ZT:Getting the Most Out of your Marketing Doctoral Education

Getting the Most Out of your Marketing Doctoral Education

Copyright 1996 American Marketing Association

NOTE: This document is made available for individual use only. The advice contained herein is of a general nature and is meant as a starting point.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION

Much of the marketing literature related to doctoral education so far addresses issues before or after program experience, rather than during it. Articles are available regarding the choice of marketing doctoral programs (Heckler, Shimanski, and Childers 1986), the choice of the first academic position (Johnston, Clark, and Boles 1989), faculty and student perceptions of doctoral program quality based on output measures (Childers and Heckler 1986), and advice to new Ph.D.s about the publishing process (Motes 1989). Other articles concerning the doctoral program itself are targeted toward faculty rather than students. Berry (1989) suggests, and offers an outline for, a course on "Becoming a Marketing Academician" to help meet marketing doctoral students' need to better understand their profession. The American Marketing Association Task Force on the Development of Marketing Thought (1988) conducted a survey of 65 doctoral programs and offered several suggestions for structural reforms targeted to the American Marketing Association and to doctoral program administrators. However, only one article, about interviewing for faculty jobs, was found that was targeted to aid current marketing doctoral students (Walker and Celsi 1988).

Nor does the general higher education literature fill this gap. A search of the Journal of Higher Education over a ten year period finds some articles about aspects of doctoral education (e.g., Bargar and Duncan 1982, Bargar and Mayo-Chamberlain 1983), but no comprehensive guidelines. An excellent recent book The Compleat Academic (Zanna and Darley 1987) provides guidance to new faculty members, but an analog for Ph.D. students ("The Compleat Doctoral Student"?) is missing.

The limited availability of advice published for doctoral students may stem in part from the view that brilliance conquers all--that very bright doctoral students can infer what needs to be done without being told. Many doctoral students may believe this also, so they avoid asking questions for fear of appearing less than brilliant. But even if all doctoral students were brilliant, many "brilliant" people lack the political savvy to understand their doctoral program quickly and easily. Many, if not most, students could get more out of their doctoral education if they just kept in mind a few key ideas. It has been said that "a growing market covers many sins," and that may have been true for students in the past, but in today's tight job market you cannot afford to be less than your top efficiency and effectiveness. This high pressure situation cries out for more attention to the needs of these most junior, most vulnerable members of our field.

It is hoped that doctoral faculty will find this article stimulating about the overall picture of Ph.D. education, and that caring faculty members will consider alerting new doctoral students to the existence of this article. Faculty members at non-Ph.D. granting institutions as well will find the article useful for counseling or distributing to students interested in, but knowing little about, marketing doctoral education.

Since there are far too many specific situations that doctoral students encounter for each to be discussed, five transcendent issues are offered in an attempt to provide useful guidance and a background for making informed decisions in most cases. The article then addresses the four main tasks facing doctoral students, with reference to the issues raised. It is hoped that the advice offered will lead to success in those tasks and satisfaction throughout the process of their accomplishment. Marketing scholarship should be a joyous task. After all, what can be more fun than to be paid to think about issues in marketing!

The advice in this article is based on the experience of several marketing ABD's (All But Dissertation) and recent Ph.D.s from different schools, as well as the two authors' experiences. Nevertheless, please be aware that not all of the advice will be appropriate for all students or all programs. We have tended to stay away from "one-size-fits-all" solutions, and instead focus on identifying the pros and cons of various strategies, to enable students to make decisions appropriate for their career aspirations. Since this paper is aimed students at different stages in the Ph.D. programs as well as faculty members both inside and outside Ph.D.-granting institutions, the information needs of readers will be diverse. For this reason, we have compiled a bibliography, arranged by topic, of information sources relevant to doctoral students.

