Generative artificial intelligence is reshaping marketing practice, yet marketing education lacks clarity on which forms of human expertise remain distinctive and assessable when generative systems accelerate production. This study develops a practice-grounded framework of AI-resilient marketing capability through a qualitative investigation of 33 in-depth interviews with practitioners across sectors and levels of AI integration. Rather than testing predefined competency models, the study inductively surfaces how practitioners identify non-delegable human contribution in AI-mediated workflows. Analysis yields the Voice-Judgement-Taste (VJT) framework: voice as expressive authorship that conveys identity and audience relationship; judgement as deciding when AI outputs can be trusted, adapted, or rejected; and taste as evaluating which outputs are worth developing and ensuring coherence across them. Together, these interdependent capabilities explain how professionals manage productivity-authenticity tensions in AI-assisted work. Findings show that human value shifts from producing content to shaping it-for example, revising tone and identity, verifying accuracy and risk, and selecting the most appropriate option from multiple viable outputs. By translating broad graduate attributes into observable practices, the study advances conceptual clarity in marketing education and offers scalable assessment principles for making human contribution visible in AI-rich learning environments.
Despite today's increasingly data-driven business environment, many marketing students continue to perceive engagement with data as intimidating, limiting their willingness to develop essential analytical competencies and undermining their preparedness for contemporary marketing roles. To address this challenge, the present research examines a pedagogical intervention centered on data storytelling-an approach that reframes quantitative and qualitative information as building blocks for constructing coherent, audience-oriented narratives. The proposed module assigns students to analyze public polling data across domains, including business, technology, culture, and politics. From sentiment on electric vehicles and sports betting to trends in drinking habits and parenthood decisions, students investigate data on subjects of personal interest and present their findings to their peers. This intervention was evaluated using a two-wave survey across three sections of a capstone marketing research course, supplemented by a graded post-module exam in a subsequent analytics course. Results indicated significant improvements in students' self-reported data literacy, attitudes toward quantitative tasks, and exam performance. Collectively, these findings suggest that data storytelling represents a promising pedagogical strategy for mitigating math anxiety and positioning data as a communicative resource to address real-world challenges in society and the marketplace.
Feedback is a cornerstone of academic development, particularly in marketing education, where skill development often requires iteration and applied practice. While instructors spend considerable time providing effective feedback, artificial intelligence (AI) tools can significantly reduce this burden by generating timely, tailored responses. For example, AI-based chatbots can supplement instruction, providing students with timely feedback and reducing instructors' workload. This study examines how marketing students perceive feedback quality based on its source, specifically whether it is delivered by an AI system or a human instructor. Through a scenario-based experiment, we investigate student perceptions of feedback quality and effectiveness based on the source (AI vs. Instructor) or valence (positive vs. negative). Our findings provide guidance for professors who want to incorporate AI tools into their teaching practices. Understanding student perceptions of feedback source is crucial for marketing educators who want to leverage AI systems to enhance the educational experience without compromising the human component that students value.
Despite widespread adoption of gamification in business education, empirical evidence on its effectiveness remains fragmented and inconsistent. This meta-analysis synthesizes evidence from 27 empirical investigations to identify which factors most significantly influence intention to engage with gamified learning systems and how these factors translate into learning outcomes. The findings show that student satisfaction and perceived usefulness are the most consistent drivers of behavioral intention toward gamified learning systems. Enjoyment, ease of use, social influences, and general attitudes toward gamified experiences also play significant roles. Importantly, gamification also supports learning outcomes through mechanisms such as engagement, sustained focus, and positive learner disposition. These insights challenge simplistic applications of gamification and instead position it as a conditionally effective tool that requires thoughtful instructional design. For business educators, the findings offer practical guidance on when and how gamified systems are most likely to improve both motivation and academic performance. This study contributes to the ongoing development of evidence-based teaching in business education and lays a foundation for future research exploring long-term effects, learner differences, and diverse educational contexts.
In response to industry calls for better digital marketing education, this study develops and validates an integrated framework for digital marketing curriculum design. A multi-phase, mixed-methods design was employed across four European countries, including an exploratory analysis of existing courses, qualitative focus groups and interviews with stakeholders, and a culminating quantitative survey (n = 334) of professionals. Data were analyzed using t tests and hierarchical cluster analysis to determine curricular priorities. The findings identified essential modules for an introductory course, empirically clustering them into a three-stage pathway: Foundation (traffic & data), Applied Content (engagement), and Optimization (conversion). For advanced study, specialization blocks were validated and grouped into coherent capability sets - performance & analytics, experience, and foundational - reflecting learner preference for integrated pathways. Competencies-set breadth was found to be independent of organization size. The study provides an empirically validated framework for a transversal digital marketing curriculum, supporting a structured model that progresses from foundational competencies to integrated, specialized pathways. This framework addresses current fragmentation in educational provision and enhances the development of transferable competencies applicable across diverse professional contexts.
