills?

In summary, negotiation skills would seem to be an important component of the skill-set

for the establishment of a successful marketing career. Accordingly, negotiation skills

were included in the list of skills to be examined in this thesis study.

2.5.5: LEADERSHIP

Leadership is a special case of interpersonal influence that gets an individual or group to

do what the leader wants done (Kunnanatt, 2004). The definition of leadership is based

on the definitions by Yammarino (1995) and Barker (1997). Leadership skills were listed

as important by many scholars in management and marketing (e.g., Solomon, 1992;

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Jennings, 2000; McLarty, 2000; Athiyaman, 2001; Hobson, Strupeck, Griffin, Szostek,

and Rominger, 2014). Leadership skills enable marketers to lead departments to a

decision (Kohli and Jaworski, 1990; OBrien and Deans, 1999); to overcome conflict by

getting departments to work together (Ruekert and Walker, 1987); and to resolve conflict

(Gupta and Wileman, 1990).

The study by Dacko (2006) included recruiters of MBA graduates in order to determine

the skills industry consider important in their career. Leadership was ranked as the 6th

most important skill of the 22 skills investigated. Other research by Bruce and

Schoenfeld (2006) found that 67% of recruiters, considered that leadership skills were an

attractive attribute for applicants for marketing positions to possess. In addition, the

research determined that 63% of the marketing professionals used leadership skills a

great deal. The research by Maes, Weldy and Icenogle (1997), on 221 business students,

found leadership was ranked the 6th (out of the 16 tested) most important skill for hiring.

Research by Dacko (2006), on current and recent MBA graduates, found that leadership

skills should be emphasised more. The respondents in Dacko’s (2006) study identified

leadership skill as the fourth most deficient skill out of the eight within the MBA

program. Other evidence by Nabi and Bagley (1998), on graduate perceptions of the

importance of transferable skills, suggested that the importance of leadership skills were

seen as higher than the quality of skills. In other words, the respondents acknowledged

the importance of these skills, but believed their own leadership skills were not at an

acceptable standard. This finding should be of concern not just to the individual

marketer, but also to industry which seeks well educated and skill full employees. In a

marketing context, the importance of high-level marketing management to the success of

individual firms and the industry as a whole makes it even more important that Higher

Education Institutions produces graduates with appropriate skills and knowledge.

The research by Bruce and Schoenfeld (2006) provided an alternative view. The findings

suggested that leadership skills were not deficient in post-graduate degrees. They

claimed that their research provided evidence that leadership skills were present in the

Higher Education programs. Their research covered 1033 post-graduate students, who

were seeking work in marketing positions. At the time of survey, 45 % had received or

accepted a job offer. Of the 15 skills examined in the study, the respondents believed

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eight of the skills had improved during the program of their study. Leadership was one of

the skills that had improved.

Although the study by Bruce and Schoenfeld (2006) provided support for the

contribution of Higher Education Institutions to the development of leadership skills,

other studies have contrary finding. In all, these studies provide evidence of the existence

of leadership skill development in the Higher Education curriculum, but the studies have

not established if this coverage in the curriculum is seen as adequate.

In summary, leadership skills would seem to be an important component of the skill-set

of marketing managers. Accordingly, leadership skills were included in the list of skills

to be examined in this thesis study. As leadership skills were considered to be a special

case of interpersonal influence, the relationship between leadership skills and

interpersonal influence would be examined.

2.5.6: CREATIVITY

Creativity is the cognitive process of developing an idea, concept, commodity or

discovery viewed as novel by its creator or a target audience (Bazerman, 1986).

Creativity in decision making involves the development of unique and novel responses to

problems and opportunities (Amabile, 1983) and is crucial to solving problems in ways

which result in marketing innovativeness. In a complex and dynamic marketing

environment, creativity in making considered decisions often determines how well the

marketer responds to important challenges. It would seem that as global competition

increases, more focus may be placed on creativity. In this light, creativity skills can be

seen as enabling the company (including the marketing department), to enjoy a higher

level of success (Miller, 2000; Driver, 2001).

Contrary to expectations, it would appear that many scholars did not see creativity as a

skill worthy of inclusion in their research. For example, studies by Kelley and Gaedeke

(1990); Arora and Stoner (1992); O’Brien and Deans (1995), Floyd and Gordon (1998);

Cunningham (1999); Dacko (2001) and Kelley and Bridges (2005) did not include

creativity in their research on marketing skills. A possible explanation of why many of

the studies did not include creativity in their research was the lack of creativity-relevant

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skill development in the typical marketing program. Alternatively, it could simply be that

scholars do not believe creativity can be taught within the confines of Higher Education

Institutions. This would appear implausible as there are now many techniques that have

been developed to enhance creativity. For example, brainstorming is a common creative

approach in organisations to problem solving in new product development.

The study by Gray et al., (2002) investigated the need for creative skills. The study

covered 141 marketing managers from New Zealand, and only 9% suggested that

creative skills were an important skill. The studies by Gray et al,. (2002) differentiated

between creative and problem solving skills. It is difficult to be sure of which of these

interpretations of creative skills the respondents had understood. A more recent study

(Finsch, Nadeau and O’Reily, 2013) also concluded the importance of creative skills and

its further inclusion into marketing curriculum as a high priority in an attempt to improve

marketing education.

The study by Ackerman, Gross and Perner (2003), on 55 undergraduate marketing

students, found that the students perceived there was no provision for them to be creative

within their program of study. With this in mind, there was little chance for students to

practice being creative, thus establishing their skills. In contrast, studies by Purcell and

Pitcher (1996) and Murray and Robinson (2001), examined students’ perceptions of the

development of creative thinking skills, found that around one third of students thought

that their creative skills were well developed by the programs of study. The nature of

these studies has inferences for graduate outcomes, but no studies have looked at the

position of post-graduate marketing program outcomes in relation to creativity

development. Of concern is that the lack of creative skills in Higher Education

Institutions programs may ultimately result in today’s professional marketer not having

sufficient knowledge and experience in this skill for the demands of a turbulent

marketing environment.

There appears little formal research into the area of how to manage creativity (Skaggs,

Dickinson and O’Connor, 1992) and where it is used within the marketing process.

Andrews and Smith (1996) investigated the views of product managers on the factors

that affect creativity of products; 193 product managers participated in the study. The

product managers had an average of 5.2 years’ experience. The study findings suggested

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that those product managers who interacted with other staff, and who were aware of the

macro-environment, were potentially more creative. This finding is consistent with the

nature of creativity as requiring domain-relevant skills that come from expertise in a

relevant field (Amabile, 1983).

Given the need for continuous innovation in a company’s product portfolio (Hughes and

Chafin, 1996), it could be expected that creative skills may play some role in enabling

the effective performance of a marketing manager. However, the studies undertaken to

date provide no clear support for the importance of the skill. Despite the weak evidence

of importance from the studies, the researcher considers that this skill may still be

viewed as important, and has included creative thinking skills in this study.

2.5.7: PEOPLE MANAGEMENT

The conceptualisation of People management in this thesis is based on management in

the broadest sense. In other words, people management is not seen as restricted to those

employees that carry the title of manager. Managing people is defined as the ability to

direct, plan, organise and co-ordinate work done by others (Evers and Rush, 1996). As

such, people management skills are a collection of components, including decision

making, managing conflict, and leadership, among others. The changes in the marketing

landscape have been seen to push management skills to lower levels of the organisation

(Webster, 2009) As traditional organisational hierarchies give way to networks, all

employees may be required to manage not only themselves, but also to manage others

(Evers and Rush, 1996).

In considering the marketing management function, there is a strong dependency by the

marketer on the getting other functional areas to co-operate and work towards joint

objectives. For example, effective marketing may depend on the tasks performed by

other departments (for example, sales, advertising and production).The use of managerial

skills may be seen as a tool which aids marketers to obtain agreement and facilitate

marketing operations, given the cross-functional nature of their role. If this is the case,

then the use of management skills should be used often and throughout most activities of

a marketing manager. In this case, management skills may be considered very important

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compared to other transferable skills for the success of the modern day marketing

manager.

As such, the nature of the role of a marketing manager involves managing people at

various levels of the organisation, both downward, horizontally and upward. The

marketing manager often needs the approval of senior management for strategies and the

co-operation of others at a lower or horizontal level for the implementation of these

strategies. In addition, the marketing manager is often required to coach and train

employees to enable the employees to effectively undertake their roles (Shipper and

Dillard, 2000). Effective management creates opportunities for individuals and groups to

make high performance contributions to organisations, and experience job satisfaction

(Wood, Chapman, Fromholtz, Morrison, Wallace, Zeffane, Schermerhorn, Hunt and

Osborn, 2004).

The role of generic managerial skills appears to have been well researched (Katz, 1974;

Whetten and Cameron, 2002; Yukl, 2002; Carmeli and Tishler, 2006). However, there

appears little research into the managerial skills of marketing managers. The research

conducted concerning the management skills of marketing managers is fragmented and

limited in scope (for example, studies by Kelley and Gaedeke, 1990; Maes, Weldy and

Icenogle, 1997; Nabi and Bagley, 1998; Floyd and Gordon, 1998, Murray and Robinson,

2001; Duke, 2002; Gray et al., 2002; Bruce and Schoenfeld, 2006 and Dacko, 2006).

The contribution of Higher Education Institutions to professional marketers’ skill

development will be examined more fully in a later part of this chapter. It is of interest

that the focus of the marketing programs, perhaps to the student’s detriment, may

provide the marketing manager with an unclear view of the role of management. Often,

management is not included as a subject in post-graduate marketing programs in

Australia. Ferrell and Gonzalez (2004) research on 319 marketing students in an

undergraduate degree, found that only a small percentage could relate marketing to other

business functions such as management. Furthermore, the study by Pappu (2004), on 170

university students, sought to identify what they saw as a good second major in their

undergraduate degrees. The students did not view management as a good second major,

as indeed 7.4 % viewed it as good second choice. Research by O’Brien and Deans (1995)

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provided further evidence that marketing programs do not focus on management within

their curriculum. O’Brien and Deans (1995), studied 274 students and 35 employers, and

the findings suggested that management was under emphasised in the curriculum.

The results of the studies coverings management skills provide no support for people

management as a key skill for the marketing manager. Given the nature of the role of a

marketing manager, with its co-ordination with other functional areas of the organisation,

and often the requirement to work with and through people, it would seem that

management skills are an important, and possibly a key skill, of marketing managers. So,

managerial skills have been included in the skill-set for study. Additionally, the issue of

the coverage of management skills in postgraduate marketing programs is discussed

further in a later part of this chapter.

The following skills that are discussed are communication skills, which cover oral and

written communication skills, and interpersonal skills.

2.5.8: VERBAL AND ORAL COMMUNICATION SKILLS

The term communication is viewed as the exchange of messages to achieve a mutual

understanding (Baskin and Aronoff, 1980). It involves the transfer of messages from an

information source to an information receiver so that both parties understand the

meaning and context of the message.

A large part of the role of any marketing manager is communicating the successes and

challenges of the product or brand to upper management and the organisation as a whole

(Lehmann and Winer, 2004). In addition the marketing manager often has a role that

involves communication with individuals or organisations outside the firm. These tasks

require the marketing manager to be an excellent communicator in both oral and written

form (Lehmann and Winer, 2004). Essentially, written communication has the capacity

to be more precise and capable of conveying more information, and these

communications may be stored. Verbal communications, on the other hand, allow the

marketer to include interpersonal dimensions of immediacy and include visual

expressions to aid in information transfer, and relationship building.

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The literature has provided considerable evidence that supports the importance of

communication skills for marketers (e.g., Porter and McKibbin, 1988; Middleton and

Long, 1990; Arora and Stoner, 1992; Maes, Weldy and Icenogle, 1997; Floyd and

Gordon, 1998; Davis; Misra and Van Auken, 2002; McCorkle, Alexander, Reardon, &

Kling, 2003; Mitchell and Allen, 2014). It would seem intuitive that there would be a

difference between the skill requirements of novice and established marketing

professionals, or for that matter between marketers with undergraduate or post-graduate

qualifications. The lack of evidence on the communication skills of post-graduates, as for

other skills, suggests that there may be an underlying assumption that there is no

perceived difference between the skill development needs. This matter will be examined

in more detail in a later section of this chapter.

Where there has been an opportunity to distinguish between written and verbal skills, the

latter has been preferred for entry level marketing (Gaedeke, Tootelian and Schaffer,

1983; Kelley and Gaedeke, 1990; Scott and Frontczak, 1996; Harvey et al., 1997; Davis,

Misra and Van Auken, 2002). For example, the study by Kelley and Gaedeke (1990)

concluded that employers, seeking graduate marketers, were more concerned with oral

communication skills, being the most preferred skill (20%), with interpersonal skills

(17%) and written communication skills (12%) ranked at a lower level.

The study by Maes, Weldy and Icenogle (1997) similarly found that oral communication

skills were the most important skill. This study was based on managers’ criteria for

evaluating applicants for a position, and 376 managers took part in the study. The

managers were asked which of the 16 skills is the most important when appointing new

staff is. The respondents were not marketers, and the positions varied, however, the

importance and difference between oral and written communication skills was

demonstrated. On the contrary, other studies (Hafer and Hoth, 1981; Gray et al., 2007)

suggested that written skills were more important than oral, regardless of the level of

marketing career.

Despite the acknowledged importance of communication skills, there is evidence that

Higher Education programs do not adequately train students in communication skills

(NBEET, 1992; O’Brien and Deans, 1995; Athiyaman 2001; Davis, Misra and Van

Auken, 2002; Hogarth, Shury, Vivian, Wilson and Winterbottom, 2004 and Bruce and

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Schoenfeld, 2006). These studies sought the perceptions of either under-graduates or

post-graduates, will little or no marketing experience.

The study by Davis, Misra and Van Auken (2002) on 298 alumni conducted with

graduates, who had graduated in the previous 3-5 years, showed that marketing alumni

believed they were under-prepared in terms of, both written and oral communication

skills. This finding is of great concern as Floyd and Gordon (1998) noted that for a

graduate to compete in the job market they must be equipped with the skills and

knowledge required by employers.

The importance of the above mentioned studies is that they have highlighted the need for

marketers to have very good communication skills, particularly oral communication

skills. If a potential applicant for a marketing role does not possess these skills, they may

not even get the opportunity to take-up a marketing role. In part this situation is possible,

because communication skills, particularly oral communication skills, are very easy to

evaluate in a very short period of time. For example, in a job-search situation, a potential

employee’s performance at interview may provide a potential employer with adequate

time to assess an applicant’s communication skills.

Despite these conclusive studies, communication skills are without question important,

they will still be examined in this study. This study will also examine the relationship

between the skills that are seen as important, with a view to identifying if some skills are

seen as building blocks for others. It could be expected that communication skills would

be found to be a building block for other skills.

2.5.9: INTERPERSONAL SKILLS

Bigelow (1995) suggested that interpersonal skills are essentially action skills.

Interpersonal skills include communication, delegation, influence, conflict resolution,

group management and motivation of others. Interpersonal skills would be utilised on a

daily basis in developing and maintaining positive relationships with others. It would

make sense that interpersonal skills are important in any given business, but particularly

in a marketing management area, given the extensive array of external and internal

contacts that the marketer needs to manage on a daily basis. This view is consistent with

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perceptions of the role of the product manager as requiring many functional interfaces

within the organisation, and, thus, being seen as the ‘hub of the wheel’, co-ordinating

activities with other areas of the firm (Lehmann and Winer, 2004). These functional

interfaces are perhaps the most numerous and challenging of any in middle management

(Luck, 1969), because power in an organisation typically resides outside the product

management organisation (Tyagi and Sawhney, 2010).

In noting that marketing managers interact or deal with other people, both internally and

externally to the organisation, the marketing manager is actually working through others

to implement ideas or strategies. For this reason, interpersonal skills would be seen as

highly important to enable the implementation of plans. It would be an important factor

in determining the marketers’ success (Ronchetto and Buckles, 1994). According to

Ronchetto and Buckles (1994), effective implementation requires the ability to influence

and collaborate with others. If a graduate does not possess high level interpersonal skills,

then the possibility of the post- graduate being successful is diminished (White, 1992). In

fact, the importance of interpersonal skills is well acknowledged by scholars (Kelley and

Gaedeke , 1990; Ronchetto and Buckles, 1994; Floyd and Gordon, 1998; McCorkle et

al., 2003; Bruce and Schoenfeld, 2006; Gray et al., 2007; Loughry, Ohland, and Woehr,

2014).

It is not uncommon to see interpersonal skills listed in an advertisement for a marketing

management position. The frequency of this term in job advertisements for marketing

managers only adds to the importance of this skill set, as seen by employers. Bennett

(2002) reviewed 1000 job advertisements in the following categories: marketing, general

management, finance, and human resource management. The study found that

interpersonal skills were cited in 24% of the advertisements, confirming that it was an

important skill, but a skill that was not in the advertisement which is limited by

employers as important. The research presents aggregate data covering all respondents to

the study, and has not provided results in relation to marketing categories separately.

Research by Bruce and Schoenfeld (2006) covered 658 MBA Alumni who were in

marketing and sales positions. Their survey asked whether 15 skills were used a “great

deal” or a ‘good amount” of time. A very high proportion of respondents (91%) claimed

they used interpersonal skills a “great deal of time”. This was the highest percentage of

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the skills surveyed in their research. Whilst, the research by Bruce and Schoenfeld

(2006) may provide evidence of the importance of interpersonal skills, it must be noted

that their sample include sales positions. This may confuse the real importance that

marketers place on this skill set, by incorporating other disciplines, such as sales which is

known for its reliance on high level interpersonal skills.

Just as negotiating skills have many facets, or components, so do interpersonal skills

which are seen as multiple component skills. Hence, interpersonal skills may also be

more difficult to develop than single component skills (e.g., critical thinking). The

difficulty in teaching this skill may lead to its neglect in the Higher Education curricula.

Evidence of this can be seen from the research by Winer (1990) who suggested that

learning skills and interpersonal skills are not adequately developed in business schools.

His suggestions may be consistent with the study by DETYA (2000) which concluded

that the areas where new graduates were least proficient were problem solving, oral

communication and interpersonal skills. Studies by Carnevale, Gainer and Meltzer,

(1988); Porter and McKibbin, (1988); Louis, (1990) and O’Reilly and Chatman, (1994),

had similar observations. These studies all related to the development of interpersonal

skills in Higher Education Institutions, but none of these studies specifically covered

marketing post-graduates.

As post-graduates normally have had a number of years of work experience related to

their profession, their skill-sets needs may differ from that of an under-graduate. The

above studies suggest that interpersonal skills are not adequately covered in Higher

Education Institution programs. This study considers important to be include an

examination of interpersonal skills in any study of marketing professionals, and has

included this skill in the list of skills under examination.

The following skills that are discussed are problem-solving skills which are seen to

cover analytical, critical thinking, decision making, and problem solving skills.

2.5.10: ANALYTICAL SKILLS

The term analytical skills refer to the respondent’s ability to use good reasoning in

analysing the problem and developing a solution to solve it. Analytical skills, when

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viewed in this light, may be considered statistical in nature (Arora and Stoner, 1992).

The term good reasoning refers to the ability to break down the problem in order to

identify cause and affect patterns. In this respect, it is actually the skill that allows the

marketing manager to understand both sides of an argument then analyse it on merit and

finally provide a solution that is important.

Analytical skills are seen as important skills for the marketing managers as they provide

the ability to identify opportunities, to develop effective strategies, and respond to

changing circumstances. The research that supports the importance of analytical skills to

a marketer is extensive (Kelley and Gaedeke, 1990; Arora and Stoner, 1992; O’Brien and

Deans, 1995; Hyman and Hu, 2005; Bruce and Schonfeld, 2006 and Gray et al., 2007).

Even though many studies on the importance of analytical skills have been undertaken,

there is no research on marketing managers, having a post-graduate qualification.

The research by Duke (2002) found that university graduates ranked analytical skills as

least important compared to the other skills. In addition, the university graduates

considered analytical skills not important to their future jobs, though they believed

analytical skills were covered highly within their university programs. The findings by

Duke (2002) are at odds with the earlier cited research, and may be considered as

unrepresentative of the views of graduate students. Even so, although the importance of

analytical skills has been identified in many studies, it is unclear as to the importance of

this skill for marketing managers.

The research by O’Brien and Deans (1995) suggested a weakness in the level of

analytical skills of graduates. The study claims the levels of analytical skills that are

taught in Higher Education Institutions are lower than what is expected by the 35

employers who participated in their survey. Furthermore, O’Brien and Deans (1995)

suggested weaknesses in the analytical skills of the graduates. These findings are

supported by Dacko (2006), in his study of 194 MBA graduates. Dacko’s research found

that whilst analytical skills were to have been considered important, they were

considered under emphasised in terms of skill development within the MBA programs.

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The above studies provide support for the inclusion of analytical skills in the list of skills

to be investigated, with a view to establishing their importance to the career development

and success of marketing managers.

2.5.11: CRITICAL THINKING

There are many definitions of critical thinking. These largely revolve around the notion

of good thinking. The term good thinking refers to reasonable reflective thinking which

is ultimately tasks orientated (Ennis, 1993). Critical thinking involves interpretation,

analysis, evaluation, inference and explanation (Facione, 2009). As such, critical

thinking is a process of understanding arguments, evaluating them and acting on them,

based on attitudes and abilities that guide thoughtful beliefs and actions. The difference

between critical thinking and other skills is seen as the ability to consider and actively

evaluate ideas.

There was ample evidence confirming the importance of critical thinking (for example,

studies by Guthrie, 1994; Dearing, 1997; Murray and Robinson, 2001; Catterall,

Maclaren and Stevens, 2002; Bath, Smith, Stein and Swann, 2004). However, many

studies do not actually include critical thinking within the skill sets under examination

(for example, studies by Kelley and Gaedeke, 1990; Nabi and Bagley, 1998; Gray et al.,

2002; Bennett, 2002; Dacko, 1996). A possible explanation is that the researchers

believed that critical thinking skills were the building blocks for other skills. The idea of

building blocks was consistent with the studies by Walker and Finney (1999); Fagin,

Harper, Baird, Hadfield, and Sward (2006) and Facione (2009). Alternatively, critical

thinking skills may be considered too hard to teach (van Gelder, 2001), and therefore not

considered in many research studies. This proposition would seem unlikely as there is

ample evidence describing the use and input of critical thinking skills within the Higher

Education curriculum (Cooper and Loe, 2000; Catterall, Maclaran, and Stevens, 2002;

Wee, Kek, and Kelley, 2003; Roy and Macchiette, 2005; and Klebba and Hamilton,

2007).

In all, these studies support the importance of critical thinking skills to an individual’s

academic and professional development. Accordingly, critical thinking skills have been

included in the list of skills to be examined in this study.

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2.5.12: DECISION MAKING SKILLS

Decision making is the process of choosing a course of action for solving a problem or

seizing an opportunity (Parker, Bruine de Brui and Fischoff 2007). Essentially, this skill

allows a choice from two or more possible alternatives that was good enough given the

situation. In this context, Lopes (1987) suggested that decision making skills allowed the

marketer to develop the alternative that was best suited to the situation.

In today’s global and highly competitive markets, organisations live and die on the

choices made by their marketing managers (and others). Furthermore the extent to which

these managers can effectively learn to define and make better choices has an effect on

the company’s performance. It may be said that effective decision making really does lie

at the heart of a successful organisation. When making decisions, marketing managers

often confront decision environments where information is insufficient to accurately

predict the results, or assign probabilities, to the results of each alternative in advance of

implementation. This is consistent with the common view of marketing as an art rather

than a science. For example, in developing new products any forecasts of consumer

reactions, or competitor responses, to the product are seen as influenced by subjective

assessments, and potentially highly unreliable. Similarly, forecasts of product

performance even over a twelve month period may be ineffective, given the volatile

marketing landscape. As such, uncertainty and risk is a fairly common decision

environment faced by marketing managers.

The importance of decision making skills to the marketing professional is well

researched and supported (Maes, Weldy and Icenogle, 1997; Duke, 2002; Bruce and

Schoenfeld, 2006; Dacko, 2006; and Chansa-ngavej, 2008). In addition, studies of the

perceptions of recruiter and employers also found support for the importance of

management skills (Gifford and Maggard, 1975; Middleton and Long, 1990; McCorkle

et al., 2003; Young and Murphy, 2003; Bruce and Schoenfeld, 2006).

The study by Bruce and Schoenfeld (2006), for example, recognised the importance of

decision making skills. Their study covered MBA graduates, MBA alumni and corporate

recruiters, to determine the needed skills for marketing managers. The results suggested

that 45% of recruiters viewed decision making skills as important. Moreover, research by

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Dacko (2006) saw decision making skills rated by MBA graduate employers as the 4th

most important skill of the 22 skills under investigation. Whilst there were many factors

that would prevent a direct comparison of the findings of the two studies, on the surface,

the results suggested that, for marketing employees, decision making skills were very

important.

Bennett (2002) took a different approach in trying to establish the importance of decision

making skills to the performance of a marketing management role. In doing so, he

conducted a content analysis of 1000 job advertisements. He did not find decision

making skills listed in the 1000 advertisements reviewed. This finding suggests that

either potential employers do not find these skills to be important, or more likely that

effective decision making skills are subsumed within other skills (for example, the

development and implementation a communication strategy for a new brand).

In all, the evidence provided in the above-mentioned studies of the importance of

decision making skills to marketing managers (as seen by both marketing professionals

and employers), is inconclusive. However, the nature of the marketing management

function which is responsible for strategic brand management and new product

development, infers that good decision making skills are an essential component of the

marketers toolkit. As such, the researcher has included decision-making skills in the

skillset under examination.

2.5.13: PROBLEM SOLVING

Marketing managers’ overcome problems by making decisions that will ultimately have

an impact on their organisation. The first step in decision making is then to identify the

problem, followed by generating alterative solutions, and finally evaluating and choosing

an alternative. So, problem solving skills involve forming solutions to obstacles that

prevent the marketer from achieving their desired goals (Amabile, Coon, Lazenby, and

Herron, 1996).

There are some researchers who propose that problem solving skills are the most

important skills for marketing professionals. If one considers the basic elements of the

role of marketing managers as one that involves constant development and revision of

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responses in the company’s marketing strategy to change, this statement is very

plausible. The study by Floyd and Gordon (1998) suggested that problem solving skills

were the most important skill, in all but two industries under review. Floyd and Gordon’s

(1998) study used a series of trade-offs of four skills to determine which skill was the

most desirable. The four skills (communication skills, problem solving, work experience

and interpersonal skills) were determined by asking employers which were the most

important skills they were concerned with when employing marketing graduates.

However, these results are not supported by other studies (Gaedeke, Tootelian and

Schaffer, 1983; Kelley and Gaedeke, 1990; Hyman and Hu, 2005 and Gray et al., 2007).

The research by Gray et al., (2007), for example, suggested that communication and

critical thinking were more important than problem solving skills. The study found that

written and oral communication, interpersonal skills were more important for marketing

managers than problem solving skills. However, the study had a preponderance of early

career marketing professionals (68% of respondents had less than 5 years’ work

experience) and its finding may not translate to established marketing professionals. It is

also noted that the studies by Gray et al., (2007) and Floyd and Gordon (1998) used

different research methodologies and the results may not be comparable.

The ability to solve the problem may in fact be related to the ability of the marketer to

communicate the problem to their peers and/or subordinates. For this scenario to be

considered there should be evidence that communication and problem solving skills are

at least seen as equally important and potentially related skills. The study by DETYA

(2000) examined 25 skills required for business success, and the findings revealed that

problem solving skills and communication skills were equally ranked as very important,

both skills having a mean rating of 4.3 out of 5.0. The study findings do not investigate

any potential relationship between communication and problem solving skills, and the

relationship between these layered or complex skills is an area to be examined in this

study.

As noted previously, many factors encourage the marketing manager to think of short

term gains for the firm, rather than long term achievements. Consequently, marketing

managers may have a predisposition to use skills that benefit short term solutions which

are content based (Koch, 1997, Moon, Mentzer, Reizenstein and Woodruff, 1998).

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Problem solving skills were seen as more process based skills that are more valuable for

long term solutions (Chonko and Caballero, 1991). The implications of the turbulent

marketing environment that most marketing managers face may, therefore, be using

problem solving less than in the past, or in other facets of it in their job function.

In examining the importance of skills in this research, problem solving skills will be

included in the study as they are seen to be potentially important skill. Additionally, the

study in examining the potential relationship between skills, will examine the

relationship between communication and problem solving skills.

In summary, the preceding part of this chapter has identified a number of skills that may,

potentially, be important for marketing managers to effectively undertake the required

tasks and activities. The skills, fourteen in all, had all been identified in previous research

as somewhat important, but the available evidence had not provided clear and consistent

findings on the importance of the skills. Moreover, the research available had not

examined the perceptions of marketing managers in Australia concerning the perceived

importance of the skills. Nor, had past research identified the perceptions of marketing

managers of the effectiveness of the post graduate marketing programs they had

undertaken in developing these skills.

Many marketers undertake professional education, notably post-graduate programs

delivered by Higher Education Institutions, as a means to enhance their career prospects

by delivering new and enhanced skills. As noted previously, the CIM Professional

Standard framework specifies levels of skills that are needed for the conduct of

marketing tasks and activities at different levels. Many of the skills identified in the CIM

Professional Standard framework as being important to marketing managers are

considered as skills that may be learned in a classroom. Accordingly, in the following

section, the role of Higher Education Institutions, in developing the skills required for

career establishment, are discussed.

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2.6: THE ROLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN PREPARATION OF

STUDENTS FOR SUCCESSFUL CAREERS

The often stated objective of graduate and post-graduate marketing programs is to deliver

outcomes that ensure that graduate students are well-prepared to achieve their career and

personal goals. In adequately preparing students for working life, the Higher Education

Institutions sector is ensuring the development of competent future managers capable of

dealing with the opportunities and threats that abound in the marketing landscape.

Employability, is defined as “a set of skills, knowledge and personal attributes that allow

the marketer a higher chance of securing and ultimately becoming successful in their

career” (Yorke, 2006 p. 8). When Higher Education Institutions have a sound

appreciation of the skills and knowledge that graduates need, and can address those

needs in program delivery, the better the potential employability and career prospects of

students will be examined (Holmes, 2001: Tomlinson, 2008).

In Australia, the Higher Education program requirements and quality frameworks are

provided under the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF), also known as TESQA.

The framework supports national standards in education and training. A key benefit of

the TESQA is to provide qualifications that allow students to start at the level that suits

them and then build up their qualifications as their needs and interests develop and

change over time. The qualification framework assumes that skill levels and knowledge

are developed as one progress through successfully higher levels of education.

The focus of this thesis is not to understand the skills of new graduates, but to examine

the skill needs of marketing managers and how they see their post-graduate marketing

studies to have enhanced or developed these skills. It could be expected that these

managers would have developed their generic and marketing skills to the level of

employability through their undergraduate studies. Now, in the role of an established

marketing professional, they would be looking to add to these skills, in particular, the

skills relating to the role of a marketing manager. As identified earlier, the role of a

marketing manager requires accountability for personal outputs and team outputs within

broad parameters. Instead, higher level qualifications delivered principally through the

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higher education sector do not specify the development of managerial skills, and instead

appear to focus on the attributes of personal autonomy and responsibility (Buchanan, Yu,

Wheelan, Keating and Marginson, 2010). The authors note further that there is no

reference to the accountability for others, a key task of managers, in higher education

curriculum. Indeed, the apparent lack of teaching of a key set of skills that are required

by established marketers, in post-graduate marketing programs, is an issue under

investigation in this thesis. This finding leads to the development of the study research

question, as follows:

Research question: What are the perceptions of marketing managers, who have

undertaken postgraduate education, of the effectiveness of the programs


Most Higher Education marketing programs appear to focus on conceptual knowledge,

as this knowledge is considered to be more important for marketing management

positions (Shipp, Lamb and Mokwa, 1993; Lamb, Shipp and Moncrief, 1995). Discipline

related knowledge (also known as conceptual knowledge) focuses on the theoretical

basis of the discipline of marketing. This knowledge tends to be long lasting and become

the foundation for further study (Ferrell and Gonzalez, 2004). Schlee and Harich (2010),

for example, acknowledged that conceptual knowledge which focuses on the theoretical

background of the discipline of marketing has a relatively long life cycle, when

compared to some technical skills which are seen to change rapidly. For example, the

techniques available for Customer Relationship Management (CRM) have changed

rapidly in the last five years, and are expected to continue to change rapidly going

forward. These technical, or practical skills, are generally viewed as being more useful in

entry level positions in marketing (Davis, Miscra and Auken, 2002).

The longevity of the applicability of conceptual knowledge may provide support for the

focus of marketing educators on this type of skill as it leads to further education. Another

view for the focus of educators on marketing discipline skills, rather than transferable

skills, was proposed by Lamb Shipp and Moncrieff (1995). The researchers suggested

the inability of teachers to impart skills is a result of the time constraints imposed on

program delivery. An alternate view is that academics are not trained in the delivery of

the require skills, and the programs do not seek to deliver the skills, especially given the

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lack of clarity as to which skills to develop. The end result is Higher Education

Institutions has not been able to focus on transferable skills. There is evidence, however,

that employees are now seeking a broader skill-set (Richman, 1994; Martin, 1997), with

more reliance on transferable skills (Whitworth, 1995).

As the career demands on marketing managers continue to evolve rapidly in line with

turbulent changes in the macro environment and the consequent complexity and demands

on employment performance, higher education marketing programs need to be

increasingly attuned to the needs of their students. These demands for higher education

to provide students with the critical skills and knowledge come at a time when there has

been extensive debate over how or whether marketing should be taught in universities

(Catterall, Maclaran and Stevens, 1999; Schlee and Harich, 2002).

In considering how best to provide marketing professionals with an appropriate skill-set

that would enable career progression, it was felt that programs, delivering a suitable

blend between conceptual knowledge and skills, are needed (Schibrowsky, Peltier and

Boyt, 2002). It would appear that parties interested in skill development (students,

Higher Education, and employers), all may have different perceptions as to what is

appropriate. The literature provides support for the perspective that Higher Education

marketing programs do concentrate on marketing knowledge rather than transferable

skills. Most of these studies investigated the perceived effectiveness of Higher Education

Institutions in skill development from the perspective of novice professionals or

employers (e.g., Davis, Misra and Van Auken, 2002; Taylor, 2003; Raymond Carlson

and Hopkins, 2006). These studies suggested communication and critical thinking skills

were very important to the establishment of marketing careers. These studies generally

did not distinguish between different stages of a marketer’s career, and so the

implications for marketing managers have not been specifically examined.

The findings of these, and other past studies, point to a concern among students and

employers that universities are focussing too much attention on the development of

discipline specific knowledge and not placing enough emphasis on the development of

communication, decision making, and other skills that are at least as important to career

development and success (Lamb, Shipp and Moncrief, 1995). There also appears to be a

concern among employers, that universities are neglecting the development of more

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technical or practical skills, and, thus, are not meeting their stated objectives of preparing

marketers for career success. The universities, in moving away from their traditional

expertise in conceptual knowledge, are moving to incorporate studies in subjects that

have traditionally emphasised a practical learning approach (e.g. negotiation, decision-

making and people skills).

In developing the curriculum framework for post-graduate marketing programs, there are

many skills and potential graduate outcomes that programs could cover. Even so it was

considered infeasible (Kelley and Bridges, 2005) for Higher Education Institutions to

develop a comprehensive list of skills to enable development in later stages of one’s

career. However, given the massive growth in the popularity of postgraduate education,

especially in western developed economies (Ng, Koo and Ho, 2009), it becomes

important to understand the contribution that these programs are making to the skill

development of the students undertaking the programs.

This thesis, in examining the efficacy of higher education post-graduate marketing

programs, is seeking to identify the perceptions of marketing managers concerning the

adequacy (inadequacy) of the post-graduate programs in developing the required skills.

In doing so, this study will identify areas of potential deficiency in the delivery of skill

outcomes to students. The literature has not identified important or core skills for

marketing managers, but has clearly noted that post graduate marketing programs focus

on conceptual knowledge and individual accountabilities, without paying due attention to

the development of management skills.

2.7: SUMMARY

The changing global work environment, organisational structure and professional

industry practices have influenced the development of new career structures. These new

careers are strongly based on the notion that the individual has ownership and

responsibility for his or her career. The idea of staying with one company for a long

period of time and the likelihood of staying in one position for a substantial length of

time have also diminished is rare. The ultimate result is a group or generation of

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marketing managers who are influenced by their own abilities, career aspirations, values

and changing beliefs (Adamson, Doherty and Viney, 1998).

There has long been considerable speculation concerning the determinants of managerial

success (Ellis and Heneman, 1990). In the current environment, where, now more than

ever, individuals are seen as being responsible for their career development and

establishment it behoves researchers to again look at factors seen to influence an

individual’s career. The literature examined in this area was restricted to the

identification of selective internal (career anchors) and external factors (skills) that

influence an individual’s career establishment. Whilst other factors influence an

individual’s attainment of what is seen as a successful marketing management career,

these factors (including labour market situation and personal drive) are delimited from

this study.

The literature examined provides support for utilising career anchors as a way to explain

career choice and to identify internal perceptions of career success. Moreover, the

literature points to a link between the individual’s perception of career establishment,

and the predominant anchor of the career or industry. Individuals, where there is a

matching of their career to the predominant anchor in that career, see themselves as more

successful, and satisfied in their role. However, the career anchors of established post-

graduate marketing managers within Australia have not been examined in past studies,

and this thesis seeks to bridge this.

In order to gain a fuller appreciation of skill needs, an examination of the literature on

the roles and tasks of marketing managers was undertaken. In the Australian context,

there was no up-to date study, and other studies provide piecemeal or questionable

findings, on the tasks of marketing managers. The researcher considered that the

identification of current marketing tasks could be undertaken, using an established and

globally recognised, framework. Consequently, the CIM Professional Standard

Framework was posited as providing a suitable basis for examining the activities and

tasks of marketing managers with a post-graduate marketing qualification.

There have been limited recent studies into the skill needs of marketing managers, but

none that have specifically sought to examine marketing managers having post-graduate

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marketing qualifications. The most recent studies seeking to better understand the role of

marketing professionals have largely relied on job content analysis, a methodology with

significant limitations.

The research that has been undertaken does identify a wide range of skills that may be

potentially important for marketing professionals in establishing their career, but no clear

consensus of a key skill set has emerged. This thesis seeks to identify the current tasks of

marketing managers with a view to gaining a fuller appreciation of the skills required to

effectively undertake the marketing management role. Fourteen skills were identified as

being potentially important to the development of a professional marketing career. In

addition, insights into not only the importance of these skills, the relationships between

these skills and the frequency of use of these skills were identified as questions to be

answered in this thesis.

The role of Higher Education Institutions as a key provider of post-graduate education, in

delivering programs that enable students to acquire, or develop the required skills, was

also discussed. The literature provided support for the contention that Higher Education

Institutions may not be providing all the needed skills that marketing students need for

career development and success in graduation. Given the increased complexity and

globalised nature of industry, it seems evident that a well-developed postgraduate

marketing program is necessary to deliver the skills needed by marketing managers to

perform in this turbulent environment.

It is believed that Higher Education Institutions does play a key role in the development

of human capital, in this case, future marketing managers through its postgraduate

marketing programs. In view of the changing environment in which marketing managers

operate, it is considered important to identify the perceptions of the marketing managers

of their post-graduate programs, as the managers are the best source of opinions on the

effectiveness of the programs. This thesis study, therefore, seeks to identify marketing

managers’ perceptions of the coverage and emphasis of post-graduate marketing

programs on the skills they saw as most important for career establishment.

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In summary, the review of the literature identified a number of gaps, or contrary

findings, in the research undertaken into roles, skills and motivations of marketing

managers, which lead to the formulation of the research questions of this thesis.

The research design and methodology designed to answer the research questions

developed in this chapter, is outlined in the following chapter, Chapter 3.

The research questions Chapter Two the literature revealed are below;

What are the important skills marketing managers need to undertake the tasks

required for career establishment?

What is the relationship between skills? Do these relationships support the

identification of composite or layered skills?


postgraduate education, of the effectiveness of these programs in covering



postgraduate education, of the effectiveness of the programs they undertook in


What are the important tasks required of established marketing managers?

What tasks of the CIM Professional Standard Framework do established post-

graduate marketing managers undertake?

What is the frequency of the tasks an established post-graduate marketing

manager undertakes relative to the CIM Professional Standard Framework?

What are the important skills marketing managers use to confirm with the CIM

Professional Standard Framework?

What are the career anchors of established marketing managers who hold Post-

graduate marketing qualifications?

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CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH DESIGN & METHODOLOGY

3.1: INTRODUCTION

Within this thesis, there is a focus on the specific professional skills that marketers need

in order to achieve a stage of career development which in this thesis is termed career

establishment. Of particular relevance is the identification of the critical skill needs of

marketing professionals who are considered to be established in their careers. Schlee

and Harich (2010) noted that there are specific skills requirements for various levels of

professional attainment. This thesis focuses on professionals who, according to the

model presented by Dreyfus and Dreyfus (1985), are described as competent marketers

who have at least three years’ experience as a marketing manager. The skills they have

used to achieve their level of establishment will be deemed to be important in building

their careers. In other words, the researcher sought to recruit respondents who have been

employed as marketing managers for at least 3 years and is able to reflect on the skills

they have used to obtain their level of marketing career achievement.

It was felt that in order to ensure that respondents who had at least three years’

experience in marketing and had a post-graduate degree in marketing, and keeping with

the Dreyfus and Dreyfus (1985) model, have an understanding of the nature and

frequency of tasks undertaken by marketing managers. To further aid the research

design, the Chartered Institute of Marketing Professional Framework (CIM) which

represents an industry occupational standard for the marketing professional was used to

guide the research. The CIM Professional Standard Framework, though well tested in

companies in the United Kingdom, has not been verified in the Australian marketing

environment. However, in reviewing the roles of marketing managers presented within

the CIM classification, it was noted that there are no financial tasks or goals included

within the framework. Marketers, like most other industry professionals, are

experiencing increased accountability and their actions are often measured in financial

terms. Furthermore, there is little understanding of the career success determinants of

Australian marketing managers in the literature . In order to examine the determinants of

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career success, the theory developed by Schein (1975) on career anchors was adopted. A

self-completing survey was mailed to the respondents. The questionnaire design was

divided into the research questions that were developed from the literature review, the

content analysis of the job descriptions, job advertisements and program content, as well

as the results of the in-depth interviews and the key issues identified from it. Within the

preceding chapter, the literature relevant to this thesis was critically reviewed and

discussed. Furthermore, the key issues and research questions were also identified.

The objectives of this chapter are twofold:

The first is to outline and provide support for the research design employed to further

develop and answer the research questions identified in Chapter Two. The second is to

present insights into the research philosophy, approach and methodology that were

selected for the study and to outline the procedures employed to conduct the research.

The chapter also presents an explanation as to why both qualitative and quantitative

research phases were appropriate.

This chapter consists of three main sections. These are; research design and

methodology, the qualitative study and the quantitative study. The research design

section focuses on the justification of the mixed methods approach. The sections

covering the qualitative and quantitative phases of the research explain the rationale for

the choice of research methodology together with the research procedures and techniques

employed and the process used to select participants and conduct the research. In the

quantitative section data collection; data screening, sampling and analytical techniques

are discussed.

The organisation of this chapter is as follows. First, the research design is outlined and

supported. Second, the research hypotheses are stipulated. Third, the procedures involved

in the Four phases of the research are presented, described and justified.

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3.2: RESEARCH DESIGN: A MIXED METHODS APPROACH

The research design is the framework for conducting research and helps the researcher

to ensure that the study is carried out systematically and successfully (Churchill and

Lacobucci, 2010). The choice of research design and methods for this study was heavily

influenced by the purpose of the research and existing knowledge in the area of the skill

and knowledge requirements of marketing managers determined through a review of

appropriate literature (Chapter 2). A research design was selected to identify the

perceived skills, activities, and career motivations (referred to as career anchors) that

were seen as important in enabling marketing managers to operate successfully in the

contemporary business environment. The research also sought to solicit the perceptions

of marketing managers of the effectiveness of their post graduate marketing studies in

preparing them for a marketing management role. Given conflicting reports on these

issues and an identified lack of information within the literature, some exploratory

research was deemed appropriate and therefore, a mixed methods research approach

was adopted.

A mixed method approach uses both qualitative and quantitative methodologies in a

sequenced research process (Johnson and Onwuegbusie, 2004). The basis of mixed

methods is to consider a combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches in order

to further explore and understand the research phenomenon in more depth than could be

provided by either method alone (Cresswell, 1998) . For a research design to be truly

considered a mixed method design, the findings of the research must be combined

(Johnson and Turner, 2003). In this case for example, the qualitative results allowed the

researcher to determine which of the skills respondents believed were important for them

to become established in their careers. Once these were determined, the next step was to

test the veracity of these findings and the identified skills in a larger quantitative research

phase. This method was proposed by Miles and Huberman (1994) who suggested that the

extra step of qualitative research provides more depth and greater clarity of the results.

The methodology in this thesis is divided into Four phases. The first phase is a

qualitative phase which builds on the literature review. It includes a content analysis of

job descriptions, the content of post-graduate marketing programs via Higher Education

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web-sites and a review of the skills identified in job advertisements for marketing

positions. The second stage of the research included in-depth interviews with industry

professionals, academics engaged in post-graduate marketing education and management

recruitment consultants. This approach had the principal benefit of allowing information

from a range of sources in the qualitative phase to interact and inform the research as it

developed. For example, the initial content analysis of job advertisements provided the

researcher with a knowledge base which facilitated the researcher’s ability to probe

respondents in the in-depth interviews. The third phase (Phase Three) was the

quantitative stage of this research. This involved using a self-completed survey to more

fully answer the research questions developed for this thesis. The final stage, Phase Four

was conducted to verify the results of the overall study back and involved presenting the

results of the quantitative study to the respondents recruited for the in-depth interviews to

seek their views on the veracity of the findings. In this way, each research phase was

conducted in an integrated, sequenced manner where all stakeholders’ views were

incorporated.

3.3: THE CHOICE OF RESEARCH METHODS

Mixed method approaches provide greater opportunities to fully answer research

questions, than the use of a single approach alone (Tashakkori and Teddlie, 2010). The

mixed method approach used in this study, offered the benefit of incorporating a greater

diversity of views or interpretations of the skills required by marketing managers and to

ascertain whether some or all of these skills were acquired through post graduate

marketing programs. Furthermore, within the mixed methods approach, if the findings

are substantiated across the different methods, then the researcher can be more

confident in the results. In this study for example, employing in-depth interviews alone

would not have enabled comprehensive, descriptive information to be obtained.

Whereas testing the findings of the qualitative research with a larger sample of different

respondents in a quantitative survey improved the scope and quality of the research. In

other words, the use of a mixed methods approach can be seen to complement the study

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and address or ameliorate any weaknesses between both methods6 (Johnson and Turner,

2003). Indeed, the use of a mixed method approach, such as that which has been used in

this thesis, not only considers the substantiation of results, but rather the expansion of

the understanding of the skills which allow marketing managers to become established

in their careers (Onwuegbusie and Leech, 2004).

A mixed methods approach has also been presented as a form of triangulation (Denzin,

1978; Patton, 1990; Miles and Huberman, 1994). That is, using more than one method

to study a problem (Bergman, 2010) is one way of bringing different angles or lenses to

bear on the research questions. The methods can overlap, but are still complementary in

terms of their findings (Sieber, 1973). The idea is that by drawing data from different

sources, which have had various threats to validity, it is possible to reach more accurate

conclusions. Researchers have suggested that triangulation has been used to increase

concurrent validity (Goodwin and Goodwin, 1984), convergent validity (Jick, 1979) and

construct validity (Waege 1997). The mixed methods approach also reduces bias of one

method over another (Perlesz and Lindsay, 2003). However, according to some

researchers (Perlesz and Lindsay, 2003; Bergman, 2010), if the data is divergent, then

the use of triangulation will not be appropriate as the data will be deemed dissonant.

The probability of this occurring in this thesis is reduced by using similar respondents

(marketing professionals) in the same field (marketing), who all have an interest in the

outcome of the thesis.

Within the marketing industry, studies have used a combination of qualitative and

quantitative data (Stavros and Westberg, 2009; Dahlstrom, Nygaard, and Crosno, 2008;

Freling and Forbes 2005). Even more relevant is the use of triangulation studies in the

field of marketing education (Telford and Masson, 2005; Treleaven and Voola, 2008;

Walker et al., 2009) confirming the methodology used in this thesis is appropriate to

answer the research questions. As there are several strategies for implementing

qualitative and quantitative methods in one research design, it is important to ensure that

the selected strategy matches the research questions (Creswell and Plano Clark, 2011).

For this reason, each stage in the research process is fully discussed in the next section

6 For a review of the strengths and weaknesses of qualitative and quantitative research methods, please refer to Johnson and

Onwuegbuzie (2004, p,19)

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of this Chapter. Prior to this discussion, however, a schematic has been included to

represent the research framework (See Figure 3.1) and the steps involved in the research

process.

103

-

-

PHASE 1

Content Analysis of

Marketing Position

Descriptions

PHASE 4

LITERATURE REVIEW

Presentation of Results to:1.Industry Marketing Professionals

2. Academics 3. Marketing Management Recruitment Consultants

QUANTITATIVE SURVEYn = 419

PHASE 2

PHASE 3

In depth Interviews with:1. Industry Marketing Professionals

2. Academics3. Marketing Management Recruitment Consultants

Content Analysis of websites for

Post Graduate Program

Content Analysis of

Marketing Position Advertisements

PHASE 2

FIGURE 3.1 Mixed Methods Research Design

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3.4: OVERVIEW OF THE RESEARCH DESIGN

As noted earlier, the research design included Four phases. Phase One was the

exploratory qualitative stage, which builds on the review of the literature. The literature

review unearthed a set of skills and activities which were considered important for

marketing managers. (See Appendix 3 for the list of skills found in the literature). In

Phase One a content analysis of job advertisements, marketing manager position

descriptions and marketing program curricula was conducted (Please see Appendix 6 for

the list of skills found within the job advertisements). The job advertisements were

important as they provided an indication of what companies believe are important when

they engage current professional marketers. The content analysis of job descriptions

provided further support to the industry focus on marketing managers in terms of the

activities and skills they required to establish their careers. (Please see Appendix 7 for a

list of the roles found in job descriptions). The content analysis of the program curricula

provided evidence of what graduate outcomes and skills Post-Graduate degrees were

designed to provide (Please see Appendix 2 for a summary of post-graduate marketing

programs in Australia). The analysis allowed the researcher to determine the emphasis

within Higher Education Institution programs on certain activities and skills within their

program curricula.

Phase One, the content analysis, suggested that the CIM did not provide an accurate

reflection of the tasks required of the present marketing professional in an Australian

context. As a result, further tasks were added to the Chartered Institute of Marketing

Professional Framework such as Finance. These skills and tasks were discussed with

stakeholders in Phase Two of the research design and in these discussions respondents

were reminded that marketing management roles were the focus of the research.

Phase Two involved semi-structured interviews with key industry stakeholders who

included Marketing Managers, Marketing Management Recruitment Consultants and

Academics. This stage used in-depth interview techniques to gain a broad yet

comprehensive understanding of current trends in the practice of marketing and the skills

required in marketing management roles. This qualitative approach using semi-

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structured, in-depth interviews, was useful to provide detailed information through

exploration, probing and interpretation (Tashakkori and Teddlie, 2010) as well as a

rounded understanding of the basis of the skills proposed by the three groups of

respondents (Mason, 1998).

Since the researcher wanted to consider the views of marketing professionals’ skills and

activities from a wider perspective, respondents were chosen on the basis of their recent

and extensive experience in marketing roles within the industry. This criterion was

particularly important for the marketing management recruitment consultants who

represented clients who were employee marketing professionals.

Phase One and Phase Two (content analysis of position descriptions, program curricula

and in-depth interviews) covered the identification of the tasks and skills perceived to be

necessary to perform the tasks of a marketing manager in a contemporary Australian

context. Furthermore, these two Phases identified common skills viewed by respondents

as relevant for inclusion in post-graduate marketing programs. The findings in this stage

of the research informed and provided a basis for the development of a comprehensive

research instrument employed in Phase Three, the quantitative phase, of this study.

Phase Three, the quantitative stage of this research, involved identifying the perceptions

of marketing managers of their tasks, required skills and career anchors, together with

their perceptions of the level of skill development obtained and relevance in their post-

graduate marketing studies. This stage involved the collection of data via a mail survey.

The respondent’s names were generated via the List Bank database which specialises in

lists of marketing professionals. A search of the database generated 2519 marketers who

had at least three years’ experience and resided in Australia. The profiles of the

respondents through a series of questions in the questionnaire confirmed that all had

post-graduate qualifications, which was a key selection criterion. The amount of

experience was considered sufficient based on the premise that some longevity in their

career allowed them to adequately answer the questionnaire. There were 419 usable

questionnaires obtained in this phase of the research.

Phase Four, the last phase of the research design sought verification of the research

results with a group of the initial respondents to Phase Two (the qualitative phases

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including content analysis and in-depth interviews). This research design allowed the

researcher to validate the results of the earlier in-depth interviews and the subsequent

quantitative research. The survey was designed further elaborate respondent’s views on

the appropriate balance of skills required by marketing managers. This approach is

consistent with a mixed method research design as it provided for triangulation which

allowed elaboration and clarification of the results. To demonstrate its suitability,

researchers (Greene, Caracell and Graham, 1989; Onwuegbusie, 2003) suggested mixed

methods approaches such as triangulation, complementarity, initiation, development and

expansion. This research employed triangulation and complementarity methods by

seeking elaboration and clarification of the results of Phase One in a sequence of further

research phases. The outline, justification and implementation procedures of these four

phases of the study are discussed in the following sections of the chapter.

3.5: JUSTIFICATION OF RESEARCH DESIGN

The key research question for this thesis is:

“What are the skills and motivations that enable marketing managers, who have a post-

graduate marketing qualification, to become established in their career?”

In order to answer this research question, the research design was divided into four

phases. Further information on how these phases were executed is provided below.

3.6: PHASE ONE: CONTENT ANALYSIS

The section discusses the content analysis of job advertisements, post-graduate

marketing programs and marketing position descriptions. The objectives of this phase of

the research were three fold:

1. To identify the tasks, activities and skills required by marketing managers

through a content analysis of job advertisements and job descriptions.

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2. To identify the subjects delivered in post graduate marketing programs, and the

claims of student outcomes from these programs, through a content analysis of

higher education post graduate marketing programs in Australian universities.

3. To explore the possibility that activities and tasks of marketing managers in

Australia are in line with CIM Professional Standard Framework, and to identify

the associated skill level.

3.6.1: CONTENT OF ANALYSIS OF JOB ADVERTISEMENTS

The job advertisements were important as they are an indication of what companies

believe are important for marketing roles for professional marketers. The focus of this

phase of the research was on three states in Australia, New South Wales, Queensland and

Victoria. The capital cities of these states are Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. These

three states were chosen because 80% of Australian businesses are located in these three

states, with the majority of industries that employ marketing post-graduates located in

these three jurisdictions (Mantra, 2013). The content analysis was conducted using the

Saturday morning papers in all three states, as well as job placement advertisements on

career web-sites. Traditionally in Australia, it is the Saturday newspaper that carries job

vacancies and the major newspapers publish a separate recruitment section in the

Saturday editions. The career web-sites included in the studywere

www.mycareer.com.au, www.careerone.com.au and www.jobs.ozfreeonline.com. These

sites were selected as they were identified by marketing management recruitment

consultants as the most prominent in the industry and therefore would provide the largest

selection of job placements. The content analysis was undertaken over a three month

period. The three month period was seen as reasonable and consistent with published

research practice (Harper, 2012). All content analysis activities covering job

applications, job descriptions and program curricula were undertaken concurrently.

Hence, the data is a consistent snapshot of the situation at a particular point in time.

The notion of analysing job advertisements is attractive because they are easily

accessible (Vieira da Cuhna, 2008; Schlee and Harich, 2010) and the results are current.

However, content analysis of job advertisements can sometimes be seen as indicative of

the desired state, rather than current realistic expectations (Davies, 2008; Harper, 2012)

and hence there is scepticism as to whether they are an actual reflection of the needs of

http://www.mycareer.com.au/

http://www.careerone.com.au/

http://www.jobs.ozfreeonline.com/

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the market place. Furthermore, job advertisements could be affected by environmental

pressure (Harper 2012) and other uncontrollable factors (legislation on what can be

actually included in the advertisement). This means that the results should be further

explored to validate the findings of the content analysis. As a consequence, job

advertisements can also be resistant to comparative analysis (Harper, 2012) and may not

indicate the skills which previous applicants have deployed in their jobs. However, the

content analysis of job descriptions supports the industry demands of marketing

managers in terms of the activities and skills they require to establish their career. The

content analysis of the program curricula allowed the researcher to gauge which of the

Post-graduate programs within the Higher Educational Institutions were focusing on

certain subjects. The analysis allowed the researcher to determine the emphasis of Higher

Educational Institution programs on certain activities and skills as presented within their

program curricula. The content analysis uncovered further activities which were added to

the Chartered Institute of Marketing Professional Framework. These skills and activities

were compiled and introduced to stakeholders in Phase Two of the research design.

