international students motivations for studying in uk higher education

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International students� motivations for studying in UK Higher Education: Understanding choice and decision making process of Indian students.

By

Vikas Arora

2007

A Dissertation presented in part consideration for the degree of �MA Marketing�.

2

Abstract:

Globalisation and internationalization of economies has led to the commercialisation of higher

education. The education sector has become an increasing important sector and the developing

countries have become lucrative markets for the same. Various countries like the UK have recognized

this need and have responded with renewed marketing campaigns. Various activities, shows on

television sponsored by universities, opening up of university campuses in South East Asia

(University of Nottingham, China Campus) are a few examples.

In recent years India has achieved a fascinating economic growth rate. The coming in of multi

national companies has created new jobs and the demand of educated employees has grown

tremendously. Due to this there has been a massive increase in the consumption of education both in

the country and abroad. The Indian market has thus become extremely important.

The UK Higher education system has always been considered to be one of the best, only second to the

US. Due to recent entry of Australia and other countries like New Zealand in the higher education

sector, the competition to recruit international students has become extremely intense. Even though

the number of Indian students coming to the UK to pursue their higher education has constantly been

increasing, the actual growth rate is decreasing every year. The universities need to understand the

importance of the Indian market and have to take steps to ensure that more and more Indian students

come to the UK for their higher education.

The research carried out tries to understand the decision making process of Indian students which will

help the universities not only understand the Indian student better but give them an opportunity to

tailor their marketing efforts in a way to attract and recruit more Indians and to target appropriate

segments. The role and importance of the agents is also discussed and recommendations given to

improve the network of agents in the country. The importance of alumni and mouth-to-mouth referrals

is also highlighted with the help of the research.

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Contents Chapter 1: Introduction

1.1 Overview....................................................................................................................................................7

1.2 Higher Education........................................................................................................................................7

1.3 Research Aim and Objectives ...................................................................................................................10

1.4 Structure of the research ...........................................................................................................................11

Chapter 2: Education Environment

2.1 Overview..................................................................................................................................................13

2.2 Indian Education Environment..................................................................................................................13

2.3 External Appraisal - Macro environment (PEST).......................................................................................15

2.3.1 Political Environment ........................................................................................................................15

2.3.2 Economic Environment .....................................................................................................................18

2.3.3 Socio-Cultural Environment...............................................................................................................21

2.3.4 Technological Environment ...............................................................................................................22

Chapter 3: Internationalization: An Overview

3.1 Overview..................................................................................................................................................26

3.2 Indian student internationalization: an Overview .......................................................................................26

3.3 The United Kingdom ................................................................................................................................27

3.3.1 Past and present consumption UK .....................................................................................................29

Chapter 4: Literature Review

4.1 Overview..................................................................................................................................................31

4.2 Literature Review .....................................................................................................................................31

4.3 Agents:.....................................................................................................................................................40

4.3.1 Role of Agents: .................................................................................................................................41

4.4. Indian Students Buying Behaviour: ..........................................................................................................42

4.5 Evaluation of Alternative Service Suppliers: .............................................................................................45

4.6 �Push� and �Pull� Factors:..........................................................................................................................51

Chapter 5: Methodology

5.1 Overview..................................................................................................................................................53

5.2 Aim and Objectives of the research ...........................................................................................................53

5.3 Qualitative Research.................................................................................................................................53

5.4 Sample .....................................................................................................................................................54

5.5 Research Approach...................................................................................................................................55

5.6 Structure of Interviews conducted .............................................................................................................57

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5.7 Limitations ...............................................................................................................................................59

Chapter 6: Analysis and Recommendations

6.1 Overview..................................................................................................................................................60

6.2 Destination UK.........................................................................................................................................60

6.2.1 U.K Strengths ...................................................................................................................................60

6.2.2 Weakness..........................................................................................................................................61

6.3 Analysis ...................................................................................................................................................62

6.4 Interview with the British council .............................................................................................................65

6.5 Comparative Evaluation............................................................................................................................66

6.6 Agents......................................................................................................................................................67

6.7 �Push� and �Pull� Factors...........................................................................................................................69

6.7.1 �Push� factors....................................................................................................................................69

6.7.2 �Pull� factors .....................................................................................................................................70

6.8 Recommendations ....................................................................................................................................72

Chapter 7: Conclusions

7.1 Overview..................................................................................................................................................77

7.2 Conclusions..............................................................................................................................................77

