s/1 gates said in a speech at the 2008 world economic forum: in a system of pure capitalism, as...

Author: Lee, Michael, W. Title: Social Responsibility in the Curriculum: A Survey of Marketinglnstructors

within the Wisconsin Technical College System The accompanying research report is submitted to the University of Wisconsin-Stout, Graduate School in partial

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2 Lee, Michael, W. Social Responsibility in the Curriculum: A Survey of Marketing Instructors

within the Wisconsin Technical College System

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine if and how social responsibility has been

incorporated into post secondary marketing education programs in the state of Wisconsin. It also

established the methods currently being used and obstacles faced with facilitating the integration

of social responsibility into the marketing curriculum. This study is significant to marketing

educators, students, industry, and ultimately communities throughout the state of Wisconsin It

also aimed to identify the areas of opportunity where additional education and discussion are

needed in post-secondary marketing programs regarding social responsibility in order for the

students to graduate prepared for the global marketplace.

3

The Graduate School

University of Wisconsin Stout

Menomonie, WI

Acknowledgments

I want to thank my research advisor, graduate assistant supervisor, and mentor, Dr. Carol

Mooney for all of her support and mentorship throughout my time as a graduate student at the

University of Wisconsin-Stout. I would not be where I am today without her guidance!

A huge thanks also goes out to my amazing wife for her love, support, and belief in me. I

certainly could not have completed my master’s degree without her!

Finally, I would also like to acknowledge the support my family has given me throughout

my life.

4

Table of Contents

.................................................................................................................................................... Page

Abstract ............................................................................................................................................2

List of Tables ...................................................................................................................................7

Chapter I: Introduction ....................................................................................................................8

Background Information ......................................................................................................8

Marketing Education ............................................................................................................9

Wisconsin Technical College System ..................................................................................9

Statement of the Problem ...................................................................................................10

Purpose of the Study ..........................................................................................................10

Research Questions ............................................................................................................10

Significance of the Study ...................................................................................................11

Limitations .........................................................................................................................11

Definition of Terms............................................................................................................11

Chapter II: Literature Review ........................................................................................................13

Social Responsibility .........................................................................................................13

Methods Used to Teach Social Responsibility ..................................................................17

Challenges of Incorporating Social Responsibility into the Curriculum ...........................18

Evolution of the Marketing Definition ..............................................................................19

Marketing Education ..........................................................................................................21

Faculty Demographics ...........................................................................................22

Program Evolution .................................................................................................22

Ethics Requirements ..............................................................................................23

5

Wisconsin Technical College System ................................................................................23

Summary ............................................................................................................................24

Chapter III: Methodology ..............................................................................................................25

Research Design.................................................................................................................25

Sample Selection ................................................................................................................26

Instrumentation ..................................................................................................................27

Data Collection ..................................................................................................................28

Data Analysis .....................................................................................................................28

Limitations .........................................................................................................................29

Summary ............................................................................................................................30

Chapter IV: Results ........................................................................................................................31

Demographics ....................................................................................................................31

Research Question One ......................................................................................................36

Research Question Two .....................................................................................................40

Research Question Three ...................................................................................................43

Summary ............................................................................................................................44

Chapter V: Discussion ...................................................................................................................45

Summary and Conclusions ................................................................................................45

Research Question One ......................................................................................................47

Research Question Two .....................................................................................................48

Research Question Three ...................................................................................................49

Limitations .........................................................................................................................50

Recommendations for Future Research .............................................................................50

6 References ......................................................................................................................................52

Appendix A: Survey ......................................................................................................................57

Appendix B: Cover Letter ..............................................................................................................60

Appendix C: Consent to Participate ...............................................................................................61

Appendix D: Question Thirteen Results ........................................................................................62

Appendix E: Question Six Results .................................................................................................63

7

List of Tables

Table 1: Research Objectives Related to Survey Questions ..........................................................28

Table 2: Classes Taught by Survey Participants during the 2010-2011 School Year ...................33

Table 3: Gender of Participants .....................................................................................................34

Table 4: Years of Teaching Experience .........................................................................................35

Table 5: Education Level Attained ................................................................................................36

Table 6: Number of Classes that Discuss Social Responsible Topics ...........................................38

Table 7: Discussion of Socially Responsible Topics .....................................................................39

Table 8: Specific Ethics Course Offerings.....................................................................................40

Table 9: Classes Taught by Survey Participants during the 2010-2011 School Year ...................41

Table 10: When are Students Encouraged to Take an Ethics Related Course? .............................42

Table 11: Instructor’s Opinion of Increasing Number of Classes that Discuss Social

Responsibility ................................................................................................................43

8

Chapter I: Introduction

Marketing, as defined by the American Marketing Association (2007), is “the activity, set

of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings

that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large” (Marketing, para. 2). The

investigator of this paper sought to examine the integration of the “society at-large” component

of the marketing definition, specifically the role of social responsibility in the marketing program

curriculum within the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS).

Background Information

Bill Gates said in a speech at the 2008 World Economic Forum:

In a system of pure capitalism, as people’s wealth rises, the financial incentive to serve

them rises. As their wealth falls, the financial incentive to serve them falls-until it

becomes zero. We have to find a way to make the aspects of capitalism that serve

wealthier people serve poorer people as well. (Kinsley, Clarke, & Banerjee, 2008, p. 9)

Gates calls this “Creative Capitalism” (Kinsley et al., 2008). He refers to it as “an

approach where governments, businesses, and nonprofits work together to stretch the reach of

market forces so that more people can make a profit, or gain recognition, doing work that eases

the world’s inequities” (p. 10). Others have referred to this general way of business as human

concept, social sustainability, societal marketing, corporate social responsibility (CSR), social

business, triple bottom line, as well as other similar terms (Dawson, 1969; Willis, McKenzie, &

Harris, 2009; Yunus & Weber, 2007). While each term has a unique, and rarely agreed upon

definition, the author of this study referred to this category as social responsibility. Kurtz (2011)

define social responsibility as “marketing philosophies, policies, procedures, and actions that

have the enhancement of society’s welfare as a primary objective” (p. 89).

9 Marketing Education

According to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (WDPI) (2009), “The

mission of marketing, management, and entrepreneurship education is to enable students to

understand and apply marketing, management, and entrepreneurial principles; to make rational

economic decisions, and to exhibit social responsibility in a global economy” (MMEE mission

statement, para. 1). Started in the early 1900’s by Lucinda Wyman Prince, Marketing education

has evolved to be now part of 16 broad, occupational groupings known as career clusters

(Gordon, 2003; Howard & Ill, 2004).

In the state of Wisconsin, marketing education is delivered and governed at two levels,

secondary and post-secondary. The secondary level marketing curriculum is presided over by

the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI), while the post-secondary curriculum is

managed by the Wisconsin Technical College System. This study looked at the post-secondary

marketing programs (10-104-3) through the state.

Wisconsin Technical College System

The Wisconsin Technical College System is comprised of 16 technical colleges spread

throughout the state. “The principal purposes of the System are to provide occupational

education and training and retraining programs, and to provide customized training and technical

assistance to business and industry in order to foster economic development and expansion of

employment opportunities” (WTCS, 2011c). Variations of marketing programs (Marketing,

Marketing Management, etc.) can be found at 15 of the 16 technical colleges (WTCS, 2011b). In

2010, 347 students graduated from the 10-104-3 (marketing) program (WTCS, 2011a). The

same report indicated that of those who participated in a graduate follow-up survey, 57% of the

10 graduates from the marketing programs are working in related employment at an average salary

of $28,674 per year.

Statement of the Problem

In October of 2007, the American Marketing Association changed the definition of

marketing to include “society at-large” as a stakeholder (Gundlach & Wilkie, 2009). The

influence of social responsibility has influenced academic programs at all levels, yet relatively

little research has been published to show to what extent, if any, marketing instructors have

incorporated this stakeholder into their curriculum. Likewise, only a small amount of literature

has been published to show what approaches to learning are being utilized to facilitate this

integration within post-secondary marketing curriculum.

Purpose of the Study


incorporated into post secondary marketing education programs in the state of Wisconsin. It also

established the methods currently being used and obstacles faced when facilitating the

integration of social responsibility into the marketing curriculum.

Research Questions

The research aimed to answer the following research questions:

1. To what extent do instructors incorporate marketing for social responsibility into their

curriculum?

2. What methods do instructors use to incorporate social responsibility into their

curriculum?

3. What obstacles do instructors face when attempting to facilitate the integration of

marketing for social responsibility into their curriculum?

