Introduction
The development of human society has always been characterized by fast changes and integration of various spheres of activity. Thus, at the modern stage of its development, mankind has reached the stage when marketing, formerly perceived as a purely business concept, is used by governmental organizations to handle the issues of public services. The case under analysis is an important source of data on the topic of the use of marketing in operating governmental agencies and public service providers.
Background
Therefore, the main idea behind the selected case is the analysis of how a governmental unit can apply marketing concepts and principles to succeed in providing public services of improved quality. More importantly, the case illustrates how a governmental agency with a damaged image can resort to the help of outside sources, i. e. marketing techniques and skills, to restore this image and avoid similar issues in future.
Case Analysis
Relevant theories
Thus, the first relevant theoretical approach that can be applied to the case study of WCEPA is the idea of the four Ps of marketing developed by Kotler et al. (2009, pp. 56 – 57). According to these authors, the four P’s that include the ideas of product, price, place, and promotion, form the so-called marketing mix, i. e. the set of means an organization has to affect its market position and make customers consider and purchase its goods and/or services. In the context of developed use of marketing principles by governmental agencies, as argued by Batley (2004, p. 15) and Bolman (2003, p. 50), these four P’s become increasingly important. This happens mainly because it is difficult to agree on the ideas of public services and business in the public mind.
Questions answered
Based on these theoretical views, it is possible to see that the external environment of Sanger, the person appointed to restructure the image and operations of WCEPA looks completely different from the environment of business environment. The main difference lies in the direction of WCEPA’s work, as business entities implement marketing mix to retrieve profit, while Sanger has to revive WCEPA using the mix but without any notions of profit.
Accordingly, this controversy of “non-profit” or public marketing explains the logic behind the 16 rules Sanger adopted. Their major idea is avoiding unreasoned actions and remarks, committing actions only with a complete certainty about their result, and the ability to admit one’s mistakes before the media do it for the public service official.
Needless to say, Sanger agreed on a substantial pay cut when she took the position of WCEPA executive, but this choice granted her three sources of power inaccessible to a business executive, i. e. position power, information and expertise, and control of rewards (Bolman, 2003, p. 194). Using this power, Sanger can implement a rewards and punishment system in WCEPA, train employees in the areas of communication with media and fulfilling their duties.
Conclusions
So, the case of WCEPA reveals that marketing is a powerful developmental tool for governmental agencies dealing with public services nowadays. The case also reveals that the improper marketing causes issues that only an experienced person can overcome using the basic marketing theory concepts, including the 4 P’s of the marketing mix and the idea of marketing of governmental agencies.
References
Batley, R. (2004). The changing role of government: the reform of public services in developing countries. Palgrave Macmillan.
Bolman, L. (2003) Reframing organizations: artistry, choice, and leadership. John Wiley and Sons.
Kotler, P. et al. (2009). Marketing: An Introduction. Pearson Education.