A guest lecturing program to improve students' applied learning

Initial research findings are presented on the benefits of a guest lecturing program currently being implemented by a School of Marketing at an Australian University. The program entails establishing relationships between the Marketing School and leading marketing corporations. Individual employees from these companies are matched to appropriate marketing subjects and asked to deliver a lecture demonstrating theory in practice. Academics have the opportunity of building research contacts with guest lecturers which may result in linkage grants, thus improving the research-teaching nexus. The development process and initial outcomes of establishing the program could be used by other Universities to improve their marketing students knowledge of contemporary business practices and career prospects.