11 Significance of the Study

This study is significant to marketing educators, students, industry, and ultimately

communities throughout the state of Wisconsin. It aimed to identify the practices in currently

being utilized to educate post-secondary marketing students within the Wisconsin Technical

College System about social responsibility. It also aimed to identify the areas of opportunity

where additional education and discussion are needed in post-secondary marketing programs

regarding social responsibility in order for the students to graduate prepared for the global

marketplace.

Limitations

The following are limitations of the study:

1. The study was administered to full-time marketing faculty who are within the

Wisconsin Technical College System. Therefore, the results are not generalizable

outside the state of Wisconsin, nor to any part-time/adjunct instructors.

2. The formulations of the questions and coding of the data impacted the generalizability

of the data.

3. The study relied on the open and honest feedback from the instructors. Therefore, it

is open to potential bias and false perceptions.

Definitions of the Terms

The following are definitions of select terms that are used throughout the paper:

Bottom of the Pyramid (BoP) – “The largest, yet poorest, socio-economic group. In

global terms, this is the 4 billion people who live on less than $2 per day” (Mohr, Sengupta, &

Slater, 2009, p. 35).

12

Case Study – “Written or oral presentation of an event, incident, or situation for a small

group to analyze and solve” (Jackson & Caffarella, 1994).

Foundation Course – “A college or university course that introduces students to a

subject and prepares them for studying it at a higher level” (Press, 2008, p. 365).

Marketing Education – “The process of understanding and using various combinations

of subject matter and learning experiences related to the performance of activities that direct the

flow of goods and services, including their appropriate utilization, from the producer to the

consumer or user” (Gordon, 2003, p. 287).

Postsecondary – “The provision of formal instructional programs with a curriculum

designed primarily for students who are beyond the compulsory age for high school. This

includes programs with an academic, vocational, and continuing professional education purpose

and excludes vocational and adult basic education programs” (Planty, Statistics, Hussar, &

Snyder, 2009, p. 293).

Service Learning – “A learning strategy in which students have leadership roles in

thoughtfully organized service experiences that meet real needs in the community” (Cipolle,

2010, p. 157).

Socioeconomic – “of, relating to, or involving a combination of social and economic

factors” (Merriam-Webster, 2003, p. 1184).

Stakeholder – “a person or group that has an investment, share, or interest in something,

as a business or industry” (dictionary.com, 2011).

Sustainability – “policies and strategies that meet society’s present needs without

compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (Co-operation &

Development, 2001, p. 21).

13

Chapter II: Literature Review


incorporated into post secondary marketing education in the state of Wisconsin. The subsequent

section is a review of the literature regarding social responsibility, marketing education, and the

Wisconsin technical college system.

Social Responsibility

According to Carroll (1999), the subject of social responsibility, at least in its modern day

form, first appeared in the book Social Responsibilities of the Businessman, published by

Howard R. Bowen (1953). Bowen’s initial definition of social responsibility stated that “it refers

to the obligations of businessmen to pursue those policies, to make those decisions, or to follow

those lines of action which are desirable in terms of objectives and values of our society” (p. 6).

Keith Davis (1960) wrote that businesses have two types of social responsibility: socio-

economic responsibility and socio-human responsibility. With socio-economic responsibility,

Davis stated that managers not only manage their particular business unit, but that unit is also

part of a broader economic society. Therefore, managers have a broader responsibility to society

regarding public welfare. Davis used examples such as “full employment, inflation, and

maintenance of completion” (p. 70) to explain this. He also suggested that managers have an

“obligation to nurture and develop human values” including “morale, cooperation, motivation,

and self-realization in work” (pgs. 70-71).

Dawson (1969) published an article titled “the human concept” in which he described a

notion very similar to what social responsibility is today, at least from the human perspective.

He described this human concept as a business that “directs its attention, resources, and energies

toward the fulfillment of human needs at three levels” (p. 36). He went on to describe the first

14 level as being concerned with one’s well-being of human resources within the business. The

second level was described as being concerned about “the relationship of the enterprise to its

consumers, competitors, suppliers, and distributors” (p. 36). The third level of concern in the

human concept circle is the relationship between the business and society in general. This

includes meeting not only the material needs of humans, but also the psychological and social

needs.

William Lazer (1969) seemingly agreed when he stated that

One of the next marketing frontiers may well be related to markets that extend beyond

mere profit considerations to intrinsic values – to markets based on social concern,

markets of the mind, and markets concerned with the development of people to the fullest

extent of their capabilities (p. 4).

He went on to say that “marketing’s responsibility is only partially fulfilled through

economic processes. There is a great responsibility to consumers and to the human dignity that

is vital to the marketplace – the concern for marketing beyond the profit motive” (p. 9).

Two years after Lazer (1969) wrote his article, the Committee for Economic

Development (Committee for Economic Development., 1971) wrote a piece that Carroll (1999)

called “a landmark contribution to the concept of CSR” (p. 274). In the publication, the CED

laid out a three circle definition of social responsibility:

The inner circle includes the clear cut basic responsibilities for the efficient execution of

the economic function – products, jobs, and economic growth.

The intermediate circle encompasses responsibility to exercise this economic

function with a sensitive awareness of changing social values and priorities: for example,

with respect to environmental conservation; hiring and relations with employees; and

15

more rigorous expectations of customers for information, fair treatment, and protection

from injury.

The outer circle outlines newly emerging and still amorphous responsibilities that

business should assume to become more broadly involved in actively improving the

social environment. (For example, poverty and urban blight) (Committee for Economic

Development., 1971, p. 15).

Several years later, Carroll (1979) proposed a pyramid definition of social responsibility.

At the base of the pyramid are economic responsibilities. He suggested that businesses are the

primary economic unit of society, and as such, they should make a profit to stay in business and

keep members of society employed.

The next level of Carroll’s pyramid addressed the legal responsibilities (Carroll, 1991).

He stated that “business is expected to comply with the laws and regulations promulgated by

federal, state, and local governments as the ground rules under which business must operate” (p.

41). He also pointed out that, although this was not at the base of his proposal, it should be seen

as “coexisting with economic responsibilities as fundamental precepts of the free enterprise

system” (p. 41). Others have also referred to legal responsibilities when discussing social

responsibility, but some have referred to a broader concept called citizenship or corporate

citizenship (De Jongh & Prinsloo, 2005; Fassin, Van Rossem, & Buelens, 2011; Fien, Maclean,

& Park, 2009).

Ethical responsibilities comprise the third level on Carroll’s pyramid (Carroll, 1991).

Carroll defined ethical responsibilities as “those standards, norms, or expectations that reflect a

concern for what consumers, employees, shareholders, and the community regard as fair, just, or

in keeping with the respect or protection of stakeholders’ moral rights” (p. 41).

16 The tip of Carroll’s pyramid of social responsibility was originally proposed as discretionary

responsibility (Carroll, 1979), but later revised to philanthropy responsibility (Carroll, 1991).

This is the level that Carroll used the term corporate citizenship.

Fien et al. (2009) used the term social sustainability to discuss the role of international

vocational education and training in society. They used the following terms and categories to

describe social sustainability: respect for cultural diversity; gender equality; inclusion (cultural,

people with disabilities, etc); workplace relations; teamwork at the workplace, relations between

employers and employees, safety, and citizenship. The authors concluded their article by stating:

The values of cultural diversity, gender equality, inclusion, and citizenship together with

practices for safety, teamwork, and mutual employee-employer respect underpin the

integration of social sustainability into technical and vocational education and training.

They have the potential not only to promote more productive and humane workplaces but

also to develop the knowledge, attitudes, and skills that are conducive to a fairer, less

troubled, and more sustainable world-and surely that is what education should be all

about (p. 22).

Fassin et al. (2011) completed a quantitative literature review of concepts related to social

responsibility between 1975 and 2008. They used the following terms in their literature

research: business ethics, corporate governance, corporate social responsibility, sustainability,

stakeholder, safety, code of ethics, philanthropy, shareholder value, corporate citizenship, triple

bottom line. The authors found that the number of articles published each year increased quite

dramatically from 1,854 in 1975 to 238,461 in 2008. This researcher searched for the same

terms using Google – the popular web search engine. The Google search results included more

articles and books than the Fassin et al study, turned up an approximate total of 849,000 in 2008,

17 compared to only 81,100 results in the year 1975. While the search results differ greatly from

the previous research, additional sources were utilized in the Google search. Both however,

show substantial growth in publications on topics related to social responsibility.

