RELATIONSHIP MARKETING AND ITS ROLE IN THE EXPERIENCE OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

Keywords: Relationship Marketing, Higher Education, international student, student experience retention

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of the RM approach in the experience of international students in business schools within the UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The Relationship Marketing (RM) strategy has gained recognition over the years, especially within the last decade, which can be seen in the Higher Education (HE) sector. The HE sector has in recent times been highly competitive, especially in the global market. Despite this growth in competition, there has been little or no effort in the application of RM strategy by HE Institutions competing in the global marketplace for international students. The growing competition has been driven by the goal HEI’s have to internationalise and attract, recruit and retain the best international students. Higher Education Institutions have become aware of the contributions that international students bring to these institutions. Hence, efforts are geared towards retaining international students. This study considers the role of using RM with international students. The relevant data was collected from face-to-face semi-structured interviews and focus groups, which were conducted with university managers and international students across four universities in the UK. The study identifies several impacts of using RM on international students’ overall experience. It further highlights aspects of the RM approach that are more significant to international students’ experience. The study concluded that the RM approach positively affects international student experience if effectively developed and implemented.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Ackerman, R., Schibrowsky, J. (2007). A business marketing strategy applied to student retention: A higher education initiative. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice, 9 (3), 307-336.

Al-Alak, B.A. (2006). The impact of marketing actions on relationship quality in the higher Education sector in Jordan. Journal of Marketing for Higher Education, 16 (2), 1-23.

Altbach, P. (2015). Higher education and the WTO: Globalization run amok. International Higher Education, 23, https://doi.org/10.6017/ihe.2001.23.6593

Ang, L., Buttle, F. (2006). Customer retention management processes: A quantitative study. European Journal of Marketing, 40 (1/2), 83-99.

Arnett, D.B., German, S.D., Hunt, S.D. (2003). The identity salience model of relationship marketing success: The case of non-profit marketing. Journal of Marketing, 67 (2), 89-105.

Asaad, Y., Melewar, T.C., Cohen, G. (2014). Export market orientation in universities: Bridging the gap between export marketing and higher education. The Marketing Review, 14 (2), 145-162.

Baron, S., Conway, T., Warnaby, G. (2010): Relationship marketing: a consumer experience approach. Sage Publications, London.

Bejou, D., Bejou, A. (2012). Shared governance and punctuated equilibrium in higher education: The case for student recruitment, retention, and graduation. Journal of Relationship Marketing, 11 (4), 248-258.

Binsardi, A., Ekwulugo, F. (2003). International marketing of British education: research on the students' perception and the UK market penetration. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 21 (5), 318-327.

Clarke, V., Braun, V. (2013). Teaching thematic analysis: Overcoming challenges and developing strategies for effective learning. The Psychologist, 26 (2), 120-123.

Collis, J., Hussey, R. (2013). Business research: A practical guide for undergraduate and postgraduate students. Palgrave Macmillan, London.

Gibbs, P. (2001). Higher education as a market: a problem or solution? Studies in Higher Education, 26 (1), 85-94.

Grönroos, C. (1996). Relationship marketing: strategic and tactical implications. Management Decision, 34 (3), 5-14.

Helgesen, Ø. (2008). Marketing for higher education: A relationship marketing approach. Journal of Marketing for Higher Education, 18 (1), 50-78.

Hemsley-Brown, J. (2012). 'The best education in the world': reality, repetition or cliché? International students' reasons for choosing an English university. Studies in Higher Education, 37 (8), 1005-1022.

Inside Government (2012). Student Recruitment and Admissions: Attracting and Retaining UK and International Students. London.

Kahu, E.R., Nelson, K. (2018). Student engagement in the educational interface: understanding the mechanisms of student success. Higher Education Research & Development, 37 (1), 58-71.

Longden, B. (2006). An institutional response to changing student expectations and their impact on retention rates. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 28 (2), 173-187.

Miles, M.B., Huberman, A.M., Saldana, J. (2013). Qualitative data analysis: A methods sourcebook. Sage Publications, Incorporated.

Moore, D., Bowden-Everson, J.L.H. (2012). An appealing connection-the role of relationship marketing in the attraction and retention of students in an Australian tertiary context. Asian Social Science, 8 (14), 65-80, https://doi.org/10.5539/ass.v8n14p65

Ng, I.C., Forbes, J. (2009). Education as service: The understanding of university experience through the service logic. Journal of Marketing for Higher Education, 19 (1), 38-64.

O'Leary D., D'Agostino, V., Re, S.R., Burney, J., Hoffman, A. (2004). Virtual private lock box (U.S. Patent No 6,704,714 B1). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Washington, DC.

Omoruyi, T.U. (2016). An investigation into the implementation of relationship marketing on international student retention: a review of four business schools in the Greater Manchester area. Doctoral dissertation. University of Salford [typescript].

Omoruyi, T.U., Rembielak, G., Parlinska, A. (2014). International students' contribution to Business Schools in the UK HEIs. Review of Agricultural and Applied Economics, RAAE, 17 (2), 45-48.

Oplatka, I., Hemsley-Brown, J. (2004). The research on school marketing: Current issues and future directions. Journal of Educational Administration, 42 (3), 375-400.

Pine, B.J., Gilmore, J.H. (1999). The experience economy: work is theatre & every business a stage. Harvard Business Press, Boston.

Plewa, C., Ho, J., Conduit, J., Karpen, I.O. (2016). Reputation in higher education: A fuzzy set analysis of resource configurations. Journal of Business Research, 69 (8), 3087-3095, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2016.01.024

Powell, K.K., Rey, M.P. (2015). Exploring a resource dependency perspective as an organizational strategy for building resource capacity Implications for public higher education universities. Management in Education, 29 (3), 94-99.

Rojas-Méndez, J.I., Vasquez-Parraga, A.Z., Kara, A.L.I., Cerda-Urrutia, A. (2009): Determinants of student loyalty in higher education: A tested relationship approach in Latin America. Latin American Business Review, 10 (1), 21-39.

Rowley, J. (2003). Information marketing: seven questions. Library management, 24 (1/2), 13-19.

Seidman, A. (2019). Minority Student Retention: The Best of the "Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice". Routledge.

Sheth, J.N., Parvatiyar, A., Sinha, M. (2015). The conceptual foundations of relationship marketing: Review and synthesis. Journal of Economic Sociology/Ekonomicheskaya sotsiologiya, 16 (2), 119-149.

Sultan, P., Wong, H.Y. (2012). Cultures' consequences in the assessment of higher education service quality: the case of CQU, Australia. In: J. Conduit, C. Plewa, D. Wilkie (Eds.) Sharing the Cup of Knowledge. 2012 ANZMAC Conference, Adelaide.

Tinto, V. (2010). From theory to action: Exploring the institutional conditions for student retention. In: Higher education: Handbook of theory and research. Springer, Heidelberg, 51-89.

Tinto, V. (2012). Completing college: Rethinking institutional action. University of Chicago Press, Chicago.

Vander Schee, B.A. (2010). The small college enrolment officer: relationship marketing at work. Journal of Marketing for Higher Education, 20 (1), 135-143.

Wiriyacosol, S., Lertjanyakit, H. (2013). The UK Student Visa Cut and its Implication to International Education in Thailand. Business Management Dynamics, 1 (12), 15-27.

Published
2019-12-30
How to Cite
Omoruyi, T., & Rembielak, G. (2019). RELATIONSHIP MARKETING AND ITS ROLE IN THE EXPERIENCE OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS. Acta Scientiarum Polonorum. Oeconomia, 18(4), 69-76. https://doi.org/10.22630/ASPE.2019.18.4.46