KEY ISSUES IN THE DOCTORAL EXPERIENCE

Issue #1: Self-Reliance

Issue #1: Self-Reliance

There is a limit to how much the faculty can help you. First of all, they are very busy with their own demanding careers. The fact is that they typically get little formal reward for time spent on your career instead of their own. But most importantly, being on your own is as it should be. Faculty members have good reason to want you to learn to be independent. Marketing academics are independent professionals. When you become an assistant professor the free advice tends to stop; you often must offer the incentive of coauthorship for someone else to spend considerable time on your work, so do not become dependent on extensive help from others. Only you know what you want and what works for you. It is advisable to be persistent with the faculty on appropriate matters, such as seeking extra feedback from instructors on your term papers.

It often seems as though a "survival obsession" dominates doctoral students' consciousness. Your peers are necessarily focused on their own survival, not yours, so they may not have a great deal of time or energy to attend to your work. Furthermore, marketing is a subjective area and, except for methods courses, there is usually no single right answer to work toward collectively. Thus, you need to be prepared to be independent of your peers as well as your faculty. However, if you do find one or more fellow students who enjoy discussing marketing, seize the opportunity as some of the best discussions, and closest allies, are made during this period.

Issue #2: Focus and Specialization

Issue #2: Focus and Specialization

Issue #2: Focus and Specialization

Issue #2: Focus and Specialization

Why specialize? Unless you need little sleep and have incredible memory capacity, it is too hard for a new person in the field to become an expert on everything. Furthermore, the faculty do not really expect you to be strong in everything. The bottom line of your doctoral education is that to win respect you must become strong in something. Otherwise the faculty will not see you as able to make any contribution to the field. Motes (1989) advises new assistant professors to "Try to become known for something"--this applies to doctoral students as well.

You will probably find a little marketing management analysis useful when choosing a specialization. Look into the demand for the various specialty areas in your three markets: potential employers, potential dissertation committee members, and publication outlets. Research-intensive schools may say they will hire anyone with any specialty who has the potential to be a "star," but, unless you believe you are virtually assured of getting into a top school, you may improve your chances at middle level schools by avoiding sole focus on a specialty for which there is very little teaching demand. On the other hand, international marketing, personal selling, and advertising are widely taught, and faculty are often needed to teach the courses.

Some academics end up developing separate research and teaching specialties--e.g., researching consumer behavior and teaching marketing strategy. Although this may at first sound rather inefficient, keep in mind that almost any orientation will allow you to put a personal "touch" on a course in a different area. A course in strategy, for example, provides a perspective on consumer and behavioral issues.

Also consider that you may need to compromise somewhat on your topic choice in order for desirable committee members to be interested. Finally, consider what the topic trends are in the field. Ask the faculty what areas are likely to be hot (i.e., most publishable) in the next five years. For example, one student was interested in public policy toward encouraging innovation and even found an interested dissertation chairperson. But after concluding that few potential employers would feel a need for a macromarketing specialty such as that, and fearing that the resulting article would have limited chances of publication in a prestigious journal, the student put this topic on the back burner and selected another more mainstream topic.

Usually you need not be concerned that your specialty will be so narrow that little of your coursework will be relevant, thanks to the "holographic nature" of reality. In holography, "while the whole is more than the sum of the parts, each part contains the whole itself" (Lincoln and Guba 1985, p. 53). We interpret the holographic metaphor for reality in the context of social science to suggest that the fundamental issues of studying human affairs show up in almost all specialty areas of social science. For example, the problem of mind (the problem of understanding the mind when its work cannot be directly observed), the problem of individual differences, and the problem of validity assessment appear virtually no matter what the social science topic. Similarly, there are fundamental issues in marketing research that are relevant to whatever research question you pursue in marketing. Some of these issues are: competitive effects, potential different effects over the product life cycle, potential different effects from involvement levels, and the need to understand the interrelationship of all elements of the marketing mix even when you are focusing on just one. So if your focus is on, say, advertising, you still need to be aware of attitude models out of consumer behavior for their diagnostic power about product strengths and weaknesses that can suggest appropriate messages.