Methods Used to Teach Social Responsibility

The most relevant source found regarding methods used to teach social responsibility in

the marketing classroom came from Pizzolatto and Bevill (1996). They researched methods used

to teach ethics in business classes.

The authors of the study (Pizzolatto & Bevill, 1996) surveyed 385 students to find among

other things, what methods were used to deliver material on business ethics. The report

indicated that 77% of students reported their instructors using class discussion to deliver the

ethics material; 68% of students reported faculty lecture; 53% reported the use of assigned

reading, 48% said case analysis was used; 35% reported that business scenario’s were used, 17%

reported the use of term papers, and only 8% reported the use role playing to address the issue of

ethics.

The study also looked at the students preferred method of delivery (Pizzolatto & Bevill,

1996). Forty percent of the students responding said they prefer the use of class discussions.

The second highest rated preferred method was case analysis, which only 12% indicated as their

favorite. Assigned reading (33%) and Faculty Lecture (16%) were rated the least favorite

methods.

Ruhland and Brewer (2001) surveyed 15 business programs in the Wisconsin Technical

College program on the methods used to assess students. They found that 67% used Checklist

(lab/performance), 53% used written exams, performance tasks/student exhibitions, and/or

18 portfolios. They found that 47% of instructors surveyed used technical reports and 40% used

simulations, observations, and case analysis/presentations.

Challenges of Incorporating Social Responsibility into the Curriculum

One of the most famous arguments made against social responsibility was argued by

Milton Friedman (1970) in his article “The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase its

Profits”. In it, he argued that any corporate money spent on social responsibility would in effect

be taking away from shareholder profits. If the business raised the prices to support corporate

philanthropy, it would be taking money away from customers. If they lowered wages for its

employees or hired unemployed people, just to be socially responsible, the business would be

taking away money from better qualified people.

McDonald and Donleavy (1995) researched common objections to the teaching of

business ethics. They did this primarily through a literature review on the topic. They found

several common themes that can be applied to the topic of social responsibility. One of which

was that courses on topics like ethics are often seen as a result of an over-reaction to a new

business scandal. So, the authors point out that this creates a perception that the course was only

created for the sake of appearances.

A second concern of ethics courses which could be applied to social responsibility would

be credibility. “Business ethics is seen to be unscientific, and non empirical therefore not having

a place in the curriculum of business schools” (McDonald & Donleavy, 1995, p. 843).

A third relevant argument the authors stated was referred to as “hypocrisy” (McDonald &

Donleavy, 1995). The authors addressed the concern that despite being taught about ethics,

young managers are “often unwilling to jeopardize their career development by exposing their

19 ethical sophistication” (p. 844). This could also conceivably be used to argue against the

inclusion of social responsibility in the curriculum.

Another major concern is the fact that both ethics and social responsibility are ambiguous

(McDonald & Donleavy, 1995). This argument questions how the subject is suppose to be

taught when most situations don’t necessarily have a correct answer. However, even when an

instructor believes s/he has the correct answer, some are “reluctant to offer their opinion or teach

their convictions, instead opting to teach in a values free manner” (Freehafer, 2005, pp. 36-37).

Freehafer (2005) points outs out several of factors that should be considered. These

include “lack of time, lack of depth, and a presumption of coverage” (p. 37). As Freehafer

indicates, the last one is of particular concern. This presumption of coverage could lead to

instructors skipping this part of the curriculum because they assume it is covered in somebody

else’s class.

Evolution of the Marketing Definition

The American Marketing Association (AMA) has a long history of developing the

definition of marketing and terms used in the practice and study of marketing (Keefe, 2004). In

1935, the National Association of Marketing Teachers, a predecessor of the AMA, developed

one of the first definitions of marketing. The definition defined marketing as “those business

activities involved in the flow of goods and services from production to consumption” (p. 17).

This definition was adopted in 1948 by the AMA and again in 1960 when the AMA reviewed the

definition and decided not to change it. This original definition stood for 50 years, until it was

revised in 1985 and again in 2004.

20

The 1985 definition defined marketing as, “the process of planning and executing the

conception, pricing, promotion, and distribution of ideas, goods, and services to create

exchanged that satisfy individual and organizational goals” (Gundlach, 2007, p. 243).

The 2004 definition took a broader perspective of marketing than the 1985 definition,

focusing on “processes for creating, communicating, and delivering value to customers” rather

than making decisions about the four Ps (Keefe, 2004, p. 17). It emphasizes that marketing is a

process of creating “value for customers and for managing customer relationships” rather than

stimulating transactional exchanges. Finally, it recognizes that marketing “benefit(s) the

organization and its stakeholders” (p. 17) not just individuals and organizations. Stakeholders

can be broadly interpreted to be all societal institutions.

Many scholars and practitioners believe that marketing is not just a functional area within

an organization but also a philosophy that should permeate all areas of the organization

(Webster, 2005). Some scholars take an even broader perspective and view marketing as a

societal process (Wilkie, 2005) and also a societal institution (Lusch, 2007).

Recognizing the need for a formal process that solicits a broad range of inputs in a

structured manner, in May 2006, the AMA board of directors adopted a new, formal definition

review/revision process (Keefe, 2004). Three critical goals for the periodic review/revision of

AMA’s definition of marketing are (1) transparency, (2) broad participation, and (3) continuity.

The AMA definition of marketing will now be reviewed every five years. (Gundlach & Wilkie,

2009, p. 260).

The American Marketing Association (2007) currently defines marketing as “the activity,

set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging

21 offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large” (Marketing, para.

2).

Marketing Education

Traditionally, both secondary and post secondary Marketing Education “encompasses a

classroom component, a work-based learning component, and a co-curricular student

organization component” (Adornato, 2008, p. 11). According to the Wisconsin Department of

Public Instruction (WDPI) (2009), “The mission of marketing, management, and

entrepreneurship education is to enable students to understand and apply marketing,

management, and entrepreneurial principles; to make rational economic decisions, and to exhibit

social responsibility in a global economy” (MMEE mission statement, para. 1).

According to the National Center for Education Statistics (Levesque, National Center for

Education Statistics and Institute of Education Sciences (United States, 2008), 95.6% of all

public two-year institutions offered business and/or marketing programs to their students in

2005. In Wisconsin, marketing education programs are currently offered in 15 of the 16 colleges

within the Wisconsin Technical College (WTC) system (WTCS, 2011b). In addition, four

colleges, all of whom offer on-campus marketing programs, offer their programs in an online

format.

In 2010, there were 345 males (40%) and 520 females (60%) graduates from the

marketing programs in the WTCS (WTCS, 2011a). This is similar to the 2004 makeup of

business and marketing programs nationally (Levesque et al., 2008). In 2004, the programs

comprised of 45.2% males and 54.8% females (WTCS, 2011a). Eighty-seven percent of the

graduates from the Wisconsin marketing programs in 2010 reported their race at white.

According to Levesque et al., (2008) this is well above the 2004 national average for associate

22 and undergraduate degree seekers in business and marketing programs. They reported that

nationally, 61.5% of business and marketing students in 2004 were white, while 17.3% black,

10.8% Hispanic, 6% as Asian/Pacific, .9% American Indian, and 3.5% as other.

Faculty Demographics. According to the National Center for Education Statistics

22,800 instructors were teaching in business and marketing programs at two-year colleges across

the county in 2003 (Levesque, 2008). During the 2003-04 school year, males made up an

overwhelming majority of the faculty, 70% to 30%, in United States technical colleges. Forty

percent of faculty teaching business and marketing, including at four year institutions, had a

doctorate degree. Fifty percent of instructors had a Master’s degree, while 9% had a bachelor’s

degree and 1% had less than a bachelor’s degree. The average years of teaching experience was

14.4.

Due to the unavailability of state of Wisconsin faculty demographic data, these questions

were including into the present research.

Program Evolution. Marketing Education started with Lucinda Wyman Prince in the

early 1900’s (Leventhal, 2002). Lucinda started distributive education for young working

women who “were moving to the big cities to work in stores and offices” (p. 31). Distributive

education programs proved to be highly successful and expanded to the national level. In 1936,

Distributive education became a federally funded program. The first programs focused on

retailing and merchandising. Later on, distributive education, now Marketing Education,

expanded to include wholesaling and industrial marketing.

Today, the Wisconsin Technical colleges classify these programs under Marketing Sales

and Service. This set of career programs now includes the following associate degrees:

Customer Information Specialist, Fashion Marketing, Global Business, Interior Design, Jewelry

23 Repair and Fabrication, Marketing, Marketing – Business-to-Business, Marketing and Graphic

Communications, Real Estate, Retail Management, Small Business Training, and Supply Chain

Management (WTC, 2011).

