Postdoctoral Programs in Marketing: An Empirical Investigation of the "Retooling" Process

Abstract

The recent increase in interest in structural factors contributing to marketing thought development has grown primarily out of the work of the AMA Task Force on Marketing Thought Development. One aspect of marketing thought development briefly discussed but not elaborated on by the task force is the role of "retooling" programs in preparing nonmarketing Ph.D.s for careers in academic marketing. This important topic has received very little empirical investigation. The current study presents the results of an empirical investigation which studied the perception of retooling programs and retooled academics by marketing department heads and chairpersons in the United States. The results bring a clear focus to the role that such programs can play in both marketing education and marketing thought development. They also indicate some of the promise and potential limitations of these programs.