Contributing factors to marketing educators’ teaching performance: insights from executive postgraduate programmes in Brazil

Introduction

This paper seeks to explore the factors that contribute to the teaching performance of university educators of business executives. In particular, it investigates practitioner-educators teaching marketing to executives in MBA programmes.

Employers seek executives who have both specialized technical and general management skills, including communication, complex problem-solving and creativity (Finch, Nadeau & O’Reilly, 2013; Muff, 2013). These skills are needed to meet the challenge of changing markets and an evolution in business thinking. Consumers are no longer considered unequal partners to be exploited in the short term but as human beings in social contexts. This has led businesses to change their approach to a holistic one, which focuses on developing long-term relationships (Kotler, Kartajaya & Setiawan, 2017).

The Marketing area stands out in this context. The professionals working in this field are responsible for understanding markets, elaborating the value proposition and communicating with society. This understanding is directly influenced by changes in social and business environments. Blending hard and soft skills helps these professionals to achieve higher levels of personal fulfilment, career success and work performance (Bacon, 2017; Finch, Nadeau, & O’Reilly, 2013; Kerr & Kelly, 2017; Kotler, Kartajaya, & Setiawan, 2017; Schlee & Karns, 2017). Business schools also update to reflect these changing demands, leading to a constant updating of the skills of academic staff (Bacellar & Ikeda, 2011; Crittenden, 2022; Finch, Nadeau & O’Reilly, 2013).

The discussion about the demands on business schools to form field-ready professionals is not new (David, David & David, 2011; Bacon & Stewart, 2022; Dickinson, Herbst & O’Shaughnessy, 1983; Hunt, 1994; Wood & Cruz, 2014), yet it is an important one and deserves further attention. The student enrolled on a postgraduation course (lato sensu) is already involved in executive life. This student is more concerned with updating and applying knowledge in practice and disregards schools and teachers that do not suit their needs (David, David & David, 2011; Gallagher, 2016). The profile of such students demands different skills from the lecturer. At the same time, course structures and learning methodologies are changing to accommodate greater emphasis on practical applications of theoretical concepts (Bendle, Bagga & Nastasoiu, 2019; David, David & David, 2011), while new technologies are facilitating changes to traditional teaching methods. In this context, practitioner-educators play a pivotal role as they are able to “catch up with what is going on in marketing” (Crittenden, 2022, p. 3) and develop that with students. In addition, they bring legitimacy to the teaching and learning process as they interact with various types of learning environments (e.g. university classes and everyday business routines) (Endres, Chowdhury, Frye & Hurtubis, 2009; Sebastianelli, Swift & Tamimi, 2015).

These environmental changes have implications for those who teach MBA courses. Yet to date, there has been little exploration of how practitioner-educators develop good teaching in response to these. This article seeks to address that gap by exploring how practitioners of marketing become reference-educators, that is, educators identified as exemplars of good practice by their students and peers.

Drawing on existing pedagogical literature on teaching executive students, we first seek to understand what is already known about factors contributing to the performance of good teaching. Using the medium of in-depth interviews, we then explore factors which impact the teaching performance of reference practitioner-educators. We bring all these factors together in a model which illustrates the complexity and richness of the practice of practitioner-educators.

Our research provides evidence to fulfil the following research questions:

Our study contributes to the scholarship of marketing education by taking an innovative perspective which links key influential themes (Donthu, Kumar, Mills & Pattnaik, 2021) in this field of research – for example, teaching techniques (Bendle, Bagga & Nastasoiu, 2019; David, David & David, 2011), students’ evaluation of teaching (SET) (Estelami, 2015; Reisenwitz, 2016; Stroebe, 2016), experiential learning (Ewing & Ewing, 2017; Kolb, Kolb, Passarelli & Sharma, 2014) and personal factors (Fitzgerald, Anderson & Thompson, 2015; Miranda, Casa Nova & Cornacchione Júnior, 2012) – but looking at the educators’ features in this process. Our findings suggest that educators will benefit from embracing a practitioner approach and recognizing the importance of professional knowledge in conducting marketing activities (Gross & Laamanen, 2018). The study also provides further evidence on the body of knowledge concerning the features of marketing faculty and its connection to performance (Tashchian, Kalamas Hedden & Forrester, 2022). The empirical material in this article focuses on teaching staff in Brazil, in line with the call from previous studies to conduct marketing education research in emerging markets (Clarke & Flaherty, 2003; Teklehaimanot, Ingenbleek, Tessema & van Trijp, 2017).

