Customer Orientation in Higher Education: The Missing Link in International Student Recruitment?

2011 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 77-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johanna Julia Vauterin ◽  
Lassi Linnanen ◽  
Esa Marttila

This paper suggests that the service mindset of academia needs attention to ensure that the potential of university–industry linkages for creating value is used strategically in building advantage in the increasingly competitive market for international higher education. Universities should clearly articulate the value of the higher education–employability interface in the context of growing competition for international students. The paper studies university–industry linkages by deconstructing the relationship with a focus on university–industry service interactions in international higher education service delivery and use and by analysing the relationship elements and dynamics that affect the market for international student recruitment, placements and employability. The relationship marketing paradigm is applied to explain that, by adopting a market-driven, customer-oriented mindset, universities could build strategic relationships with industry, communicate their international higher education services to industry better and more forcefully and develop competitive advantage in attracting and retaining international students.

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Demetris Vrontis ◽  
Sam El Nemar ◽  
Ammar Ouwaida ◽  
S.M. Riad Shams

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to understand and accentuate the value of social media in international student recruitment in Lebanese higher education institutions (HEIs). This study analyses the significance of social media and the changes occurring in the means of communicating with the potential international students, with an aim to understand how the HEIs could adapt with the changes to implement a model of engagement to include social media as a fundamental constituent of the Lebanese HEIs’ international student recruitment strategy.Design/methodology/approachThe researchers carried out a study through quantitative descriptive approach by using a probabilistic simple random sample and a self-administered questionnaire on 230 international students from several universities and colleges in Lebanon as a data collection method.FindingsThe findings demonstrated a certain level of engagement in social media networks from the part of the students during their search for college or university and course information. Research showed that international students still prefer the traditional sources, apart from social media, during their search. Among traditional media sources, friend, family and university website were the highest in ranking. Among social media sources, Facebook, Instagram, Google+ and YouTube showed the highest ranks. Most students have, indeed, contacted a friend or a university staff for university course information by using social media sites.Practical implicationsFor managerial practice, this is an incentive for institutions of higher education to re-evaluate and assess the effective impact of social media on the recruitment of international students and to regulate their social media marketing strategies. For research in international education, the insights of this study are useful to explore further research avenues in the area of capacity building for business innovation, marketing and quality assurance in higher education in the cross-cultural context.Originality/valueThis study offers insights on the implications of social media for international student recruitment strategies in a particular Lebanese context of HEIs.


2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 439-456 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alper Calikoglu

Globally, international student recruitment has become one of the prominent topics of higher education. In addition to the leading native-speaking English world, several non-native-English-speaking countries have reshaped their higher education system to attract more international students. Finland is one of the non-native-English-speaking countries having instituted a change in international student recruitment policy. This study seeks to improve the understanding of the experiences of international students in non-native-English-speaking countries by focusing on postgraduate-level students at a selected university in Finland. Following a phenomenological viewpoint, 11 students were interviewed on their motivations and expectations for studying abroad, and what challenges they have encountered. The findings indicate that education quality and free higher education are important motivations for choosing to study abroad in Finland. Moreover, international students encounter academic, social, financial and psychological challenges and have concerns about their future career in a non-native-English-speaking country.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 306-319
Author(s):  
Heba Mostafa ◽  
Yongsun Lim

Advancing diversity and inclusion in the U.S. higher education requires a solid understanding of the dynamics of students’ mobility. This study investigated the intrinsic and extrinsic motivations that lead different international student groups to study in American universities, in connection with their resilience in overcoming the inevitable higher education challenges. An online survey was completed by 164 international students at three research universities. Pearson correlation coefficient analyses and independent t tests were conducted to examine the relationships among three variables—intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, and resilience—along with the differences among groups. Results show a medium-sized positive significant relationship between international students’ intrinsic motivations and resilience, and significant differences among groups of students in relation to intrinsic and extrinsic motivations.


2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 29-53
Author(s):  
Dian Squire

Abstract The increasing internationalization and globalization of higher education exist in relation to a globalized capitalistic economy driven by neoliberal ideologies. Based on neoliberal and neoracist theory, this essay begins a conversation on the ways that the recruitment and admissions of graduate-level international students of color in Education programs bolsters the academic capitalist/ knowledge regime to the detriment of understanding the nuances of the human experience on college campuses. International students are recruited from countries with high economic potential, admitted to producing prestige-bolstering outputs, exploited to provide financial capital to the university, and treated as dehumanized commodities. This essay, therefore, peels away layers exposing the related and perceived purposes of international student recruitment and the neglectful treatment of those students. It points to a nuanced understanding of international admissions that must be considered in higher education.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (Winter) ◽  
pp. 103-106
Author(s):  
Ryan Deuel

The relationship between the discourse of internationalization in higher education and the neoliberal discourse of globalization as a disciplining cultural and economic force in our society continues to be an important area of focus for educational studies. This study develops a genealogy of internationalization at three tiers of analysis: at the macro level, where ‘globalization’ operates as a governing discourse within policies and practices of national and transnational governmental organizations; at the mezzo level, where ‘internationalization’ operates as a governing discourse among HEIs and professional higher education associations; and, at the micro level, where the discourses of globalization and internationalization work in concert to govern the conduct of international students.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paraskevi (Vivi) Tsoukalas

As the world continues to become more globalized, so does education. The internationalization of higher education is inevitable with globalization and institutions continue to recruit students from around the globe to diversify their institution. The question is how institutions do this and why it matters. This paper answers these questions by uncovering the best practices of recruiting and supporting international students at post-secondary institutions in the City of Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area. In order to determine the best practices and support services interviews have been conducted with employees in the international student recruitment (ISR) industry and surveys have been provided to international students. Interviews have been analyzed to identify the ISR strategies currently in place at post-secondary institutions in Toronto, and surveys have been analyzed to identify the student perspective of these methods and the support provided to them. Both sets of responses have also been compared to identify ways to improve ISR and international student support services. This paper will uncover the ways in which ISR is conducted, the ways students perceive these methods, and how best meet student needs in the future. Based on the research conducted it has been determined that the most effective strategies for ISR are relationship development, transparency of institutional expectations, and the use of effective cross-cultural communication practices. Students have assisted in determining that institutions in the GTA do have support services in place and most do provide adequate services to students. Many recommendations have been made to improve ISR including obtaining feedback from students to incorporate student needs into ISR practices and ensuring that a clear outline of the Canadian education system is provided to students.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paraskevi (Vivi) Tsoukalas

As the world continues to become more globalized, so does education. The internationalization of higher education is inevitable with globalization and institutions continue to recruit students from around the globe to diversify their institution. The question is how institutions do this and why it matters. This paper answers these questions by uncovering the best practices of recruiting and supporting international students at post-secondary institutions in the City of Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area. In order to determine the best practices and support services interviews have been conducted with employees in the international student recruitment (ISR) industry and surveys have been provided to international students. Interviews have been analyzed to identify the ISR strategies currently in place at post-secondary institutions in Toronto, and surveys have been analyzed to identify the student perspective of these methods and the support provided to them. Both sets of responses have also been compared to identify ways to improve ISR and international student support services. This paper will uncover the ways in which ISR is conducted, the ways students perceive these methods, and how best meet student needs in the future. Based on the research conducted it has been determined that the most effective strategies for ISR are relationship development, transparency of institutional expectations, and the use of effective cross-cultural communication practices. Students have assisted in determining that institutions in the GTA do have support services in place and most do provide adequate services to students. Many recommendations have been made to improve ISR including obtaining feedback from students to incorporate student needs into ISR practices and ensuring that a clear outline of the Canadian education system is provided to students.


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