extended marketing mix and hrm recruiting. how …

STUDIAUBBNEGOTIA,LXIII,3,2018,pp.5‐26(RECOMMENDEDCITATION)DOI:10.24193/subbnegotia.2018.3.01

EXTENDEDMARKETINGMIX(7PS)ANDHRMRECRUITING.HOWTOSELLAJOB

AURELIANSOFICĂ1ANDSMARANDACOSMA2

ABSTRACT. The need to merge marketing and human resourcemanagement gained momentum in the last two decades. The paperaddressestheextendedmarketingmix,orthe7Psofmarketing,identifiesand operationalize specific HRM components that fit this framework.Employmentmarketingmix (EMM)offersa frameworkonwhich, inasocialconstructionistmanner,realandusefultoolscanbedeveloped.Keywords:humanresourcemanagement,marketing,employeebranding,marketingmix,extendedmarketingmix,employmentmarketingmix.JELclassification:M51,M31

Recommendedcitation: Sofica,A.,Cosma,S.,ExtendedMarketingMix (7PS)andHRMRecruiting.How to Sell a Job, Studia UBB Negotia, vol. 63, issue 3(September),2018,pp.5‐26,doi:10.24193/subbnegotia.2018.3.01.

1 Lecturer, Dr., Babeș‐Bolyai University, Faculty of Business, Cluj‐Napoca, Romania,[email protected]

2 Professor, Dr., Babeș‐Bolyai University, Faculty of Business, Cluj‐Napoca, Romania,[email protected]

AURELIANSOFICĂ,SMARANDACOSMA

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Introduction

Companiesshould lookat thesocial,political,economic,culturalandtechnologicaltrendsthatareshapingthemarketsandtrytopositionthemselvesaccordingly(ChartedInstituteofMarketing,2009).Thiskindof marketing strategy started to permeate the HR recruiting strategybecauseofthechallengesposedbyrecruitingtheYgeneration,agenerationthatisdescribedbyEisner(2005,p.5)inlaudatoryterms,as“themosttechnically literate, educated, and ethnically diverse generation in thehistory”.Inthiscontext,companiesthatneedvaluablehumanresourcescannotaffordtowaitforthecandidatestocometothembuttheyneedtoproactivelyidentifythem(segmentthemarketingreatdetail),designa job that fits their profile (just like designing a product or services),persuadethemtoapply for the job(advertising),selectandhirethem(closethedealandmakethesale)andengagethemcontinuously(postsalesandsupportactivities).Theneedtomergemarketingandhumanresourcemanagementgainedmomentuminthelasttwodecades.

Therelationbetweenhumanresourcemanagementandmarketingisnotanewstory,nowisalmost22yearsintothemarriage.AmblerandBarrow(1996)launchedtheconnectionbetweenmarketingandhumanresource management coining the term “employer branding” “…thepackageoffunctional,economicandpsychologicalbenefitsprovidedbyemployment,andidentifiedwiththeemployingcompany”(AmblerandBarrow,1996,p.187),aconceptthat infusedprettyquicknotonlytheacademicenvironmentbutalso theHRMpractices. (Dell andAinspan,2001).Graduallyitbecamegenerallyacceptedthat“Thelabourmarket…hasatlastbecomeatruemarket:wideopen,uncontrolledbyindividualcompanies,andunconstrainedbygeography.Andexecutivesneedtostarttreatingitlikeamarket.Nolongercanrecruitingbeviewedasareactive,largelyclerical functionburied in thehumanresourcesdepartment. Itneedstoberefashionedtolookmuchmorelikethemarketingfunctionitself.Thehiringprocess,afterall,hasbecomenearlyindistinguishable


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fromthemarketingprocess.Jobcandidatestodayneedtobeapproachedinmuchthesamewayasprospectivecustomers:carefullyidentifiedandtargeted,attractedtothecompanyanditsbrand,andthensoldonthejob.”(Cappelli,2001,p.141).Reasonsbehindtheinvestmentintheemployerbrandingisthefactthatagoodimagecreateaninertiafortherecruitingprocess, a continuum hands free recruiting campaign, responsible forgenerating candidates for the specific jobs but also spontaneous orunsolicitedcandidates, representingagood indicator for thepowerofthebrand.Thecompanies,especiallyonthisrapidchanginglabourmarketrealizedtheimportanceofproactiverecruitingattitude,especiallyintheface of the powerful influence the generational shift exert over thedemographiclandscapeofthelabourmarket.

