How can internal marketing practices help achieve organizational success? / ¿Cómo las prácticas de marketing interno pueden ayudar a lograr el éxito organizacional? / Como as práticas de marketing interno podem ajudar a alcançar o sucesso organizacional?

Abstract Internal marketing is a concept still little recognized and disseminated, with most of the research on this area of marketing focusing on the service sector and well-consolidated and industrialized markets. This article sheds light on the importance of internal marketing practices by identifying their impact on workers' proactive behavior and life satisfaction while observing the effects of affective commitment and job satisfaction. The study collected 428 valid questionnaires from Portuguese workers (218 in the private sector and 210 in the public sector) and applied structural equation modeling to test the hypotheses. The results showed how adopting an internal marketing perspective can contribute to successful organizational and human resource management. It was observed that internal marketing practices lead to affective commitment and job satisfaction in both the private and public sectors, although more pronounced in the private sector. Also, the findings pointed out that the workers' affective commitment leads to adopting proactive behavior and life satisfaction only in the public sector and that job satisfaction leads to proactive behavior and life satisfaction for workers of both the private and public sector. This study contributes to increasing understanding of internal marketing, its applicability, and its importance for workers and organizations. Additionally, comparing the private and public sectors helps understand and show how this practice matches the workers' expectations.

Resumen Este artículo tiene como objetivo arrojar luz sobre la importancia de las prácticas de marketing interno, identificando su impacto en el comportamiento proactivo y en la satisfacción con la vida de los trabajadores, a través de los efectos del compromiso afectivo y la satisfacción laboral. El marketing interno sigue siendo un concepto poco reconocido y difundido. Esta investigación compara estos efectos entre los trabajadores del sector público y privado para reforzar la importancia de dicho concepto. En total, se recogieron 428 cuestionarios válidos de trabajadores portugueses (218 del sector privado y 210 del sector público). Se utilizó el modelo de ecuaciones estructurales para testar las hipótesis de estudio. Esta investigación muestra cómo la adopción de una perspectiva de marketing interno puede contribuir a una gestión organizacional y gestión de personas exitosa. Los resultados mostraron que las prácticas de marketing interno generan compromiso afectivo y satisfacción laboral, tanto en el sector privado como en el público, aunque de forma más acentuada en el sector privado. También se constató que el compromiso afectivo conduce a la adopción de conductas proactivas y a la satisfacción con la vida de los trabajadores del sector público únicamente, y que la satisfacción laboral conduce a la adopción de esta conducta y a la satisfacción con la vida para ambos, sector público y privado. Este trabajo contribuye a una mejor comprensión del concepto de marketing interno y su aplicabilidad e importancia para los trabajadores y las organizaciones. Además, al comparar los sectores público y privado, ayuda a comprender y mostrar cómo esta práctica coincide con las expectativas de los trabajadores de estos dos sectores.

Resumo Este estudo pretende evidenciar a importância das práticas de marketing interno, identificando o seu impacto no comportamento proativo e na satisfação com a vida dos trabalhadores, através dos efeitos do compromisso afetivo e da satisfação no trabalho. O marketing interno continua a ser um conceito com pouco reconhecimento e divulgação, uma vez que a maioria das pesquisas relacionadas com esse campo de marketing é direcionada para o setor de serviços e concentra-se predominantemente em mercados bem estabelecidos e industrializados. Esta pesquisa compara esses efeitos entre trabalhadores do setor privado e público para reforçar a importância deste conceito, sendo que, no total, foram recolhidos 428 questionários válidos junto de trabalhadores portugueses (218 no setor privado e 210 no setor público). O modelo de equações estruturais foi utilizado para testar as hipóteses de investigação. Esta pesquisa mostra como a adoção do marketing interno pode contribuir para o sucesso da gestão organizacional e da gestão de pessoas. Os resultados mostraram que as práticas de marketing interno levam ao comprometimento afetivo e à satisfação no trabalho, tanto no setor privado como no público, embora mais pronunciadas no setor privado. Constatou-se também que o comprometimento afetivo leva à adoção de comportamentos proativos e leva à satisfação com a vida dos trabalhadores, mas apenas do setor público, e que a satisfação no trabalho leva à adoção desse comportamento e à satisfação com a vida para ambos, setor privado e público. Este trabalho contribui para uma melhor compreensão do conceito de marketing interno, da sua aplicabilidade e importância, quer para os trabalhadores, como para as organizações. Além disso, ao comparar os setores privado e público, ajuda a entender e mostrar como essa prática atende às expectativas dos trabalhadores desses dois setores.

