Internal marketing and organisational performance of SMEs in the EDV industrial sector

Abstract

Focusing on the industrial sector, this research aims to identify conditions for the implementation of internal marketing concepts among employees and its impact on the organisational performance. Only one study was found simultaneously integrating the two constructs. It concerned the cork processing industry alone, yet considered expanding the efforts – namely, using qualitative exploratory research in the form of 10 in-depth interviews based on a script of generally open questions – to the entire industry in the Portuguese region between rivers Douro and Vouga. The unit of analysis was constructed considering distinct features as well as activity criteria and the geographic location, thus ensuring the necessary heterogeneity. The results inform about the awareness of the internal marketing conceptualisation. The research found that all analysed enterprises had more or less structured model frames and worked with the conceptualisation of the guidance for the internal market, a strategic concern, and in some instances, this concept was an organisational desideratum in the sector. In addition to the lapse of the research according to a qualitative paradigm of exploratory nature, the main limitation is the need for objective sustainably of the results obtained through future quantitative studies to promote an integrated triangulation of their outcomes. The research allowed identifying the companies that use organisational models conducive to the individual well-being of employees and facilitating the desired orientation to the market.

Internal marketing, service quality and perceived customer satisfaction

“…Internal marketing is perceived as a philosophy where employees are regarded as an organisation's internal customers and are treated as such. As a strategy, internal marketing is geared towards the attraction, development, retention and inter-functional coordination of employees, with the objective of enhancing employee satisfaction while creating service quality and satisfaction for the external customer (Güven and Sadaklio glu, 2012;Sousa et al, 2018;Qayum and Sahaf, 2013). Internal marketing activities have traditionally centred on the four Psinternal product, internal price, internal distribution and internal promotion.…”

“…Considering the unique challenges faced in the Omani banking market because of economic isolation over the past two decades, selected additional internal marketing mix elements have been identified as recent Ps of the internal marketing mix. If managed professionally, these recent Psinternal performance management, internal purpose, internal political power and internal procurementcan be used to strengthen the internal environment and help in the development and sustainability of internal relationships (Sousa et al, 2018;Mutharasu et al, 2013). As each of these recent Ps impacts employee satisfaction and employees' ability to deliver on service quality, they have been added to the extended services mix to make ten internal marketing mix elements relevant to this study.…”

Measurement Of Internal Marketing Ingredients At Garment Enterprises In Thai Nguyen Province

“…David Ballantyne (1997) identified the importance of communication to measure internal marketing including leadership style in providing information for employees, facing any difficulties in carrying out tasks, employees know to whom they will report. Studies have noted a positive association between internal communications and the outcomes of job satisfaction (Sousa et al, 2018). H2: The component "Internal communication" has a positive effect on employees' satisfaction when enterprises conduct internal marketing in garment enterprises.…”

The Impact of Market Knowledge Acquisition on Product Innovation Performance in Small and Medium Scale Enterprises

“…It is a multifaceted and complex construct (Expósito & Sanchis, 2019). That is, it tackles a range of interrelated metrics, such as growth results (Nastasiea & Mironeasa, 2015), quality, innovation and creativity (Wadho & Chaudhry, 2018), personnel participation (Sinisammal et al, 2012;Sousa et al, 2018), customer satisfaction (Fong, Lo, & Ramayah, 2014) and even productivity (Kumar & Rahman, 2015;Fu et al, 2018). Also measures such as customers, efficiency, employees, systems, and procedures have been studied (Fong et al, 2014;;Tuan et al, 2016).…”