MKT 362 Central Washington University Lockheed Is Engaging in Marketing Question

Lockheed Martin is a large company in the U.S. defense industry that constantly needs to hire young talent. Because Lockheed produces high-tech products, it recruits from the same pool of graduating engineers as Google and other similar internet companies, all known for their hip atmosphere and creative cultures. It is partly the attractiveness of the less-structured organizations that make these internet companies popular with recent graduates.

However, defense companies are much more structured in their organization than most internet companies. And, to be realistic, a more structured culture is required due to the nature of the work they perform. Lockheed provides the United States government with many high-tech services and products vital to national security.

Because Lockheed is competing head-to-head for new engineering hires with companies like Google, new strategies have been devised. Lately, one of Lockheed’s monthly newsletters described one of Lockheed’s “marketing strategies to acquire new talent.” These strategies go beyond the traditional recruiting fairs at universities. New strategies include targeting high school students with programs such as Junior Achievement. In the JA program, top students from area schools are invited to their local Lockheed Martin plant, where they work on projects with Lockheed engineers and learn from field experts. The hope is that these young students will take a liking to Lockheed and will strongly consider coming back to the company as interns during their college years and as full-time employees after graduation.

Is Lockheed Martin, as it claims, engaging in “marketing” with the implementation of its Junior Achievement program? If it is, briefly explain why it is. If it is not, briefly explain why it is not. Begin your answer with Yes or No.
Answer Length requirements: 150-300 words. No less than 150 and no more than 300 words.

Rubric Grading: Little or no improvement possible; all major issues appropriately considered in analysis and presented clearly.