Thepaperaddressestheextendedmarketingmix,orthe7Psofmarketing‐identifiesandstartstheprocessofoperationalizingspecificHRMcomponentsthatfitthisframework,buildingonpreviousliteratureand connecting practice with literature. According to Constantinides(2006,p.407),marketingscholarsshouldfocustheireffortsinformulatingthe conceptual foundations and marketing methodologies that betteraddresstheneedsoftoday’sandtomorrow’smarketer.ThesameneedappliestothespecificintersectionbetweenHRMandmarketingpractices.Thelongtermpurposeofthepaperistodevelopcoherenttoolshelpfulinhumanresourcessourcinginamorestructured,efficientandsustainablemanner.

Literaturereview

The link between marketing and recruiting is quite general,coveringvariousmarketingconceptsbutnotaddressingthemarketingmix. Marketing concepts were used to recruit: sports club members(McKnightetal.,2014),armyemployees(DertouzosandGarber,2006),studentsfordoctoralprograms(HoldfordandStraton,2000,Davisand


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McCarthy,2005),graduateengineers(Maureretal.,1992).Articlesthataddressthespecificlinkbetweenmarketingmixandrecruitmentarehardtofind.MitchelandTaylor(2004)andKatherineetal.(2008)recommendusing the theoretical frameworkofmarketingmix (4Ps) forvolunteerrecruiting.Extendedmarketingmix(7Ps)isusedbyGallietal.(2014)tofacilitatepeoplerecruitingfortrialsinpharmaceuticalindustryandbyIvy(2008)inordertohelprecruitingMBAstudentsinahighlycompetitivemarket.

O’Donohue & Hanson (2008), Wickham & O’Donohue (2009)seemtobethefirstonesthatstartedbuildingasoundinterdisciplinarybridge between the extended marketing mix and human resourcemanagement ‐ employee relationship. In doing so they developed aconceptual infrastructure, showinghowa central tool frommarketingtheoryandpractice(extendedmarketing‐mixorthe7P’sofmarketing)canbetranslatedintotheHRpractice(themanagementoftheemploymentrelationship).InordertoreachthetargetofbeingtheemployerofchoiceorEOC(strategyofpositioningonthelabourmarketonapollposition,inordertoattracthigh‐qualityemployees)andtoofferarealemploymentvalueproposition(EVP)orEVP(unique,specifictraitsembeddedintotheemployer brand identity, meant to set the organization apart fromcompetitorsinsomemeaningfulway),anorganizationshouldaligninacohesive manner the extended marketing mix (product, price, place,promotion,process,peopleandphysicalevidence)withtheemploymentpracticesinwhatauthorscoined,employmentmarketingmix(EMM).Thismixshouldbeableinamorecoherentwaytoattract,retainandmotivatethe targeted candidates/employees. They reframe the employmentrelationshipasaproduct/service,destinedtobeconsumedonthelabourmarketbypotentialclients,andpaidwiththeirlabour/skills.Reframingthingslikethisoffersaclearerviewoverthisfuzzydomain,solvestheimplementation issues associated with translation of the marketingconcepts in to the practice ofHR and opens a canvas for useful toolsdevelopment.


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MarketingMix(MM)isconsideredasoneofthe“mostimportantconceptualbreakthroughs”inmarketing(Shethetal.1988)andrepresentsthecoretheoryofthispaper.TheoriginalformatoftheMMwasdevelopedfromMcCarthy(1964)as4elements:Product,Price,PromotionandPlace.Theconceptwas furtherestablishedbyKotler(1967)whichdesigned amathematicalmodel allowing the optimal allocation of themarketingeffortbasedonthesefourdimensions.Duetoitssimplicityandpracticalutility,andinspiteofvariouscriticsfromtheacademicarea,themodelwasquicklyembracedbypractitioners(Constantinides,2006).MarketingmixwasextendedfewyearslaterbyBoomsandBittner(1980)fromfourtosevenbyadding3componentssuitableforservicesindustry:People,ProcessandPhysicalEvidenceandaccordingtoRafiqandAhmed(1995)accentuate the importance of this 3 newdimensions especially in theservicemarketingareaduetothelevelofsocial interactionignoredinthepreviousmodel. So, theExtendedMarketingMix (EMM) gets 7Ps:Product,Price,Promotion,Place,People,ProcessandPhysicalEvidence.