Experiential learning (EL) equips students with practical skills and real-world experience essential for professional success. Yet, there is limited research that explores what shapes students' attitudes and intentions toward EL participation. This study investigates the motivational factors influencing undergraduate business students' engagement in EL activities. Drawing on the theory of planned behavior and the technology acceptance model, a conceptual model was tested incorporating External Beliefs (Perceived Ease of Use, Perceived Usefulness, Instructor Readiness, Student Readiness, Perceived Self-Efficacy, Learning Relevance, and Learning Motivation), Attitudinal Constructs (Perceived Behavioral Control and Subjective Norms), and Behavioral Intention. Survey data from 194 undergraduate business students were analyzed using structural equation modeling in SmartPLS. Results show that Perceived Usefulness, Student Readiness, Learning Motivation, and Learning Relevance significantly influence Attitude, Subjective Norms, and Perceived Behavioral Control, which in turn predict Behavioral Intention to engage in EL. Conversely, Instructor Readiness and Perceived Ease of Use were not significant predictors. The findings underscore the need to align EL activities with students' career goals to foster intrinsic motivation, enhance institutional support through resources, and clear communication of EL benefits. This study advances understanding of the behavioral drivers of EL adoption and develops an actionable EL implementation framework for enhancing EL engagement across various educational disciplines. Specifically, we propose seven implementation principles that articulate how a unified approach across students, educators, program directors, industry partners, and the broader academic institution can translate enhancement in EL into practice and strengthen EL integration within higher education curricula.
This study investigates the scholarly impact of marketing faculty across career stages. We examine citation counts and research metrics of attendees of the AMA Sheth Foundation Doctoral Consortium over a 22-year span. We find that students completing their degrees at highly-ranked PhD programs outperform peers early in their careers, but this advantage fades over time. We introduce the "Grand Slam" paper-the single most-cited publication of each scholar-which is generally responsible for a large share of total career citations. It is typically produced early in a scholar's career and often published outside of the "premier" journals. We introduce the Grand Slam Outlier Effect (GSOE) as a measurement of this phenomenon. Overall, our findings provide new tools for the evaluation of research impact and provide valuable benchmarks for faculty research assessment, institutional comparisons, and career progression, and suggest strategies for faculty members and administrators.
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a transformative tool in various domains, including education, where it holds the potential to revolutionize learning experiences and outcomes. Despite its promising applications, the adoption and utilization of generative AI tools among students remain variable and complex. This article presents a mixed-methods approach to examine factors that influence student interest and use of generative AI in educational contexts. Using the theoretical foundations of the technology acceptance model (TAM), we explore the multifaceted determinants that shape students’ attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors toward utilizing generative AI technologies for learning purposes. Importantly, institutional influence has a positive influence on the intention to adopt ChatGPT as a learning tool. Insights into the challenges and opportunities associated with integrating generative AI into educational settings, as well as strategies for enhancing its acceptance and effectiveness among students are explored.
This research investigates the impact of virtual sales role-play, role-play social anxiety, public self-consciousness, and private self-consciousness on the perceived functional and relational customer-orientation learning in virtual sales role-play. Using structural equation modeling to analyze survey data from 181 undergraduate students participating in virtual sales role-plays, the findings reveal that public self-consciousness positively influences virtual sales role-play social anxiety. In contrast, private self-consciousness unexpectedly demonstrates a negative relationship with role-play social anxiety. Furthermore, social anxiety in virtual sales role-play negatively impacts perceived functional and relational customer-orientation learning. This research contributes to marketing education theory by integrating psychological states into frameworks for virtual sales education and offers practical insights for developing more effective next-generation sales-training programs. The results also provide important practical implications for sales educators, emphasizing the need to incorporate anxiety management, cognitive load strategies, and self-awareness techniques into virtual sales role-play pedagogy. The study suggests implementing gradual exposure techniques, mindfulness practices, and multiphase role-plays that balance relational and functional tasks to enhance learning.
Recent literature has established that the infusion of sustainability into the curriculum of higher education embodies an important pathway that allows future marketing leaders to rethink the application of sustainability to business and marketing practices. However, to do so, students must develop the appropriate habits of mind that give them confidence to apply theoretical frameworks covered in class to future real-life scenarios. How can instructors best foster this skillset related to sustainability? Drawing on a systematic analysis of sustainability marketing-related syllabi in the United States, this paper finds that application and ability to critically think and discuss are important objectives of sustainability-related classes. We further show that experiential learning with the use of case studies and in-class discussions ought to be seamlessly integrated into the curriculum. A comprehensive list of 104 case studies and discussion of the topics covered in sustainability marketing-related case studies in the United States is provided which serves as a baseline and inspiration for current and future instructors.