Issue #3: Coming to terms with the nature of the doctoral process

Issue #4: Getting Through and Publishing

One factor slowing down progress (besides a lack of focus) is excessive socializing with doctoral student peers. Gabbing in the shared offices can swallow up an enormous amount of time. Often it is hard to get work done in shared offices because of conversations going on around you or with you. You may need to find someplace else where you can get work done. Sternberg's (1981) advice for dissertation research applies throughout your program: "The quality of the [office's] furnishing, luxurious or rather sparse, seems unimportant in affecting learning; the privacy is paramount" (p. 43). One of the most noticeable changes after joining a faculty is that social pressures reverse, and it is usually, though not always, inappropriate to take up much of someone else's time with "idle conversation." Your peers will respect your business-like attitude that gets things done. (Note that the warning here is about excessive socializing; obviously we all need and enjoy some pleasant social interaction.) Likewise accepting the system and not fighting with it conserves time and energy.

It is quickly obvious even to the most naive new doctoral student that publications are the currency of academia, so get some. In consultation with faculty, you may want to try to publish your better term papers, even in conference proceedings. Researching and writing on your interests are fun, and give you a leg up in learning the publication game (which Motes [1989] fears students may not completely understand when they graduate). Submitting articles as a doctoral student shows the faculty that you understand what the profession is about, and that you are trying. If you do get published, you win the faculty's respect for having shown that you can do it. Objective achievements such as this strengthen your independence and reduce the subjectivity of faculty evaluations by giving them hard evidence of the quality of your work.

Furthermore, getting involved early in research can help prevent the problem identified by the AMA Task Force Study (1988, p. 9) that "New Ph.D.s in marketing often have difficulty sustaining a research career after assuming a faculty position." They believe that if students do not learn how to initiate and conclude their own research before leaving their doctoral school, the enormous time demands of course preparation in the first years out allow little time to learn this during the critical first years as a brand new assistant professor.

You may be concerned that "low level" publications will harm your career. Many academics recognize a developmental ladder whereby you gain confidence and learn how to publish by starting with easier outlets such as regional or specialized conferences and their proceedings, moving up to, say, national conferences and their proceedings, then up to the ranks of "bottom tier" refereed journals and then to middle or top tier journals. Certainly do not overdo it and have six "pubs" but all in regional proceedings. At the same time, you should begin to heed Mote's (1989) recommendation to follow the common publication strategy of "trickle down," in which research is targeted to better journals and then, if rejected, resubmitted to the next lower level of outlet until the paper is eventually accepted. Publishing a respectable paper somewhere is better than not publishing it anywhere, as once published, it enters the literature and like-minded academics elsewhere may appreciate it. There is, though, a contrary view that only good publications should count and that it is better to have no publications than low ones, especially if you are at a Ph.D. program with a reputation for excellence.

Issue #5: Organization

In addition, you may wish to maintain an electronic database of key points from key articles (in a PIM, personal information management, program, such as InfoSelect, or in a good word processor). The available electronic databases at most university libraries (e.g., ABI/Inform) are helpful for researching new topics, but your personal database becomes your unlimited-size "external memory" that builds as you progress. Two excellent books by Mann (1987, 1993) provide helpful advise on library search techniques.

ESSENTIAL TASKS

Even before your first class you could begin the extensive preparation required for your dissertation. Your first semester will overwhelm you with new experiences and you will feel that you have little time for the luxury of planning, so if you can begin before you even arrive on campus. Survey the field to find interest areas. Start broad and get more specific. Start with an advanced marketing management textbook (e.g., Kotler 1994). Then move on to high-level specialized textbooks in the main subareas. Finally, skim journals in areas of interest. Identify a potential interest area, such as market pioneer advantage, and begin becoming familiar with that research stream.

Planning early for a dissertation is the best way to speed up your program. If you wait to select a dissertation area until after your qualifying exam, you may find that you need to spend a lot of time searching and getting up to speed on the literature. Certainly by your second year of course work considerable thought should be given to dissertation selection. The classic advice to try to use your term papers as stepping stones to your dissertation is good advice. Use term papers for background, as the literature review section, or as trial balloons to test specific issues and theories. Try to publish your better papers; in addition to all the other benefits of publication, this will get you broader feedback on your dissertation ideas.

