JMU Professor Published in Harvard Business Review

JMU marketing professor Eric Boyd co-authored an article published in the latest edition of Harvard Business Review, one of the world’s most influential business magazines. The article, “The Power Partnership,” explores how chief marketing officers and chief information officers can bring together their different priorities and unique strengths to make a positive impact on the companies they serve. The authors’ research found that teamwork and shared goals between marketing and IT can create outstanding performance for organizations. 

“At one time, marketing and IT used to have very separate functions, but that has dissipated as marketing has become technologically oriented,” says Boyd. “We’ve seen a greater role for technology in marketing to implement strategies to attract and retain customers.” 

Teamwork and collaboration are hallmarks of JMU’s business programs, and Boyd says this research is another indicator that demonstrates how faculty research enhances student learning. 

“This research is an extension of something we already teach marketing students at JMU, which is associative collaboration,” Boyd says. “There’s a heavy emphasis on group work in the College of Business so that when students start their careers, they’ll know how to collaborate with colleagues. We can bring this research into the classroom to illustrate that marketing managers need to collaborate not only within their own departments, but also across the organization. This is another example of how faculty research enhances classroom instruction, as well as the CoB’s engagement with the business community.”

Read the full article.