Ethics Requirements. The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business

(AACSB) states that programs should offer learning experiences in ethical and legal

responsibilities in organizations and society (AACSB, 2011, p. 73). Buff and Yonkers (2004)

researched mission statements and ethics course requirements for schools accredited by the

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). They reported that 21.3% of

those schools they surveyed had referenced ethics in this mission statement and required an

ethics course. They also found that 40.6% of schools required an ethics course for marketing

programs, while 59.4% did not.

The Aspen Institute Center for Business Education Initiative reported that 34% of the

schools they surveyed reported requiring students to take a course that specifically address

business and society issues in 2001 (AICBE, 2011). However, the study found that that number

rose to 63% in 2007, 69% in 2009, and in 2011 the number rose to 79%. Rundle-Thiele &

Wymer (2010) found that only 27% of universities in Australia mandated students take a specific

course in social responsibility, ethics, and/or sustainability.

Wisconsin Technical College System

The Wisconsin Technical College System was started 100 years in 1911 (WTCS, 2011b).

The first campus was opened up in Racine, Wisconsin. Today, we know this campus as

Gateway Technical College. Since that time, WTCS has grown to 16 colleges with a total of 48

campuses and now serves over 400,000 students per year (WTCS, 2011a).

24 The WTCS is comprised of the following technical colleges: Blackhawk, Chippewa

Valley, Fox Valley, Gateway, Lakeshore, Madison Area, Mid-State, Milwaukee Area, Moraine

Park, Nicolet Area, Northcentral, Northeast Wisconsin, Southwest Wisconsin, Waukesha County

Area, Western, and Wisconsin Indianhead (WTCS, 2011b). All of the technical colleges, except

Southwest Wisconsin district, offer at least one marketing program.

Summary

Chapter Two reviewed the literature and statistics previously published. It covered the

history of the definition of social responsibility, the incorporation of social responsibility into the

curriculum, and challenges and obstacles to further incorporation. The chapter also defined

Marketing and discussed Marketing education. It concluded with an overview of the Wisconsin

Technical College system.

Chapter Three will look at the methodology of how the results for the present research

were obtained.

25

Chapter III: Methodology


incorporated into post secondary marketing education in the state of Wisconsin. It also identified

the methods currently being used and obstacles faced with facilitating the integration of social

responsibility into the marketing curriculum. This study is significant to marketing educators,

students, industry, and ultimately communities throughout the state of Wisconsin. It aimed to

identify the practices that are being utilized in the post-secondary marketing curriculum as well

as areas of opportunity for growth in post-secondary marketing programs in order for the

students to graduate prepared for the global marketplace.

Chapter Three describes the methodology used by the researcher including: the research

design, sample selection, instrumentation, data collection procedures, and data analysis. The

chapter concludes with the limitations of the study.

The study sought to answer the following research objectives:

1. To what extent do instructors incorporate marketing for social responsibility into

their curriculum?


curriculum?



Research Design

It was determined that a non-experimental, descriptive study would be the best approach

to answer main research questions. According to Gay (1987), descriptive data is usually

“collected through a questionnaire survey, an interview, or observation” (p. 11). He went on to

26 say that a “common type of descriptive research involves assessing attitudes or opinions toward

individuals, organizations, events, or procedures.” The tools used to collect data included an

online survey (Qualtrics) and written survey with accompanying cover letter. The online survey

included the same questions as the written survey.

The online survey instrument Qualtrics was utilized to collect the responses. Qualtrics is

a survey software program licensed through UW-Stout for student, staff, and faculty use. The

program collected and analyzed the frequency counts, means, variance, and standard deviation

for each question.

Sample Selection

The study’s population consisted of all full-time marketing instructors currently working

in the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS). The researcher contacted WTCS to

attempt to obtain the official list of all full-time marketing instructors. However, it was

suggested by the contact person at WTCS that the list is too hard to maintain, so the individual

recommended contacting the dean’s at each of the 15 technical colleges offering marketing

programs. A contact list of the deans was provided by WTCS. The researcher sent out an email

to all of the deans on the list asking for their support by providing a list of names and their

contact information for each full-time marketing instructor in their respective districts. Only four

deans, or their representatives, replied out of the 15 contacted. The four deans provided a listing

of their marketing instructors. To complete the sample population identification, the researcher

searched each district’s website for the list to find the contact information for full-time marketing

instructors, recognizing that this may not be 100% accurate. In the end, a list of 53 marketing

instructors with contact information including mailing addresses and email addresses was

gathered. These 53 instructors served as the sample population for the study.

27 Instrumentation

The data collection method used to answer the research questions was a 13 question

survey questionnaire (Appendix A) developed by the researcher. The questions included in the

survey were aligned with the research questions to ensure that the research objectives would be

met by the data collection.

A sample survey was distributed in the spring of 2011 to a group of instructors in both

Business and Marketing departments at the Chippewa Valley Technical College, serving as a

pilot study for the present research. In total, the email went to six instructors from business

program and four from the marketing program. From the initial and follow-up email, five

instructors completed the survey. As a result of the sample survey, several changes were made

and items were added to improve make the validity of the survey instrument. The researcher had

his research advisor review the final survey prior to submission to Stout’s Institutional Review

Board (IRB).

The instrument relied heavily on multi-answer options. Three questions were open

ended, while five of the questions suggested possible answers while giving an option of “other”

so respondents could add in additional relevant responses. One question, number 5, utilized a

Likert type scale. Questions 1, 2, 10, 11, and 12 were demographic related questions. Question

13 was open ended to allow for any other comments regarding the incorporation of social

responsibility into the curriculum. Table two presents the alignment of the instrument to the

research objectives.

28 Table 1

Research Objectives Related to Survey Questions

Research Objective Survey Questions

1. To what extent do instructors incorporate marketing for social

responsibility into their curriculum?

3,7,8

2. What methods do instructors use to incorporate social responsibility

into their curriculum?

4,9, 13

3. What obstacles do instructors face when attempting to facilitate the

integration of marketing for social responsibility into their curriculum?

5,6

Data Collection

After obtaining institutional review board (IRB) approval for the research, an email

containing a cover letter (Appendix B), consent to participate letter (Appendix C), a PDF version

of the survey (Appendix A) and link to the online Qualtrics version of the survey were emailed

on August 26, 2011 to the research population. In addition, that same day, hard copies of the

cover letter, consent to participate letter, survey, and self-addressed return envelope were mailed

out to the entire population via the United States Postal Service (USPS). On September 6, 2011,

a reminder email was sent out to the entire population with the link to the Qualtrics survey,

encouraging them to participate in the research. Six days later, on September 12, 2011, a final

reminder was sent via email asking for their participation in the research.

Data Analysis

Data was collected and analyzed from responses to the researcher’s survey. Descriptive

statistics were utilized to analyze the data. The primary survey was designed and developed

29 through the online survey tool Qualtrics. A hard copy version was also made to duplicate the

questions of the online survey.

When a completed survey was returned via USPS, the results were manually inputted into

Qualtrics by the researcher. The results and research findings are discussed in Chapter Four with

conclusions and recommendations in Chapter Five. Simple descriptive statistics including

frequency, mean, and standard deviation were us as analysis methods.

Limitations

The research project included limitations. A major limitation was the fact that the study

was completely reliant on voluntary, anonymous participation of those surveyed. This did not

allow for a guaranteed diversity of results, particularly from a variety of campuses. If a

particular program had several respondents and another program had no respondents, the results

could be perceived as skewed.

The timing of the survey release could have had an impact on the rate of response.

Because most instructors do not work during the summer, the survey was sent out in the fall or

spring. The researcher opted for the project to be executed in the fall. The survey was sent at the

very beginning of the contractual year for most districts. This could have resulted in a slower or

busier time for the instructors, depending on their exact schedule.

Finally, a major limitation has to be the method used to gather the information on the

sought after population pool, all full-time marketing instructors in the Wisconsin Technical

College System. Although all best efforts were made to make the study population as complete

and accurate as possible, the researcher acknowledges the room for error.

30 Summary

This chapter described the methodology used by the researcher including: the research

design, sample selection, instrumentation, data collection procedures, and data analysis. The

chapter also discussed the limitations of the study.

Chapter Four will present the results of this research.

31

Chapter Four: Results

The following chapter presents the results of a survey that was administered to 53 full-

time marketing instructors within the Wisconsin Technical College system. A total of 25

(47.2%) surveys were completed. To answer the research questions, a 13 item survey

questionnaire was developed. The research questions included:


curriculum?


curriculum?