References

Appendices: Appendix 1: British Council

Appendix 2: Agency

Appendix 3: Country wise number of students studying in Foreign Universities

Appendix 4: Questionnaire to students who got an unconditional offer and did not come to the Universities in the UK

Appendix 5: Primary research

Appendix 6: Focus Group

Appendix 7: Source of tuition fees

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List of Tables:

Table 2.1: Types of institutes in India 14

Table 2.2: IXth Plan Outlay/ Expenditure and Xth Plan 16

Table 2.3: PEST Summary 25

Table 4.1: Number of Agents 41

Table 4.2-4.7: Mazzarol�s Models 45-50

List of Figures:

Figure 2.1: Indian Education Environment 13

Figure 2.2: Indian GDP 18

Figure 2.3: Sectorial GDP 19

Figure 2.4: Percentage of shareholders in different income categories 20

Figure 2.5: Consuming Class 21

Figure 2.6: Median Age of Population 22

Figure 2.7: Internet Users 23

Figure 3.1: Indian Students at main English Speaking Country Destinations 26

Figure 3.2: Level of Study of Indian Students 29

Figure 3.3: Most Popular Subjects 30

Figure 4.1: Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning Model 34

Figure 4.2: SERVQUAL 35

Figure 4.3: GAPS Model of Service Quality 37

Figure 4.4 Indian Student Behavior 42

Figure 4.5 �Push� and �Pull� Factors 51

Figure 5.1: Research Approach 56

Figure 6.1: Students Visas for Students for India 68

Figure 7.1: Positive Word of Mouth Cycle 78

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Acknowledgements:

I would like to thank all those who helped me through the project phase of the MA marketing

program. I would like to express my sincere appreciation to my supervisor, Dr. Deborah

Roberts for her immense help and support.

I would like to thank my parents who were always there to motivate me. I would also like to

thank my close friends at Nottingham for being around to discuss my ideas.

A special thanks to all the students who took part in all the telephonic interviews and the

focus groups and the representatives at the two British Councils. I would also like to thank

the counselors at the agencies in India who were helpful and took part in the interviews

conducted.

I would also like to thank the academic and library staff at University of Nottingham for their

support throughout this year.

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Introduction:

1.1 Overview:

This section provides the basis for the research by introducing the concept of

commercialisation of higher education and the motivations behind universities and moreover

countries to target more and more international students. A summary of the motivation to

conduct this research is followed by the importance and relevance of the research. The

chapter ends with the structure of the dissertation.

1.2 Higher Education:

Higher Education has become a key sector in the development of knowledge societies and

their knowledge intensive industries. The ever increasing demand of students and employers

in terms of quantity and quality of higher education and doctoral research training has

resulted in a rapid growth of transnational student mobility. The three main processes which

shape this sector of higher education are:

- Internationalization (increasing cross-border mobility and cooperation),

- Regionalization (increasing cross-border regional mobility and exchange,

cooperation, structural and procedural compatibility and quality assurance,

coordinated planning and strategy), and

- Globalization, as vanishing significance of national borders, introduction of

�e�-learning, knowledge production and dissemination, the growing global

competitiveness, developing markets and commercialization has resulted in

making higher education a globally tradable service or commodity.

According to the World Bank, global spending on higher education amounts to US$ 300

billion a year, or 1 % of global economic output. There are more than 80 million students

worldwide, and 3.5 million people are employed to teach them or attend to them. In 2004,

about 2.7 million tertiary students are enrolled outside their country of citizenship (OECD

2006).

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India is the third largest national higher education system in the world (following the US and

China). India has witnessed a tremendous growth rate in recent years. Today, the Indian

higher education sector accounts for more than 10.5 million students with more than 20,000

higher education institutions (OECD 2006).

Until 2006, there was no major foreign education provider operating in India through its

offshore campus or branch campus. There are only two foreign universities approved by the

AICTE, the University of Huddersfield and the Staffordshire University. These two �second

or third tier� UK universities offer undergraduate programs in collaboration with Indian non-

higher education institutions. In 2006, the British Council listed 65 British-Indian twinning

arrangements and programme collaborations. Further operations in India are said to be

planned by Stanford, Yale, Lancaster and Purdue University, as well as Mercy College. The

University of Applied Sciences Ludwigshafen and the Indian Institute of Social Welfare &

Business Management are building up an Indian-German MBA focussing on International

Management Consulting.

