On Carrot Cake and Marketing Education: A Perspective on Balancing Skills for Employability

Abstract

The current climate for marketing education demands a complex set of skills for our graduates: critical and creative thinking, good communication skills, marketing knowledge, and specific technical skills. In addition, knowledge is far more readily available outside the formal university institution. In response, marketing educators need to address these demands. Based on existing literature, this paper proposes four categories of skills: thinking and learning skills, personal soft skills, marketing knowledge and technical skills. A metaphor is presented as a means through which the co-existence of these skills may be conceptualised. With this view, thinking and learning and personal soft skills are at the core, into which marketing knowledge is learned and applied. Technical skills are added but with caution, ensuring that they are placed in the context of marketing knowledge, and help to develop thinking and learning, and personal soft skills. Implications and suggestions are provided for educators as we plan programmes, courses and lectures. A challenge is also presented to the wider Academy to create a standardised designation which acknowledges these skills.