The article reports on pedagogical interventions designed to integrate the lived realities of impoverished consumer segments into marketing education. Drawing on teaching experiences from the Rural and Inclusive Marketing (RIM) course at an Indian business school, it describes two field-based experiential projects, Ethnographic Story and Unpacking Markets. These projects enabled students to interact directly with impoverished consumers, reducing initial disconnectedness. It also honed ethnographic research skills, cultural sensitivity, and compassion toward marginalized consumer groups. The analysis highlights the importance of sensitization, collaborative and co-creative learning, and narrative-driven outputs in equipping students to critically interpret impoverished consumers' lifeworlds. By engaging students in real-world contexts, the interventions helped cultivate contextual literacy and methodological preparedness, while also addressing gaps in conventional business curricula. More broadly, the study demonstrates how experiential learning can address blind spots in marketing education and enrich understanding of impoverished markets. It further shows how such learning can be implemented to understand other such markets globally and contribute to the development of inclusive marketing strategies aligned with broader goals of equity and social justice.
This exploratory study examines how language use in student sales role-plays may reflect learned behaviors and adaptability, key components of sales performance that are often overlooked by rubric-based assessments. Drawing on social learning theory and adaptive selling theory, we analyze transcripts from undergraduate sales role-plays using five Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) dictionaries-Absolutist Thinking, Communion, Masculinity, Money, and Politeness -to explore potential relationships between language patterns and evaluator-assigned performance scores. Our results reveal that students who used more absolutist language received lower overall communication scores, while money-related language positively correlated with product discussion and solution quality. These findings suggest that certain word choices may signal cognitive rigidity or situational confidence, which impact evaluator perception beyond process completion alone. We argue for greater attention to adaptive communication in sales education and propose that linguistic analysis offers a promising tool for assessing how students internalize and apply sales concepts in dynamic, conversational contexts.
While academic sales programs are growing, companies continue to struggle to attract a sufficient number of students to meet the high demand for sales professionals. Therefore, early exposure to sales career options is vital. This exploratory study investigates whether an adolescent's desire for a sales career may be enhanced by following the student summer camp model pioneered by STEM fields as an effective tool to recruit sales students by improving their perception and interest in a sales career. The study's results suggest a positive shift in the perception of salespeople and their desire to obtain a sales position. Students reported higher ratings in their confidence to make presentations and use humor in tense situations, such as a sales negotiation. However, our results showed no creativity change, which can be necessary in a sales career. These findings offer preliminary support suggesting that it may be time to consider recruiting future sales students and professionals at an earlier age.
This special issue responds to the call for renewed attention to sales curriculum design by examining three intersecting trends: the rapid transformation of the sales profession, the evolving characteristics of today's college students, and the widening gap between traditional university teaching methods and the demands of contemporary sales practice. We encourage teacher-scholars to continue reimagining sales education-drawing on cross-disciplinary insights and experiential approaches-to better align with both industry needs and student aspirations in an increasingly dynamic and human-centered marketplace.
This study explores how a structured comparative assignment, “You do it, GAI does it, you compare and reflect,” can support reflective learning in marketing education. Drawing on a dual methodology of systematic literature review and thematic analysis of student reflections, the article examines how students respond to generative artificial intelligence (GAI) when asked to compare their own environmental scan with one produced by GAI. The findings suggest that students are not passive users of GAI, but rather engage with it as a dialogic partner, one that challenges assumptions, prompts refinement, and deepens insight. The study identifies five key constructs that emerged from integrating insights from the literature and student reflections: reflective dialogues, situated judgment, model-based scaffolding, ethical engagement, and meta-learning. These constructs describe how students reflected on their learning, evaluated the role of context and human reasoning, recognized the value of structure in GAI output, and considered the ethical and metacognitive dimensions of using GAI in academic work. The study offers a conceptual model for understanding reflective engagement with GAI and outlines future research directions to build on this work. It concludes by highlighting the importance of designing assignments that promote critical reflection alongside technological integration.
A strong sense of belonging can meaningfully enrich students’ academic and social experiences. This study investigates the key academic and social factors that contribute to marketing students’ sense of belonging and examines how that sense of belonging affects critical academic outcomes, focusing primarily on the mediating role played by sense of belonging. Based on survey data from 526 undergraduate marketing majors, results show that faculty support, peer support, institutional support, and perceived fit significantly strengthen students’ sense of belonging. In turn, sense of belonging functions as a mediating mechanism that reduces dropout intentions and increases students’ likelihood of recommending their major and college. These findings highlight the processes through which support and fit shape critical academic and behavioral outcomes. They also offer actionable recommendations for improving retention and support by activating on-campus stakeholder groups that contribute uniquely to marketing students’ sense of belonging.
Marketing doctoral programs have evolved to sustain and improve the contributions of the marketing discipline. This research reviews the state of marketing doctoral programs and reports the results of a survey of marketing doctoral directors. The global survey of 251 directors provides a benchmark for describing and evaluating the composition of doctoral programs. Reporting the number of methodology courses and substantive marketing seminars in programs provides the opportunity to reflect upon the importance of each area in preparing students to make a contribution to the discipline. Consumer behavior is the dominant area of concentration with digital marketing and marketing strategy a distant second. The results provide an important foundation in assessing current doctoral programs for directors and all stakeholders to evaluate their program content relevant to the findings.