This research step was conducted because Shi and Bennett (2000) contended that further

research is required to identify the gaps between the job descriptions in job

advertisements and the actual jobs performed. In order to overcome the limitations

reported by Shi and Bennett (2000) and other researchers, (Davis, 2008; Harper, 2012)

the content analysis of job advertisements was combined with other methods, to allow

the researcher to bridge any gaps between the job advertisements and actual jobs. This

approach was referred to as ‘complementary methods’ by Harper (2012) who suggested a

form of triangulation through the use of other forms of content analysis. For example,

complementary methods have used management program analysis (Kinkus 2007;

Ferguson, Hidler and Lloyd, 2008), while others (Willard and Mychalyn, 1998) included

a survey of candidates as a method to further clarify the content analysis of job

advertisements.

3.6.2: CONTENT ANALYSIS OF POST-GRADUATE MARKETING PROGRAMS

Phase One included a content analysis of the Post-graduate marketing programs at

Australian Universities, to identify the program coverage. These programs covered post-

graduate marketing qualifications in marketing at the certificate, diploma and masters

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level. The program descriptions were found via the internet. This thesis has limited the

scope of this study to programs both taught and delivered in Australia since the thesis is

seeking the perceptions of marketing managers in that region. Furthermore, it was

considered most likely that an employee in Australia would study at an Australian

university. Therefore, Institutions, other than Australian universities, that offered post-

graduate marketing programs were excluded from the study.

The second stage in this research phase was the content analysis of program curricula.

This allowed the researcher to gauge which of the Post-graduate programs within the

Higher Education Institutions focused on certain subjects. As a result, the analysis

allowed the researcher to determine the emphasis of Higher Institution programs on

certain activities and skills within their program curricula. The content analysis

uncovered further activities which were added to the Chartered Institute of Marketing

Professional Framework in order to develop a comprehensive list to explore in the next

phase. Thus, skills and activities were compiled and discussed with stakeholders in Phase

Two of the research design

All post-graduate marketing programs, which met the above criteria, were identified, and

the subject content of the programs was reviewed. The review was achieved by

downloading the program content of Australian university programs deemed suitable via

the internet. The information for the programs was readily available and generally

contained information only on the subjects that the student may acquire from the

program. The results of this phase of the research was used to inform and prepare the

researcher for the next phase of the study and assist in the development of probing

questions to be used in the in-depth interviews that were conducted in that phase.

3.6.3: PHASE TWO - IN-DEPTH INTERVIEWS WITH STAKEHOLDERS

The first phase of the research, through secondary research, had identified the skills and

roles of marketing managers as seen through job advertisement and job descriptions.

Phase Two of the research sought to explore the roles and associated skills of marketing

managers. Key stakeholders in this research process were marketing managers,

academics who deliver post-graduate marketing programs and marketing management

recruitment consultants. As a group these stakeholders play an important role in the

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career development process and thus can provide valuable insights to answer the research

questions of this thesis. Accordingly, these three groups (marketing managers, academics

and marketing management recruitment consultants) were identified as key respondents

in this phase of the research.

In-depth interviews were considered to be the most appropriate technique for this

research phase. In-depth interviews are direct, personal interviews in which a single

respondent is probed by an interviewer to uncover underlying motivations, beliefs,

attitudes and feelings on a topic (Beaver and Harris, 1996). They can be structured, semi-

structured or un-structured interviews (Minichello, Aromi, Timewell and Alexander,

1995).

In all, 20 respondents were selected to participate in this phase of the research. There

were 10 marketing professionals, five academics and five marketing management

recruitments consultants. They were selected using a non-probability expert sampling

method. This method was preferred as it enabled the researcher to obtain a preliminary

understanding of the skills needed by the respondents in their current positions.

Furthermore, the non-probability sampling method allowed the researcher to make

judgements on which respondents will offer the most appropriate input to allow the

important issues to be explored. All respondents had substantial experience in their own

right as marketing managers even if they were now employed in management consulting

or in higher education roles. A detailed profile of the respondents is provided in

Appendix 4. There was no offer of reward or inducement made to the participating

subjects. The sample size of 20 was considered acceptable, as it was within the range that

Cresswell (1998) recommended should be interviewed in order to achieve ‘data in

theory’.

All respondents were actively engaged in marketing, recruiting marketing personnel or

post-graduate teaching. As such, all were considered to have expert knowledge of the

tasks and required skills of marketing managers. In addition, their role or experience had

given them a sound basis on which to review the effectiveness of post graduate

marketing qualifications in preparing graduates for marketing management roles. All

marketing management recruitment consultants and marketing professionals had at least

10 years’ experience (mean = 16.4 years’ experience) in their respective fields. The

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respondents recruited from academia had also worked in marketing management roles in

industry and were currently teaching in post-graduate marketing programs at an

Australian university.

All participants had a vested interest in the results of this thesis. For example, the

academics interest was in the development of a curriculum that incorporates the current

skills required by students to enable them to establish and develop a marketing career. It

is obviously in the interest of Higher Education institutions to produce graduates who are

professionally competent and will contribute to the university brand and industry

recognition. Marketing management recruitment consultants were considered to benefit

by having candidates more prepared for the rigors of professional life. Consequently, the

respondents were more than willing to participate in the in-depth interviews. Please see

Appendix 4 for a list of questions and topics that were included in each of the in-depth

interviews.

The in-depth interviews were conducted to better understand, at a deeper level, what

potential employers are looking for in terms of skills for marketing managers. The job

and skill requirements under which marketing recruiters select job applicants are dictated

by the needs of the industry client. This constant task requirement directly informs

recruiters of current industry demands for marketing managers. Moreover, the use of

employers to learn about critical skills for marketing practitioners is consistent with

previous studies (Hafer and Hoth, 1981; Kelley and Geadeke, 1990; Dacko, 2006).

The objectives of the interviews were to identify respondent’s perceptions of needed

skills, the intent of university education in skills development, and to potentially identify

any skill gaps between what they had observed within their university curriculum and

their industry experience. The marketing educators were chosen not only on the basis of

their industry experience at a senior level, but also on the basis that they were currently

teaching post-graduates subjects and were still working in some capacity with industry.

3.6.3.1: THE SETTING All of the interviews were held at a venue of the respondent’s choosing. Typically, the

venue chosen was the respondent’s office or a nearby cafe. It was hoped that the choice

of a pleasant environment would encourage respondents to relax and to discuss openly

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their perceptions and experiences as a marketer/educator/recruiter. The study adopted a

semi-structured approach to interviewing, where the interviews were rigorous enough to

ensure validity while also facilitating flexibility and encouraging respondent interaction

(Patton, 2002). An interview schedule was developed prior to the interview to guide the

interviewer and incorporate issues uncovered in the review of literature and the tasks and

skills contained within the CIM Professional Standard Framework. The objective was to

let the interview flow. It was anticipated that a semi-structured approach to the interview

would elicit more meaningful information and potentially identify new information or

insights which were not known to the researcher. The open-ended questions allowed

respondents to answer on the basis of their knowledge and experiences (Flick, 2009).

According to Hollan and Stornetta (1992), interactions which allow for positive

immediate responses are those which occur face to face. Keeping this in mind, the

researcher determined that all of the interviews would be conducted face-to-face. This

also had the benefit of minimising the potential for interview error, which according to

Cannell (1985) can be a major source of sampling error. Additionally, this approach

allowed for a deeper interpretation of the data through the observation and recording of

verbal and non-verbal communication cues. The researcher has had substantial

experience in conducting in-depth interviews as his career had encompassed some years

in a marketing research role. It was considered that the researcher’s experience later

added to his ability to adopt a consistent approach to the conduct of the interviews and

the interpretation of the interview content.

At the end of each interview, the interviewee was given a list to document the skills that

they thought were important to the establishment of a career as a marketing manager.

This process was undertaken to enable a check for consistency between the skills list and

what they had said during the interview. The interviews were designed to take

approximately 20 to 40 minutes for each interview, since many of the respondents were

very busy with work commitments. The analysis and results of the interviews are

presented in Chapter 4. A summary of the respondent’s profiles are listed in the

following Tables.

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3.7: SUMMARY OF PROFILES OF PARTICIPANTS IN

QUALITATIVE STUDY

Table 3.2.1: Profile of Marketing Managers in Industry

INTERVIEW

No.

INDUSTRY POSITION EXPERIENCE HIGHEST

QUAL’N

1 Fruit and Vegetables Marketing Director 20 years Masters

2 Confectionary Marketing Director 20 years Masters

3 Children’s Toys Marketing Manager 17 years Masters

4 Computers Senior Product Manager 18 years Masters

5 Packaging Director of Marketing 20 years Masters

6 Retail Marketing Manager 15 years Grad. Dip

Marketing

7 Pharmaceutical Group Marketing

Manager

15 years Grad. Dip

Marketing

8 Electrical Wholesaling Marketing Director 20 years MBA

9 Packaging Sales and Marketing

Manager

15 years MBA

10 Medical Diagnostics Marketing Director 15 years Grad. Dip

Marketing

Table 3.2.2: Profile of Academics

INTERVIE

W No.

INDUSTRY POSITION EXPERIENCE

11 Higher Education Lecturer in Business Yes in industry





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Table 3.2.3: Profile of Marketing Management Recruitment Consultants

INTERVIEW

No.

INDUSTRY POSITION EXPERIENCE DEGREE

16 (a) Consultant Management

Consultant - Director

15 years Masters of Marketing

17 Consultant Management

Consultant

16 years Management Degree


Consultant

15 years Business Degree


Consultant

15 years Business Degree


Consultant

10 years MBA

In summary, it was considered that the views of marketing professionals, marketing

educators and marketing management recruitment consultants would yield valuable

insights as well as providing a suitable basis for the development of the survey

instrument to be used to gain views of a large sample of marketing managers in the next

phase of the research (Phase Three).

The following section details how this instrument was developed and implemented for

the quantitative phase of the research.

3.8: RESEARCH HYPOTHESES

The research design ensured that collectively, the research phases were sequential and

appropriate to answer the identified research questions established in this study. The

CIM Professional Framework, along with important skills identified within the literature

review and the data from the qualitative research phase, had unearthed a series of

important questions. These included the addition of finance skills as well as an increased

emphasis on the people management component of the framework. Each of these topics

was explored and the results were integrated into the quantitative research design. This

included a list of 14 skills that were deemed to be important for marketing managers and

considered to be inter-related. Full details of the findings of the interviews are presented

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in Chapter four. The research questions generated from the literature review were

reformulated into research hypotheses and are listed below:

H1. The fourteen skills under study are all seen as important by marketing managers.

H2. A number of the most important skills are related or dependent on other skills.

H3: All fourteen important skills are adequately covered in post-graduate marketing

programs.

H4: All fourteen important skills are perceived to be adequately emphasised in post-

graduate marketing programs.

H5: The 23 tasks of the CIM Professional Standard Framework were seen as important

for established marketing professionals who have a post-graduate degree

H6: The dominant career motivations or anchor of marketing managers with post-

graduate marketing qualifications was a managerial orientation.

H7: The skills which are important to a marketer’s career establishment are dependent on

their career anchors.

The following sections outline and justify the research design and methodology used to

obtain the data needed to test the research hypotheses.

3.9: PHASE THREE: QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH

The objective of this phase of the research was to capture the perceptions of marketing

managers; who held post-graduate marketing qualifications; of their work-related tasks,

required skill sets, motivations, and the effectiveness of their postgraduate marketing

programs in providing or developing these required skills. It was determined that a mail

survey to marketing managers was the appropriate method to engage this group. Mail

surveys have benefits in terms of cost constraints, geographic scope and efficiency

(Jobber, 1985). The use of the mail survey is also acceptable in research for the

marketing educational field (O’Brien and Deans, 1995; Floyd and Gordon, 1998; Gray

et al., 2007). Research in the educational field which have used mail surveys, includes

studies by Payne, Campbell, Bal and Piercy, (2011); Brown McCabe and Meuter,

(2011); Wiese and Sherman, (2011); Taylor, Hunter, Melton and Goodwin, (2011). The

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popularity of such a method and its use in recent studies, further confirms its acceptance

and suitability for this thesis.

Given this phase of the research was quantitative in nature the study is heavily dependent

on the research instrument in terms of measurement and observation (Borg and Galt,

1989). As previously discussed, Phase One and Phase Two of the research had adopted a

number of methods. This allowed a more extensive understanding of the skills and roles

of the marketing manager and provided the researcher with valuable contextual

information to develop an appropriate research instrument for Phase Three of the study.

3.10: MAIL SURVEY

As noted above a mail survey was selected as the most appropriate and cost-effective

method to collect the survey data. As noted by Fogelman (2002), the most important

criteria for selecting a data gathering method is the suitability of the method to provide

answers to the research questions. In this case, the research questions were many, often

lengthy in wording, and required reflection on the part of the respondent. As the

respondents were established in their professional careers, it may be assumed that they

would have been time-poor. Consequently, a research approach accommodating this

factor was needed. It was considered that a self-completed mail survey would be most

suitable as it would allow respondents to complete the survey at their leisure. The

respondents had all given permission to have their name on the List Bank database, and

so would expect to receive correspondence from that source. Since the respondents were

all marketing managers, it was considered most likely that they would have had time to

reflect and consider the level of skills that they had developed and thus would be able to

answer the research questions.

The mail survey also had the benefit of avoiding response bias potentially introduced by

an interviewer, and was also was a relatively low cost and easy to implement option. A

telephone interview had been considered but this data collection mechanism had the

principal disadvantage that it could not adequately cope with the relatively large number

of questions in the survey instrument, or the need for reflection on some of the questions

prior to providing a response (Malhotra, Hall, Shaw and Oppenheim, 2004). The use of

an on-line survey was also considered, but was rejected on the basis that the method

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would add significantly to the survey implementation cost. In addition, it was thought

that this approach would not stand out, or be as immediately identifiable, as academic

research.

3.10.1: SUPPLIER OF THE MAILING LIST

A commercial database, List Bank, was used to identify respondents for the mail survey.

The List Bank is a database marketing company specialising in mailing lists and was

chosen on the basis of its quality database management processes and large database of

marketing professionals. The List Bank had a membership covering over 65,000

companies in Australia, with over 200,000 senior executives in their database. The use of

samples derived from recognised databases was consistent with research by Arora and

Stoner, (1992), Kress and Wedell, (1993), and Gray et al., (2007).

A search of the List Bank database generated 2519 individuals that met the researcher’s

criteria. The marketing managers were spread across all six Australian states as follows:

Victoria 812, New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory 1032, Queensland/Northern

Territory 263, Western Australia 191, South Australia 171 and Tasmania 30. The mailing

list that was generated was examined by the researcher to ensure that the survey

restrictions had been effectively incorporated in the filtering of the List Bank database.

The researcher’s examination of the profiles of the subjects included on the mailing list

confirmed all respondents met the research criteria. The number of respondents identified

on the mailing list, and selected for participation, was thought to be sufficient to obtain a

large enough response rate to meet the stipulated sample size needed for data analysis

purposes.

The response rate to the survey also needed to be considered in the determination of

sample size. Mail surveys generally have a poor response rate, typically less than 15%

(Malhotra, et al., 2004). In order to overcome this relatively low response rates, it was

decided to undertake a census of the marketing managers who have had 3 years’

experience and were post-graduates at the List Bank.

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3.10.2: SAMPLE SIZE

In determining the necessary sample size for this study, a number of factors were taken

into account. These included data analysis procedures, response rate, and ability to

identify differences should they exist. ANOVA is the principal method of analysis in this

thesis. It was used to determine the differences identified between the skills identified as

important in this research and various demographics to establish if the variances are

statistically significant. ANOVA examines the variance within and between the groups.

It determines if the variances are due to error or if the differences between the

populations are factual (Malhotra, et al., 2004). The assumptions underpinning ANOVA

are that the population is normal. A sample size of 200 would be adequate to undertake

the data analysis with sufficient reliability for this study (Olejnik, 1984). The sample size

could be smaller should the results appear to be a best fit scenario (Olejnik, 1984).

Alternatively, the sample size could be larger, if the survey data is not normal and more

complicated statistical analysis is applicable. The convention in marketing research

(Zikmund, Babin, Carr and Griffin, 2010) and the social sciences (Olejnik, 1984) is to

use the 0.05 level of significance. A high level of significance is conventionally held to

mean the lower the likelihood of a Type 1 error. A Type 1 error is when the null

hypothesis is incorrectly rejected.

A sample size of 200 would be sufficient to detect moderate effects and have statistical

power of 0.95 at the 0.05 level of significance. Statistical power measures the likelihood

of a Type II error occurring. A Type II error is when the null hypothesis is accepted

when in fact it should be rejected (Kenkel, 1989). That is, a relationship may actually

exist but is not observed. The level of statistical power to be achieved with a sample size

of 200 meets the base requirement that the statistical power should be no less than 0.07

(Olejnik, 1984), and this study meets this requirement. The response rate to the survey

also needs be considered in the determination of sample size since mail surveys generally

have a poor response rate, adjustments had to be made to the data collection process to

ensure that the minimum sample size of 200 was achieved.

The potential for response error was minimised by extensive testing of the survey

instrument prior to implementation. In addition, the survey was self-completed and this

also eliminated the potential for interviewer bias in completing the questionnaire. The

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selection of the List Bank as the sampling frame from which to draw the sample was

one of judgment by the researcher. The mailing list was deemed to be representative of

the population of interest (marketing managers with a post-graduate marketing

qualification). This sampling methodology is termed judgment sampling, and is a form

of convenience sampling, in which the population elements are selected based on the

researcher’s judgment (Malhotra et al, 2004). In this study, cost constraints and the

inability to identify all members of the target population were factors in adopting a non-

probability approach to sampling. As such, the findings of this study may be treated as

preliminary, and the sampling approach is appropriate in this case.

3.10.3: DATA COLLECTION

Members of the List Bank, who met the survey requirements, were invited to participate

in the survey. A search of the List Bank database identified 2519 members who were in

marketing management roles, and had at least three years’ experience and a post-

graduate marketing qualification. An invitation to participate in the study, together with

the survey instrument, was sent to all 2519 subjects identified by the List bank search as

the researcher had identified the possibility of a high level of non-response and still

sought to achieve a sample size of 200. The envelope, request to participate, and return

envelope, all incorporated the university letterhead, because according to Faria and

Dickinson (1992), the use of university letterhead can improve the response rate. The

letter provided information about the aims of the survey, privacy protection and

researcher contact information, as stipulated by the Swinburne University of Technology

Ethics Committee. There was no incentive included to complete the survey, as the

researcher considered that the subject matter of the survey would be of interest to the

respondents. The lack of funding available for incentives was also a consideration.

As invitations to participate in the survey did not contain any identifying information

from the respondents, and as an assurance of privacy had been provided, no follow-up

requests to non-respondents could be undertaken. The first survey response was received

within 72 hours, thereby indicating the effectiveness of the mail survey. In the first four

weeks following the despatch of the invitation to participate, 450 responses were

received. Although it was anticipated that more responses would be received after this

time, no more responses were received.

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Of the 450 returned surveys, only 419 were considered usable. A usable returned

questionnaire was deemed in this research as one that had all of the questions completed

according to the questionnaire requirements (Baruch, 1997).

3.10.4: RESPONDENTS

All 419 respondents had a role title that incorporated the term ‘manager’, had a post-

graduate marketing qualification, and at least three years’ experience in a marketing role.

There are various titles that apply to marketing professionals in industry, but no common

nomenclature is in operation. Therefore, the researcher determined that three years in

industry, post-graduation, was a more appropriate filter, and more likely to obtain

respondents that had progressed to more senior levels (including to marketing manager),

than just the use of a title. Thus, the study covered marketing professionals having a

range of titles including Marketing Director, Marketing Manager, Product Manager or

similar. There was no restriction on industries in which the marketing professional was

employed, as it was not the purpose of this study to understand the issues covered in the

context of a particular industry.

3.10.5: SURVEY INSTRUMENT

The survey instrument was divided into three sections, and was accompanied by a one-

page information sheet. Section One of the research instrument collected respondent’s

perceptions of their skills and the contribution of their post-graduate studies to their

skills. These skills were considered important for the career of the post-graduate

marketer. Section Two collected respondents’ perceptions of the roles and activities that

they undertook as a marketing manager. Finally the last section, (Section Three),

collected respondents’ perceptions of their career anchors. A copy of the covering letter

is attached in Appendix 8 and the survey instrument is in Appendix 9.

Two separate versions of the survey were developed, each providing the same set of

questions, but for the reverse ordering of the skills in Questions Four, Six and Seven.

The reverse ordering was intended to avoid biases based on order-set, and the data from

these two surveys was amalgamated for statistical analysis.

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A number of issues were considered in the outline of the survey instrument. The first

concern was the structure, length and nature of the questionnaire. The structure of the

survey instrument placed the demographic questions at the start of the survey. These

questions did not elicit any information from the respondents they would construe as

difficult or would give them cause not to precede with the survey. The survey

instrument was designed in a manner that gave consideration to enabling completion in

a reasonable amount of time, to avoid respondent fatigue. The survey was timed at

being completed in a conservatively assessed time of 12 minutes, which was considered

most reasonable by the test respondents. Moreover, as there is always the possibility

that subjects can misinterpret questions (Isaac & Michael, 1997), the survey instrument

was thoroughly pilot tested prior to implementation to ensure that all questions were

clear and easy to complete.

Second, there are many individuals from various organisations who have views on the

important skills needed by professional marketers to establish their career. It was

considered that response bias would be affected by the extent to which the respondents

had actual experience of a current nature in undertaking the activities and tasks of a

marketing manager. On this basis, the use of marketing managers as respondents for the

thesis survey was intended to lower response bias. Similarly, Yaveroglu, Donthu and

Garcia (2003) found in a business-to-business context, that response bias was influenced

by the extent of the relationship with the client company.

Third, the mail survey was chosen as it had the potential to avoid social desirability bias.

Social desirability is the tendency of the respondent to give answers that may not be

accurate but may be desirable from a social stand point (Yaveroglu, etal., 2003). As mail

surveys do not involve any social interaction between the respondent and the interviewer,

they are least susceptible to social desirability (Malhotra et al., 2004). Additionally, it is

thought that the anonymity of the survey responses may have provided respondents with

the sense of security to correctly complete the questionnaire.

Fourth, consideration was given to taking measures designed to endure that response bias

would not occur. As the response scale is vulnerable to biasing the response set (Isaac

and Michael, 1997, p 148), it was decided to use Likert scales. The Likert scale is

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conventionally used in marketing research. As the respondents to the survey were

professional marketers who could be assumed to be familiar with questionnaires, it is

considered that bias induced by the scale would be minimised.

Finally, whilst there was no assurance the addressee actually was the one who completed

the questionnaire, it was considered unlikely that another individual would have

completed the survey. The survey was sent to the subjects’ work addresses, and as the

subjects were marketing managers, it was unlikely that other people in the organisation

would open their mail. Moreover, as the survey envelopes all had the university logo, it

was likely that the respondent would have at least received the questionnaire.

3.10.5.1: PILOT TESTING OF SURVEY INSTRUMENT Pilot testing refers to the testing of the survey instrument on a small number of

respondents, prior to fieldwork, to identify and eliminate potential problems (Martin and

Polivka, 1995). Prior to collecting information in the field, a pilot test of the survey

instrument and mail survey procedures was conducted by having five academic staff

members at selected universities as well as 20 post-graduate marketing students take the

survey and provide feedback on it. The principal objective was to establish the survey

instrument was easy to understand and to complete. Further input was also sought on the

wording, difficulty and layout of the questionnaire in an attempt to prevent any

ambiguity. Some minor changes to wording and layout of the survey instrument were

suggested and these were incorporated in the final questionnaire. In all, the final

questionnaire was seen as appropriate to investigate the research questions of this thesis

(Churchill, 1979).

3.10.5.2: SECTION 1: SKILLS OF A MARKETING MANAGER The research instrument sought to test a generic set of skills that are relevant to

marketing manager regardless of industry of employment. These skills were identified in

the literature review and confirmed in the exploratory research in Phase One and Phase

Two (See Chapter 4). This section also seeks to identify the marketing managers’

perceptions of their post-graduate marketing education in covering and developing these

skills. The skills that allow the marketing manager to become established, and are

investigated, are listed in Table 3.4.

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Table 3.4: The Skills under Investigation

Skill

Analytical

Marketing Comprehension

Creative thinking

Critical thinking

Decision making

Financial

Interpersonal

Leadership

Negotiation with staff

Negotiation with suppliers

People management

Problem solving

Verbal communication

Written communication

In Section One of the survey instrument, respondents were asked the questions contained

in Table 3.5 to establish the importance of these skills. A five point Likert scale (ranging

from 1 = very unimportant to 5 extremely important) was used to assess skill importance.

The use of Likert scales is consistent with other studies in this field on marketing

education (Lundstrom, White and Schuster; 1996; Louw, van Eden, Bosch and Venter,

2003; Pappu, 2004; Raymond, Carlson and Hopkins, 2006; Gray et al., 2007).

Table 3.5: The Skills of a Marketing Manager

Question Number Survey Question 4 Which of these skills have been important for your success in your

marketing career? 6 How would you rate the coverage of these skills in your post-graduate

marketing program? 7 How much importance has been given to the following skill sets in your

post-graduate marketing program?

3.10.5.3: SECTION 2: TASKS OF A MARKETING MANAGER The tasks and activities of the marketing manager were seamed with the CIM

Professional Standard Framework relating to the marketing manager’s post-graduate

qualification

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The CIM Professional Standard Framework took account of the respondent’s level of

academic accomplishment in establishing the activities to be under taken. The tasks of

the CIM Professional Standard Framework were modified to include financial

knowledge, for investigation in this phase of the study, as noted in Table 3.6. The

importance of financial skills to a marketing manager were identified in the literature

review and confirmed in the exploratory research conducted in Phases One and Two of

the study. The survey instrument also asked respondents to rank their performance of

various tasks and then rate their own performance (in this thesis, how often the tasks are

performed). This type of analysis is called “importance-performance analysis” (Dawes

and Patterson, 1987, p. 243). Previous research by Myers and Alpert (1968) and Martilla

and James (1977) suggested that this type of methodology is practical for evaluating the

components of the marketing tasks.

Table 3.6: The Tasks and Skills of a Marketing Manager

Question Number Survey Question 15 Which of the following tasks7 do you perform in your current position? 16 Which of these tasks do you consider most important to your success? 17 Which of these skills allowed you to accomplish these tasks?

The tasks of the CIM Professional Standard Framework are listed in Appendix 11

3.10.5.4: SECTION 3 CAREER ANCHORS OF A MARKETING MANAGER This section of the questionnaire was designed to determine the career anchors of

marketing managers. The scale developed by Delong (1982a) in collaboration with

Schein was used in this study and validated by the following studies, Burke (1983);

Wood, Winston and Polkosnik (1985). The Career Orientation Inventory scale was

chosen as it has demonstrated a high degree of reliability and internal validity. In

addition, it is very easy to complete and understand. The scale contained 41 items that

measure nine career anchors. The career anchors were validated by Igbaria and Baroudi

(1993) and Hsu, Jiang and Klein (2003) for information system (IS) employees, but

appear not to have been utilised in studies of marketing managers.

7 The tasks were listed in Table 3.1

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The questions in Section Three of the survey instrument are drawn from the Career

Orientation Inventory scale, as set out in Table 3.7. The responses to the items were

measured on a five point Likert scale.

Table 3.7: Career Anchors of Marketing Managers

Question No. Survey Question 20 Managerial Importance a The process of supervising, influencing, leading, and

controlling people at all levels. b To be in a position of leadership and influence. c To rise to a position of leadership and influence. d I would like to reach a level of responsibility in an

organization where my decisions really make a difference.

e I want to achieve a position which gives me the opportunity to combine analytical competence with supervision of people.

21 Technical and Functional Competence

a To build my career around some specific functional or technical area.

b Remaining in my specialized area as opposed to being promoted out of my area of expertise.

c Remaining in my area of expertise rather than being promoted into general management.

d I will accept a management position only if it is in my area of expertise.

e I would leave my organization rather than be promoted out of my area of expertise.

22 Autonomy a The chance to pursue my own lifestyle and not be

constrained by the rule of an organization. b A career which is free from organization restrictions. c A career which permits a maximum freedom and

autonomy to choose my own work hours. d During my career I have been mainly concerned with

my own sense of freedom and autonomy. e I do not want to be constrained by either an

organization or the business world. 23 Organizational Stability a An organization which will provide security through

guaranteed work, benefits, and good retirement program.

b An organization which will give me long run stability. c I prefer to work for an organization which provides

lifetime employment. 24 Geographic Security a Remaining in one geographic area rather than being

prompted into moving because of a promotion. b It is important for me to remain in my present

geographical location rather than to move because of promotion or new job assignment.

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Question No. Survey Question c I prefer to work for an organization that will permit me

to remain in one geographical area. 25 Sense of Service a The use of my interpersonal and helping skills in the

service of others. b The process of seeing others changes because of my

effort. c Being able to use my skills and talents in the service of

an important cause. d I have always sought a career in which I could be of

service to others. e I want a career in which l can be committed and

devoted to an important cause. 26 Lifestyle Integration a Developing a life cycle that balances my career and

family needs. b Developing a career that permits me to continue to

pursue my own lifestyle. c I have always tried to give equal weight to my family

and to my career. d A career is worthwhile only if it enables me to lead my

life in my own way. e Choosing and maintaining a certain lifestyle is more

important than is career success. 27 Entrepreneurial

Creativity

a To be able to create or build something that is entirely my own product or idea.

b The use of my skills in building a new business enterprise

c I have been motivated throughout my career by the number of ideas or products which I have been directly involved in creating.

d Entrepreneurial activities are an important part of my career.

e I have always wanted to start and build up a business of my own.

28 Pure Challenge a Working on problems that are almost insoluble. b Competing with and winning out over others. c The real challenge in my career has been confronting

and solving tough problems, no matter what area they were in.

d Competing and winning are the most exciting parts of my career.

e I feel established only if l am constantly challenged by a tough problems or a competitive situation.

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3.10.5.5: DEMOGRAPHICS A number of demographic questions relating to the respondents’ education and work-life

were included in the survey instrument. These questions were open in nature as it was

considered this response format was most appropriate given the individual nature of

these questions. The demographic questions in the survey instrument are set out below in

Table 3.8.

Table 3.8: Profile of Survey Respondents

Question Number

Survey Question

2 What is your current position? 3 How many years have you been employed in a marketing role? 5a What is the highest education level you have completed or are now completing? 5b How many years since you have graduated from your highest graduate degree? 8 Have you ever had your generic skills level evaluated?

3.11: ETHICS APPROVAL

The Swinburne University Ethics Committee granted approval for the research study of

this thesis, and a copy of the approval is at Appendix 10. The guidelines and procedures

pertaining to this ethics approval are detailed on the university’s web site:

www.research.swinburne.edu.au/researchers/ethics .

3.12: CHAPTER SUMMARY

This chapter presented and justified the mixed methods research strategy and

methodology for the investigation of the research questions developed for this thesis. The

Four phases of the research covering the initial exploratory qualitative research including

a content analysis of program descriptions, job advertisements and job descriptions

which are deemed as Phase One were explained. Phase Two describes the in-depth

interviews of marketing managers, academics and marketing management recruitment

consultants. The results of the studies involved in Phase One and Two of the research are

detailed and discussed in the following chapter, Chapter 4. The nature of the quantitative

phase of the research, Phase Three, was outlined and justified including subjects, study

scale and procedures. The analysis of the quantitative phase of the research is contained

in Chapter 5.

http://www.research.swinburne.edu.au/researchers/ethics

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CHAPTER 4: THE QUALITATIVE STUDY

4.1: INTRODUCTION

As noted in Chapter Three, this study followed a mixed method approach to examine

the skill requirements for established post-graduate marketing managers and to explore

how their postgraduate marketing programs contributed to their career anchor

development. As was noted in Chapter 3, data were collected in a number of phases

using a variety of research methods. This chapter presents the results of the first,

qualitative phase of this study. The various qualitative methodologies used in this thesis

are also explained. These were; a content analysis of marketing manager’s job

descriptions, job advertisements and the content of curricula in post-graduate degrees in

marketing. In addition, the results of the 22 in-depth interviews conducted with

experienced marketing managers, academics and marketing management recruitment

consultants were used to further define the skills required from the research questions.

This two-phase approach had the principal benefit of allowing information from a range

of sources in the qualitative phase to interact and inform the research program as it

developed. Bernard and Ryan (2010) suggested there are four main objectives in

qualitative research. Exploration research such as content analysis of job descriptions,

job advertisements and curricula was conducted at the beginning of the research design,

where the aim was to discover themes and patterns. In this case, the content analysis

was used to determine which skills and tasks are used within the CIM Professional

Standard Framework were evident in the job descriptions, job advertisements and

curricula. The CIM framework acted as a benchmark for best practices in marketing by

highlighting the tasks that established post-graduate marketers actually perform and the

skills they use to complete these tasks. Comparisons of qualitative data are another

research technique suggested by Bernard and Ryan (2010), which was used in this

study. The content analysis of, job advertisements, job descriptions and university

program descriptions was compared with the views expressed by the three categories of

respondents (Marketing Managers, Marketing Management Recruitment Consultants

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and Academics) who were interviewed. The qualitative research adopted an inductive

approach, which is an approach that can use multiple qualitative methodologies with the

intent of further describing and answering the research question (Schram, 2006). In

addition, the use of various methods, referred to as triangulation (Denzin, 1978), can

assist the researcher to answer the research question of this thesis comprehensively. In

this study, Phase One was used to gather information from a range of sources in order to

develop a comprehensive list of skills that could be investigated in the next stage of the

study. For example, the initial content analysis of marketing job advertisements, post-

graduate program curricula and marketing job descriptions provided the researcher with

a knowledge base of skills to explore in some depth during the interviews. Thus, this

stage of the qualitative research was considered important to collect a list of skills that

enabled the researcher to further test these in the second phase of the research design.

In Phase Two, in-depth interviews were conducted with industry stakeholders in order

to obtain a comprehensive understanding of current marketing practice and the skills

required in this contemporary environment. The depth obtained from these interviews

also provided further context to the study as well as insights into the rationale for the

skills respondents selected as most important. Respondents included marketing

managers, marketing management recruitment consultants and academics. In this phase,

the respondents were asked to detail what skills they had used to achieve career success

(i.e. Progression to positions as marketing managers) or to explain what skills marketing

management recruitment consultants believe industry employers are now seeking. Input

from academics was also considered important because they could further explain what

skills they perceived were taught within Higher Education Institutions. However all of

the academics also had industry experience, be it as a consultant or as a marketing

practitioner, which provided further depth to the study.

The objectives of this chapter are;

1. To present the results of the desktop research of secondary data obtained through

the content analysis of job advertisements and associated job descriptions in

relation to the marketing managers’ skills, activities and tasks presented within

those documents. The results also report on the content analysis of marketing

post-graduate programs focusing on the skills and knowledge covered within

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these post-graduate degrees. That is, the expected learning outcomes of those

programs.

2. To present, the results of the in-depth interviews conducted with marketing

managers, marketing management recruitment consultants and academics. The

information gained from the content analyses of marketing job descriptions and

advertisements, as well as and post graduate program information related to the

tasks, activities and perceived skills of marketing managers, was used to inform

the in-depth interviews.

4.2: DATA COLLECTION AND PREPARATION FOR

QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS

As noted earlier, as a subsequent content analysis of post-graduate marketing

management programs was an indication of which skills developed, together with the

analysis of job advertisements and job descriptions provided a list of identifiable skills.

The researcher amalgamated these findings from these various content analysis studies

to prepare a list of skills to be used in the following qualitative phase. At this point, a

short explanation of the use of the content analysis of the job advertisements, post

graduate curricula and job descriptions of marketing managers is appropriate in order to

explain how the analysis was approached and completed. The analysis identified a range

of skills that were seen as important for the marketing manager’s roles. The content

analysis of the job advertisements was taken from newspapers over a three month

period. The marketing positions were suitable for senior roles or marketers who had at

least three years’ experience. These positions were consistent with the Dreyfus and

Dreyfus (1985) model (see discussion in Chapter 3) and the skills and knowledge

required for these positions would be consistent with the intended respondents of this

research. The next step was to review the curricula of all post-graduate programs in

marketing in Australia. By accessing and examining the web-sites of all of the Higher

Education Institutions in Australia, a list of the core subjects was compiled in order to

determine which tasks and skills were emphasised within these programs. The core or

mandatory subjects were chosen as this ensures that all of the students enrolled within

these programs at Higher Education Institutions at least had been assessed as having

that knowledge when they graduated with their post-graduate degree. A further content

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analysis on marketing position descriptions provided evidence of the tasks and skills

marketers are required to undertake within their current employment. Even though there

are many Australian companies who have head offices overseas, the researcher only

considered job descriptions from web-sites within Australia. This ensured some level of

consistency in that the marketing job descriptions related to local employment positions

and later in the qualitative interviews, the respondents were also questioned about their

knowledge of the local work environment.

In order to further describe the results of the qualitative research, the interactive model

proposed by Miles and Huberman (1994) was used to inform the analysis of the

qualitative data. They proposed a three step model with the first step being data

reduction, followed by data display and finally, conclusion and verification. These steps

will now be explained in relation to the data collected for this study.

4.3: STEP 1 DATA REDUCTION

As noted in the review of literature, there is a considerable body of relevant literature on

marketer’s skills. Before conducting interviews with major stakeholders, it was decided

to add to the list found within the literature by analysing the content analysis of job

advertisements, job descriptions and post-graduate programs. The most common skills

were identified by documenting the skills which were considered mandatory or essential

to the position. The same approach was used for the content analysis of job descriptions.

The most common skills identified from the content analysis of job advertisements and

job descriptions were motivation, negotiation, people management, creativity, written

communication, verbal communications, marketing comprehension skills, decisions

making skills, financial skills, leadership, analytical skills, team related skills, IT and

relationship building skills.

These skills were then compared with those found within the review of literature. Any

additional skills that were found and considered important to the establishment of the

professional marketer’s career were included in the final list.

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4.4: RESULTS

4.4.1: THE CONTENT ANALYSIS OF ROLES IN MARKETING JOB APPLICATIONS

A total of 500 advertisements were collected over a four month period (See Appendix

5). All of the advertisements were seeking senior roles or positions requiring a

substantial amount of experience. The results revealed that common roles found in

Marketing Job Applications were implementation activities. In addition, the results from

both the literature review and the content analysis of the job descriptions and job

advertisements for marketers were found to be similar in that they suggested a similar

skill sets. In order to analyse these in a consistent manner they were categorised in terms

of the 23 tasks provided in the CIM Professional Framework. Sales experience, internet

experience and industry specific knowledge emerged as important, however, these

would appear to be specific attributes, rather than activities a marketing manager

actually performs. The results revealed a strong focus on finance related tasks. Indeed,

financial literacy was considered important enough by the marketing management

recruitment consultants to be included in two areas (Budget Focused and Financials).

The roles found in the Marketing Job Applications did not show any research or

analysis tasks. This was the only CIM Professional Standard Framework classification

not included in the content analysis of the 500 Advertisements reviewed. Within the

subsequent in-depth interviews, all of the respondents were asked about the importance

of financial tasks and skills. The literature review had uncovered the importance of

financial skills and this was supported by the content analysis of the marketing manager

job descriptions which indicated this skill is important for the career establishment of

marketing managers. How important, was considered to be a question the in-depth

interviews could clarify.

4.4.2: THE CONTENT ANALYSIS OF SKILLS IN MARKETING EMPLOYMENT APPLICATIONS

The results suggest that verbal communication skills are the most important skill for

marketing professionals who have had a substantial degree of experience or are in

senior in roles. The focus of the advertisements was on marketing comprehension as

well as management skills. Teamwork was considered an important skill in a small

number of the advertisements. Stevens and Chapman (1994) explained that teamwork is

as an outcome of various skills including interpersonal, problem solving and decision-

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making skills which interact. However, leadership was also included in the list as the

literature appeared to support its inclusion (Dacko, 2006).

The content analysis of employment applications confirmed the importance of most of

the skills that were identified within the literature review. The content analysis

suggested that the focus of the interview should be on communication, marketing,

comprehension and management skills. The content analysis of the job applications

suggested communication skills should be divided into two parts; verbal and written. It

was also clear from the content analysis that negotiation skills should be divided into

both internal (within the organisation) and external negotiation skills. The importance of

these skills was assessed in the interviews held in the next research phase.

4.4.3: THE CONTENT ANALYSIS OF POST-GRADUATE MARKETING PROGRAMS.

The content analysis of post graduate programs in marketing in Australia concentrated

on the core subjects or units of the post-graduate program. The core subjects are

subjects that all students must complete within the program and therefore analysing

these subjects allowed the researcher to conduct a comparison between the various post

graduate marketing programs that were reviewed. Furthermore, the core subjects are an

indication of the emphasis of the post-graduate degree based on the concentration of a

number of subjects in a particular category.

The content analysis of the programs suggested a level of variability in emphasis in

certain subjects which was dependent on the programs level of post-graduate

attainment. Many of the post-graduate programs in marketing had various marketing

subjects as their core (marketing comprehension, consumer behaviour, promotions,

marketing research and strategy), while others appeared to be finance orientated. The

content analysis of post-graduate curricula in marketing revealed that there are a

considerable number of post-graduate marketing programs that do not offer a core

management subject. Those that did presented the subject at a basic introductory level

and not at the advanced level which would be more suited to experienced marketing

professionals. Finance and management were found to be combined in a variety of

programs, with marketing knowledge being communicated over two or three units.

These skills together with the other skills found within the content analysis were used

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by the researcher to develop a list of skills and tasks that could be discussed and

validated in subsequent stages of the research.

4.5: RESULTS OF EXPERT INTERVIEWS

A total of 22 personal interviews were conducted with respondents which allowed the

researcher to draw upon their knowledge and expertise as well as insights into

respondents’ careers. The importance of semi-structured interviews was apparent as it

allowed the respondents to probe at a deeper level their perceptions of the respondent’s

skills and the tasks they considered were important for the development of their career

and to explore issues related to their career. The interview data also provided context

and meaning to the research results.

In order to reduce the number of categories, the data was coded into various topics,

which were related to the research questions of the thesis. According to Thomas (2006),

this aids in providing a clear link between the objectives and the qualitative research

data. Coding was achieved by examining the frequency and intensity of the comments

on particular skills referred to by the respondents (Schram, 2006). The skills were then

collapsed into various categories according to the studies by Nabi and Bagley (1998)

and Binks and Exley (1992). This allowed the researcher to identify any emerging

trends that could be further tested in the next phase of this study. Hair, Lukas and Miller

(2012) refer to this as selective coding as all the categories (skills) are related to

providing some level of career success.

Within this analysis stage, comparisons were also made between respondent categories

or groups. That is marketing managers, academics and marketing management

recruitment consultants. The comparison of various opinions is an important dimension

of the qualitative research process. These results will be further discussed in the next

section.

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4.6: STEP 2 – DATA DISPLAY

Though there are many ways to present qualitative data, in order to focus on answering

the research questions, data in this chapter are presented according to the research

questions developed to support the thesis. This further emphasises the aims of the

research and ensures that the researcher concentrates on ensuring that the aims of the

study are accomplished.

4.6.1: THE IMPORTANT SKILLS FOR MARKETING MANAGERS.

The analysis of the interviews revealed the importance of people management skills

across all respondent’s groups. This is followed by financial skills which were identified

as the next most important by the marketing managers and marketing management

recruitment consultants. However, academics reported that marketing comprehension

skills were of prime importance.

4.6.1.1: PEOPLE MANAGEMENT SKILLS The most important issue according to all respondents was management skills. The

definition of management skills used in this research is the ability to direct, plan,

organise and co-ordinate work done by others (Evers and Rush, 1996). The following

observation captures the importance of this theme; “There is so much management in

marketing. It is often over looked. Without people managing skills the marketing

manager will not be able to implement anything. Essentially, they are unemployable.”

(Mr G., Group Marketing Manager). Other examples that supported this contention

were provided by Mr P (Director of Marketing) who stated: “If marketing managers do

not manage other people, then they cannot do their job. The essence of marketing is in

fact managing people, both inside and outside the organisation.” Their views were

shared by a business lecturer who noted that: “…it is marketing management.

Management is of course managing people and process.” (Mr S., Lecturer in Business).

A marketing management recruitment consultant agreed, advising that;

“People management skills are critical for all senior managers. Essentially, if you do not have it, your promotion and your career aspirations will be hindered.” (Ms C., Marketing Management Recruitment Consultant).

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Further evidence from other marketing management recruitment consultants supported

this. To demonstrate, Mrs K (Marketing Management Recruitment Consultant) stated,

“All managers, especially at a senior level must show people management skills. This is

particularly relevant where customer relationships such as marketing are involved.”

This emphasis is confirmed by Wood, Stride, Wall and Clegg, (2004) who among other

scholars (for example, Shipper and Dillard, 2000), suggest that managerial skills could

actually contribute to the performance of the organisation both internally (managing

staff) and externally (developing customer relationships). In other words, people

management skills are needed to facilitate the cross functional activities inherent in the

role of a marketing manager as well as those that relate to customer communication.

The agreement by nearly all of the stakeholders of the importance of people

management skills has led to the inclusion of this skill for further investigation in the

quantitative stage of this thesis.

4.6.1.2: FINANCIAL SKILLS Financial skills were identified as a key skill by marketing managers and marketing

management recruitment consultants but not by academics. A plausible explanation for

this could be that financial performance features in the performance reviews that

confront most executives in today’s corporate environment. This is consistent with the

literature that shows that marketing managers are often under increasing pressure to

show their contribution to the company (Doyle, 2000). Previously, they were measured

in terms of market share and sales (Lehmann and Winer, 2004), but more recently it

appears that they are required to demonstrate their worthiness to the company in terms

of profitability (Morgan, et al., 2002). For example;

“I am graded not by how good my interpersonal skills are, though they probably contribute to it, but how much money I make for the company. In order to understand budgets, costs and return on investment, I must have financial skill to understand my business portfolio.” (Mr C., Marketing Director).

This opinion was also shared by Dr A., (Lecturer in Business) who asserted that

“Marketing is more like a business and we have to teach them to run a business. How

can a business survive without the financial knowledge?” Mr. G., (Lecturer in Business)

presented a similar view point:

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“The good old days of spending money are gone, unless you can justify it [he opined]. How marketers do this is often on the balance sheet and the budget, before their implementation. The understanding of financials therefore becomes imperative to achieve marketing success”. Ms O., (Marketing Management Recruitment Consultant) agreed states, “I am constantly asked to make sure the applicant has a good idea of the costs and the financial objectives to run a business.”

The analysis of the interviews revealed, however, that marketing managers and

consistency the marketing management recruitment consultants believe that financial

skills are more important than the academics. Indeed, marketing managers and

marketing management recruitment consultants cited them seven and four times while

lecturers appeared to view financial skills as not as important (cited twice). These

results are consistent with Wong’s (2008) research which found a gap between the

perceptions of alumni and academics regarding finance and accounting concerning the

need for financial skills.

4.6.1.3: MARKETING COMPREHENSION SKILLS Marketing comprehension was rated as an important skill by the all three groups of

respondents. However, academics placed more emphasis on marketing comprehension

skills than other respondents which may be because they have a vested interest in

promoting the importance of the graduate programs that deliver these skills. However,

these respondent’s views clearly highlight the importance that marketing

comprehension skills were important for a variety of reasons, some of which are

captured in the following respondent’s quotes:

“How can you understand and practice marketing if you do not comprehend it.” (Ms. J.,

Marketing Manager) and “As an aspiring marketer, I had to learn it, before I practice it”

(Mr. L., Marketing Manager). Academics had a similar view, for example;

“We are teaching marketing at a post-graduate level. I would hope that all of my

students know and can apply the theory and practice in their career.” (Mr. G.,

Academic). Marketing management recruitment consultants had a different view,

suggesting theory is only one of the characteristics which create a good marketer. For

example:

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“How can I recommend candidates to my clients for senior positions if they do not

understand marketing both from a functional and theoretical perspective?” (Ms. A.,

Marketing Management Recruitment Consultant). Other, marketing management

recruitment consultants held a similar view. For example, Mrs K (Marketing

Management Recruitment Consultant) stated, “If it is only theory they have, then I am

not interested. That is for junior positions. Show me how they apply theory”

These perspectives are not surprising as the respondents in this thesis were all highly

qualified and experienced. Their understanding of the aspects of marketing are therefore

expected to be highly advanced but this depth is important for the future development of

the marketing workforce.

4.6.1.4: INTERPERSONAL SKILLS Interpersonal skills in this thesis are action skills as suggested by Bigelow (1995). They

include communication, delegation, influence, conflict resolution, group management

and the motivation of others. Interpersonal skills would be utilised on a daily basis in

developing and maintaining positive relationships with others. In the 14 skills

investigated with these respondents, interpersonal skills were considered highly by the

marketing professionals, but were not considered as important by the other respondents.

The comments below from marketing professionals demonstrate this;

“Interpersonal skills are essential to all marketers. If you cannot listen, talk and network

within the organisation, then your career in this field will be very short.” (Mr. G. Senior

Product Manager). This comment is supported by Mr. P., (Director of Marketing); who

asks “How can any manager not have interpersonal skills today? In a sense, it is

ridiculous that any candidate would be employed, let alone be a senior manager without

them.”

Interpersonal skills are not taught in post graduate programs because they are

considered to be implicit within the program structure. They are not in any one subject

but are expected to be embedded within all of the subjects undertaken by those students

completing a postgraduate degree. This view was presented by academic respondents

and what follows is a summary of what many of these academics claimed:

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“Interpersonal skills are not taught within the post graduate programs that I supervise. These are post graduate programs, with many of the student’s working. If they do not have them, then they are unlikely to be enrolled in this program or any post-graduate program for that matter.” (Mr. S., Lecturer in Business).

Other academics supported this view, for example Mr J., (Lecturer in Business), “I think

it would be insulting to the post-graduate students to have a subject at post graduate

level that specifically deals with interpersonal skills.” Nevertheless, their importance is

duly noted by Ms. O., (Marketing Management Recruitment Consultant), “I do not ask

for interpersonal skills in my advertisements as if they are not present, they will not be

successful in this environment. They are a given.” Her opinion is also supported by Mr

B (Marketing Management Recruitment Consultant) who states, “In my 15 years in this

industry, if an applicant does not have interpersonal skills, they are nearly unemployable

in this profession.”

The importance of interpersonal skills is well documented (McCorke et al., 2003; Gray

et al., 2007) and according to the research by Bruce and Schoenfeld (2006), these skills

are used nearly all of the time. Although the academic respondents suggested that

interpersonal skills are developed at some point within the programs they deliver. There

was no evidence of this within the content analysis conducted in phase one. Neither was

it clear whether students within post-graduate programs are currently assessed to

ascertain whether they have interpersonal skills on entry or whether they developed

them during their studies in post graduate programs. The inclusion of interpersonal

skills in the next stage of the research will therefore aid in establishing how important

interpersonal skills are compared to other skills investigated in this research.

Furthermore, given that interpersonal skills were seen as significant by all respondents,

it is essential to determine how important interpersonal skills are so that programs can

further incorporate them into their curriculum, if necessary.

The in-depth interviews provided evidence that decision making, negotiation with staff

and interpersonal skills are of high value to marketing managers. However, other skills

were also identified as important for specific activities required of marketing managers.

For example, technical and project management skills although not seen as of prime

importance were necessary to undertake a marketing manager’s role. Accordingly, it

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was decided to include the 14 skills for examination in the quantitative stage of the

research.

4 6.2: THE COVERAGE OF SKILLS IN POST-GRADUATE MARKETING PROGRAMS

Academics and the professional marketers agreed on the three key skills that are

generally covered or developed in post-graduate programs. These are; marketing

comprehension, written communication and analytical skills. According to Middleton

and Long (1990) and Hill, et al., (1998) the more a skill is continually practised, the

greater the understanding of the use of that skill. However, there were skills identified in

this research that marketing professionals believe should be used more but were not

included within their post-graduate programs. For example, one respondent explained:

“I actually had to go and undertake a management degree once I finished my masters of

marketing.” (Mr. S., Marketing Director). Others marketing professionals had a similar

views including:

“I have had little sales experience, and the ability to negotiate with staff I find hard. There was little use of this skill within the post graduate degree I completed.” (Ms. J., Marketing Manager)

Other respondents prioritised other aspects of the skills required of a marketing

manager. For example;

“We had one subject in basic accounting. I know they cannot teach us everything, but they should know what is important and what is not. I would assume the understandings of the company financials are important for all companies.” (Mr. P., Director of Marketing).

In some cases respondents views differed, however. For instance Mr. L., (Marketing

Manager) opined that creative thinking skills should be emphasised more stating that;

“creative thinking in my experiences was probably frowned upon. We were given

assignments that had strict guidelines. If we wavered outside these, our marks could

suffer.” However, marketing practitioners presented an alternative view to the

academics. For example;

“Students often forget that the interaction with other students, from different levels of

industry and areas that are foreign, actually increase the students ability to interact.”

(Mr. A., Lecturer in Business). Other academics had a similar view, “Many skills the

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student’s do not know they are actually using. For example, research uses many skills,

not just the ability to undertake research.” (Dr. A., Lecturer in Business). This is also

consistent with the statement by Mr. J., (Lecturer in Business) who advised;

“We see the students actually using people skills, interpersonal skills, forming teams and leading their groups. It is a pity they do not understand what is actually happening.”

The comments provided by the academics suggest that some important skills can form

part of the hidden curriculum. In other words some skills may be developed outside of

the overt objectives of the program.

The marketing professionals and the academics that were interviewed agreed on the

importance of marketing skills within all post-graduate programs. This emphasis on

marketing skill sets and conceptual knowledge is also consistent with the studies by

Shipp et al., (1993) and Lamb et al., (1995) whose focus on developing conceptual

knowledge equates to the theoretical basis of marketing theory. This knowledge tends to

be long lasting, which can be the foundation for the establishment of a career in

marketing. The study by Schlee and Harich (2004) also noted that the conceptual

knowledge of the discipline of marketing has a relatively long life cycle, when

compared with various technical skills. The distinction between what skills should be

emphasised is also dependent on the level of education attained. Technical or practical

skills, for example, are more useful for lower level or entry level positions. The

respondents, however, in this research already had at least three years’ experience in a

marketing position and would, therefore have developed various levels of technical or

practical skills during that time. Their intention in enrolling into post-graduate degrees

in marketing could, therefore, be to acquire new skills or advanced skills or to improve

on their existing skill base. Ultimately, it would seem from these interviews, that some

respondents believe that there is no way to develop all of the skills within a single post

graduate program. What is included in these programs, however, may not be a strategic

decision on the part of higher education providers but, according to Lamb, et al., (1995)

could simply be based on time constraints within a crowded curriculum.

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4 6.3: THE EMPHASIS OF SKILLS IN POST-GRADUATE MARKETING PROGRAMS

The previous research question considered how much coverage Higher Education

Institutions placed on important skills. The results in this section consider how much

emphasis or importance is placed on the skills in post-graduate programs. In this

research, it refers to the importance that Higher Education Institutions place on skills

within post-graduate marketing programs.

The results indicate a high level of agreement among marketing managers and lecturers

that: marketing comprehension, analytical and written communication skills are of

primary importance. The marketing management recruitment consultants that were

interviewed had an alternative view, however, placing a higher value on people

management, leadership interpersonal, financial and creative thinking skills. The views

of the respondents are identified in the following statements;

“People management, negotiation and creative skills are what I have come to learn from my post-graduate degree. They were not emphasised enough for my needs. These are skills I need to aid my career progress.” (Mr. G., Senior Product Manager).

“Marketing managers had a similar view; advising that the ability to get it done is paramount in any organisation. In order for this to happen, then I need to have advanced negotiation skills. These were not practised within the post-graduate degree that I undertook.” (Mr. B., Sales and Marketing Manager).

“Leadership skills, in that how to lead, the process of leadership was surely lacking in my post-graduate program.” (Mr. G., Marketing Director).

“I had to do a management degree after completing my masters of marketing management. Why not just do a Bachelor of Management? It would have been a lot easier and more applicable to my career aspirations.” (Mr. S., Marketing Director).

“Stats, stats and stats. I still have a phobia of them, but given the amount of time we were going through them, I understand them now. Perhaps, I am less intimidated by them now.”(Mr. C., Marketing Director).

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Marketing management recruitment consultants appear to have similar beliefs as

describe above. For example, the following statements all align to the views of the

marketing managers as described before.

“I have many Masters applicants for senior positions who have no experience in management, but they seek senior positions because they feel their degrees have taught them what they know. There has to be managerial subjects in a marketing degree.” (Ms. O., Marketing Management Recruitment Consultant).

Mrs. K., (Marketing Management Recruitment Consultant) also supports Ms O by

stating, “Having a Masters in Marketing will not aid your career, unless you can manage

people.”

The results indicate some disagreement between what is taught by academics in post

graduate marketing programs and what the marketing professionals believe is most

important namely, creative thinking and leadership skills. The marketing professionals

that responded to this research believe that these skills were developed within the post-

graduate programs that they had undertaken. Consequently, there appear to be gaps in

the curricula of post-graduate marketing programs in relation to the skills that are

developed in the academic realm and the skills that are required within the workplace.

The academics interviewed in this study disagreed, however, suggesting that many of

the skills are embedded in the program structure. For example;

“Yes we teach creative skills. It is up to the student to come up with their own idea to solve problems. This is a post-graduate degree, so we give students more opportunities and scope to solve problems.” (Dr. A., Lecturer in Business).