Literature review

This section aims to review existing literature on those factors of teaching which form a reference-educator for executive students. Firstly, we discuss the context of teaching executive students, factors in teaching marketing and the way business schools keep track of educators’ teaching performance. Then, we identify those pedagogical factors that support a good teaching performance. We also delve into subject knowledge and other factors that contribute to forming reference practitioner-educators and provide a summary of the factors identified by previous studies (Table 1).

Method

Given the nature of the research question, the study takes the form of exploratory, qualitative research using in-depth interviews to generate “rich” data (Mayring, 2014; Myers, 2013). Background data was gathered from secondary sources, including quantitative student evaluations and curriculum analyses available through professional social media networks and other online sources. The analytical process comprised document analysis, analysis of in-depth interviews with coordinators and educators, content analysis and qualitative analysis of content (Bardin, 2009; Mayring, 2014).

Respondents were drawn from the reference-educators teaching on-site (presential) courses identified in three top-ranking business schools in Brazil. The first of these was created in 1980 by professors from the Management department of the University of Sao Paulo. The second was founded in 1944 with the objective of providing qualified personnel for public and private management and administrative roles in Brazil. The third was founded in 1951 by a group of advertisers and media entrepreneurs with a vision of creating a business school by the market and for the market.

Figure 1 illustrates the six-stage process that was followed to select the respondents, collect data and undertake analysis.

Step 1 (S1). Identification of potential participating educators (professors) teaching marketing on presential courses at institutions among the best performing business schools, as ranked in the MBA guide to courses in marketing listed in the “O Estado de Sao Paulo” newspaper (Guia do MBA, 2017), the premier ranking publication for HEIs in Brazil. This criterion led us to shortlist and invite professors from four elite schools to participate. Three schools agreed to take part.

Step 2 (S2). Individual marketing educators within the three participating schools were identified using the criteria of those receiving above-average evaluation scores from students. Thirty-three individuals were identified as potential reference-educators of whom 11 agreed to take part in the study.

Step 3 (S3). In-depth interviews were carried out with four programme leaders/coordinators from the participating institutions using a semi-structured approach (Flick, 2004). The aim of the interviews was to first validate the identification of the marketing reference-educators (MRE), and second to understand the context in which the individuals taught. This covered, for example, information on school and course structures, hiring policies, opportunities for career evolution and the procedures involved in teaching activity.

Step 4 (S4). Data was collected on the professional background and formation of the reference-educators using the Lattes platform (the official digital platform for the academic profiles and research outputs of researchers working in Brazil) and LinkedIn. A content analysis was carried out to organize and systemize data into three categories, namely, academic formation, professional formation and publications in academic journals. Figure 2 illustrates the results of this, bringing together the data collected on the qualification of the potential reference-educator through the interviews with the course coordinators/programme managers and secondary data.

Step 5 (S5). In-depth interviews were carried out with the 11 MRE that agreed to participate in the study. Semi-structured interviews took place between February and November 2018. The research protocol for the interviews included a script with questions based on themes (see Table 1) that emerged from the literature review (Mayring, 2014), including technical, pedagogical and other factors.

Interviews covered, for example, the pedagogical approach and subject matter knowledge of respondents and explored their personal characteristics and attitudes to teaching. The interviews were recorded and transcribed (comprising 1,003 min and 263 transcription pages), with respondent confidentiality assured through the use of coding. Figure 3 presents the validation board (Telles, 2001), highlighting the search for more than one evidence source, wherever possible, for each investigation point.

Step 6 (S6). All data, whether drawn from interviews, documentary sources or internet platforms, were analysed as a single data set using ATLAS.ti software. A qualitative content analysis method (Mayring, 2014) was used in which initial categories were created using an a priori approach drawing on themes from existing theory. These included, for example, academic background, including subcategories such as level of degree (whether graduate or postgraduate). Professional activity was also identified a priori, with subcategories such as marketing practitioner and educator. In practice, it was found that the a priori themes did not cover all the emerging findings, and new subcategories were created (Mayring, 2014).

Based on the analysis, a conceptual model was developed. The process for this was in accordance with de Aguiar and Correia’s (2013) methodology for the development of concept maps and was used to organize knowledge as to which factors contribute to teaching performance. Cmap Tools (Cmap Tools, 2019) were used to develop the model.