In 2004, a total number of 129,627 Indian tertiary students studied abroad (OECD, Education

at a Glance, 2006) an increase of 47 % from 2002 to 2004. Compared to the overall number

of Indian tertiary students, the proportion of Indians going abroad for studies is very low

(about 1.2 percent). Nearly two thirds of Indian students going abroad to pursue their further

education studied in the United States, 12 percent in Australia and 11 percent in the United

Kingdom. These three English speaking countries accounted for more than eight out of ten of

the Indian students.

The United Kingdom supports bilateral academic cooperation with several Indian schemes.

There has been a recent central funding scheme: the UK-India Education and Research

Initiative (UKIERI). Over the next five years this initiative aims to substantially improve

research and education links between India and the UK, ensuring in the longer term that India

and the UK becomes each other's partner of choice in education. The UK Government has

committed over £ 12 Million (� 17.8 Mio.) to the initiative. BAE Systems, BP,

GlaxoSmithKline and Shell are corporate backbones of the Initiative, and have promised

around £ 2 million cash and a similar value in-kind support. The three main strands of the

initiative are: Higher Education and Research, Schools and Professional and Technical Skills.

The higher education and research strand of the initiative will promote research partnerships

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between centres of excellence, the development of joint and dual course delivery as well as

student and staff exchange. A focus will be put on Master�s courses (Full Awards), and

shorter postgraduate professional courses (Short Awards).

However the advent of globalisation has changed the nature of migration as well as the

motivations for the same. In fact �globalisation is today linking together labour markets

creating labour flows around global cities that are rooted in hierarchies of labour demand.�

(Lowell and Findlay, 2001, p.3) making us live in �the age of migration� (Castles, 2003) as

well as spurning on an ever increasing competitive race within the knowledge based economy

to attract the most highly skilled migrants. There has also been an increased sense of

temporary and student migration (Khadria, 2005).

With the increased penetration of western models of education into the developing world and

the perception that a foreign degree is worth more than a home grown one, the demand for

western education has risen across the developing world (Rikowski, 2002). As reflected in

the case in the UK where international students have always paid student fees and today are

paying at least three times as much as their home counterparts. Education in the UK in

particular, but increasingly across the rest of the EU has come to be seen as an �export� good.

Consequently the UK Government is not just concerned with smoothing the way for the

�commercialisation� of education to the extent that profit making for �edu-businesses�

becomes possible (Rikowski, 2002). This has resulted in some European universities in

opening campuses abroad (see for example the University of Nottingham in China) to attract

those students (and their fees) who do not have the means to travel abroad for their education.

The massive student recruitment drive has also got to be seen in light of not only sustaining

expensive higher education but also meeting short-term labour shortages in certain sectors.

The UK, the US and Australia have adopted policies, which allow international students who

have degrees from these countries to remain on and work for a limited amount of time

(Binsardi and Ekwulugo, 2003).

With regard to India this started largely by two phenomena: the need for foreign trained doc-

tors in western hospitals and the IT boom in India and the Silicon Valley whereby young

educated Indian IT engineers left for better jobs, principally to the US. At the same time there

have been an increased number of youths who have started to leave before their

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undergraduate university training or before their postgraduate training to complete their

education either in the US or in the UK. In India in particular this has been prompted by the

intense competition to get into the top engineering and management schools such as the IITs

and IIMs, whereas a foreign degree is seen as a better alternative than studying in a second-

class institution at home. It also reflects a growing middle class with the economic means to

educate their children abroad.

As globalisation has increasingly forced tertiary education into the business sector, countries

have started to compete for foreign students to subsidize local education. As there is rising

competition for foreign students due to economic reasons but also to the aging population of

developed countries, there is greater need to attract foreign students (Binsardi and Ekwulugo,

2003). Consequently higher education institutions have started to turn to marketing to recruit

more students.

1.3 Research Aim and Objectives:

The aim of this research is to provide universities with an in-depth analysis of the current

Indian student market. In addition, realistic recommendations relating to how universities can

deliver their service to appropriate Indian student market segments and which respective

market segments the Universities resources and activities should be focused on.

Research objectives:

• Provide an analytical overview of the Indian student market.

• Investigate the key factors influencing Indian students� decision making criteria

when choosing a course/university.

• Understanding the role of agents in the decision making process of Indian

students.

• Understanding the choice criteria needed for the choice of country and institution.

