META-EVALUATION: ASSESSING ALTERNATIVE METHODS OF PERFORMANCE EVALUATION AND AUDITS OF PLANNED AND IMPLEMENTED MARKETING STRATEGIES

Abstract

A meta-evaluation is an assessment of evaluation practices. Meta-evaluations include assessments of validity and usefulness of two or more studies that focus on the same issues. Every performance audit is grounded explicitly or implicitly in one or more theories of program evaluation. A deep understanding of alternative theories of program evaluation is helpful to gain clarity about sound auditing practices. We present a review of several theories of program evaluation.

This study includes a meta-evaluation of seven government audits on the efficiency and effectiveness of tourism departments and programs. The seven tourism-marketing performance audits are program evaluations for: Missouri, North Carolina, Tennessee, Minnesota, Australia, and two for Hawaii. The majority of these audits are negative performance assessments. Similarly, although these audits are more useful than none at all, the central conclusion of the meta-evaluation is that most of these audit reports are inadequate assessments. These audits are too limited in the issues examined; not sufficiently grounded in relevant evaluation theory and practice; and fail to include recommendations, that if implemented, would result in substantial increases in performance.

Citation

Woodside, A.G. and Sakai, M.Y. (2003), "META-EVALUATION: ASSESSING ALTERNATIVE METHODS OF PERFORMANCE EVALUATION AND AUDITS OF PLANNED AND IMPLEMENTED MARKETING STRATEGIES", Woodside, A.G. (Ed.) Evaluating Marketing Actions and Outcomes (Advances in Business Marketing and Purchasing, Vol. 12), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 549-663. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1069-0964(03)12009-1