This is furthered by Mr. G., (Lecturer in Business) who states,

“We get students to use leadership and management skills. They have to form groups, interact with other students of various cultures. This teaches the students life learning skills.”

What is clear is there is a difference of opinion on managerial skills. The respondents all

agree that are important, if not imperative to possess, but the research question of this

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thesis considers if they are emphasised enough given their importance as shown

previously in this chapter.

4.7: THE TASKS OF MARKETING MANAGERS

This next phase of the interviews moved to consider the CIM Professional Standard

Framework and specifically whether the skills presented in that framework might be

suited to the Australian marketing environment. As such, respondents were asked

whether or not they felt the CIM Professional Standard Framework was applicable for

Australian marketing managers. The overall response was positive with comments like;

“Yes it is. [but] I would also add financial tasks since this is what I am evaluated on”

(Mr. S., Marketing Director). Mr. G., (Senior Product Manager) also had a similar

opinion, “I have to show a budget. Essentially it is a mini profit and loss statement”. He

went on to ask “Where is the financials in this model?” Their opinion was also similar

to Mr. S., (Director of Marketing) who stated, “As a marketing director, I have to show

the board how much money we make and spend. I have to be responsible for out goings

of my department. Financials are where in this model?”

The comments above illustrate the need for financial skills to be added to the CIM

model. Financial skills appear to influence many areas of the marketing function. In

other words, the performance of a marketing manager is assessed on the basis of their

ability to meet financial targets. These responses suggest that there is a need to include

financial tasks in the CIM Professional Standard Framework. The inclusion of financial

tasks was not just based on the remarks of the marketing professionals interviewed in

this thesis. Lecturers and management recruitment consultants also held this view. For

example: “Marketing is not just spending money on promotions. They have to be

accountable. This is why we include accounting in the program curricula.”(Mr. A.,

Lecturer in Business). This view was shared by marketing management recruitment

consultants such as Mr. B., who stated that, “I am often asked by my clients about the

need to understand advanced accounting principles by prospective applicants.” Mrs. K.,

(Marketing Management Recruitment Consultant) also remarked that “If marketers see

themselves as the next General Manager, then they better understand the financials of an

organisation.”

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Responses to questions on the CIM framework were not confined to financial skills,

however. Numerous respondents also reported a need to include creativity within the

CIM Professional Framework model. For example, Ms. J., (Marketing Manager) stated

that; “being creative is not about finding something new, but rather looking at a problem

in a different way. There appears no provision for creativity within the CIM

framework.” This view was supported by Ms. C., (Marketing Management Recruitment

Consultant) who states that, “I am asked for evidence of creative tasks by my clients.

They often want more than skills.”

It is worth noting that even though there was an apparent need to include creative tasks

in the CIM framework, some respondents believed creativity is not a task, but rather a

combination of skills that could be applied to virtually all of the tasks listed in the CIM

Professional Framework.

4.7.1: CIM PROFESSIONAL FRAMEWORK

The CIM Professional Framework is divided into seven activities with various tasks in

each. The first section to be discussed is Research and Analysis.

4.7.1.1: RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS There was some agreement among the respondents that data analysis is an

important task For example; “The ability to analyse company information and

competitor information is mandatory in most if not all business positions” (Mr. C.,

Marketing Director). Another respondent, Mr. A., (Marketing Manager) stated

that, “Analysing data, looking for opportunities, reviewing our plans, understand

the marketing process, this is our job.” However, these opinions were not always

supported by other marketing managers, who offered an alternative view,

“If you say, reviewing sales reports and marketing data from our suppliers, representatives as looking at competitors, then yes. However, formalised marketing analysis, I am not sure where we can get that information from. I put it down to the information I like to have and must have.” (Mr. L., Marketing Manager).

It could be that the marketers understand the industry and its dynamics. For example;

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“Many of the marketing professionals in this company were sales representatives. They understand the industry and their competitors. Formalised competitor analysis is really not done, though I can see the need for it. Basically, we do not have time.” (Mr. B., Marketing Manager

These comments are not consistent with research by Gray et al., (2007) whose results

suggest that market research and analysis are the most important tasks a marketing

manager undertakes. However, there appeared to be a difference between the analysis of

information and formalised analysis of marketing research as noted in the following

quote:

“At my role as a senior marketing director, I am not involved in this. In reality, the amount of information that is available via the internet means that I am often loath to spend money on formalised marketing research projects. Yes we undertake them, but they are mostly in house and really not often.” (Mr. S., Marketing Director).

Other marketing professionals did commission research and placed a high value on it:

“I actually commission many marketing research consultants. I use focus groups with prospective customers as I want to watch them with our new products. I do not use much quantitative research, though the consultants often push this as it takes too long and is expensive. It really is a choice and often my budget does not allow me to do it.” (Mr. G., Marketing Manager).

Alternatively, it may not be the actual research which marketers seek in terms of skills,

but rather the analytical understanding of data.

Mr. G., (Group Marketing Manager) suggests this when he states; “Many marketing research consultants appear at our door, and I am bemused about their methodology and their interpretations. I could not understand unless I had experience within my marketing degrees.”

Marketing research tasks appear to be considered as not very important within the of

scheme developing marketing managers. It is possible for example that the marketers in

the contemporary marketing environment do not require formal research skills but do

require the ability to interpret research. The comments presented above are consistent

with Gray’s, et al., (2007) study which concluded that the high rating of marketing

research may actually infer it is the analysis of the information that is important rather

than actually conducting it.

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Another issue of note is that there is so much information on the web that the need for

formalised marketing research is being questioned as was the case with the marketing

professionals above. According to Achrol and Kotler (1999), the data explosion via the

web has allowed marketers to respond better with access to information on most

marketing metrics. This would suggest that the use of databases and customer

information may require a different type of marketing research skill among today’s

marketing professionals, especially in relation to social media where the analysis of “big

data” has become the norm.

4.7.1.2: STRATEGY AND PLANNING Respondents acknowledged the importance of this marketing activity however it was

found to be most important for the academics and marketing management recruitment

consultants. This is evident in the following statements;

“Planning within the university curriculum is often the capstone subject. It is where we

combine many subjects into one and get the students to think outside the square.” (Dr.

A., Lecturer in Marketing). This is similar to the views expressed by marketing

management recruitment consultant, Ms. A. states, “The degree of planning they

undertake provides me with an indication of their holistic business capabilities. This is

very important for senior marketing positions.”

However, there are respondents whose opinions disagree with the inclusion of planning

in the CIM model. For example; “Marketers today are surely tactical, not strategic. If

this is the case, then why include strategy given there are many other subjects Higher

Education should be teaching them.” (Mr. B., Sales and Marketing Manager). However,

the degree of planning may be dependent on the size and seniority of the marketing

professional. For example;

“At my level of marketing within the company, company strategy is not an important factor. I am more tactical, rather than strategic. I am paid to get results and within my career plan, I do not expect to be here too long.” (Mr. G., Senior Product Manager).

The concern with planning was that there may be a misinterpretation of what it actually

entails. This is illustrated by Ms. A., (Marketing Management Recruitment Consultant)

view;

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“Marketing strategy, as I see it is more about writing a marketing plan. I believe that many employers view this as being strategic. To my knowledge, it is not.”

This view is shared by other marketing management recruitment consultants. For

example; “Strategy is often asked for by my clients. When they infer strategy, they often

mean achieving and writing marketing plans” (Mrs. K., Marketing Management

Recruitment Consultant).

These statements raise questions about whether or not there is misrepresentation of the

term, strategy. The term could be related to the level of development of the marketing

professional. Schlee and Harich (2010) suggested there were significant differences

between the skills sought for marketers who had five years and more, and those with

much less. A similar view is expressed by a marketing director below:

“As a Marketing Director, I have to think of the big picture. It is my job to think of the long term goals of the company. My Product Managers, Marketing Managers are not concerned about this as I want them to achieve budgets, normally annually. To them strategy is a marketing plan.” (Mr. S., Marketing Director)

There were conflicting comments on the importance of marketing strategy, however,

this is in keeping with Hooley, et al., (1990) who suggested that chief marketing

officers are becoming more tactical, rather than strategic, though more product

managers prefer to be strategic (Tyagi and Sawheny, 2010). In any event, there appears

to be a difference of opinion about whether marketing professionals are considered

more strategic or tactical with regards to the tasks they need to complete. This has an

effect on the tasks they need to achieve to become established in their career.

4.7.1.3: BRANDS Of the respondents who commented on branding or brand strategy, only two marketing

professionals saw this as important. For example:

“Branding really was not mentioned within the post-graduate program I completed.

Within my marketing career, now it is stressed more and more.”(Mr. A., Marketing

Director). While other marketing professionals were adamant that the importance of

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branding is often over-looked, there was a view that “branding is not understood by

many marketing professionals. It is seen by many marketers from my experience as a

corporate responsibility.”(Ms. J., Marketing Manager). While some respondents’ agreed

there is not much emphasis on branding tasks within their marketing responsibilities, no

respondent believed that it should not be on their list. This view is also supported by an

experienced marketing academic who stated that:

“It is my opinion that branding and brand strategy should be emphasised more within the post-graduate programs this Higher Education Institution and others offer. There appears a lack of understanding of the value of branding and this may hinder a graduate’s career progress.” (Mr. S., Lecturer in Business).

Other lecturers agreed advising that “branding could be considered a short program, as

it would provide the level of understanding this important topic deserves” (Dr. A.,

Lecturer in Business)

There appears to be an acknowledgment by the respondents who were interviewed that

branding is important, but they questioned how often the task is actually undertaken.

This is not consistent with the literature however. For example, Lehmann and Winer

(2004) suggest marketing managers are responsible for building and maintaining brand

equity over a lengthy period of time. At the same time Gray, et al., (2007) suggested

that brand management was one of the most important tasks a marketing manager must

undertake.

4.7.1.4: IMPLEMENTATION OF MARKETING PROGRAMS Implementation of the marketing program within the CIM Professional Standard

Framework really refers to the elements of the marketing mix. There were many

comments from the marketing managers about this section of the framework. They all

agreed this task is probably the most important issue, as it actually implements their

plans. For example:

“This is what I really do. Make sure the 4P’s are going to work. In my industry, the channels are not as important as others, but the promotions including sales strategy are imperative to my employment.” (Mr G., Senior Product Manager).

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In support of this, Mr. B., (Sales and Marketing Manager) claims, “I spend so much

time on the costing, pricing and the product development, the rest appears not as

important, though I know it is.” Other marketing managers also support this from

various different industries; “In my industry and the competitiveness of similar

products, the promotions, particularly sales promotions and sales representatives are the

key.” (Mr. S., Marketing Director). Though some of the respondents suggest, it is not

the marketing mix, but a component of the implementation tasks, such as segmentation

that is more important. For example, “We have so many customers, understanding them

and segmentation are key. This allows me to create various marketing 4P’s for different

segments.” (Mr. L., Marketing Manager). However, Ms. J., (Marketing Manager) view

is indicative of most of the marketing managers interviewed;

“Really, we are taught the 4P’s in our post-graduate degrees. This section appears to have most of the headings I would undertake in my professional marketing role.” (Ms. J., Marketing Manager).

These comments appear to be supported by previous studies. Dawes and Patterson’s

(1987) study showed, for example, that product managers’ important tasks were Product

Development and Coordination and Implementation. These activities are listed in the

CIM Professional Standard Framework. The respondents in this thesis also highlighted

the need to look beyond the 4P’s;

“In my level of marketing, I consider which projects are viable and in line with my marketing objectives. The 4P’s to me is more of a functional level, where my role is more strategic.” (Mr. P., Director of Marketing).

Other comments suggested that a number of senior marketing managers share this view,

for example:

“I am a Marketing Director of a multi-national firm. The marketing mix is not my sole purpose as a Marketing Director. I think I am employed for the big picture.” (Mr. G., Director of Marketing).

This difference in views is consistent with the research by Schlee and Harich (2010)

who proposed the activities of a marketing manager are dependent on levels of

seniority. Previous studies by Lehmann and Winer (2004) also suggested the structure

of the company has an effect on the activities of a marketing manager or their

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responsibilities (Hooley, et al., 1990), for instance, whether they have international

responsibilities (Lundstrum and White, 1997). These comments appear to be consistent

with other studies on the tasks involved in marketing. For instance, Hooley et al.,

(1990) claimed that promotions, advertising were key tasks a marketing manager is

responsible for, while Melaia, et al., (2008) posited implementation and all of its

elements are the most important tasks of a product manager.

The emphasis on the 4P’s component of marketing is not confined to the marketing

professionals within the interviews conducted for this research however. The following

comments from experienced marketing management recruitment consultants support

this:

“Many of my clients are HR focused. They may have undertaken a basic business degree majoring in HR. Often this degree has a marketing subject. Many of them view marketing as the 4P’s.” (Ms. O., Marketing Management Recruitment Consultant).

“4P’s to a non-marketer is what marketing is about. This is why I am asked about this and put it in my job advertisements by many of my clients who are not in marketing.” (Ms. A., Marketing Management Recruitment Consultant).

These comments suggest that industry places emphasis on the marketing mix. However,

this may be a symptom of how marketing is generally taught. For example, Mr. J.,

(Lecturer in Business) stated:

“As academics we have to break this monotony of using the 4P’s. Unfortunately we created it, but it is used all too often in our academic teaching. Marketers’ then focus on it when they are in their marketing career”.

Indeed, Dr. A., (Lecturer in Business) claims, “4P’s is not marketing! However, it is

taught that way in Higher Education Institutions.”

These comments by marketing management recruitment consultants and academics

reflect to the emphasis of marketing within Higher Education Institutions. It appears the

emphasis on the 4P’s has influenced, in part, the way it is seen by others who are not in

the industry. What is clear from these comments by the respondents above is the section

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on Implementation of the Marketing Program is applicable to the marketing managers in

this thesis. Of particular interest was how professional marketers use project

management tasks as a method of achieving their tasks related goals. For example;

“I have three programs to release out per year. I cannot do this by myself, so I use other staff to run projects for me. Once a program has been released, then we start the next. I am really a project manager of marketing.” (Mr. S., Marketing Director).

Other marketers have a similar view. For example; “As a marketing director, I have

many projects running at once. I have to stay on top of them from a strategic and a cost

point of view.”(Mr. P., Marketing Director).

The importance of this task refers to the diversity of responsibilities a marketing

manager may undertake. The study by Dawes and Patterson (1987) on product

managers rated project management as the equal highest important task to undertake.

This research considers not just product managers, but marketing professionals who

have many years’ experience. Of the five management consultants interviewed, four of

them considered project management to be very important in the career of a marketing

manager. Their response in part is influenced by their clients. For example;

“Project Management as a task is required by marketing employers, since nearly all of the management consultants claim to ask for this in their applicant interviews.” (Ms. O., Marketing Management Recruitment Consultant).

“Project management must be the new buzz word for managerial experience. My clients often see this experience as being mandatory in their applicant specifications.” (Mrs. K., Marketing Management Recruitment Consultant).

The results in this section suggest the task of Project Management is becoming more

important and accordingly, it is worthy of inclusion in the next stage of this thesis, the

quantitative research phase.

4.7.1.5: MEASURING EFFECTIVENESS All of the marketing professionals cited the need to write marketing reports for senior

management. The reports could be reference to plans, briefs for advertising agencies or

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outsourcing to other states or even countries. Furthermore, marketing managers are

often measured by their ability to meet objectives, which are generally sales and cost

driven targets. Though, they have said the task, “Marketing reports8 to senior

management”, as being important to undertake, it could be the content of the marketing

reports the respondents are referring to

Many of the respondents acknowledge the other tasks mentioned in the CIM

Professional Framework (monitor actual results against planned performance) as being

included in report writing. For instance; “Many new employees do not understand the

need to be very competent from an administrative perspective.” (Mr. Gr., Marketing

Director). Another response by Mr. B., (Sales and Marketing Manager) cited the need to

be quick and effective in report writing, “How many emails a day do I get? They have

to be answered professionally and quickly.” Other statements by Mr. G., (Senior

Product Manager) also support this; “The reports have to be available when and where

they are required. They have to provide evidence of what I am doing and what I have

planned to do. They keep my job.”

Nearly all of the marketing management recruitment consultants interviewed for this

thesis agreed that those in senior marketing positions often have to communicate

effectively to board members, clients or other external stakeholders. Thus, a critical skill

for marketing managers, particularly those who aspire to be General Managers, is to

have advanced levels of communication. To demonstrate this, (Mr. B., Marketing

Management Recruitment Consultant) stated;

“This task relates to their written communication skills which they believe are extremely important for any senior executive.” (Mr. B., Marketing Management Recruitment Consultant)

Effective report writing could also be related to the need for marketers to highlight their

contributions to the company. This includes being able to communicate financial

information because often (Baker and Hart, 2007), the performance of marketing

8 Marketing reports in this thesis refer to documents the marketing manager will show senior management related to their

performance. These could be a marketing plan, financial and sales figures, industry analysis or even a new product development

proposal.

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professionals is gauged by their ability to meet financial targets. The importance of

these reports could, therefore, be seen as a direct report of their contribution to the

organisation and justification for promotion or indeed their ongoing employment.

4.7.1.6: MANAGING PEOPLE. The interview data also revealed that these marketing managers saw managing people as

a key task. The following examples capture the importance of managing people:

“Really this category should be expanded. Only three tasks in the management

personnel. I can think of many more” states Mr. S. (Marketing Director). This is similar

to Mr. B., (Sales and Marketing Manager) who stated “I have over 15 staff working

under me. I am no longer a functional marketer, but a manager.”

Ms. J., (Marketing Manager) has a similar view; “Marketing is not just marketing to customers, and it is marketing to staff. If there is not some form of synergy between states, divisions and operations, you will probably not last long”, She opined.

These responses further contribute to our understanding of the importance of

management to the marketing function. The response of a marketing director in

particular sums up the need for management skills in contemporary marketing. For

example:

“As I look at the CIM framework, I actually looked for the management function. If it was not there, then I know your research is not complete and you are wasting my time.” (Mr. S., Marketing Director).

Further evidence supporting this is provided by Mr. C., (Marketing Director) who was

adamant that:

“Marketing is managing people and processes. What I need is people who can do both, not processes. If you cannot, then this will hinder your career aspirations in this profession.”

The respondents provide evidence both in terms of number of marketing recruitment

consultants who cite the importance of management in marketing, but also in their

strong feelings of the amount of management that is required in a marketing position.

For example; “I have a marketing team and sales team all reporting to me. My position

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is all about managing people”. (Mr. S., Marketing Director). His opinion is shared by

others, such as Ms. J., (Marketing Manager) who stated; “I have five product managers,

a brand manager and a marketing assistant, as well as a promotions manager all

reporting to me. My work is all about managing people.”

The importance of managing people was also acknowledged by the academics

interviewed for this thesis. For example:

“I understand the importance of managing people to ensure the activities of a marketer are implemented. I just don’t see it in the program we are using. That withstanding, the skills of management are embedded in most of the subjects they are undertake.” (Mr. G., Lecturer in Business).

Mr J (Lecturer in Business) describes management as important though he claims it is

embedded in the programs,

“I believe Higher Education Institutions recognise the importance of managerial skills in the marketing industry. How students interact, how the work in teams are in fact managerial skills. Many students do not understand this.”

The respondents have indicated the importance of the tasks and the suitability of the

CIM framework to the marketing tasks of the post-graduate marketing professionals

who have at least three years’ experience interviewed for this study.

4.8: STEP 3 – CONCLUSION AND VERIFICATION

Within other forms of research, quantitative for example, the issues of reliability and

validity are constantly demonstrated. Within the field of qualitative research, it is the

rigour of the actual collection, analysing and the presentation of the results that assist in

the development of theory (Hair, Lukas and Miller (2012) and the credibility of the

results. Within the context of qualitative research, validity and reliability are different to

quantitative research (Hair, et al., 2012). Instead of these terms, qualitative researchers

consider rigour, dependability, transferability and trustworthiness. It is also noted that

qualitative researchers may consider validity and reliability as not appropriate as there is

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no one-way to interpret the results.

Within this chapter, credibility of the data is achieved by ensuring the respondents who

participated in the interviews all had at least 10 years’ experience in their field and were

also interested in the outcomes of this thesis, thus allowing them to answer the questions

and contribute to the study honestly on the basis that they were keen to see the results.

Nevertheless, the mixed methods approach was employed to allow triangulation of data

and to ensure that the data provided by a small sample of purposefully selected

respondents could be verified with a larger sample.

4.8.1: CONTRIBUTION OF QUALITATIVE FINDINGS TO QUANTITATIVE STUDY

As noted earlier, the methodology selected for this research was to use a mixed methods

approach. This combination of qualitative and quantitative methods allowed the

researcher to gain a further understanding by uncovering a divergent range of views

about the skills and tasks needed by marketing managers to establish their careers and

the context of these skills. At the same time each phase of the research was designed to

add to the development of a practical list of important skills that could be tested with an

appropriate group of respondent to continually refined and distil those skills that are

central to the role of a marketing manager.

To this end, the qualitative results allowed the researcher to clarify the skills and tasks

that respondents believed were important to establish their careers. The content analysis

of the job advertisements and position descriptions, together with the curriculum review

allowed the researcher to develop a set of skills which facilitated the implementation of

in-depth interviews.

Analysis of the interview data reveals a consistent theme of the importance of people

management skills as seen by all respondent’s groups, followed by financial skills as

reported by the marketing managers and marketing management recruitment

consultants. It was only the academics who saw marketing comprehension skills as of

prime importance.

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The results of the in-depth analysis for research question number one (What are the

important skills marketing managers need to undertake the tasks required for career

establishment?) revealed many discrepancies between academics and marketing

professionals as to what are important skills. Marketing comprehension, interpersonal

and creative skills were considered differently across the respondent groups. However,

there was consensus among respondents in relation to people management, negotiation

with staff and financial skills. The next quantitative stage (Phase Four) will consider

which of these skills is important relative to each other.

The results of the second research question (What are the perceptions of marketing

managers, who have undertaken postgraduate education, of the effectiveness of the

programs in covering important skills for their career establishment?) revealed

academics and the professional marketers agreed that three key skills were covered in

the post-graduate programs These were; marketing comprehension skills, written

communication and analytical skills. However, there were other skills marketing

professionals believe should have been developed further more within their post-

graduate degree. These include negotiation, financial and creative skills.

The results of the third research questions established a high level of agreement by

marketing managers and lecturers in the emphasis in post-graduate marketing programs:

marketing comprehension, analytical and written communication skills. The marketing

management recruitment consultants had an alternative view. In particular, the

marketing management recruitment consultants placed a high value on people

management, leadership interpersonal, financial and creative thinking skills.

The last research question was designed to determine the tasks that post-graduate

marketing professional need to master in order to develop their career. The CIM

Professional Standard Framework was used and the marketing professionals agreed this

is appropriate for an Australian context. The respondents also suggested that financial

tasks should be included in the CIM Professional Standard framework. This was

consistent across all of the groups of respondents interviewed in the qualitative stage of

this thesis. The results of the interviews suggest there is a need for marketers to be able

to develop skills to assist them to analyse the results of market research but the need for

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formalised marketing research skills to conduct research is not seen as important for

their career enhancement.

Planning tasks were not considered important for marketing managers in terms of the

everyday responsibilities the respondents have to undertake. Though there is evidence in

the literature about the need for tactical rather than strategic planning (Hooley, et al.

1990), it does not appear to be as important as might have previously been perceived.

Branding was only acknowledged as being important by two marketing professionals

despite the fact that Keller (1998) suggests there is a proliferation of brands and that this

will affect the brand strategy of the present marketing manager. Further research from

Phase Three provides additional insights into the importance of this marketing activity.

The respondents appeared to concentrate on the 4P’s as activities that are important to

their career. In addition, the management consultants commented on the importance of

project management tasks. There was no mention of these skills by any of the

respondents as important in the previous research question, Question 1 in Phase Three.

This question was endeavouring to determine the important skills the marketing

manager requires for their career establishment. Four of the five Marketing

Management Recruitment Consultants interviewed highlighted the importance of this

task however; further research is required to ascertain if this is an important task for the

today’s marketing manager.

4.9: SUMMARY

The in-depth interviews identified a wide range of skills as important for the marketing

manager in undertaking the wide range of tasks and activities that form part of their

cross-functional role. In all, 14 skills were identified in the early content analysis stage

of this research. The subsequent examination of the important skills in the in-depth

interviews confirmed the significance of these to the marketing manager’s performance.

Furthermore, there appeared to be a lack of agreement on the importance of some skill

to the marketing manager. As a consequence it was decided to examine the importance

of each of these skills with a large sample of marketing professionals in the next phase

of the research. The in-depth interview also provided clarification of the tasks and

159

activities of the marketing manager and provided support for the use of the CIM

Professional Framework for classification of these tasks in the next phase of the

research.

The in-depth interview also drew to the researcher’s attention to a broad level of

disagreement concerning the effectiveness of post-graduate programs in delivering the

skills required for marketing professionals to establish their careers in the contemporary

marketing environment. The following chapter, (Chapter 5) examines this further and

presents the results of the next (quantitative) phase of the research.

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CHAPTER 5: QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS

5.1: INTRODUCTION

The study sought to understand marketers’ perceptions of the role their post-graduate

education played in developing their skills. These issues were explored in the literature

review in Chapter 2, and the exploratory research, conducted, and reported in Chapter 4,

also to set the groundwork for this larger quantitative study. The purpose of the

quantitative study was to examine the skills and career anchors of established, post-

graduate marketing managers. The inclusion of the quantitative phase (Phase 4) allows

the researcher to examine the observations found in the previous phase to a much larger

population. The study employed a mail survey to solicit the perceptions of marketing

professionals and a total of 419 useable responses were collected.

This chapter begins with a brief description of the survey, followed by a justification of

the response rate and an assessment of normality, validity and reliability. The sample

size justification and methods of analysis are presented and a discussion of the profile of

the survey participants is included. The chapter ends with a discussion of the quantitative

results relative to the five research questions posited in this thesis.

5.2: SURVEY

The data collection instrument had three distinct sections. The first section was designed

to answer the research questions related to the perceptions of skills and contributions of

post-graduate studies to their skills. These are the skills the respondents believed were

important to the establishment of their careers. Question 1 in Section One asked, What

are the important skills marketers use to establish in their career? Question 2 asked, What

important skills are adequately covered in post-graduate marketing programs. Question 3

asked what important skills were emphasised in post-graduate marketing programs of the

survey. Section Two sought to ascertain respondent’s perceptions about the tasks they

undertook as a marketing manager. This section sought to answer Question 15 (What

tasks of the CIM Professional Standard Framework do post-graduate marketing

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managers undertake?) and Question 16 (What important tasks of CIM Professional

Standard Framework do post-graduate marketing managers undertake?) The last Section,

Section 3 collected respondent’s perceptions on career anchors. A copy of the survey is

provided at Appendix 9 and a copy of the covering letter is provided in Appendix 8.

5.3: SURVEY RESPONSE RATE

In the two weeks leading up to the dispatch of the survey invitation, the List Bank had

been up-dated and the address and profile of all list members was validated. It was

considered that this list-update would have limited the number of non-respondents due to

inaccurate contact details. Moreover, as the survey was seen to be tailored to the interests

of the respondents; it was thought that this may have contributed to a strong response

rate (Goyder, 1982). In addition, the conduct of the research under the auspices of a

university, rather than from commercial sources, was considered to have the potential to

improve the response ratio. A response rate of 17.8% was obtained. The response rate is

defined as the number of completed questionnaires returned, divided by the original

sample (Faria and Dickinson, 1992). The response rate of 17.8% was considered low, but

however, it is consistent with the low response rate achieved in most mail surveys. It was

considered that the lack of follow-up of non-respondents also contributed to the low level

of overall survey response (Parasuraman, 1982).

Care was taken throughout the research design and implementation not to introduce bias

into the research that would result in misleading findings. Whilst there was some concern

about the low response rate to the survey, it was felt that this rate did not introduce bias

into the data analysis and research findings. The principal reason for non-response was

considered most likely to be that respondents, who were in senior professional marketing

roles, were managing strong demands on their time and so did not have time to complete

the survey. This is consistent with Peiperl and Baruch’s (1997) contention the present

market place, with all of its stresses and time constraints, may deter respondents from

completing questionnaires. This finding was also consistent with observations of the

Australian Market Research Society about the declining response rates in Australia,

which were similar to the declining response rates in the USA (Malhotra et al., 2004). A

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very small number of non-responses (four in total) were due to the addressee no longer

being at the address where the survey was sent.

5.4: RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY OF SURVEY INSTRUMENT

This section is designed to provide the reader with details related to the reliability and

validity of the survey instrument. Content validity refers to the extent to which a scale

measures what it is supposed to measure (Peter, 1979). Most items in this survey were

single-item measures designed to assess individual skill levels and tasks undertaken

(Sections One and Two of the survey instrument). These single item survey measures

had been used in prior research and found to be reliable.

In Section Three of the survey, the career anchor survey scale was used because as it

had demonstrated a high degree of reliability and internal validity. The survey

instrument contained 41 items that measured nine career anchors. These career anchors

were validated by Igbaria and Baroudi (1993); Hsu, Jiang, Klein and Tang (2003) and

Custodio (2000). The career anchors survey scale was used to identify the respondents’

career anchors. In this study, the reliability and internal consistency of the scale was

tested using Cronbach’s alpha (Churchill, 1979). All career anchors, with the exception

of Entrepreneurial Creativity were found to be reliable, as they were within the

acceptable range of 0.5 and 0.8 (Nunally, 1967). The career anchor of Entrepreneurial

Creativity was excluded from analysis and discussion as it fell below the acceptable

level. The reliability of the career anchor scale in this study is outlined in Table 5.1

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Table 5.1: Reliability of Career Anchor Scale in Main Study

Career Anchor Cronbach’s Alpha

Managerial Importance 0.72 Life style Integration 0.82

Sense of service 0.63

Pure Challenge 0.65

Autonomy 0.84

Organisational stability 0.76

Entrepreneurial Creativity 0.49

Geographic Security 0.82

Technical and Functional Competence 0.65

External validity is the extent to which the results can be generalised to other

populations, situations or conditions (Peter, 1981; Redmond and Griffith, 2003). In this

study, external validity will be established if the findings from the examination of the

respondents can be seen to be a good predictor of roles, skills and motivations of

professional marketers in Australia more generally (Brennan, Camm and Tanas, 2007).

In this research the external validity of the results has been achieved by using multiple

data sources (Leedy and Ormrod, 2005), in an attempt to understand the tasks and skills

that allow marketing managers to become established in their career.

5.4.1: MISSING VALUES

As missing values often represent some subset of the population, large numbers of

missing values can impact the generalizability of the results. Generally, both the

randomness and the number of missing values are important (Hair, Anderson, Tatham,

Black, 1998). Of the 450 surveys returned, 31 contained missing values. In reviewing

the responses with missing data, the researcher was aware of the implications of

deletion of the missing responses, but found it necessary to delete all cases as the data

obtained in the questionnaires appeared to have been either severely compromised

through missing values or flat lined (that is, same response for each question) when

questions were answered, and was considered not suitable for use in data analysis. The

percentage of missing values was 6.88%.

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5.4.2: ASSESSMENT OF NORMALITY

Statistical research suggests if variables are normally distributed, the solution is

enhanced. To the extent that normality fails, the solution is degraded but may still be

worthwhile (Tabachnick and Fidell, 2001). Therefore, before any analysis of data was

undertaken, the data was checked to see that this criterion of normality had been met.

The severity of non-normality is seen to be a function of two dimensions: the shape of

the data distribution and the sample size (Hair, Black, Babin, Anderson and Tatham,

2006). The shape of the distribution can be described by two measures: kurtosis and

skewness. Kurtosis refers to the “peakedness’’ or “flatness” of the distribution, whilst

skewness refers to the symmetry of the distribution. When a distribution is normal, the

values of kurtosis and skewness are zero (Tabachnick and Fidell, 2001).

Examination of the univariate kurtosis value and its critical ratio (i.e., z-value) listed for

each of the variables was undertaken. The data revealed positive values from 0.007 to

157.734, and negative values from -1.685 to -0.027, yielding an overall mean kurtosis

value of > 1.00. Whilst Kline (2005) noted there is no clear consensus on the value of

large non-zero values before conclusions of extreme kurtosis can be drawn, West, Finch

and Curran (1995) consider a rescaled standardised kurtosis index (β2) with values

equal to or greater than 7 to be indicative of early departure from normality. Hence,

using this value of 7 as a guide, the results in this research can be viewed as

substantially kurtotic.

Examination of the univariate skewness value and its critical ratio (i.e., z-value) listed

for each of the variables was undertaken. The data revealed positive values from 0.006

to 11.210, and negative values from -1.832 to -0.004. A review of the critical z-value for

skewness also revealed non-zero values that indicate the distribution is non-normal in

terms of that characteristic. Having examined the shape of the distribution and

established that it departs from normality, the researcher has also taken into

consideration the effects of sample size (Hair, Black, Babin, Anderson and Tatham,

2006). Hair et al. (2006) noted that larger sample sizes reduce the detrimental effects of

non-normality, and for sample sizes of 200 or more the effect of non-normality may be

negligible. Tabachnick and Fidell (2001) similarly noted that in large samples the

impact of departure from zero values of kurtosis and skewness does not make a

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substantive difference in the analysis. As the sample size in this data collection is over

200, the researcher can be less concerned about non-normal variables. Accordingly, it

was concluded that no adjustments need to be made to the data to account for non-

normality.

5.4.3: DATA SCREENING

In this phase of the analysis, the data were examined to ensure the statistical

requirements were met for the statistical technique being undertaken. The survey

responses were examined individually to ensure the respondents met the requirements

of having a marketing manager title, a post-graduate marketing qualification and at least

three years’ work experience. All of the respondents met the job title and the experience

requirement. Screening of the post-graduate marketing qualifications also revealed that

within five of the 450 useable surveys the qualifications mentioned were not post-

graduate marketing qualifications. One respondent had a PhD, two respondents had an

MBA, one respondent had an information technology qualification and one respondent

had finance and accounting qualifications. These respondents were excluded from the

data analysis.

5.5: METHODS OF DATA ANALYSIS FOR PHASE THREE

The analysis of data concentrated on three types of statistical techniques, beginning with

descriptive statistics. These include mean, mode and median. Further analysis including

multivariate techniques including Exploratory Factor Analysis and Linear Regression is

also used.

Factor analysis was used as a method to explain important skills by creating newly

appointed variables (ie factors). In other words, it condensed the number of skills into a

smaller number of variables so the data can be easily explained. Furthermore, it will

allow the researcher to concentrate on the skills that are important for the establishment

of post-graduate marketing managers by excluding those that do not fit into newly

derived categories. The other multivariate technique used is Regression analysis which

allowed the researcher to examine the existence and extent of this relationship between

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the skills examined in this research. The results will show how changes in one skill will

have an effect on the respondent’s ability to be established in their career.

Descriptive research is a type of conclusive research that has as its major objective the

description of something (Malhotra et al., 2004), which in this study relates to the skills,

tasks and career anchors of marketing professionals. Figure 5.1 illustrates the type of

methods of analysis that are available to the researcher. As the data was interval in

nature, measured on Likert scales, metric data analytical methods were the only analysis

options applicable to this thesis study. The data analysis for this study was undertaken

using the social sciences statistical package, SPSS 17.0.

U n iv a r ia te te c h n iq u e s

T w o o r m o re s a m p le sO n e s a m p leT w o o r m o re

s a m p le sO n e s a m p le

N o n m e tr ic d a ta (o rd in a l o r n o m in a l )

M e tr ic d a ta (ra tio o r in te rv a l )

t te s ts z te s ts

t te s tsz te s ts

O n e w a y A N O V A

In d e p e n d e n t R e la te d

P a ire d s a m p le t te s ts

C h i S q u a re M a n n W h itn e y

M e d ia nK o lm o g o ro v -

S m irn o vK ru s k a l -W a llis

A N O V A

In d e p e n d e n t R e la te d

S ig n W ilc o x o n M c N e m a r

F re q u e n c y C h i - S q u a re

K o lm o g o ro v -S m irn o vB in o m ia l

Figure 5.1 – Types of Descriptive Statistical Analysis

Adapted: Malhotra, et al., (2002), p 486

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Descriptive statistics are essentially what the term implies, statistics that describe the

data in this research. The intention of using descriptive analysis was to give the

researcher some meaning to the data being examined. It is appropriate to use this

approach in this thesis as the key focus is to identify the skills that allow the graduates of

post-graduate programs to become established in their careers. Since there are so many

ideas of the skills that marketers may need, the thesis took the position that at the very

least, a detailed descriptive research study should be conducted in the first instance. This

approach is consistent with the position of Crabtree and Miller, (1991) who suggested

that many areas of general research still need fundamental descriptive research.

Hammersley (1992) extended this proposition by stating that with the emergence of

theory; in this case the development of skills and activities that aid the post-graduate to

become established, then descriptive research is a vital first stage.

There are two main purposes and reasons for using descriptive statistics in this thesis.

First, descriptive analysis serves to organise the findings in order to provide suitable

explanations. Further tests can then validate the explanations that have been derived.

There are many roles and activities that the marketing manager could be undertaking and

many of these could be considered important for their career establishment. The use of

frequencies, percentage of time and ranking which is all summary data, allowed for a full

examination of the research questions developed for this thesis. This was consistent with

descriptive research as it is aimed at finding out what the skills are (Borg and Gall,

1989). Once these skills have been identified, then further validations can be made

(Krathwohl, 1993). Second, descriptive analysis allows a large amount of data to be

easily interpreted to ensure an accurate interpretation of the results. There are many skills

that have been suggested as important to the marketing professional. This thesis

identified and examined 14 skills that emerged from the literature review and previous

research phases that were posited as important as a way of understanding which of these

support and enhance the establishment of a career. In addition, the study examined 25

activities and nine career anchors in an attempt to answer other research questions which

were the subject of this thesis. The use of descriptive statistics in this research is

consistent with the methodologies proposed by O’Brien and Deans (1995); Nabi and

Bagley (1998) and Smith (2004).

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In addition, multivariate statistics including Exploratory Factor Analysis and Multiple

Regression was conducted. There were 14 skills under examination in this thesis and

multivariate statistical techniques allowed these skills to be reduced into various factors

by analysing co-variance and correlation matrices and identifying potential latent factors.

The results produced by factor analysis are the creation of factors produced by

examining how the variables are correlated. Multiple regressions was used in this

research in order to understand the functional relationships between the dependent and

independent variables in order to determine what might be causing the variation in the

dependent variable. In this research it was used as tool to understand the relative

contributions of predictors (career anchors) to the skills under investigation in this thesis.

5.6: SURVEY PARTICIPANT PROFILE

This section provides a description of the participants in this quantitative research phase.

The demographics of respondents contained in Table 5.2 shows a large cross section of

participants. This gave the researcher confidence that the research questions could be

satisfactorily answered because the participants had the necessary knowledge, experience

and educational qualifications to understand the questionnaire and provide informed

responses. The backgrounds of the participants also ensure the research questions can be

answered in terms of professional role and variety of industry context.

The 419 responses covered respondents with a range of common marketing titles that

appeared consistent with a level of seniority and success in a marketing capacity. Roles

included Marketing Director (18.9%), National Marketing manager (30.5%), Marketing

manager (30.8%), Product Manager (13.8%), and Others (6.4%). The group others refers

to promotion managers, brand managers and sales and marketing managers. All

respondents had at least three years’ experience in a marketing role, and the respondents

overall were more likely to have had more than five years’ experience in a marketing

role. All respondents had completed or were currently undertaking post-graduate

programs.

Few respondents worked in companies with less than 10 employees (5.5%), and the

respondents were roughly divided between those employed in companies of between 10

and 100 employees (51.1%) and those companies with over 100 employees (43.9%).

169

Thus, the company size split provided an ideal balance between employees working for

medium and large companies.

The post-graduate programs respondents engaged in included the post-graduate

certificate, post-graduate diploma and masters in marketing. Most study participants had

completed a post-graduate certificate (41.8%), followed by masters (37.1%) and post-

graduate diploma (20.0%). The data revealed that most respondents (32.0%) had

completed their post-graduate studies more than 6 years ago, 23.6% had completed

within 4 to 6 years and 22.6% between 1 and 3 years ago and 21.7% less than one year

ago.

Table 5.2: Description of the Survey Respondents

Mar

ketin

g D

irec

tor

% Nat

iona

l Mar

ketin

g m

anag

er

% Mar

ketin

g m

anag

er

% Prod

uct M

anag

er

% Oth

er

% TO

TA

L

Marketing experience

3 to 5 years 2 1.7 33 27.7 47 39.5 29 24.4 8 6.7 119

5 to 10 years 24 15.8 44 28.9 54 35.5 19 12.5 11 7.3 152

> 10 years 53 35.3 51 34 28 18.7 10 6.7 8 5.3 163 Highest

Qualification P.Grad. Certificate 21 12.0 38 21.7 64 36.6 19 10.9 18 10.3 175

P.Grad. Diploma 13 15.5 34 40.5 20 23.8 21 25 6 7.2 84

Masters 45 29 56 36.1 42 27.1 18 11.6 2 1.2 160 Years since Completion

Still completing 5 11.9 8 19 7 16.7 21 50 1 2.4 42

<1 year 2 4.1 30 61.2 15 30.6 2 4 0 0 49

1 to 3 years 10 10.5 23 24.2 52 54.7 6 6.3 5 5.4 95

4 to 6 years 32 32.3 37 37.4 14 14.1 15 15.2 2 2 99

> 6 years 30 22.4 30 22.4 41 30.6 16 11.9 17 12.6 134 Comp. Size

No. of employees

< 10 0 0 2 8.7 1 4.3 17 73.9 3 13 23

10 to 50 8 6.7 45 37.8 33 27.7 21 17.6 12 10 119

51 to 100 19 20 34 35.8 36 37.9 0 0 6 6.4 95

> 100 52 28.3 47 25.5 59 32.1 20 10.9 6 3.2 184

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H 1: All of the 14 skills are important for the established marketing manager.

Table 5.3 presents the measures of central tendency (mean, median and mode), standard

deviations and tests of significance for perception of the respondents of the important

skills for marketing managers. The skills are measured on a five point Likert scale

ranged from 1 = very insignificant and 5 = very significant

The participants’ rated the fourteen skills under evaluation as all being significant. Thus,

support for Hypothesis 1 which stated that all fourteen skills would be seen as important

is provided. The fourteen skills were derived from an analysis of the literature in the

area, content analysis of job advertisements, marketing management job descriptions and

a review of post-graduate marketing programs in Australia, together with input from

marketing managers, academics and marketing management recruitment consultants.

Table 5.3: Important Skills required by Marketing Managers

SKILLS Mean

Std.

Deviation t-test df

Sig.

(2-tailed)

Median Mode

Interpersonal skills 4.49 0.69 154.07 418 .000 5.00 5.00

People management 4.41 0.61 148.07 418 .000 5.00 5.00

Decision making 4.39 0.69 130.02 418 .000 5.00 5.00

Problem solving 4.29 0.72 122.73 418 .000 4.00 4.00

Written communication 4.27 0.72 121.31 418 .000 4.00 4.00

Critical thinking 4.22 0.75 114.51 418 .000 4.00 5.00

Leadership 4.20 0.75 114.55 418 .000 4.00 4.00

Creative thinking 4.16 0.84 101.54 418 .000 4.00 5.00

Analytical skills 4.15 0.80 106.1 418 .000 4.00 4.00

Verbal communication 4.13 0.92 92.00 418 .000 4.00 5.00

Negotiation with staff 4.03 0.81 102.29 418 .000 4.00 4.00

Marketing Comprehension 3.99 0.78 105.48 418 .000 4.00 4.00

Negotiation with suppliers 3.74 1.11 69.05 418 .000 4.00 4.00

Financial skills 3.69 1.01 75.02 418 .000 4.00 4.00

Scale – 1 = Very insignificant to 5 = Very significant

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The data indicate that all of the skills under investigation were important to the

establishment of the marketing professional. That is, the results in Table 5.3 indicate that

all of the skills presented in the survey are above the mid-point (3.0). This is consistent

with the skills selected for investigation, as they were considered the important skills in

both the literature review and the exploratory phases of the research conducted prior to

this phase.

5.7.1: PEOPLE MANAGEMENT SKILLS

H 1.1: The most important skills are people management skills

The data revealed that the most important skills for today’s marketing professional are,

interpersonal skills (mean - 4.49), people management (mean - 4.41) decision making

skills (mean - 4.39) and problem solving skills (mean - 4.29) appeared also important for

the marketers’ career establishment. These skills could be classified as management

focused and rather technical focused by dividing the skills into these two types of, we

can see that the highest technical skill was marketing (mean - 3. 99) and financial skills

(mean - 3.69), which was the least important skill. The other skill which respondents

considered important (as it was above the mid-point of three) but not as important as

some other skills, was negotiation with suppliers (mean - 3.74).

The median values in Table 5.3 are a measure of central location. This refers to half of

the values dropping below the median value and the other half of the values above the

median value. The relevance of this result is that decision making, interpersonal skills

and people management skills comprised approximately 50% of the respondents in this

thesis thus asserting these skills are extremely important to their career establishment in

marketing. These results suggest, in part, the importance of these skills to the

establishment of the professional marketer who has had at least three years’ experience

in a marketing role.

The mode represents the value that occurs most frequently. The skills had the highest

value (5) and most commonly occurring were decision making, interpersonal, people

management, critical thinking and verbal communication skills. The value of five for the

mode provides further evidence of the importance of these skills. The mode for all of the

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skills apart from those mentioned above was at least four. The mode values provide

further evidence of the importance of these skills in the establishment of a marketing

career as perceived by the respondents in this thesis.

The results suggest that there is no skill that every one of the participants chose as

extremely important. In other words, there is not a single skill that is seen as imperative

to the established post-graduate marketer in this research. The results also suggest that

the skill sets, as derived from the literature and interviews, are all important to the

establishment of a marketing career, suggesting that it is the collection of skills

interacting together that is important.

H.12: The 14 skills importance of skills does not change with years of experience

The respondents in this research suggest skills under investigation are important. (Please

refer to Table 5.3) Further analysis of the data considered if there are various skills

associated with years of experience influence whether they are important. This section

considers whether skills under investigation in this thesis are dependent on the number

of years the marketing manager has been in their profession. These results used

Question 4, “Which of these skills have been important for your success in your

marketing plan?” and Question 3 “How many years have you been in a marketing

position?” The results were calculated by using SPSS and Anova. The results are in

Table 5.4

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Table 5.4: Important Skills required by marketing managers for 3-5 years, 5-10 years and Greater

than 10 years

Sum of Squares df

Mean Square F Sig.

Analytical skills Between Groups .84 2 0.42 .66 .520 Within Groups 267.38 416 0.63 Total 268.22 418 Marketing Comprehension Between Groups 16.42 2 8.21 14.56 .000 Within Groups 234.56 416 0.56 Total 250.98 418 Creative thinking Between Groups 6.26 2 3.13 4.53 .011 Within Groups 287.35 416 0.69 Total 293.60 418 Critical thinking Between Groups 2.13 2 1.07 1.88 .154 Within Groups 235.67 416 0.57 Total 237.80 418 Decision making Between Groups 3.84 2 1.917 4.07 .018 Within Groups 195.76 416 0.47 Total 199.59 418 Financial skills Between Groups 3.84 2 1.921 1.90 .150 Within Groups 419.83 416 1.009 Total 423.67 418 Interpersonal skills Between Groups 8.03 2 4.02 11.87 .000 Within Groups 140.67 416 0.34 Total 148.70 418 Leadership Between Groups 2.17 2 1.09 1.94 .145 Within Groups 233.560 416 0.56 Total 235.76 418 Negotiation with staff Between Groups 6.76 2 3.38 5.31 .005 Within Groups 264.89 416 0.64 Total 271.66 418 Negotiation with suppliers Between Groups .45 2 0.22 .182 .833 Within Groups 512.67 416 1.23 Total 513.12 418 People management Between Groups 17.70 2 8.85 26.75 .000 Within Groups 137.65 416 .33 Total 155.39 418 Problem solving Between Groups 13.24 2 6.62 13.78 .000 Within Groups 200.4 416 0.48 Total 213.63 418 Verbal communication Between Groups 34.87 2 17.45 22.85 .000 Within Groups 317.46 416 0.76 Total 352.29 418 Written communication Between Groups .534 2 .267 0.51 .600 Within Groups 216.90 416 .521 Total 217.48 418

The data indicate that there are specific skills considered for all levels of experience for

today’s marketing manager as important. In other words, these skills must be seen as

important to the success of the marketing professional since they apply to all levels of a

marketing manager. These are analytical skills (p = 0.52), critical thinking skills

(p=0.154), financial skills (p=0.15), leadership skills (p=0.145), negotiation with

suppliers (external) (p=0.833) and written communications (p=0.6). All of these skills

174

had no difference between their means of the various groups of marketing experience.

Since these skills are considered important regardless of experience, then there must be

an effort by Higher Education Institutions to concentrate on these skills within the

curricula of post-graduate programs.

5.7.2: RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN IMPORTANT SKILLS

H 2: A number of the most important skills are related or dependent on other skills.

This section examines whether or not there are relationships among the skills

investigated in this research. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was used to reduce the

number of skills into smaller groups of factors. Furthermore, the use of Factor analysis

allows for the establishment of any underlying dimensions between the measured

variables and any latent constructs.

EFA was used as there are no expectations about the number of skills that are reduced

or how they would group hence the nature of the research is exploratory. It also permits

the researcher to generate potential models, which need to be further tested, from a

relatively large set of latent constructs.

Initially, the factorability of the 14 items was examined in this thesis. In order to

determine if factor analysis was applicable, various criteria were considered. Of the 14

skills that were examined in this thesis, 12 of the 14 items correlated at least 0.3 with at

least one other item, suggesting reasonable factorability. Secondly, the Kaiser-Meyer-

Olkin measure of sampling adequacy was 0.611, above the recommended value of .6,

and Bartlett’s test of sphericity was significant (2 (191) = 1028.61, p < .05).

Furthermore, the communalities were all above 0.3 thus confirming that each item

shared some common variance with other items. Given these overall favourable

indicators, factor analysis was conducted with all 14 skills.

Principle components analysis was used because the primary purpose was to identify

and compute composite coping scores for the factors underlying the skills used in this

thesis. In essence, the objective of this hypothesis was to determine whether the skills

under investigation can be grouped in order to further explain the results. Principal

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components analysis requires a large sample size since it is based on the correlation

matrix of the variables involved. As a result, the correlations usually need a large

sample before they become constant. Comrey and Lee's (1992) suggest a sample size of

300 is large enough for factor analysis conducted using principal component analysis. In

this study, the sample size was 419, which was ample for EFA.

The eigenvalues revealed that the first factor explained 20.15% of the variance, the

second factor 12.03% of the variance, and a third factor 10.96% of the variance. The

fourth factor represents 8.9% and the fifth factor is 8.1%. All of these factors are above

the eigenvalue of one. Further analysis suggests there are only three significant factors.

Factors Four and Five only had two items and they were excluded. The three factor

solution explaining 43.14% of the variance, was preferred since within Figure 5 2, the

Eigen values appear to level of on the Scree plot after the three factors. In other words,

the elbow appears to flatten after the third factor. Though, the number of factor can be

seen as subjective (Williams, Brown and Osman, 2010), it is best used with more than

one method.

The three factors had Cronbach’s alpha value of 0.628, 0.606 and 0.522. These value

are consistent with the Nunally (1967) as being acceptable, though they are referred to

as questionable (George and Mallery, 2003).

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Figure 5.2: Scree Plot for Exploratory Analysis for Grouping of Important Skills

A principle-components factor analysis of the remaining 14 items used varimax

rotations. The factor analysis described in Table 5.5 reveals no cross loadings between

items and each factor measures different phenomena and not the same phenomena

multiple times. The three factors have been renamed into management skills, market

planning skills and innovative skills. The factor loading matrix for this final solution is

presented in Table 5.5

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Table 5:5: Important skills Scale Factor Analysis with Varimax Rotations

Component

Management Skills Market Planning Skills Innovative Skills

People management 0.614

Financial skills 0.585

Decision making 0.575

Negotiation with staff 0.535

Negotiation with suppliers 0.482

Critical thinking 0.440

Problem solving 0.440


0.805

Analytical skills

0.767

Comprehension

0.568

Creative thinking

0.751


0.722

Leadership

0.577

Interpersonal skills

Cronbach’s Alpha 0.628 0.606 0.522

% of Variance 20.147 12.034 10.956

Eigne values 2.821 1.685 1.534

Extraction Method: Principal Component Analysis. Rotation Method: Varimax with Kaiser

Normalization. Factors < 0.4 excluded

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5.8: COVERAGE OF IMPORTANT SKILLS IN POST-GRADUATE

MARKETING PROGRAMS.

Hypothesis (H2): all fourteen important skills are perceived to be adequately covered in

post-graduate marketing programs.

This section seeks to ascertain whether or not the important skills, identified in the

preceding section, are covered in post-graduate programs. The term coverage in this

thesis refers to whether the respondents, in undertaking their post-graduate programs,

have adequate exposure through their program work to use or develop the skills under

investigation.

A possible reason for students undertaking post-graduate programs is to acquire, or

develop, skills that are seen as important for career establishment and progression. The

acquisition of new skills could also aid in their long term employability (DfES, 2002). It

is thought that for post-graduates to acquire proficiency in a skill, the skill must be

practiced on numerous occasions (Middleton and Long 1990; Hill, McGowan, and

Maclaran, 1998). It is more than likely it requires a range of practical exercises and

knowledge which will also enforce the attainment of the skill. Consequently, confidence

by the respondents in a skill will only result after the employee has had adequate

exposure and training in the skill.

The results in this section will determine whether the skills identified as important, are

actually acquired or developed in post-graduate programs. It is considered that becoming

proficient in important skills is necessary for career establishment. With this in mind, the

inclusion of these important skills in post-graduate programs would facilitate the

employee’s career management via the acquisition of employability skills. The term,

employability skills, refers to the skills that are relevant to securing a career (McQuaid

and Lindsay, 2005). The acquisition of employability skills will, in part, be a significant

determinant to the marketing manager’s career establishment.

The results in Table 5.6 illustrate the skills marketing managers believe have been

covered in their post-graduate marketing programs. This information has been derived

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from Question Six in the survey instrument: “How would you rate the coverage of these

skills in your post-graduate marketing education?” The results were calculated by

conducting a t-test using SPSS 17.0.

Table 5.6: Coverage of Important Skills in Post-Graduate Marketing Programs

SKILLS

Ranking

of skill

importance

Coverage

Mean

Std.

Deviation t-test Df

Sig.

(2-

tailed) Median Mode

Comprehension 12 3.95 0.83 97.08 418 0.00 4.00 4.00

Written communication 5 3.73 0.90 84.63 418 0.00 4.00 4.00

Problem solving 4 3.49 0.75 95.38 418 0.00 4.00 4.00

Critical thinking 6 3.43 0.98 71.92 418 0.00 3.00 3.00

Creative thinking 8 3.39 1.10 63.14 418 0.00 3.00 3.00

Analytical skills 9 3.35 1.02 66.92 418 0.00 3.00 4.00

Financial skills 14 3.21 1.02 64.07 418 0.00 3.00 3.00

Leadership 7 3.14 1.29 50.03 418 0.00 3.00 2.00

Decision making 3 3.12 1.02 62.09 418 0.00 3.00 3.00

Verbal communication 10 3.10 1.05 60.51 418 0.00 3.00 3.00

Interpersonal skills 1 2.91 1.26 47.38 418 0.00 3.00 2.00

People management 2 2.90 0.97 61.20 418 0.00 3.00 3.00

Negotiation with staff 11 2.75 1.11 50.62 418 0.00 3.00 3.00

Negotiation with suppliers 13 2.57 1.15 45.68 418 0.00 2.00 2.00


The data in Table 5.6 indicate that 10 of the 14 skills had a mean value above the

midpoint 3.0. The results indicate the skills were seen as adequately covered in post-

graduate programs. The skills that were seen as most adequately covered were marketing

comprehension (mean - 3.95), written communication (mean - 3.73) and problem solving

skills (mean - 3.49). There were four skills, which respondents believe were not

adequately covered in the post-graduate marketing programs. These skills were

negotiation with suppliers (mean - 2.57), negotiation with staff (mean - 2.75), people

management

(mean - 2.90) and interpersonal skills (mean – 2.91). As people management was seen to

be one of the key skills perceived to be important for marketing managers, it is of

concern that this key skill is not seen to be adequately covered in post-graduate

180

marketing programs. It was felt that it was necessary to examine other measures

identified in Table 5.6 in order to have a fuller appreciation of these respondent’s

perceptions of program coverage.

In Table 5.6, the median values suggest that many of the respondents have vastly

different points of view regarding the coverage of skills in their post-graduate marketing

programs. The median value for all but three skills (marketing comprehension, written

communication and problem solving skills) was 3.0. This suggests that half of the

respondents believed they were covered in the programs they have undertaken and the

other half considered they were not, since the median is a measure of the central

tendency of the data. The implications of this result are that there was a large proportion

of post-graduates who believe that their understanding of the skills necessary for their

career establishment was not sufficient. This finding potentially reflects a level of

dissatisfaction with the post-graduate marketing programs undertaken by the respondents

in this thesis.

