Is Internal Marketing a declining field? If so, why? A literature exploration from a hermeneutic perspective

Purpose – This conceptual paper consolidates and critiques the Internal Marketing (IM) concept and Internal Marketing Orientation (IMO) literature including seminal IMO studies predicated on three behavioural dimensions and works characterizing the underpinning structures and underlying subdimensions. It juxtaposes this critical review with IM(O) related papers from a respected Corporate Communications (CC) journal.

Design/ Methodology/ Approach – This study provides a critical analysis of existing IM(O) in a hermeneutic literature review. It draws on the autoethnographic tradition to compare IM(O) with contemporary, related CC articles.

Findings –Recommendations draw upon the IM(O) literature's limitations and how many previous IM(O) studies are quantitative in nature, particularly measuring IMO adoption. This paper recognises further research opportunities (for IM(O) and CC scholars) to explore IM(O) with a greater focus on cross section of Boundary Spanning Employees (BSEs) in national, sectoral and organisational settings.

Originality –This conceptual analysis should trigger calls for further research to provide deeper and richer insights on national, sectoral and organisational bases. The paper contributes to the slim body of literature on IM(O) by consolidating the key research on the development and measurement of the IMO construct, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of this body of literature. The outcome of this analysis seeks to call for further research empirical research with deeper and richer insights to the subject matter. This paper partially addresses the paucity of research into IM(O) specifically apropos BSEs.