One choice dimension with regard to dissertation topics that should be consciously addressed is whether one should undertake research in a "highly structured" topic area (i.e., one in which a substantial amount of published work already exists) or in a "virgin territory" topic area. Each side of the continuum emphasizes different skills. Highly structured areas require command of an extensive literature, but the literature provides guidance on how to proceed. Virgin territory areas stress skill and self-confidence at creating something out of nothing, with little guidance. In the former you may be criticized for not knowing the existing literature and methods well enough; in the latter you may be criticized for weak theory since it is difficult for a new topic to have the same rigorous theory as established research streams. Choosing is, of course, a matter of which type of scholarly activity you enjoy more. Put simply, do you prefer to be an originator or a perfecter? Bargar and Duncan's (1983) article offers advice for those choosing the path requiring the highest levels of creativity. On the other hand, virgin territory may be virgin for a good reason--lack of data availability, inadequate methodologies, etc. Further, be sure that you have not simply overlooked citations on the topic, which would give the illusion of a relatively untouched area. In particular, your research may be criticized for merely "relabelling" if you neglect closely related constructs.

Since it is desirable to find a dissertation area as soon as possible, you need to identify a tentative dissertation chairperson early on. Self-reliance suggests a dissertation committee that does more nurturing than dictating. The primary benefit of the dissertation should be your learning experience from designing and implementing a major research project that includes an empirical test. While working on a faculty member's favorite area instead of your own may provide the security of a guiding hand, you will enjoy the project less because you do not own it. Too much faculty guidance means they make the inevitable trade-off decisions instead of you learning how to make them. Thus it is less important for dissertation committee members to be experts on your topic than for them to be business-like and supportive. Sternberg (1981) largely agrees, as do Bargar and Mayo-Chamberlain (1983). Based on his dissertation committee service and a "dissertation therapy practice," Sternberg has identified a set of criteria for selecting dissertation committee members which is summarized in Table 1.

The AMA Task Force (1988) was greatly concerned that 48% of doctoral students leave their doctoral schools before completing their dissertation. An early start on building toward your dissertation is a big help toward avoiding this problem and getting finished on time.

Second Task: Preparing for and Passing the Qualifying Exam

While you will probably find the best advice for preparing for qualifying examination from your own faculty, the following tips may be helpful:

(1) Be careful not to simply regurgitate from articles or faculty lectures. Faculty are on the lookout for this; they want to see signs of creativity and original analysis. Knowing faculty views is valuable for guessing questions and avoiding zealously attacking a faculty member's opinion. Lesson: read their recent articles!

(2) Downsize your task. First see if you can get the faculty to formally or informally circumscribe the scope of the exam. Some students try this by asking faculty members, "What's important to know for the exam?" Then, focus your studying. Identify the central issues in marketing at the time of your exam. Include classic issues, such as, "What is marketing and is it a science?" and contemporary interests, such as pioneer brand advantage. Prepare answers to these questions based on the current state of the literature. You may be able to work parts of many of these answers into other questions (because of the holographic nature of marketing), but be aware that faculty are alert to students who distort a question to fit prepared answers. Be sure not to miss the central points in marketing because you overwhelmed yourself with details. Once you have thought through the main points and the key articles, then proceed to fill in details. Johnson, Mokwa, and Buckles (1986) categorized the content of 498 qualifying exam questions from 35 schools and found virtually no questions on the following subject areas: international marketing, marketing information systems, history, ethics, physical distribution and industrial buyer behavior. (But times change--since then several of these topics have become more prominent. One could argue that ethics has also become more important.)

(3) Spend the time to write well. Clarity of answer is important. Consider underlining key terms or italicizing key sentences. Vagueness cannot help you achieve your goal of making a positive impression on exam graders, and will be assumed to reflect poor writing, lack of knowledge, or both.