The survey asked as total of 13 different questions. The survey was sent to a total of 53

instructors in both electronic and hard copy mailings. Twenty-six (49%) responded to the survey.

Seven completed and returned hard copies while 19 completed the survey via the online survey

site Qualtrics.

Demographics

Question one asked instructors what classes they taught during the 2010-2011 school

year. Nineteen respondents, or 73%, indicated they taught Marketing Principles; Marketing

Research had 11 responses, or 42%, to the question; Promotion Principles and Selling Principles

both received 10 or 38%. Nine instructors (35%) said they taught Advertising, while eight

instructors (31%) said they taught Marketing Management. Seven respondents (27%) reported

having taught a Marketing Internship course. Six respondents (23%) indicated having taught

Business to Business Selling, while five (19%) reported having taught a global/international

32 marketing course. Internet Marketing, Professional Selling, Social Media Marketing, and

Technology in Marketing each had four (15%) instructors indicating they taught those classes.

Consumer Behavior, Entrepreneurship, and Marketing Communications each had 3 respondents

(12%), while Brand-Development, Customer Service, Enterprise Marketing & Management,

Marketing Presentations, and Professional Development for Marketing all received two

responses (8%). Project/Product Management only had one instructor (4%) indicate they taught

that class. Neither Entertainment/Sports Event Marketing nor Marketing Financials received any

responses. The respondents had the option submitting additional courses that were not on the

selection list. This “other” option received six responses and they were: “Did not teach last

year”, “Web Principles/HTML”, “Leadership Strategies in Marketing”, “Career Planning”,

“Leadership” and “Retail Management”. In total, 26 instructors responded to this question.

33 Table 2

Classes Taught by Survey Participants During the 2010-2011 School Year

Answer Response % Advertising 9 35% Brand-Development 2 8% Business to Business Selling 6 23% Consumer Behavior 3 12% Customer Service 2 8% Enterprise Marketing & Management 2 8% Entertainment/Sports Event Marketing 0 0% Entrepreneurship 3 12% Global/International Marketing 5 19% Internet Marketing 4 15% Marketing Communications 3 12% Marketing Financials 0 0% Marketing Internship 7 27% Marketing Management 8 31% Marketing Presentations 2 8% Marketing Principles 19 73% Marketing Research 11 42% Professional Development for Marketing 2 8% Professional Selling 4 15% Project/Product Management 1 4% Promotion Principles 10 38% Purchasing 1 4% Selling Principles 10 38% Social Media Marketing 4 15% Technology in Marketing 4 15% Other: 6 23%

Question 2 asked the instructors how many different classes they typically taught in a

semester. In total, there were 20 responses to this question. One said two classes, one said two-

to-three classes, one said three classes, and one respondent said they taught between three to four

34 classes. Five respondents reported having taught an average of four classes a semester, while

three stated that they taught four to five classes. Three stated that they taught five classes, two

responded that they taught five to six classes and one answered between six and seven classes.

Two instructors reported teaching an average of eight classes a semester.

Question ten simply asked the respondents gender. Eleven (44%) reported being male,

while 14 (56%) reported as female. In total, 25 responded.

Table 3

Gender of Respondents

Gender Response %

Male 11 44%

Female 14 56%

Total 25 100%

Question 11 asked instructors how many years they had been teaching. Their options

were: 0-5, 6-10, 11-15, 16-20, 21-25, 26-30, and 31+ years. Three respondents (12%) indicated

they had zero to five years teaching experience; three respondents (12%) indicated between six

and ten years of experience; seven respondents (28%) indicated having taught between 11 and 15

years; three respondents (12%) said they had between 16 and 20 years of experience. Four

teachers indicated they had taught between 21 and 25 years. Two instructors said they had

between 26 and 30 years, while three said they had 31+ years of experience. Twenty-five

respondents responded to this question with a mean of 3.80.

35 Table 4

Years of Teaching Experience

Answer Response %

0-5 3 12%

6-10 3 12%

11-15 7 28%

16-20 3 12%

21-25 4 16%

26-30 2 8%

31+ 3 12%

Total 25 100%

Question 12 asked respondents about their education level attained. No respondents

indicated associates degree, while two said they had a bachelor’s degree. Sixteen (64%)

indicated having a Master’s degree. No respondents said they had an Educational Specialist

degree. Four (16%) indicated they had a doctorate degree. Three (12%) said other; they

explained other as: “Masters +”, “Working on PhD”, and “Plus 30 credits towards doctorate”.

Twenty-five total respondents answered this question.

36 Table 5

Education Level Attained

Answer Response %

Associates 0 0%

Bachelor's 2 8%

Master's 16 64%

EdS 0 0%

Doctoral 4 16%

Other 3 12%

Total 25 100%

Research Question One

Research question one was to investigate the extent of incorporation of social

responsibility into the post-secondary marketing curriculum. Survey questions three, seven, and

eight in the questionnaire was used to make this determination. The results for each question is

presented below.

Survey question three asked instructors to indicate the number of classes in which they

covered the following topics: profit, citizenship (obeying the laws, participating in democracy,

paying taxes, voting, etc), ethics, philanthropy, socioeconomic diversity, cultural diversity,

gender diversity, people with disabilities, teamwork, employer/employee relations, safety,

marketing for the bottom of the pyramid, green marketing, and nonprofits and/or hybrid

businesses (L3C, B-Corporations, etc). The respondents were given an option of no classes, one

class, two classes, three classes, four classes, five plus classes.

37

There were 18 responses for the topic of profit with a mean of 3.83. Twenty respondents

marked the topic of citizenship with a mean of 2.95. Twenty-four respondents said responded to

the topic of ethics with a mean of 4.83. There were 21 responses for the topic of philanthropy

with a mean of 2.57. Twenty-three responded to the socioeconomic diversity option with a mean

of 3.61. There were 24 responses for the topic of cultural diversity with a mean of 4.04.

Twenty-four participants responded to the topic of gender diversity with a mean of 3.79.

Twenty-three people responded to the topic of people with disabilities with a mean of 3.04.

Twenty-four instructors also answered the topics of teamwork and employer/employee relations

with means of 3.04 and 4.75 respectively. There were 23 responses for the topic of safety with a

mean of 2.30. Nineteen instructors responded to the topic of marketing for the bottom of the

pyramid with a mean of 2.42. Twenty-three instructors responded to the topic of green

marketing with a mean of 3.30. Twenty-one instructors responded to the final option of

nonprofits and/or hybrid businesses with a mean of 2.95. See table 6 for a graphic

representation of these findings.

38 Table 6

Number of Classes That Discuss Socially Responsible Topics

Question No

Classes 1

Class 2

Classes 3

Classes 4

Classes 5+

Classes Responses Mean Profit 2 1 5 4 2 4 18 3.83 Citizenship (Obeying the laws, participating in democracy, paying taxes, voting, etc)

6 3 4 3 1 3 20 2.95

Ethics 0 1 1 9 3 10 24 4.83 Philanthropy 4 9 5 0 1 2 21 2.57 Socioeconomic Diversity 0 5 6 7 3 2 23 3.61

Cultural Diversity 1 1 6 8 4 4 24 4.04 Gender Diversity 2 2 5 9 2 4 24 3.79 People with Disabilities 7 2 5 5 0 4 23 3.04

Teamwork 0 2 2 5 6 9 24 4.75 Employer/Employee Relations 4 5 7 3 0 5 24 3.21

Safety 12 4 1 3 0 3 23 2.30 Marketing for the Bottom of the Pyramid

6 4 5 3 1 0 19 2.42

Green Marketing 1 8 6 3 1 4 23 3.30 Nonprofits and/or Hybrid Businesses (L3C, B-Corporations, etc)

4 5 5 4 1 2 21 2.95

Survey question seven asked respondents where social responsibility was discussed

within their curriculum. The options given were as follows: all foundation courses, selected

foundation courses, ethics courses only, courses required for major, elective courses, no course,

other, and I do not know. This question allowed respondents to choose all that apply. Twenty-

39 five responses were received. Ten respondents (40%) stated that all foundation courses at their

college discussed social responsibility. Six respondents (24%) said that social responsibility was

covered in selected foundation courses. Two respondents (8%) said that the topic was covered in

Ethics courses only. The options of courses required for major and electives courses both

received seven responses (28%). Zero respondents selected the no courses option. Six

instructors (24%) said they did not know and three (12%) gave other responses. They are as

follows: “diversity club on campus”, “unsure about non-major courses”, and “sociology”.

