Stakeholder Theory and Internal Marketing

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JOURNAL OF MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS 9 147–161 (2003) STAKEHOLDER THEORY

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Stakeholder theory and internal marketing communications: a framework for analysing the influence of new media NIGEL M. DE BUSSY

School of Marketing, Curtin University of Technology, GPO Box U1987, Perth, WA 6845, Australia

MICHAEL T. EWING

Department of Marketing, Monash University, PO Box 197, Caulfield East, Victoria 3145, Australia

LEYLAND F. PITT

8 Bretby Close, Carine, Western Australia 6020, Australia

Effective two-way communication is widely viewed as an essential component of successful internal marketing strategies, yet little research has so far been conducted on the relative merits of different communication media in an internal marketing context. Since the mid-1990s Internet technologies have revolutionized internal communications in many organizations. However, the impact of these new forms of electronic media on internal marketing communication remains relatively unexamined. This paper draws on stakeholder and communication theories to provide a framework for understanding the dimensions of effective internal marketing communications and presents the results of an empirical study on the relationship between these dimensions and the use of new media in the workplace. KEYWORDS: Stakeholder theory; internal marketing communications; new media; intranets; dialogic communication INTRODUCTION The services marketing literature clearly identifies one of the key drivers of growth and profit as customer loyalty, which, in turn, is a direct result of customer satisfaction (Heskett et al., 1995). Thus, developing a ‘service culture’ among customer service personnel with a view to improving employee–customer interactions and, as a consequence, customer satisfaction is a key issue (Deshpande and Webster, 1993). The practice of internal marketing can assist in the development of a customer-conscious organizational culture (Cahill, 1995). The need for effective internal marketing strategies goes beyond ‘front-line’ customer service staff alone. Even those employees who do not interact directly with customers may impact upon perceived service quality because they directly influence the service providers (George, 1990). Nor is the importance of internal Journal of Marketing Communications ISSN 1352–7266 print/ISSN 1466–4445 online © 2003 Taylor & Francis Ltd http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals DOI: 10.1080/1352726032000129890


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