(4) Remain calm and relaxed as you write your answers. Take it easy the day before the exam--take the entire day off. The attitude "I've prepared the best I could and the devil be damned" helps you be at ease in those crucial last moments.

Third Task: Completing Your Dissertation

Third Task: Completing Your Dissertation

Third Task: Completing Your Dissertation

Third Task: Completing Your Dissertation

Fourth Task: Securing a Tenure-Track Faculty Position

Self-reliance applies to the job search also. Do not depend upon your faculty to find you a job. Research prospective employers for a good "fit," which means compatibility between them and you ("prototype matching" to use Walker and Celsi's [1988] terms). The following key dimensions of fit need to be assessed: (1) Compatible research interests. Having colleagues to talk with and conduct joint research with depends upon shared interests. This does not simply mean interest on the same exact topics, but potential synergies from combining different specialties on the same problem, such as between the theorist and the methodologist (Fox and Faver 1984). (2) Compatible research philosophy. Ideological and paradigmatic differences exist within our field, as with other fields. Be alert for a mismatch of research styles. (3) Compatible personal values. This defines the interpersonal chemistry that is so often mentioned but rarely defined. For example, there will be preferences with regard to directness versus subtlety, seriousness versus joviality, etc. Sheth (1976) identifies two major communication styles as either task or relationship orientations. Thus, task oriented people will get along well and relationship oriented people will get along, but a mix of the two types may create clashes.

Beyond the obvious pluses of publishing and having a good dissertation near completion, a few other tips should be kept in mind. If you have the chance, you may want to prepare carefully and present a paper at the American Marketing Association Winter Educators' conference just before your job search starts, to gain some exposure and contacts outside the "meat market" atmosphere. Congeniality is important to potential colleagues, so, to put it bluntly, do not allow yourself to become an isolated, utilitarian "nerd" during your doctoral program. When interviewing "lighten up"; your vita proves you worthy of being considered, so you need not attempt to justify your existence by forcing heavy talk on your interviewers. When visiting campuses you can differentiate yourself from those job candidates focused exclusively on what the school could do for them by showing (sincere) interest in what the faculty there are doing. (For a more detailed discussion of the mechanics and tactics of academic interviewing in marketing see Walker and Celsi's (1988) article.)

CONCLUSION

TABLE 1: Criteria for Selecting Dissertation Committee Members

Gardner, H. (1983), Frames of Mind, New York: Basic Books.

Kotler, Philip (1991), Marketing Management: Analysis, Planning, Implementation, and Control, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Lincoln, Yvonna and Egon Guba (1985), Naturalistic Inquiry, Beverly Hills: Sage Publications.

Penguin Dictionary of Modern Quotations (1980), Second edition, Eds. J.M. and M.J. Cohen, Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England: Penguin Books.

Sheth, Jagdish (1976), "Buyer-Seller Interaction: A Conceptual Framework," in Advances in Consumer Research, Ed. Anderson, Provo, UT: Association for Consumer Research.

Appendix: BIBLIOGRAPHY OF WORKS RELEVANT TO DOCTORAL EDUCATION ­ ARRANGED BY TOPIC

Strategies for early stages of the Ph.D. program

Berry, Leonard (1989), "Becoming a Marketing Academician: A Strategic Career Planning Seminar for Doctoral Students," Journal of Marketing Education, (Fall), 2-6.

Fox, Mary and Catherine Faver (1984), "Independence and Cooperation in Research: The Motivations and Costs of Collaboration," Journal of Higher Education, 55 (May/June), 347-359.

Girves, Jean and Virginia Wemmerus (1988), "Developing Models of Graduate Student Degree Progress," Journal of Higher Education, 2 (March/April), 163-189.

Heckler, Susan, Janette Shimanski and Terry Childers (1986), "An Exploratory Study of Doctoral Student Choice Criteria and Information Search Patterns," in 1986 Winter American Marketing Association Educator's Conference, Eds. Joseph Guiltinan and Dale Achabal, Chicago: American Marketing Association.