Table 7

Discussion of Socially Responsible Topics

Answer Response %

All Foundation Courses 10 40%

Selected Foundation Courses 6 24%

Ethics Courses Only 2 8%

Courses Required for Major 7 28%

Elective Courses 7 28%

No Courses 0 0%

Other: 3 12%

I Do Not Know 6 24%

Survey question eight asked instructors if their campus offered specific course work in

ethics. They could only choose one option. Twenty-five instructors responded to the question.

Fourteen (56%) responded that yes, it is required for our students while eight (32%) responded

40 that yes, it is optional for our students. Two (8%) responded no, but this topic is covered in other

classes. No one responded that ethics is not specifically covered in any class. One responded

that they did not know. There was also an option to list other responses in which no one

responded.

Table 8

Specific Ethics Course Offerings

Answer Response %

Yes, it is required for our students 14 56%

Yes, it is optional for our students 8 32%

No, but this topic is covered in other classes 2 8%

Ethics is not specifically covered in any class 0 0%

I do not know 1 4%

Other 0 0%

Total 25 100%

Research Question Two

Research question two looked at the methods used to incorporate discussion of social

responsibility into the post-secondary marketing curriculum. Survey questions four and nine in

the survey instrument were used to investigate this. The results of these two survey questions are

presented below.

Survey question four asked respondents what methods they used when teaching the topics

of social responsibility. The following options were provided: case studies, discussions, service

learning, readings, group projects, outside experts (guest speakers), individual projects, lectures,

41 field trips, and other. A total of 25 responses were received. Case studies and discussions each

had 24 responses (96%). Service learning received eight responses (32%), readings had 20

responses (80%) and group projects had 21 responses (84%). Outside experts had 13 responses

(52%), individual projects received 21 responses (84%) and lectures had 22 responses (88%).

Field trips received nine responses (36%). Two respondents (8%) gave other methods including

simulation and video clips.

Table 9

Methods used

Answer Response %

Case Studies 24 96%

Discussions 24 96%

Service Learning 8 32%

Readings 20 80%

Group Projects 21 84%

Outside Experts (Guest Speakers) 13 52%

Individual Projects 21 84%

Lectures 22 88%

Field Trips 9 36%

Other: 2 8%

Survey question nine asked instructors when in the program were students encouraged to

take an ethics related course. Zero respondents said their campus encouraged students to take an

42 ethics related course in the first semester. Four respondents (17%) said student enrolled in the

second semester, while seven (30%) indicated students enrolled in the third semester. One

instructor (4%) indicated the fourth semester is when they encouraged students to take an ethics

related course. Five instructors (22%) said they did not know. Six respondents (26%) indicated

other. Their responses include: “differs for different programs”, “it’s an elective without a

specific semester focus per se”, “it varies”, “second or third semester” and “as it fits in

schedule”. The mean was 4.04.

Table 10

When are Students Encouraged to Take an Ethics Related Course?

Answer Response %

First Semester 0 0%

Second Semester 4 17%

Third Semester 7 30%

Fourth Semester 1 4%

Other 6 26%

I do not know 5 22%

Total 23 100%

Survey question thirteen was an open-ended question that gave the respondents an opportunity to

add any other information in on the incorporation of social responsibility into the curriculum. A total of 6

responses were received. One instructor stated “my students know my motto: “is it legal, ethical, and

moral?” on every topic discussed. Several other responses echoed that same idea that they simply

integrated it into each course and topic. Appendix D lists all of the responses to this question.

43 Research Question Three

Research question three sought to find out what obstacles instructors faced when

attempting to facilitate the integration of marketing for social responsibility into their curriculum.

Survey instrument questions five and six sought to answer this. The results are presented below.

Survey question five was a question regarding the instructor’s opinion. It stated “I would

like to see the number of courses that discuss social responsibility increase in the coming years”

and used a Likert type scale (strongly disagree – strong agree) to solicit responses. Twenty-five

instructors responded to the question. No one said they strongly disagreed with the statement.

Four (16%) said they disagreed. Seven responded (28%) that they neither agreed nor disagreed

with the statement. Eleven respondents (44%) said they agreed while 3 (12%) said they strongly

agreed with the statement. The mean for this question was 3.52.

Table 11

Instructor’s Opinion of Increasing the Number of Classes That Discuss Social Responsibility

Answer Response %

Strongly Disagree 0 0%

Disagree 4 16%

Neither Agree nor Disagree 7 28%

Agree 11 44%

Strongly Agree 3 12%

Total 25 100%

Survey question six asked respondents what their biggest challenges were when trying to

incorporate social responsibility related topics into their classes. Twenty-four responses were

44 received. The majority of responses (six) stated there were not any major challenges with

incorporating topics related to social responsibility into their classroom. This was followed by

challenges with time. Another major theme was that social responsibility was not a primary

concern. One instructor indicated that this was not at the rudimentary level, but rather at a

deeper level. The instructor felt that their students “must understand the basics of the topic

before getting into deeper subjects like social responsibility”. Other themes that arose in the

responses to question six include confusion in society on the meaning of social responsibility as

well as lack of contradictions of idea of social responsibility with what is being published in the

news. Appendix E lists all responses to this question.

Summary

In summary, Chapter Four presented the results of a 13 question survey instrument that

was utilized to answer the three research questions of the survey. The researcher sent surveys to

a total of 53 full-time marketing instructors who currently work within the Wisconsin Technical

College system. The survey was sent, in both electronic and paper formats, to the entire sample

population. A total of 25 surveys were completed, seven written and 19 electronic. This was a

47.2% response rate of the sample population surveyed.

Chapter Five will discuss the recommendations and conclusions of this research study.

45

Chapter V: Discussion

In this study, the researcher sought to discover if and how marketing instructors within

the Wisconsin Technical College System were covering the topic of social sustainability in their

curriculum. The researcher set up the survey to determine answers to the following questions:


curriculum?


curriculum?



Chapter Five provides a summary of the research findings. Conclusions are discussed

and recommendations are made regarding the incorporation of social responsibility into the

curriculum within the marketing programs in the Wisconsin Technical College system.

Summary and Conclusions

The demographics of the respondents had relatively equal response rate between males

(44%) and females (56%). This was much more balanced representation of males and females

than what the National Center for Education Statistics found in their national averages

(Levesque, 2008). They reported that in business and marketing programs, across both two-year

and four-year colleges, males represented 70% of faculty while females represented only 30%.

There was also a broad range in years of experience teaching. Zero to five years, Six to

ten years, 16-20 years, and 31+ years each had 12% of the responses. Eleven to fifteen years had

the most with 7 (28%) of the responses. Twenty-one to twenty-five years had the second highest

with four responses (16%) and the 26-30 category had the fewest responses with 2 (8%). The

46 education level had the highest skew. The vast majority of the respondents (76%) had a master’s

degree or masters+. Eight percent had only a bachelor’s degree, while 16% had obtained their

doctorial degree. The average number of classes taught was 4.65.

Research question one asked: to what extent do instructors incorporate marketing for

social responsibility into their curriculum? The answer the results show is varied. All

respondents appeared to incorporate a majority of the topics defined in survey question three, at

least to some degree. Ethics appeared to be covered the most, followed closely by teamwork.

Safety was the least covered topic within social responsibility. It is also important to point out

that the respondents indicated in question seven that social responsibility was covered more in

foundation courses rather than in courses required for the major.

Research question two asked what methods instructors use to incorporate social

responsibility into their curriculum. The research showed a wide array of techniques including

case studies, discussions, lectures, group projects, and individual projects as being utilized the

most. The responses also indicated wide spread of when it was recommended to students to take

an ethics course, although no one said their college recommended taking it in the first semester.

Research question three asked instructors what challenges they had when trying to

incorporate social responsibility into their curriculum. A majority of the respondents indicated

that they did not have any major obstacles or challenges incorporating social responsibility into

their courses. However, as expected, time was a major challenge. A slight majority of the

respondents said they agreed with the statement “I would like to see the number of courses that

discuss social responsibility increase in the coming years”.

47 Research Question One

Survey questions three, seven, and eight all sought to answer the following research

question: to what extent do instructors incorporate marketing for social responsibility into their

curriculum? Survey question three showed that of the four levels (profit, citizenship, ethics, and

philanthropy) as defined by Carroll (1991), marketing instructors on average, taught ethics in the

most of their classes. This was followed by profit, citizenship, and philanthropy. Looking at the

broader survey question, teamwork had the second highest level of agreement. Safety was

covered in the least amount of classes followed by marketing for the bottom of the pyramid and

philanthropy.