The mode value, which is the most common value, suggests that for some of the more

important skills, such as interpersonal skills (mode - 2.0), were not seen to be covered

within the post-graduate programs undertaken by these respondents. This finding is of

particular concern as interpersonal skills were seen as one of the key skills identified as

important to marketers’ career establishment. A similarly low level of coverage was

observed for negotiation with suppliers (mode - 2.0), which was not seen as covered, but

this skill was not identified as one of the highly important skills.

The acquisition of important skill sets was seen to facilitate career establishment by

enabling professional marketers to undertake high level tasks. The post-graduate

programs undertaken by the respondents in this research covered certain skill sets within

the curricula. It would be expected that the curricula in post-graduate programs would

cover the skill sets that are deemed necessary for marketing manager’s to establish their

career. The results indicate the respondents were not uniformly satisfied with the level of

coverage of the skills they saw as important in the post-graduate programs they have

completed.

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The results in Table 5.6 suggest that there are skills which were considered important to

the marketer’s career establishment (Please see previous section Table 5.3), which were

not included in the respondents’ post-graduate programs. With this in mind, the

participants in this research may not actually understand how to deploy these skills. This

could therefore represent a lack of ability or possibly confidence in the use of this skill,

which may in turn have an impact on the establishment of a marketer’s career. As a

result, the identification, coverage and emphasis on skills that are taught within Higher

Education programs were fundamental to this research. Hence, in the following sections

of this chapter, further analysis of issues relating to the acquisition and use of important

skills is covered. In the following section, an analysis of respondent’s perceptions, of the

emphasis placed on skills in the post-graduate programs that they had undertaken.

5.8.1: COMPARISONS BETWEEN IMPORTANCE AND COVERAGE OF SKILLS

Hypothesis 3: All fourteen important skills are adequately covered, compared to their

importance ranking, in post-graduate marketing programs.

The results in this section compare the results relative to the skills participants deemed

as important skills as well as the skills covered within their post-graduate programs.

This was achieved by using the data in Question 4 (Which of these skills have been

important for your success in your marketing career?) and Question 6 (How would you

rate the coverage of these skills in your post-graduate marketing education?)

The data used to answer these questions was calculated by using the Sign test using

SPSS 17.0. This non-parametric test allows the comparison of two groups that are non-

normal distributed. Within Table 5.7 it shows the z value and the significance value at

0.05 confidence level. The next column reveals the percentages of each skill based on

whether the importance of the skill matched the coverage of it in the respondent’s post-

graduate program. If the importance of the skill was greater than the coverage of it, it

suggests the respondents did not have enough coverage of the skill within their post

graduate programs. If the importance was less than the coverage, this suggests that there

was too much coverage of the skill given its importance. However, the coverage and the

importance are equal then this result suggests that the Higher Education Institutions

curricula have the amount of coverage equal to the importance. In other words, the

182

coverage of the skills is in tune with the importance of the skill. These results could aid

the development of curriculum for post-graduate programs in marketing by ensuring

there is adequate development and practice of important skills.

The results in Table 5.7 reveal many discrepancies between the skills deemed important

by the established post-graduate marketer compared to the skills covered in a post-

graduate program. Of the 14 skills investigated in this thesis, only the comprehension of

marketing skill was not considered significant (z = -0.983, p = 0.326). This suggests that

the amount of marketing covered in the post-graduate programs these respondents

experienced and the importance of this skill in terms of contributing to their established

career is about the same. Therefore, these respondents have acquired the right amount of

marketing skills to become established in their careers. However, the other results

suggest there is a difference between what is covered by post-graduate marketing

programs and what are important to their career establishment (except marketing

comprehension). The results indicate that Higher Education Institutions are not

providing all of the skills post-graduates need to be established in their marketing

careers. In other words, their coverage is not equal to the importance of the skills placed

on these skills by respondents in this thesis.

The next section seeks to determine whether or not the emphasis in the post-graduate

marketing programs offered by Higher Education Institutions on the skills are the same

as those the respondents believe are important to their career establishment.

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Table 5.7- Comparison of Important Skill for Marketing managers and Coverage of Skills taught within programs

Skill Z Asymp. Sig.

(2 tailed)

Coverage v Important Comparison No. %

Analytical -11.474 0.000 Coverage Analytical skills < Important Analytical skills 255 61% Coverage Analytical skills > Important Analytical skills 52 12% Coverage Analytical skills = Important Analytical skills 112 27% Marketing Comprehension -0.983 0.326 Coverage Comprehension < Important Comprehension 115 27% Coverage Comprehension > Important Comprehension 111 26% Coverage Comprehension = Important Comprehension 193 46% Creative thinking -10.788 0.000 Coverage Creative thinking < Important Creative thinking 220 53% Coverage Creative thinking > Important Creative thinking 37 9% Coverage Creative thinking = Important Creative thinking 162 39% Critical thinking -11.254 0.000 Coverage Critical thinking < Important Critical thinking 233 56% Coverage Critical thinking > Important Critical thinking 41 10% Coverage Critical thinking = Important Critical thinking 145 35% Decision making -14.849 0.000 Coverage Decision making < Important Decision Making 307 73% Coverage Decision making > Important Decision Making 24 6% Coverage Decision making = Important Decision Making 88 21% Financial -7.420 0.000 Coverage Financial Skills < Important Financial Skills 194 46% Coverage Financial Skills > Important Financial Skills 81 19% Coverage Financial Skills = Important Financial Skills 144 34% Interpersonal -15.161 0.000 Coverage Interpersonal Skills < Important Interpersonal Skills 320 76% Coverage Interpersonal Skills > Important Interpersonal Skills 41 10% Coverage Interpersonal Skills = Important Interpersonal Skills 58 14% Leadership -11.331 0.000 Coverage Leadership Skills < Important Leadership Skills 249 59% Coverage Leadership Skills > Important Leadership Skills 70 17%

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Skill Z Asymp. Sig.

(2 tailed)

Coverage v Important Comparison No. %

Coverage Leadership Skills = Important Leadership Skills 100 24% Negotiation with staff -14.078 0.000 Coverage Negotiation with staff < Important Negotiation with staff 290 69% Coverage Negotiation with staff > Important Negotiation with staff 37 9% Coverage Negotiation with staff = Important Negotiation with staff 92 22% Negotiation with suppliers -12.512 0.000 Coverage Negotiation with suppliers < Important Negotiation with suppliers 251 60% Coverage Negotiation with suppliers > Important Negotiation with suppliers 53 13% Coverage Negotiation with suppliers = Important Negotiation with suppliers 115 27% People management -15.868 0.000 Coverage People management < Important People management 331 79% Coverage People management > Important People management 18 4% Coverage People management = Important People management 70 17% Problem solving -13.060 0.000 Coverage Problem solving< Important Problem solving 258 62% Coverage Problem solving > Important Problem solving 30 7% Coverage Problem solving = Important Problem solving 131 31% Verbal communication -13.834 0.000 Coverage Verbal communication< Important Verbal communication 268 64% Coverage Verbal communication > Important Verbal communication 17 4% Coverage Verbal communication = Important Verbal communication 134 32% Written communication -9.390 0.000 Coverage Written communication < Important Written communication 212 51% Coverage Written communication > Important Written communication 46 11% Coverage Verbal communication = Important Verbal communication 161 38% N 419

185

5.9: EMPHASIS PLACED ON SKILLS IN POST-GRADUATE

MARKETING PROGRAMS

Hypothesis 4: All fourteen important skills are adequately emphasised in post-graduate

marketing programs.

The previous section determined how much coverage the participants in this study

believed were placed on important skills in their post-graduate programs. The results in

this section consider how much emphasis or importance is placed on the skills in post-

graduate programs. In this thesis, the term emphasis refers to a measure of marketers’

perceptions of the extent to which post-graduate marketing programs assigned time and

worth on the development of a particular skill.

The more exposure to skills in post-graduate programs, the greater the perceived value

rated by Higher Education Institutions on a skill. Furthermore, the more often the skills

are used within their post-graduate program, the more likely the post-graduate will be

able to use these skills appropriately in a work environment. As noted in the literature,

the additional opportunities students have to use the skills, their greater the

understanding of them (Bowden, Hart, King, Trigwell and Watts, 2000). The experience

and development of important skills during their post-graduate education places the

professional marketer in a position to move forward within their career to become

established. The ability to use the skills not only for gaining and maintaining

employment, but for career progress is referred to as employability skills (Hillage and

Pollard, 1998; Curtis and McKenzie, 2001). This section considers whether or not the

important skills for their career establishment are seen to have the necessary emphasis.

The results in Table 5.8 are from Question 7 in the survey instrument: “How much

importance has been given to the following skill sets in your post-graduate marketing

program?” The results were calculated using a t-test in SPSS 17.0.

186

Table 5.8: Emphasis on Important Skills in Post Graduate Marketing Programs

SKILLS

Ranking

of skills

Importan

ce

EMPHASIS

Mean

Std.

Deviation t-test Df

Sig.

(2-

tailed) Median

Mod

e

Marketing Comprehension 12 3.82 .916 85.27 419 0.00 4.00 4.00

Written communication 5 3.60 1.114 65.93 419 0.00 4.00 4.00

Critical thinking 6 3.28 1.056 63.54 419 0.00 3.00 3.00

Problem solving 4 3.27 .982 68.21 419 0.00 3.00 3.00

Financial skills 14 3.08 1.325 47.63 419 0.00 3.00 3.00

Analytical skills 9 3.04 .973 63.94 419 0.00 3.00 3.00

Verbal communication 10 2.97 1.106 54.83 419 0.00 3.00 3.00

Decision making 3 2.86 1.022 57.26 419 0.00 3.00 3.00

Interpersonal skills 1 2.81 1.310 43.96 419 0.00 3.00 2.00

Creative thinking 8 2.74 1.180 47.65 419 0.00 3.00 3.00

People management 2 2.64 1.077 50.12 419 0.00 2.00 2.00

Leadership 7 2.53 1.167 44.38 419 0.00 2.00 2.00

Negotiation with staff 11 2.28 0.979 47.70 419 0.00 2.00 2.00

Negotiation with suppliers 13 2.14 0.999 43.76 419 0.00 2.00 1.00


The data in Table 5.8 reflects participants perceived emphasis placed by Higher

Education Institutions on the 14 skills during the respondents’ undertake post-graduate

marketing programs. The data reveals only 6 out of the 14 skills had a mean value higher

than the midpoint (3.0). This indicates that these respondents believed that the skills

received adequate emphasis in their post-graduate degrees. It was felt that it was

necessary to examine other measures identified in Table 5.8 in order to have a fuller

appreciation of the perceptions of program coverage.

What is clear from the data is that whichever measure is examined, mean, mode or

median, these respondents see Higher Education Institutions as placing most emphasis on

marketing comprehension and written communication skills. The primary emphasis in

marketing post graduate programs is consistent with what actually is the unit focus, that

being the dissemination of marketing knowledge. The respondents in this study are

marketers, who are undertaking a marketing-related post-graduate program. It was also

187

clear, from all measures, that respondents saw a high level of emphasis on written

communication. These two skills were ranked 12 (marketing comprehension) and 5

(written communication), respectively. The results also indicated other potentially key

skills are not receiving adequate emphasis in post-graduate programs. However, the

finding of eight skills with a mean of less than the mid-point of 3.0 suggests they are

inadequately covered. The result is disturbing, particularly as three of these skills

(decision-making, interpersonal and people management skills) are highly ranked in

terms of importance in this research. An examination of the important skills, with median

values of 2.0, suggests that Higher Education Institutions are not adequately emphasising

the following skills: people management, negotiation with suppliers, negotiations with

staff, and leadership. Further analysis reveals similar conclusions can be made by

reviewing the median values. People management, negotiation with suppliers,

negotiations with staff and leadership all had a mode value of 2.0. This suggests that

according to the respondents, Higher Education Institutions do not adequately emphasise

these skills in their post-graduate programs. In addition, all of the other skills, except

marketing comprehension and written communication had a mode value of 3.0 or below,

suggesting that the respondents were not convinced, there was emphasis or not on these

skills within the post-graduate programs they undertook.

The results suggest there is a gap between the skills that Higher Education Institutions

view as important, and the skills that marketing managers have sought to develop to

successfully undertake the tasks needed for career establishment. This finding is of

concern both to the marketer undertaking a post-graduate program, to industry, and to

educators. It suggests there are potentially negative outcomes for the individual students,

the firm and the economy if the skills required for effective performance are not

sufficiently developed. In the next section, a comparison of the respondents’ perceptions

of important skills (Table 5.3) and the emphasis placed by Higher Education Institutions

on these skills (Table 5.8) in post-graduate marketing programs is undertaken. The

results provide insights whether Higher Education Institutions are emphasising the skills

needed for post-graduate marketers to become established in their career.

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5.9.1: IMPORTANT SKILLS COMPARED TO PROGRAM EMPHASIS

Hypothesis 4.1: All fourteen important skills are adequately emphasised, compared to

their importance ranking, in post-graduate marketing programs.

The results in Table 5.9 were calculated by using the Sign test using SPSS 17.0. The

table shows the z value and the significance value at 0.05 confidence level. If the

importance of the skill was greater than the emphasis placed on it, it suggests that the

respondents did not perceive that there was enough emphasis of the skill within their

post graduate programs. If the importance placed by respondents was less than their

perceived emphasis on the skills, this suggests that there was too much emphasis placed

on the skill given its perceived importance or lack of importance. However, if the

emphasis and the importance are equal, then this result suggests that the Higher

Education Institutions curricula have the amount of emphasis equal to perceived

importance of the skill. In other words, the emphasis on the skills is in tune with the

importance of the skill. The questions used to determine this were Question 3 (Which of

these skills has been important for your success in your marketing career? These results

are in Table 5.3 (page 173) and Question 7 (How much importance has been given to

the following skill sets in your post-graduate program?)

The results suggest the emphasis on a number of skills by Higher Education Institutions

does not correspond to the importance placed on these skills by the respondents in this

thesis. At the 0.05 significance level, all of the z values of the skills were less than 0.05.

The values suggest that Higher Education Institutions have a different opinion on the

skills required by established marketing professionals. The results in Table 5.9 suggest

there are deficiencies or an over emphasis of skills in the programs and this could hinder

the post-graduate marketer’s career aspirations. These skills are of particular importance

as it suggests the students who undertake post-graduate degrees are not adequately

prepared for the demands of the industry.

Further evidence is provided by the number of respondents who believe the skills are not

emphasised enough within their post-graduate programs. These include creative thinking

(74%), decision making (79%), interpersonal skills (77%), leadership skills (77%),

negotiation with staff (84%), negotiation with suppliers (73%) and people management

189

(88%) were under emphasised within the program curriculum. In other words, the

emphasis of program skills in post-graduate programs are less than the importance placed

on them by the respondents.

190

Table 5.9: The Ranking of Important Skills and the Emphasis of Skills in Post Graduate Marketing program

SKILL Z Asymp Sig. (2 tailed)

Program v Important Comparison No. %

Analytical -14.079 0.000 Program Analytical skills < Important Analytical skills 301 72% Program Analytical skills > Important Analytical skills 28 7% Program Analytical skills = Important Analytical skills 90 21% Comprehension -2.950 0.003 Program Comprehension < Important Comprehension 159 38% Program Comprehension > Important Comprehension 94 22% Program Comprehension = Important Comprehension 166 40% Creative thinking -14.118 0.000 Program Creative thinking < Important Creative thinking 310 74% Program Creative thinking > Important Creative thinking 43 10% Program Creative thinking = Important Creative thinking 66 16% Critical thinking -12.444 0.000 Program Critical thinking < Important Critical thinking 257 61% Program Critical thinking > Important Critical thinking 39 9% Program Critical thinking = Important Critical thinking 123 29% Decision making -15.741 0.000 Program Decision making < Important Decision Making 329 79% Program Decision making > Important Decision Making 8 2% Program Decision making = Important Decision Making 82 20% Financial -7.646 0.000 Program Financial Skills < Important Financial Skills 205 49% Program Financial Skills > Important Financial Skills 78 19% Program Financial Skills = Important Financial Skills 136 32% Interpersonal -15.231 0.000 Program Interpersonal Skills < Important Interpersonal Skills 322 77% Program Interpersonal Skills > Important Interpersonal Skills 40 10% Program Interpersonal Skills = Important Interpersonal Skills 57 14%

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SKILL Z Asymp

Sig. (2 tailed)

Program v Important Comparison No. %

Leadership -15.338 0.000 Program Leadership Skills < Important Leadership Skills 321 77% Program Leadership Skills > Important Leadership Skills 44 11% Program Leadership Skills = Important Leadership Skills 53 13% Negotiation with staff -16.267 0.000 Program Negotiation with staff < Important Negotiation with staff 352 84% Program Negotiation with staff > Important Negotiation with staff 18 4% Program Negotiation with staff = Important Negotiation with staff 49 12% Negotiation with suppliers -14.653 0.000 Program Negotiation with suppliers < Important Negotiation with

suppliers 306 73%

Program Negotiation with suppliers > Important Negotiation with suppliers

34 8% Program Negotiation with suppliers = Important Negotiation with

suppliers 79 19%

People management -16.794 0.000 Program People management < Important People management 368 88% Program People management > Important People management 4 1% Program People management = Important People management 47 11% Problem solving -12.534 0.000 Program Problem solving< Important Problem solving 254 61% Program Problem solving > Important Problem solving 27 6% Program Problem solving = Important Problem solving 138 33% Verbal communication -13.967 0.000 Program Verbal communication< Important Verbal communication 275 66% Program Verbal communication> Important Verbal communication 16 4% Program Verbal communication= Important Verbal communication 126 30% Written communication -9.733 0.000 Program Written communication< Important Written communication 225 54% Program Written communication> Important Written communication 71 17% Program Verbal communication = Important Verbal communication 121 29%

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5.10: TASKS OF THE MARKETING MANAGER

The previous sections have considered the skills a marketer believes are important to

their career establishment. This was considered from three potential perspectives. The

first perspective was to determine the skills that aided post-graduate marketers in their

marketing career. The next was to consider the skills taught in their Higher Education

Institutions programs. The third perspective reflects the coverage of the skills within the

curriculum. This highlights how important Higher Education Institutions consider skills

within post-graduate programs. The more often the graduate of these programs has to use

these skills with their post-graduate degree will provide the post-graduate marketing

professionals with the confidence to use them to establish their career.

As a consequence, this section examined the findings in relation to the activities related

to the tasks that marketers need to undertake in the course of their employment in the

marketing field. The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) Professional Standard

Framework has been used as a benchmark to evaluate marketing tasks. As noted earlier,

the framework was developed by the British Government in order to ensure that

marketing professionals in that country met a competency standard. These standards are

in the form of competences and tasks that once completed enabled the professional

marketing manager to achieve a level that was suitable for their profession.

The tasks were considered in the context of the classifications of activities in the (CIM)

Professional Standard Framework (CIM, 2010). The CIM Framework which covered

five broad areas of marketing activities (Research and analysis, Strategy and planning,

Brands, Implementation of marketing programmes, Measuring effectiveness and

Managing people), was adapted to incorporate a new activity entitled ‘Financial activity’,

and its associated tasks. The additional tasks were added as a result of the findings in the

literature review and the qualitative phase of this research. In both cases, there was

compelling evidence to add financial tasks to the CIM Professional Standard Framework.

The adapted framework was then used as the benchmark upon which the marketing

activities and tasks were evaluated.

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5.10.1: THE MOST IMPORTANT TASKS OF THE MARKETING MANAGER

Hypothesis 5: the 23 tasks of the CIM Professional Standard Framework are important

tasks for the marketing manager

This, the objective of this research question was to determine the tasks that a marketing

manager undertakes in their position. The marketing tasks examined were using two

items in the survey instrument: These were: Question 15, “Which of these tasks do you

perform in your current position”; and Question 16, “Which of the tasks do you consider

most important to your success.” The scale used the levels of 1=very unimportant and

5=very important or both of the questions (Please see Appendix 9 where the survey can

be found)

The ranking of respondents’ perceptions of the importance of tasks is presented in Table

5.10. The results suggest that the respondents consider all of the 23 tasks are important

as they are all above the mid-point of 3.0. There is only one possible exception. That is

the task of recommending market research projects, which has a mean value of 2.43.

This value is lower than the mid-point (3.0), suggesting that marketing research projects

are not an important task that need to be accomplished for their career. This result

would seem to imply that perhaps market research is a specialised function, or

alternatively, that more focus is placed on secondary research using internal records

(e.g., using data mining of existing customer records), than on recommending new

marketing research projects. This issue will be examined further in the next section

when the frequency of conduct of tasks is examined.

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Table 5.10: Ranking and Correlation of Tasks of the CIM Framework

Task

Importance

(mean)

Correlations p

(a)

Management of staff 4.5 13

Co-ordinate marketing activities among sales and marketing

divisions 4.29

12

Assess company performance and competitor analysis 4.24 10

Determine the strategic direction of marketing portfolio

(department) 4.24

16

Monitor actual results against planned performance 4.11 14

Develop, monitor and control marketing budgets 4.09 16

Manage the running of projects 4.02 11

Develop a marketing plan 4.00 8

Contribute to the company's ability to manage change 3.85 12

Market reports to senior management 3.79 11

Develop branding strategy 3.75 16

Implement pricing strategy consistent with corporate

objectives 3.72

11

Implement communication mix for portfolio or company 3.66 10

Instigate a customer relationship strategy 3.64 17

Maintain a competitive product portfolio 3.60 16

Manage customer analysis 3.58 14

Develop effective channels to meet organisations objectives 3.56 10

Promote development of brands across the organisational

portfolios 3.48

16

Develop pricing strategy 3.37 11

Initiate new product development programs 3.36 15

Establish the project management hierarchy in line with

company’s objectives 3.36

14

Direct and support for marketing intermediaries 3.22 15

Recommend market research projects 2.43 13

Scale – 1 = Very Unimportant to 5 = Very important

(a) A significant correlation is when the p <0.05

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5.10.2: RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TASKS OF THE CIM FRAMEWORK

Hypothesis 5.1: Tasks in the CIM Professional Framework model are related or

dependent on other tasks within the model.

The literature suggests that there are specific tasks that contemporary marketing

managers undertake within their positions. Within the parameters of this thesis, these

are a part of the CIM Professional Standard Framework which was developed in the

United Kingdom. The objective was to determine if the tasks of the CIM Professional

Standard Framework are interlinked. The more a task is associated or related, the

greater the importance it is in terms of having influences on the other activities. In this

section, analysis is undertaken using Pearson’s rank correlation. This test is used when

there are non- normal data, and was used in this instance to examine the existence of a

correlation between the activities with the CIM Professional Standard Framework. A

summary of the frequency of tasks, the correlations at the 0.5 significance level (p<

0.05) are outlined in Table 5.10. The results are derived from Question 16 of the survey

instrument: “Which of these tasks do you consider most important to your success?”

The results show that many of the tasks are correlated with other tasks. The number of

significant (p< 0.05) correlations between the tasks in Table 5.10 are from a high of 17 to

a low of 8. The lowest number of associations is the task “develop a marketing plan”

with eight significant associations. The results for the task “instigate a customer

relationship strategy” had the highest associations (17), with the other tasks.

The interpretation of these results is the tasks from the adapted CIM Professional

Standard Framework, can best be seen as part of an interlinked system that is dependent

on all tasks being completed effectively. This interlinked system points to the need for a

marketing manager to work and interact with other members of the marketing

department (including subordinates), or other functional areas of the organisation. As

such, this finding again reinforces the previous finding that the Management of people

is considered the most important activity undertaken by a marketing manager.

This section has shown that the tasks of the adapted CIM Professional Standard

Framework are interrelated. What the results do not show, however, is how often the

196

tasks of the CIM Professional Standard Framework are attempted. This question is

answered by the next research question of this thesis, and the results are presented in the

next section of this chapter.

5.10.3: FREQUENCY OF CONDUCT OF TASKS BY THE MARKETING MANAGER

Hypothesis 5.2: The 23 tasks of the CIM Professional Framework model are completed

by marketing managers in accordance with their importance.

This section examines the frequency with which tasks are undertaken by marketing

managers. The participants were asked how often they completed the tasks according to

the adapted CIM Professional Standard Framework. The completion frequency of the

tasks was measured based on the scale of rarely do the task, once a year, 2-4 times per

year, 5-11 times per year, and monthly or more. The results are derived from Question 15

(Which of these tasks do your perform in your current position?) and Question 16

(Which of these tasks do you consider most important to your success?) of the survey

instrument.

It is considered that an understanding of the frequency of undertaking marketing tasks

would contribute to the richness of information on the importance of marketing tasks.

Accordingly, in this section the important marketing tasks are examined in the context of

the frequency of occurrence of the task. The results Table 5.11 lists the tasks undertaken

by a marketing manager by importance and frequency of conduct. A review of the results

will allow other marketers to develop a good appreciation of the activities and tasks that

are deemed to be of importance to a marketing manager, and therefore aid them in career

development and establishment.

..

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Table 5.11: Importance and Frequency of Marketing Tasks with the CIM Professional Standard Framework

Activity Task

Importance of

Task Ranking

Frequency of Task

Rarely do Task

Once a year

2-4 times

/ year 5-11 times

/ year

Monthly

or more

Research and Analysis

Recommend market research projects 23 34.70 21.73 31.64 8.40 4.18

Assess company performance and competitor analysis 3 1.27 10.3 9.45 22.00 56.13


Determine the strategic direction of marketing portfolio (department)

4 10.27 38.40 20.53 16.00 15.27

Develop a marketing plan 7 10.00 61.84 19.30 3.80 5.00

Brands

Develop branding strategy 12 13.6 43.4 30.54 8.80 3.60


18 7.93 20.30 40.32 21.20 10.35


Implement communication mix for portfolio or company 13 8.43 35.35 33.20 8.10 15.00

Initiate new product development programs 19 17.36 16.7 42.723 11.45 11.09

Maintain a competitive product portfolio 14 15.48 28.25 29.36 19.78 6.90

Develop pricing strategy 20 25.79 37.65 25.77 6.70 3.8

Implement pricing strategy consistent with corporate objectives 10 24.34 32.43 13.60 22.23 6.44

Develop effective channels to meet organisations objectives 15 32.18 23.16 25.49 12.43 6.44

Direct and support for marketing intermediaries 22 5.30 25.47 27.00 10.02 32.09

Instigate a customer relationship strategy 11 15.33 16.02 26.03 31.54 11.18

Manage customer analysis 17 15.45 30.33 27.00 20.30 7.70


21 13.780 27.88 39.64 10.01 8.57

Manage the running of projects 6 7.87 1.22 36.48 22.35 32. 08

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Activity Task

Importance of

Task Ranking

Frequency of Task

Rarely do Task

Once a year

2-4 times

/ year 5-11 times

/ year

Monthly

or more

Measuring Effectiveness

Monitor actual results against planned performance 5 2.87 4.13 20.04 22.20 50.84

Market reports to senior management 16 3.59 10.67 14.57 20.45 50.61

Managing People

Management of staff 1 7.43 8.77 7.89 8.14 67.91


2 1.00 7.87 9.51 16.00 65.55

Contribute to the company's ability to manage change 8 12.34 12.91 21.05 24.84 28.86

Financial Analysis Develop, monitor and control marketing budgets

9 2.02 25.75 18.5.9 11.59 42.00

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The data analysis of task frequency substantiates the findings of the importance of the 23

tasks that were examined. In all of the 23 tasks examined, the most common response

was roughly 35% of the tasks (eight out of 23) were completed monthly or more, only

4% (one out of 23) chose the “completed their task 5-11 times per year” as the most

common response, 26% (six out of 23) selected 2-4 times per year as the most common

response, 26% (six out of 23) selected monthly as their most common response, while

only 9% (two out of 23) selected rarely do the task as the most common response as

shown in Table 5.11.

The two tasks that the respondents rarely complete were: “Recommend market research

projects” (34.70%) and “Develop effective channels” (32.18%). This finding again

reinforces the earlier findings on task importance, where these tasks were not identified

among the most highly rated tasks, but were ranked 23 and 17 respectively. However, the

three most important tasks; “management of staff, (67.91%)“, “co-ordinate marketing

activities among sales and marketing divisions”(65.5%) and “assess company

performance and competitor analysis” (56.13%) were the respondents most common

answer was monthly or more. The results suggest the important tasks needed for the

establishment of the marketing manager’s career and the numbers of times they are

attempted are consistent. In other words, the marketing managers in this thesis

understand which are the important tasks and attempt these very regularly. For a full

review of the results, please refer to Appendix 12.

5.10.3.1: FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

Hypothesis 5.3: The financial tasks were an important task for the present established

marketing manager.

The inclusion of the financial task (ability to develop, monitor and control marketing

budgets) was a result of the qualitative phase of this research (Please refer to Chapter 4).

The results show that there is a high level of engagement by respondents in this task as

42% of the respondents conducted this task on a monthly basis or more. The high level

of engagement and frequency of conduct of financial management is reflected in the

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assessment of the quite high ranking of the importance of the skill at six (of 23), a skill

that is not marketing in nature, but nevertheless seen as important for today’s marketing

professional’s career. These results also support the previous phase of this research, the

qualitative phase, as many of the marketing professionals suggested this task was very

important for their career establishment. The discussion in this section has established a

link between perceptions of task importance and the frequency of the conduct of

marketing tasks. In the following section insights into the importance of skills needed to

undertake these marketing tasks are examined.

5.10.4: SKILLS USED TO UNDERTAKE THE TASKS OF A MARKETING MANAGER

Hypothesis 5.4: The most important skills to complete the skills in the CIM Professional

Framework model are personal skills.

The CIM framework presented to respondents in the quantitative survey provides further

support to the results of the qualitative research phase. More specifically, the quantitative

phase confirmed the importance of people skills. In this section, the objective is to

understand the key skills that are required to undertake the marketing tasks contained

within the CIM Professional Framework. These results are derived from survey Question

17 which posed: “Which of these skills allowed you to accomplish these tasks?” The

skills were grouped according to the Nabi and Bagley (1998) study, which had adapted

the previous research by Binks and Exley (1992). These skills according to Binks and

Exley (1992) and Nabi and Bagley (1998), are indicative of the generic skills that

employers are increasingly expecting graduates to possess. These are; personal skills

(leadership, people management and creative skills), communication skills (written and

verbal communication and interpersonal skills) and problem solving skills (problem

solving, decision making skills, analytical skills, negotiation with staff, negotiation with

suppliers and critical thinking skills). In addition, since these are skills required by all

post-graduate marketing professionals, discipline skills such as marketing and finance

were also included.

The results in Table 5.12 illustrate the most important skill required for each of the tasks

included in the adapted CIM Professional Standard Framework. The shaded area in

Table 5.12 refers to the skill classification determined by Nabi and Bagley (1998) and

201

these were seen as the most important to achieve the tasks contained in the adapted CIM

Professional Standard Framework. The term most important refers to the skill the

respondents rely on most often to complete the tasks. The premise then is that the more

times the skills are considered as the most important skill for a particular task, the more

highly the marketers consider it as important to establishment in their career.

202

Table 5.12: The Skills required undertaking the CIM Framework

SKILL

TASK

Pers

onal

Com

mun

icat

ions

Prob

lem

Sol

ving

Dis

cipl

ine

Assess company performance and competitor analysis

Contribute to the company’s ability to manage change


Determine the strategic direction of marketing portfolio (department

Develop a marketing plan

Develop branding strategy

Develop effective channels to meet organisations objectives

Develop pricing strategy

Develop, monitor and control marketing budgets

Direct and support for marketing intermediaries

Establish the project management hierarchy in line with company's objectives

Implement communication mix for portfolio or company

Implement pricing strategy consistent with corporate objectives

Initiate new product development programs

Instigate a customer relationship strategy

Maintain a competitive product portfolio

Manage customer analysis

Manage the running of projects

Management of staff

Market reports to senior management

Monitor actual results against planned performance


Recommend market research projects

TOTAL : Number of times the skill is selected as most popular 10 1 7 5

The shaded area is the most common response

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The data in Table 5.12 suggests that of the skills examined in conjunction with the 23

tasks, personal skills were considered the most important group of skills within the CIM

Professional Standard Framework. Within this research, this included leadership, people

management and creative skills. In all of the 23 tasks of the CIM Professional Standard

Framework, only 5 tasks were considered discipline related.

The findings re-affirm previous results presented in this thesis as it supports the

importance of people management and leadership skills for the establishment of today’s

marketing professional. The identification of leadership as an important skill may reflect

the career status of the survey respondents. That is, respondents in this thesis had at least

three years’ experience in a marketing position and were most likely to hold management

positions. The results suggest respondents see leadership as a management skill, which is

consistent with the views expressed by Greene (2009). However, Toor and Ofori (2008)

noted that there are differences between leadership and management. The skill

assessment by respondents of leadership skills may in fact refer to managerial skills.

Within many managerial programs there exists a leadership component and this may

have created the association between these two skills. This is particularly of interest to

this study as it adds to earlier findings that the most important skill in marketing is in fact

management.

The findings should be of interest to marketing management recruiters and educators as

well as to the marketing managers themselves. Moreover, these results outline the

frequency of the activities that marketers engage in and the skills they need to complete

the task required in their roles and thus, the results could provide marketers with a

benchmark to compare their activities against. The results show that today’s marketer is

most concerned with measuring effectiveness, management of people, and finance.

These activities are not marketing orientated. The only marketing activity which today’s

marketing manager actually attempts every month is assessing company performance

and competitor analysis. In addition, it suggests that there are personal attributes which

have a bearing on the establishment of the post-graduate marketing manager. The career

orientation is an important aspect of career establishment and progression. The next

section examines the career anchors of the respondents.

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5.11: THE CAREER ANCHORS OF ESTABLISHED MARKETING

MANAGERS

Hypothesis 6; the dominant career anchor of marketing managers with post-graduate

marketing qualifications is a managerial orientation.

Career anchors are defined as a stabilising force in the individual’s career (Schein, 1975).

The eight career anchors identified by Schein (1978; 1990) were managerial, technical

and competence, autonomy, organisational stability, sense of service, lifestyle and

integration, entrepreneurial and creativity, and pure challenge. Further studies confirmed

that there are actually nine career anchors9 (Wood, Winston and Polkosnik, 1985; Burke

and Deszca, 1988) The questions from the COI scale, developed by DeLong and Schein

(1982), were used to identify respondents’ career anchors. The dominant anchor is seen

to influence the marketers’ career choices and employability since by definition this

anchor will not be sacrificed. The participant’s career anchors were determined using the

DeLong (1982a) and Schein COI scale. The results in Table 5.13 show the career

anchors, expressed as a mean value.

Table 5.13: Career Anchors of Marketing Managers

Career Anchor Mean Std. Dev.

Managerial Importance 1.77 0.93

Life style Integration 1.97 1.18

Sense of service 2.12 0.83

Pure Challenge 2.44 1.08

Autonomy 2.45 1.25

Organisational stability 3.00 1.19

Geographic Security 3.48 1.36

Technical and Functional

Competence

3.54 1.17

Scale: 1 = Completely True to 5 = Completely False

Note: The Entrepreneurial and Creativity Career Anchor was excluded

9 The career anchor, Eentrepreneurial Creativity was excluded because of the low Cronbach’s alpha < 0.6. Please refer to Chapter 5

for a full explanation.

205

The results in Table 5.13 reveals the most common career anchor is managerial (mean

1.77) as posed in hypothesis 6. The least common is the technical and functional

competence anchor (mean 3.54). Employees who possess a managerial anchor are more

generalists in their career.

5.11.1: DOMINANT CAREER ANCHOR

Schein’s (1978) career anchors theory assumes there is one dominant anchor which the

employee will not surrender. The determination of the career anchors in this study will

provide insights to the career aspirations of marketing managers, with post-graduate

qualifications.

In order to determine the dominant career anchor of these respondents, the mean of each

respondent’s anchor was calculated. It was then compared to other anchors and ranked

accordingly. The anchor which had the lowest mean suggests that the respondent agreed

to this the most, and therefore this was their dominant anchor. In cases where the

respondent equally rated two career anchors, both anchors were recorded as dominant

for the purpose of this thesis. The Dominant Career Anchors of respondents are

contained in Table 5.14.

Table 5.14: Dominant Career Anchor

Career Anchor

Dominant Career

Anchor (%)

Managerial Importance 62

Lifestyle Integration 14

Sense of Service 8

Organisational Stability 5

Pure Challenge 5

Autonomy 3

Geographic Security 2

Technical and Functional Competence 1

The results suggest that the dominant career anchor for the majority of the respondents

was the managerial career anchor. These respondents appear to be motivated by the idea

of senior management or possibly CEO (Chief Executive Officer) ambitions. They see

206

themselves as having the ability to make major strategic decisions and their own efforts

will be the difference between either establishing a career or not. The lowest career

anchor in these results was technical and functional competence. This group of

respondents measure themselves on how well they accomplish their own works, and

generally have a desire for a technical role.

5.11.2: DETERMINANT OF SKILLS IMPACTED BY SCHEIN’S CAREER ANCHORS

Hypothesis 7: The skills which are important to a marketer’s career establishment are

dependent on their career anchors.

In order to test this hypothesis, linear regression was undertaken. Linear regression

endeavours to determine if there is a relationship between two variables by fitting a

linear equation to observed data. One variable is considered to be an explanatory

(independent) variable, and the other is considered to be a dependent variable. In this

case, the dependent variable is the important skills as determined by Question 4 (Which

of these skills have been important for your success in your marketing career?) and the

Q21-28 (Schein’s career anchors)

5.11.2.1: MODEL FIT The ranges of R squared for all of the skills, using each one as a dependent variable

were from 0.04-0.18, thus the highest goodness of fit is around 18% (17.9).The skill

which had the highest R squared value was People Management These results are

presented in Table 5.15 below.

Table 5.15: Model Summary

Model R R Square Adjusted R Square

Std. Error of the Estimate

Change Statistics

R Square Change

F Change

df 1

df2

Sig. F Change

0.424 .179 .167 .556 .009 4.6

89 1 411 .031

Predictors: (Constant), Managerial Importance, Sense of Service, Technical and Functional Competence, Autonomy, Organisational Stability, Pure Challenge

The Anova results (F 6,411) = 4.6307, p = 0.00 (using the step wise method) suggest the

linear model is overall significant and is useful. This is shown in Table 5.16.

207

Table 5.16: Anova Values

Model Sum of Squares df

Mean Square F Sig.

Regression 27.823 6 4.637 14.981 .000 Residual 127.222 411 .310 Total 155.045 417

Predictors: (Constant), Managerial Importance, Sense of Service, Technical and Functional Competence, Autonomy, Organisational Stability, Pure Challenge

The tests for multicollinearity indicate that there is a very low level (VIF <10),

suggesting there is no or little correlations between the independent variables. The

results are presented Table 5.17 below;

: Table 5.17: Collinearity Coefficients

Coefficients Model Collinearity Statistics Tolerance VIF Managerial Importance 0.804 1.244 Technical and Functional Competence 0.806 1.241

Autonomy 0.809 1.236 Organisational Stability 0.868 1.152 Geographic Stability 0.861 1.161 Sense of Service 0.946 1.058 Lifestyle 0.713 1.403

The results of the regression reveal that the career anchors have an impact on the

independent variable (when all the rest are being held constant). This means that a unit

change in the particular score of the standardised coefficients will improve the

dependent variable people management skills. The beta-coefficients for the career

anchors are shown in Table 5.18.

208

Table 5.18: Parameter Estimates

Model Unstandardized

Coefficients Standardized Coefficients

t Sig.

B Std.

Error Beta (Constant) 4.593 .202 22.727 .000

Managerial Importance -.299 .044 -0.326 -6.783 .000 Sense of Service -.196 .045 -0.197 -4.323 .000 Technical and Functional Competence .130 .038 0.163 3.421 .001

Autonomy .122 .029 0.195 4.221 .000 Organisational Stability .073 .028 0.120 2.564 .011 Pure Challenge -.089 .041 -0.102 -2.165 .031

Dependent Variable: People management

The regression equation is therefore;

Y = β0 + β1X1 + β2X2 + β3X3+ β4X4 + β5X5 + β6X6

The column estimates in Table 5.18 provide the values for β0, β1, β2, β3, β4, β5 and β6 for

this equation. The following career anchors had a negative influence on people

management skills. Managerial Importance (β1) has a coefficient of -0.326, Sense of

service (β2) has a coefficient of –0.197 and Pure challenge (β6) a coefficient of –0.102.

For every unit increase in those career anchors, there is a corresponding decrease in the

importance of the people management skill, when all other skills are held constant. On

the other hand, the career anchors such as Technical and Functional Competence (β3),

Autonomy (β4) and Organisational Stability (β5) had positive standardised beta

coefficients of 0.163, 0.195 and 0.120 respectively. For every increase in those career

anchors, a corresponding increase in the importance of people management skills would

result, if the other skills are held constant.

The results reflect previous results already explained in this chapter. People

management in this research refers to people skills where the marketing manager must

be able to show understanding compassion, the ability to work through others to make

contributions to organisations and experience job satisfaction (Wood, etal., 2004). The

209

managerial importance anchors is concerned with personal ambition and interest in

using power to influence others, while the pure challenge anchor is about winning.

These anchors appear to be opposed to the concept of working through others, but more

associated with personal ambitions. The negative service anchor suggests that the

respondents are more concerned about whether their work needs meet their value. They

are concerned about making the world a better place (Schein, 1990) and not concerned

with working through others. A negative value therefore makes sense in this regression

analysis.

The high value of technical and functional competence reflects the marketer’s ability to

perform their function and this impact on their people management skills. If they are in

a company that is not stable or their work is constrained, this would have a negative

effect on their people management skills. The results reveal a positive association to

these career anchors

5.12: SUMMARY OF RESULTS

The results in Table 5.19 are a summary of the results in Chapter 5. The results of the

study provide an understanding of the tasks of marketing managers, the skills they

perceived as important to their career establishment, and their career anchors. The study

also provided information concerning the effectiveness of their post-graduate education

in developing the skills that they saw as important in career development and which

enabled them to successfully undertake a marketing management role.

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Table 5.19: Summary of Results

No. Research Question Research Hypothesis Research Results Hypothesis;

Accepted or Rejected

1 The important skills that

allow the marketing manager

to become established

H1: The fourteen skills under study are

all seen as important by marketing

managers.

All of the 14 skills were considered important, having a

mean value greater than the midpoint of three. H1 is

therefore accepted.

Accepted

H1.1: The most important skills are

people management skills

The results suggest that people management, problem

solving and interpersonal skills are the most important

skills. These are in fact people management skills. H1.1 is

accepted.

Accepted

H1.2: The 14 skills importance of skills

does not change with years of

experience

The results suggest the level of importance of some skills

changes over the years of experience

H1.2 is rejected

Rejected

H.2: A number of the most important

skills are related or dependent on other

skills.

EFA suggested there are three groups of skills. These were

termed management skills, market planning skills and

innovative skills. H2 is accepted.

Accepted

2 The coverage of these skills

within the post-graduate

marketing program

H3: All fourteen important skills are

adequately covered in post-graduate

marketing programs.

Only interpersonal skills, people management, negotiation

with staff and negotiation with suppliers were not covered

in post graduate programs. H3 is rejected.

Rejected

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H3.1: All fourteen important skills are

adequately covered, compared to their

importance ranking in post-graduate

marketing program.

There were no skills that were equally ranked in the study.

H3.1 is rejected.

.

Rejected

3 The emphasis of these skill

sets within post-graduate

marketing program

H4: All fourteen important skills are

perceived to be adequately emphasised

in post-graduate marketing programs.

Only six skills of the 14 under examination in this thesis

were adequately emphasised. .H4 is rejected.

Rejected

H4.1: All fourteen important skills are

adequately emphasised, compared to

their importance ranking in post-

graduate marketing program.

There were no skills the Higher Education emphasised in

the programs that corresponded to the importance placed on

the skills by the respondents. H4.1 is rejected.

Rejected

4 The 23 tasks of the CIM

Professional Standard

Framework were seen as

important for established

marketing professionals who

have a post-graduate degree.

H5: The 23 tasks of the CIM

Professional Standard Framework were

seen as important for established

marketing professionals who have a

post-graduate degree.

Recommending marketing research was considered not

important as its mean value was less than 3.0.

H5 is rejected.

Rejected

H 5.1: The tasks in the CIM Professional

Framework model are related or

dependent on the other tasks.

All of the tasks in the CIM framework model are dependent

on other tasks. H5. 1 is accepted.

Accepted

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H 5.2: The 23 tasks of the CIM

Professional Framework model are

completed in accordance with their

importance.

The most important tasks are managing people. This task

was completed monthly or more. The mean score was

ranked the highest. H5.2 is accepted.

Accepted

H5.3: The financial tasks are an

important task for the present

established marketing manager.

Financial tasks were completed monthly or more by the

respondents. The mean score of 4.09 ranked this the 6th

most important task. H5.3 is accepted.

Accepted

H 5.4: The most important skills to

complete the CIM Professional

Framework model are personal skills

The most important skill to complete the CIM Professional

Framework is personal skills. Within this research, this

includes leadership, people management and creative skills.

H5.4 is accepted.

Accepted

5 What are the career anchors

of marketing managers who

are established in their career

Schein’s career anchors?

H 6: The dominant career motivations or

anchor of marketing managers with

post-graduate marketing qualifications

was a managerial orientation.

The most important career anchor was Managerial

Importance. Geographic security and technical /functional

competence were not considered important anchors. H6 is

accepted.

Accepted

H7: The skills which are important to a

marketer’s career establishment are

dependent on their career anchors

The ranges of R squared using regression analysis ranged

from 0.04 to 0.18. The skills that had the highest R squared

is people management. H7 is accepted

Accepted

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CHAPTER 6: SUMMARY, DISCUSSION AND

CONCLUSIONS

6.1: INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this research was to extend our understanding of the factors that

influence the career establishment of post-graduate marketing managers. As the

performance of marketing managers is seen to be clearly linked to the performance and

profitability of the organisation, it behoves researchers to develop an appreciation and

knowledge of the determinants of the factors that are seen to influence career

establishment. In this research, a survey of marketing managers, as distinct from

novices, was undertaken, to identify their perceptions of a number of factors seen to

influence their career establishment and career success. The factors examined the

related skills required to undertake the tasks of a marketing manager. In addition, the

perceptions of marketing manager of the adequacy of the post-graduate programs they

had undertaken, in covering and emphasising the skills they perceived as important

were identified. Finally, the career anchors of marketing manager were identified with a

view to establishing a link to their skill development and career establishment. In all, the

study examined a selection of internal (career anchors) and external (skills) factors, that

influence the marketing manager’s career development and establishment, together with

the identification of the contribution of their post-graduate marketing studies in

delivering the needed skill outcomes for career development.

This chapter summarises and discusses the findings of the quantitative study, which were

presented in Chapter 5. The theoretical and managerial implications of the findings are

also presented, as is the discussion of the limitations of the study and possibilities for

future research.

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The first set of hypotheses tested concerned the identification of skills that were seen as

important to the career establishment of a marketing manager, who had a post-graduate

marketing qualification. The results of the Hypothesis testing are presented in Table 6.1.

Table 6.1: Summary of Results: Hypotheses Testing of Important skills

H1 The fourteen skills under study are all seen as important

by marketing managers

Accepted

H1.1 The most importance skills for a marketing manager are

managerial skills

Accepted

H1.2 The importance of the 14 skills does not change with

years of experience

Rejected

H2 A number of the most important skills are related or

dependent on other skills.

Accepted

The study found full support for the importance of all the fourteen skills under

examination (Hypothesis 1). The study also sought to establish which skill was seen as

the most important skill. It was hypothesised that management skills would be found to

be the most important skills (Hypothesis 1.1), and this finding was supported in the table

below. However, the results do not support Hypothesis 1.2. A summary list of the 14

skills, their classification and importance ranking is presented at Table 6.2.

Table 6.2: Classification, Importance and Ranking of Skills

Skills Classification(a)

Rank Mean

Interpersonal Communication Skills 1 4.49 People management Personal Attributes 2 4.41 Decision making Problem Solving Skills 3 4.39 Marketing comprehension Discipline Skills 11 3.99 Financial Discipline Skills 14 3.63

(a) Classification of Skill by Nabi and Bagley (1998) and Binks and Exley (1992)

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6.2.1: KEY SKILLS

The results presented in Table 6.2 indicate that three skills (interpersonal, people

management and decision skills) are seen as key skills. These three skills were found to

be significantly different and more important than the other 11 skills, and these three

skills are often components of what are generally termed management skills (Hypothesis

1.1). This finding does provide support for the acceptance of Hypothesis 2.

The importance of these three skills, which may be termed more generally management

skills, is consistent with what was anticipated as the respondents were undertaking

management roles, albeit in a marketing function. The role of the marketing manager

often requires them to have the ability to handle extensive interaction with others as well

as taking responsibility for subordinate staff. This view is consistent with perceptions of

the role of the product manager as requiring many functional interfaces within the

organisation, and, thus, being seen as the “hub of the wheel”, co-ordinating activities

with other areas of the firm (Lehmann and Winer, 2004). These functional interfaces are

perhaps the most numerous and challenging of any in middle management (Luck, 1969),

because power in an organisation typically resides outside the product management

organisation (Tyagi and Sawhney, 2010). As such, the finding of the key importance of

these skills is not unexpected. What is of concern, however, is the number of previous

studies (e.g., Floyd and Gordon, 1998; Gray et al., 2007) that have failed to incorporate

these so-called management skills in their studies of the important skill-sets of marketing

managers. These studies may have had a different orientation, context or timeframe,

however given the nature of the marketing managers’ roles it would have expected that

their skills would have been uncovered in this study.

A further issue is that all of the three key skills (interpersonal, people management and

decision skills) are generally not seen as skills that are covered or developed in

marketing programs. For example, the studies by Bruce and Schoenfeld, (2006) and

Dacko (2006) on decision making skills, Duke, (2002) on interpersonal skills and

O’Brien and Deans (1995) on people management skills all agreed that these skills and

were under developed. In fact, Dacko (2006) went so far as to say that the higher

education curriculum was deficient in this respect. These findings may be viewed with

some concern, as the implications point to a situation where post-graduate marketing

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programs may not be providing the acquisition or skill development marketing managers

need for their career establishment. In subsequent sections of this chapter, the researcher

further explores the issue of the perceived effectiveness of post-graduate marketing

programs in addressing the development of these important skills. However, as reported

in the qualitative phase of this research, it is possible that the respondents do not know

they are actually obtaining these skills. For example, a respondent in that phase of the

research, Mr G, a Lecturer in Business noted that many programs have the skills

embedded in them and many students do not know this. That withstanding, a review of

the post-graduate programs by the researcher (Please see Appendix 2) revealed that there

were only a few programs that had management subjects as a core subject. The relevance

to this research is the development of the key skills will aid in program improvement by

allowing Higher Education Institutions to ensure that the skills are incorporated in the

future post-graduate marketing programs.

The results for Hypothesis 1.2 are not supported. This is different from the study by

Mumford, Campion and Morgeson, (2007) who suggested skills such as leadership are

used at all levels of an organisation. This would explain why there is no significant

change (p>0.05) in these skills across the difference years of experience by the post-

graduate marketing managers in this research. The result enforces the need for leadership

skills to be included in the post-graduate programs, given there is a need for such skills

throughout the established marketing manager’s career.

6.2.2: DISCIPLINE KNOWLEDGE: MARKETING AND FINANCIAL

Whilst the finding of the importance of management skill is no real surprise, given the

general management tasks and the specific activities required of a marketing manager,

the lesser importance placed on the technical skills of marketing knowledge and financial

skill is surprising. It would generally be inferred that having a high level skill of

marketing comprehension would be important for the career development of a

professional marketer. The study by Schlee and Harich (2010) found for example, that

marketing comprehension skills was not seen to decline in importance as an individual’s

career developed. However, it was seen as a most important skill in middle and higher

management positions, as against lower level or novice marketing roles. The

development of the marketing plan is a key activity of professional marketers, and the

217

more experienced the marketing manager, the more the reliance on conceptual

knowledge in the planning process (Schlee and Harich, 2010).

In seeking to explain the identification of the discipline skill of marketing

comprehension as important, but not of key importance, the researcher has given

consideration to the importance of theory (seen as the focus of higher education

programs) versus practice. For some students, and employers, it is the perceived lack of

practical application of the discipline knowledge that detracts from its importance as a

determining skill for career development and establishment in the workplace (O’Brien

and Deans, 1995; Bradstreet, 1996; and Davis, Misra and Van Auken, 2002). In

subsequent questions in this study, Question Two and Three, the researcher further

explores the issue of the perceived effectiveness of post-graduate marketing programs in

addressing the development of skills.

Another consideration, which may explain the lower ranking of the marketing

comprehension skill, is the possibility that the respondents are not seeking a career

specifically within the marketing discipline, but are focussed on moving into senior

levels of general management. Marketing has been long been considered a stepping stone

to a more senior career, particularly to general management. The respondents in this

study may have this view. The ranking of the key skills, which are all deemed to be

management skills or their components (Whitten and Cameron, 2002), would seem to

support the contention that these respondents do see the management function of their

marketing roles as very important to their success. Whether this is indicative of a career

interest in management more generally, or within the marketing discipline, is not an issue

covered in this study. It is possible, of course, that the less positive than expected ranking

of marketing comprehension skills, is simply a reflection of the marketers perception that

a very wide range of skills is needed for career establishment and possibly, success.

The identification of financial skills, as being important, but not so important, is more

understandable, as financial analysis is a task undertaken by professional marketers in

tasks relating to the development and assessment of marketing/brand strategy and

planning. There are mixed findings in the literature concerning the importance of

financial skills to marketers. For example, a survey of product managers (Hall, 1998)

showed financial skills as the lowest ranked skill. It was anticipated that financial skills

218

would be rated as one of the most important skills, given that the prime responsibility of

the product manager is to improve sales and profitability. Schlee and Harich (2010)

found an increasing need for forecasting and budgeting knowledge for marketers as they

move through various career stages. Their study showed an increased requirement for

budgeting and forecasting from 27% for entry level positions to 43% for marketers with

five or more years’ experience, and 55% for upper management jobs. Of concern,

however, is that, many researchers did not include finance or accounting within the skill-

sets when the skills of marketers were examined (Floyd and Gordon, 1998, Gray et al.,

2002, Dacko, 2006 and Gray et al., 2007).

The explanation for the lower than expected importance placed on financial skills in this

study is unclear, but the mixed findings could best be explained by the fact that

marketers see that financial skills are subsumed in other skills (for example, financial

skills are subsumed in problem solving and decision-making skills). Whilst the

researcher is unable to give a definitive answer to the reason for the mixed results, the

potential for financial skills to be considered as subsumed in other skills under

examination, is covered in the discussion in the next section of this chapter which covers

the relationship between skills.

In summary, the study findings have identified that these marketing managers have

clearly confirmed that all of the 14 skills have contributed to the establishment of their

marketing careers (Hypothesis 1). The study also found that three skills (decision

making, interpersonal skills, and people management), are seen as key skills (Hypothesis

1.1). Moreover, all these skills are complex, or layered, skills, and these skills are largely

not incorporated in post-graduate marketing programs

.

6.2.3: RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE 14 SKILLS UNDER INVESTIGATION

It was hypothesised that there would be found a relationship between the skills under

investigation (Hypothesis 2). This hypothesis was supported by the analysis of the

relationships between the 14 skills using EFA which revealed three factors. The three

factors have been termed; Management Skills, Market Planning skills and Innovative

Skills. The Management skills (people management, negotiation skills with staff and

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suppliers, decision making, financial, problem solving and critical thinking skills)

appear to be similar to the synopsis of the major management books by Bigelow (1995).

The second factor, Market Planning skills relates to the tasks of market planning and the

marketing manager’s use of marketing comprehension skills and written communication

skills. The third factor is Innovative skills which include verbal communication,

leadership and creative thinking, and is in some way linked to the definition of creative

within this thesis. Amabile (1983) believed creativity as being the development of

unique responses to problems. In order for problems to be clarified between staff, there

needs to be some level of communication within the company. Furthermore, many of

them would have to be convinced the new unique response is worthy of consideration.

This would correspond to the leadership skills component. Each of these three factors

will now be further discussed.

Factor One was deemed to be managerial skills. Whetten and Cameron (2011) proposed

the development of nine managerial skills, which they classified into three intrapersonal

skills (self-awareness, creative problem solving and stress management) and six

interpersonal skills (supportive communication, conflict management, motivating

others, power and influence, empowering and delegating, and teamwork). The group of

skills in this factor is intrapersonal skills which are consistent with Whetten and

Cameron’s (2011) study as well as the findings by Nabi and Bagley (1998). Berdrow

and Evans (2011) specified 17 skills into four categories; one of those was managing

people and processes. The results from the factor analysis appear to concur with their

finding by including negotiation, people management and decision making. The other

skill included in Factor One, decision making could be included in another category,

termed self –awareness. Paglis (2013) believes that the common ground for categories

for management skills is self-management intrapersonal and relationship-orientated

interpersonal skills. The skills in this factor appear to agree with this believe.

Shaw, Fisher and Southey (1999) also found leadership and communication as

consistent themes. The results in this research do not support these skills, though they

are similar in that they include decision making skills. Furthermore, the leadership,

communication skills were included in the next factor, just not in the management

factor. The difference could be associated with the participants in the different samples

between Shaw et al. (1999) and this research.

220

The identification of financial skills as part of the management factor further

emphasizes the importance of monitoring results for the marketing manager. This result

is consistent with the findings of key important skills as noted earlier in the chapter.