Jackson, Donald, Michael Mokwa, and Thomas Buckles (1986), "Examining the Comprehensive Examination Process in Marketing," in 1986 AMA Educators' Conference Proceedings, Ed. Terence Shimp et al, Chicago: American Marketing Association.

Writing/communication skills

Sawyer, Alan G. "How (Not) to Write a Marketing Paper." Unpublished paper, University of Florida.

Publishing

Heischmidt, Kenneth and Peter Gordon (1993), "Rating of Marketing Publications: Impact of Accreditation and Publication History," Journal of Education for Business, (January/February), 152-158.

Hult, G. Tomas, William Neese, and R. Edward Bashaw (1996), "A Ranking of Marketing Journals," working paper, Florida State University, presented at 1996 AMA Summer Educators' Conference.

Motes, William (1989), "What Our Doctoral Students Should Know About the Publishing Game," Journal of Marketing Education, (Spring), 22-27.

Thyer, Bruce A. (1994), Successful Publishing in Scholarly Journals, Newbury Park: Sage Publications.

Research skills

Mann, Thomas (1987). A Guide to Library Research Methods, New York: Oxford University Press.

Mann, Thomas (1993), Library Research Models : A Guide to Classification Cataloging, and Computers, New York : Oxford University Press.

Ozanne, Julie and Jeff Murray (1994), "An Experiential Approach for Developing Conceptual Skills in Marketing Doctoral Students," Marketing Education Review, 4 (Fall), 28-33.

Swan, John and Warren Martin (1994), "The Theory-Setting-Testable Hypothesis Model: A Framework to Assist Doctoral Students in Linking Theory and Empirical Research," Marketing Education Review, 4 (Fall), 2-15.

The dissertation

Rudestrom, Kjell Erik and Rae R. Newton (1992), Surviving Your Dissertation, Newbury Park: Sage Publications.

Teaching

Conant, Jeffrey, Denise Smart and Craig Kelley (1988) "Master Teaching: Pursuing Excellence in Marketing Education," Journal of Marketing Education, (Fall), 3-13.

Eble, Kenneth (1988), The Craft of Teaching: A Guide to Mastering the Professor's Art, Second edition, San Francisco: Josey-Bass.

Fuhrmann, Barbara and Anthony Grasha (1983), A Practical Handbook for College Teachers, Boston: Little Brown.

Lantos, Geoffrey (1991), "Excellent Marketing Professors Practice Laws of the Learner," in Lecture Enrichment Series accompanying Pride and Ferrell's Marketing: Concepts and Strategies, Seventh edition, Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

McKeachie, Wilbert (1986), Teaching Tips: A Guidebook for the Beginning College Teacher, Eighth edition, Lexington, Mass.: D.C. Heath.

Meyers, Chet and Thomas Jones (1993), Promoting Active Learning: Strategies for the College Classroom, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Weimer, Maryellen (1993), Improving Your Classroom Teaching, Newbury Park: Sage Publications.

Job hunting

Walker, Beth and Richard Celsi (1988) "A Guide to Academic Interviewing for Doctoral Candidates: A Prototype Matching Perspective," in 1988 AMA Educator's Proceedings, Ed. Gary Frazier et al, Chicago: American Marketing Association.

The academic profession

Childers, Terry and Susan Heckler (1986), "Faculty and Student Perceptions of the Quality of Doctoral Programs in Marketing," in 1986 AMA Educators' Proceedings, Ed. Terence Shimp et al, Chicago: American Marketing Association.

Phillips, Gerard, Dennis Gouran, Scott Kuehn, and Julia Wood (1994), Survival in the Academy: A Guide for Beginning Academics.
 

Porter, Lyman and Lawrence McKibbin (1988), Management Education and Development: Drift or Thrust into the 21st Century, New York: McGraw Hill.

Zanna, Mark and John Darley, editors (1987), The Compleat Academic: A Practical Guide for the Beginning Social Scientist, New York: Random House.