Marketing within the public sector

Abstract

Much has been written on the applicability of the marketing concept in the public sector. Allied to a ‘market-orientation’ is the notion of internal marketing (IM). Some research has been conducted on IM, but this has generally been confined to firms in the private sector. IM focuses on acquiring and retaining customer-oriented employees. As part of a wider study, which investigates various aspects of public sector management, this paper sets out to explore the different applications of internal marketing in the public sector. Suitable measures are identified and results from an Australian study are reported. Three different types of public sector organizations are identified, based on their current level of IM orientation. The three clusters are then described and profiled. Management implications are considered and directions for future research offered.