This issue presents two separate themes: Competition and Internationalization. When I was a student, my most memorable assignments that I participated in were often exercises that integrated an element of competition. Whether it was presented in a form of simulation or a zero-sum competition game with other students, I recall enjoying these assignments as it provided me with an experience and a challenge to excel. In this issue, we dive into how competition drives engagement among students in marketing classrooms. In part two of this issue, the journal is looking to espouse the spirit of “marketing education without borders.” No doubt, our journal is looking to be more focused in learning how marketing education is conducted globally, as well as, inviting scholars to contribute from all parts of the world. I myself was an international student studying in North America and have always had a deep appreciation for how learning is diverse and different globally.
We begin this issue by discussing how competition stimulates learning among students. In Paul, Ponnam, and Bagchi’s work, they introduce “The Game of Stores,” a retail site simulation that tests students’ analytical skills in optimizing retail location choice and profitability. The discuss the value of simulations and the benefits of gamifying classroom assignment to engage students’ competitive spirits. In Lynch, Arguea, LeMay, Keller, and Kimball’s work, they evaluate the success of a live case competition with business professionals as judges. Using a mixed-methods approach, the paper discusses how high-impact practices affect students’ educational experiences and careers. It also provides suggestions on how to design case competitions to increase its impact.
In Reavey and Zahay’s work, they discuss the transfer of knowledge from instruction to practice. Specifically, they discuss the process of metacognition (thinking about their thoughts) to lead students toward higher-order thinking; they discuss how metacognition extends critical thinking to help with learning processes, learning goals, and goal attainment.
Next, In Gyepi-Garbrah, Preko, and Andoh’s work, the authors investigate the role of motives, thoughts and perspectives, expectations, and preparedness as explanatory variables in marketing students’ academic performance in Ghana. They investigate a set of demographic and psychographic variables that underlie marketing students’ behavior toward their academic journey. In Nghia, Hoang, and Quyen’s work, the authors investigate the internationalization of higher education programs; they identify English language instruction, foreign degree, international teachers and friends, and among others as motivation to participate in these programs. The paper discusses in relation to the socio-cultural and educational context of Vietnam and its students.
Finally, Paul and Mukhopadhyay examine the research productivity of marketing scholars in marketing departments across the globe. The findings provide insights for into understanding admission choices, collaboration opportunities, career paths, hiring, and promotional opportunities in these schools. Interestingly, the size of the marketing faculty only had a moderate effect on research productivity, which reflects the importance of quality over quantity.
In closing, our learning with respect to marketing education continues to grow. This issue only further highlights the missing gaps that we have in our knowledge of marketing education, and we hope that our journal continues to forge new insights.