Analyzing the role of public sector marketing in improving social effectiveness: a case study from Anhui province, China

Abstract

The importance of public sector marketing in bridging the gap between society and government cannot be overemphasized. There exists an intricate link between public sector marketing and social effectiveness however, within public sector this relationship has rarely been analyzed. Whether social effectiveness can be a useful tool to maximize benefits of public sector marketing, a study was designed to test the hypothesis and investigate the factors responsible for enhancing the social effectiveness in some major organizations of Anuhi province of China. Our results show that good organization within public sector has most significant contribution in improving social effectiveness (β = 0.30, p < 0.05) followed by culture (β = 0.27, p < 0.05). The other key influencing factors emerged in our study with positive impact on social effectiveness includes management (β = 0.22, p < 0.05) and information (β = 0.19, p < 0.05). It appears that provincial government of Anhui has developed a great deal of sense in realizing the role of public sector marketing as an effective tool to cater the needs of general public. Moreover, there is a definite direction and policy guideline available for public sector organizations to focus on social effectiveness. That was the prime reason organizations surveyed in this study have shown excellent discipline, harmony and culture of conducive working environment to perform professional responsibilities. Our study has therefore provides valuable insight that how government performs its role towards society integration and social effectiveness within the domain of public sector marketing.