The grouping of financial skills with other managerial skills is further evidence of the

metrics which marketers and managers are now experiencing. It also supports the

contention posed in the previous section that in identifying important skills, the

respondents in this study may have subsumed financial skills in management skills

since they were better identified in the marketing manager’s mind as problem-solving or

decision-making skills.

The second factor appears to be how the marketing manager’s plan and how they

communicate these plans via written communication. The study by McDonald (1989)

on barriers of market plans is particularly relevant to this factor. McDonald suggested

the barriers to planning are the lack of scanning of the environment, both internal and

external, together with a scarcity of in-depth analysis. Furthermore, McDonald (1989)

suggested a marketer must understand the theoretical component of marketing in order

to address the differences between the marketing function and its concept. In addition,

he added that communication skills are a pre-requisite for planning. The three skills

within this factor, now called Marketing Planning, support the ideas proposed by

McDonald (1989). Further evidence by Slotegraff and Dickinson (2004) suggested a

prime function of marketers is to consider opportunities within the marketing

environment, and then analyse these with respect to the firm’s resources and

capabilities. In other words, to develop new opportunities the marketer must assess

strategic options to develop strategies through the allocation of appropriate funds. The

marketer would presumably use analytical skills since they provide the ability to

identify opportunities to develop these strategies (Arora and Stoner, 1992). The use of

analytical skills was alluded to by Simon (1993) who suggested three skills are required

in planning. These are; (1) skills in anticipating the uncertainties of the future of the

firm, (2) skills in generating alternatives for effectively managing the changes and (3)

the skill to implement new plans and strategies. While the first skill refers to analytical

skills in terms of anticipating and solving the changes, the last two highlight the skills

needed to respond to change. In this factor, this would refer to marketing

comprehension skills and written communication skills. The ability to implement these

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alternatives, presumably via written communications is therefore critical (Mintzenberg,

1990).

The written communication skills in this factor refer to the marketing manager and their

ability to convey information that can be stored. In this case, it refers to the marketing

plan which is often used continually throughout the planning cycle. The importance of

written communication is also supported by Gray et al. (2007).

Factor three, termed Innovative skills in this research suggests a combination of verbal

communication, creative and leadership skills. Ettington and Camp (2002) suggest a

particular leadership style reinforcing self-management aids in developing of new

products. They further this by stating that leadership encourages the search for new

products and thus evaluating opportunities to develop these. In this light, the marketing

manager is using leadership to develop new products by exhibiting skills within the

marketing domain. Webster, et al., (2005) also proposed that the need to be inventive

has a major influence on long term profitability. Indeed, his study found that two thirds

of 100 global companies surveyed in 2004 cited innovation as a top priority. Moreover,

the probability of being innovative is significantly increased if there is an understanding

of customer’s needs and wants. The link between innovation and marketing and

leadership skills is possibly a result of combined marketing efforts in order to present

new products to management. The increased marketing efforts result in clarification of

company directions of marketing activities via the re-emphasis of customer orientation

in order to provide better direction and support to creativity and development efforts.

Perhaps, the importance of this factor signals a change from traditional marketing to

adapt to changes in dynamic environments as suggested by Lehmann and Winer (2004).

The adaption of the web, for example, has revolutionized way in which companies

communicate with their customers. Creative skills are often utilised to deliver value to

customers as a method of creating a competitive advantage. How marketers handle this

change and develop new marketing activities that are accepted by the company could be

evidence that supports the study by Lehmann and Winer (2004). The results of this

research are possibly an indication of this.

222

Factor Three also includes verbal communication skills, rather than written

communication skills. This result confirms the research by Lehmann and Winer (2004),

who suggested that verbal communication skills entail interpersonal communication of

visual expression and dimensions of closeness. For a marketer to explain, their

innovation, the audience would have to be convinced, normally be a presentation or

even a demonstration. Though written information has the capacity of storing and

providing more information, it is verbal communication that convinces others of the

merits of innovative and creative opportunities.

In summary, the identification of the relationship between the skills in terms of the three

factors (Management Skills, Market Planning skills and Innovative skills) provides

support for Hypothesis 2, and again reinforces that it is not an individual skill but a

number of skills that are seen as most important in enabling the career establishment of

marketing managers. As earlier research, and the content analysis of post–graduate

marketing programmes in Australia, has established a lack of the development of some

of the skills required by these respondents in post-graduate programs, this aspect is

covered in the next section of this chapter.

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6.3: COVERAGE AND EMPHASIS OF SKILLS IN POST-

GRADUATE MARKETING PROGRAMS

A set of hypothesises relating to the adequacy and coverage of important skills in post-

graduate marketing programs in Australia, as perceived by the respondents, is

summarised in Table 6.3.

Table 6.3 Summary of Results: Hypotheses Testing of Perceptions of Post-Graduate Marketing

Programs

H3 All fourteen important skills are adequately covered in


Rejected

H3.1 All fourteen important skills are adequately covered,

compared to their importance (ranking) in post-graduate

marketing programs

Rejected

H4 All fourteen important skills are perceived to be

adequately emphasised in post-graduate marketing

programs.

Rejected

H4.1 All fourteen important skills are adequately emphasised,

compared to their importance ranking in post-graduate

marketing programs..

Rejected

The results of the study findings on the perceptions of the post-graduate marketing

programs that had been undertaken by the marketing managers that responded in this

research are at Table 6.4. The results provide a summary of the findings of the difference

between the professional marketers’ perception of coverage, and, emphasis on a skill as

compared to their perceptions of the importance of the skill. The term emphasis in this

thesis refers to how much importance was given to the skill sets in the respondent’s post-

graduate marketing program. The term coverage is how much the student actually used

the skill-set within the post-graduate marketing program.

224

Table 6.4: Comparison of Importance versus Coverage/ Emphasis in Post-Graduate Marketing

Programs

Skill Importance v coverage

of skills

Importance v emphasis

of skills

Analytical Significant Significant Marketing Comprehension Not Significant Significant Creative thinking Significant Significant Critical thinking Significant Significant Decision making Significant Significant Financial skills Significant Significant Interpersonal skills Significant Significant Leadership Significant Significant Negotiation with staff Significant Significant Negotiation with suppliers Significant Significant People management Significant Significant Problem solving Significant Significant Verbal communication Significant Significant Written communication Significant Significant

The data in Table 6.4 demonstrates that marketing managers found the coverage of skills

in all cases, with the exception of marketing comprehension, was not consistent with the

level of importance placed on the skill, thus providing no support for Hypothesis 3.

Furthermore, the data in Table 6.4 reveals that marketing managers found the emphasis

on skills and their importance was not considered to be the same by the post-graduate

marketing managers, thus providing no support for Hypothesis 3.1. On the basis of these

findings, it is not unreasonable to say that all stakeholders, students, employers and

Higher Education Institutions, should be concerned that students are not obtaining the

skills that are deemed important for their career establishment from their post-graduate

marketing programs.

It is important to note here that although views on the importance of different skills vary

among various stakeholders, there is some agreement that marketing graduates have to

be well versed in marketing knowledge and possess a range of skills that are essential for

their career development (Kelley and Bridges, 2005). In discussing these results, first the

skill of marketing comprehension will be examined.

225

6.3.1: MARKETING KNOWLEDGE

Marketing comprehension is the only skill that was seen as being satisfactorily covered

in the post-graduate marketing programs, compared to its importance. This finding is

consistent with the common view by Evans and Rush (1996) that (marketing) knowledge

would usually take precedence over skills in higher education programs. However,

marketing comprehension was not seen as being given the emphasis that consistent with

its perceived importance to professional marketers. This finding suggests that there are

reservations about the adequacy of marketing comprehension skills development

compared to its importance. There are a number of possible reasons for these

perceptions, and prior studies have identified principal influences as the changing

demands of the marketing landscape, and the different knowledge demands as a

marketers’ career develops.

In looking to the influences of the changing marketing landscape, particularly the advent

of the World Wide Web has revolutionised the way organisations communicate and

deliver value to customers (Achrol and Kotler, 1999). As noted previously, the web is a

new channel of distribution, a new communication medium, and a way of building

relationships with a brand, and these changes make the role of the marketing professional

more complex given the expanded number of strategies for the organisation. A review of

the content of post-graduate marketing programs (Appendix 2), conducted by the

researcher has found few programs that include subjects specifically directed to e-

marketing, or that address the new focus on customer relationship management and data-

mining (as distinct from the traditional focus on primary research). A number of studies

have examined the areas of needed marketing knowledge in recent years. For example,

Gray et al., (2002) found that marketing managers ranked marketing communications,

market research and analysis, customer behaviour, and product and brand management

as the most important areas of marketing knowledge. The authors noted that the

knowledge areas reflected the functional roles which graduates were most likely to

undertake, as could be expected. The study by Schlee and Harich (2010) found there

were changing marketing knowledge needs among marketing managers compared to

novices. Their results suggested an emphasis on marketing knowledge was increasing

with experience, rather than decreasing. This finding was also supported by the findings

of Walker et al., (2009). The nature of the role of a professional marketer requires the

226

application of discipline-specific skills at later stage in one’s career compared with other

disciplines such as accounting (Schlee and Harich 2010). Moreover, the study by Schlee

and Harich (2010) suggested the need for conceptual knowledge may actually increase

with the more experience the marketer has. As the marketers’ career develops he/she is

required to conduct multiple tasks and integrate marketing knowledge from their post-

graduate programs. These tasks are often in a situation where there professional success

is assessed on the basis of achieving positive outcomes for the organisation. As such, the

marketing managers’ ability to perform their roles successfully depends, in part, on their

ability to bring into use the marketing knowledge from their post-graduate programs.

Whilst novice marketers are expected to have marketing knowledge, once they have

progressed beyond the entry-level stage, marketers are required to demonstrate

application of their theoretical knowledge to business practice and specific situations

(Walker et al., 2009). For the established marketer it is not knowledge per se but the

ability, comprehension, and experience to be able to use that knowledge in the correct

way and for a specific situation (Walker et al., 2009). The application of marketing

knowledge in the correct situation may be seen as integral to the development of the

skill. This process nature of skill development is reflected in the definition of skill by

Shipp, Lamb and Mokwa (1993). They viewed skills as abilities that are refined with

practice and its acquisition is a process. Using the Shipp’s, et al., (1993) definition, skills

are therefore taught and once acquired can be practised to then refine them. Thus, skills

are learnt and they are built upon through a highly structured set of activities that are

specific to a particular event or circumstance. A key implication of these findings is that

the development of adequate levels of marketing knowledge for marketing managers

requires opportunities for the post-graduate students to apply marketing knowledge in

situations that mirror a work environment. In fact, calls have been made for

improvements to business education more generally over past years to include a higher

emphasis on of the active learning approach (O’Brien and Deans, 1995). These finding

have implications for higher education, and reinforces the need to design programs with

up-to-date knowledge content and application that is relevant to the marketing manager.

These implications are discussed later in this chapter.

In terms of all the other 13 skills examined, the professional marketers surveyed in this

study considered that both coverage and emphasis on these skills, in the post-graduate

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marketing programs they had undertaken, was inconsistent with the perceived

importance of the skill (Table 6.2). Whilst there is a large amount of information which

examines the role and proficiency of business schools in developing skills for effective

career development, most of the research has focussed on the novice graduate marketer.

There has been limited research on marketing managers or more specifically, marketers

who have undertaken post-graduate marketing programs and this thesis seeks to fill that

void. The real concern is the continued focus on marketing knowledge in post-graduate

marketing programs, rather than the emphasis on particular skills. The better the

coverage of important skills, the more likely the post-graduate will understand them and

be able to use them to establish their careers. The data in Table 6.4 suggests that the key

skills are generally not considered adequately covered in their post-graduate marketing

programs. As noted above, for the marketing manager, it is not just knowledge, but the

ability to apply that knowledge in the correct business context that is needed. In order to

acquire the needed marketing knowledge appropriate to a marketing manager, there must

be a concerted effort at the post-graduate level for students to have these skills reinforced

through task-relevant applications.

These results would be of particular interest to Dacko (2006) and Bruce and Schoenfeld

(2006), whose studies examined the coverage and emphasis of skills in MBA’s, noting

that the coverage of skills was a more realistic measure, than the emphasis on skills. In

this thesis, the evaluation of the skill development of post-graduate marketing programs

failed on both-counts, emphasis and coverage.

6.3.2: FINANCIAL KNOWLEDGE

The activities and tasks of professional marketers are seen to require a broad level of

financial knowledge, particularly given the increased importance on financial outcomes

to performance assessment. These propositions have been supported in prior research.

Panigryrakis and Veloutsou (1999), for example noted the need for product managers to

develop a better understanding of finance and its role in the assessment of products or

brands. Eberhardt, Moser and McGee’s (1997) research suggested financial skills to be

important to the MBA’s in their study. This finding was consistent with the content

analysis study by Melaia, Abratt and Bick (2008). Furthermore, research by Wong

(2008), suggested that financial skills were considered more important by alumni than

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academics for undergraduate business programs. A review of the content of post-

graduate marketing programs revealed that no specific attention was paid to the

development of financial knowledge (Appendix 2). In addition there is little reference to

financial skills in the job advertisements reviewed by Bennett (2002) and Schlee and

Harich (2010). However, it is mentioned in the job descriptions that were analysed by

Melaia, Abratt and Bick (2008). These results indicate post-graduate marketing programs

need to specifically cover financial skills. Furthermore, a review of senior job

advertisements for marketing managers found the understandings of financial skills are

considered an important part of a required skill set at that level.

In the following section, some observations are made in relation to the role of Higher

Education Institutions in the development of skills, in post-graduate marketing programs,

that are seen as important for the career development of marketing managers.

6.3.3: SKILL GAPS IN HIGHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS

As noted previously, three skills (decision making, interpersonal and management skills),

were found to be the most important skills. Marketing is considered an applied field, as

are other business disciplines, and the activities and tasks of marketing managers

requires them to develop and implement marketing strategies. These are undertaken is

conjunction with the support of different functional areas of an organisation, and often

the responsibility of other staff.

There is considerable amount of literature explaining the importance of decision-making

skill. The studies such as Bruce and Schoenfeld (2006), for example have explained the

importance that recruiters place on decision making skills. Their research concluded that

45% of recruiters believe this skill is important. The opinions of the marketing

management recruitment consultants are often a reflection of their clients, employers and

industry needs. These clients are a part of industry which ultimately will employ the

marketers. If the post-graduate marketer does not have the correct skills and knowledge

of how to use them, it will hinder their career progress. It appears that the respondents in

this thesis are suggesting that decision making skills were not covered within their post-

graduate marketing programs, but rather subsumed in the program content delivery. The

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study by Dacko (2006) also suggests that decision making skills are not emphasised

within post-graduate programs.

Interpersonal skills enable the employee to interact effectively with a variety of

individuals (superiors, subordinates and peers). As a result, understanding their needs,

and being sympathetic to them, with a view to developing positive relationships will aid

their task performance (Evers and Rush, 1996). Interpersonal skills are seen as complex

skills, and the components of interpersonal skills include influencing, negotiating,

professional writing, business planning and creative problem solving (Weiner, 1990). All

these are separate skills. Some of these are examined in this thesis (Negotiation and

Creative thinking skills). Prior studies (AC Nielson, 2000; Athiyaman, 2001) have

concluded that undergraduates were deficient in interpersonal skills. According to AC

Nielson (2000), undergraduates were not significantly developed in their education. In

order to be gainfully employed, it is thought that marketers need to exhibit an acceptable

level of interpersonal skills. If they did not, then their chance of being employed would

be hindered (White 1992). The results in this study found that these marketing managers

perceived both a lack of coverage and emphasis of interpersonal skills, in their post-

graduate marketing programs. One possible reason for the perceived lack of coverage of

this skill, or even the teaching of this skill, is the complexity of the skill. Nevertheless,

this thesis has provided evidence that coverage of this skill was also seen as deficient in


At the broadest level, managing people and tasks is defined as the ability to direct, plan,

organise and coordinate the work done by others. It is also is a complex skill that

involves decision making, leadership and negotiation skills among others. The

management of people is not necessarily restricted to people having the title or rank of

manager. It is considered that changes in organisational structures are increasingly

requiring all employees to possess skills to manage not only themselves, but also to

manage people and resources (Evers and Rush, 1996). The results in Table 6.4 reveal

that the marketing managers in this research perceive that the coverage and emphasis on

management skills in their post-graduate marketing programs was not adequate. Despite

the perceived importance of managerial skills, this skill has been included in scant few

post-graduate marketing programs (Appendix 2). A similar finding was found in a study

of marketing modules offered by UK institutions, which identified no direct management

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subjects in the modules (Stringfellow, Ennis, Brennan and Harket, 2006). In all, the

thesis results point to clear deficiencies in the coverage of these three key skills in post-


If marketers are undertaking post-graduate education with a view to developing the

important skills to advance their career, then it would be desirable for them to have

knowledge of what skills, activities and tasks are needed. If these skills are not being met

within their educational programs then there should be alternative avenues for skill

development. The professional marketer needs an avenue that would enable the practise

of these skills which would aid in their career establishment. However, without the skills,

how can the marketer actually practise them, or know which ones ought to be acquired.

In addition, if higher education does not meet the demands of future marketers by not

offering these skills in the programs, then the value of post-graduate education is

questioned, since the potential marketer is not acquiring the skills necessary for career

advancement.

As noted previously, often a significant association has been established between the 14

skills examined in this thesis study. This finding supported the notion of complex, or

layered skills. In looking at these key skills, it is apparent that interpersonal and people

management skills are complex skill. This study, in examining the individual component

skills (for example, leadership and negotiation skills), and related skills (such as, the

group of problem solving and communication skills), have all been found to be

inadequately covered or emphasised, compared to their importance.

It would seem obvious that if there are gaps in the post-graduate marketing program

curriculum, and if the post-graduate program is the marketing managers preferred or

main source of skill development, then post-graduate marketers are being hindered in

their skill-set, and hence, career development. The perceived lack of adequate coverage

of most of the skills under examination, with the exception of marketing knowledge, may

suggest a gap in the post-graduate marketing program curriculum. It is recognised that

post-graduate, like undergraduate programs, cannot teach everything (Lundstrum, White

and Schuster, 1996) within a program, however, it could be that it is either not taught

enough (O’Brien and Deans, 1995), or that the student does not recognise the use of the

skill. The question then becomes which are the key skills and can, or should, universities

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be trying to address the perceived skill needs that are sought by professional marketers at

later career stages. In the post-graduate marketing program outlines examined by the

researcher (Appendix 2), there is commonly an acknowledgement for the development of

communication skills, both written and oral. However there is a perceived view that

graduate and post-graduate programs are not adequately developing these

communication skills (O’Brien and Deans, 1995; Athiyaman 2001; Davis, Misra and

Van Auken 2002; Hogarth et al., 2004 and Bruce and Schoenfeld, 2006). So, with

communication skills, although clearly important and often foundations of other

important skills, their lack of development in Higher Education institutions may exclude

potential students from establishing themselves in a marketing career. In the case of other

skills such as people management and decision making, the case for a role for Higher

Education Institutions in developing these skills is more apparent. These two skills are

types of skills that become more in demand the more experienced the marketer is in the

work place. The gap in the program content could have an effect on the ability of the

post-graduate to become established in his or her career. It is impossible to teach

everything (Lundstrum, White and Schuster, 1996) within a program. Alternatively, it is

also an unsatisfactory outcome when what is taught is not enough to develop the skill

(O’Brien and Deans, 1995). In either case, the lack of skill development of those skills

seen to be of high importance, and of which coverage in post-graduate marketing

programs is sought, may prevent post-graduates from extending their role or successfully

establishing their career.

In order to better understand the needed skill-set of the activities and tasks of marketing

manager are examined.

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6.4: TASKS AND RELATED SKILLS OF A MARKETING

MANAGER

A set of hypotheses relating to the tasks and associated skills of a marketing managers,

with a post-graduate qualification, in completing their activities as identified in the CIM

framework, is summarised in Table 6.5.

Table 6.5 Summary of Results: Hypotheses Testing of Tasks and Skills of Marketing Managers

H5 All 23 tasks of the CIM Framework were seen as important. Rejected

H5.1 The tasks in the CIM Professional Framework model are related or dependent

on the other tasks.

Accepted

H5.2 The 23 tasks of the CIM Professional Framework model are completed in

accordance with their importance.

Accepted

H5.3 H5.3: The financial tasks are an important task Accepted

H 5.4 The most important skills are management skills Accepted

The previous section was an examination of the skills that Marketing managers saw as

important to career establishment. In order to understand what they do in terms of

activities and tasks. An investigation was conducted using the Chartered Institute of

Marketing Professional Standard Framework. The framework classified activities into

various tasks: research and analysis, strategy and planning, brands, implementation and

marketing programs, measuring effectiveness and managing people. For the purpose of

this research, financial roles were also included.

A review of the importance of tasks, as identified by the Chartered Institute of

Marketing Professional Standard Framework (CIM), has identified the perceived

importance of tasks (See Table 6.6). All tasks were seen as important (exhibiting a mean

over 2.5), with the exception of the task of recommending market research projects.

Accordingly, Hypothesis 4 was rejected. The results suggests that the undertaking of

market research projects is often the responsibility of marketing research specialists, and

this may explain why the task is not seen as important by the respondents in this

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research. This aspect will be examined further in a later section when the frequency of

conduct of marketing tasks is examined

Table 6.6: Importance of Tasks of Marketing Manager

Activity Task

Importance of task mean

Managing People Management of staff

4.5

Co-ordinate marketing activities among sales and marketing divisions 4.29

Contribute to the company's ability to manage change 4.85


Recommend market research projects 2.43

Assess company performance and competitor analysis 4.24


Determine the strategic direction of marketing portfolio (department) 4.24

Develop a marketing plan 4

Financial Analysis Develop, monitor and control marketing budgets 4.09


Monitor actual results against planned performance 4.11

Market reports to senior management 3.89

Brands Develop branding strategy

4

Promote development of brands across the organisational portfolios 3.75


Implement communication mix for portfolio or company 3.66

Initiate new product development programs 3.36

Maintain a competitive product portfolio 3.56

Develop pricing strategy 3.37

Implement pricing strategy consistent with corporate objectives 3.72

Develop effective channels to meet organisations objectives 3.56

Direct and support for marketing intermediaries 3.22

Instigate a customer relationship strategy 3.64

Manage customer analysis 3.58


3.36

Manage the running of projects 4.02

Managing people was identified as being the most important task , with managing staff

rated as most important, and co-ordinating marketing activities rated as second most

important. This finding accords with the view of the marketing manager as being one

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who has general manager type responsibilities for their product portfolio (Lehmann and

Winer, 2004). Additionally, this finding reinforces the perceived need of marketing

managers for management skills, as identified as a key skill in this study. Indeed, if

higher education could address these skills, then post-graduates would be much better

prepared for advancing their career and role development.

The other tasks, seen to be most important, covered the assessment of company

performance and competitor analysis (ranked third), and determining the strategic

direction of the marketing portfolio (ranked forth), both tasks are seen as requiring

marketing knowledge for their performance. The fifth most important task was seen to

be monitoring effectiveness, more specifically, monitoring actual results against

planned performance. Such a task is generally viewed as a common part of a broad

management role, regardless of the functional area of the organisation.

The tasks identified as least important were the recommendation of market research

projects, and a range of implementation activities including: channel management

(ranked 22), establishing project management hierarchy (ranked 21), price setting

(ranked 20), and initiate new product development (ranked 19). It is noted that the

marketing activities of market research, and channel management are often undertaken

as specialist roles, or in the case of price determination and establishing project

hierarchy may be undertaken at general management, rather than marketing

management level. Hypothesis 5.3 provided that financial tasks would be seen as

important, and this is supported by the mean ranking of the importance of financial

tasks at 4 (out of a possible 5). Support for this finding is provided in the upcoming

discussion of the frequency of the conduct of tasks.

In all, the perceived importance of the tasks identified in the CIM Framework does

provide support for its usefulness as a system of classification of the tasks of marketing

managers.

In all of the 23 tasks that were examined, the most common response was roughly 35%

of the tasks (eight out of 23) were completed monthly or more, only 4% (one out of 23)

chose the completed their task 5-11 times per year as the most common response, 30%

(seven out of 23) selected 2-4 times per year as the most common response, 26% (six out

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of 23) selected monthly as their most common response, while only 4% (one out of 23)

selected rarely do the task as the most common response. The substantiation of the CIM

Professional Standard Framework is that 96% of the tasks contained within the CIM

model are completed by marketing manager at least once per year.

Additionally, the research findings of this study supported the incorporation of a new

task, financial, that was added to the activity and task framework. Financial activities

were rated as the ninth most important, and only 2.0% of respondents reported that they

rarely undertook such a task, with most respondents (50%) conducting this task with a

high level of frequency, that is monthly or more. In all, the abovementioned study

findings support the appropriateness of the adapted CIM Framework as a suitable model

for the identification of the roles of marketing managers. As such, one can have

confidence in using the framework as a means to develop an appreciation of the expected

tasks of a marketing manager. Or, alternatively as a means to measure competence by

reference to the marketers’ ability to undertake the tasks specified in the framework.

The four tasks that had the highest percentage of marketers rarely doing the task were:

recommend market research projects (34.55%); develop pricing strategy (24.09%);

implement pricing strategy (21.36%); and develop effective channels (28.12%). This

finding again reinforces the findings on task importance, where these tasks were not

identified among the most highly rated tasks, but were ranked 20, 23, 10 and 15

respectively.

The marketing tasks are next discussed individually to obtain a more complete

understanding of the interplay between perceptions of task importance and frequency of

conduct.

6.4.1: RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS

In considering the activity of Research and Analysis, two tasks were identified;

recommend market research projects, and assess company performance and competitor

analysis. The data suggests that recommending market research projects was seen as the

least important task of the 23 tasks identified, with only around 35% of respondents

indicating that they rarely do the task. This finding that a substantial proportion of

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participants are not that often involved in recommending marketing research may reflect

the specialist nature of marketing research, or that data-mining has replaced primary

research, as a source of understanding customer behaviour. With time and budget

constraints, the marketing manager could be predisposed to utilising secondary data,

available from company internal records, as a means to better understand the behaviour

of the firms’ customers. Alternatively, if primary research is required, this function may

be out-sourced to specialist marketing research consultancies. These findings on the low

importance, and conduct of market research, are not consistent with the findings of

previous and recent studies. For example, Thomas (1984); Hooley, Lynch and Shepherd,

(1990), Murphy and Gorchels, (1996); Gray et al., (2007), Schlee and Harich, (2010) and

Tyagi and Sawheny, (2010) all suggested that the recommendation of research projects is

important. In most of these cases, the results refer to knowledge of marketing research,

rather than actually undertaking the process of marketing research.

In order to undertake marketing research, there must be evidence of problem solving

skills or knowledge of how marketing research works. This knowledge allows the

marketer to identify the problem, and to devise a methodology to collect and/or analyse

data intended to assist problem-solving, from existing or new sources. The results

suggest the process of recommending market research is not important to the

establishment of the professional marketer. On the other hand, it is the interpretation of

the results of research reports that is important for marketing managers within their

marketing activities. The analysis of research data (from internal sources), interpretation

of results and the subsequent decisions, have a bearing on the career development of the

Marketing manager, with a post-graduate marketing qualification. These results are

relevant to higher education. They may indicate that more focus in marketing research be

placed on the analysis of data from existing sources, rather than the commissioning of

new primary research. Such a change in research focus may have been a follow-on effect

from the explosion of information brought on by the use of new technologies and

customer interfaces. The resultant affect is that the illustration of various statistical

techniques involved in data mining, rather than the research process, may be more

beneficial to the post-graduate marketing student.

When the tasks are correlated against each other, the importance of recommending

marketing research projects and its importance becomes clearer. The task of

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recommending marketing research projects was correlated with 16 other tasks. The result

suggests that the outcome, or recommendations of marketing research projects provide

the basis for other marketing tasks, for example, strategic planning. According to

Malhotra and Peterson (2001), marketing research findings are integral to decision

making and on-going business operations. Among the reasons cited include the

increasing access to information as well as growing access to international markets. In

the company’s search for growth, they now consider new markets and need knowledge

for marketing and management departments to enter the marker (Kotabe and Helsen,

2004). The extended relationship of marketing research with the conduct of other tasks

reinforces the value of marketing research. Whilst marketing research was not seen as an

important task in itself, the outcomes of the task would seem to have input into many

other tasks.

The second task, assess company performance and competitor analysis, was found to be

the third ranked most important task, and undertaken by most respondents on a highly

regular basis. This finding underscores the high importance of the task, but these

activities have not generally been examined in marketing job descriptions (Melaia,

Abratt and Bick, 2008). Competitor analysis, in practice, is routinely conducted, but

neither is that process, or the ethical implications, covered adequately in post-graduate

marketing programs.

The finding of this thesis study, points to the need for a review of the content of

traditional marketing research programs. There would appear to be evidence to support

more focus on the development of skills in relation to secondary data analysis, and to the

interpretation of market research results.

6.4.2: STRATEGY AND PLANNING

In considering the activity of Strategy and Planning, two tasks were identified: determine

the strategic direction of a marketing portfolio, and develop a marketing plan. The data

suggested that both tasks were seen as very important, being ranked fourth and seventh

in terms of importance, respectively. The importance of these tasks was reaffirmed by

the regularity with which they were conducted. For example, around 87.7% of

respondents determined the strategic direction of a portfolio with some regularity. The

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determination of strategic direction of a marketing portfolio was rated as being a very

high level of importance, and around 53% of respondents conducted this activity more

than twice a year.

The data suggests the high importance of the marketing planning task, which was ranked

seventh in importance, and conducted by around 90.4% of respondents. The high level of

planning activity, with 58.7% of respondents conducting the plan on an annual basis, and

another 31.8% of respondents developing the plan more than twice a year, is certainly

consistent with the importance of the task. Prior studies had not found support for the

high level of importance or participation in strategic planning. The research by Dawes

and Patterson (1987) suggested that long term strategic planning was not a top 10 task.

The study by Murphy and Gorchels (1996) suggested that only 50% of the product

managers play a major role in formal plan development, however, these studies are now

somewhat dated.

Even though planning is only conducted once per year, many recruiters find planning

(Dacko, 2006) and strategic skills an attractive attribute (Bruce and Schoenfeld, 2006).

Furthermore, the ability to think strategically and translate this into action was seen as a

positive attribute for marketers to exhibit. According to Bruce and Schoenfeld (2006), if

marketers are able to think strategically and conduct financial analysis, these skills are

clearly of importance in career development.

Analysis of the correlations between tasks and skills The CIM Professional Standard

Framework suggest that the two most important skills for the strategic direction of the

marketing portfolio and the developing a marketing plan are comprehension of

marketing and leadership skills. These skills of importance in undertaking this task are

the skills of marketing management, as could be expected.

Additionally, task of determining the strategic direction of the marketing portfolio,

appears to have a relationship with other tasks that are essentially management and

marketing orientated. Of the 23 tasks under investigation in the CIM Professional

Standard Framework, there were only two tasks that did not show a significant

relationship using Spearman’s co-efficient. They were; assess marketing performance

and competitor analysis, develop pricing strategy, implement communication mix for a

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portfolio or a company, manage customer analysis, development of marketing reports

and recommend marketing research projects. The correlations may reflect the level of

seniority of the respondents in this thesis. The research by Schlee and Harich (2010) also

showed that there are differences in activities associated with different years of

experience of marketers. The results in this thesis suggest that marketing managers, who

have completed a post-graduate marketing program, were seeking particular knowledge

and skills that would enable them to advance their career.

In summary, these results provide further evidence of the need for the marketing

manager to have a strong appreciation of marketing knowledge and management skills,

as both skills are needed to successfully accomplish the required tasks of the role. This

finding has important implications for post-graduate students and post-graduate program

providers, in particular. These implications are discussed in a later part of this chapter.

6.4.3: BRANDS

In considering the activity of brands, two tasks were identified: develop branding

strategy and promote development of brands across the organisational portfolios. These

two tasks were ranked 12 and 18 in importance, respectively, suggesting that they were

tasks that were seen as having a mid-range importance. Again, most respondents were

involved in undertaking these tasks at some time in a year. Indeed, the development of

brands occurred for the majority of these respondents once per year. This would

presumably happen around the planning session. In contrast, the promotion of the brands

occurs 2-4 times per year. It would appear that the proliferation of brands as reported by

Keller (1998), and increasing global competition, has made the respondents conscious of

their brand portfolio. However, the importance of these tasks is not consistent with the

number of times they are looked at per year. The importance of brand management

appears higher in other research (Dawes and Patterson, (1987); Murphy and Gorchels,

1996; Gray et al., 2007), and is generally considered a key role for a marketing manager.

The development of brand strategy appears to have a relationship with most other tasks

in the adapted CIM Professional Standard Framework (significant correlations with 18 of

the 22 other tasks), demonstrating the interlinked nature of the development of a brand

strategy. The results suggest that the development of brand strategy is a very complicated

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process and requires many tasks for it to be achieved. Moreover, the results suggest that

the development of brand strategy is an ongoing process, and not limited to the yearly

outcome of brand strategy planning. It is noted that, development of an effective

branding strategy would require a comprehensive knowledge of marketing theory and

practice.

The other branding task, promoting and developing of brands across the organisational

portfolio, also has a relationship with a large number of other tasks (14 significant

correlations).

According to Shipper and Davy (2002), the measure of behaviour is not how often it is

attempted, but rather the ability of the skill of getting it right. The extended linkages of

the branding tasks with other marketing tasks may be an attempt to keep the branding

portfolio in line with marketing strategies. It could also be an indication of the changing

market place that marketing professionals are currently experiencing.

In order to undertake some form of brand management or strategy, the marketer must

have an advanced level of marketing knowledge. In addition, the extensive number of

inter-correlations between the tasks and over half of the other tasks under investigation

supports the notion of a strong relationship between most of the tasks. That is, the tasks,

although able to be classified according to the CIM Professional Standard Framework,

were seen to have relationships and to be interconnected, in their focus of developing

value for the firm’s customers.

6.4.4: IMPLEMENTATION OF MARKETING PROGRAMS

In considering the activity of implementation of marketing programs, 11 tasks were

identified. Most of the 11 implementation tasks were ranked at best as sixth most

important task, but generally lower, and were undertaken by over 80% of respondents

with a conduct frequency of more than once a year. An interesting exception to this

pattern was the task of Manage the running of projects, which had the highest ranking

(ranked six), having only 7.3% of respondents rarely doing the task, and a very high

frequency of conduct of the task among marketing managers. This finding is consistent

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with the high ranking of importance of the task at sixth, and its importance to the success

of a marketing manager.

The tasks that had a high degree of respondents rarely doing the task were as follows:

develop pricing strategy (24.1%), implement pricing strategy (21.4%) and develop

effective channels (28.18%). These three tasks had previously been identified as having a

relatively low level of importance relative to other tasks, being ranked 20, 10 and 15,

respectively. This finding of a relatively high level of non-performance of these tasks

would seem to imply that these tasks are seen as more specialist in nature and, therefore,

may not be seen to be generally performed by a marketing manager. Alternatively, these

tasks are conducted by upper general management, for example, development of pricing

strategy.

The Dawes and Patterson (1987) research essentially saw the components of the

marketing mix as the most important of all of the tasks. This is consistent with the

decisions and responsibilities of a product manager in the study by Murphy and Gorchels

(1996). These results also demonstrated that respondents in their research were more

tactical than strategic. The results of this study based on from the CIM Professional

Standard Framework present an alternative result. The implementation of marketing

programs was not the most important task of the model. The most important task within

this category was managing the running of projects, an implementation task that could be

viewed as a managerial task. The activities referred to as the marketing mix (4P’s), were

at the lower end of task importance of the 23 tasks examined.

Of all of the implementation tasks in the CIM Professional Standard Framework, CRM

(Customer Relationship Marketing) is considered the most important task. The idea of

CRM is essentially to acquire, retain and partner with selective customers to create

superior value for the company and the customer (Parvitiyar and Sheth, 2001). This

process really should be ongoing as the company would be continually collecting

information on customers. The building of the ongoing relationship as a result of the

information allows for a marketing orientated company (Webster, 1992). CRM is an

ongoing and continuous activity which explains the frequency of the tasks associated

with this task from the CIM Professional Standard Framework.

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Even though CRM is actually attempted monthly, it was considered the 11th most

important task, and was seen as an activity related to 16 of the other 22 tasks. The

importance of CRM is well researched and acknowledged. It is a core organisational

process (Morgan and Hunt, 1994, Srivastava, Shervani and Fahey, 1998) which

advocates relationship marketing theory. This theory suggests that companies should

pursue a long term relationship with customers instead of a short term approach

(Grönroos, 1991). The results show that it has an influence on many other activities, but

it is not considered in itself to be a very important task for the development of career

success. The finding may suggest that the actual implementation of CRM is conducted

by lower level staff, although the implementation is managed by the marketing manager.

These results suggest that marketing managers understand it, but do not see it as an

important task.

6.4.5: MEASURING EFFECTIVENESS

In considering the activity of “measuring effectiveness”, two tasks are identified:

Monitor actual results against planned performance, and market reports to senior

management. Only a very small number of respondents, less than 4%, reported that they

rarely undertook these tasks. Moreover, both these tasks were undertaken with a very

high degree of frequency with over 50% of respondents conducting these tasks on a

monthly basis or more often. The frequency of this measurement, both in terms of

analysis and reports, suggests that the performance of marketing outcomes of strategic

and tactical activities is under constant review and meeting corporate (financial)

objectives is an important performance measure for marketing managers. These results

are supported by the research by Doyle (2000), who suggested that the modern marketer

is under increasing pressure to demonstrate their contribution to the company’s

performance.

As these effectiveness reports, generally, provide information on the outcome of strategic

and tactical marketing activities, common sense would provide these reports provide a

basis for other marketing decisions. As such, the finding of a significant relationship with

a number of important tasks (for example, customer relationship, competitor analysis and

management of customer analysis), could be expected, and, also, underlie the importance

of the task.

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In summary, the results have identified the importance of measuring effectiveness, as a

skill that is important to the performance assessment, and so, career development, of

professional marketers. As a consequence, it would be important for marketing

professionals to be familiar with marketing and financial metrics, forecasting, and report

writing in order to meet this task requirement. Additionally, marketing managers would

need to have the skills to justify their position. On the other hand, negotiation skills could

allow more desirable job outcomes which could eventuate in senior management

positions.

6.4.6: MANAGING PEOPLE

In considering the activity of managing people, three tasks were identified: management

of staff, co-ordinate marketing activities, and contribute to change management. The first

two of these tasks were ranked as the first and second most important task, respectively.

Most respondents undertook all three tasks, with most respondents undertaking the task

of management of staff (71%), and co-ordination of marketing activities (64.6%), on a

monthly basis or more. This level of engagement in these two tasks, coupled with the

high frequency of conduct of the tasks, are seen to contribute to the high ranking of the

importance of these tasks. As noted above, marketing management tasks have been

identified as most important to the success of a professional marketer, rather than

marketing tasks. These results add more light to the understanding of why managerial

skills are seen as most important to the success of the marketing professional.

Also, significant relationships were identified for the following tasks: management of

staff and determine the direction of the marketing portfolio, manage change, develop

pricing and customer relationship management. These results reflect the activities of an

experienced marketer or senior executive with staff responsibilities. That

notwithstanding, the importance of the management of others for the marketing manager

is a necessary task.

The importance of for management tasks for the marketing manager, suggest that

without the skills to undertake management tasks that it is less likely that a career in

marketing could be developed. As such, it would seem important for management

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subject(s) to be included in post-graduate marketing programs, as an important step

towards the development of these needed management skills.

The second most important task was coordinating activities among sales and marketing

divisions. According to the Shipper and Day (2002) model, the respondents are using

their abilities to aid in coaching and training employees. The implementation of

marketing plans requires marketing managers to explain and communicate their

strategies to a range of staff, including the sales staffs that are responsible for

implementing the strategies. The training and guidance of staff enables professional

marketers to achieve the marketing objectives. In fact the task of coordinating activities

is related to developing marketing plans, implementation of communication mix for

portfolio or company, assess company performance and competitor analysis,

development of brand strategy, and manage the running of projects. This relationship

among tasks provided support for the model developed by Shipper and Day (2002),

which noted the coaching, and training role of marketing managers.

In summary, the results demonstrate the key importance of managerial skills to the

development of the professional marketers’ career. The results clearly support the

proposition that managerial skills are used regularly and that they are important to

marketers’ career establishment. The results fill in the gap that exists in the literature by

suggesting a relationship between the marketing professional’s success and their

managerial ability.

6.4.7: FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

The results also demonstrated that financial management tasks were seen as important,

having a rating of eight out of the 23 tasks examined, and undertaken by most

respondents (98%) on a high frequency basis. Again, the study has identified a task,

financial management, that is not generally covered in post-graduate marketing programs

but which is seen as an important task for marketing managers.

The results suggest that the majority (50%) are involved in budgeting, monitoring and

controlling budgets every month. The results indicate that marketing managers should

understand accounting and finance activities in order to become established in their

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positions. This is important because financial activities may be referred to as non-

marketing functions and are not directly related to the marketing theory. Prior studies

have provided conflicting findings on the importance of financial skills, but given the

nature of marketing activities undertaken, it was apparent that marketing managers must

have is the understanding of the financials.

Moreover research by Wong (2008) suggested an increasing reliance on financial

outcomes of marketing strategies as a way of measuring the marketing manager’s

performance. Of 17 of the 22 marketing tasks were found to have a relationship with

monitoring and controlling budgets. These results support that most marketing

undertakings of the task involve an appreciation of financial implications. Consequently,

the formation and monitoring of the budget was seen as a very important task for the

marketing manager. Of the 22 tasks that were considered in the CIM Professional

Standard Framework, 17 marketing tasks were found to have a relationship with

monitoring and controlling budgets. This result suggests that before most marketing

activities are performed, there must be an appreciation of the financial implications. In

all, formation and monitoring of the budget was seen as a very important task for the

marketing manager and supports the adaption of the CIM Professional Standard

Framework to include financial activities. In the following section insights into the

importance of skills needed to undertake the marketing tasks are examined.

6.4.8: SKILLS USED TO COMPLETE THE TASKS OF THE CIM FRAMEWORK

It was hypothesised (Hypothesis 5.4) that the most important skill of the marketing

manager needed to complete the tasks prescribed within the CIM Framework was

management skills. The frequency of a skill being identified as the most important for

undertaking each one of the 23 tasks was shown in Table 6.7.

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Table 6.7: Ranking of Most Important Skills Required to conduct Tasks

Tasks

Importance

Of Task

Most

Important skill

Management of staff 1 Leadership


2 Management

Assess company performance and competitor analysis 3 Critical thinking

Determine the strategic direction of marketing portfolio (department

` Leadership

Monitor actual results against planned performance 5 Critical thinking

Manage the running of projects 6 Leadership

Develop a marketing plan 7 Marketing

knowledge

Contribute to the company’s ability to manage change 8 Leadership

Develop, monitor and control marketing budgets 9 Management

Implement pricing strategy consistent with corporate objectives 10 Marketing

knowledge

Instigate a customer relationship strategy 11 Communication

Develop branding strategy 12 Marketing

knowledge

Implement communication mix for portfolio or company 13 Creativity

Maintain a competitive product portfolio 14 Critical thinking

Develop effective channels to meet organisations objectives 15 Critical thinking

Market reports to senior management 16 Communication

Manage customer analysis 17 Critical thinking

Promote development of brands across the organisational portfolios 18 Leadership

Initiate new product development programs 19 Problem solving

Develop pricing strategy 20 Marketing

knowledge Establish the project management hierarchy in line with company's objectives

21 Leadership

Direct and support for marketing intermediaries 22 Leadership

Recommend market research projects 23 Problem solving

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Table 6.7 reveals that leadership and people management skills were the most frequently

used skill required to undertake the most important tasks (as identified in the CIM

Framework) of the marketing manager. As noted previously, leadership is most often

viewed as a function of management. This finding of the key importance of management

skills is consistent with earlier findings on skill importance from the initial hypotheses in

this chapter (Hypothesis 1 and 2). Marketing knowledge was only seen as the key skill in

conducting four of the 23 tasks. In all, these three skills, (leadership, people management

and marketing knowledge), were jointly found to represent the most important skills to

undertake around 60% (13 of 23) of the tasks. So, not only do these skills cover the

majority of tasks, these skills also cover three of the four most important tasks. This

finding reinforces the need for marketing managers to achieve competency in these three

skills in order to effectively undertake the tasks required of a marketing manager.

The results illustrate the need for effective leadership skills as the impetus to create

marketing driven organisation. These results are supported by Harris and Ogbonna

(2001) who suggested that leadership provides the environment in which a marketing

orientated culture is attainable. In extending this notion, Howell and Avolio (1993) and

Slater and Narver (1994) noted that the presence of leadership skills could be what

determines whether or not the performance of the company is satisfactory or not.

Moreover, prior studies have found that leadership skills are central to the effective

implementation of marketing strategies (Meldrum, 1996), and, conversely, leadership

factors could aid in the explanation of poor implementation (Doyle, 1987).

The results are also supported by Mumford, Campion and Morgeson, (2007) who

suggests leadership skills are used across a number of layers in an organisation and are

complex. Furthermore, Mumford et al. (2007) proposed that leadership skills encompass

four different categories: cognitive, interpersonal, business, and strategic. Their research

revealed that senior positions (much like the respondents in this research) require high

level of leadership skills. They also found that cognitive and interpersonal skills did not

reduce with the level of seniority of marketing position. The categories of the CIM

Framework which suggested leadership appear to concur with the categories as proposed

by Mumford et al., (2007). Furthermore, the other skills (people management and

marketing) were seen as a part of business skills and interpersonal skills as proposed by

Mumford et al., (2007). In all, the results support the importance of leadership skills to

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the marketing manager’s role. However, it is acknowledged that there is leadership

deficiency among marketing graduates (O’Brien and Deans, 1997; Dacko, 2006) which

may be of concerns to the marketing fraternity. In other words, novice marketers are not

adequately prepared to develop in a marketing role to one which requires management

skills. A review of the post-graduate marketing programs conducted in this study has

indicated that they do not cover management skills (See Appendix 2), and the survey

respondents did not believe that their post-graduate program had adequately covered or

emphasised management skills.

The results are important to Higher Education Institutions, marketing management

recruitment consultants and aspiring marketing managers. For Higher Education

Institutions, the incorporation of programs and subjects that allow aspiring marketers to

learn, practice and master leadership skills is essential in order to aid career

development. Management Marketing Recruitment Consultants can benefit from these

results as they now can look for traits of leadership skills as a measure of the candidate’s

aptitude for marketing positions. Finally, the aspiring marketing manager can benefit

from these results by ensuring they enrol in programs that incorporate the development

of leadership skills.

The high incidence of the importance of managerial skills may not be surprising to many

scholars. Earlier in this chapter, the key importance of management skills was identified

as important to career development and success. The findings of the relationship between

key management skills (leadership and people management), and a large number of tasks

conducted by the marketing manager, has again reinforced the importance of managerial

skills to the undertaking of the tasks of a marketing manager. In thinking about the role

of management at its broadest level, for managers to develop marketing strategies and

engage in planning, organising, leading, and controlling, they need a sound knowledge

base and key management skills. Managers require people management skills in order

for them to work well with others, both as a group member and as a leader who gets

things done through others.

The findings of the skill importance in Table 6.7 also suggest the need for a sound level

of marketing knowledge to undertake the tasks of a marketing manager. In the case of the

marketing function, managers do require a high level of marketing knowledge, which is

249

often seen as a technical skill or specialist skill, to undertake these tasks successfully. In

particular the important tasks of developing the marketing plan and branding strategy,

and pricing strategy and implementation, are tasks where marketing knowledge is the

key skill to undertake these tasks.

In summary, the findings of the relationship between tasks and the key skills that are

required to undertake these tasks have again provided evidence of the importance of

management skills (leadership and people management) and have provided support for

the acceptance of Hypothesis 5.4. A similar finding was identified when important skills

were examined without any relationship to the tasks being undertaken (Hypothesis 1.1)

and managerial skills were identified at that time also as key skills.

6.5: CAREER ANCHORS OF MARKETING MANAGERS

The final set of hypotheses relates to better identifying the link between the career

anchors of marketing managers, who have a post-graduate qualification, and their career

establishment.

Table 6.8: Summary of Results: The Career Anchors of Marketing Managers

H6 The dominant career motivations or anchor of marketing managers with post-

graduate marketing qualifications was a managerial orientation.

Accepted

H7 The skills which are important to a marketer’s career establishment are

dependent on their career anchors

Accepted

The career anchors as defined by Schein (1978; 1990) of marketing managers, who have

a post-graduate qualification, are shown in Figure 6.1.

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Figure 6.1 – Career Anchors of Marketing Managers by Importance

Clearly the results in Figure 6.1 show that the most common career anchor of marketing

managers, with a post-graduate marketing qualification, was managerial importance

(63%). Given the nature of the roles of marketing managers in this study, it could be

expected that a managerial anchor would be the predominant orientation, and this has

been confirmed. Similarly, Crepeau, et. al, (1992) concluded that individuals in

managerial positions, like the respondents in this study, were orientated to managerial

anchors. In this thesis, the managerial orientation is particularly strong, and it is thought

that not only are the respondents in this study in managerial roles, but the fact that they

have undertaken post-graduate marketing programs aimed at developing their skills for

this type of role, explains the very high level of managerial orientation.

The results of the thesis and prior studies on career anchors are shown in Table 6.9

below. The results by Schein (1996), together with the study by Kniverton (2004) and

Marshall and Bonner (2003) are also shown. The study by Kniveton (2004) included

540 managers in the UK. The study by Marshall and Bonner (2003) involved 423

graduate students, enrolled in management programs in Western Australia, the USA,

Malaysia, South Africa and the UK. Kniveton (2004) noted that it was unlikely that the

graduate students were representative of managers more generally, for according to

Career Anchors of Respondent

010203040506070

Man

agem

ent

Techn

ical

Autono

my

Org St

ab

Geogr

aphic

Sens

e of S

ervice

Lifesty

le

Challe

nage

Num

ber

of R

espo

nden

ts %

251

Campbell, Wilson and Hanson (1980), adults who return to education later in their life

tended to be dissatisfied with their life. This finding was seen by Kniveton (2004) to

place restriction on the application of the Marshall and Bonner (2003) study to

managers generally.

Table 6.9: Career Anchors of Managers

Career Anchor Thesis Study Schein (1996) Kniveton (2004)

Marshall & Bonner (2003)

% Rank % Rank Rank Rank Managerial Importance 63 1 25 1 2 7 Life style Integration 13 2 7.5 6 6 1 Sense of service 8 3 7.5 6 1 4 Pure Challenge 5 4 7.5 6 5 2 Autonomy 3 5 10 3 3 3 Organisational stability 5 6 10 3 4 Geographic Security 2 7 10 3 5 8 Technical and Functional Competence

1 8 25 1 7 5

Entrepreneurial(a) N/a N/a 7.5 6 8 6 (a) The Entrepreneurial Anchor had a Cronbach’s Alpha Value <0.6 and was not considered. Please see methodology for an

explanation

The researcher posited that managerial anchors would be the most important career

anchor. In addition, the researcher posited that the managerial anchor would be

relatively higher and technical/functional and security would be relatively lower, when

comparing Schein’s (1996) ranking of anchors with the ranking for the sample from this

thesis study. The results shown in Table 6.9 indicate support for these propositions.

These results note that in the thesis study that the managerial anchor is the dominant

anchor (63%). Schein (1996) also found that the managerial anchor was dominant

(25%). The thesis study found technical and function competence was lowly ranked at

eight (1%), whilst Schein found that technical/security was equally ranked as one

(25%). In this thesis study, the geographic security was ranked at seven (2%), which

was lower than the ranking of three found by Schein (1996).

The results of the thesis study as shown in Table 6.9 show no similarities with the study

by Bonner and Marshall (2003), which saw the managerial anchor as having a ranking

of seven out of eight. As noted by Kniveton (2004), the Bonner and Marshall (2003)

findings may well have been an artefact of the characteristics of the student sample used

in the study. Within that study, the majority of the respondents had been retrenched as a

252

result of downsizing. Thus, their economic circumstances may have had an impact on

their career anchor choice. There are more similarities between the findings of the thesis

study and those of Schein (1996) and Kniveton (2004). Whilst Kniveton (2004) did not

see managerial as the most important anchor, it was ranked as second to sense of

service. This thesis study also saw sense of service as an important anchor, with a

ranking of three. Both, the results of this thesis study and Kniveton (2004), found

technical anchors to be of low ranking.

The finding in this thesis study of the dominance of the managerial anchor, as the

predominant anchor of these respondents, could have been expected because most of the

respondents were established in their careers and held marketing management positions.

Individuals having a managerial anchor see managing others, advancement,

responsibility, leadership and income as important. The managerial anchor is a category

that is publicly espoused because of the great rewards that are presumed to go with high

level management jobs (Srinivasan, 2007). Schein (1996) predicted that the importance

of managerial anchors would increase with changing work practices, but would be

pushed to lower levels of the organisation. Consequently, the skills of general

management, i.e. analytical, interpersonal, and emotional competence, would be needed

at lower and lower levels of the organisation. In addition, such an anchor requires a high

aptitude in financial and analytical skills, which is supported by well-honed

interpersonal skills and decision making skills. The skills that were found to be highly

important in this thesis were decision making and interpersonal skills.

Individuals with a technical/functional anchor concern themselves with the content of

work itself. They prefer advancement in a technical area rather than in general

management (Danziger, Rachman-Moore and Valency, 2008). It would seem consistent

that in this study which covered marketing professionals (mainly marketing managers),

that the ranking of this anchor would be relatively low. The thesis study did find the

technical/functional anchor as the lowest ranking of 8, covering 1% of respondents.

Srinivasan (2007) noted that increasingly the technical/functionally anchored person

would recognise that the skill set and emotional make-up that is needed for management

jobs is fundamentally different. He further posited that in a management role, an

individual must be highly motivated to succeed in the increasingly political

environment, as well as having analytical and financial skills, high levels of

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interpersonal competence to function in teams and in negotiations, and, most important

of all, they must have the emotional make-up to make highly consequential decisions

with only partial information.

The security and stability anchor represents individuals who are mainly motivated by

long-term job security and attachment to one organisation, or geographical area.

Individuals with this orientation are more concerned about the context of their work (for

example pay, working conditions and benefits such as being close to home or salary

packages) rather than the content of their work (Schein 1990). Schein predicted that this

anchor would become less popular as a result of the increasingly transient nature of

employment. The thesis study appears to have confirmed this trend, with the security

and stability anchor ranked in the lower third of anchors. This finding appears to be

supported by the increasing predisposition of employees to travel or change residence to

take up work opportunities (Kniveton 2003). It is also supported by Marshall and

Bonner (2003) who ranked this at the end of the anchors in their study suggesting that

the low level indicates that employees rely more on their career dependence rather than

the organisations vocational offerings.

The most dramatic difference in the study results revolve around the lifestyle anchor.

Individuals having this anchor as predominant are primarily concerned with aspects of

their whole life, balancing career with family and other interests. Schein predicted an

increasing emphasis on this anchor with the growing proportion of dual career (job and

family) individuals. This study has found the lifestyle anchor to be ranked second,

which is markedly higher than the ranking of six in the study reported by Schein (1996)

and Kniveton (2003). This result is not unexpected as the lifestyle anchor is becoming

more important among other executives when compared to previous studies (Arnold,

1997). Interestingly, the study of graduate students found the lifestyle anchor to be

ranked first (Bonner and Marshall, 2003). It was earlier suggested that their results may

have been an artefact of the sample.

Schein (1996) ranked the sense of service anchor among the bottom third of the

anchors, but predicted an increase with growing emphasis on ecology and recycling.

This anchor is largely concerned with improving the world, helping society, and desire

to work in a field that meets their values, rather than their skills. Individuals who are

254

oriented towards the service anchor normally would not consider employment that takes

them away from their values. The sense of service anchor was ranked third, covering

8% of respondents in this study. As Schein (1996) posed, there would appear to be more

interest in this value based orientation, and this would appear to be the case, when

comparing the results from Schein (1996) with this study. As such, the results suggest

that there may be a growing value-based orientation where individuals are largely

concerned with improving the world, and seeking to work in a field that matches their

values. This change in orientation was supported by the recent amendment of the CIM

Professional Standard Framework to cover social marketing in their list of competences.

The pure challenge anchor represents individuals concerned with overcoming obstacles

or problems, who also emphasise competition and winning. Within this thesis, this

anchor was ranked four, and considered the dominant anchor by 5% of the respondents.

The marketing managers possessing this orientation would enjoy competition, want to

overcome obstacles, and prove to themselves and others they can achieve. These

conditions are certainly the environment in which many marketing managers find

themselves given the volatility of the marketing landscape. Some marketing managers,

more than others, would have experience in delivering positive marketing outcomes in

very challenging situations. The relatively small numbers of respondents who favour

this orientation are ambitious and want to achieve as a way of driving their career.

These individuals are not necessarily seeking to be tied to a particular organisation, but

will consider movement, or novel projects, as a method of stimulating their career. If

these individuals are not challenged, they may experience a decline in career

satisfaction. In some organisations, career development programs are founded on the

premise that employees are principally motivated by promotion, however, there is

ample evidence of differences in motivation (Yarnall, 1998). For example, individuals

who possess a pure challenge orientation respond to challenge, and money or other

benefits will not motivate them.

