The Mathew Effect Discussion Questions

Getting Started

"Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him."

Matthew 13:12 (New International Version)

We are all familiar with the saying, “The rich get richer while the poor get poorer.” While this is an oversimplification of a real-world social phenomenon, noted sociologist Robert K. Merton called this the Matthew Effect (Rigney, 2010). In healthcare, the large stakeholder groups who have influence tend to grow while other groups diminish. This tendency has implications for marketing in organizations.

Rigney, D. (2010). The Matthew effect: How advantage begets further advantage. New York, NY: Columbia University Press.

Resources

• Bible

Instructions

1. Review the rubric to make sure you understand the criteria for earning your grade.
2. Read Matthew 13:12 and the accompanying thoughts in the Introduction and Alignment section above.
3. Navigate to the threaded discussion and respond to the following questions:
   1. What are some of the ways larger stakeholder groups exert influence and grow as a result?
   2. Develop and present two arguments for how marketing might help mitigate the Matthew Effect among, and diminish the influence of, larger stakeholder groups.