• Suggest realistic recommendations on how the universities can offer the right

service and to which respective market segments.

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1.4 Structure of the research:

A linear analytic approach as classified by Yin (2002), will be followed whereby the

subtopics begin with the issues or the problems being studied.

Chapter 2: Education Environment:

This chapter will provide an overview of the Indian educational environment. Using a

pest analysis, political, economical, socio-cultural and technological frameworks of

the Indian educational system will be evaluated

Chapter 3: Indian student internationalization: An Overview

This chapter will touch upon the recent trends in the education sector with respect to

the Indian Student, laying emphasis on the movement of the Indian student and the

consumption of UK Universities by Indian students.

Chapter 4: Literature Review:

The chapter will outline related marketing literature and present secondary data

relevant to Indian students. Marketing theory will relate to consumer behaviour and

will include decision and purchase process models reinforced with secondary research

relative to Indian students.

Chapter 5: Methodology:

An outline of the marketing research process in which the group conducted during

primary research will be reviewed. Here discussion of the different research methods

utilized by the group and the justifications of these methods presented.

Chapter 6: Analysis and Recommendations:

This chapter will analyse the primary research, elaborate the outcomes of primary

research conducted and provide recommendations in relation to the objectives of the

report. Suggestions for future practices will be presented to the Universities.

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Chapter 7: Conclusions:

The final chapter of the report will summarize the analysis and findings of the

research.

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Chapter 2:

2.1 Overview:

This chapter will provide an overview of the Indian educational environment. Using a pest

analysis, political, economical, socio-cultural and technological frameworks of the Indian

educational system will be evaluated. The current consumption trends of the UK educational

sectors by Indian students will also be studied.

2.2 Indian Education Environment:

1) Educational Structure:

Figure 2.1 shows the current educational Structure of India. The basic progressive

pattern of education has remained unchanged in principle - ten years of basic education

(primary and secondary) which is then followed by a two year upper secondary cycle.

Undergraduate (commerce) degrees at universities in India are generally three years in

length and Postgraduate degrees two years. The 10+2+3 system is often referred to

define the Indian education system. This system in India resembles that of the British

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educational system highlighting the parity and ease of exchange for students between

these educational systems (www.techno-preneur.net).

2) Language:

There are a number of languages spoken in India but English is the medium of most, if

not all the undergraduate and post-graduate levels of education. Even though English

is the language of instruction in most universities and colleges in India, Indian students

are still required to take an IELTS or TOEFL test as a standard entry requirement in

almost all countries (www.ielts.org).

Table 2.1 Types of institutes in India

Types of Universities Number in India

Central Universities 17

State Universities 167

Deemed Universities 42

National Institutes 13

Centre of Advance Study 250

Open Universities 10

Colleges 11,594

Autonomous Colleges 110

Source: Primary Research

3) Types of Institutions:

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Table 2.1 highlights the different types of universities and colleges in India. Most of

the universities were publically funded but today the trend is changing and more

private sector educational establishments are entering the industry. A substantial

foreign direct investment by international universities in India has resulted in the

private sector investing towards privately owned institutions. Today the educational

sector in India is dominated by private organizations as they possess higher funding

compared to public sector institutions. However public sector universities still enjoy

better resources i.e. man power, infrastructure and student awareness. The foreign

degree programs are mainly being offered by the privately owned universities,

depending upon the system and content of education offered by the respective

collaborator (www.educationinindiainfo.com).

2.3 External Appraisal - Macro environment (PEST):

2.3.1 Political Environment

1) Opening up Foreign Direct Investment to Higher Education:

In February 2007 the Indian government promoted 100% foreign direct investment

(FDI) in higher education in India (Hindustan times, 2007). In practice stringent

regulations would ensure that foreign universities collaborate with a local partner.

According to the proposal, the foreign universities will have to set up campuses on

their own and will not be allowed to enter via the franchisee route. These universities

will also have to meet social obligations such as mandatory quotas for deprived

sections of society. Also according to the Hindustan times (2007), only prestigious

and well-known universities will be allowed to participate in this FDI scheme.

2) Reforms in the education sector:

Current policies of the Indian Government are, accordingly, marked by the need to:

raise the enrolment of the population in the 18-23 age group in higher education; take

care of the special needs of the weaker sections and marginalized groups of the

society; build capacity in the educationally backward and North-East areas of the

country; improve quality of higher education; adopt state-specific-strategies by

encouraging autonomy of institutions; encourage relevance of curriculum; network

Indian universities through the use of information technology; converge formal, non-

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formal education sectors; and meet the challenges of globalization and

internationalization of Indian higher education (Department of education India, 2006).

