Social enterprises, marketing, and sustainable public service provision

This article explores whether social enterprises are capable of fulfilling the public policy rhetoric surrounding them, to become sustainable providers of public services. It does this by examining their marketing activity within North-East England and focuses on social enterprises delivering adult social care public services. It finds that social enterprises are employing a product-dominant approach to marketing rather than a service-oriented, relationship marketing, approach. This undermines their ability to build the enduring relationships with all their key stakeholders that are the key to effective service management and fatally weakens their potential as sustainable public service providers. The article subsequently uses service theory to build an alternative model of marketing and business practice predicated precisely upon the need to build such relationships. Points for practitioners This article points to the need for public service practitioners to embrace a service orientation to the management of public services, rather than a product-dominant one derived from manufacturing. It outlines the key elements of relationship marketing in particular and highlights how this approach can contribute substantially to sustainable public service provision.