Narrowing the skills gap for marketers of the future

Author: Scott G. Dacko

Journal: Marketing Intelligence & Planning

Year: 2006, Volume:24, Issue:3, Page: 283-295

COMMENT

The purpose of the research is first, to understand, explain, and evaluate the nature and extent of marketing skill development in MBA programmes relative to the needs and desires of practitioners and students, and second, to present findings and recommendations for increasing the effectiveness of skill development in MBA programmes for the benefit of both marketing practitioners and academics.

The research design/methodology is based primarily on survey research on skill development in MBA programmes from the perspectives of both graduates and marketing practitioners.

This research suggests that six important skill weaknesses – decision making, leadership, problem formulation, persuasion, creativity, and negotiation – need to be developed among future marketers and that a marketing education framework should be based on the pillars of a project and dissertation, classroom debate and discussion, and oral presentations.

Future research should focus on understanding and explaining to an even greater extent how marketing education can make more effective use of interactive, hands-on learning approaches typified by a project and dissertation, classroom debates and discussions, and oral presentations.

Implications for practice include the suggestion that practitioners must also assume responsibility for developing initiatives that facilitate marketing skill development as well.

The new and original value and contribution of the research is that it extensively characterises and quantifies the extent of a marketing skill development gap – the gap between what marketing skills are being developed in MBA programmes and what practitioners want and need in marketers of the future in addition to providing recommendations to close the marketing skills gap.

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