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Outsourced marketing: it's the communication that matters

Matthew Walker (University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA)
Melanie Sartore (East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA)
Robin Taylor (East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA)

Management Decision

ISSN: 0025-1747

Article publication date: 19 June 2009

2981

Abstract

Purpose

Outsourcing has been promoted as one of the most powerful trends in the modernization of marketing operations. The rationale for such an undertaking includes a variety of factors but is generally predicated on fiduciary considerations. The purpose of this article is to examine the issues with, and the empirical consequences of, outsourcing within the intercollegiate marketing context.

Design/methodology/approach

This is an exploratory mixed‐methods study incorporating qualitative and quantitative data to investigate outsourcing specifically related to the communication‐employee commitment relationship.

Findings

Results from study 1 reveal that marketing directors perceive outsourcing as critical but also experience dissatisfaction with the level, frequency, and direction of communication. Results from study 2 indicate that an explicit and positive relationship exists between employee satisfaction with communication and their resultant commitment to the organization.

Research limitations/implications

Owing to the exploratory nature of the study and a relatively small sample, the conclusions are tempered until subsequent studies have been performed. As well, specific moderating variables (e.g. size, culture, budget) were not included in this initial inquiry and as such may add considerable variance explained to the proposed relationship.

Practical implications

First, the authors suggest that managing the “right commitment” is essential for marketing departments when working with an outsourcing agency. Second, the authors call attention to the importance of certain contextual factors (e.g. shared knowledge, mutual dependency, and organizational linkage) that may serve to improve the outsourcing partnership.

Originality/value

Few papers have explored the communication‐commitment relationship, particularly with regards to outsourcing. Consequently, this study adds to the research by examining how intercollegiate marketing employees perceive and react to an outsourcing partnership. Building on additional work in this area, the research focuses on several aspects of the communication‐commitment framework not previously examined.

Keywords

Citation

Walker, M., Sartore, M. and Taylor, R. (2009), "Outsourced marketing: it's the communication that matters", Management Decision, Vol. 47 No. 6, pp. 895-918. https://doi.org/10.1108/00251740910966640

Publisher

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2009, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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