International marketing curricula in a global services economy - What is missing? A leximancer analysis of course contents

This exploratory study examines the current course contents of international marketing (IM) courses in higher education institutions. Using Leximancer, a qualitative research tool for text-mining and lexicographic analysis, we conducted a content analysis of 290 course contents of U.S. and Australian business schools accredited by the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). Not surprisingly, concept mapping reveals broad diversity among the topics covered in IM, most notably related to macro-environmental influences such as culture, the international environment and fundamental aspects related to marketing strategy. Our findings suggest that topics related to international services and thus, the global services sector do not receive the individualized attention that one would expect in today’s rapidly changing marketplace, where growth in the demand for services is unprecedented. The findings indicate that the majority of course contents are structured around global macro-environmental forces and the traditional goods-centered marketing mix framework as opposed to micro-environmental forces, such as consumption patterns and buying behavior of consumers, and meso-environmental forces, which include standard operating procedures, rules and guidelines. We provide a discussion to inform and stimulate the future development of IM curricula.