Survey question seven asked instructors in what types of classes social responsibility was

discussed. Forty percent of the respondents said it was discussed in all foundation classes,

compared with 24% of the respondents who stated it was covered only in selected foundation

classes. Only 8% indicated the topic was covered in ethics courses only, yet in question eight,

56% of respondents said a specific course on ethics was required for the students. Surprisingly,

only 28% indicated that the topic of social responsibility was covered in courses required for

major. This would appear to be significantly smaller than what the Aspen Institute found in their

study (AICBE, 2011). They reported that 79% of schools they surveyed in 2011 had a course

dedicated to business and society issues. Twenty-eight percent indicated it was covered in

elective courses. Yet, 100% of the respondents previously indicated that they covered topics

within social responsibility in several of their classes. This could indicate a misunderstanding or

narrower understanding of the definition of social responsibility then the researcher anticipated.

Six people (24%) stated that they did not know where in a student’s experience at their

respective college, they learned about social responsibility.

48

Survey question eight asked instructors if their campus offered a specific course on

ethics. The majority of respondents, 56%, indicated that at least one course was offered on their

campus and that it was required for their students to take it. This was higher than the findings for

the study from Buff and Yonkers (2004) who found that only 40.6% of the schools they studied

required an ethics course. Another 32% said they offered at least one class specifically on ethics,

but it was optional for students. Two respondents (8%) said their campus did not offer a specific

class on ethics, but it was covered in other classes. One instructor stated that they were not

aware of if there campus had an ethics related course or whether it was required.

Research Question Two

Survey questions four, nine, and thirteen sought to answer the following broader research

question: What methods do instructors use to incorporate social responsibility into their

curriculum? Survey question four asked this question directly by listing ten different methods

and asking the instructors to indicate which ones they used when discussing the topics in

question number three. Case studies and discussions appear to be used with the most with 96%

of respondents selecting these options. Lectures (88%), group projects (84%) and individual

projects (84%) were the third and fourth most used methods. Simulations (indicated by the

“other” column) were chosen the least followed by service learning (32%) and field trips (36%).

Analyzing the results of this question, one can easily conclude that a wide variety of methods are

used by instructors to discuss the topics that comprise the broader term of social responsibility.

While survey question nine did not directly answer the broader research question, it is

helpful in understanding the philosophy of ethics education. The question asked instructors to

identify in what semester are student’s encouraged to take an ethics related course. In the

electronic version of the survey, respondents who indicated their campus did not offer a specific

49 ethics related course were not asked this question. Interestingly enough, none of the instructors

indicated their campuses encourage their students to take an ethics course in the first semester

when other foundation courses are typically offered. Seventeen percent indicated that it was

recommended to take an ethics course in the second semester, while 30% recommended it be

taken in the third semester. Only one person (4%) indicated that an ethics class was suggested to

be taken in the fourth semester. Twenty-two percent of respondents indicated they did not know

when it was suggested to be taken and 26% chose the “other” option with all of them indicating

it varies.

Question thirteen appeared to show that instructors are taking the integration approach

throughout their respective courses rather than covering social responsibility in a separate section

of a course. As one instructor indicated “there is a difference in ‘teaching’ the topic vs. just

bringing it into many discussions”.

Research Question Three

Survey questions five and six sought to answer the research question: What obstacles do

instructors face when attempting to facilitate the integration of marketing for social responsibility

into their curriculum? Question five was the only question asked that asked their personal

opinion on the subject. It was stated in the form of a statement and asked the respondents to

respond using a strongly disagree to strongly agree Likert type scale. The statement was “I

would like to see the number of courses that discuss social responsibility increase in the coming

years”. No one strongly disagreed with that statement, but four (16%) said they disagreed.

Twenty-eight percent said they neither agreed nor disagreed with the statement. A small

majority (56%) either agreed or strongly agreed with the statement with the mean being 3.52.

50

Question six was an open ended question asking respondents what their biggest

challenges were when trying to incorporate social responsibility related topics into their classes.

Time seemed to be the biggest challenge. Either instructors felt there was not enough time to

cover all major priorities or they did not think that social responsibility was a top priority. This

seemed to match the suggestion by Freehafer (2005) that “lack of time, lack of depth, and a

presumption of coverage” (p. 37) are often cited as concerns. Some responses did not clarify

this. The more surprising answers included “contradictions from current events/news/politics”

and “reality vs what is being ‘said’”. This would seem to be the exact reason for inclusion of

social responsibility topics into in the curriculum.

Limitations

A major limitation of the results was that it relied on the open and honest feedback of the

instructors. Therefore, it was open to potential bias and false perceptions.

Another major limitation of the research was in the questions themselves and the

resulting coding of the data. Social responsibility is a controversial and often misunderstood

term. Everyone has their own unique understanding of this topic and that would be reflected in

the responses.

Recommendations for Future Research

This research was meant to be a launch board for future research. Future researchers

should consider doing a larger scale study of technical colleges to see if and how they are

covering the topic of social responsibility. This research did not look into specific pieces of the

curriculum (text books, syllabi, etc) to see specifically what was covered, so this would be

another piece that should be looked at in future research.

51 In addition, it would be beneficial to survey the students to see what their perceptions of

the coverage and importance of the topic was. It was evident in this study that instructors were

not generally aware what was being taught in other classes that their students took. The

researcher sought to only study full-time marketing instructors. As a result, this is a very limited

portion of the classes that students take. It would be of value to survey general education

classes, business classes, accounting classes, and others involved in one’s marketing program.

Finally, one point of debate is where should students be first educated on ethics and

social responsibility? Should it start in middle school? Should it start in High school? Or,

should it start in post-secondary schools. If in middle/high school, researchers should determine

what is being covered and how post-secondary institutions can build off of those discussions.

52

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Appendix A: Survey

Survey: Social Responsibility in the Curriculum The purpose of this study is to determine if and how social responsibility has been incorporated into post secondary marketing education in the state of Wisconsin. It will also identify the methods currently being used as well as the obstacles faced with facilitating the integration of social responsibility into the marketing curriculum. Social Responsibility can be defined as, “marketing philosophies, policies, procedures, and actions that have the enhancement of society’s welfare as a primary objective” (Kurtz, MacKenzie, & Snow (2009).

1) During the 2010-2011 school year, I taught the following marketing courses: (Check all that

apply)

Advertising Brand-Development Business to Business Selling Consumer Behavior Customer Service Enterprise Marketing & Management Entertainment/Sports Event Marketing

Entrepreneurship Global/International Marketing Internet Marketing Marketing Communications Marketing Financials Marketing Internship Marketing Management Marketing Presentations Marketing Principles

Marketing Research Professional Development Professional Selling Project/Product Management Promotion Principles Purchasing Selling Principles Social Media Marketing Technology in Marketing Other: __________________

2) How many different classes do you typically teach a semester? ______________

3) Please identify by checking the appropriate box in reference to course content.

I teach components of: No

Classes 1

Class 2

Classes 3

Classes 4

Classes 5+

Classes Profit Citizenship (Obeying the laws, participating in democracy, paying taxes, voting, etc)

Ethics Philanthropy Socioeconomic Diversity Cultural Diversity Gender Diversity

58

People with Disabilities Teamwork Employer/Employee Relations Safety Marketing for the Bottom of the Pyramid Green Marketing Nonprofits and/or Hybrid Businesses (L3C, B-Corporations, etc)

4) When discussing the topics listed in question 3, I use the following methods: (Check all that

apply)

Case Studies Discussions Service Learning Readings Group Projects

Outside Experts (Guest Speakers) Individual Projects Lectures Field Trips Other: ____________________

5) I would like to see the number of courses that discuss social responsibility increase in the coming years.

1 2 3 4 5 Strongly Disagree

Disagree Neither agree nor disagree

Agree Strongly Agree

6) What are the biggest challenges you face when trying to incorporate social responsibility related

topics into your classes?

7) There is discussion of social responsibility in: (Check all that apply)

All Foundation Courses Selected Foundation Courses Ethics Courses Only Courses Required for Major

Elective Courses No Courses I Do Not Know Other _____________________

8) Does your campus offer specific courses on ethics? (Choose one)

Yes, it is required for our students Yes, it is optional for our students I do not know

No, but this topic is covered in other classes Ethics is not specifically covered in any class Other _____________________

9) If offered, what semester are students encouraged to take an ethics related course? (Choose one)

First Semester Second Semester Third Semester Fourth Semester I do not know

59

10) Gender:

Male Female

11) Number of Years Teaching: (Choose One)

0-5 6-10 11-15 16-20 21-25 26-30 31+

12) Education Level Attained: (Choose One)

Associates Bachelor’s Master’s EdS Doctoral Other:

_______________________

13) Please add any comments regarding your program and the incorporation of social responsibility into the curriculum:

Thank you for your time and feedback!