Constantinides (2006)warns about twomajor limitationof theclassicMarketingMix(4Ps):internalorientationandlackofinteractivity.Internal orientationmeans that the4Ps lacksmonitoring the externalenvironment(competition)withspecificattentiontothefrequentlychangingconsumerbehaviourandneeds(trends).Itisaprocessofinnovationandadaptationnecessarytorespondtothesechallenges.Lackofpersonalizationisbasedinthesignificantshiftsintheconsumerbehaviour(individualization,diminishingbrandpreference,valueorientation,increasedsophistication,etc.).Technologynotonlyreducestransactionandswitchingcostsbutalsoofferscustomersmorechoices,globalaccesstoproductsandservicesandnewpossibilitiesinaddressingindividualspecificneeds.Thequalityofthepersonalrelationshipbetweensellerandcustomerandsuccessfulcustomerretentionarebecomingcentral.Theacademiccontestersofthemodelidentifiedaseriesofgapsandproposednewelementsorsubstitutethe existing one (Constantinides, 2006). Because of the multiple areas/orientationsmarketingdevelopedin(consumermarketing,relationship


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marketing,servicemarketing,e‐marketing,internalmarketing,etc.),themarketingmixdimensions/variablesbecamemyriadandhyper‐specialized.

One such area adding new insight into the Marketing Mix isConsumersMarketingand themain concern is the changing nature ofconsumer’sneeds,natureandbehaviour.Thevariablesaddedfromthisareaare:•politicalpowerandpublicopinion(encapsulatingcustomers,environmentandcompetition);•servicesandstaff;•customer,competition,andcorporation;•value,viability,variety,volume,andvirtue;•product‐performance, price‐penalty, promotion‐perceptions, andplace‐process(Kotler(1984),Doyle(1994),Ohmae(1982),Bennett(1997),Yudelson(1999)ascitedbyConstantinides(2006)).

Anotherarea contributing to theMarketingMix isRelationshipMarketing–developedontheimportanceofbuildingcustomerloyaltytroughmeaningful relations. The variables added from this area are:•customer orientation 4Cs: customer needs, convenience, cost forcustomerandcommunication;•RetentionMarketingMix:productextras,reinforcingpromotions,sales‐forceconnections,specializeddistributions,post‐purchasecommunication;•dynamicsofrelationships,networksandinteraction;•pursuitofpersonalization:personalization,personnel,physicalassets, procedures; • information‐intensive strategies: communication,customization,collaboration,andclairvoyance;•MarketingRelationshiptrilogy:relationship,neo‐relationshipmarketingandnetworks(Lauterborm(1990), Rozenberg and Czepiel (1992), Gummesson (1994, 1997),Goldsmith(1999),PettersonandWard(2000),Haley(2001)ascitedbyConstantinides(2006)).

The third area contributing to the Marketing Mix is ServicesMarketinganddealswiththedifferencesbetweentangiblesandintangibles.Servicescanbeseenasseparatedbyproductsbutalsoasanaugmentedproduct dimensions that helps with the differentiation. The variablesaddedfromthisareaare:•participants,physicalevidenceandprocess;•elementsforservices:concept,cost,channels,andcommunication;•traitsneededtobeconsideredinMarketingMix:intangibility,inseparability,


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perishabilityandvariability;•differentiationbasedonmarketsegmentationandpositioning,customercontactanduniquevisiononquality;•criticalfactoristhecustomerexperience:actors,audience,setting,performance;•price,brand,packaging,relationship(BoomsandBitner(1981),Brunner(1989),RustonandCarson (1989), Fryar (1991),Groveet al., (2000),Backwith(2001),ascitedbyConstantinides(2006)).

ThefourthareacontributingtotheMarketingMixisE‐Marketinganddealswiththegreaterengagementofthebusinessesinonlineactivities.Thevariablesaddedfromthisareaare:•changesthatcommunicationcapabilities will bring in the Internet era: product – co‐design andproduction,price–moretransparency,place–directcontactswithcustomer,promotion–morecontrolofthecustomer,interaction;•E‐Marketing the5W’s:who–targetaudience,market,what–content,when–timingandupdating,where–findability,why–uniquesellingproposition;•principlesofbuildingawebsite:webplanning–definingmissionandgoals,webaccess–howtogetwebentry,sitedesignandimplementation–content,sitepromotionmanagementandevaluation–commercialandmanagerialaspects; • Internet based marketing: Potential audience, integration,marketingsupport,brandmigration,strategicpartnerships,organizationalstructure and budget; • five new P’s: paradox, perspective, paradigm,persuasion and passion; • online marketing as: community building,originaleventprogramming,convenienceandconnectivity;•endconsumercontrols themarket,networksystemsshoulddefine theorientation,anew triad needs to be taken in to account –marketer, employee andcustomer;•4Smodel:scope(strategicissues),site(operationalissues),synergy (organizational issues)andsystem(technological issues) (Peattie(1997), Mosley‐Matchett (1997), Evans and King (1999), Chaffey et al.(2000), Lawrence (2000), Kambil and Nunes (2000), Schultz (2001),Constantinides(2002),ascitedbyConstantinides(2006)).