Individuals who have an autonomy career anchor value independence from

organisational rules and individual freedom. The results of this study found that the

autonomy career anchor was ranked five, representing 3% of respondents. The

respondents who identified with an autonomy orientation would have chosen marketing

as a career since it allowed them a level of independence which suited their career

255

motivations (Tan and Quek, 2001). Essentially, the established marketers having this

orientation saw a marketing management role as one that provided them with flexibility

and the option to include other elements of their life. Schein (1996) saw this anchor as

typical of older workers, who had the personal and financial security to be more

independent, and self-willed. In this study, the ranking of the autonomy anchor was

lower than for the Schein (1996) and Kniveton (2004) study. The respondents in this

study all were undertaking a marketing management role, and had at least 3 years’

experience in a marketing role. As such, it would appear that most of the respondents

were in the mid-career stage, which may have influenced the lower ranking of this

anchor. These results are similar to the results by Suutari and Taka (2004) whose results

also suggested a low compliance to this career anchor.

Schein (1978) has asserted that a stable career identity is formed only through concrete

experiences with real tasks and real co-workers in real work organisations. The main

attribute of career anchors which drive Schein’s model of career anchors was

congruence. Schein argued that when individuals achieve congruence between their

career and their work environment they are more likely to achieve positive work. Schein

(1987, 1990) identified the positive career outcomes of work effectiveness, job

satisfaction, and job stability. Schein was also of the view that there is one dominant

career anchor (1990). This thesis study has clearly identified the dominance of the

managerial career anchor among nearly two-third of the study respondents, thus

supporting Hypothesis 6. This finding would seem to support the notion that most of the

marketing managers, had achieved congruence between their career anchor, and their

work as a manager in a marketing functional area. As such, the congruence between the

individual’s career anchor and their role at work would indicate a positive career

outcome.

6.5.1: SKILLS AND CAREER ANCHORS

The final Hypothesis, Hypothesis 7 proposed that the skills which are important to a

marketer’s career establishment are dependent on their career anchors. Linear regression

was undertaken to determine if there is a relationship between the fourteen important

skills and career anchors. The ranges of R squared for all of the fourteen skills, using

each one as a dependent variable were from 0.04-0.18. The skill which had the highest

256

R squared value (0.18), representing the highest goodness of fit of 18%, people

management, was deemed to be a significant relationship. Thus Hypothesis 7 is

supported as a relationship between career anchors and people management skills has

been identified as significant. This finding was not unexpected as common sense would

provide that marketing managers with a management orientation (career anchor) would

most likely see people management skills as a prelude to successfully undertaking a

management role.

6.6: CONCLUSIONS

Marketing is seen by many organisations as the driver of long-term profitability and

success (Caruana and Calleya, 1998). Consequently, the marketing manager responsible

for undertaking the tasks that lead to success may be seen to have the primary

responsibility for the success of the organisation’s products and services in the market

place. Given the key role of marketing managers to the profitability of the organisation, it

behoves researchers to develop an appreciation and knowledge of the determinants of

marketing management career success. Consequently, the intent of this thesis was to

focus on marketing managers, with a view to examining factors that influence their

career establishment. In doing so, the study examined the activities and tasks of the

marketing manager, and the required skill sets needed to undertake tasks appropriate to

this role. The study also examined the marketing managers’ perceptions of the post-

graduate marketing studies they had undertaken, with a view to identifying if the

program studies had contributed to developing and augmenting their needed skill sets.

An individual’s skill-set is seen as an important factor in defining their “external career”,

as it enables them to advance through the formal stages and roles that are defined by

organisational policies and societal concepts in the occupational structure (Schein, 1978,

1990). In the light of recent changes in the organisational environment, Srinivasan (2007)

noted that managerial ladders as such may become much fuzzier and status will be

defined more by the number of skills a given manager has than by their position in a

hierarchy. The study has identified not only important skills but skills that are seen as

most important, or key skills. The key skills identified were management skills, rather

than marketing knowledge which may have been expected to be one of the most

important skills. The study examined a range of skills, 14 in all, to establish their

257

perceived importance to the career establishment of the post-graduate marketing

manager. The respondents perceived all of the 14 skills as important. However, the most

important, or key skills, were decision making, interpersonal and people management

skills. Marketing knowledge was found to be an important skill for an established

marketing manager, but not a key skill, being ranked nine out of 14 skills in terms of

importance. The three key skills, decision making, interpersonal and people management

skills, were all found to have high levels of significant correlations with other skills,

being ten eight and seven associations, respectively. The high level of association

between these three skills accords both with the importance of these skills, and the

complex, or layered, nature of these skills. This complexity and layering is referred to as

“strataplex” by Mumford et al., (2007). The term refers to the complex nature of the

skills and their relationship with various elements of the organisation.

The importance of management skills to marketing managers was reinforced by the

finding that leadership skills (which is a management skill), were found to be the most

important skill in conducting seven of the 23 tasks that were examined. Of more

interest, and possibly concern to marketing managers, is that these skills are generally

regarded as management skills and thus are skills that are not usually covered in post-


Career progression from novice to established professional marketer involves a change in

the nature of tasks undertaken. The identification of marketing tasks, and the frequency

with which they were undertaken was identified using the CIM Professional Standard

Framework. The CIM Framework was adapted to incorporate financial activities, as

these were identified in the initial exploratory research conducted prior to the main study,

and found to be a significant activity of marketing managers. The data analysis of task

frequency substantiated the findings of the importance of the 23 tasks that were

examined. As all 23 tasks of the CIM Framework, with the exception of the conduct of

market research projects, were identified as important, and most of the tasks were

undertaken by marketing managers at least once per year, the findings have provided

support for the use of the CIM Framework as a suitable classification system for

investigating the tasks of marketing managers in Australia.

258

The inclusion of financial task in the study was validated as the task was ranked nine out

of 23 tasks in importance. Moreover, only 2% of respondents rarely undertook this

financial activity task, and half the respondents conducted this task with a frequency of

monthly or more. The study also found significant relationships between the tasks, as

would seem obvious that, for example, tasks such as market research, and

implementation strategies, depend on other tasks that are being undertaken. The most

important tasks undertaken were noted as principally requiring management tasks for

their performance, thus reinforcing the earlier finding of the important skill set of

management skills for the marketing manager.

Clearly, the most common career anchor of marketing managers, with a post-graduate

marketing qualification, was found to be a managerial orientation (63%). Given the

nature of the respondents (marketing managers) in this study, it could be expected that

the managerial career anchor would be the predominant orientation, and this has been

confirmed. Similarly, studies on careers (Crepeau, et al., 1992), found that individuals

in managerial positions, like the respondents in this study, were orientated to managerial

anchors. In this study, the managerial orientation is particularly strong, and it is thought

that not only are the respondents in this study in managerial roles, but the fact that they

have undertaken post-graduate program aimed at developing their skills for this type of

role, explains the very high level of managerial orientation. The apparent high level of

congruence between the dominant career of managerial, and the individuals work role

as a manager, would suggest that most of these respondents had achieved positive career

outcomes. Additionally, it was found that there was a relationship between career

anchors and skills, with the perceived importance of managerial skills identified as most

strongly dependent on the career orientation. Again further supporting the earlier links

between the identification of managerial skills as most important for the career of an

established marketing manager.

In reflecting on the role of the post-graduate marketing programs they had undertaken,

the study results clearly demonstrated that the marketing managers found the coverage of

skills in all cases, with the exception of marketing comprehension, was deficient. The

skill coverage was not considered to be consistent with the level of importance they

placed on the skill. Furthermore, the study found that the emphasis on skills in all cases

was not considered to be consistent with the level of importance they placed on the skill.

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On the basis of these findings, it is not unreasonable to state that all stakeholders,

students, employers and Higher Education Institutions, should be concerned that largely

all of the skills identified as important for career establishment and success are not seen

to be satisfactorily covered in post-graduate marketing programs. It is important to note

here that although views on the importance of different skills vary among stakeholders,

as established in past research, there is some agreement that marketing graduates have to

be well versed in marketing knowledge and possess a range of analytical and soft skills

that are essential for their career development (Kelley and Bridges, 2005). But, even

more important in today’s marketplace may be the supported findings of this thesis study

that it is most important for the marketing manager to hold a range of management skills

as well.

6.7: PHASE 4 – TRIANGULATION OF QUALITATIVE AND

QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH RESULTS

In order to confirm the results of the quantitative stage of the research, the researcher

again approached the respondents from Phase 3 of the research design to obtain their

feedback. All 13 respondents were contacted and all agreed to a further interview in

which to provide feedback on the research results. The respondents (six marketing

managers, two marketing management recruitment consultants and one academic) were

provided with a copy of the quantitative research results one week before the agreed

follow-up interview to ensure they had time to preview the findings. This final phase of

the research was specified and justified in Chapter 3 of the thesis.

In summary, all respondents expressed their support for the finding the first set of

hypotheses relating to the identification of important skills and of the finding of a group

of key skills, identified as management skills. For example:

Mr A (Marketing Manager) explains this by stating:

“Of course you should find managerial skills as the most important. Marketing is not just about dealing with customers, but dealing with internal customers as well.”

Mr B. (Marketing Management Recruitment Consultant) stated that:

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“Leadership is still the word I hear a lot from my clients. I see it was acknowledged and is consistent with many facets of your results. I am not sure that is should not be the top skill”.

Other comments by Mr S (Marketing Director) also support these results, For example;

“If managers cannot make decisions and solve problems, then why are they employed? The answer is they are not. However, in order for them to make those decisions, they have to be able to communicate to staff and manage them to aid us getting to those results. Your results make perfectly good sense”

There was discussion by the respondents on the ranking of the skills, though they all

agreed on their importance and the inclusion of financial tasks included in the research

design. As a marketing management recruitment consultant explained;

“I am asked for marketing managers who are capable of understanding the bottom line. It scares me in some ways that financials are the most important skill.” (Ms O. Marketing Management Recruitment Consultant)

When the respondents looked at the CIM Professional Model Framework, they were not

surprised on the order of importance of tasks. For example,

“As a sales and marketing manager, I have to make sure of my staff and their progress, since their performance will impact on my career. This becomes a priority of my day to day tasks.” (Mr. B., Sales and Marketing Manager)

Ms O comment was not alone in seeing the importance of financial skills as needed to

undertake the most important tasks of a marketing manager. The issue of the adequacy

of the post graduate marketing program in delivering this needed skill set for marketing

managers was discussed. The industry respondents were in agreement that management

skills needed to be adequately covered in post graduate programs, and there was

concern that the study had provided a range of evidence that the programs were

deficient in this respect. A more considered view was put by the one practising

academic who stated that:

“As an academic, we focus much of our attention on the 4P’s which I agree with. The results suggest that our focus in program development in terms of activities and skills may require a re-think. This I am also in agreement of.” (Mr. S., Lecturer in Business)

In summary, these findings suggest that the results in this thesis are consistent

with the beliefs of the respondents who are currently engaged within the industry.

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The concern of the adequacy of the post-graduate programs is an issue that

involves many stakeholders and only the views of past students have been

examined in this thesis study. The findings also, generally, support the findings of

this quantitative stage of the research which has been discussed in this chapter.

6.8: THEORETICAL CONTRIBUTION OF RESEARCH

Few would argue with the proposition that transformations of organisations worldwide

have implications for career development in the future (Schein, 2007). It would seem that

these changes indicate an organisational environment in which individuals are required

to effectively plan and manage their own careers to meet their desired outcomes. In

concert with this there has been a move by governments and organisations to introduce

competency testing as a means to assess and clarify the expected roles of professional

(marketers), and the associated needed skill-set at various stages of career development.

Much of the previous research on skills has focussed on the development of the entry-

level skills of graduates (Walker et al., 2009), and, accordingly, the needed skill sets of

graduates at later stages of career development have been neglected within the literature.

It is expected that at these later stages of one’s career that more sophisticated or

enhanced skills are required to perform associated marketing tasks. The primary purpose

of this thesis was to advance our knowledge of the skills, associated tasks, and internal

factors that facilitate the career development and success of established marketing

managers, who have a post-graduate marketing qualification. The theoretical

contribution of the thesis is discussed below.

6.8.1: NEEDED SKILLS FOR MARKETING MANAGERS

First, the study has presented the marketing manager’s perceptions of important skills for

career establishment. The findings are of particular interest because firstly, these

marketing managers identified a wide range of skills, fourteen in all, that were all

deemed as important. So, thus marketing managers saw many skills as important with

marketing knowledge and also financial knowledge were seen as important but not listed

among the skills as most important. The study also found a high level of

interrelationships between the 14 skills, and this finding is consistent with the often cited

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complex, or layered nature of professional skills. These findings also raise practical

issues relating to the mechanism of development and teaching of these skills.

Second, a number of key skills (decision-making, interpersonal and people

management) were identified that are generally recognised as management rather than

marketing skills. This study finding, in part, reflects changes in the organisational

environment where management functions are being pushed lower within the

organisation (Schein, 2007). Consequently, it appears that, whether or not employees

ever become or seek to become managers, they are now required to possess managerial

skills to lead teams, or small groups, in work projects. The importance of these

management skills to successfully undertake the tasks of a marketing manager is

discussed in the following section. Of note is the finding that leadership (a management

skill), was cited most frequently, as the most important skill for conducting the tasks

required of a marketing manager.

Third, the study established that at no stage in their higher education studies were

students aware that their skills had been tested, other than the more obvious marketing

knowledge and written and oral communication skills. Anecdotal evidence suggests that

skill testing is also not undertaken in the workplace, other than the testing that occurs

prior to employee engagement. Given that the literature confirms that the workplace is

evolving in a manner where individuals are required to be more responsible for their own

careers, it may be desirable for individuals to become more aware of their current skills

and those skills that they need to possess for career establishment.

6.8.2: THE ROLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN SKILL DEVELOPMENT

The study identified a number of perceived deficiencies related to the ability of

Australian post graduate marketing programs to develop the skills required by marketing

managers. Of the fourteen skills examined, for example, only one skill, marketing

knowledge, was seen by some graduates to be adequately covered and emphasised in

these programs. These findings are of grave concern to all stakeholders but particularly

in Higher Education Institutions.

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More specifically, the post-graduate marketing programs are the marketing managers’

preferred or main source of skill development, then post-graduate marketers are

potentially being hindered in their skill-set development, and hence, career establishment

and further development. Moreover, industry is not receiving graduates who are properly

equipped to successfully conduct the required tasks of a marketing manager. Finally, the

post graduate marketing programs are generally not meeting their promoted purpose of

career establishment, and may in fact be opening the higher educational institutions up of

a strong competitive attack, particularly from private universities as foreshadowed by the

current Federal Government. These findings and development have important practical

implications that are covered in the discussion of the theoretical implications in the

following section.

6.8.3: ACTIVITIES AND TASKS OF MARKETING MANAGERS

The study has provided an up-to-date account of the activities and tasks of marketing

managers who hold having a postgraduate qualification, in Australia. This information

was much needed, as most of the recent studies on the nature of the activities and tasks of

marketing managers have been conducted using job content analysis (e.g., Bennett, 2002;

Melia, et. al., 2008; Schlee and Harich, 2010). The two key findings of this part of the

study related first to the finding of the importance of financial activities to the conduct of

the role of marketing manager and, second, to the key importance of leadership skills in

conducting most of the tasks in the framework. These findings also raise concern and

further support the earlier findings about the perceived inadequacy of postgraduate

marketing programs in providing the necessary knowledge and skill development for

individuals seeking or undertaking marketing management roles. These findings were

also supported by the results of the content analysis of post-graduate marketing programs

in Australia which were found to not cover either financial knowledge or

leadership/management skills (Appendix 2 refers).

These findings may be seen to have benefits to a range of stakeholders in higher

education. For the individuals seeking to pursue a marketing career, the information will

provide them with a current appreciation of the skills that will be required and the tasks

and activities they can be expected to undertake in marketing management roles. For

employers, the knowledge of the applicability of the CIM Professional Framework to the

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Australian context will enable them to better benchmark marketing roles within their

firm or the industry in Australia. For Higher Educational Institutions, which need to keep

their programs at the cutting edge of knowledge, it will enable these to design program

curriculum with a strong understanding of the current tasks, activities, and skills required

within industry.

In summary, the CIM Professional Standard Framework, adapted to include financial

skills/tasks, has been shown to be useful in identifying, and possibly benchmarking the

role of marketing managers that have a post graduate marketing qualification. The

identification of the needed skills that are required to perform the tasks also should

provide guidance to higher educational institutions on program design.

6.8.4: CAREER ANCHORS OF MARKETING MANAGERS

This research is, to the author’s knowledge, one of the first to identify the career anchors

of marketing managers, with post-graduate marketing qualifications, in Australia. The

dominant career anchor of marketing managers (covering respondents largely with the

title marketing manager and national marketing manager) was predominantly

management as posited by Schein (2005) who saw congruence between chosen career

role and career anchor. As respondents had all undertaken post-graduate marketing

programs, it could be implied that these individuals were ambitious, and focussed on

accelerating their career development. Schein (2005) saw individuals that have a

managerial anchor as having analytical, interpersonal, leadership and emotional

competence skills. This study has confirmed that the marketing managers did largely see

the acquisition of management skills as important to their career establishment, thus in

part confirming Schein’s proposition that individuals having a management anchor

would see management related skills as important.

Whether this finding is new in an Australian context is unknown due to the lack of

previous studies. Moreover, for management skills may not just be a necessity for more

senior marketing managers, but also for marketers at lower levels. Schein (2005), the

architect of the notion of career anchors, noted that the need for individuals with

management skills would increase as general management was pushed to lower levels in

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an organisation. The study results, and perceived changes to organisational structures,

also point to the importance of the acquisition of management skills to the establishment

of the careers of marketing managers.

A number of other trends foreseen by Schein (2007) in his research into career

development were validated in this study. First, the study confirmed, as posited by

Schein (2007), that the lifestyle anchor would become increasingly important. The study

found the lifestyle anchor to have demonstrated the most change in appeal, and was seen

as increasingly important from the original research by Schein. Second, the study found

the decreased importance of the stability/security and technical/functional anchors, and

this was consistent with the trends posited by Schein (2007). Taken together, an

understanding of the tasks and skill requirements of marketing managers, and an

appreciation of career anchors, adds to an understanding of the marketer’s career

aspirations and motivations. This information provides a more embracing view of this

segment of marketing professionals, and the needs these marketers have in terms of

professional development. It is of interest to both the marketer, and the firm, that these

individuals receive professional development that optimally enhances and develops their

needed skills. This would enable the marketer to progress on their career path, or

undertake employment that achieves a high level of congruence with their values and

motivations.

6.9: PRACTICAL CONTRIBUTION

6.9.1: IDENTIFIED SKILLS FOR MARKETING MANAGERS IN THE HIGHER EDUCATION SECTOR

The study has identified a broad range of skills, 14 in all, that are seen as important by

marketing managers to their career establishment. It is evident that it would be most

difficult for any educational program to adequately develop such a broad range of skills.

Not only because of the size of the task but also because skill development is a complex

issue that cannot be solely addressed in an educational program. It is, of course,

recognised that skill development can be facilitated through short-term assignments,

cross-functional business exposure, reading books and varied work projects (Lall,

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2007), but that many individuals prefer to undertake skill and knowledge development

through recognised higher education institutions, both for skill acquisitons and for

certification.

The 14 skills were each complex skills, which by their nature are quite difficult to

measure and teach. The subsequent study findings of the identification of a key

grouping of needed skills, coupled with confirmation of the interconnectedness of the

skills perhaps points to a practical solution to skill development where Higher

Educational Institutions could focus on the key skills, rather than trying to

accommodate the development or enhancement of a wider array of skills in an

educational program.

The grouping of key skills that are most important could be broadly classified as

management skills educational providers could more focus on these key skills in their

programs rather than trying to accommodate all skills. This approach would and also fit

into the current curriculum design framework.

The practical implications of the study findings may be viewed in another light as not so

much an intrusion on current educational programs but perhaps in relation to a new

approach to skills development. As technology has facilitated the delivery of more

customised offering in the marketplace more generally, it is now possible for

educational providers too to develop customised programs for their students. In the case

of skills development, as the study has identified, the assessment of existing skills more

generally has not been undertaken in post/graduate marketing programs, other than in a

limited manner in the context of knowledge based assessments. There is now the

identified need to offer skill development to students seeking career establishment in

marketing management roles as well as individual skills testing. Thus the development

of customised programs for individual students may be an approach that can be

considered by higher educational providers.

6.9.2: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

Of real concern is the perception of the marketing managers, who had undertaken

postgraduate marketing programs of the perceived inadequacy of the programs in

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meeting their skill development or enhancement needs. The exception was only for the

adequacy of the coverage of marketing knowledge. These findings again bring to the

fore the ever present debate surrounding the role of Higher Education Institutions in the

development of knowledge versus focussed career building programs. The findings may

also be of interest to the bodies handling and managing the quality accreditation of

higher educational bodies in Australia, as presumably the continued delivery of

programs that provide the expected skills and knowledge are required for continued

accreditation.

In a large part, the role of Higher Educational Institutions, in the development of

competent marketing managers, relies on its ability to keep abreast of changes in the

dynamic marketing landscape. Whilst seeing change and making changes to program

curriculum offers benefits to particular Higher Educational Institutions in terms of

competitive advantage, the failure to adapt brings with it not only out-of-date knowledge

and skill development for students but less-able preparation of students for career

establishment. Furthermore, the importance of higher education to Australian society

derived from its functioning as a successful export earner is contingent upon addressing

the needs of its post graduate students. On the issue of both required knowledge and

skills, this thesis study has delivered insights that may be taken up by Higher Educational

Institutions to enable the development of post graduate marketing programs that are more

tailored to the needs of marketing managers, as against novice marketers.

In the above discussion on skills a number of potential approaches to skill development

were seen as having practical appeal. First, the adjustment of programs to incorporate the

key grouping of important management skills and financial knowledge that were seen as

lacking in post graduate marketing programs was seen as a viable practical solution to

meeting the perceived needs of the postgraduate marketing student. This approach was

perhaps practical but it could not attempt to accommodate all the identified important

skills in one program. It could be inferred that the incorporation of new skill

development into the marketing curriculum would be at the expense of current marketing

knowledge based subjects, and this would be consistent with the perceptions of the

marketing managers who saw too much emphasis on marketing knowledge in the

programs. However, such a change to incorporate management subjects in a marketing

program would better meet the needs of established marketing managers.

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A second option posed to skills development would be a more customised approach with

a foundation based on an assessment of the students current skill levels and perceived

development needs for a marketing management role, as identified in the adapted CIM

framework. Such an option could perhaps better meet the needs of students while

offering more flexibility in program delivery. This type of approach may, however, move

too far away from the traditional program delivery of higher educational institutions and

not be favoured. It may, however, point to an innovative educational product that may be

introduced by service providers better able to deliver these types of educational

outcomes.

So whilst Higher Educational Institutions are often seen as the provider of choice in

development of knowledge and skills for professional careers, they are not the only

source of skill development. In reality, there must be a point where individuals

recognise that no single source of skill development, including post graduate marketing

qualifications, will exactly meet their requirements or expectations. However, whilst the

promotional material for the post graduate marketing programs continues to describe

them in terms of their ability to establish and define careers it can be expected that

stakeholders continue to assess them on this basis. Ultimately, the value of the programs

can be assessed by the competence of students in their field. It is not uncommon for

higher educational programs to define their competitive advantage in terms of the

competence of their students, Accordingly, any Higher Educational Institution which

develops a program designed to deliver to the needs of the established marketing

manager, and thus provide outcomes that define successful marketing managers, could

be seen to have identified and delivered a sustainable competitive advantage.

In summary, the study findings offer insights into the perceived skill development needs

of marketing managers which were sought in their postgraduate marketing studies.

Higher Educational Institutions in their program review activities could study these

findings with a view to implement more satisfying programs for the established

marketing manager.

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6.9.3: ACTIVITIES AND TASKS OF MARKETING MANAGERS

Specifically, the study has validated the CIM Professional Standard Framework, but

recommends it be amended to incorporate financial activities. The amended framework

effectively covers the range of tasks and activities that are expected of a marketing

manager. The knowledge of the expected tasks, and the frequency with which they were

conducted, also provides insights for marketers. As such, it should aid employers and

Higher Education Institutions to understand the skills and task competency needed for

career progression in a marketing role.

The adapted CIM Professional Standard Framework used as a framework of activities

and tasks, in this study, would appear to provide a suitable basis for organisations to

define the competencies required for marketing manager’s functions. The framework

may also be applicable for other levels of marketers as well. Such a framework may not

only provide a basis for career progression, but also may be linked to many other

development initiatives in an organisation (Srinivasan, 2007).

Consequently, the adapted CIM Professional Standard Framework developed in this

thesis can be used as representative of the tasks of the marketing manager and has been

supported by the frequency of tasks undertaken, as identified in this thesis study. The

CIM Professional Standard Framework should provide insights into the marketing

management roles to students, marketers, employers and Higher Education Institutions

alike.

6.9.4: ROLE OF CAREER ANCHORS

As the literature provides the notion of an individual’s career as changing from an

external to an internal perspective, an individual’s career anchor becomes more

important in determining career choice and measuring career success. Schein (2007)

foresaw the link between a managerial career orientation and the individual’s

motivation to build skills, and also foresaw the increasing importance of a lifestyle

career anchor. This study has confirmed both these trends and in so doing has provided

clear and current support of the career anchor theory.

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Moreover, this study, and the finding of the congruity between the dominant career

anchor of the individuals (management and the career role marketing management) is

again supportive of career anchor theory but has career management implications.

Schein (2005) saw individuals having a managerial anchor as having analytical,

interpersonal, leadership and emotional competence skills. The logical extension of

these propositions is that some groups of individuals, for example, those with a

managerial anchor, will be more adapt at self-management of their careers than others.

Quite obviously, there are benefits for both the individual and the employing

organisation in identifying career anchors. For individuals there is the knowledge that

will guide decisions about career choice that lead to more positive outcomes, and, for

organisations, there is the potential to align human resource management decisions,

with individual career anchors. The development of human resource management

practices, designed to meet individual career anchors, and thus meet the internal career

needs of individuals would potentially enhance retention of staff.

The issue to consider is at what stage individuals are introduced to the concept of career

anchors and how and when they may be tested so that they may take this career

orientation into account when planning their career. There are a range of stakeholders

having a vested interest in the development of individuals and their attainment of

satisfying and engaging work-lives. No doubt, as time moves on, steps need to be taken

to adjust to the dynamics of the current workplace where organisational position and

advancement is increasingly defined in terms of what one knows and what skills one

possesses and based less and less on security and loyalty.

Schein’s posited that career anchors develop through the individual’s experiences in a

variety of work settings. Accordingly, the appropriate time for marketing professionals

to give consideration to their anchors may be at a time when they have some work

experience. However, whilst the testing may be most usefully conducted during an

individual’s early working life, it may be more important to introduce the concept to

individuals during their studies so that they can better understand the dynamics

surrounding the development of a satisfying career or positive work outcomes.

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In summary, this thesis has examined the perceptions of marketing managers, who have

undertaken a post-graduate marketing qualification, on a number of issues. This study is

one of the few that has investigated issues pertaining to the career development and

success of the established, as distinct from novice, marketer. The insights developed in

the study have provided an understanding not only the skills needed for career

development, but also the effectiveness of post-graduate marketing programs, and of

career anchors in leading to positive career outcomes.

As students continue to expect post-graduate marketing programs to deliver the desired

skill development it is important for academics to consider changes in the program

content to ensure development of these needed skills. Only then will the students realise

a return on their educational investment and society at large reap the benefits of

effectively managed industries that enhance the economy and operate effectively with a

global environment.

6.10: LIMITATIONS

The principal limitations of the study are related to the conduct of this thesis research.

First, the thesis has been restricted to better understanding the skills, activities and career

orientation that affect marketing managers, who have undertaken post-graduate

marketing studies, in their career establishment. As such the study examined only the

issues in relation to experienced marketing managers, and did not seek to examine the

skill requirements at different periods in the professional life of a marketer. Additionally,

other issues or factors that advance or inhibit an individual’s skill development or career

progression have been excluded from study. These factors do, in themselves, provide

fertile grounds for future research in this area of study.

During the progress of the thesis, there were updates incorporated into the CIM model,

which was used to examine the role and activities of the marketing manager. These

updates were made public after the survey had been undertaken. The updates covered

social marketing and, given the scope of this thesis, it was considered that this update did

not invalidate, or adversely influence, the findings of the study.

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The sample in this thesis was drawn from the commercial database managed by List

Bank. All 2319 registered marketing managers with List Bank in Australia, who met the

study requirements, were invited to participate in the survey. Whilst List Bank is a

widely recognised organisation with a credible track record and strong quality data

management policies and procedures, it quite does not have a listing of all marketing

managers in Australia. It is possible, therefore, that the sample may not be representative

of all marketing managers in Australia. As such, the nature of the sample provides that

the survey results may be viewed as indicative without being absolutely conclusive.

6.11: DIRECTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH

This section will outline the future directions of research the researcher believes will

further add to the body of knowledge that this thesis has uncovered.

6.11.1: STUDY EXTENSION

The thesis study has examined marketing managers, who have undertaken a post-

graduate marketing program, as against the more common research into novice

marketers. Consequently, an interesting area for future research would be to undertake a

study to examine the skills and associated activities of marketers at various stages of

their career development from novice to a senior marketing management role. Such a

study would extend the findings of a content analysis study by Schlee and Harsh (2010)

which identified differences in required skills by career stage. Ideally, the conduct of a

longitudinal study would be best suited to monitor changes in skill requirements over

time and thus extend the findings of this thesis

Another interesting direction would be to consider not only marketing managers who

have undertaken post–graduate marketing program, as in this thesis, but also marketing

managers who have not undertaken formal study. It is believed that there are many

marketing managers with little or no formal education. It would be interesting to

investigate the views of this segment and identify their perceptions of needed skills, their

development, and to what they attribute their success to a marketing role.

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6.11.2: INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES

Recently researchers have been examining how individual differences are impacting on a

person’s career establishment. This thesis study has identified a link between a person’s

internal career orientation and motivation to develop skills and reach a management level

in their career. There are a range of internal difference factors which may impact on

career development and establishment. One such area is the gender difference which may

explain differences in the representation of women at the higher levels of marketing

management. Another direction may be to study the impact of personality, as an

individual’s personality, could affect not only the performance of the skill, but the

individual’s comprehension and ability to learn the skill. Whetten and Cameron (2002)

were adamant that the manager should understand their self-awareness skills. In all, the

study of individual differences should provide some exciting insights into career

development.

6.11.3: SITUATIONAL VARIABLES

The inclusion of other variables such as size of company would provide added insights

into the roles and skills that are used by marketers. It is considered that the role and

associated skills required by marketers may vary by the size and nature of the company,

being product, service or not-for-profit. A study of these variables could cover new

industry categories where e-marketing now dominates. In addition, such studies could

cover social marketing, a new task identified by the CIM Professional Framework.

6.11.4: SKILL DEVELOPMENT

Further research is needed into appropriate mechanisms for building those skills which

have been identified as necessary to the establishment of a successful professional

marketing career. This research would include investigations into how best to build and

develop skills, and to better understand how knowledge is developed and transferred in

the formation of skills, whether within Higher Education Institutions or the workplace.

The discrepancies identified between the needed skills and the skills taught in Higher

Education Institutions point to the need for changes in the their curriculum to

accommodate these skills. It is felt that additional research which would confirm this

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position would provide some impetus for Higher Education Institutions to move to

include the development of these important skills into the curriculum in a manner that

better connects their use to a real-world situation. Additionally, research could be

undertaken in Higher Education Institutions to gain a better appreciation of its

effectiveness in skill development, and the appropriateness of the skills selected for

development, given its focus on preparing students to be effective in the workplace. The

skills identified in this thesis may be seen as a starting point for the consideration of

changes in the Higher Education Institutions curriculum for post-graduate education. In

addition, there could be more research from the recruitment industry that could identify

needed skills, and together with industry associations, encourage, facilitate, and promote

marketing skill development.

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1

APPENDICES

Appendix 1 - Glossary

Appendix 2 - Summary of core subjects in post graduate marketing programs in

Australia

Appendix 3 – List of skills found in the literature

Appendix 4 – Summary of Transcripts for Qualitative Research

Appendix 5 - Roles frequently found in job advertisements for marketing managers

Appendix 6 - Skills frequently found in job advertisements for marketing managers

Appendix 7 - Roles frequently found in job Descriptions for marketing managers

Appendix 8 – Cover Letter of Main Study Survey

Appendix 9 – Survey Questionnaire

Appendix 10 – Ethics Approval

Appendix 11 – CIM Professional Framework

Appendix 12 – Full Analysis of Hypothesis 5.2.

Appendix 1 Page 1

APPENDIX 1: GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Activity: These are measurable piece of work performed to convert action into output.

They are often referred to as ongoing events that allow the marketing manager to

perform their role.

Career Anchor: describes the group of self-attitudes, vales and needs which guide and

shape career choices and directions (Schein, 1978).

Competence: in a particular skill is how well the actions are performed and sequences

at attain a goal (Evers and Rush, 1996).

Competency: is variously defined but generally refers to aspects of human

performance (Hoffman, 1999).

Coverage: refers to the amount of time that is spent in a program on developing the

skills under examination in this thesis.

Effective: refers to a person’s ability to satisfactorily attain a performance goal.

Emphasis ; refers to the level of focus of a program on a skill under examination.

Knowledge: conceptual and theoretical based aspects that allow the marketer to

understand the concepts of marketing (Davis, Misra and Van Auken 2002).

Management: refer to the accomplishment of tasks at hand by planning, organising

and coordinating and controlling both resources and people (Evers and Rush, 1996).

Marketing Manager: refers to professional marketers who are undertaking a

management role in a marketing functional area of a firm.

Appendix 1 Page 2

Occupational Standards: refers to recognisable outcomes that are based on task

performances in a marketing role. These standards specify a range of activities which,

if the marketer performs sufficiently, will lead to a capable overall performance

(Cheetham and Chivers, 1996).

Skill: is the ability to demonstrate a system and sequence of behaviour that is

functionally related to attaining a performance goal…….it must result in something

observable, something that someone in the person’s environment can see (Boyatzis

1982). Skills are abilities that can be developed through repetition (Shipp, Lamb and

Mokwa, 1993).

Skill set: a group of skills that allow the marketer to use their knowledge and abilities

to undertake the tasks required of a marketing role.

Role: with respects to the marketing managers in this thesis, it is their function they

perform within the marketing function of the company.

Task: An activity that is performed as a part of their job description. In this thesis, it

refers to the specific duties of the marketing manager.

Success: is defined broadly to cover the achievement of both personal and

organisational goals. In a personal sense it refers to the individual achieving a

management role in a marketing functional area.

Appendix 2 Page 1

APPENDIX 2 - SUMMARY OF CORE10 SUBJECTS IN POST GRADUATE MARKETING PROGRAMS IN

AUSTRALIA U

nive

rsity

Deg

ree

nam

e

No

of su

bjec

ts

requ

ired

Mar

ketin

g

Inte

rnat

iona

l

Prom

otio

ns

Fina

nce

Man

agem

ent

Con

sum

er

Beh

avio

ur

Info

rmat

ion

Syst

ems

Stra

tegy

Mar

ketin

g R

esea

rch

Law

Proj

ect

Ent

repr

eneu

rial

Swinburne Master of Business (Marketing) 12 1 0 0 0 0 1

2 1

1

Master of Commerce (Marketing) - Global Leadership program 16 1

1 6 1 1 2 1

1

Graduate Diploma in Marketing 8 1

1

2 1

1

Graduate Certificate in Marketing 4 1

1

1 1

Macquarie University

Master of Commerce (Marketing) 12 3

1 3 1 1

1

1

Monash University Master of Marketing 12 1

1

1 1 1 1

Masters of International 12 1 2 1

1

1

Masters of Marketing Communication 12 1

3

1

1

Masters of Relationship 12 2

1 1

1

1

10 The core subjects are those subjects that the student must attempt within the program. The core subjects were included since it allowed a comparison between the post graduate marketing units offered. The

post graduates who attempted these programs should at least had exposure to the skills and knowledge as a result of the subjects.

Appendix 2 Page 2

Uni

vers

ity

Deg

ree

nam

e

No

of su

bjec

ts

requ

ired

Mar

ketin

g

Inte

rnat

iona

l

Prom

otio

ns

Fina

nce

Man

agem

ent

Con

sum

er

Beh

avio

ur

Info

rmat

ion

Syst

ems

Stra

tegy

Mar

ketin

g R

esea

rch

Law

Proj

ect

Ent

repr

eneu

rial

Marketing Masters of Retailing 12 4 1

1


1

1

1


1

1

1

RMIT University Master of Business (Marketing) 12 1

1

1

1 1


1

1

1 1


1

1

1

University of Melbourne Master of Marketing- 13 1

2 2 1 1 1 1

Post Grad Marketing 9 1

2 1 1

1 University

of Melbourne Certificate in Marketing 4 1

Queensland University of Technology

Master of Business (Marketing) Advanced 12 5 1 2

1

1

2

Master of Business (Marketing) 10 5 1 2

1

1 Graduate Diploma in Marketing 8 1 1

1

1

Graduate Certificate in Marketing 4 1 1

1

1

Edith Cowan University

Master of Professional Marketing 12 4 0 4 0 0 1 0 1

Deakin University Master of Marketing 8 4 1 0 0 0 1 0 1


Appendix 2 Page 3

Uni

vers

ity

Deg

ree

nam

e

No

of su

bjec

ts

requ

ired

Mar

ketin

g

Inte

rnat

iona

l

Prom

otio

ns

Fina

nce

Man

agem

ent

Con

sum

er

Beh

avio

ur

Info

rmat

ion

Syst

ems

Stra

tegy

Mar

ketin

g R

esea

rch

Law

Proj

ect

Ent

repr

eneu

rial

Victoria University Master of Business (Marketing) 10 5 1 2 0 0 1 2 0

Australian Catholic University Masters of Marketing Advanced 13 2

1

1 1

1

3

Masters of Marketing 12 2

1

1 1

1 Graduate Diploma in Marketing 8 2

1 1


University of Canberra

Master or Marketing Communication 16 0 0 7 0 0 0 0 0

University of Canberra

Master of Marketing Management 12 1

1

1 1

Graduate Diploma in Marketing 8 1 1

1

1

1 1


1

University of Technology Sydney

Master of Business in Marketing 12 2 0 0 1 0 1 0 1

1


1

1 1


1

1 1

University of South Australia Master of Marketing 12 1 1

1 1 1 1 1

Graduate Diploma in Marketing 8 1 1

1 1 1 1 1


1 1

University of Western

Master of Business (International Marketing) 12 3 2 1 0 0 0 0 0

Appendix 2 Page 4

Uni

vers

ity

Deg

ree

nam

e

No

of su

bjec

ts

requ

ired

Mar

ketin

g

Inte

rnat

iona

l

Prom

otio

ns

Fina

nce

Man

agem

ent

Con

sum

er

Beh

avio

ur

Info

rmat

ion

Syst

ems

Stra

tegy

Mar

ketin

g R

esea

rch

Law

Proj

ect

Ent

repr

eneu

rial

Sydney University of Western Sydney Master of Business (marketing) 12 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 2


1 1 1

Curtin University

Master of Commerce (Marketing) 12 1

2

Master of Marketing 12 `1

1

1

1 1 Graduate Diploma in Marketing 8 1

1

1

1


1

1

Post Grad in Commerce 8 1

1 University of

Western Australia Master of Marketing 12 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0

Masters of Marketing Advanced 16 4 1 1 2 2 1 1 1 1 University of

Wollongong Master of Strategic Marketing 8 1

1

1

Master of Strategic Management and Marketing 8 1

3 1

1

University of Sydney

Master of Commerce (Marketing) 10 3 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1

2

Grad Cert in Marketing 8 3 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1

Appendix 3 Page 1

APPENDIX 3: LIST OF SKILLS FOUND IN THE LITERATURE

Active Learning

Analytical

Awareness of ethical

Behaviour analysis

Building relationships (Networking)

Career management skills

Communication

Competitiveness and ambition

Computer and IT skills

Coordination

Creativity

Critical thinking

Decision making

e-marketing

Enthusiastic in the marketing process

Entrepreneurship

Environmental awareness

Financial

Flexibility and adaptability

Generic

Human Relation

Information analysing

Innovation management

Interdepartmental cooperation and conflict resolution

Internal marketing

Internal political

International marketing

Interpersonal

Leadership

Listening

Appendix 3 Page 2

Literacy

Logical

Management

Market research skills/marketing research commissioning

Marketing Comprehension

Multi-disciplinary

Negotiation

New product development

Numeracy

Organisational

People management

Persuasiveness

Planning skills

Presentation

Problem solving

Product Knowledge

Relationship marketing

Salesmanship

Strategic thinking

Stress Management

Teamwork

Technical

Time Management


Vision


Appendix 4 Page 1

APPENDIX 4 - SUMMARY OF TRANSCRIPTS FOR QUALITATIVE RESEARCH

LIST OF INTERVIEWERS – INDUSTRY

INTERVIEW

No.

INDUSTRY POSITIO

N

EXPERIENCE DEGREE REASON WHY SELECTED

1(a) Fruit and

Vegetables

Marketing

Director

20 years Masters Mr C has been very successful in his business. He has worked extensively in variety of

marketing and sales positions. He is in the retail industry and is currently a Marketing

Director in the agricultural fields. He has set up departments in marketing as well

considerable experience in employing senior and junior staff. He has two post graduate

degrees in marketing and has current experience what is taught in Higher Education

Institutions

2(a) Confectionary Marketing

Director

20 years Masters Currently working in the retail industry. Worked as a marketing director and as a

General Manager. Mr. S. his experience in all facets of marketing ensuring an in-depth

answer all of the research questions. In addition, his experience as a senior manager

with marketing managers reporting to him allows for a well-grounded perspective. As

a general manager, he was able to observe the marketing managers who were

successful within his business. Mr S has numerous post graduate degrees including a

Masters of Marketing.

Appendix 4 Page 2

3 Children’s Toys Marketing

Manager

17 years Masters Ms J is currently in children’s merchandising having left the services industry

beforehand. Currently, she is a Marketing Manager with over several brand, product,

communication and research managers reporting to directly to her. Ms J perspective of

what makes a marketing manager successful are well founded, She also claims to have

hired over 20 product/brand/marketing managers in her career. This allows her to not

only understand the role of the marketing manager in various organisations, but the

tasks they have to complete which will aid in their career. Her experience and passion

for the marketing profession provides the necessary experience to answer all of the

research questions

4 Computers Senior

Product

Manager

18 years Masters Mr G claims that he is a salesman who entered the marketing field. His perspective is

from a Product Manager who works with salesman, and the reverse. The industry has a

high turnover of staff and his observations on what allows marketers to be successful

will aid in the marketing research questions of this thesis.

5 Packaging Director of

Marketing

20 years Masters Mr P has had many years’ experience in sales and marketing positions in the printing

and allied industries. He has worked overseas and interstate within this industry. His

knowledge of marketing is not confined to one particular level of marketing as he has

experience in product management, brand management, marketing management and

now as a marketing director. He has also had considerable experience in employing

and evaluating marketer’s performances at all levels.

6 Retail Marketing

Manager

15 years Grad. Dip

Marketing

Mr L has been in retail for over 15 years and has a Grad Dip of Marketing. As a

Marketing Manager in the sports industry, he has witnessed firsthand the career

progress of many marketers. Before his current position, Mr L. has worked as Sales

Manager and a State Manager. His experience allows him to make accurate evaluations

of the tasks that marketers actually perform, how they interrelate with other personnel

and most of all, what they need to do in order to establish their career. As an

experienced marketing professional, he is in a position to make an accurate

determination of the skills that allows a marketer to become established in their career.

Appendix 4 Page 3

7 Pharmaceutical Group

Marketing

Manager

15 years Grad. Dip

Marketing

Mr G has worked as a Group Marketing Manager for 5 years. Previously to this, he

was a Senior Product Manager and a Sales Manager. He currently has six direct reports

including product, brand and communication marketers. His opinions of the skills that

aid in the career comes are from both years of personnel experience and current

observations of his own staff.

8 Electrical

Wholesaling

Marketing

Director

20 years MBA Mr S completed his MBA over 5 years ago. He is currently employed as a Marketing

Director. His knowledge is marketing and this industry results from being an

electrician, a sales manager and a marketing manager. His knowledge of marketing and

this industry allows him to understand what need to be done for marketer to contribute

to the company’s performance, as well the skills required to become established in

their chosen career.

9 Packaging Sales and

Marketing

Manager

15 years MBA Mr B has been involved in sales and marketing for 15 years. Though his focus is on

sales, he has many product managers who have reported to him. Many of these have

gone onto in senior careers in marketing. Their career success plus his own experience

has provided an insight into the skills career marketers possess.

10 Medical

Diagnostics

Marketing

Director

15 years Grad. Dip

Marketing

Mr G travelled marketer who has considerable marketing, in Australia and overseas.

Started as a sales manager and moved to marketing, he has had as many as 40 staff in

various marketing positions and departments reporting to him. His knowledge of what

makes a marketing manager established is well founded as a result of his industry and

professional experiences.

Note – (a) This signifies that both of these respondents full transcript of interview is included in this section

Appendix 4 Page 4

LIST OF INTERVIEWERS – LECTURERS

INTERVIEW

No.

INDUSTRY POSITION EXPERIENCE REASON WHY SELECTED

11 Higher

Education

Lecturer in

Business

Yes

in industry

Mr G has been an academic for over 20 years. Previously he has worked overseas in the housing

and allied industry as a marketing manager. A comprehensive knowledge of teaching in MBA

programs in both the marketing and strategic marketing allows an understanding of the skills

taught within their domain. In addition, he can further contribute to the tasks the present marketer

is actually undertaking. Mr G knowledge of the marketing manager and the experience within the

Higher Education Institutions, allows him to answer the research questions of this thesis. This

makes him an ideal candidate to be interviewed.

12 Higher

Education

Lecturer in

Business

Yes

in industry

Mr A is currently working as a consultant and a Lecturer in Marketing. He teaches both

undergraduates and post graduates marketing subjects, in both their final year. Mr A is in a

position to understand the questions of the thesis since he has direct experience with a variety of

marketing managers through his consultancy business. In addition, he has held marketing

positions in a variety of companies. Furthermore, he has an interest in this academic research and

as a consequence, has an active interest in the concepts of this thesis.

13 Higher

Education

Lecturer in

Business

Yes in industry Mr S is an academic teaching post graduates in the marketing related fields. He has worked as a

product manager and other related field in the marketing field before pursing an academic career.

He still works as a consultant in the services fields. His knowledge of the theory of marketing

together with his own personal experience in industry allows him to provide valuable insight into

the current tasks of the present marketer. Mr S has taught marketing at numerous universities so

he understands the skills universities include in their programs.

Appendix 4 Page 5

14 Higher

Education

Lecturer in

Business

Yes

in industry

Mr J has been an academic for over 12 years, as well as a business owner, a sales manager as well

as a consultant. He currently consults in marketing and sales training. As a result of his

experience as a marketing practitioner, a marketing educator and as a consultant, he has the

experience to understand and answer the research questions in this thesis. He was especially

chosen as he has the ability to contribute to all of the elements of this thesis. In addition, he has an

interest in marketing education and the issues in involved with this research

15 Higher

Education

Lecturer in

Business

Yes

in industry

As an academic for over 15 years Dr. A., he has worked in the industry for over 15 years. Dr A’s

has an in-depth knowledge of students progressing throughout their career via his many

professional associations. He has seen many students progress from undergraduates to post

graduates and establish themselves as a professional marketer. He is able to draw his immense

experience to critically evaluate the research question in this thesis. His standing as an academic

ensures that his responses are accurate and are worthy of being included in this research

Note – (a) This signifies that this respondent’s full transcript of interview is included in this section.

Appendix 4 Page 6

LIST OF INTERVIEWERS – MANAGEMENT CONSULTANTS

INTERVIEW

No.

INDUSTRY POSITION EXPERIENCE DEGREE REASON WHY SELECTED

16 (a) Consultant Management

Consultant -

Director

15 years Masters of

Marketing

After having a successful career as a Sales Manager in the health industry,

Mr B moved into the recruitment, specialising in marketing and sales

positions. Now he is a director in a National Recruitment company. Mr B

has the experience to recognise what makes an established marketer as

well as being able to discuss the roles and tasks that his client, many of

whom has had for many years.


Consultant

16 years Management

Degree

Ms O has been a management consultant for over 10 years. She is

currently a senior consultant who specialises in senior positions. She has

worked for many of Australia’s blue chip companies and actively head

hunts for senior staff. She has placed many marketers in very senior roles

and has firsthand knowledge of their skill levels, motivations, roles and

tasks they are required to do. This experience has enabled her to aid in

answering the research questions of this thesis.


Consultant

15 years Business

Degree

Ms C has held senior marketing positions in the retail and services

industry. She is now working as a management consultant specialising in

marketing and sales positions. She is in a position to understand what her

clients are after in recruiting marketing personnel. Her knowledge of

understanding marketing professionals as well her client’s need, provides a

background to understand the skills candidates have and the tasks they will

be undertaking within their employment.

Appendix 4 Page 7


Consultant

15 years Business

Degree

Ms A is an experienced recruitment manager in all areas of business. She

has an excellent understanding of what makes a marketer established

because of her many placements within various industries. Her

communication with various levels has provided the knowledge of the key

tasks that today’s marketing manager has to undertake. She has a

management and psychology degree which allows her to understand the

graduate’s applications to enable her to find the best applicant for the

marketing position.


Consultant

10 years MBA Mrs K has worked as product manager within the media industry. Over the

last 10 years she has worked as a management consultant specialising in

marketing and sales positions. Her experience dealing with all levels of

management has allowed her to understand the requirements industry

expect marketers to undertake. In addition, her experience with the various

industry levels has allowed her to understand what skills marketers need to

for their new positions, and to look for these in perspective candidates.

Appendix 4 Page 8

APPENDIX 4.1: INTERVIEW NO. 1 (FULL TRANSCRIPT) Industry – Agriculture Position – Marketing Director Degree – Masters Experience – 20 years Where – at a coffee shop near his place of work.

Good Morning Mr C

Good Morning John

Mr C, just checking your references here. You have been involved as a marketer in the retail,

health and the agriculture industries for over 20 years. Is that right?

Yes, that is correct.

Given your experience, I could say that you are pretty successful. Mr C what are the 5 major

skills that you think have contributed to your success?

John in this industry it really is very much building relationships. Fruit and Veg are essentially the

same and my job is to facilitate relationships across a number of people within the industry. This

could be from the mega rich farmer, the politician, the corporate buyer to the small little fruit shop

down the road. What I am good at is bringing people together so I can actually perform my job.

With this respect, interpersonal skills, communication skills with more of an emphasis of verbal

rather than written skills, negotiation, critical thinking skills are those that have contributed to my

success. I understand that I am marketing or a marketer and really my job is to solve problems to

ensure that the plan runs smoothly. Also, it is not really being good at a particular skill, but it is

more the idea of when they should be used.

So essentially it is managerial skills?

Yes John, since at my level, I have to organise a vast amount of people from various different

background together so that the array of products are available. Many of the growers have little

idea of marketing and do not understand the concepts. It is my job to lead them to a point that it

will all benefit them as well as me.

Appendix 4 Page 9

But surely, the other people who work for you are not as much focusing on managerial skills?

Yes definitely, the promotion, the marketing research and the brand managers are all more

functional, rather than strategic. Their skill levels would be different to what I would use or have.

So what skills do you think have contributed to being a successful marketer, rather than your

current position?

In order to be a marketer, you have to read lots. This means that analytical, critical thinking and

problem solving are important. The solution or the problem is not always obvious. We have to

read, listen and evaluate what we here, see and read. These skills (analytical, critical thinking and

problem solving) will enable you to do this. However, I have seen many a good marketer not

successful because they cannot make a decision or convince or possible lead others their same

point of view. This gets the above skills implemented. John, in business, nothing happens if

nothing is done. Marketing is about getting things happen through other people. This is why I have

stressed before, marketing is about management and the processes, not as much as the tactics or

strategies that many of my colleagues and schools believe.

So in other words, your key to your success is to get the processes right, guide the staff and

customers so your objectives are achieved. Is that right?

Absolutely, but this is not rocket science. It is the implementation that allows marketing plans to

happen. Without it, nothing happens.

You did not mention creativity?

Often I feel that it is over emphasised. Companies are not opting for the revolutionary changes as it

is fraught with so much danger. They want return on what they are doing. My career is not about

being revolutionary, but achieving output. Creativity in doing something different, which results in

increase productivity, now that is creative. It is not thinking something very different.

You mentioned a lot on communication skills, was there more of an emphasis on verbal

rather than written skills?

Written skills are very important, particularly when we are organising contracts and alike. Much of

my conversations are with growers and farmers. They are not particularly skilled when it comes to

reading and understanding copious amount of content. They have to be explained and convinced

that my way of thinking is the best way.

Appendix 4 Page 10

Essentially, Mr C, you are selling them an idea. So in fact, leadership and negotiation are

skills are also valuable to you.

Yes, may be right, but without building good interpersonal skills, you are not in a position to get

people to trust you. I believe that leadership and negotiation skills are higher order skills. These

skills are not used or even considered unless a level of communication and relationship has been

built. As marketers, we often think about negotiation or leadership, but it is the interpersonal skills

that are required to get you in a position to use these skills.

What do you mean, higher order skills?

Like, I have been in the education industry. I believe that different levels there are different skills

taught. Since you are confining your research to post graduates, their skills they are after should be

different to the under graduates. Essentially, there are different needs between an undergraduate

and a post graduate. This is not rocket science. What is relevant is, does the program structure

reflects this? My opinion is that it does not! Higher order skills such as leadership, creativity are

needed at senior management, whereas functional skills, essentially the basics are needed for

undergraduates.

Mr C, you are talking about a lot of people you are trying to influence, surely it is not just

you?

I use other people within organisations to aid me. In a sense, I create teams to aid me in my

decisions. Even at these levels, the same skill applies. Marketing is often selling an idea to the

internal market (your own company) as well as your customers.

In sum up, you have used managerial skills to get to your position, what about marketing

skills?

Sure, I would be not employed to without them. The marketing skills I believe within the

university domain are not actually skills, but rather knowledge. It appears that we are taught all

about the knowledge and then have to work out how to use them. This I believe should be the

difference between an undergraduate and post graduate degree. At this level, it should not be

knowledge, though we all can learn something, but it should be applying them in a way. This is

where I see the need to learn and understand marketing skills. It is the use of the skills that will

determine my success, not the knowledge.

Appendix 4 Page 11

Surely, the knowledge has given you the opportunity to sell the idea, but how I convince others of

the idea is the skill. It is how you use these skills that will determine the success or failure of a

career.

Which of these skills do you specifically look for when you hire other marketing staff?

This is the $64 question John and probably the essence to what you are really talking about. For

junior levels of marketers, marketing knowledge is important. They have to basically understand

the lingo. I cannot build them up if they do not understand the basics of their career. This

knowledge does not include just understanding the text book, which I find many applicants do, but

it is actually using the skills in a practical point of view. You have heard the old statement, theory

and practice! However, for experienced marketers a different set of rules applies. I know they

understand marketing so it is not that important. It is the business part of their resume that I am

interested in. How they get things done and how long it takes. It is the business skills that I am

after. This includes relationship building, decision making, interpersonal skills, and negotiation

both internally and externally with various stakeholders, communication skills both verbal and

written and analytical skills.

When you say relationship building, does this refer to both internal and external?

Yes, definitely. Marketers must be able to work through other people. If these people are not on

your side, failure inevitably happens. Marketers must work across other departments as well other

people. This requires advanced interpersonal skills and managerial skills. Remember, many of the

employees do not have direct report to the marketing manager, hence they do not need to help

unless they want to

This is really not a skill?

However, John it is an advanced skill which is built on basic interpersonal skills. This is something

I talked before about. The ability to listen, talk and understand what they are saying is the basic

skill. Networking and management to some extent is taking these skills and extending them. At a

senior level, this is really is the difference, they are now proficient at these higher order skills. This

is why I believe the difference between marketers who are successful and those who just plod

along, their ability to combine skills to form higher order skills.

Appendix 4 Page 12

What about marketing decision making?

Marketers must make decisions and be able to justify them and convince others they are right. For

example, I had a problem with the committee that I report to. The advertising mix was inadequate

and we could have wasted a lot of money. It became apparent that unless someone was going to

make a decision, nothing was going to happen. It was me that said we need to change this and do

this. Yes, it was the right decision, but unless someone is going to make a decision, I believe

marketing does not go ahead. I believe at universities students are conditioned to think right and

wrong. That is far from industry. Often applicants do not want to make decisions for fear of getting

it wrong. I get so annoyed when any member of staff does not want to make a decision. I ask

myself, why am they here?

While completing your degree was there any skills you thought you used to complete your

degree?

Research, analytical, oral and written communication and, marketing research were the major skills

that I used to complete my degree. It was good to present and watch others present. I honestly

believe that the learning within the program came from other students. It is not often I can watch

other people present. Research is interesting as I have never or will do marketing research. That

leads to me think that is there more on the process rather than the analytical skills that underpin this

subject. I was taught how to use SPSS. I can understand what it is, but the analysis and how it is

used is probably more important.

What do you think is the skill that Higher Education Institutions has missed out on the most?