Factors affecting the job satisfaction of the dental hygienists working in dental clinics or dental hospitals in Busan, Gyeongnam, and Gyeongbuk / 대한구강보건학회지

OBJECTIVES: This study was aimed at seeking an effective method of improving job satisfaction and practice performance of clinical dental hygienists by analyzing their job satisfaction factors. METHODS: Questionnaires were distributed to 210 clinical dental hygienists working at dental institutions in Busan, Gyeongnam, and Gyeongbuk, from the 25th of July through to the 30th of August, 2015, after receiving approval of the Institutional Review Board. The following conclusions were derived as a result of analyzing a total of 198 of the 210 questionnaires, 12 of which were excluded due to non-response or suspicious authenticity. RESULTS: Analysis of the job satisfaction according to the participants' general characteristics revealed significant differences in terms of marital status (P<0.001), age (P<0.001), education (P=0.002), income (P<0.001), and total work experience (P<0.001). Further, groups showing high scores on the internal marketing system, structural factors, communication system factors, and compensation factors had higher job satisfaction (P<0.01). Analysis of oral health education, a factor in the job satisfaction related to practice performance, was carried out by the high group. This led to high satisfaction with professional pride (P<0.01) and patient relationships (P<0.01). Preventive treatment, another factor in job satisfaction related to practice performance, led to high satisfaction with colleague relationships (P<0.05). The job satisfaction for medical cure cooperation tasks showed no significant differences. Administration and management tasks for high groups led to higher satisfaction with professional pride, ability to work, work environment, compensation, and patient relationships (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: These results show the need for an expansion in oral health education and preventive treatment tasks in order to ensure greater job satisfaction in dental hygienists. Additionally, the development of internal marketing systems within dental care institutions is necessary to further enhance and promote a sense of accomplishment at work.

Factors Influencing Customer Orientation of Nurses / 기본간호학회지

PURPOSE: This study was done to identify the factors influencing customer orientation of nurses. METHOD: The participants were 505 nurses who were working in 13 hospitals. Data were collected with structured questionnaires in Feb., 2012, and analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, one way- ANOVA, Scheffe test, correlation coefficient, and hierarchical regression with PASW (SPSS) 18.0 program. RESULT: The average score for internal marketing was 3.07 points, for job satisfaction, 3.06 points, for organizational commitment, 3.25 points, and for customer orientation, 3.53 points. Customer orientation was positively correlated with internal marketing, job satisfaction and organizational commitment. The significant predictors of customer orientation were professionalism, interaction with job satisfaction, affective commitment, continuous commitment to organizational commitment and length of career. These variables had an explanatory power of 45.2%. CONCLUSIONS: The study findings suggest that internal marketing, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment should be reinforced to improve the customer orientation of nurses.

Mediation Effect of Job Satisfaction between Internal Marketing and Organizational Commitment of Nurses in Small and Medium-sized Hospitals / 간호행정학회지

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to identify the mediating effects of job satisfaction between internal marketing and organizational commitment of nurses in small and medium-sized hospitals. METHOD: Data were collected from 208 nurses in 8 small and medium-sized hospitals and analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, and structural equation model (SEM) with the PASW 18.0 and AMOS 18.0 programs. RESULTS: There were positive relationships among all three variables, internal marketing, job satisfaction and organizational commitment. There was a mediating effect of job satisfaction between internal marketing and organizational commitment. CONCLUSION: The results of the study indicate that strategies which could enhance the job satisfaction of nurses should be developed by mangers in small and medium sized hospitals. Further study is needed on other factors which may influence nurses' job satisfaction and organizational commitment especially, in small and medium sized hospitals.

Comparison of Internal Marketing, Job Satisfaction and Customer Orientation of Nurses by Size of Medical Care Institution; Small-medium Hospitals and General Hospitals / 간호행정학회지

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to compare internal marketing, job satisfaction and customer orientation between nurses in small-medium hospitals and nurses in general hospitals. METHOD: The participants were 470 nurses were working in 8 small-medium hospitals and 5 general hospitals. Data were collected with structured questionnaires in July, 2010, and analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi2-test, MANCOVA, t-test, One-way ANOVA, and Scheffe test with PASW (SPSS) 18.0 program. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between small-medium hospital nurses and general hospital nurses in internal marketing and customer orientation. But nurses in small-medium hospitals had higher levels of job satisfaction than general hospital nurses. CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrate the necessity of developing programs that will help to improve job satisfaction in nurses.