Findings and interpretation

Discussion

Teaching executive students demands a different skill set from teaching undergraduates. Our research suggests that the practical experience of our respondents commands respect in the classroom while also endowing them with empathy towards the lived experience of the students, embodying the principles identified by Knowles (1973) and Machado (2011). Their own experience as “good” students ensure they are grounded in academic practice. It enables them to help students identify specific contexts and to understand how these link to general, theoretical perspectives. In this, they appear to embody the concept of a “wayfarer” (Joseph-Richard & Jessop, 2020), encouraging students to extend the boundaries of their thinking and explore their own business practice in relation to theoretical concepts and theoretical concepts in relation to their own practice. We argue that this is a potentially unique strength of MREs who have their feet in both the world of academia and the world of practice. This is not to say that educators from other backgrounds cannot also use such techniques of co-creating knowledge (Anastasiou, das, & Alves 2009; Haynes, 2022; Miranda, Casa Nova, & Cornacchione Júnior, 2012), but practitioners bring additional insights and experiences to enrich this process.

Practical experience on its own, however, does not explain the success of the MRE. Through their interpersonal skills and student-centred approach, they help students make the same journey that they have made from practice-led thinking to theory building, reinforcing pedagogical lessons from Haynes (2022) and Placco & Almeida (2014). We were interested to see that all our respondents actively sought out inspiration from other sources to develop their teaching skills, drawing heavily on the world outside academia. As one might expect, based on the predictions of literature as to what makes for good teaching performance (Anastasiou, das, & Alves 2009; Kolb, Kolb, Passarelli, & Sharma, 2014), a student-centred approach was adopted by all of the MREs. However, this appears in part to reflect the business and life experience of the marketing educators as much as any deliberate pedagogical outcome. Through their backgrounds, formal training and self-development MRE have developed a rich repertoire of teaching styles (Kolb, Kolb, Passarelli & Sharma, 2014; Machado, 2016b), enabling them to adapt to different contexts, whether that be the demands of different subject matter or differences in learning styles between students. Again, this appears to develop partly through formal pedagogical training, as recommended by Miranda, Casa Nova, & Cornacchione, 2013, combined with practical experience (Tardif, 2000) in this case of teaching. Their teaching undergoes continual development, both through specific training and through constant adjustments to their teaching practice made in response to both formal and informal feedback from students and programme coordinators.

Figure 4 below brings together the findings of the study to illustrate how the multiple factors identified work together to influence teaching performance of MRE.

The findings suggest that the development of a practitioner educator is complex and arises from both formal and informal learning. While the study was exploratory, background factors were remarkably consistent across the MRE. Perhaps not surprisingly, technical knowledge and didactic skills were shown to be key. However, there are some nuances here.

The MREs all possess contextual knowledge, that is, a deep understanding of the real-life business world developed through their previous career experience, in line with Gross and Laamanen (2018, 2022). This informs both their pedagogical and subject knowledge. Through their student-centred teaching practice (Haynes, 2022), enacted through their preparation, material and delivery of classes, engaging students through discussion, their rigorous approach to assessment, always offering their best and bringing maturity and experience to bear on difficult situations, these educators model citizenship and professionalism for their students.

In developing the model, personal factors influencing teaching performance were divided under the headings of values and attitudes, motivations and the marketing educators’ professional backgrounds. The values represent the beliefs that a specific behaviour and action are preferable to an opposite mode (Robbins, 2005). Attitudes are defined as statements which reflect how an individual feels towards something, while motivation may be understood as “the process responsible for the intensity, direction and persistence of one’s efforts to achieve a certain goal” (Robbins, 2005, p. 132).

One factor, in particular, emerged in this area and was not clearly identified in the literature, namely, the way in which the MRE perceived their students not as vessels to be filled with knowledge but as fellow citizens. While this links to previous work which considers the concern of educators for the professional futures of their students (Bacellar & Ikeda, 2011; David, David & David, 2011; Finch, Nadeau & O’Reilly, 2013; Muff, 2013), the use of the word “citizen” goes beyond this, being loaded with meaning, implying both rights and responsibilities. In helping students fulfil their potential, the MRE see themselves as playing an active role in helping students learn how to fulfil the various roles they adopt in life, in line, to some extent, with recommendations from Morin (2000).

The institutions employing the MRE deliberately sought out individuals recognized by their peers as having qualities that made them standout in their profession and potentially fitted them for being not only good practitioners but also good teachers. If, as the exploratory data seems to suggest, these include a concern for wider society, then that is a factor that could be deliberately recruited for.