Management based skills, preferably even components of them. These would be negotiation,

leadership and basic people management skills. Other skills could be included are corporate skills

and networking. It is marketing management? I see a lot of marketing, but in Masters of Marketing

program there was no managerial subjects at all. I enrolled to improve my skills. I do understand

that one leads to the other, so in this respect my degree was very worthwhile.

Would you have done a management component if it was offered?

Yes definitely, as many of the subjects that were offered in my Master’s degree I had done in my

undergraduate degree. Why am I paying considerable amount of money for subjects that

undergraduates are taught? It appeared not fair and perhaps Higher Education Institutions is

missing the point here.

Appendix 4 Page 13

Would you have considered a management subject or part of management?

Ideally, focused on the marketing manager’s plight would be ideal, but that may be hard to

implement. A general management subject would be for those who should not be in a managerial

position already. There has to be a range of subjects. Perhaps I should consider a management

degree, but then I would have missed out on marketing.

What were the skills that you believed were the most emphasised within your degree?

Research, marketing and statistics were the most emphasised in my post graduate degree. I am an

arts student, so really stats and I are not compatible. The use of stats in the degree I believe is ideal,

but it there must be a focus on the interpretation, rather than the process. It is the interpretation that

will enable decisions to be made. I remember we spent hours on a program called SPSS and little

time on what it means. Go figure!

Apart of this research is to determine what the tasks an established marketing manager

would do. The model I will use was developed by the Chartered Institute of Marketing in the

UK. I am really testing it in the Australian market. Looking at the CIM model, is there any

tasks that you would add that you do which were important for your success?

Networking is vital in this day and age. It is something that cannot be taught at university, but the

basics can be taught so the marketer can at least feel comfortable about it.

So what do you think are the basics of networking?

I think it is good interpersonal skills, managerial and most of good verbal and written skills.

Probably, it how you speak to people that often aids or hinders your career.

And the others?

Financial and networking are the other tasks I would add. As a marketer, my boss is after the

bottom line. My job really is to deliver that. The CIM framework does not show this.

Appendix 4 Page 14

But Mr C, does that mean you have to understand all of the elements of a balance sheet?

No it does not. You must understand all of the elements and be able to evaluate it. Often, the board

members are talking about ROI and various ratios. As a senior manager, it is my job to understand

this and produce results that correspond to these objectives. You could add e-marketing to this but

it would not be undertaken instead of these which have been outlined in this framework.

Which of the Tasks in the CIM framework do you believe you undertake the most?

I need to undertake a lot of promotion. I spend a lot of time with external partners. These are often

in the form of research specialists and advertising agencies. So, their administration is a large part

of the day to day activities. A lot of my time is managing process, so time management is a key

element, but more importantly, it is about managing processes. This includes measuring the

performance of the advertising campaigns and monitoring sales against the objectives. In a sense, I

am looking at my performance.

This I understand was taught in your program?

Yes, but we have to remember, it is the implementation of strategies that we are measuring. Often,

it is not the planning and strategy itself. If they are not done, then what are we measuring? The

implementation of the plans is not something that I look at as I expect my staff to be in charge of

that. I can determine what is happening by the results. Planning is not always an ongoing process

throughout the year but it is as important. Sometimes things go off the rails (the cyclone that wiped

out the banana industry), and others, government intervention for imports. These are somewhat

unexpected, but nevertheless, the need to have a very sound framework which becomes imperative

to the company’s success. Just because it is not done all the time, it does not mean it is not

important. Planning is done normally once per year. Administrative virtually every day to my

disgust! I ask you, which is the most important?

Thanks for your time Mr C

Thank-you John.

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APPENDIX 4.2: INTERVIEW NO. 2 (FULL TRANSCRIPT)

Industry – Confectionary Position – Marketing Director/General Manager Degree – Masters Experience – 20 years Where – over lunch near his place of work.

Good afternoon Mr S

Good afternoon John

Thanks for seeing me and agreeing to be involved in your research. Just checking your

professional background, you spent over 10 years as a marketer in the health industry, 10

years as a CEO and marketing director in the confectionary industry. Currently you own

and run a chain of shopping centres throughout Victoria employing marketers in all of them.

.

Thanks John

So how did you get so successful?

Considerable time, effort and hard work are what got me to my position and level of career. I think

the key is being intuitive and a lot of determination and most of all; do not give up.

What do you mean?

In my career, it has been the ability to see opportunities and make appropriate decisions to use

these. Not all opportunities are viable, so it is the ability to look at these and consider which one or

ones are going to be the best. In this case, there is a lot of planning, business sense, decision

making and people skills.

People skills you mean?

This to me includes listening, talking, negotiation and managerial skills. In a sense, I am talking

about communication in general.

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What were the skills that you believe have enabled you to become so successful in your

professional life?

Planning is important in all aspects of your career and probably life as well. Generally, there is not

enough time to do this, so it becomes haphazard. So, the key then is to balance when you can

undertake this skill.

By this do you mean, time management?

Yes I do as well, but this is not something I think should be taught at a university, particularly in a

Master’s program.

And the other skills?

There is so much management in marketing. It is often over looked. I have always had the ability

to work with and get the most out of other people. Other skills such as interpersonal skills,

communication and decision making were also important. In addition, I think negotiation, both

internally and externally am very important.

Mr S, you have a made a distinction between negotiation, you see it different? Why?

When we are dealing with customers and their needs, it is different to the needs of staff. As a

senior employee, the differences have to be understood. I have seen many senior employees who

believe the way they act with clients and suppliers is the same as they conduct themselves within

the organisation. This has and can course discomfort among the staff. It also can be just as a

deterrent for customers as well. The last thing I want is my marketing manager to alienate staff.

You mention many skills that have contributed to your success and not one particular. Are

you saying this is a combination of skills?

Yes, since being intuitive is really an action. I believe this skill is a result of decision making,

analysis, evaluation of the alternatives and communication and negotiation. This is particularly

important as others within the organisation must be convinced it is the right decision. I believe that

the skill which separates a successful marketer is also the ability to make decisions and then justify

them and finally convince others that it is the right decision.

But Mr S, marketers are not always allowed to make decisions?

True John, but their ability to convince others then bellies the importance of negotiation. The art of

getting what you want. There is always an opportunity for this to occur. It really depends on how

the marketing manager approaches this.

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Really, the skill of negotiation relates to interpersonal skills and people skills as well as

communication skills. These skills are also as important since without then, the art of negotiation

would be less likely understood.

So when you employ marketers at a senior level, what are you looking after?

Really it is a sense of confidence, but not arrogance. I do not want some person entering my

organisation who believes they are the best. Yes, please have an inner belief, but do not show it.

This relates to interpersonal skills and their ability to listen and understand people.

So they should have an experience to many marketing situations?

Yes, but they cannot get that from a text book or one or two companies. They must have had

experience or at least understand the limitations of them. For example, you have heard the term,

paralysis by analysis. This is really an over use of analytical skills.

When you say experience and with reference to this research, can I say use of skills?

Yes definitely, since the skills allow them to be valuable in the company. Really, the idea of your

research makes a lot of sense, but marketing managers must know which skills to use or how to use

them. Anybody can add a set of numbers and call that analytical thinking, but can they understand

it quickly or better than their competitors is the real question.

Do you think it is a sense of well-being or rather maturity?

Yes, definitely. That is why experience in sales is very important to the success of the marketing

manager. It always impressed me when a senior marketing manager has carried a bag. The

marketing managers that I am looking for are all experienced and as such are mature, or at least

industry experienced.

Can you explain further?

Marketing in itself has a lot of management in it, so really I am after these skills. You are

convincing others, often sales people and alike to undertake actions based on your

recommendations. What you are recommending is ultimately going to affect the livelihood, so any

marketer worth his salt is able to communicate and convince others what they are saying is correct.

What is the old saying John, “When you ask a group of people about accounting only a few people

put their hands up, however when you ask a group of people about marketing, they all put their

hand up”. Everybody has view of marketing and it is often the marketing manager’s point of view

Appendix 4 Page 18

that they have to agree with. I believe that management is one of the keys to being a successful

marketer.

While completing your degree, what were the skills you thought you needed to complete the

degree?

Before I answer this, I think that Higher Education Institutions are really providing you a list of

skills to be used. It is not about actually preparing you for a work force, but giving you the

knowledge to do it. It probably does not show how to use them, but makes the student aware of

them. So answer to your question, the skills that I gained from my Master’s degree were verbal

communication (not sure about this one as we were all in marketing roles), marketing research and

probably most of all, teamwork. I worked with many other students from different backgrounds

and levels that I would not off work with before. This I found most challenging.

So is this skill very important for your success?

Probably not, but it adds to the make-up of the marketing manager.

Could you explain this more for me?

Let’s go back to the foundation of the 4P’s. I recall it is referred to as a mixer of ingredients. I

really think that a marketer or if you like, any senior employee has to be a mixer of skills. The

ability to use the appropriate skill at the right time is really the key to whether a marketer or any

business professional. It is a bit like a really good salesman who know what to say, when to say

and to whom to say it at the right time.

So in that way, you actually gained something from your Master’s degree?

Yes most definitely as I learned to communicate with all levels of employees, many of them from

other countries and ages. The university in my Master’s program was really an exercise in

knowledge acquisition

What skills do you think they missed out?

Creativity and leadership skills were clearly lacking within my Master’s program. I actually did a

leadership and management program after completing my Masters of Marketing. Really you could

aid networking but once again, I think this is a higher order skill.

Creativity I believe is really hard to teach. Sometimes the most creative ideas are not the best. For

example, I have been very successful by not creating the wheel, but rather modifying it. I have not

Appendix 4 Page 19

revolutionised the industry, but rather tweaked it. This really links to the decision making skills

that I have already talked about.

But you did a Masters of Marketing, shouldn’t this skill be included?

Yes definitely, but as a higher order skill, it is composed of others. Communication, interpersonal

skills, management skills and alike are others which I feel are deficient in the post graduate degree

that I undertook. I think this is where Higher Education in my opinion should really distinguish.

The subjects I found in my master’s degree were actually the same as an undergraduate degree.

Surely, we have different needs. An experienced marketing managers who are looking for a post

graduate marketing degree, should be considered different. In reality, I look for certain traits in an

experienced marketing manager, rather than their assistants or a junior position. We are talking

about experienced marketing managers aren’t we?

How did you measure success within a marketing position?

I did not look at length of time in a one company as often the marketing manager may have

become stale and really not contributing to the whole company’s success. I looked for a number of

positions and a career. Starting from a junior role then progressing to a more senior role with

accomplishments and successes along the way. I would say it would take at least three years of

success to be considered for the roles that I was looking for. However, this was not the only thing

that I looked at. I looked for evidence of accomplishment which according to your work would be

an expression of skills.

Looking at the CIM model, is there any tasks that you would add that you do?

Really John, it comes down the level of the marketing professional within the organisation. I would

expect the lower managers to be more functional and the elements in this model correspond to this.

There are two elements that I believe are not here are financial and internet considerations. Within

my industry, the justification of expenditure and profit and loss are mandatory. It surprises that it is

not in this model.

And the internet?

Yes, I can see the relevance of this within the framework, but is it a whole new topic or apart of

how we do marketing? Is important to be included, but not essential.

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Can you elaborate?

E-marketing is becoming more and more accepted by both business and consumers. Whether it

should become a part of a generic model for all of education of marketers, I am not sure. It should

be there, but to what extent, I am not certain. Certainly in this industry, it is becoming more

important, but is it more important for others, I am still not convinced.

Apart of this research is to determine what the tasks an established marketing manager

would do. The model I will use was developed by the Chartered Institute of Marketing in the

UK. I am really testing it in the Australian market. Which of the Tasks in the CIM model do

you believe you undertake the most?

As I said, it depends on the position of the marketer. At my senior position, it was the

determination of new products, managing the people who reported to me and often those people

who were above me, financial knowledge to justify my portfolio/profitability to the board. This

really includes measuring the effectiveness of the plan and my performance.

Really John, it is about what we are measured by, rather than measuring effectiveness. This really

includes achieving of KPI’s as well as financial objectives.

I had many product managers and alike reporting to me, much of my work was to direct them to

achieving the company’s goals. Their opinions would therefore be a lot different to what I am

explaining.

I really did not commission much research, as I believe this to be more of a functional unit and this

is something I probably could of done more with, but, it is often considered an expense, and would

go by the by so to speak. Given the amount of information at my disposable, it was often easier to

use secondary information. There is always a database or information around. It is just a matter of

finding it.

So, the ability to find information would be an ideal skill to have?

Yes John, but a lot of it is common sense. Today, most people are pretty OK with the computer. I

do not see as the ability to find information as that important, but rather the ability to use it. The

finding of information is really a combination of good analytical skills and decision making skills.

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How about planning?

Well this is the old problem, do you plan for the next incumbent, or do you look after your own

position and think tactical? I was only intended to be in this position for 3-5 years. My aspirations

were always General Management. As such, I really had to think strategic, but this is not an

ongoing process, but rather a very intensive at the planning cycle of the year.

If I stayed at the company, then the last thing I wanted was a new marketing manager to realise that

my plans were not appropriate.

Now Mr S, I want to research into the tasks of a marketing manager. I have based this part

of the research on the CIM model. This model was developed to include all of the tasks that a

marketer would undertake during their day to day activities. It is also divided the tasks

according to the level of academic qualifications. It suggests that a marketer who has a level

of experience will have a different emphasis of the tasks. This you can see in the copy of the

model as described in the picture. The first thing I want to ask you is your first impressions

of the model?

What this model should also have is level of experience. If level of experience and qualifications

equate to the same in this model, then I am not sure that I agree with this. If your research is trying

to find out which tasks we do, then that is fine. I find many marketers do not understand what they

are meant to be doing. Those who are successful do to a point, but often their tasks they have done

before. This I call their marketing template. If it worked in one company, it works in another

company even industry. I do not understand this and this makes me inclined to seek experience in

my industry. Really, it should not be the case. If this research provides light on this, then it should

be interesting to read.

What tasks would you add to the model?

Definitely financial and maybe e-marketing tasks should be added to the CIM model. I would also

include more information on management as at this level, it becomes imperative to me that the

manner that we work though our staff will ultimately influence our ability to be successful.

Which of the tasks in the CIM model do you believe that you undertake the most?

I understand that the different levels of a marketer require different tasks. The tasks that I

undertook the most were planning, both tactical and strategic, relationship building, both internal

and external. As a marketing director, with many product managers below me, my position was the

Appendix 4 Page 22

drive the SBS’s to a certain place that achieved corporate objectives. Product managers must

therefore follow me.

Why?

The issue comes down to what the environment is, and the importance of the task. The problem

with marketing I feel, is the really important tasks are not attempted often (planning, budgeting)

though the routine tasks of managing the work function are what occupy my time. For example

email. This is for our discussion another time.

Thanks Mr S, it has been a pleasure.

Thanks John, Good luck with your research…

Appendix 4 Page 23

APPENDIX 4.3: INTERVIEW NO. 3 Industry – Children’s merchandising Position – Marketing Manager Degree – Masters Experience – 17 years

QUESTIONS COMMENTS What are the major skills that you think have contributed to your success?

Creative, decision making, financial, leadership and interpersonal skills.

Why? I have to come up with creative ideas all of the time and then justify them in order to make them viable for release. Since there are always many ideas, there has to be decisions made on which ideas we go ahead with. You really can add planning to a skill here as we think along way ahead. Also add manufacturing and design that goes in here as well. Within this industry, it becomes important to cease opportunities, and that means making decisions. Often, it is the person who dares wins, so ideas have to be innovative and creative. Most importantly, they have to be put into action quickly, so really time management is important. Often, I get a lot of colleagues who have alternative views. My skill is convincing my staff and senior managers my plans are right is often the key. Once I back it up and continue to do this, the sales people will sell, since I have a track record of being right. If they are not totally convinced, then problems do and often arise. Understanding the balance sheet and being wary of costs are very important for today’s marketing professional. Interpersonal skills are always important. We can get so many ideas from just listening to our customers and suppliers. I group communication skills in here since how we talk both internally and externally to the company. These skills have a large bearing on how the department, the company and the employee are perceived by other stakeholders. There is so much data that comes across my desk. The ability to understand it and probably more importantly, use it becomes important.


Interpersonal skills, decision making skills, creative, financial and marketing skills.

Appendix 4 Page 24

Why? We make decisions as a team. We work a lot with other departments both here and overseas. The way my staff work

with others is very important. Marketing is often cross boundaries, so all of my staff must show a level of exceptional interpersonal skills. This includes both senior and very junior staff. In addition, it is becoming more multi-cultural; women in senior positions and my staff have to understand how to communicate professionally. Basically, to be senior in this industry, you need the ability to talk and listen to many different areas within the company. This is not particular to this company as I feel it is comparable to many industries. I cannot afford a staff member to alienate themselves or others in the company. How they interact with others and me is important. What I surely look for is their ability to listen (a skill that is clearly missing) and talk professionally. Marketing skills is normally in the form of business accomplishments. I often ask about their ability to run a business, which really is what marketing is all about. I see many applicants whose idea of marketing is just that. In fact it is more than a part of a business; it can be the whole business. I ask myself, can they run a business when I consider them for employment. Many of my colleagues look at 4P’s and what they have done with this. OK for junior staff, but what about senior?

While undertaking your degree was there any skills you thought you used to complete your degree?

Analytical, marketing, problem solving, research, written communication and people management skills. Research can be an over generalised word. I used to see it as just that. The SPSS, the stats type of stuff. Now I know it is more. I think in your results it is to general as all marketers conduct research, often without actually knowing they are. Literature review is part of research and can be viewed in the same light. We often look at the market place in terms of conducting audits and review of information that we come across. I think it is not the process of marketing research, but the understanding of it. Many marketing research companies offer you research and data. Often, the answers are hard to understand, unless you understand how they got the results and probably what they mean. I think Higher Education Institutions are confused with the how to of marketing research, rather than what does it mean. The latter is what will determine or aid my career success. I was brought up in the inner parts of Melbourne. I had a privileged life. Working with other people who are not as fortunate was a real eye opener. I had little use of management skills, however within group dynamics; there was some use of interpersonal skills.


Marketing research, critical thinking, analytical and oral presentations. There was a large emphasis on marketing research. Oral presentations were used, but a 10 minute talk is really not going to teach you much. Essentially, it is an extended talk. In my position, my presentations can go for an hour. I had little experience with these and they were not taught within my Master’s program. It was a marketing master’s program with the emphasis on marketing knowledge was high. The skill used to be a marketer I believe were in the subjects, though it would be hard to say which ones. I tended to use the same skills as I have listed above.


Creativity or a more emphasis on new product development. Children get sick of products very quickly. It is often about finding something new. In order to do this, it is not about trying, there is a lot of money that goes into making new products. Their statement of initiate new product development, in reality is a lot more than that. For one, the coordination of staff and resources. This should be expanded.

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Which of the Tasks in the CIM model do you believe you undertake the most?

Creativity and promotions. I am always looking at the product mix and where our products are displayed. This could be looking at large customers and their purchasing trends. I review data and sales all of the time as a way of measuring my marketing performance. The dealing with the advertising agencies is a major part of my position. Getting the right communication strategy to attract our target markets is imperative to our success. Financials as it is the bottom line and how I measure my marketing performance are tasks that I undertake every month. I would add measuring marketing performance and financial reporting as tasks I undertake the most.

Why? Releasing new products and positioning through advertising are important tasks of my job. When I started as a product manager, it was the marketing mix.. As I became more senior, it was more of strategic look, hence the strategic orientation of my tasks. However, I would like to make a comment, that strategy is not always what I was led to believe. We look into the future as we should, but how far is another question. I get amazed about how many of my colleagues are really tactical, but they believe they are strategic. My results are really evaluated on my yearly outcomes, not what I want to do in 3-5 years from now. More than likely, I may not be in this position. As you know, marketers generally are not a long term proposition in terms of staying in a company.

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APPENDIX 4.4: INTERVIEW NO. 4 Industry – Computers Position – Senior Product Manager Experience – 18 years Degree - Masters


Technical, negotiation, marketing, written communication, finance, decision making and analytical skills.

Why? Understanding technical jargon is only half the battle. Communicating it to others in the organisation is the other. Just because I am in IT, it does not make my sales staff or others techno experts. The products can get pretty technical, so often I am forced to produce product information my staff will understand and most importantly, our customers will also. I have to convince them that what I am saying is the right thing to say. There is plenty of negotiation with both internal and external staff at this office. Many of my sales representatives are on commission, so they get pretty involved in what pricing, product mix and services I put forward. This does result in many heated discussions which I have to resolve. Ultimately, a decision has to be made, so possibly a decision has to be made before the negotiation actually happens. There is a considerable amount of data that I have to review. Much of this is in terms of sales and finance. I need to understand what it means and translate it into strategy and actions. My writing skills are pretty advanced, so I am able to make technical jargon pretty easy to understand. This holds very well for me as I can advise the advertising agencies what my product is about, so they create good copy.


Technical, negotiation with staff and customers, interpersonal and marketing skills.

Why They must have the ability to understand the industry and the marketing to it. I also look for sales skills since I am in as highly competitive and sales orientated industry. Sales skills does not mean the ability to sell as I see this as not what we are talking about, but more importantly, the ability to negotiate, lead and manage customer relationships. We have to work closely with our major customers since many of them are multi-million dollar accounts. I cannot afford to have a marketer alienate any of these. I see many staff that cannot make decisions. Either they are too scared; do not have the confidence to or just not capable of doing so. What I do not want is a staff member who I have to do everything for. What makes a successful marketer is one who is willing to make decisions based on sound judgement. They may not always be right as we are never always, but it is at least start. Once the decision has been made, it is not the end of the marketing managerial process. I rather think it is the start. After that it is putting the decision into action, this where what determines a successful marketing manager.

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Research, marketing, written communications, analytical skills and teamwork. This is the part many aspiring marketers do not know about, the amount of reading we do. This can be in terms of actually preparing for the tasks and performing them.


Research, written communication, analysis and IT skills. The understanding of how to write reports was very academic, but because of the teachers and the time frames, I learned to be quicker and better. In that respect, this was a plus for me. I am much more able to use excel, an imperative in my line of work, which enabled me to understand the piles of data that I get on my desk. My analytical skills improved immensely from the IT component and most likely from the amount of research we did in the degree


e-marketing, financial, sales. A lot of software is downloaded. This is a growing segment and avenue for us. Retail sales would also confirm the importance of it. Financial tasks more than ever as marketing is now being evaluated. The budget, the budget, that is all I hear about these days


New product development and operational planning.

Why? We are in the market of solving customer’s problems, so New Product Development is very important. I constantly have to look at new opportunities and new customers. In order I have to plan ahead. In this industry, really must keep updating your products or competitors will overtake you. This requires us or me to constantly looking for opportunities and planning where we should be doing. This is in terms of our customers future needs and our present capabilities, what are the growing markets and what do we have to do to enter it. The small section in the model does not show enough for its importance. I would also see more emphasis on cross boundaries, not just marketing divisions which the model allures to. In my case, it is the technos and the software designers. They are not in the marketing or sales domain.

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APPENDIX 4.5: INTERVIEW NO. 5 Industry – Packaging Position – Director of Marketing Experience – 20 years Degree - Masters

QUESTIONS COMMENTS What are the keys that have helped become successful in your career as a marketer?

Negotiation, managerial, financial, leadership, networking, analytical, interpersonal, creative and, decision making, business.

Why? This industry is all about customer relationships. Keeping customers and making sure you get as much as you can out of them. Negotiation therefore is a major part of it. Our representatives are the front line. They have to be listened to in order to understand the marketing dynamics and be convinced about our marketing plans. What is often needed is a group or marketing manager who can hear their “gripes”, and get them back on track. This is where we need people management skills. Apart of the interpersonal skills I believe is networking. This is very important for a marketer as there are many personnel that are beyond their control, but their input is surely needed. Sales people will get bored flogging the same old product. I need to produce either creative ideas in terms of new products or promotional material that helps them. The promotional ideas are in conjunction with the advertising agencies. This is the leadership and people management skills coming to the front here. They are given the brief to what I want and something they have other ideas. Being creative is essential to any marketer’s success, but it does not have to be revolutionary to be well accepted. It has to be only different or some cases or even just novel. I honestly believe now more than ever, marketers are becoming more accountable. I remember really not doing much at the start of the career. Creating promotion plans via the advertising agency, releasing new products via the design engineers. I believe those days are gone and marketers are being forced to consider the bottom line more. I have a limited budget and not enough time in the day to complete my work load. I work through other people as a person in my position can, but ultimately, it is the decisions that I make will actually determine the success of the marketer or in this case, me. These decisions are not always what I do, though it is a large part, but what I have to forgo. Marketing is often about making choices, of if you like, making the best decision at a particular time.

Appendix 4 Page 29

Why? In this industry, there is considerable dealings with customers. The ability to listen, talk and understand their needs is

very important. There are always negotiation skills at most senior levels within a company. Not only external but internal. I am not a manager who is a dictator. That is not my way. I have learned that this does not work and. I work through others. This requires negotiation as I have to convince them to understand my way. Marketing is not just for outside the company, but there is a phrase I recall from my studies, Internal marketing. I think leadership skills are really what I am after, though when you see a marketer who is a leader, you tend to take notice. However, you know deep down that he/she will move on to more a general management role. Marketers must be able to manage their costs. Often, I see marketers who do not allocate their funds appropriately and this can cost them, both in terms of career structure and company profits.


Business acumen.

Why? This will tell me, are they going to contribute or be a cost? This skill is really a combination of all of the skills that I have mentioned before. The ability to run a business. Marketing is not just marketing today but really it is running a business. You have staff, some that work for you or you have little direct reports which you have to manage. You have budgets, both in terms of financial and sales. More than ever, your managerial skills are on show as everybody thinks they know about marketing, so they want to have their input. It becomes a test of your managerial skills or sometimes the structure/culture of the company what happens next.


Research, written communication, people management, comprehension of marketing, critical thinking skills.

Why The case studies were a great way to learn to apply critical thinking skills. I am going to add people management skills here. I worked with many people who I did not care for, and would not employ in any business situation. In my group work, I found this particularly challenging as I had to learn to manage many others who I would not normally work for or with. This is particular relevant with people from different academic backgrounds.


Marketing research, written communication and marketing skills, problem solving and critical

Why I understand the focus on research from a university point of view. I remember actually completing a mini thesis as part of my program. What it achieved, I am not sure. I can say that the ability to write was well used as well understanding the knowledge of marketing. As a skill of marketing, this I am not sure. The term marketing skills as I am sure it is embedded in all of the subjects, to some degree or another. What I think marketing skills are at university is marketing knowledge, which to me is only half the lesson. How to use the knowledge is what creates good marketers!

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Sales. Marketing must work with sales. There is no mention of a sales department. It probably may go under the managerial section, but really, it should be a separate section. My company cannot be alone, with the sales department ultimately under my domain.


People management, both internal and external, 4P’s, advertising related tasks and planning.

Why? Marketing really encompasses people management. Even though I do not have direct input into the marketing mix (my product managers actually do), my involvement is indirect. This is internally and externally. It took me many years at the start of my career to realise this. We really do manage a process and marketing is not just a single task or person, but a contribution of many skills and tasks through various people. I set the budget and they all have to follow my marketing plan, which will ultimately affect my product managers. Since, I am thinking about the whole company, I am involved with planning as making packaging is about reading trends in the market place and making products to satisfy them. I am successful about looking at market demands and producing packaging to suit the customer’s needs.

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APPENDIX 4.6: INTERVIEW NO. 6 Industry - Retail Position – Marketing Manager Experience – 15 years Degree – Grad Dip


Decision making, interpersonal, business knowledge, marketing, financial, creativity, flexibility, self-motivation and critical thinking skills.

Why? It is a very hard industry and the drive, perseverance, making the right decisions, knowing your bottom line, understanding customers are really the key. I am in apparel, so considerable amount of planning in terms what are we going to make next year, making decisions that are going to aid the bottom line are always going to aid our success. I am normally looking ahead, so ultimately I have to make a decision in which directions we want to go. This is not done lightly, as considerable amount of analytical skills, critical thinking and problem solving skills. My opinion is many marketers do not make decisions because of the basics. The basics are getting the information, understanding the information and be able to act on it. As marketers we have to make decisions, but often we cannot because we do not have all of the information. I cannot do my job without liaising with other staff. That is a given, so people management skills are essential for any marketer. The problem today, is there is a lot less time from creation of new ideas and to release. The competition is always there. As a group marketing manager, I have to be aware of the bottom line. In my case and all of my line managers, we have to show financial accountability to all marketing projects. I include self-motivation as a skill as if you see marketing as a stepping stone to general management, which from my experience many do, they will not see the long term impact of their decisions. In a sense, they will think tactical and not strategic. This has an impact on their skill sets as see managerial skills as the most important.

What are the skills that you think are important Decision making, financial, managing people, marketing skills and creativity. Which of these skills do you specifically look for when you hire other marketing staff?

Creativity, marketing, critical thinking, decision making and planning skills. Interpersonal skills are of course important, but they are often hard to gauge in an interview setting.

Why? Must be able to break barriers and challenge to differentiate, but most of all must be willing to make a decision and then stand by it. Creativity is creating something different or looking at it in another way. If we are going to improve, then we must be doing things different. In this way, it is finding better way of undertaking our employment.


Marketing comprehension, analytical, written and verbal communications. I believe that at the end of the degree we were given a lot of marketing theory so we understand it. Can we use it, is really the question which has to be answered by our career performance. I did a lot more presentation that I normally would use. I have learned to write reports more effectively and efficiently.

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Marketing comprehension, analytical, written and verbal communications.


Financial, creativity, relationships, networks and e-marketing. Within my industry, it is e-marketing. One element which is not added is networking. It is also to get to see buyers, understand what they are going to do in the future. Creating relationships with key personnel is very important. I cannot believe that there is no mention of financials in the CIM model.


Customer analysis including marketing research, the 4P’s

Why? Always looking for trends, particularly what is happening overseas in terms of products and designs? We are thinking what is happening for the next cycle. We have to consider this before we order or get products made overseas. In order to do this, we have to look at potential and current customers. The gathering of information and understand it are tasks that we are constantly undertaking. I spend a lot of time on the marketing mix. I have heard it is not what marketing is, it is only a guide, but if the marketing mix is not right, my career would suffer. For people who have little idea of what marketing really is, it resolves around the 4P’s. It could be as simple as the promotions or just low price.

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APPENDIX 4.7: INTERVIEW NO. 7 Industry – Pharmaceutical Position – Group Marketing Manager Experience – 15 years Degree – Grad Dip of Marketing


Written and oral communication, analytical, leadership, project management, critical thinking and marketing skills.

Why? There are a lot of regulations within the industry. This has an effect on how we market our product. To overcome this, I spend considerable time and effort trying to be creative. We encourage marketers to be able to manage many projects at once which require advanced time management and organisational skills. I spend a lot of time with the advertising agencies, so the ability to manage people to get the right result is imperative. I must be able to articulate what I want and be able get this in order to achieve the company and my personnel goals. Since I have many projects happening at once, my time management and the ability to work through others are important. Marketing I believe is the ability to get things done quickly. You cannot always do this by yourself. What I have to do is present a lot to state managers, sales managers and territory representatives. They must understand what and why I am doing and saying important strategies. In an effect, I am selling my expertise by organising promotional material and product programs to both my customers, both internally and externally. I cannot expect them to do what I want if they do not understand it. If any marketer does not know their craft (in terms of understanding marketing theory and skills), regardless if it is seen as important, they will not be successful. If have seen many sales managers get promoted to product managers, and fail. They know their products and the customers, but they do not understand the marketing process and knowledge that is needed for their position. Critical thinking is much of what we do. Often, the evaluation and the understanding of the problem or opportunity provides the grounding to either solving it or using it as an opportunity. Without this skill, a marketer would struggle to add value to the company.

What are the major skills that you think have contributed to your success?

Critical thinking, leadership, verbal and written communication and marketing skills.

Which of skills do you specifically look for when you hire other marketing staff?

Marketing, knowledge of the industry and project management. At a post graduate level, we expect advanced written and oral communication skills.

Why? They must understand the products and have knowledge of marketing. They must be able to present in a manner that is persuasive, so written and verbal communication skills are very important. They must understand marketing and how it interrelates with other departments. I often ask whether they have carried a bag (being a salesman). This often tells me whether they have project management, people and product knowledge skills.

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Marketing, research, time management skills, critical thinking skills. I have the problem when we group research together. I tell my staff we have to do some research and the first thing they say which MR company. Often, it is just collecting some basic secondary data. I was taught more research than I thought was needed, but I have been proven wrong. Many marketers I believe underutilise marketing research. I could be put in this as time constraint which is normally the problem. Often, we do not know how to do this or really how to interpret it. The term research skills are too broad as it really includes many skills.


Marketing, written and analytical skills.


I would include more elements of the managerial section. This should include management of your staff as well as external parties. Marketing is both an internal and external function as well as up and down. I would also add public relations. A lot of copy is written by marketers. Often we do not have the skill to do this. It would be easier to use external sources to do this, but budget constraints and time resources will not allow this to happen. In a sense, I think the elements of the CIM model should be expanded concerning the product and promotional mix elements. More specifically, branding and social marketing.


Promotion and brand, planning.

Why? At the moment with the number of generics entering the industry, recognizing the brand becomes very important. I believe that more of branding or strategic branding should be in the program. Promotion is a larger part of the tasks I undertake. Basically it is so expensive and if we get it wrong, it would be a disaster. Planning is very important as the market is becoming very competitive and we must look long term, though I think we are paid short term.

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APPENDIX 4.8: INTERVIEW NO. 8 Industry -.Electrical wholesaling Position – Marketing director Experience – 20 years Degree - MBA

QUESTIONS COMMENTS What are the keys that have helped you become successful in your career as a marketer?

Industry knowledge, sales, marketing, financial, negotiations, decisions making, networking, interpersonal, decision making and motivation skills. I put motivation in here as marketing is an area that you want to be in. It is not like sales or finance or any other area since it combines so many areas of business. We are communicating to all stakeholders both, internal and external. Our responsibilities are outside our domain, but often we are constrained by our title. I see to many times in this industry that a marketer is a very good sales person. Their ideas then become sales driven, with a little bit of promotion in it., rather than strategic where they should be looking at the big picture. This industry is very much sales and relationship driven. The skills that have helped me are therefore anything that helps with sales (negotiation, networking, interpersonal and decision making). I believe that sales are often a skill a marketer needs. The term sales are really made up of many skills, but I think interpersonal skills are the most important. Listening and talking is a major part of the sales function. Networking as once you know people in an industry, it helps. Before sales actually happen, it is making the right decisions about 4P’s is very important.

So what are the major skills that you think have contributed to your success?

Negotiation, sales, critical thinking, people management and problem solving.

Why? In this very price orientated industry, there is a lot of dealing and negotiation with customers. The ability to listen, talk and understand their needs are very important and the ability to negotiate. I believe the most important skill is negotiation. This skill should be divided up between to the internal and external of a company. You have negotiation with customers which is self-explanatory. You also have the same with staff, both senior and junior. I still believe that my success has been due to managerial skills. Apart of skills I believe is the ability to run a business. This really means marketing, managerial and financial skills.


Critical thinking, leadership, people management and negotiation skills.

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Written communication, analysis and critical thinking skills. I honestly think there are too much research skills at university. I understand why, but at the expense of others! There were no sales unit, no leadership or negotiations skills in the program I undertook.


Management, finance, leadership and written communication. Within my post-graduate, there were a lot of management subjects which is great since it has helped me enormously as I have gained promotions. These subjects were often general and I think at post graduate level, they should be more specialised. I really understand the accounting side. Strategy is OK, but really will never need it in this industry.


Sales, relationships, networks and financial skills. Networking is a large part of what I do. We have to create relationships with others. In the model, it is not really referred to. Networking can also be internal, especially when there is manufacturing schedules involved. Incidentally, many of us understand the importance of it and we know it works. Financials – why isn’t in there?


Customer analysis and pricing.

Why? We are in a very competitive industry. Understand the pricing of the industry and our bottom line is paramount to the success of the company. I am constantly looking at our prices compared to the industry.

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APPENDIX 4.9: INTERVIEW NO. 9 Industry – Packaging Position – Marketing Manager Experience – 15 years Degree – Masters of Marketing


Negotiation, managerial, communication, financial, business, analytical, interpersonal and creative skills From my perspective, this is a highly competitive industry. We often talk in very small amounts per item but in huge quantities. As a company, the marketing team often has to do something better or different since we are often competing with very similar products. This where the creative skills are important as well as the ability to make decisions. Often our sales team does not get a second opportunity to win business. In addition, what we manufacture and when we can also influences our marketing success I have a budget and there are goals to achieve. The creativity is how I stay under budget, but without sacrificing company goals. Communication is everything, but I feel there are elements in communication skills which are particularly important. Political savvy, who to address, the leaders, the followers and personalities could be a part of communication skills that need to be addressed. Essential, this is the corporate politics. I think part of this is negotiation skills and the art of management. You consider the marketers who are successful like myself, would not be here if I could not manager others. What is important is to understand the marketing environment, and this is often achieved by crunching numbers and using the analytical skills. A marketer like many other senior executives is responsible for their decisions. These will eventually impact on the company and their career. In any event, decisions have to be made and probably more importantly, these have to be the correct ones. How we make these decisions is also a skill that I believe is important to the establishment of a marketing manager.


Negotiation, sales, interpersonal, critical thinking and decision making skills.

Why? The ability to listen, talk and understand customer needs is very important. The industry is very heavy reliant on sales. In order to sell, you need the skills that I have mentioned. Interpersonal, critical thinking, decision making and negotiation skills are also important skills I believe. What many marketers forget, that once you enter this field, the customers are your colleagues. You have to sell to them. This I know from my experience is a lot harder than those customers who are outside of the building. Critical thinking skills are so important.

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Marketing, leadership, decision making and experience within the industry.

Why? A marketer must make a difference. They are not there to add company costs, they must contribute. I have to determine in an interview these two key criteria; are they going to contribute or be a cost to the company. In most cases when I employ marketers, it comes down to those key issues. Marketers can no longer sit in the ivory towers. They have to be seen contributing to the company and this must be something that can be measured or at least tangible. Marketers have to make decisions and are held accountable for them. I hate it when staff will not make a decision. If they understand the industry and its dynamics, I am not unhappy if they get it wrong, because this is how they learn. How they overcome their decisions and make them into a positive contribution the company, are the candidates I want to employ. I am happy for marketers to make decisions based on boundaries that I provide them. Those who can and are able to justify themselves are surely going to be promoted within my company. I am after marketers who can do this and then implement their ideas and plans through their staff and company.


Written communication, analysis, marketing and critical thinking skills. The post graduate degree I completed taught me about marketing. At the end, I understood all about the knowledge of it. What I was not sure is about is the skills of marketing or rather how to use them in a marketing context. I remember doing case study after case study in a strategic marketing class. This was good as I learned how to think and really be a marketer. It is my opinion this is how post graduates should be taught. Literature reviews? OK, but I will never ask an employee to do this?


Marketing, analytical, written communication skills. I was scared of stats and probably still am not sure. I learned all about them, but did it contribute to understanding the marketing process? This I am sure of.


Sales and financial. There should be a section on how marketers interact with sales staff. The building of relationships both internal and external which are important for a career. My boss will often about the profitability of products or customers. This should be in the CIM model.


People management, both internal and external, 4P’s, advertising related tasks, and planning.

Why? My customers are both internal and external. I need to use managerial skills that apply for both however, there is a different emphasis on them. For example, there are different negotiation skills and communication skills for internal and external to the company.

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APPENDIX 4.10: INTERVIEW NO. 10 Industry – Medical Diagnostics Position – Marketing Director Experience – 15 years Degree – Grad Diploma of Marketing


Negotiation, leadership, interpersonal, marketing, decision making, problem solving and technical skills.

Marketers must be able to relate to other staff. They have to overcome problems to make decisions that aid their portfolio. They have to make decisions which way they want their market offerings to go. Once they make a decision, they must be able to convince others it is best one. This is where the negotiation skills become important. The problem solving and the leadership skills also apply. Essentially, developing the strategy and writing the marketing plan is only skills that allow a marketer to be successful, the rest is the managerial skills. They must understand marketing knowledge, but that is from a textbook. I see too many of these, but can they use the skills that allow them to be a valued employee. I have added technical skills since this really is a scientific industry. Many of our customers are scientists, pathologist and PhD’s, who are very aware of their fields. Any marketer must be able to talk their language.


Negotiation, leadership, interpersonal, problem solving and decision making skills. Problem solving from these five because I believe this comes from understanding your customers and their needs. It is still an important skill, but I believe the others are more important. How can a marketer become employed if they do not know their profession Yes, a degree does give you the knowledge, but it really comes down to the skills they use that make them successful? My marketers must interrelate with the sales people in order to train them with their product range. It is probably a training component of their role. Their interpersonal skills and leadership skills they possess enables them to aid sales staff, as well overcome objections we have from our clients. I see our product managers really as product champions. In that sense, they need sales skills. All of my product managers have had sales experience.

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Sales, marketing, communications and people management.

Why? Marketing is about people management. It is both people, both internal and external to the company. Therefore, people skills are essential to their success. I believe the apprenticeship for marketing is a sales career. They have to understand and demonstrate the skills they have used before I would employ them. Their ability to communicate is paramount. This includes both written and verbal skills. If anything, written skills are more important since we are an international company, and most of the communication is performed electronically. There is nothing worse than bad copy. It is, I see this as being unprofessional.


Marketing, critical thinking and written communication. There appears a lot of critical thinking in the program. I do not have a problem with that, but really would have liked to use creativity or more managerial skills. Management skills and their usage would be great. I actually completed a further degree in management after my post graduate degree. Leadership skills were not used or taught in my post graduate marketing degree.


Research, marketing, computer, written skills and oral presentations. I learned a lot about the use of excel from my degree. This is a positive step as I believe in a business sense, it is underutilised. I am not sure why we were introduced to SPSS. I understand the need for research because the academic background, but would rather the practice of analytical skills. I know I write better now, so the use of or the detail we were scrutinised with written skills has paid off. However, for all copy in the company, we use our advertising agency to do. Though it has helped me, it would of being great to consider other skills. People management, networking and interpersonal skills were very much under emphasised in my degree.


Sales and financial.


Product development and managing people and processes.

Why I think product development is a process, so it really needs many skills to complete it. One of these is creativity. Just a note here, just because I do not do a particular task all of the time, does not mean that it is not important. I probably check my emails more than any of the tasks in the CIM mode. However, it does not mean that it is the most important. The industry like it is, very competitive; I look at the industry a lot as well as the pricing. The products are very important, particular if the competitors bring out another product. The competitiveness of the industry and technological changes mean we have to improve and create value added via our reputation and our associated brands.

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APPENDIX 4.11: INTERVIEW NO. 11 Position – Lecturer in Business Have you had marketing related experience – Yes Program – Post Graduates

QUESTIONS COMMENTS What are the major skills that you think contribute to marketer’s success?

Marketing comprehension, analytical, written communication, management and critical thinking skills.

Why? These are general skills that everybody who completes a Higher Education degree should understand. They are transferable skills which apply to all facets of business. I believe since we are talking about post graduates, the skill levels do not change. I have many post graduates whose communication skills, particularly written are not as good as undergraduates. This is very evident with students who have not been to study for many years. There is a lot of group work in this program. I think that many of the students should get used to working in teams. There are many students who are scared of statistics. We have to show how they are used. This contributes to their analytical and critical thinking skills. There is a lot of concentration on discipline related skills, so marketing, management, finance and accounting.

When the students have completed their degree what are the skills that you expect they will understand?

All of the above. There is an emphasis on their discipline related work and skills. Many of the students entering this program are using it to further their career. I believe we have to give them the knowledge of the discipline.

What were the skills that you believed were the most emphasised within the post graduate degree?

Analytical because of the information we are given. Critical thinking, written communication and leadership. If anything, probably working in teams. Probably, the most important I think is corporate values. Understanding what is needed to be successful. This I think is in terms of work ethics and time load. We spend a lot of time on communication skills, which includes both written and oral. Much of the work is case study driven, with many lecturers from industry using life experiences. I believe this adds to the critical thinking skill development of the post graduate.

What were the skills that you believed should be more emphasised within the post graduate degree?

Managerial skills and leadership. Marketing is about managing people. It is where marketers have to dedicate resources to more than one project at a time through other people. How they do this is to use managerial skills. Management I believe is a higher order skill that relies on many others. What we need to do is show the students how to use management skills more effectively and efficiently in order to get things done.

Looking at the subjects, which subjects do you believe should be added to the degree?

Project management, advanced leadership and management skills. Many of the students who enter in this program have aspirations for general management. This level requires advanced leadership skills. It should be taught as a subject, not as part of it.


Social marketing – this I believe is getting bigger and will be a part in the future. A marketer should be aware of this and it should be in their tasks to do. How often, it would depend on their industry.

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APPENDIX 4.12: INTERVIEW NO. 12 Position – Lecturer in Business Have you had marketing related experience – Yes. Program – Post graduate and undergraduate marketing


Financial, management, negotiation, decision making and critical thinking.

Why? This degree is a generalist degree with a lot of the focus on business practice. The focus is therefore on transferable skills which can be used in many different fields. Many of the graduates go into various fields such as finance, accounting and business marketing. Marketers must be able to look for opportunities in the market place. They must be adaptable and therefore skills that are able to be used in all situations are the focus. Negotiation is a very important skill, though not many people master it. I am inclined to think it is the most important skill as it appeals not only to their career, but to their self-being as well. There would be very few facets of business where this skill is not used. Moreover, decision making and problem solving are probably in this light as well.


Marketing, written and verbal communication skills, time management skills, creativity (thinking outside the square), analytical and critical thinking. We ask our graduates to consider other opportunities, not just what they read in the text book. Yes, this is important, but they have to look outside the square. In a sense, they are being creative. The degree is pretty complex as it should be. The students have to learn about team working and group dynamics.


As above plus teamwork. I think teamwork is a higher skill. Some would call this ability, but it requires many skills to be proficient at it. I think, interpersonal skills, people management, problem identification and decision making are a part of it of the skill called teamwork.


Project Management. In a sense we mention about in the program, though not directly teach it. It is often an elective, but many of the students do not participate in it. This really is a competence as there are many skills to project management. One of these is leadership, negotiation and of program managerial skills.


Project management but the categories or tasks really do not allow for this.


Financial management – for some reason it is not in it. I would also use networking as relationship building is becoming very important, both from a career and a personnel perspective. Corporate politics would also be considered as it often explains why some employees are promoted over others. However, like teamwork, I think this task has many components in it.

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APPENDIX 4.13: INTERVIEW NO. 13 Position – Lecturer in Business Have you had marketing related experience - Yes Program – Masters of Marketing coordinator


Marketing, negotiation, management, problem solving, leadership and decision making.

Why? Often I here that sales are important. I suggest it is unless the marketer has good interpersonal skills. We teach marketing knowledge in the hope that the students will at least understand it. Marketing is really is not a skill, but it is a combination of skills. The skills we teach are the building blocks marketers use to further or start their career. Negotiation is extremely important as often a marketer will have to convince others in a company what they are trying to achieve. Negotiation is a part of managerial skills, which I do not believe we teach. The other skills, problem solving, critical thinking, decision making are part of the managerial skills but also they are generic skills. How the marketer uses these skills is probably more important. Most of the graduates in the program would have these skills and as they study their post graduate degrees, they further advance them. I am convinced with today’s market place, the ability of the marketer to express them by written communication it extremely important. There is no secretary like there once was so reports could be amended. The marketer must make good copy and do it quickly, in order to further their career.


Really all of the above. I expect this as we are talking about post graduates. Many of them have experience in marketing environment already. You have to remember, to enter this degree, you have to have had some work experience, so really the program is not teaching the skills of marketing, but refining them. The key is when do they use them and what tasks requires which skills.


Research, marketing, teamwork and report writing. As I said before, the ability to communicate is imperative in all of business, both written and oral. Both of these skills are emphasised well. We teach a lot by cases, so I will also add critical thinking as the students are given real cases which they have to solve. In addition, computer software programs allow the students to solve problems from a statistical point of view. As for decision making, it is how they organise their life. The students have full time work, social life, with some of them with children and now studies. The ability to juggle this is reflected in their ability to make sound decisions.

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Leadership, creativity and managerial aspects. Not another manager subject as it is too broad, but something more specific. At this level, we should be extending, not going over the basics. A basic managerial program really is not going to cut it. The students need more than this. We should be talking about hiring, recruiting, negotiation and leadership. These are aspects of a managerial program, but at this level, it is not going to help them. The students at this level have to understand the how to use them.


e-marketing since that is where much of retail is going. However, with e-marketing, I would not recommend it over other major topics. I understand a program cannot teach everything and there are other topics that should be covered over electronic marketing. For example, leadership, creativity and other managerial aspects. I would also add social marketing as it will have an impact on marketing in years to come.


Financials and human relations. Marketers work through other people to achieve success. Many of the graduates have little or no idea of how to employ others. I think the managerial section of the model is too limited. It really should be expanded like they have done for the marketing mix.

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APPENDIX 4.14: INTERVIEW NO. 14 Position – Lecturer in Business Have you had marketing related experience – Yes. Program – Post Graduate lecturer


Negotiation, management, problem solving, leadership, creativity and analytical skills.

Why? To be a good marketer, I believe you must have being a salesman. You learn how to understand customers and probably more importantly you use skills that are invaluable for your marketing career. These are interpersonal skills and analytical skills. Surely a marketer must look at other alternatives and find ways of improving themselves. The basic managerial skills and an understanding of marketing are the basics. How they use these is the key. I believe that self-development is an important skill. Marketers must understand what they are trying to achieve in terms of career goals. It will influence them in what the skills they want. I see and have experienced many students view marketing as a stepping stone. If this is the case, then are marketing skills are used to get a promotion to another field or perhaps a specialised field. This means in my opinion that marketing skills should be general or if you like transferable to many disciplines because marketers often change careers.


If we are doing our job, all of the above. Most have problem with written communication. Often they do not understand marketing research or the statistics of them. If they hear the word, statistics, there is often fear in the class room.


Analytical, marketing, teamwork and written communication skills. Really it should be all of the above, but it is not. The different types and levels of students within a class let alone a program. This means all of the skills are not emphasised in a correct way, but it would be impossible to do this. I believe research skills are, but this is a higher order skill as it requires many skills to do this. In this sense, problem solving, analytical and critical evaluation skills are taught. I often get annoyed when students claim they do not understand research. What students are really saying is they cannot use the skills to conduct research. Of program marketing is, that is the program, though I am not sure about the skills of marketing are taught in Higher Education Institutions, but rather the knowledge of it


Leadership, creativity – these are not taught in this program. It could be that it is too hard, or there is no staff who could adequately teach this. That withstanding, these skills are taught in other subjects. I think leadership is definitely taught, since there are many group work activities. Creativity is how they present or write their reports.

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e-marketing since that is where much of retail is going. There is only a limit time and resources so all of the important subjects cannot be taught. In a perfect world, societal and e-marketing should be included in the core subjects. In this world, I would not include either as there are more important subjects that should be added.


Financials, human relations and planning. Planning should be looked at from a tactical and a strategic point of view. Many marketers do not actually think strategic because they are not required to, or basically cannot. We should think more tactical for the students, because basically, the industry is demanding it more. Human Relations should be included because many marketers will have to employ staff. They will ask outside agencies to help them, which can be good or bad. Many marketers I believe do not know the type of people who can work for themselves as they are not sure what they want.

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APPENDIX 4.15: INTERVIEW NO. 15 Position – Lecturer Have you had marketing related experience – Yes. Program – Masters of Marketing


Verbal Communication, people management, financials, interpersonal and marketing skills.

Why? Marketing to me is managing a process. The need for managerial skills becomes a necessity. The basic P.L.O.C of management applies with the emphasis on marketing. In addition, the understanding of marketing and its sub sections. This is the 4P’s. In this point of view, I see marketing manager as similar to a line manager in any organisation, though they specialise in marketing. I see the skills therefore are generic to most managers, but they use these skills together with the marketing theory and practice. I get my students to present all of their findings in a talk or lead a discussion. They show little understanding for the process and should be more competent in it. Many marketers actually are in charge of a business or a business function. As a consequence, a complete understanding of the financials is important. They are often the voice of the company in terms of the products and positioning of the market offering. Interpersonal skills, management skills and communication skills in both verbal and written are important.


Really above as they are a part of the program curriculum.


Critical thinking, time management, analytical, marketing comprehension, written communication and problem solving. One would think that marketing comprehension is in a marketing program. The ability to write effectively is a pre-requisite in all Higher Education Institutions programs, let alone a post graduate program. There is much apprehension to statistics by many students. As a result, the statistics level is reduced, which really overcomes the reason why it is introduced, especially at this level. Time management is emphasised, though I believe it is not a skill that can be taught at Higher Education Institutions. Critical thinking is very apparent as we want post graduates to look results, literature and evaluate it. The days of just reading and remembering are not for this level, it should be about questioning and evaluating. Problem solving is through many subjects where students have to present solutions to case studies or solve problems.

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Managerial – because it is rarely been a core subject and an elective. Students often pick other marketing subject without realising that they are really studying, marketing management. This subject should be a core subject. The electives should include specific parts of management. For example, human relations and leadership.


Creativity, teamwork, negotiation (though they are in part in the sales subject) and leadership.


e-marketing and social marketing. Yes they are important, but will they add to the success of the typical marketing manager. I am not convinced.

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APPENDIX 4.16: INTERVIEW NO. 16 (FULL TRANSCRIPT) Position – Management Consultant Do you have a business degree? – Yes, Masters of Marketing Experience – 15 years Where – Coffee ship in the city near his work place.

Good Morning Mr B. Good Morning John Mr B, just checking your experience here. You have been a management consultant for 15 years. Before that you were a National Sales Manager in the Health Industry. You are now a director of a National Recruitment Company. Is that right? Yes John From your experience in recruiting marketers, when do you think marketing managers become established? Do you mean in terms of success or experience? Really both? Normally when a marketer has been in industry full time for a minimum of 3-5 years, they are considered established. In some cases it could be more, but that is general rule. This is the rule I ask my staff and advice my clients. How about in a position? This is very varied as some industries will claim success after 18 months while 12 months with exceptional results could also be considered. I personally think that is too short a time. In marketing roles which you appear to be concentrating on, I want to see if a plan has actually eventuated. In other words, I want to see if they can actually lead the company to a successful resolution. So Mr B., what are the major skills from your experience in recruitment is the skills for a marketer’s career establishment? Do you mean what I look for or my clients? Really both? In all honesty, they should be the same since I am representing them. However, the personnel who I have seen create a path in marketing and have been successful. They tend to have sound marketing comprehension skills, rather than just knowledge, are able to show they have made decisions that have contributed to the company progress, people management, both with very good written and verbal communication skills and are highly motivated. The people management we can see a lot when we talk to them.

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In what way? Firstly, how intently do they listen? Do they look at us? Are they attentive? Do they focus on one person, or actively engage others in the room. That sought of thing. Why did you say motivated? Many applicants see marketing as a stepping stone. They are very focused on achieving and this often means they are driven for success. That could be to general management or to a specialised position of marketing. For example, advertising, online or even research. Motivational skills refer to their career motivations as well as their ability to stimulate others to work for them. This is particular evident when I see the company structure and the sales departments reporting to the marketing manager. So when you see clients for established marketing positions, what are the skills potential employers want in today’s marketing managers they are after? In all seriousness, many of them do not know. This is one of the reasons why your research interested me. Often, we tell them, which is concerning for us and perhaps for academics like yourself. Many of our clients read from the job description. What goes in these descriptions is another matter. So how do you know? From their job descriptions is always a good start. Many of my staff has been employed as marketers so they have first-hand experience on what is required to be a marketer. Others often look at what they have done before or what they have read. Also, many of the HR specialists have completed a unit on marketing. This normally helps. So what are the skills that your clients are asking? Interesting here John, it depends on the size of the company and the industry. Since your research is talking generally, then I am asked for communication skills, (normally verbally but written as well), interpersonal skills, decision making, technological (though not much these days as everybody in proficient on a computer), decision making skills, analytical skills, marketing skills which at this level are business skills and an educational level. Since we are talking established or this case, senior, I am asked for or the propensity for existence or evidence of managerial skills. Can you explain why? Marketing at this level is normally associated with a staff. Managerial skills or another word is people management are required as well as good interpersonal skills. Also, at this level, they often report to the board or are held at the same light. The skills and presence a candidate should possess often have to reflect the rest of the company. They must know when to speak, what to speak and how to speak at functions. In this case, they must show a sense of decorum or maturity. So you saying at this level, managerial skills are very important? Yes, and you could be even more particular as to the components of it. I am asked for negotiation skills and most of all, leadership skills. Negotiation is very important as many marketers find themselves struggling with staff or major suppliers.