Please return to: Michael Lee

2805 Thomas Drive, Apt C1 Eau Claire, WI 54701

Self-Addressed Stamped Return Envelope is enclosed

60

Appendix B: Cover Letter

Michael Lee 2805 Thomas Drive, Apt C1 Eau Claire, WI 54701 August 26, 2011 Dear Wisconsin Technical College Marketing Educators, My name is Michael Lee and I am in the final stages of completing my Master’s degree in Career and Technical Education at UW-Stout. As part of the final requirement for receiving my degree, I am writing a thesis titled: Social Responsibility in the Curriculum: A Survey of Marketing Instructors within the Wisconsin Technical College System. The purpose of this study is to determine if and how social responsibility has been incorporated into post secondary marketing education in the state of Wisconsin. It will also identify the methods currently being used as well as the obstacles faced with facilitating the integration of social responsibility into the marketing curriculum. Please assist me in this effort by completing a brief survey questionnaire. You can choose to complete this survey online by going to the either of the following web addresses:

https://uwstout.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_eagw7N1HfwINGfy (case sensitive) or

http://tinyurl.com/3cd38b3

Or, you can complete the survey that is enclosed with this letter and return it in the self-addressed stamped envelope no later than September 16, 2011. Enclosed, you will also find a consent to participate letter. Thank you for your participation in this study. Your contribution to the completion of my thesis and Master’s degree is greatly appreciated! Please contact me if you have any questions at (715) 563-8469 or [email protected]. I would be happy to share my results with you. If you are like to receive an electronic copy of my completed thesis, please email me stating your interest. Sincerely, Michael Lee

61

Appendix C: Consent to Participate

Consent to Participate In UW-Stout Approved Research Tit le: ocial ResponsibilitY in the Curriculum· A urYey ofl\farketiog Instmcto~ "itlun the Wt.,COii'>Ul T eciUllcal C'oUege y-,tem

Investigator: .\ltchael ue, Gradumt> Smdl.'lu f- I 5J 563· -169 leerm ~ nn .1m Hollf C'dll

Description:

Research Sponsor Dr Carol Moonl'l Progrttm D1reNor ('I 5J :!3.'-1-U-1 rl/00/lt!) Ci'f! II\\ j /01/f £ d11

The purpo!>C of lh~ ~tud} b to detctutWc tf ,\nd I.JO\\ !>0Ct3lte~pom•bllll} lhl"> bccu wc.:orpotatcd llltO post !>CCOUddl') IUllrkclUl~ cJucauou Ill the tate or \\'J'>COU~UI . It Will aho Jdcrlllf}' we

method cunemly beillll used ar. well as tbe ob rack f.1ced wtlb tacd.twung. the mre~rnhoo ot -.ocutl re<iponsrbJIIIy imo the marketmg cnrnculnm

Risks and Benefits: ~o ri k'> are predacted for pnmctpntwg m rb.t.., 'llrYe~

Time Commitment and Payment: II is pto_lected that lim stm ·ey wtll take .5- 10 rumute!> to complete

Confidentiality: Confideuuahty w11l be main tamed through standard methods wcludwg. no tracking o! par1.tctpant l!llhlll!> or othet ~lcctromt mean'>. DatJ will b~ held coufide.ttltal by the 1e eurche~

anvol\ cd Data \\til be: tcpcmc:d IJJ an llll.(!lcgare loulut so Lltat wdtv tdual u:-,liOI.C>C cauuot be Ul\cked to tespondeub

Rtght to Wtthdraw: Your pontcipanon m tlus mdy '" ennrely voluntary You may chooc;e not to parttcipAie wnholll any Ad\'ci'>C cou~equeocer, 10 you You ruwe Lbe llgDI to \ !OJ) lbe tu' e~ at aur tune Ho\\eVeJ '>hould you cboo e to p,lllJCipate and later'' J<;b to\\ 1thdnm- (rom rhe nrd~ there rs no way to 1denufy ymrr anonymou<. document after n hac; heen tm11ed mlo the mvec;tiga1or Once you submtt vour response. the d.1ta cannot be linked to you aud cannot be \Vithdrn\\11

IRB Approval : n us c;tudy bnc; been re\1ewed and approved hy The ll1Wf'511)' of\\ ISCOO'itn• •tollt\ In tlhttional Renew Board (lRB). The IRB ba!> detenuined that thi ::.tudy meet> the etb.tcaJ obligatlOth rcquncd b~ fedcmJ IJ\\ ami Umvt'l~ tt~ pol.tctc.,. U )OU have que .. llou-, tlt concern:. tcgmdm~ Um SUII.I} pkO'>C COUIOel WC ln\~lJilQIOI t,lf A.U\lo,('lf , If}OU iht\C: llU~ ((UC UOih . C<.'llCt:ru Ollq)Olb

tegaultnlt yotu nghr:-. Ill> a ·~emch subJeCt. plear.e conTAct tbe rRB AdtllllltSHnrot

love tlgll tot·: .\bcfurel Lee r- I 51 '63- ./69 or leemifij m1· ,.,. )/our cd11

Statement of Consent:

IRB .\dmlnl t rn lor Sue Fol.,l·cl/ Drrector Resl'orclr Scrrices I;: I Oc(l/ro,al Rf'lmbthtMion Bldg l W- .\1m11 .HPilOiuotm•, rT7 5-r5 I -I 5-~32-2-1- -

Jonn•llvfi mntollf t•du

8\' compJetmg the following UfYeV you agree IO p3111Ctpate 1D the prOJect entitled, octal Re~pou!>Jbtbly m Llle Cum culwu: A un·e) of Market rug ln!!lruclor~ w1t1un the \\ J!>COll!>Lll

TcdllUcal C'ollesc y-.t~UL

62

Appendix D: Question Thirteen Results

Responses from Survey Question Thirteen

There is a difference in "Teaching" the topic vs. just bringing it into many discussions. There is no need for any more SR training at Cardinal Stritch. It is encorporated [sic] into each course. We incorporate regular discussions in all classes and integrate with news happenings. My students know my motto: "Is it legal, ethical, and moral?" on every topic discussed. This is tied to business practices and personal behaviors. Good luck on your study! Cannot teach social responsibility effectively without teaching morality, faith, and spirituality. It's unfortunate that some students don't have the basic understanding of ethics or social responsibility, now as teachers it gives us even more information to cover. Makes you wonder why and what the future will bring? I believe it is important, but do not want to overlap or repeat what might be covered in other courses. We are currently looking at all of the competencies required in our major, so it might show some overlap or some additional needs.

63

Appendix E: Question Six Results

Responses from Survey Question Six

Seems to be a changing definition. Reality vs what is being "said" Students want to learn how they can get a career first. Social issues come second. Social Responsibility - it should be interwoven in all subjects. The biggest challenge is, frankly, that the topic almost seems to be over-addressed. That is to say that the students here about this topic in nearly every business course to some degree and while there may be a different twist to it here and there, it almost loses its importance by becoming cliche. None, each instructor has academic freedom in their classroom at our college. I really don't face any challenges. It seems very natural to talk about individual and corporate social responsibility when teaching marketing classes. Most courses tend to follow pretty closely to the text book so a lot depends on how thewy [sic] handle it. n/a Students must understand the basics of the topic before getting into deeper subjects like social responsibility. time fundamental understanding. Bad corporate citizenship roles. Keeping up with new technologies and social offerings. The value vs businesses being opportunistic and doing it only to raise profits None. Administration and students are very open Proper examples with relevant activities The level of depth and amount of time I need to devote to the subject area. None - Moral Relativism - Personal + Institutional Bias - Lack of Moral Compass I would guess that social responsibility is talked/lectured a lot in ethics, sociology, psychology and intro business classes. I balance the pursuit of profit and a robust business model with social responsibility! No major challenge developing exercises that meet compentencies [sic] of course Time Management Time to do a good job of covering essential course content and add additional content on social responsibility. We could always spend more time on social responsibility. Contradictions from current events/news/politics

s/1 gates said in a speech at the 2008 world economic forum: in a system of pure capitalism, as...

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