Conceptualization, Measurement, and Outcomes of Internal Marketing in Higher Education: An Overview of the Literature

Abstract: 

In today’s fast-paced and unpredictable global landscape, organizations are compelled to react promptly to adopt emerging trends, synchronize with ever-evolving customer preferences, and secure a distinctive competitive advantage. In this context, Internal Marketing (IM) has emerged as an indispensable force driving the attainment of organizational success. It is also remarkable that IM has also penetrated “less traditional” sectors beyond finance/banking and Tourism/Hospitality, such as Healthcare or Higher education (HE). Focusing on the latter domain, which also comprises the focal area of this chapter, IM has gained grounds over the last years in HE, given the transformations in the educational landscape and the evolving expectations of students. Despite the ever-increasing interest around the concept, this chapter brings to the fore three main obstacles, which prevent IM to flourish in the field of HE and beyond: (a) the conceptualization of IM, (b) the measurement of IM, as well as (c) the impact of IM. Providing an overview of existing research work in the field of IM, this chapter seeks to shed further light to these barriers. The chapter concludes with a future agenda aiming to push forward the field, considering recent theoretical insights.

Kyriacou, E. (2024)