Journal of Marketing Education

Alumni relations is a frequently neglected facet of a marketing educational program. This article outlines the role of alumni relations in a marketing program, suggests the objectives and activities of an alumni relations program, presents the results of such a program at one institution, and suggests some cautionary notes to departments considering such a program.

Who is a real doctor, and how has the title been used over the centuries? Do other professions have a "better" claim to the title than marketing? This article attempts to shed light on the history of the title and how confusion over its use has developed, particularly in the United States.

This survey of 502 marketing professors reports how marketing faculty performance is currently evaluated and indicates that approximately 38%o of marketing faculty are dissatisfied and 17% are neutral regarding their current faculty evaluation systems. Five directions and 10 suggestions from the respondents for improving performance evaluation are offered.

The process used by a new marketing Ph.D. in selecting the first academic post is an area of great interest given the current academic job market. The present study was designed to identify the criteria which new Ph.D.s use in selecting their first academic position. Among the results of the study was the identification of three distinct orientations—"lifestyle," "career- and work-related," and "location"—which influence the selection process.

Doctoral candidates who aspire toward academic careers in marketing often discover that research performance is generally recognized as a component of exceptional importance relative to the attainment of professional goals. Nothing is more demanding, yet continuously expected, of full-time, tenure-track professors. Outlined and discussed here are numerous points that may better prepare our students to meet these future demands.

This article reviews the teaching/learning process and the role of final exams in that process, and suggests several alternatives to the written final exam.

Practical suggestions are offered for effectively and efficiently videotaping role plays. These include a discussion of methods to reduce "camera fright, " an approach to structure a progressive series of role plays, teaching activities that support the role plays, benefits of the program, and suggestions for implementing it on other campuses.

This article describes a teaching procedure which has been used in the basic marketing course to allow students to work as part of a team to design the marketing plan for a new product or service and to present this plan orally to the class.

Expert systems used as decision support tools have resulted in significant improvements in marketing decision making effectiveness and efficiency. This article provides a rationale for incorporating expert system technology into the marketing curriculum, presents an interdisciplinary expert system term project, and suggests guidelines for expert system term project development.

Many teachers of marketing management and strategy courses are faced with the problem of too much to present and too little time to do it, particularly when simulation games are used in conjunction with lectures, cases; and readings. In an attempt to establish a minimum number of periods which are compatible with substantial learning benefits, this article examines longitudinal changes in two simulation performance measures as well as student self-reports. The effective lower boundary for MBA students using Markstrat appears to be five periods.

While demographic methods and population trends receive some attention in most marketing curricula, the full value of this body of knowledge is almost never incorporated. Given the decision making and strategic planning orientation of marketing as a discipline, the inclusion of a demographic perspective is needed if better decisions are to be made. An integrated approach for including a more extensive demographic perspective in a marketing curriculum is presented.

Education is presently under attack at all levels, with calls for improvement and increased accountability in teaching programs. This article uses the marketing audit concept, coupled with a set of research-based teaching program criteria, to provide a framework for evaluating and improving marketing teaching programs.

The marketing research industry offers numerous entry-level positions to marketing majors. However, because of poor and inappropriate choice of courses and inadequate internship experiences, recruiters find the graduating student ill-equipped to fill marketing research positions. This article reports a survey of research suppliers, advertising agencies, and other organizations that conduct marketing research. The findings provide useful information to academic and career advisors on college campuses who are in a position to counsel students in their pursuit of careers in marketing research.