When the Boat Comes In

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Harker, Michael John and McAlinden, Thomas (2024) When the Boat Comes In. Case study. University of Strathclyde, Glasgow.

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Abstract

This teaching case paper is about the marketing concept as misunderstood by the UK fishing industry, which is placed in its cultural and social [and economic] place. When the Boat Comes in’ is an old, old song from the coastal towns of Northumbria. As a folk, song, there are many different versions of the lyrics, but the most famous one was sung by Alex Glasgow – in a real Geordie accent mind. Not the diluted modern version. You can listen to it on YouTube. Fishing even now is a dangerous business, and that is with good communications, navigational and fish detection technology and larger and more robust boats. In the 19th and for most of the 20th century it meant a small wooden boat without even a radio – and only experience to allow weather prediction. So, every time the little boats went out to sea, it was far from guaranteed they would all come back with a good catch, if they came back at all. From UK Government statistics, we can see that UK Fishing in 2022 directly employed about 10,000 people and the value of fish landed was a smidge over £1bn. Figures that mark a long term decline in both regards. To put that into context, Poundland, an unromantic retailer of boring items employs 18,000 people – mostly women with a mix disproportionately high in respect of ethnic minority representation. In their accounts submitted to Companies House in 2023 the company states its revenue as being £1.7bn. And growing. The case has relevant data and six questions, and is relevant for first and second year students engaging with the marketing environment and the marketing concept. The case contains material relevant to the following UNSDG goals: 5 - Gender Equality, 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth, 13 - Climate Action and 14 - Life Below Water

ORCID iDs

Harker, Michael John ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5707-3775 and McAlinden, Thomas ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0079-3226;
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)