How do you ‘market-ing’?: Exploring marketing practice in commercial organizations

Magalhães, Miguel Ângelo Alves

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.26/38725

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Authors

Magalhães, Miguel Ângelo Alves

Advisor(s)

Santos, Fernando

Abstract(s)

Marketing practice has to do with how practitioners carry out marketing activities, mostly in the context of business. Currently, the marketing discipline faces a gap between practice and theory, which has generated confusion amongst practitioners on the role and functions of marketing. Additionally, marketing has been disproportionately practised at a tactical level, which contributes to the field losing its place in strategic planning and decision-making. Considering these problems and given the lack of studies that address how marketing is being practised by commercial organizations, the main purpose of this study has been to develop an understanding of the role that marketing plays in organizations, the way it is structured and what functions are attributed to it. This research builds on empirical data collected mainly through interviews to marketing decision-makers in commercial organizations. Three main findings were revealed by this research: market orientation is the unifying idea of the role of marketing, the marketing structure goes beyond a department, and marketing functions skew towards communication. At a theoretical level, this study adds to the current literature by presenting the relevance of market orientation, expanding the notion of structural marketing, and confirming that currently marketing skews towards communication, raising relevant questions of its’ impact. At a practical and managerial level, this research contributes to the understanding of how marketing is practised. It may help marketing practitioners and decision-makers to reflect on the role, structure, and functions of marketing in their organizations.