An empirical comparison of the role of marketing in private and public sector nonprofit service organizations: An example from the heritage tourism industry

The impetus for this study is the ongoing debate regarding the broadening of marketing thought into the service arena, including nonprofit and/or public sector organizations. Specifically, the purpose of this study is to explore how marketing is viewed and practiced by managers of nonprofit service organizations in both the private and public sectors.; Historic homes open to the public is an example of a service that is equally divided in terms of public and private operation and that has not been previously examined. A random sample of historic homes open to the public across the United States was used to test the hypotheses generated for this study.; Three specific areas of interest were addressed: (1) managers' attitudes toward marketing; (2) marketing orientation and practices; and (3) strategic marketing planning procedures and considerations. A factorial ANOVA (2 levels of management; 4 levels of size based on visitation) was the predominant analytical tool used to test hypotheses. Significant results were further investigated via a one-way ANOVA and MANOVA. T-tests and chi-square tests were also used.; Analysis of managers' attitudes toward marketing revealed that there were few significant differences between management sectors in terms of the definition of marketing, the marketing philosophy, and marketing's applicability. Managers of nonprofit service organizations, in general, appear to have a basic understanding of what marketing encompasses. Analysis indicated that marketing is being implemented only at the most rudimentary levels. Results showed that private sector nonprofit service organizations are using certain marketing tools and techniques to a significantly greater extent than are public sector nonprofit service organizations. The overall conclusion is that a dichotomy exists between the attitudes, beliefs, and opinions managers of nonprofit service organizations have toward marketing and the manner in which they implements marketing.