2008 - Marketing Educators' Association

Learning Outcomes
Even more importantly, if a marketing course is
meant to be successful, there needs to be a
measurable impact on the students' knowledge, skills
and attitudes after completing the course. What those
learning outcomes are or should be is widely
debated. Given that marketing is a multi-disciplinary
science, marketing education should be approached
from a similar multi-faceted standpoint. In fact, some
standard-setting bodies recognize just that. For
example, the Wisconsin’s Model Academic Standards
for Marketing Education states that, “Education for
marketing requires the application of mathematics,
communications, psychology, economics, technology,
and specific product and service knowledge in
conjunction with human resource skills in problemsolving,
decision-making, conflict resolution, group
work, and goal-setting within the context of a
marketing activity” (Fortier et al., 1998).
This interdisciplinary approach seems to call for a
“liberal arts” flavor in marketing education. But,
should marketing education be narrowly designed to
meet employers' real or perceived needs, or with a
broader scope allowing general, liberal education
aims (Stringfellow, Ennis, Brennan, & Harker, 2006)?
In fact this choice may be completely artificial. Laura
Tyson, a former dean of the London Business School
was quoted on September 18, 2004, in the Straits
Times of Singapore saying that there is a "need for
more thoughtful, more aware, more sensitive, more
flexible, more adaptive managers capable of being
molded and developed into global executives … from
equipping people with knowledge, and instead furnish
them with skills and attributes, the means by which
knowledge is acted upon" (Tyson, 2004). Her view is
shared by many other business educators and has
been for a long time. The benefits of constructing
programs of study that effectively prepare the liberally
educated business professional have been well
recognized and discussed for over a century. In 1890,
Charles William Eliot, president of Harvard,
commented that the object of a good education for
business people would require development of
"accuracy in observation, quickness and certainty in
seizing upon the main points of a new subject, and
discrimination in separating the trivial from the
important in great masses of facts," and that "liberal
education develops a sense of right, duty and honor."
Further, he emphasized the need for communication
and values, two things believed to directly emanate
from a liberal education (Eliot, 1923).
We often put emphasis on strategy (knowledge), but
we seldom cover issues of implementation and
execution in our courses (Kono, 2006), and it is
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precisely in execution where skills such as interfunctional
coordination, project management and
external partner management become increasingly
relevant. Interestingly, these skills are mostly of a
relational nature, bringing together separate functions
and parties with diverse interests in order to create
integrated strategies that deliver customer solutions
(Hutt & Speh, 2007). These integrative mechanisms
are often taught in executive education (Narayandas,
2007), but seldom in degree programs, resulting in a
series of skill weaknesses in decision making,
leadership, problem formulation, persuasion,
creativity and negotiation (Dacko, 2006). Filling that
skill gap requires the critical thinking skills typical of a
liberal arts education: analyze, evaluate, and present
oral and written arguments; distinguish fact from
judgment and knowledge from belief; and embody
intellectual standards such as accuracy, evidentiary
support, clarity, logicalness, and fairness (Dehler,
Welsh, & Lewis, 2001). That requires critical debate
(Roy & Machiette, 2005) and curiosity (Hill &
McGinnis, 2007), not only to be receptive towards
current knowledge but also towards future advances
in marketing (Pavia, 2006).
THE ROLE OF A LIBERAL ARTS CURRICULUM
IN MARKETING EDUCATION
One of the more comprehensive assessments of the
nature of a liberal arts education was compiled by
psychologists Winter, McClelland & Stewart (1981).
Their review of the prominent perspectives on the
liberal arts resulted in the following common goals
and outcomes of a liberal arts curriculum, which
largely overlap with skills necessary in marketing
education.
Critical Thinking
Critical thinking consists of the mental process of
analyzing and evaluating statements or propositions
that have been offered as true. It includes a process
of reflecting upon the specific meaning of statements,
examining offered evidence and reasoning, in order
to form a judgment. Critical thinkers can gather
information from verbal or written expression,
reflection, observation, experience and reasoning.
Critical thinking has its basis in intellectual criteria
that go beyond subject-matter divisions and which
include clarity, accuracy, precision, relevance, depth,
breadth, logic, significance and fairness.
This skill is of overarching importance and critical, not
only in analyzing the statements made by research
subjects, but more importantly in evaluating
marketing plans, alternative strategies, market
reports and interpreting research results.