The fifth area contributing to the Marketing Mix is InternalMarketing and this area deals with the strategy for developingrelationships between staff across internal organizational boundaries


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(Ballantyne,2002)inordertoenhancemarketperformance.The4Psareturnedinwardtowardstaff.Employeesareseenasinternalcustomersorinternalproductsbasedontheassumptionthatstaffsatisfactionisdirectlylinked to the client satisfaction. Ahmed and Rafiq (1995) propose amultistageschemabuiltaround4Pswiththreelevels(direction,pathandaction).ForInternalmarketingthe4PshaveaclearHRMconnotation.The product is considered the “attractive job” a firmmust sell to theemployee in order to attract the best people; the price refers to the“unattractivenessofajobwhenanemployeehastodealwith(aggressiveandunpleasantcustomers);theplacereferstothejob‐livingareaproximityandpromotionreferstothecommunicationtakingplacewithinorganization(Flipo, 1986). Rafiq and Ahmed (1992) stressed the importance of theextendedmarketingmixfortheinternalmarketing(product,price,place,promotion,people/participants,processandphysicalevidence).

Materialandmethod

The paper aims to provide a better alignment between theemployment marketing mix (EMM), with the marketing extended‐mix(MEMor7P’sofmarketing).Thisalignmentcanbeachievedbypinpointingthe specificHR employment practices that can be included under theumbrellaofEmploymentMarketingMix(EMM)andbyoperationalizingthesepracticestothelevelofacceptablemeasurability.

Atthebasisofthetheoreticalmodeltheclassicalmarketingmixmodelisused(Kotler,1967,2017)followedbytheextendedmarketingmodel(BoomsandBittner,1980).Anextralayerofcomplexityinsomecasesisaddedbyaddressingmoreelementsofmarketingmixgeneratedbythedebatecoveringvariousbranchesofmarketing:consumermarketing,relationshipmarketing,servicemarketing,e‐marketing(Constantinides,2006)andinternalmarketing(AhmedandRafiq,1995).


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TheEmploymentMarketingMix (EMM) componentsmirroringtheMarketingExtendedMix(MEM)discussedbeloware:Thejob(EMM1)asproductorservice;knowledge/attitude/skillsofferedbythecandidate(EMM2)asprice;place(EMM3)asplace;recruiting(EMM4)aspromotion;processofemployment(EMM5)asprocess;recruitersortalentscouts(EMM6)aspeople;andrealisticpreview(EMM7)asphysicalevidence.

ForeachEMMcomponentwetriedtoidentifyorproposeobservableandinsomecasesmeasurabledimensionsthatalloworganizationtobuildtoolsforevaluationorimplementationofHRMstrategiesbasedonthemarketingprinciples.

Resultsanddiscussions

Thejobtobesold(EMM1)Thejobrepresentstheproduct/servicesoldtothecandidateandisthefirstcomponentoftheemploymentmarketingmix.Inordertodevelopamarketablejob,accordingtoHRpractices,youneedtoanalyseit,designitandstatethetechnicalspecifications(jobdescription)inanattractivemannerforthecandidate.

Jobanalysis(EMM.1.1)istheprocessofcollectingdataaboutajobfromvariousinformationsourcesorstakeholders,usingvariousmethodstocollectinformation,inordertounderstandit3600.Sothediversityofthestakeholders involved in job analysis (EMM.1.1.1), like supervisors,subordinates, colleagues, experts, clients, family, etc. offers social andprofessionallegitimacy.Thediversityofthejobanalysismethods(EMM.1.1.2.),likedocumentanalysis,interview,focus‐group,questionnaire,employee’sjournal,experiment,observation,etc.offersmethodologicallegitimacy.


