Search results

Social impact research remains in its infancy. The purpose of the paper is to build on Keeling and Marshall’s (2022) “Call for impact” paper and develop a comprehensive social impact pathway (SIP) framework. The aim is to encourage marketing researchers, non-profits and corporations to pursue impactful work that is valued, planned, monitored and evaluated.

The conceptual paper explores the complexities of estimating social impact drawing from a range of illustrative cases.

The paper identifies a lack of clarity in the understanding and application of impact and presents a pathway aimed at increasing focus on social impact across future work to deliver the net-positive changes that are needed to reverse biodiversity decline, climate change and social and health inequalities that continue to be persist and be experienced by so many planet wide.

This paper contributes a pathway forward to encourage and support increased utilisation of the framework in future marketing research.

Mapping and measuring SIPs are concerted efforts directing understanding towards identifying the activities that are contributing to the delivery of outputs that can achieve intended outcomes. The measurement of impact directs investment towards activities that ensure net-positive gains are achieved.

Ever growing social inequities, health disparities, loss of biodiversity and environmental degradation occur when practices are left unchecked. A focus on impact avoids greenwashing practices, ensuring that an understanding of what has changed because of the work is transparently reported.

This paper aims to encourage marketing researchers to engage in social change projects, rather than solely disseminating academic findings. Emphasising the importance of an outside-in approach, this paper highlights the necessity of showcasing accumulated outcomes to demonstrate impact.

The present study examines the interplay between age, marital status, alpha female status and various adaptive performance dimensions among a cohort of 380 female professionals.

This study adopts a positivist approach to collect and analyse the data, utilizing appropriate statistical techniques to explore the relationships between the variables of interest.

The study elucidates the significant role of alpha female status in predicting adaptive performance. It finds that alpha females possess distinct competencies, particularly in learning and training, indicative of proactive behaviour and self-efficacy. While older participants tend to demonstrate higher performance levels, the study reveals no significant correlation between age and alpha female status, suggesting that leadership traits may develop independently of age. Furthermore, marital status exerts a modest influence on adaptive performance. The interplay of age and marital status significantly affects adaptive performance, potentially due to the Cumulative Advantage Paradigm, which is the accumulation of advantages or disadvantages throughout an individual's life course.

This study contributes to the existing literature by providing a nuanced understanding of how demographic factors converge to influence adaptive performance in professional settings. It highlights the importance of recognising and nurturing alpha females in organizations and considering the interactions between age and marital status when designing career development programmes and support systems.