Contribuição para a adaptação portuguesa da escala de orientação de marketing interno de Lings e Greenley (2005) / Contribution to the portuguese adaptation of the internal marketing orientation scale of Lings and Greenley (2005)

Partindo da perspectiva de Marketing Interno de Grõnroos (1981), que o considerou uma forma de encarar os funcionários como clientes internos, pretendemos, neste estudo, contribuir para a adaptação da escala de Marketing Interno de Lings e Greenley (2005) para a população de Portugal. A escala original é constituída de 16 itens, medidos por uma escala Likert de sete pontos (de 1 = discordo totalmente a 7 = concordo totalmente), distribuídos em cinco dimensões: criação de informação formal face a face; criação de informação formal escrita; distribuição da informação; criação de informação informal; responsabilização. A amostra é constituída de 635 ativos humanos de instituições de ensino superior públicas portuguesas, docentes e não docentes. A análise dos dados resultou em uma versão portuguesa próxima à original, em termos de análise fatorial e de consistência interna. A análise confirmatória que garantiu um melhor ajuste manteve a estrutura de cinco dimensões, eliminando-se dois itens.

The first academic to mention the concept of Internal Marketing was Grõnroos (1981), who considered it a form of viewing employees as internal customers. This study intends to contribute to the adaptation of the Lings and Greenley (2005) Internal Marketing Scale for the Portuguese population. The original scale has 16 items, measured using a Likert scale of seven points, where 1 = totally disagree and 7 = totally agree, spread over five dimensions: formal face-to-face information generation; formal written information generation; accountability; informal information generation; information dissemination. The final sample consists of 635 human assets of Portuguese public universities. Data analysis resulted in a version similar to the original English version, in terms of internal consistency and factorial structure. The confirmatory analysis that ensured a better fit kept the structure of five dimensions, and two items were eliminated.

Factors Influencing Organizational Commitment among Hospital Nurses / 간호행정학회지

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to examine the effective factors of organizational commitment among hospital nurses. Method: The subjects were 250 registered nurses working in 3 hospitals in Busan. Data were obtained by self-reported questionnaires from the 10th of June to 30th of June, 2009. Data were analyzed by frequency and percentage, t-test, ANOVA and Sheffe's test and stepwise multiple regression. Result: Mean of job satisfaction was 60.56+/-9.25 (range of scale: 20-100), internal marketing was 69.49 (range of scale: 25-125), job stress obtained 100.60+/-17.93 (range of scale: 45-180), and organizational commitment got 47.78+/-6.84 (range of scale: 15-75). The extent of the organizational commitment had differences according to the age (F=3.300, p=.039), educational level (F=3.21, p=.042), religion (F=3.30, p=.021), position (F=5.837, p=.003), and career length (F=2.642, p=.035). The influencing factors in organizational commitment of hospital nurses were job satisfaction, internal marketing, and age. R2=.503. The job satisfaction has the highest significant predictor of organizational commitment. CONCLUSION: The influencing factors on organizational commitment were job satisfaction, internal marketing and age. Thus it is needed to improve the job satisfaction and internal marketing of hospitals' nurses and to provide care and support to younger nurses.

A Study on the Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment among Perioperative Nurses / 간호행정학회지

PURPOSE: This study was done to examine the relationship of job satisfaction and organizational commitment of perioperative nurses. METHOD: The subjects of this study were 500 perioperative nurses from 11 hospitals. The data were collected by self-reporting questionnaires from Sep. 19 to Sep. 27, 2009. RESULTS: There was statistically significant relationship among the five variables. The analyses of covariance of these five variables revealed overall significant (p<.05). Stepwise linear multiple regression analyses were used to examine the influence of these five variables. Results indicated that the variables for verbal abuse (p<.01), workplace climate (p<.01), internal marketing (p<.001), and job transfer (p<.001) contributed significantly to the job satisfaction (adjusted R square=.426), while the verbal abuse (p<.01), internal marketing (p<.01), leadership style (p<.001) and workplace climate (p<.001) did to the organizational commitment (adjusted R square=.351). Canonical correlation analyses revealed that internal marketing and workplace climate contributed most significantly both to job satisfaction and organizational commitment. CONCLUSION: This study found that all these five nursing managerial factors were important influential on both job satisfaction and organizational commitment of perioperative nurses. Addressing these factors with further research will surely improve the commitment of these nurses and ultimately lead to better perioperative nursing care.

Market Positioning and Marketing Strategies for Shanghai Ruijin-Harvard Heart Center / 上海第二医科大学学报

Objective To perform the research on the domestic hospital marketing. Methods Through deep discussion,data analysis and marketing survey,we conducted a research on the market positioning and marketing strategies for Shanghai Ruijin-Harvard Heart Center which is a Sino-foreign joint venture. Results The demand is much bigger than the current supply in the market for cardiovascular diseases.The establishment of the center meets the demands of the market. Conclusion The center will focus on the adult patients in Shanghai and Yangtze Delta,and combine the external,internal and interactive marketing strategies.It may provide some useful experience for the Chinese hospital management,especially for hospital marketing.