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Jobdesign(EMM.1.2)istheprocessofplayingwiththecoreaspectsofthejobidentifiedduringthejobanalysisinordertoaugmentthejobandmakeitmoremarketableforthecandidatesoremployee’sneeds.Forthispurposethefirstrecommendedstepisthelabourmarketsegmentation.Therecruitingsourcessegmentation(EMM.1.2.1)identifies:geographicalsegmentation, demographic segmentation, lifestyle segmentation,behaviouristic segmentation, segmentation by perceived benefits,appropriatesalestechniquesandpricesegmentation.Jobdesignstrategy(EMM.1.2.2.) takes in to account the four layers of design: design forperformance (industrial engineering – structuring the job in order tomaximizeefficiency),designformotivation(travelinginforeigncountries,training,leadershipopportunities,salary,mentoring,work/lifebalance,etc.),designforsecurityandhealth(ergonomicsoftheworkplace,safetylawsandregulationsembeddedintothejob)designforCSR(responsibilityfor community, environment, and economic help for disadvantagedsocialclasses)(HollenbeckandWright,2011,p.142).

Jobdescription(EMM.1.3)istheoutputdocumentofthejobanalysisandit details the core technical specifications of the actual job. The jobpurpose (EMM.1.3.1) is clear in the organizational context (job title,department, supervisors, subordinates, clients, objectives, etc.). Theworkingenvironment (EMM.1.3.2) iswellmapped ‐working schedule,annualleave,pay,physicalandsocialconditions,resourcesatdisposal,travel,authoritylimits,etc.Theduties(EMM.1.3.3)andspecificactivitiesassociatedwith the jobareclearlydescribedandhavequalitativeandquantitativeperformancestandardsattached.Thepersonnel specifications(EMM.1.3.4.)identifytheessentialanddesirabletraitsoftheemployeesoccupyingthejob‐education,certificates,experience,knowledge,skills,personalitytraits,physicaltraits,etc.


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Knowledge/attitudes/skillstobeofferedbythecandidate(EMM2)EEM 2 is the equivalent of the price in MEM and represents theexperience,knowledge,attitudes,skills,etc.thatthecandidatesarereadytopay/exchangeinreturntothejobtheywilloccupy.Inthisregardsitis important tohaveabalanced contract, understandhow themarketcondition influence the pricing and have a sound price positioningstrategy.

Balanced“contract” (EMM.2.1),consideringbothsides: thecandidate’ssideandtheemployer’sside.Whatemployersaskandwhatcandidatesofferneedstobeintheconcession/acceptancerangeofthebothparties.Theopportunitycostistakenintoaccountfrombothperspectives(employerandcandidate).Employersperceivethepriceasfair(EMM.2.1.1),allowingthemtomakeaprofit.Candidatesperceivethepriceasfair(EMM.2.1.2),allowingthemtomakealiving.Thetermsinwhichthecontractcanbemodified(EMM.2.1.3)areclearandestablishedbycommonagreement.Themarketconditions influenceoverthepriceofthe job(EMM.2.1.4)isacknowledged.Themarketisfavourableforthecandidatesandinfluencesthepriceofthejobbypullingitdown.Themarketisfavourablefortheemployersandinfluencesthepriceofthejobbypullingitup.Pricepositioningstrategy(EMM.2.2)isdoneintermsofbalancebetweenthequalityofthejobandtheprice.Bothpartiesagreeonthequalityofthe product (EMM.2.2.1.) (low quality, medium quality, high quality).Bothparties agreeon the fairnessof theprice (EMM.2.2.2) (lowprice,medium price and high price). Positioning according to Kotler pricepositioningstrategy(EMM.2.2.3–seeMatrix1):economy(lowprice&low quality); false economy (medium price & low quality); rip‐off orskimming(highprice&lowquality);goodvalue(lowprice&mediumquality);average(mediumprice&mediumquality);overcharging(high


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price&mediumquality);superbvalueorpenetration(lowpiece&highquality);highvalue(mediumprice&highquality);premium(highprice&highquality)(Kotler,1988).PositioningaccordingtoHiggsmodel(EMM.2.2.4–seeMatrix2)–advantage insegmentingthemarketandpositioningstrategically inonethefollowing:employerofchurn (lowrewardsandlowculture);employerofcash(highrewardsandlowculture);employerofvalues(lowrewardandhighculture);employerofchoice(highrewardandhighculture).(Higgs,2004)

