Internal Marketing: An Integrated Holistic Model Proposition Using Mixed Methodology

As far as the name is concerned, internal marketing is about applying traditional marketing inwards; focusing on the internal customers and suppliers of the internal marketplace, with the aim of improving internal market relationships, quality and customer service and ultimately corporate performance. Whilst the literature presents IM as important in organizations, there is no single definition that is commonly accepted for internal marketing.Internal marketing is sometimes viewed as a concept and sometimes as a management practice, as relating to human resources management, to services marketing, or to change management. It is imperative, therefore, to review the overlapping boundaries, differences and the contributions of IM to these disciplines in order to reconcile them and to arrive a true justification of IM exercise. It should be emphasis here that this study is meant to give the due recognition of IM as viable management concept. This study is therefore intended to investigate empirically to clarify the construct of IM, the objectives of IM being implemented, and the mechanism of how it is being implemented in organizations.