ABS ranking of Marketing journals 2015

Updated: 02/04/2018

The ABS Marketing Journals List 2018 is now out.

The latest Association of Business Schools (ABS) list of journals 2015 is finally out (called as the Academic Journal Guide 2015). There was a bit of drama as the server hosting the guide was attacked and the guide went down for a while.

After all the initial hiccups, the guide is finally up. However, unlike the previous  version, you now have to register in order to access the guide and you cannot download it either.
There are a few changes in the rankings. Also the format seems to have changed. They now have 5 categories as opposed to 4 in the past. There is now a 4* category on the top followed by 4, 3, 2 and 1 ranked journals. The star is missing from the rest.

Overall, I would say that this list is a big improvement from the last. It now covers areas of marketing previously ignored including health, sports, social and HE marketing. I was hoping that European Advances in Consumer Research would be included in the list (at least 1) but I guess the editors did think so. However, Advances in Consumer Research (which is the proceedings of the North American Association for Consumer Research (ACR) conference). Anyway, here is the list:

4* Journals

Journal of Consumer Psychology
Journal of Consumer Research
Journal of Marketing
Journal of Marketing Research
Marketing Science

The Journal of Retailing has lost it's spot in the top rank and has been replaced by the Journal of Consumer Psychology which was not even in the old list (ABS ranking of Marketing Journals, Version 4 - Updated 2010).

4 Journals

Only 3 journals in this list. As mentioned above, the Journal of Retailing seems to have been relegated while two journals previously ranked 3* are now in this list.

International Journal of Research in Marketing (official Journal of the European Marketing Academy)
Journal of Retailing
Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science

The Journal of Service Research is listed under Sector studies but I have added it here anyway as a number of services marketing papers are published in the journal.

3 Journals

Few new journals in this list. One notable change is that the Journal of Marketing Management has now gone down in the rankings and is no longer in this list. Three journals previously ranked 2*, have been upgraded to 3, viz., the Journal of Interactive Marketing, Marketing Theory and Quantitative Marketing and Economics.

European Journal of Marketing
Industrial Marketing Management
International Marketing Review
Journal of Advertising (official journal of the American Academy of Advertising)
Journal of Advertising Research
Journal of Interactive Marketing (formerly JDM)
Journal of International Marketing
Journal of Public Policy and Marketing
Marketing Letters
Marketing Theory
Psychology and Marketing
Quantitative Marketing and Economics

2 Journals

Several journals which were previously ranked 1* has now been upgraded to 2. I am delighted as this includes two journals in which I have recently published papers, viz., the Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services and Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal.

A surprising change was that of the Journal of Marketing Management which was previously 3* has been downgraded.

Also quite surprised that the Journal of Marketing Communications which used to be a 2* journal has been downgraded to 1.

The Journal of Consumer Affairs is a new addition to the guide and goes straight into the list of 2 ranked journals.

Academy of Marketing Science Review
Advances in Consumer Research
Consumption, Markets and Culture
Electronic Markets (previously 1*)
International Journal of Advertising
International Journal of Consumer Studies (previously 1*)
International Journal of Market Research
International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management (previously 1*)
Journal of Brand Management (previously 1*)
Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing
Journal of Business-to-Business Marketing
Journal of Consumer Affairs *New
Journal of Consumer Behavior
Journal of Macromarketing
Journal of Marketing Management (previously 3*)
Journal of Marketing Theory and Practise
Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management
Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services (previously 1*)
Journal of Services Marketing
Journal of Strategic Marketing
Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal  (previously 1*)

1 Journals

Several new journals added to the guide under this rank (marked by *)

Advances in International Marketing*
Australasian Marketing Journal
Corporate Communications: An International Journal
Corporate reputation Review
Health Marketing Quarterly*
International Journal of Bank Marketing
International Journal of Internet Marketing and Advertising*
International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing
International Review of Public and Non-Profit Marketing*
International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research
Journal of Consumer Marketing
Journal of Customer Behavior
Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management *
Journal of Financial Services Marketing
Journal of Global Marketing*
Journal of Marketing Channels*
Journal of Marketing Communications (was previously 2* ranked journal)
Journal of Marketing  for Higher Education*
Journal of Non-Profit and Public Sector Marketing*
Journal of Product and Brand Management
Journal of Relationship Marketing*
Marketing Intelligence and Planning
Review of Marketing Science*
Science Marketing Quarterly*
Social Marketing Quarterly*

Reference:
Academic Journal Guide 2015

UK University league table results: The rise of Coventry University

You may not like it, you may not agree with it and you may even hate it but the fact is that, as Academics, we cannot ignore the UK University league tables.

Choice of University is often made on the basis of these league tables and quite often than not, we are also judged by where we work.

I recall not long ago, when I first joined Coventry University, there were a lot "Why?" and "You can do better" just because I had a PhD from Warwick University. The fact is that at that time, I was a foreign PhD student with a wife and 2 kids to support, without a permanent job, running between various part time jobs. So, I was delighted to get a job as a Lecturer after literally hundreds of applications and a few unsuccessful interviews. That was in 2011 when Coventry University was ranked 75 on The Guardian University league tables.

That's why I am delighted that in their latest update - University league table 2015, Coventry University has broken into the top 30 coming 27th overall (6 places up from last year). Coventry University also retains it's position as the UK's top modern university. We are even ranked higher than some of the Russell Group of Universities, considered to be an equivalent of the Ivy League in the US by some.

I quite like the Guardian's criteria as they look at student satisfaction, facilities provided and more important, careers of students after they complete their degrees. I guess, this is where the Guardian's tables differ from other tables, like The Times and Sunday Times Higher Education rankings (ranked 45 in 2014) and  The Complete University Guide - University League Tables 2015 (ranked 51).

If you are a student or academic, would love to hear your thoughts on the University rankings.