+

Highprice&Lowquality

RIP‐OFForSKIMMING

Highprice&MediumqualityOVERCHARGING

Highprice&HighQualityPREMIUM

price

Mediumprice&Lowquality

FALSEECONOMY

Mediumprice&MediumqualityAVERAGE

Mediumprice&HighqualityHIGHVALUE

‐

Lowprice&LowqualityECONOMY

Lowprice&MediumqualityGOODVALUE

Lowprice&HighqualitySUPERBVALUEorPENETRATION

‐ quality +

Matrix1.Kotlerpricepositioningstrategy–Kotlermodel

Source:Kotler(1988)


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- rewards+

EMPLOYEROFCASHLowcommitment

High‐control,autocraticExcessivehoursLargepaypack

Buyacceptance(sales)

EMPLOYEROFCHOICEExcellentreputation

WelltreatedemployeesLargepaypack

100companiestoworkfor(professionalandfinancialsectors)

EMPLOYEROFCHURNLousytreatmentandpay

HighturnoverrateDifficultintightmarkets

Tendencytorecruitoverseas(lowskillsindustries)

EMPLOYEROFVALUESPoorpay–belowthemarket

MeaningfulworkSecurity

Compensatewithwell‐being(public&voluntarysector)

‐ culture +

Matrix2.Labourmarketpositioning–HiggsmodelSource:Higgs(2004)citedby(Taylor,2011)

Consideringtheuseof7Psinrecruiting,priceisthemostdifficultconcepttoequalizeortotransfer.Acertaindiscussionisneededhereonthenatureofthepriceduetothefactthatthepriceinthiscaseisdifficulttomonetizeandthemeaningmightdependontheperspective:customerperspective – what customer needs to pay for the product/service(Kotler,1988)orcompanyperspective–howthecompanypositionsthejobofferonthelabourmarket(Higgs,2004).

Inmarketing thereare threemajorpricingstrategies:a)value‐basedpricing(userperceptionofvalueisthekeyelement–difficulttomeasurebutimportant),b)cost‐basedpricing(production,distributingandsellingcosts,representthekeyelement–importanttokeepacloseeyeonfixed&variablescosts),c)competition‐basedpricing(competitionstrategies,costsandmarketofferingrepresentsthekeyelement)(Kotler,2017).Inthistheoreticalframeworkvalue‐basedpricingmightreferin


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HR as the value the users (current or ex‐employees) or the potentialusers(candidates)attributetothejobindependentoftheevidence.Cost‐basedpricingmightreferinHRtothefactthattheontopofthesalarytotal costs, the employee skills need to generate an added value or aprofit.Inthiscasemakingsurethattheperformancestandardsaremet,assurethatthecompanymakesaprofit.Competition‐basedpricemightreferinHRtothefactthatthelabourmarketsometimeinflateordeflatethepriceregardlessoftheorganizationspricingstrategies.

Placewheretransactiontakesplace(EMM3)The place represents the real or virtual space where the companypromotesthejobandpotentialemployeesdecidetofollowthejoboffer.It is theplacewhere those twoactorsmakecontact in the realor thevirtualworld.

Physicallocations(EMM3.1)wherethecompanypromotesthejobandpotentialemployeesdecidetofollowthejoboffer.Thesearetheplaceswherethetwomaketheinitialcontact.Organizationalspace(EMM3.1.1),followinganinternalrecruitingstrategy(e.g.skillsreview)orexternalrecruitingstrategy(e.g.opendays,internships)Potentialcandidateterritory(EMM 3.1.2), following an external recruiting strategy (e.g. recruitingagent goes to university campuses, headhunting approaches potentialcandidates directly). Neutral space or “the third place” (EMM 3.1.3),followinganexternalrecruitingstrategy(e.g.jobfairs,conferences,etc.)(Rosenbaumetal.2017)

Virtual location (EMM3.2)where the company promotes the job andpotentialemployeesdecidestofollowthejoboffer.Socialnetworks (EMM3.2.1) themajorityoforganizationsuse forrecruiting.Recruitingwebsites(EMM 3.2.2), specialized in intermediating candidates on the labour


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marketormatchmakingbetweenorganizationsandcandidates.“Glocalities”(EMM 3.2.3) are virtual spaces that transcend tangible locales ‐ chatrooms,onlinegamingcenters,openonlinecourses,onlinecommunities,etc.(Rosenbaumetal.2017).

