- Title
- A Strategic Model to Promote University of Choice Decisions among International Students Studying in South Africa
- Creator
- Jooste, Carlien
- Subject
- Internationalism -- Education (Higher) -- South Africa
- Date Issued
- 2020
- Date
- 2020
- Type
- Thesis
- Type
- Doctoral
- Type
- DBA
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/10948/48191
- Identifier
- vital:40519
- Description
- The internationalisation of higher education has become an inevitable focus in the modern day higher education sector. This focus is due to the interconnectedness of society, which is driven by globalisation. The ever-changing landscape of the current global higher education sector has further placed emphasis on self-funding and the corporatisation of higher education institutions (HEIs). This has created competitiveness in the sector for local and international students, which has led to institutions globally and in South Africa, being tasked with the responsibility of being agents of internationalisation. The concept of higher education internationalisation involves internationalisation of the curriculum, cross-continental partnerships, the increase in mobility of staff and students, educational programmes, innovative ways of delivery as well as the need to be globally competitive. Students themselves view international study important as it provides them with a global outlook and international experience. The increased competitiveness in the higher education sector and the need for HEIs to become more autonomous and self-funded, has amplified the need to recruit international students who generate additional income. Furthermore, the strategy to recruit international students has evolved and transformed into a customer-driven strategy to meet the needs of the knowledge economy. To recruit international students, HEIs must invest in marketing and recruitment strategies, which build brand awareness and attract a diverse student body. This study investigates the development of a strategic university of choice model that can assist South African universities in the recruitment of international students by focusing on the factors, which influence a student’s university of choice. This was realised firstly by conducting a pilot study investigating the factors which influence the university of choice of students studying in South Africa. Secondly, the findings of the pilot study, combined with appropriate literature studies were used to develop a questionnaire to aid in determining the factors which influence the university of choice of international students studying in South Africa. Lastly, the findings of the questionnaire were used to draw conclusions and develop a proposed strategic model to promote the university of choice decisions among international students studying in South Africa. This thesis is an exploratory, mono-method quantitative study, which consists of literature reviews and surveys in a cross-sectional timeframe. The literature reviews were conducted on secondary sources to identify the factors that influence university of choice, as well as the marketing and recruitment trends within higher education. The empirical study consisted of a Pilot Study Survey and a Main Study Survey. The measuring instrument was compiled from existing surveys and literature studies. The findings of the Main Study Survey identified the following main factors of influence on university of choice: academic programme, academic quality, visa requirements, country/city attractiveness, English language, financial, International Office, student life, safety and security, university location and university reputation as main factors of influence. Within these main factors, various sub-factors were identified. The findings further illustrated that certain factors were more consultative in nature and provided information, which aided in the decision-making process. These factors are: motives to study/choose a programme, country attributes and influences/recruitment methods. Additionally, a third set of factors deemed to subconsciously influence the student’s decision-making process were identified as background of the student, study level and student type. The study contributes theoretically to Stakeholder Theory and Means-End Theory. Prospective students, who are higher education stakeholders, have diverse information needs and expectations, which will be met through the use of the proposed strategic model. Furthermore, the prospective students’ input will aid in the development of focused, targeted and cost-effective marketing and recruitment strategies, which will in turn meet the needs of universities to recruit a diverse student body.
- Format
- xxv, 399 leaves
- Format
- Publisher
- Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University
- Publisher
- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences
- Language
- English
- Rights
- Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University
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NMU School for Economics, Development and Tourism
| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details Download | SOURCE1 | Jooste, C 202303861 Thesis April 2020.pdf | 4 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |