Internal Marketing

Course Outline

Course Coordinator: Koushiki Choudhury

E-mail(s): koushiki@iimcal.ac.in
Instructor(s): Koushiki Choudhury
Office: NAB K-306 (KC)

COURSE OBJECTIVES
Till recently, marketing emphasized only the external customer. However, gradually it is being
understood that external marketing is most successful when integrated with marketing efforts
inside the firm. Internal marketing is a key activity in the development of a customer-oriented
organization. The purpose of this course is to provide an understanding of the vitality of internal
marketing, to highlight the relationship between internal and external marketing and to provide
students with the skills to develop internal marketing strategy for firms.

This course aims to develop students knowledge and understanding of the fundamental
importance of Internal Marketing and provide a contemporary view of the subject.

On

successful completion of this course, the student should have:

1. An understanding of the concept of internal marketing
2. An understanding of the impact of internal marketing upon the external marketing activities of
a firm.
3. The ability to identify and develop successful internal marketing strategies for firms.
4. The skills necessary to understand their place in the firm within the internal marketing
framework and work as an effective internal member of a firm.

6. Developed generic skills in the areas of communication, problem solving, and critical
evaluation.

Pedagogy: Case analysis, discussion of readings assigned, group exercises and project

Evaluation Method:
Case Analysis 30%
Assignment 30%
Quiz 20%
Project 20%

Text Book: Light Their Fire: Using Internal Marketing to Ignite Employee Performance and
Wow Your Customers by Susan Drake , Michelle Gulman, Sara Roberts by Kaplan
Publishing
Readings & Cases from Harvard Business Publishing: Mentioned in Sessionwise Course Plan
below

SESSIONWISE PLAN

SESSIONS 1 and 2: Introduction to internal marketing

SESSION 1
Reading: Selling the Brand Inside by Colin Mitchell
Case: The Corporate Brand: Help or Hindrance

Text: Chapter 1
SESSION 2
Reading: Hearts on Fire--Brand Development Manager
Case: We Googled You
Text: Chapter 1

SESSIONS 3 and 4: Internal markets, internal stakeholders, internal customers and customeroriented organizational culture
SESSION 3
Reading: Why Bad Things Happen to Good Companies
Case: Oliver Sparling and Bible Books, Inc.
Text: Chapter 2

SESSION 4
Reading: The New Intimacy
Case: Managing Creativity at Shanghai Tang
Text: Chapter 2

SESSIONS 5 and 6: The processes of internal service quality, continuous improvement and
organisational learning

SESSION 5
Reading: How and Why to Build an Internal Marketing Campaign
Case: Mad About Plaid
Text: Chapter 3

SESSION 6
Reading: What Serves the Customer Best?
Case: Starbucks
Text: Chapter 3
SESSIONS 7 and 8: Relationship marketing, internal marketing and internal organizational
networks
SESSION 7
Reading: You're Five Steps Away from Having a Customized Brand
Case: Best of Intentions
Text: Chapter 4
SESSION 8
Reading: When a New Manager Stumbles, Who's at Fault?
Case: Cane Mutiny: Managing a Graying Workforce
Text: Chapter 4

SESSIONS 9 and 10: Internal marketing and external marketing

SESSION 9
Reading: After the Layoffs, What Next?
Case: Club Med (A) and (B)
Text: Chapter 5
SESSION 10
Reading: Public Relations Comes of Age
Case: Gregory Shine Daycare
Text: Chapter 5

SESSIONS 11 and 12: Branding in the context of internal marketing

SESSION 11
Reading: How to Get Employees to Buy Into Your Mission
Case: Should You Listen to the Customer?
Text: Chapter 6
SESSION 12
Reading: Complex Case of Management Education
Case: Reign of Zero Tolerance
Text: Chapter 6

SESSIONS 13 and 14: Internal communications and Public Relations

SESSION 13
Reading: Bonuses in Bad Times
Text: Chapter 7
SESSION 14
Reading: When Steve Becomes Stephanie
Case: Ron Ventura At Mitchell Memorial Hospital

Text: Chapter 7

SESSIONS 15 and 16: Developing an internal marketing strategy: a relationship approach

SESSION 15
Reading: Quality Improvement Customers Didn't Want
Case: Nordstrom: Focusing On a Culture of Service
Text: Chapter 8

SESSION 16
Reading: When Your Colleague Is a Saboteur
Case: Rob Parson at Morgan Stanley (A)
Text: Chapter 8

SESSIONS 17 and 18: Targeting and positioning in internal markets

SESSION 17
Reading: And Now, a Word from Our Sponsor
Case: Learning About Reducing Hospital Mortality at Kaiser Permanente
Text: Chapter 9

SESSION 18
Reading: Why Are We Losing All Our Good People?
Case: Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co.
Text: Chapter 9

SESSION 19 & 20: Knowledge management, learning and internal marketing

SESSION 19:
Reading: Ending the War Between Sales and Marketing
Text: Chapter 9
Case: NYPD New
SESSION 20:
Reading: Why PR Matters--and What It Can Do for You

Reading: How Hard Should You Push Diversity?

Course Registration: I would like to teach 1 section of Internal Marketing, with a cap of 60
students.