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Why do you say leadership skills? They are in charge of other staff and they have to convince others what they are doing is the right decision. Senior marketers will often have product managers, brand managers and even sales staff reporting to them. In fact they have a team of people who in most cases are relying on them to get it right. As you know, many employees will argue with the marketing department, so they have to convince others to do what they want as well as lead others. I believe that marketing is about internal as much as external customers. And the others? Marketing skills are often referred to as business skills. Often these candidates are in charge of a portfolio and have to report a bottom line. They have to make decisions. This means it is not just marketing skills, but the whole gamut of skills which aids to the marketers’ success. One of these is also financial accountability. When you mean financial accountability what do you refer to? How to manage costs, consider ROI, understand the balance sheet, be happy with talking about the financials so they can ultimately report and discuss their performance. I hear this often from my clients, “marketing is not just spending money; they have to understand how to control it, allocate it and most of all show a ROI from it”. And the other skills you mentioned? In so many resume’s we see spelling mistakes or grammatical mistakes. This is unacceptable when the applicant is trying to show they have the dedication of detail needed to be successful in this competitive environment. If the staff see copy that does not make sense, or a person who is not happy talking in front of a crowd, taking charge of meetings, then there be second doubts of their professionalism. It is often a downward spiral from then. Marketers must be able to make informed decisions. They have to show me that they are able capable of doing this and more importantly, can show a record of making the right ones. My clients want employees who are willing to make decisions and stand by them are the candidates they want me to find for them. My clients tell me they want marketers who make decisions and stand by them. If they are easy persuaded of their original decision, then it normally does not make for good candidate. Surely Mr B., they are not going to want people to make reckless decisions? Yes, but these people have a track record of making decisions and this is how they have become as you call it established. Are skill sets currently requested by your clients changing? Yes they are. The market becoming more competitive and the number of applicants applying for positions are becoming more and more. Now more than ever, companies can become even more choosey in the new applicants. This has transferred to how we screen new applicants.

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So what skills are you seeing more of? I am asked for more emphasis on management, creative and financial skills than before. More e-marketing skills but this is very industry specific. A lot more emphasis on creativity than we use to for marketers who have considerable experience. When you say creativity, what are your clients actually saying? It is not talking from the moon and back. What I think they are saying is they want the new applicants to bring something to the company and to consider new directions. We often hear the new applicant is taking the company on the new direction or is not willing to look at new products etc. I often think that this term is over used and we often think creativity as being something new. For all we know, it could be using a different tactic for an old client. My experience is that creativity is often referring to something new, not actually being totally creative. Basically, what can you bring to the company that will benefit them? So you are saying creative is a way of thinking? Yes, but it can be a new of something different. In other words, give the old girl a new party dress. Analytical skills are becoming more reliant now. There is so much information now and companies can use this to their advantage. How it is used is a skill that I am seeing a change. What the clients are telling me is that they do not want potential employees who will not do anything apart from over analysis and not make any decisions. In that sense, decision making is very important as the new applicant must make the right decisions. Any reasons why you think analytical skills are more in demand? The markets as I see are becoming more competitive. It is harder to get a competitive advantage. Companies have to be doing it better. A lot of this is by considering what happened and doing it better. I guess that transfers into understanding what has happened and why. This is probably from using analytical skills. I also know of more and more information that is available, so any marketer worth his salt must have these skills. What are the skills that you believe should be emphasised more within the applicants that you see? I think there should be more evidence of creative skills. It is something that does separate many marketers. Their ability to think outside the box is often a buying symbol for potential marketing professionals. There has to be more emphasis on managerial skills or components of it. The ability to manage staff and get the most of them is something I am asked often. Many applicants can manage, but can they truly lead and motivate their staff. This I am not convinced of. Many applicants have sales experience, but the ability to negotiate is truly lacking. I see this often when they try to negotiate a package for themselves and they become much undervalued. This is great for their employer as they want a marketer who is much better than their package. Human Relation skills or the ability to employ staff should be emphasised within the applicants that I put forward for employment. Marketing Managers rely on other staff to achieve their objectives. They should understand about the creation of teams that enable this. This is probably putting me out of a job, but the fact remains, if they cannot get staff that fits the marketing department, then probably not going to be there very long.

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Are you really speaking another skill set rather than marketing? Perhaps a joint degree? Yes, a major in marketing is great, but then what? We have many Masters of marketing, MBA and others etc applying for jobs. Marketers must now be less focused and more encompassing other disciplines. I also think here should be more reliance on international skills. We are becoming more reliant on our partners overseas. This may include other languages which I consider another skill. A candidate who has overseas experience often gets an advantage over others, because they have had alternative experiences. In this marketing field, this could be considered an advantage. What tasks do your clients ask for when designing the brief for the new marketing positions? They often want examples of communication strategies. This is probably more evident in FMCG, as well as brand strategies. Some of these applicants are in charge of large budgets they want to know what they did and how well it worked. Many HR professionals have done a basic marketing program. Often like many other people I see, they see marketing as the 4P’s. This is not the case with large companies, but the 4P’s is often there is one form or another. I get asked about managerial experience and evidence of this. I think there is a concern that new employees will come into the organisation and change staff, change everything and ultimately stuff everything. What they are after are marketers who take charge of their unit and do not cause any more hassles and fix the problem. John, I read that marketers are problem solvers in my degree, which is what they are employed to do. Show the potential employee this. These are the tasks that my clients want to see evidence of. And others? Since we are talking about experienced managers, if am asked to include evidence of strategic tasks. Strategy and planning to me is not rehashing the same old marketing plan, but thinking where they are really going. Often the examples I am shown from candidates are tactical, rather than strategic. In their defence, many marketers are evaluated short term and this becomes their focus? Yes I here this, but the clients are after candidates at this level who can show they can look long term. They must monitor short term results, but they must have the ability and skills to look forward in the company. I here this often John; the number of competitors are changing and companies are after new opportunities. This means they have to consider other avenues of growth and this requires planning. This may be a reason that I am seeing more about new markets and new product development. Also, creativity is becoming more common for the same reasons that I said before. In addition, an understanding of e-marketing could also be added to your list. However, the need for e-marketing tends to be for specific industries such as retail.

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At this level, the report writing is mandatory, though I can tell you that it is a dying art. This I note through many years of experience that many senior managers cannot write professionally or effectively. Maybe the days of the assistant is not dead. Marketers are also being asked to understand the financials. This we have already talked about. I often advertise for senior marketing managers as senior business positions. This title is really asking for the professional who is apt in all levels of experience within a business portfolio. I will get many accountants, finance and marketing professionals who can all do their occupation very well, but they often will struggle with the other areas. As I said before John, it is very competitive and the applicants must be experienced in all facets of business. My clients are generally after business savvy professionals and will wait to they come along. The last part of the research is to look at the career motivations of marketing professionals. Do you have comment on what you see? Very generally is an overriding element is the view of entering into general management. Marketing is often seen as the stepping stone to general management, though this will change depending on the size of the company. Finance and Accounting could also be put in this category as well. I sometimes query marketing managers who have been in the same position and same company for many years. Given the industry, the position, it appears that they may not be contributing as much as they think. So, Mr B., if it is seen as a stepping stone, then your idea of adding more managerial skills within the curriculum would make a lot of sense? Yes definitely, but it appears that the idea of considering planning, especially strategic could also be considered. You could add financial skills as well, though the accountants with the same career motivations may think about marketing as well. Is this why you look for business managers? Yes, as if they are really just looking for a marketing positions and given the nature of the positions, I often have to evaluate whether they will stick around or not. As you are aware, this industry is also very competitive and if our candidates are not that truly motivated, then my career could be at jeopardy. Thanks for your time Mr B.

Thank you John

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APPENDIX 4.17: INTERVIEW NO. 17 Position – Management Consultant Do you have a business degree? – No but have a degree in HR. Experience – 16 years

QUESTIONS COMMENTS What are the major skills from your experience in recruitment are the key skills for a marketer?

Communication, creativity, negotiation, financials, decision making and management.

Why? My clients are after these skills. This leads me to think they are important. At the level I concentrate at, most of the applicants have these skills in one way or another. I am after examples they can show me. I tend to concentrate on business added examples. These could be many of these skills. Really, I do not think that many clients really know what makes a good marketer. I often here, “just like him or get me an applicant that is like her”. It is not as common as once was as there are many Human Resource professionals who have had marketing experience in some form or another. I have seen many job descriptions which they have basically downloaded from the net. Alternatively, if they have come from another company, they use their old descriptions. The result I feel is a generalist skill sets that could apply to most business professions. I see a lot of budget focused which I think they are talking about financial skills. Negotiation, creativity and people management are also mentioned constantly. Communication skills are probably the most requested, though I do not know what skills of communication my clients are actually after.

What are the skills your clients ask for? As above, but leadership is a common skill these days. Also, creative problem solving as it is very competitive in the industry. The term creative problem solving is what I hear often. It appears that my clients are not after the same old solution, but they want marketers who are able to come up with alternative ideas. Marketing is going the past of the routine, to looking to other solutions. I think the marketing landscape is changing and so do many of my clients. What they are after is skills that will enable marketers to contribute, not be a cost. Since I am talking about senior marketing positions, evidence of people management. Often this includes hiring, training, firing, motivating and delegation examples. This appears as managerial skills which are virtually in all of the positions that I currently see. I hear this a lot, business acumen. I think marketing has progressed from marketing, it is now a business. This means that my clients are after more than marketing skills, they are basically after a person who can run a business. In some industries, though not all, social media and e-marketing are becoming more common.

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What are the skills the applicants claim they have?

Analytical, decision making, marketing knowledge and project management. These are the most common as this is what most job advertisements have. I see creativity happening in resumes lately. This could be a result of what was said in the advertisements as well.

What were the skills that you believed should be emphasised more within the applicants that you see degree?

Creative, budgeting, leadership, interpersonal and managerial skills. I am asked for these all of the time. Probably, more importantly, I am asked for specific communication skills, like other languages or the ability to communicate with partners overseas or via the internet. As for management skills, leadership and motivation. I understand through my own experience that a managerial subject is an over view in most marketing subjects. I think my clients are after, not just the ability to manage, but the skill of leading or managing change. Negotiation skills are becoming more common as companies want marketers to contribute to more of the bottom line.

What are the specific tasks that your clients ask for experience in?

Planning, new product development, relationship building and corporate policy. I hear a lot of corporate communications. The ability to write well is in my view a lost art. I see many resumes with spelling mistakes and bad grammar. Database management is becoming more common as well as customer retention strategies. This is particular in the services industries. Probably, the most specific task I get is about growing the business or business development. This often concerns me as I start thinking about a good salesman. My clients want marketers who can contribute to the bottom line, not interfere with it. I also get more requests for examples for negotiation with suppliers and customers. Often, this is referred to as experience with advertising agencies, marketing research agencies and consultants.

Looking at the CIM model, is there any tasks that you would add that are common requests from your clients?

Financial, budgeting and database management. Really customer management, which as a senior executive, that could mean, internal, external or even at the board level

Appendix 4 Page 57

APPENDIX 4.18: INTERVIEW NO. 18 Position – Management Consultant Do you have a business degree? – Yes. Experience – 15 years


Decision making, creativity, financials, people management, new product development, critical thinking and verbal communication skills.

Why? From my experience, the more of these skills the applicants have, the generally more successful they are. Communication skills, particularly verbal are the most common. This appears strange as many of the positions that I advertise for, are experienced marketers. I often see marketers who are successful because they are capable of making the right decision. My clients require staff at this level to have made decisions that have benefitted the company. How they made the decisions and the process that allowed them to do this is of interest. Marketing is working through other people, particularly the sales personnel. Many marketers I have placed have some form of sales experience, or at the very least, customer service. This I feel allows them to develop interpersonal skills and time management skills. Critical thinking to me is ultimately task orientated. Marketers must be able to resolve and interpret their progress in order to achieve goals. There will be many ideas that are put forward a marketer’s desk. Which one and their ability to choose the best alternative, is one of the keys to marketers having a successful career.

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What are the skills your clients ask for? Budgeting, interpersonal skills, analytical, strategic skills, passion and a business sense. Lately I am requested to

look for e-marketing requests as part of the promotional media. Marketing is very fast paced, but it is working with many other staff. They could be anywhere, across their desk, overseas or on the internet. Evidence of dealing with a variety of different staff that aid their position is a common request. I also hear this a lot, results. Show me results, not just plans that do nothing. So, essentially, the marketers are showing them actual examples of what they have achieved, not what they were meant to do. Often the words on budgets and budgeting occur. This includes control of financials and skills that are involved in strategic planning. The basics such as communication skills, marketing prowess are often not listed as they are expected at this level. What I hear a lot is managerial skills or advanced interpersonal skills. Marketers at this level are often in charge of departments or engaged with large stakeholders. Presently it is all about decision making, especially those that engage in company growth. In some industries, it also about the brand and the advertising strategies that corresponds with it.

What are the skills that the applicants claim they have?

Marketing and strategy, analytical, written and oral communication, team working, and numeracy.

What were the skills that you believed should be emphasised more within the applicants that you see degree?

Leadership, financial, management and initiative. Leadership is a skill that when an applicant can demonstrate they have it, I can place them very quickly. When my clients say this person show leadership qualities, I can feel the commission cheque. If they say this person shows initiative or progress, the same feeling again. How you teach initiative or progress is not from a skill or a text book. I think it is really teaching them confidence. The marketer believes they have the skills, knowledge and experience to do the job. Most of them are motivated to be a marketer, and are not just passing through. I think initiative is what you are looking for. The skills that allow a marketer to be successful are all about marketers taking the initiative, or making the most out of their situation. Many of my positions are senior, but unless they understand how to manager people or a team, and to manage a budget, then they will struggle for senior positions.


Evidence of initiative and results. Anything that shows the marketer actually achieves something.


Financial and creativity. The competition for marketing positions is so strong. If the marketer has knowledge of being creative or is that way by nature, then they will stand out. This transgresses to their performance as it is more competitive in industry, especially now with e-marketing taking off.

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APPENDIX 4.19: INTERVIEW NO. 19 Position – Management Consultant Do you have a business degree? – No but have Management and HR post graduate Experience – 15 years


Marketing, financials, leadership, analytical and problem solving.

Why? They (my clients) want people who will contribute to the company quickly. They look to marketers as business managers which means they need more than the basic marketing functions. Most of all, my clients are after leadership qualities. In this I mean motivation, presentation, communication and interpersonal skills. The very successful marketers have this sense of arrogance or if you like, self-confidence. I think it is the way they present themselves or probably their ability to manage staff that gives this impression. They appear easy to get on with. This may be relationship skills as well. Essentially, they are people orientated as well as task orientated. When I look at a marketing manager who is successful, I often see very little difference between them and a general manager. Both appear to have strategic skills and have leadership skills. Marketers really are there to solve problems and create opportunities. I see the analytical side as being important for any marketing manager or manager for that matter. I think this means that they can gauge what is happening in the market place and are willing to make decisions to make their budgets.

What are the skills your clients ask for? Managerial, particularly leadership, interpersonal and verbal communications. I always I get marketing knowledge and skills. This is where there causes confusion from my clients. At the higher level, they really ask for marketing knowledge and skills, but what they really want is an ability to run a business. They want to know how they work in team and how they interact with other members. I think they are really asking about the managerial skills.


Analytical, IT, critical thinking, research and marketing skills.

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What were the skills that you believed should be emphasised more within the applicants that you see?

Leadership, managerial, interpersonal and financial skills. I employ marketing managers, not managers who are marketers. The distinction is that these candidates are marketers first and foremost who can manage departments. They must understand people and how to manage them. I get this a lot from my clients who say they need people who are capable of running a team and can contribute to the company. Leadership skills are rare from my experience. Interpersonal skills include networking which is crucial in relationship building and in some cases, career development. My clients often do not want time for their marketing manager to settle in which was the case previously. The idea of the honey moon is over. Clients want results, fast. Many of my clients demand that marketers understand the costs and bottom line. Written communication skills are poor as I see many grammar and spelling mistakes in the resumes. This is at all levels.


Creativity, thinking outside the square, achieving and setting budgets, use of all elements of the marketing mix, particularly promotions and brands. Regardless of the level, the idea of brands and technology tasks are common requests. Branding particularly as more and more enter the marketplace; many clients want to see experience in how they overcome it or deal with it. A lot of relationship with major stakeholders. I hear that marketers are required to get out of their office more and this is reflected with the requests for relationship skills and probably industry experience as well. For marketing directors and alike, corporate communications where they write policy or have direct contact with the board.


Financial, planning and new product development – What you do not have is time frames. All of these tasks could be done but how long. The last thing any company wants is a marketer who spends all year doing one thing, only to find out when they produce copy, the opportunity has finished. When I hear about new product development from my clients, I really think they are asking to see if the clients have started something from scratch and finished it. To me, new product development requires a lot of tasks and skills in order to achieve success.

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APPENDIX 4.20: INTERVIEW NO. 20 Position – Management Consultant Do you have a business degree? – Yes Experience – 10 years


Comprehension of marketing, decisions making, financial interpersonal, negotiation with staff and problem solving skills.

Why? We employ senior marketers who are capable of thinking big picture. Many of the clients are after candidates who can run a business. Those who can normally are pretty successful. The ability to take over a department, make decisions and run with it. Marketing at this level is not an important skill, though all the applicants for these positions have a lot of experience in it. I would rather say business skills. These include communication, negotiation, decision making, analytical, managerial, leadership and financial skills. Really, it is not the skills you have, it is how you use them. I am after skills that contribute to the big picture or in other words, the bottom line. This could be the reason why I am seeing more emphasis on financial skills from my clients.

What are the skills your clients ask for?

Since there are many companies exporting, another language is becoming more popular now. The skill to export products and to create relationships is becoming more common or experience in this skill. In other words, relationship building with external partners. I see this as adding value to the company. Any marketing professional who can show this, will be gainfully employed by my clients. This could be in terms of new skills such as creativity, relationships with other stakeholders, leadership which by my own experience is really lacking in all facets of business, negotiation and possibly database management. The evidence of brand and promotional exposure is common, though they are really tasks. Since many marketers do not have secretaries, the marketing manager must be able to write well. This creates a sense of professionalism and company standing. Nobody will have credibility if they cannot write well, it looks poor.

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Research, planning, analytical, marketing, communication both verbal and written.

What were the skills that you believed should be emphasised more within the applicants that you see?

Interpersonal and decision making. Many of the resumes are poor with spelling mistakes in them, so written communication I also include. I often believe this is not given the importance it deserves. Well-constructed copy is really a skill and many applicants cannot write it Relationship building in terms of internal and external staff. Communication skills is taught so broadly with many applicants are good at some areas and not at other sections. It really can be the deal breaker. Even at this level, there are often holes in their communication skills or areas that need improvement.


Planning, new product development and promotion budgets. Particularly in FMCG markets where marketers have been given large promotional budgets or their relationship with the advertising agency becomes important. Unless they have a lot of experience in dealing with these partners, they can often be let astray. Clients do not want this to happen, so their ability to see the big picture is often requested. More and corporate communications and the ability to write policy as well as a focus on brand strategies. Probably the biggest is business development which something I would associate with sales. Also, management always is included and provide examples of it.


Financial, business development, planning, managerial sub-sections (Planning, leading, organising and controlling). In a similar way to how the 4P’s have been divided up. Given my experience there should be another section, career motivations. I often use the word General management opportunities to get marketers to apply or use it to create the impression of job prospects. It works very well as a career enticement. This tells me that marketing is often used as a stepping stone to higher positions. Business development is something that should be added. Marketers must be seen to add to the company.

Appendix 5 Page 1

APPENDIX 5: ROLES AND SKILLS FREQUENTLY FOUND IN

JOB ADVERTISEMENTS FOR MARKETING MANAGERS

There were 500 advertisements over a 4 month period from newspapers and web-site

within Australia.

Common Roles found in Marketing Job Applications

Occurrence in Job Advertisements

%

Relate to CIM Framework

Marketing mix applications 45 Implementation of

Marketing Programs

Results focused 45 Measure effectiveness

Communication strategies 45 Implementation of

Marketing Programs

Budget focused 40 Financials

Strategy 38 Strategy and Planning

Team orientated 35 Managing People

Brand development 35 Brands

Financial 35 Financials

Manage customers 35 Implementation of

Marketing Programs

Analyse market trends 35 Research and

Analysis

Industry specific knowledge 35

Management 30 Managing People

Product Strategy 25 Implementation of

Marketing Programs

Manage relationships with internal and external

stakeholders 20

Managing People

Project management 20 Implementation of

Marketing Programs

New Product Launch 20 Implementation of

Marketing Programs

Pricing 15 Implementation of

Marketing Programs

Sales Experience 15

Team dynamics 10

Internet Experience 7

Appendix 5 Page 2

ANALYSIS OF ROLES

The results suggest a liking for the 4P’s applications. This would be included in the

implementation and marketing programs within the CIM framework. These results are

consistent with the study by Schlee and Harich (2010) who also found a high

emphasis on these tasks in their study. Furthermore, the category of implementation

and marketing programs is considered to be associated with 35%, as distinct to the

CIM Professional Standard Framework of 47.8%. The difference perhaps associated

with the level of marketer under investigation in this research.

Budgets and financials were mentioned in 40% and 35% respectively of the common

roles found in the Job Advertisements. This provides more evidence for finance to be

included in the revised new revised CIM Professional Framework.

The results also suggest a higher number of tasks associated with managing people

with 15% of the tasks are associated with managing people, while the CIM

Professional Framework tasks were only 8.9%. The number of times Schlee and

Harich (2010) reported management related task was 41.6%, though this refers to

manage marketing functions, which could possibly be to other tasks than the

management of people

Appendix 6 Page 1

APPENDIX 6: SKILLS FREQUENTLY FOUND IN JOB

ADVERTISEMENTS FOR MARKETING MANAGERS

Common Skills found in Marketing Job Applications

Occurrence in Job Advertisements

%


45

Superior marketing comprehension skills 40

Written communication 38

Decision making 35

People management 30

Negotiation 25

Analytical 25

Motivated 20

Creativity 20

Financial 20

IT 15

Relationship building with internal and external stakeholders 15

Leadership 10

Team 10

ANALYSIS OF JOB ADVERTISEMENTS

The analysis of the results suggests the importance of communication skills, both

written and verbal communication skills for marketing managers. This is consistent

with the research by Bennett, 2002; Gray, etal.,(2007); Schlee and Harich (2010).

Further evidence by Bennett (2002) ranked communication as the most important

skill. The results from the advertisements also confirm the importance of

communication skills with 45% of advertisements having verbal communication as a

necessary skill.

Decision making skills is also considered very important from the job advertisements

analysed as it was included 35% of the time. This is consistent with the research by

Appendix 6 Page 2

Bruce and Schoenfeld (2006); Dacko, (2006), and Chansa-ngavej and Sarawat,

(2008). The evidence supports its inclusion for the next phase; however, there are

studies that suggest an alternative view (Bennett, 2002). In any event, the need to

make accurate decisions by professionals is an essential skill of the established

marketer. As such, they are included in the skill set-under investigation.

Analytical skills are well acknowledged as important to a marketer. The study by

Bennett (2002) found they were mentioned in 22% of the advertisements surveyed.

Further evidence by Benett (2002) on managerial positions indicated analytical skills

were requested in 36% of all the advertisements. These results suggest the importance

of analytical skills to be included in the research.

Financial skills was included in 20% of the advertisements surveyed, supporting their

inclusion in the skills sets to be used in the expert interviews. Further evidence by

Melaia, et al., (2008) suggested that financial skills were ranked 12th out of 49

important competences. The significance of marketing measurement in terms of costs

and performance based indicators contributes to the importance of financial skills for

the established marketing professional. They are therefore included in the research.

Negotiation skills are often considered a multiple layered skill (Lewicki, 1977). In this

sense, it is quite possible they are linked to other skills considered in this research.

Marketers who often interact with staff and customers may consider these as different

needs for the skill. For that reason, negotiation will be split between internal

(negotiation with staff) and external (negotiation with suppliers). Its importance from

the studies by Maes, Weldy and Icenogle (1997); Duke (2002); Gray, et al., (2007)

support the inclusion of this skill into the survey for the next phase. Furthermore,

research by O’Callaghan (2002) suggests its importance may increase as the amount

of work increases. Negotiation skills were found in 25% of the advertisements

surveyed and it is important to include in the survey for further research in this thesis.

Leadership was noted in only 10% of the advertisements in the three month period. A

similar result in the research by Bennett (2002) appeared to have considerably support

for the results from the advertisements in this research. Dacko (2006) notes its

importance for post-graduate graduates as well as Maes, et al., (1997). Leadership

Appendix 6 Page 3

appears acknowledged as an important skill in the literature and is also included in the

research.

Creativity, even though many scholars have not included it in their research, other

studies by Gray, et al., (2007), found it was contained in 9% of the advertisements

surveyed. This is supported by Benett (2002) however the study by Schlee and Harich

(2010) suggested that creative problem solving skills were in 26.6% of the job listings

in their research. As markets continually change, the need for continual innovations

into company’s product offering may have to change. The need for creative skills may

become more apparent. Currently, there appears little evidence on whether this skill is

important for the professional marketer to become established in their career.

People management would appear to be very important for potential marketers. It was

observed to be in 30% of the marketing professional advertisements over the 3 month

period. In considering the role of a marketing manager, and their dependency of

getting work through other departments, the use of managerial skills would appear

paramount for their position. Managerial skill has been well researched, but not as a

marketing manager. Their inclusion therefore is determine the extent of how

marketing managers work through other people in various departments.

Appendix 7 Page 1

APPENDIX 7: ROLES FREQUENTLY FOUND IN JOB

DESCRIPTIONS FOR MARKETING MANAGERS

There were 500 advertisements over a 3 month period from newspapers and web-sites

within Australia.

Common Roles found in Marketing Job Descriptions Budget Business Development Communication with agencies and other cross functional personnel Corporate Communications Customer retention strategies Develop and Administer marketing database Develop business unit strategies developing customer acquisition Divisional marketing plans Financial accountability Industry experience Manage Marketing Department or Staff Manage media relations Manage Suppliers Management of team Monthly reporting Online marketing strategies Research and Develop brand strategies

Appendix 8 Page 1

APPENDIX 8: COVER SHEET OF SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE Date Name (field to include for mail merge) Position (field to include for mail merge) Company (field to include for mail merge) Address (field to include for mail merge) Dear Name (field to include for mail merge) An exploratory examination of the skills and competencies required by marketing professionals

We need your help I am currently a PhD student in the Faculty of Business and Enterprise at Swinburne University, under the supervision of Associate Professor Dr Linda Brennan. This thesis explores the type of skills and competencies that marketing professionals learn which aid in the development of a successful marketing career. Participation in this research is voluntary but your help will assist us in understanding what marketing educators need to provide in their subjects and programs that will help marketing professionals achieve the best career outcomes. For marketing professionals, knowledge of these skills will help them to plan their professional development and careers. Your name has been randomly selected from the List Bank database of marketing professionals. We hope you are in a position to help us identify the skills considered necessary for successful marketing professionals at various levels of career development. Completing this survey should take you about 20 to 30 minutes. There are no details on the survey that will enable the researchers to identify individuals. However, if you want a copy of the top line results sent to you, please include a business card which will be separated from the survey prior to data entry. You can also send a business card in a separate envelope to the reply paid address provided. All data collected will be protected according to the requirements of Swinburne University’s policies on the conduct of research. The only people who will have access to the data are the Principal Investigator and Mr John Boyd-Gerny. It is hoped that this research will lead to publications in journals and at conferences in addition to a thesis. You will not be identifiable from the results and therefore your privacy is assured. If you would like us to answer questions about this research, please feel free to contact John Boyd Gerny on 0419 369 114 or Associate Professor Brennan on 9214 4861 Yours Sincerely John Boyd-Gerny Dr. Linda Brennan PhD Student Associate Professor of Business and Enterprise Swinburne University of Technology If you have any complaints about the conduct of this research, please feel free to contact either:

Appendix 9 Page 1

APPENDIX 9: SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE

Q1 Have you been employed in a marketing

position?

Please circle the appropriate box or boxes

Yes 1

No 2

If no, thank-you for your participation.

DEMOGRAPHICS

Q2 What is your current title?


Marketing Director 1

National Marketing Manager 2

Marketing Manager 3

Product Manager 4

National Sales Manager 5

Sales Manager 6

State Manager 7

Brand Manager 8

Promotions Manager 9

Other please specify___________________ 10

Q3 How many years have you been employed

in a marketing role?


Less than 1 year 1

1- 3 years 2

3-5 years 3

5 -10 years 4

Greater than 10 years 5

Appendix 9 Page 2

SKILLS

Q 4 Which of these skills have been important for your success in

your marketing career?

Very

Insignificant

Extremely

Significant

Please circle your response

Analytical skills 1 2 3 4 5

Communication skills 1 2 3 4 5

Comprehension of marketing skills 1 2 3 4 5

Creative thinking skills 1 2 3 4 5

Critical thinking skills 1 2 3 4 5

Decision making skills 1 2 3 4 5

Financial skills 1 2 3 4 5

Interpersonal skills( talking, listening, networking etc) 1 2 3 4 5

Leadership skills 1 2 3 4 5

Negotiation with staff 1 2 3 4 5

Negotiation with suppliers 1 2 3 4 5

People Management skills 1 2 3 4 5

Problem Solving skills 1 2 3 4 5

Verbal communication 1 2 3 4 5

Written communication 1 2 3 4 5

Q 5a What is your highest education level you

have completed or are now completing?


Bachelor 1

Post Graduate Diploma 2

Post Graduate Certificate 3

Masters 4

PhD 5

Appendix 9 Page 3

Q 5b How many years since you have

graduated from your highest graduate degree?

Please circle the appropriate box

Still completing it 1

< 1 year 2

>1-3 years 3

>4-6 years 4


Q 6 How would you rate the coverage of these skills in your post

graduate marketing education?

Very

Insignificant

Extremely

Significant

















Appendix 9 Page 4

Q 7 How much importance has been given to the following skill sets in

your post graduate marketing programs?

Very

Insignifican

t

Extremely

Significant

















Q 8 Have you ever had your generic skills level

evaluated?


Yes 1

No 2

Appendix 9 Page 5

Q 9 When was the last time you assembled a

formal marketing plan?


Never 1

< 1 year 2

1-2 years 3

3-4 years 4


If you answer, please go to question 14.

Q 10 How many people including you were

involved in the development of the marketing

plan?


Only you (1) 1

2-4 2

5-7 3

8-10 4

Greater than 10 5

Appendix 9 Page 6

This next question is concerned with the market plan. Please circle your response

Q 11 How important are the skill sets below in developing your

marketing plans?

Very

Insignificant

Extremely

Significant

















Appendix 9 Page 7

Marketing Research

The understanding of how to analyse data and the concepts of marketing research are an important

skill. This section considers its importance

Q 12 Which of these statements do you consider important for

marketing research within your marketing position?

Very

Insignificant

Extremely

Significant

Please circle your response.

Understand the market research process 1 2 3 4 5

How to evaluate consumer research 1 2 3 4 5

How to interpret market research data 1 2 3 4 5

Ability to source information 1 2 3 4 5

Knowledge of marketing research 1 2 3 4 5

How to write a marketing research brief 1 2 3 4 5

How to liaise with marketing research agencies 1 2 3 4 5

The types of marketing research available to marketers 1 2 3 4 5

How to select the right marketing research agency 1 2 3 4 5

Apply marketing research to solve marketing problems 1 2 3 4 5

To interpret computer developed reports 1 2 3 4 5

Appendix 9 Page 8

The next section is concerned with the implementation and evaluation of your marketing plans

Q 13 Which of these statements do you consider important for the

implementation of your marketing plans?

Very

Insignificant

Extremely

Significant


Allocation of resources 1 2 3 4 5

Analyse marketing information 1 2 3 4 5

Coordination of staff 1 2 3 4 5

Database development and maintenance 1 2 3 4 5

Internal marketing 1 2 3 4 5

Leadership 1 2 3 4 5

Liaise across departments 1 2 3 4 5

Project Management 1 2 3 4 5

Recruitment 1 2 3 4 5

Time frame 1 2 3 4 5

Training of staff 1 2 3 4 5

Appendix 9 Page 9

The aim of this question is to determine when you use these skills in the development, implementation and evaluation of your marketing plan. Thinking about the skills in the

columns and the tasks in the rows, please read each task and circle the skill (please select only one skill) that allowed you to complete the task. Please circle the box/boxes

below.

TASK SKILLS

Q 14 In order to implement

your marketing plans,

which of the following skills

do you use for the

components listed below?

Communication Critical

Thinking

Creativity Management Problem

Solving

Leadership Negotiation Marketing

Comprehension

1 = Communication, 2 = Critical Thinking, 3 = Creativity, 4 = Management, 5 = Problem Solving, 6 = Leadership, 7 = Negotiation, 8 = Marketing Knowledge,

Marketing Objectives 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Marketing Strategy 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Situation Analysis 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Target Market and

Segmentation 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Marketing Tactics (Marketing

Mix) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Financials 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Implementation 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Monitoring and control 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Appendix 9 Page 10

Q 15 Which of these tasks do you perform in your current

position? 1 2 3 4 2

Very

Insignificant

Extremely

Significant

1 = rarely do it the task, 2 = once a year, 3 = 2-4 times in a year,

4 = 5 – 11 times in a year, 5 = monthly or even more

Assess company performance and competitor analysis 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Contribute to the company's ability to manage change 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Co-ordinate marketing activities among sales and marketing divisions 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Determine the strategic direction of marketing portfolio (department 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Develop a marketing plan 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Develop branding strategy 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Develop effective channels to meet organisations objectives 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Develop pricing strategy 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Develop, monitor and control marketing budgets 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Direct and support for marketing intermediaries 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Establish the project management hierarchy in line with company’s

objectives 1 2 3 4 5

1 2 3 4 5

Implement communication mix for portfolio or company 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Implement pricing strategy consistent with corporate objectives 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Initiate new product development programs 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Q16 Which of these tasks do you

consider most important?

Appendix 9 Page 11

Instigate a customer relationship strategy 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Maintain a competitive product portfolio 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Manage customer analysis 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Manage the running of projects 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Management of staff 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Market reports to senior management 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Monitor actual results against planned performance 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Promote development of brands across the organisational portfolios 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Recommend market research projects 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Appendix 9 Page 12

The aim of this question is to determine which of these skills you use in the tasks of performing a marketing position. Thinking about the skills in the columns and the tasks

in the rows, please read each task and the circle the skill (please circle only one) that allowed you to complete the task. Please circle the box/boxes below

TASK SKILLS

Q 17 Which of these

skills allowed you to

accomplish these

task?


Thinking


Solving


Comprehension

Assess company

performance and

competitor analysis

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Contribute to the

company’s ability to

manage change

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Co-ordinate marketing

activities among sales

and marketing

divisions

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Determine the strategic

direction of marketing

portfolio (department

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Appendix 9 Page 13

Q 17 Which of these


accomplish these

task?


Thinking


Solving


Comprehension

Develop a marketing

plan

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Develop branding

strategy

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Develop effective

channels to meet

organisations

objectives

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Develop pricing

strategy

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Develop, monitor and

control marketing

budgets

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Direct and support for

marketing

intermediaries

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Establish the project 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Appendix 9 Page 14

Q 17 Which of these


accomplish these

task?


Thinking


Solving


Comprehension

management hierarchy

in line with company’s

objectives

Implement

communication mix for

portfolio or company

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Implement pricing

strategy consistent with

corporate objectives

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Initiate new product

development programs

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Instigate a customer

relationship strategy

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Maintain a competitive

product portfolio

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Manage customer

analysis

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Manage the running of 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Appendix 9 Page 15

Q 17 Which of these


accomplish these

task?


Thinking


Solving


Comprehension

projects

Management of staff 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Market reports to

senior management

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Monitor actual results

against planned

performance

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Promote development

of brands across the

organisational

portfolios

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Recommend market

research projects

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Appendix 9 Page 16

Demographics This section is about you. It will help us look at the difference between industries and size of company

with respect to the marketing plans and activities.

Approximately many full time employees in

your present company in Australia?

Please circle your response (Use Australia only)

< 10 1

10 – 50 employees 2

51-100 employees 3

Greater than 100 employees 4

What industry category are you currently

working in?


Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting 1

Mining 2

Manufacturing 3

Electricity, Gas and Water Supply 4

Construction 5

Wholesaling 5

Accommodation, Cafes and Restaurants 6

Transport and Storage 7

Communication Services 8

Finance and Insurance 9

Property and Business Services 10

Government Administration and defence 11

Education 12

Health and Community Services 13

Cultural and Recreational Services 14

Other______________________________ 15

Appendix 9 Page 17

The last section of the survey is concerned with the determining the career aspirations and values of a

successful marketing manager. Please circle the number that corresponds to your motive.

Anchor Meaning Completely

true

Completely

false

Managerial

Importance

1 2 3 4 5

The process of supervising, influencing, leading, and

controlling people at all levels are important.

To be in a position of leadership and influence.

To rise to a position of leadership and influence

across the business domains.

I would like to reach a level of responsibility in an

organisation where my decisions really make a

difference.

I want to achieve a position which gives me the

opportunity to combine analytical competence with

supervision of people.

Technical and

Functional

Competence

To build my career around some specific marketing

or technical area

Remaining in my specialised area as opposed to

being promoted out of my area of expertise.

Remaining in my area of expertise rather than being

promoted into general management.

I will accept a general management position only if it

is in my area of expertise.

I would leave my organisation rather than be

promoted out of my marketing area.

Autonomy

The chance to pursue my own lifestyle and not be

constrained by the rules of an organisation.

A career which is free from organisational

restrictions.

A career which permits a maximum freedom and

autonomy to choose my own work hours.

During my career I have been mainly concerned with

my own sense of freedom and autonomy.

I do not want to be constrained by either an

Appendix 9 Page 18


true

Completely

false

organisation or the business world.

Organisational

Stability

An organisation which will provide security through

guaranteed work, benefits, and good retirement

program.

An organisation which will give me long run

stability.

I prefer to work for an organisation which provides

lifetime employment.

Geographic

Security

Remaining in one geographic area rather than being

prompted into moving because of a promotion.

It is important for me to remain in my present

geographical location rather than to move because of

promotion or new job assignment.

I prefer to work for an organisation that will permit

me to remain within one country.

Sense of

Service

The use of my interpersonal and helping skills in the

service of others.

The process of seeing others changes because of my

effort.

Being able to use my skills and talents in the service

of an important cause.

I have always sought a career in which I could be of

service to others.

I want a career in which l can be committed and

devoted to an important cause.

Lifestyle

Integration

Developing a life cycle that balances my career and

family needs.

Developing a career that permits me to continue to

pursue my own lifestyle.

Appendix 9 Page 19


true

Completely

false

I have always tried to give equal weight to my family

and to my career.

A career is worthwhile only if it enables me to lead

my life in my own way.

Choosing and maintaining a certain lifestyle is more

important than is career success.

Entrepreneurial

Creativity

To be able to create or build something that is

entirely my own product or idea.

The use of my skills in building a new product

portfolio

I have been motivated throughout my career by the

number of ideas or products which I have been

directly involved in creating.

Entrepreneurial activities are an important part of my

career.

I have always wanted to start and build up a product

portfolio.

Pure Challenge

Working on problems that are almost insoluble.

Competing with and winning out over others.

The real challenge in my career has been confronting

and solving tough problems, no matter what area they

were in.

Competing and winning are the most exciting parts of

my career.

I feel successful only if l am constantly challenged by

a tough problem or a competitive situation.

Thank-you for your time and effort

Appendix 10 Page 1

APPENDIX 10 – ETHICS APPROVAL FOR STUDY

Appendix 11 Page 1

APPENDIX 11 – CIM PROFESSIONAL STANDARD

FRAMEWORK

RESEARCH & ANALYSIS

STRATEGY & PLANNING

BRANDS

SCOPE

Understand markets

Develop strategy and marketing plans

Develop and manage brands and reputation

BUSINESS COMPETENCY

Obtain information

about markets

Analyse information

Influence

strategy formulation

Produce marketing plans

Create effective brands

Manage brands

and brand reputation

SENIOR (direct/guide)

Define

intelligence requirements and lead the intelligence gathering process

Develop a

detailed understanding

of the organisation

and its environment

Promote a

strong market orientation

& influence strategy

formulation &

investment decisions

Specify and direct

the marketing planning process

Promote

organisation-wide innovation

/cooperation in the development of

brands

Distil the essence of

brands and direct/coordinate a portfolio of brands

CIM Professional Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing

MANAGER (manage)

Identify

information requirements and manage

research projects and the MkIS

Evaluate and present

information for business advantage

Contribute information and ideas to the strategy

process

Create competitive operational marketing

plans

Create and build competitive brands

Manage competitive

brands and coordinate brand support activities

CIM Professional Diploma in Marketing

PRACTITIONER

(do)

Collect information

Interpret and

present information

Contribute information and ideas to the strategy

process

Contribute to the

production of marketing plans

and budgets

Contribute to the

creation and building of brands

Manage a competitive brand

CIM Professional Certificate in Marketing

SUPPORT (support)

Support the information gathering process

Support the analysis process

Support

information gathering as part of the

strategy process

Contribute information to

marketing plans

Assist in the creation

and building of brands

Assist in the management of

brands

CIM Introductory Certificate in Marketing

Appendix 11 Page 2

IMPLEMENTING MARKETING PROGRAMMES

SCOPE

Communicate with stakeholders

Manage products and services Manage and set price

Manage channels

Manage customer relationships

Manage programmes and projects

BUSINESS COMPETENCY

Develop effective communications

Deliver effective communications

Develop

competitive products &

services

Manage

competitive products &

services

Develop

competitive pricing policies

Implement pricing

policies

Develop effective

channels to market

Provide support to channel members

Maintain and

improve customer

relationships

Deliver effective

customer service

Plan and prepare projects

Manage the running of

programmes and projects

SENIOR (direct/guide)

Develop and direct

an integrated marketing

communications strategy

Lead the

implementation of the integrated

marketing communications

strategy

Promote organisation-

wide innovation/ cooperation in

the development of products

and services

Direct and maintain competitive

product/service portfolios

Promote the strategic and

creative use of pricing

Lead the implementation of the strategic and

creative use of pricing

Select and monitor

channels to meet the organisation’s needs in a

changing environment

Direct and control support

to channel members

Promote and

create a customer orientation and infrastructure

for customer

relationships

Direct and control

information and activities that deliver customer

relationships and service

Establish/maintain a

project management

framework in line with strategic

objectives

Direct and control the

delivery of programmes and projects

CIM Professional Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing CIM Professional Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing

MANAGER (manage)

Create effective communications

plans

Manage communications

activities

Prepare business case for a product/service

and progress it to market

Manage and

maintain competitive products/

services or portfolio

Create competitive and sustainable

pricing strategies

Manage

implementation and monitor

the effectiveness of pricing strategies

Establish and develop effective support for channels to market

Manage and monitor support to channel members

Establish and

monitor activities and information for delivering effective

customer relationships

Manage and monitor provision of effective

customer service

Plan marketing projects and

prepare budgets

Manage and report on delivery against plan

and objectives

CIM Professional Diploma in Marketing CIM Professional Diploma in Marketing

PRACTITIONER

(do)

Develop indirect and

direct communications

Deliver direct or

indirect communications

Contribute to the development of

products and services

Manage and maintain

a competitive product/ service

Contribute to the development of pricing policies

Implement pricing

policies

Develop effective

channels to market

Provide support to channel members

Manage or

support customer

relationships

Deliver effective

customer service

Contribute to

planning and budget preparation

Monitor and report on

project activities

CIM Professional Certificate in Marketing CIM Professional Certificate in Marketing

SUPPORT (support)

Assist in the development of communications

Assist in the delivery of

communications

Assist in the

development of products and

services

Support the

management of products/ services

Support the development of pricing policies

Support the implementation of

pricing policies

Support the

development of effective

channels to market

Assist in supporting

channel members

Assist in managing

or supporting customer

relationships

Assist in delivering effective customer

service

Support project planning and

budget preparation

Assist in

monitoring, documentation and

reporting on projects

CIM Introductory Certificate in Marketing CIM Introductory Certificate in Marketing

Appendix 11 Page 3

MEASURE EFFECTIVENESS

MANAGING PEOPLE

Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of marketing Managing marketing teams

Measure the effectiveness of marketing

activities

Explain the success or failure of marketing activities

Develop teams and individuals to enhance marketing performance

Work with other functions and disciplines

Enhance own performance

Manage change

Establish and promote the use of metrics to

improve marketing effectiveness

Create a system of critical review and appraisal to inform future marketing

activity

Provide professional leadership and develop a cooperative environment

Promote cross functional working linked

to brands & integrated marketing activities

Promote and create an environment for career and self- development

Contribute to organisational change &

define & communicate the need for change

within the dept

CIM Professional Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing

Define measurements appropriate to the plan or business case and ensure they are

undertaken

Evaluate activities and identify

improvements using measurement data

Manage a marketing team

Maintain relationships with other functions and disciplines within the organisation

Encourage and help others to develop

their competencies relevant to a marketing role

Embrace change others to modify behaviours and

attitudes

CIM Professional Diploma in Marketing

Collect, synthesise, analyse and report measurement data

Participate in reviews of marketing activities using

measurement data

Contribute to effective performance as a member of

a team

Exchange information with others inside and outside the marketing function

Review and develop one’s

competencies

Embrace change behaviours and attitudes

CIM Professional Certificate in Marketing

Support collection and reporting of measurement data

Support reviews of marketing activities

Contribute to effective performance as a

member of a team

Assist in the exchange of information with others inside & outside the marketing

function

Review and develop one’s competencies

Embrace change and modify behaviours

and attitudes

CIM Introductory Certificate in Marketing

Appendix 12 Page 1

APPENDIX 12: FULL ANALYSIS OF HYPOTHESIS 5.2.

H 5.2: The 23 tasks of the CIM Professional Framework model are completed in accordance

with their importance.

This section examines the frequency with which tasks are undertaken by marketing managers.

The participants were asked how often they completed the tasks according to the adapted CIM

Professional Standard Framework. The completion frequency of the tasks was measured based

on the scale of rarely do the task, once a year, 2-4 times per year, 5-11 times per year, and

monthly or more. The results are derived from Question 15 (Which of these tasks do your

perform in your current position?) and Question 16 (Which of these tasks do you consider most

important to your success?) of the survey instrument.

It is considered that an understanding of the frequency of undertaking marketing tasks would

contribute to the richness of information on the importance of marketing tasks. Accordingly, in

this section the important marketing tasks are examined in the context of the frequency of

occurrence of the task. Table 5.17 lists the tasks undertaken by a marketing manager by

importance and frequency of conduct. A review of the results will allow other marketers to

develop a good appreciation of the activities and tasks that are deemed to be of importance to a

marketing manager, and therefore aid them in career development and establishment.

The data analysis of task frequency substantiates the findings of the importance of the 23 tasks

that were examined. In all of the 23 tasks examined, the most common response was roughly

35% of the tasks (eight out of 23) were completed monthly or more, only 4% (one out of 23)

chose the completed their task 5-11 times per year as the most common response, 26% (six out

of 23) selected 2-4 times per year as the most common response, 26% (six out of 23) selected

monthly as their most common response, while only 9% (two out of 23) selected rarely do the

task as the most common response.

Appendix 12 Page 2

The two tasks that the respondents rarely complete the task were: “recommend market research

projects” (34.70%) and “develop effective channels” (32.18%). This finding again reinforces

the findings on task importance, where these tasks were not identified among the most highly

rated tasks, but were ranked 23 and 17 respectively. However, the three most important tasks;

“management of staff, “, “co-ordinate marketing activities among sales and marketing

divisions” and “assess company performance and competitor analysis”, the respondents most

common answer was monthly or more. The results suggest the important tasks needed for the

establishment of the marketing manager and the numbers of times they are attempted are

consistent. In other words, the marketing managers in this thesis understand which are the

important tasks and attempt these very regularly. The marketing tasks are next discussed

individually to obtain a more complete understanding of the interplay between perceptions of

task importance and frequency of conduct.


In considering the activity of research and analysis, two tasks are identified from the CIM

Professional Framework model: recommend market research projects, and assess company

performance and competitor analysis. The data reveals that only around 65% of respondents

recommend market research projects with some regularity, with around 34.7% of respondents

indicating that they rarely do the task. This finding indicates a substantial proportion of

participants are not involved in recommending marketing research. The result may reflect the

specialist nature of marketing research. An alternative explanation may be the respondents’

lack of interest in undertaking primary research, given the often cited explosion of customer

information available from internal sources. The result has implications for marketing

programs as these currently provide units in marketing research which focuses on primary

research techniques, but less often provide units which develop skills in data mining and

analysis. This outcome may point to the need for a review of the content of traditional

marketing research programs to place more focus on the development of skills in relation to

secondary data analysis.

The second task, “assess company performance and competitor analysis” would appear to be

undertaken by most respondents on a highly regular basis. The data shows only 1.27% of

respondents rarely undertake this task, and 56.13% conduct the task monthly, with another

Appendix 12 Page 3

22% conducting the task 5 to 11 times a year. This task had been very highly ranked as the

third most important task, and the high frequency of undertaking this task underscores the

finding of a high importance of the task. The importance of the task may be linked to the

outcomes of the analysis, rather than the task itself. The conclusions and the action this task

entails are what will influence the marketing manager’s career success. The high ranking of

this task confirms the importance of the marketing manager, not to understand how to do

marketing research, but their ability to analyse the results in an attempt to interpret and act on

marketing opportunities and threats.


In considering the activity of strategy and planning, two tasks are identified: determine the

strategic direction of marketing portfolio, and develop a marketing plan. The data displays only

around 89.7% of respondents determine the strategic direction of a portfolio with some

regularity, with 38.4% or respondents conducting the task once a year, and the other

participants conducting the task more frequently. The determination of strategic direction of

marketing portfolio was rated as a very high level of importance, ranked third. The task would

generally be considered a very high level activity for a professional marketer, and possibly the

restriction of this activity to the most highly placed marketers in the study may explain the

moderate level of frequency for this task.

The results reveal that only around 90.0% of respondents develop a marketing plan, with

61.84% of respondents conducting the plan on an annual basis, and another 19.3% developing

the plan 2 to 4 times a year, and 8.8% developing the plan more frequently. This high level of

planning activity is certainly consistent with the importance of the task, which is ranked 8 in

terms of importance. It is unclear as to why around 10% of respondents rarely undertake the

task, given the priority of such a task in most marketing functional areas.

Brands

In considering the activity of Brand, two tasks are identified: develop branding strategy and

promote development of brands across the organisational portfolios. The data reveals that

13.6% of respondents rarely develop a branding strategy. Conversely, 73.94% of respondents

undertake the task between once and 4 times a year. The task was not seen as among the most

important tasks, ranked 11 of 23 tasks. The results suggest that brand development is not an

Appendix 12 Page 4

ongoing priority of the participants. The level of respondents may be the reason for the lack of

importance to the branding task. Many of the respondents are senior and the tasks for branding

perhaps are a functional task for the respondents in this research.

The promotion of the brand appears to be a more commonly undertaken task, with only 7.93%

of participants reporting that they rarely undertake the task. The task is conducted once a year

by 20.3% of respondents, and more frequently by the others (73.4%), this task was not seen as

among the most important tasks, ranked 18 of 23 tasks under investigation.

So, whist the development of branding strategy is seen as the more important task compared to

promoting development of brands across the portfolios, the task in rarely undertaken by 13.6%

of respondents. In seeking to explain this finding, it could possibly reflect that fewer marketing

professionals participate in strategy development because of their years of experience, or

alternatively because of their preference to undertake the task.

Implementation of Marketing Programs

In considering the activity of Implementation of marketing programs, 11 tasks are identified.

Most of the 11 implementation tasks were undertaken by over 80% of respondents. The tasks

that had a high degree of respondents rarely doing the task were as follows: develop pricing

strategy (25.79%), implement pricing strategy (24.34%), and develop effective channels

(32.18%).

These three tasks had previously been identified as having a relatively low level of importance

relative to other tasks, being ranked 19, 12 and 17, respectively. This finding of a relatively

high level of non-performance of these tasks would seem to imply that these tasks are seen as

more specialist in nature. As a result, perhaps they may not be seen to be generally performed

by a marketing manager. Hence, these three tasks have been rated at a lower level of

importance, which appears consistent with their lack of relevance to the functioning of a

marketing manager.

As noted above most implementation tasks are generally undertaken by at least 80% of

respondents, and the activities have a conduct frequency of more than once a year. An

Appendix 12 Page 5

interesting exception to this pattern was the task of manage the running of projects, which had

only 7.8% of respondents rarely doing the task, and a very high frequency of conduct of the

task among those marketers that undertook the task. Some 33.8% of respondents undertook the

task on a monthly or basis, with an additional 58.8% of respondents undertaking the task

between 5 and 11 times per year. This finding of an exceptionally high level of frequency of

conduct of the task of managing projects is consistent with the high ranking of importance of

the task at seventh, and its importance to the career establishment of a marketing professional.


In considering the activity of Brand, two tasks are identified: monitor actual results against

planned performance, and market reports to senior management. Only a very small number of

respondents (2.87%) reported that they rarely undertook these tasks. Moreover, both these

tasks were undertaken with a very high degree of frequency with over 50% of respondents

conducting these tasks on a monthly basis or more often. So, these are tasks that are conducted

with a high level of frequency and common to the marketing function.

Interestingly, there is a considerable difference between the rankings of the importance of

these tasks, with the monitoring task ranked at five and the reporting task ranked at 16. This

difference in importance ranking would seem to be explained by the higher importance ranking

being linked to the higher level function of monitoring, rather than the lower level function of

reporting. In order for the marketer to be established, the completion of these tasks would be a

high priority.

Managing People

In considering the activity of Managing people, three tasks were identified: management of

staff, co-ordinate marketing activities, and contribute to change management. The majority of

respondents undertook all three tasks, with only 7.43% and 1.0% rarely undertaking

management of staff, and co-ordination of marketing activities, respectively. So, not only were

most respondents undertaking these tasks, but also 67.91% respondents were undertaking the

task of management of staff, and co-ordination of marketing activities (65.5%), as being

undertaken on a monthly basis or more. These high levels of engagement and frequency of

these two tasks are seen to contribute to a very high level of ranking of their importance. In

identifying the tasks seen as most important to the establishment of a professional marketer, it

Appendix 12 Page 6

first seems strange that marketing management tasks are identified as most important, rather

than marketing tasks.

All participants indicated that they contributed to the company’s ability to manage change, and

53.7% of respondents indicated that they undertook this task with a frequency of monthly or

more. This finding no doubt reflects clearly the perception of the importance of this task, being

ranked ninth in terms of importance, even though it is not clearly linked to a marketing

function. These results add more light to the understanding of why managerial skills are seen

as most important to a marketing manager.

Financial Management

H 4.3.1: The financial tasks were an important task for the present established marketing

manager.

The last task under investigation is the ability to develop, monitor and control marketing

budgets. The results show that most respondents undertake this task, with only 2.0% of

respondents indicating that they rarely do this task. But, not only is there a high level of

engagement by respondents in this task, but 42% of the respondents conducted this task on a

monthly or more. The high level of engagement and frequency of conduct of financial

management is reflected in the assessment of the quite high ranking of the importance of the

skill at six (of 23), a skills that is not marketing in nature, but nevertheless seen as important

for today’s marketing professional’s career.

The discussion in this section has established a link between perceptions of task importance

and the frequency of the conduct of marketing tasks.

Appendix 12 Page 7

Table 5.11 Importance and Frequency of Marketing Tasks with the CIM Professional Standard Framework

Activity Task

Importance

of

Task

Ranking

Frequency of Task

Rarely do

Task

Once a

year

2-4 times

/ year

5-11 times

/ year

Monthly

or more

Research and

Analysis

Recommend market research projects 23 34.70 21.73 31.64 8.40 4.18

Assess company performance and competitor analysis 3

1.27 10.3 9.45 22.00 56.13

Strategy and

Planning

Determine the strategic direction of marketing portfolio

(department)

4

10.27 38.40 20.53 16.00 15.27

Develop a marketing plan 7 10.00 61.84 19.30 3.80 5.00

Brands

Develop branding strategy 12 13.6 43.4 30.54 8.80 3.60

Promote development of brands across the organisational

portfolios

18

7.93 20.30 40.32 21.20 10.35

Implementation

of Marketing

Programmes

Implement communication mix for portfolio or company 13 8.43 35.35 33.20 8.10 15.00

Initiate new product development programs 19 17.36 16.7 42.723 11.45 11.09

Maintain a competitive product portfolio 14 15.48 28.25 29.36 19.78 6.90

Develop pricing strategy 20 25.79 37.65 25.77 6.70 3.8

Implement pricing strategy consistent with corporate objectives 10 24.34 32.43 13.60 22.23 6.44

Develop effective channels to meet organisations objectives 15 32.18 23.16 25.49 12.43 6.44

Direct and support for marketing intermediaries 22 5.30 25.47 27.00 10.02 32.09

Instigate a customer relationship strategy 11 15.33 16.02 26.03 31.54 11.18

Appendix 12 Page 8

Activity Task

Importance

of

Task

Ranking

Frequency of Task

Rarely do

Task

Once a

year

2-4 times

/ year

5-11 times

/ year

Monthly

or more

Manage customer analysis 17 15.45 30.33 27.00 20.30 7.70

Establish the project management hierarchy in line with

company’s objectives

21

13.780 27.88 39.64 10.01 8.57

Manage the running of projects 6 7.87 1.22 36.48 22.35 32. 08

Measuring

Effectiveness

Monitor actual results against planned performance 5 2.87 4.13 20.04 22.20 50.84

Market reports to senior management 16

3.59 10.67 14.57 20.45 50.61

Managing

People

Management of staff 1 7.43 8.77 7.89 8.14 67.91

Co-ordinate marketing activities among sales and marketing

divisions

2

1.00 7.87 9.51 16.00 65.55

Contribute to the company's ability to manage change 8 12.34 12.91 21.05 24.84 28.86

Financial

Analysis Develop, monitor and control marketing budgets

9

2.02 25.75 18.5.9 11.59 42.00

Appendix 12 Page 9

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