Based on our findings, we delineated 14 propositions to improve marketing education (Crittenden, 2022) with a focus on the MRE. These propositions indicate the qualities that define an MRE and could potentially be used to aid the recruitment of marketing practitioners into university teaching – it is not guaranteed that all practitioners will have these qualities, and recruiters should be mindful of the elements that go into making an MRE. Table 2 presents the propositions and the evidence to support its reasoning.

Final considerations

The purpose of this study was to understand how marketing faculty become reference-educators. We explored this gap by identifying the factors that underpin the performance of MRE in their teaching of executives studying business at the postgraduate level and understanding how these factors come together to form the approach of reference-educator in the marketing discipline. Our findings identify that teaching performance depends on teaching practice influenced by technical knowledge, pedagogical factors and personal features and involving a humanistic approach to the educator-student relationship and the professional-citizen balance. We also found that being able to link marketing theory to practice when educating executive students was a core skill of MRE, perhaps one they are uniquely placed to deliver.

Hence, the study contributes to the extant literature on learning and teaching in the marketing field by deepening the understanding of marketing educators’ individual factors that can lead to creating a well-rounded practitioner-educator. The findings stress the value of the marketing practitioner educator to HEI, adding to the existing body of knowledge on the relationship between marketing faculty status and student evaluations (Tashchian, Kalamas Hedden & Forrester, 2022). The study also contributes to keeping the wheel of marketing education rolling (Crittenden, 2022) by proposing a model and delineating a set of propositions to deepen knowledge of the factors shaping a marketing reference-educator. These can be further investigated in exploratory and conclusive studies. In addition, a future deepening of the discussion on the perspective of students as service clients and education as a product may generate more understanding of the context of contemporary marketing education and the formation of future professionals, where wider society is the final client from the perspective of reference-educators.

At a practical level, the study findings have implications for the managers of HEIs. For example, coordinators of marketing programmes may wish to influence the hiring process, training and development of pedagogic skills of and by practitioner-educators, particularly at the start of their teaching careers. At the same time, other educators can learn from the practice of the MRE, for example, by setting great value on the central role of the student and by trialling different teaching and learning methods. More than that, the study also highlights the importance of lifelong learning for marketing educators due to the constant evolution of marketing practice, the fluid competitive environment experienced by business schools and world dynamics. Exemplifying this requirement for lifelong learning, the field research was conducted before the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, online teaching has been widely adopted and accepted, forcing marketing educators to learn new skills to deliver both online and hybrid teaching, at the same time as technology-enabled trends in the market have accelerated, with significant implications for marketing practice. The identification of reference-educators also reinforces a practical and controversial discussion: the use of SET as the main tool for educator allocation could be a major issue in a context where, as in our sample, more than half of reference-educators might be hired as independent services providers, with the “student as client” approach potentially emphasizing short-term values of satisfaction and perceptions of learning to the detriment of the real learning and the society as client approach (Bacon, 2016, 2017).

Regarding wider implications, every improvement in education generates a positive contribution to society. Better marketing educators may result in better professionals, which could generate better problem-solving and planning within business, leading to more efficient action plans, ultimately generating more benefits both for corporations and for society as a whole.

Future studies could be undertaken to test the model statistically and, for example, compare the experience of practitioner-educators in other disciplines, other institutions and other countries. Such studies could also investigate the effect of social distancing, online and hybrid classes on teaching performance, considering technical knowledge, pedagogical formation and personal values. Another avenue of studies could research in depth the differences, skills and challenges faced by educators when teaching at different levels (undergraduate and postgraduate courses). Marketing practitioner-educators clearly bring different things to their teaching from non-practitioners. The MRE in the study were identified as exemplars by their students and institutions. It would be interesting to test whether non-executive students also see practitioners as exemplars, to understand in more depth the value added by the practitioner approach and whether there are elements of that which could be transferred into the teaching of non-practitioners.

Finally, the study presents limitations. We acknowledge that the scope of our study was gathering in-depth data from the educators’ perspective. We suggest future studies to uncover the reference-educator through the lens of students. We also encountered specific limitations which are intrinsic to the qualitative approach, such as the number of interviews and the potential weakness around the reliability and representativeness of the sample from which interviews were drawn. This was mitigated by asking three different institutions to identify “good” marketing educators who would form “reference-educators” for this study. As far as possible, we used multiple sources to cross-correlate data.