Place attachment (EMM 3.3) represent the emotional bond the jobcandidatehasforacertainplacewherethecompanypromotesthejobandpotentialemployeesdecidestofollowthejoboffer.Acontinuumcanbe developed, ranging fromutilitarian role of the place (transactionalrole)toahighersenseofaplace,the“livedexperience”(relational,socialandrestorativeresourcesleadingtowell‐being)(Rosenbaumetal.2017).Placeutility(EMM3.3.1)meanstheperceivedvalueoftheutilitarianroleoftheplaceintermsoftransactionbetweenthecompanyjobofferandthecandidateneeds.Place“livedexperience”(EMM3.3.2)representsthequalitativecomponentof theplace thatadsa certain relational, socialandemotionallayerandcontributestothewell‐beingofthecandidate.Recruitingstrategy(EMM4)RecruitingistheequivalentofpromotioninMEMandinhumanresourcemanagement represents the „process of continuously (identifying)attractingenoughpeople,withtherightqualification,andencouragingthemtoapplyforajobwithinorganization”.(MondyandNoe,1987,p.190;HollenbackandWright,2011)

Recruiting strategy design (EMM 4.1) sources,methods, channels andmessagesareonthesamefrequency.Recruitingsourcesdiversity(EMM.4.1.1.)‐ fresh graduated students, competition’s employees, ex‐employees,employee’ssocialnetwork,etc.Recruitingmethodsdiversity(EMM.4.1.2)‐ recruiting agent, job fairs, scholarships, internships, contests, etc.Recruitingchannelsdiversity(EMM4.1.3)formal:newsletters,company’s


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website,informal:qualitycircles,teamwork,lunchtime,unofficial.Recruitingmessages (EMM.4.1.4) is targeted,attractive,viralandactionoriented,etc.

Reactive vs. proactive (EMM 3.3) deals with the positioning in time.Reactiverecruiting(EMM3.3.1)waitsfortheneedofhumanresourcesortheproblemofrecruitingtogetrealandthenstartstheprocessofrecruiting.There is a certain delay between the opening and filling.Proactiveorcontinuousrecruiting(EMM3.3.2)doesnotwaitforthehumanresourcesshortage to appear, the recruiting strategy anticipates and recruits inadvance.Thereisashortdelaybetweentheopeningandfilling.

Processcoherence(EMM5)The process represents a broad, interconnected perspective over theemployment process: pre‐purchase phase (job analysis & design andrecruiting)closingthedealphase(selection)andpost‐sales&supportphase(inductionandprobation).Itissomehowthebigpicture.Theprocessis candidate/customer centred, reduces the effort of the user, avoidsbureaucracy, provides specific information and keeps the candidate/customerhappy.

Pre‐purchase phase (EMM 5.1) represents the arrangements that aremadewiththeclienttopurchaseaproduct.Preparingstage(EMM5.1.1)represents jobanalysis, jobdesign, and jobdescription. Jobmarketingstage(EMM5.1.2)representstherecruiting.Closingthedealphase(EMM5.2)orpurchasestagerepresentsselectionandistheprocessoffilteringthecandidatesattractedintherecruitingstagebyusingaseriesofmethodsdestinedtoidentifythedegreeofmatchwiththejobandtheorganization.


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Post‐sale activities & support phase (EMM 5.3) deals with induction,probation period and careermanagement and needs to be consistentwiththepromisesmadeduringrecruitingandselection.Thecandidate/employee,doesn’tfeellikethejobwasoversoldandistreatedwiththesamecareandrespect.

Recruitersortalentscouts(EMM6)Recruiter or talent scouts mirrors the people MEM component andrepresent themulti‐layered human interface connecting the potentialcandidate (the customer), the job (the product) and the organization.StaffandsupervisorsintheHRdepartmentarethefirstlayer;functionalstaff,lineseniormanagementandpeersoutsidetheHRdepartmentbutstillinsidetheorganizationarethesecondlayerandexternalcontractorsarethethirdlayer.Theirknowledge,skills,representativeness,numberandengagementareimportant.

The degree of knowledge (EMM.6.1.1) about the job (core/actual/augmented) and organizational culture (artefacts, exposed values andassumptionsandbeliefs)thepeopleinvolvedintherecruitinghave.Thedegreeofmarketingandsalesskills(EMM.6.1.2)thepeopleinvolvedintherecruitinghave.Thedegreeofrepresentativeness(EMM.6.1.3)forthecompanyorfortheindustrythepeopleinvolvedintherecruitinghave.Therecruitersmirrortheprofileofthepeopletheyarelookingfor.Thenumberof internalplayers (EMM.6.1.4) involved in the recruiting.Thesecond layer of players (functional staff, line seniormanagement andpeers)isturnedintotalentscoutsinordertoreachaninternalsynergy.Thenumberofexternalplayers(EMM.6.1.5) involved intherecruiting.The third layer of players or the external contractors and consultantsusedtoexternalizerecruitingortoamplifytheorganizationaleffort.The


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balanceofprocessownership(EMM.6.1.6),orthedegreeofexternalizationoroutsourcingoftheHRfunctions.The locusofcontrol is internal(inhousedesignoftherecruiting)orexternal(outsourcingoftherecruitingandselection).Realisticpreview(EMM7)RealisticpreviewmirrorsthephysicalevidencecomponentofMEMandis meant to alleviate the risk the buyers perceive because of theintangiblecharacterofthejob.Acertainexperienceofthejobandinsightintotheorganizationalcultureshouldbeprovidedpriortotheemployment.Therealisticpreviewcoversthespecificprosandconsofthejobbutalsotheextendedenvironmentoftheorganization,ortheculture.

Realisticjobpreview(EMM.7.1)meanstoreachahighleveloftransparencyincommunication(print/online/phone/face‐to‐face)betweenorganizationandthepotentialemployeesbyprovidingenoughin‐depthandbalancedinformation(thestrongpointsandtheweakpoints)aboutthespecificjob,allowingthemtoexperienceit ina formoranother,beforetakinganinformed“buying”decision.Proactiveapproachindescribingthejob(EMM.7.1.1)inatransparentandbalancedmanner.Highquality,balancedinformationaboutthejobdescription,casestudies,prosandcons,etc.isprovidedinawrittenform(EMM.7.1.2),paperbasedorelectronic.Highquality and balanced information about the job (job description, casestudies,prosandcons,etc.)isprovidedinamultimediaformat(EMM.7.1.3)likevideotestimonialsfromtheemployeesandex‐employees,testimonialsfromtheclients,etc.Highqualityandbalancedinformationaboutthejobisprovidedinadirect,unmediatedform(EMM.7.1.4)likegrouprealisticjobpreview;structuredobservation;meetingswithcurrentemployeesandcustomers;socialmediainteractionwithcurrentandex‐employees.


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Realisticorganizationalculturepreview(EMM.7.2)meanstoreachahighlevel of transparency in communication (print, online, phone, face‐to‐face) between organization and the potential employees by providingenough in‐depth andbalanced information (the strongpoints and theweakpoints)abouttheenvironmentortheorganizationalculture(artefacts,exposedvaluesandassumptionsandbeliefs),allowingthemtoexperienceitinaformoranother,beforetakinganinformed“buying”decision.

Proactiveapproachindescribingtheculture(EMM.7.1.1)inatransparentand balanced manner. Direct access to the organizational artefacts(EMM.7.2.2)likeobjects,uniforms,officespaces,procedures,rulesandregulations, etc. Direct access to the organizational exposed values(EMM.7.2.3) like strategies, goals, vision, etc. Direct access to theorganizational assumptions and beliefs (EMM.7.2.4) like unconsciousbeliefs,perceptions, feelings, themainsources foraction,etc.Realisticleadershippreview(EMM.7.2.5)intermsofstyle,employeeinvolvement,conflictmanagement, teamdevelopment fordirect supervisor and fortopmanagementteam.

Conclusions

Although we aware of the classical critique aimed at themarketingmixandtheprescriptivecharacterattachedtoitratherthanevidence based research (Constantinides, 2006), we appreciate theunifyingpotentialthatitbringswhentranslatedintohumanresourcespractices. Employment marketing mix (EMM) offers a framework onwhich, ina social constructionistmanner, realanduseful tools canbedeveloped.


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The paper opens a promising endeavour in advancing themergingofMEMandEMM.Theopportunitiesthatlieaheadarejusttipofan icebergwith largeamountofchallengestobesolved.EachEMMcomponent can represent a research area in its own right. Of addedconcernisthefactthatthemarketinglandscapeisfrequentlychangingtherulesandmodifiesthecriticalfactorsaffectingthemarketingprocess,so basically it is a never ending story of adaptive and evolutionaryprocess.

The next chapter of this research will aim at developing andtestinganinstrumentcapabletomeasurethedegreeoffusionbetweenmarketingmixandhumanresourcerecruitingpracticesacrossvariousindustries.

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