The setting up of National Commission on Higher Education (NCHE) for overseeing

and monitoring the Higher Education sector (Department of education India, 2006) is

an example of the government moving in the right direction. These reforms in the

education sector are expected to be major factors in further boosting India's economy

and providing employment opportunities.

3) The Xth plan i-budget for education:

The Indian government spends approximately 4% of its GDP on education as

compared to 9% in many developed nations and 6% as the world average. The Indian

Government has stated in the Xth plan period of 2002 � 2007, that provision will

strengthened to achieve a profound transformation of education (Department of

education India, 2006).

Table 2.2 IXth Plan outlay/expenditure and Xth Plan (2002-07) approved outlay

(figures are in Million of dollars)

Name of the Scheme Ninth Plan

Allocation

Ninth Plan

Anticipated

Expenditure

Tenth Plan

approved Outlay

Secondary Education 590 527 981

University and Higher Education 572 515 947

Technical Education 538 478 1,066

Language Development 73 68 98

Scholarships 6 0.5 12

Book Promotion 4 6 15

Planning and Administration 15 5 16

Total 1,794 1,600 3,136

Source: National Development Council

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The specific objectives of the Tenth plan were related to:

• The relevance of Higher Education

• Quality, evaluation and accreditation

• Research and Development

• Outreach activities in business and the community and life long learning

• The knowledge and use of the new information and communication technologies

• Management and financing Export of Higher Education and re-orientation of

international cooperation.

The Indian government is committed to a regular investment in its education system,

and it is said that $14 billion would be spent over the next decade on education

(Department of education India, 2006)

4) The government is encouraging students to study abroad:

The Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) in India awards foreign

scholarships with a view to encourage meritorious students & scholars and to enable

them to enhance their knowledge of developments taking place outside of India. The

External Scholarship Division of the Ministry processes scholarships offered by

various foreign countries under Cultural/Educational Exchange Programs which

enable Indian students to study at the level of Post Graduate/PhD/Post Doctoral

Research work abroad. In 2005, in total 50245 external scholarships were given.

(Department of education India 2006)

5) U.K. scholarships and sponsorships:

For the movement of students: Many Scholarships/Fellowships are awarded to Indian

nationals by the Governments of UK, Canada and New Zealand under the

Commonwealth Scholarship/Fellowship Plan. The Commonwealth

Scholarship/Fellowship Plan covers a large number of disciplines including

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Management Studies. During the year 2004-2005, 28 Indian nationals were awarded

scholarships under the Commonwealth Fellowship/Scholarship Plan (22 for the UK).

The Government has also entered into an agreement for offering and providing

scholarships to Indian students with the European Union. An amount of Euro 33

million has been earmarked for the years 2004 to 2009, 133 Indians was selected by

the EU authorities during the year 2004-05 (Department of education India 2006).

For the movement of academics and researchers: The British Council in India, through

the British Visitor-ship Programme, sponsors candidates for short-term courses in the

United Kingdom in the fields of Education, Science, Medicine, Technology & Arts by

enabling Indian Academics/Researchers to visit Institutions/counterparts in the UK

(Department of education India 2006). These initiatives provide easier access for

Indian students to pursue international studies in the U.K

2.3.2 Economic Environment

1) India�s booming economy:

The Indian economy is the 10th largest in the world (Atlas économique mondial,

2007). The economic outlook for India is extremely optimistic, with real GDP growth

of 8.1% in the period April-June (2005) compared to 7.6% growth in the same period

in the year before (Reserve Bank of India 2005).

Figure 2.2 Indian GDP

Source: The Economist (print Edition) 3rd March 2005

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Figure 2.3 Sectorial GDP

Source: CSO (2007)

With its manufacturing and services sector on a searing growth path, India�s economy

is predicted to touch the coveted 10 per cent growth figure in the near future (CSO,

2007).

2) Increase in number of the middle class:

In recent years India has recorded an impressive growth of the middle class. At the

start of 1999, the size of the middle class was unofficially estimated at 300 million

people and this figure was expected to grow to 445 million by 2006 (Ibef, 2007). A

detailed survey undertaken by the NCAER provides a quick view on how the

proportion of the middle segments (upper middle [UM], middle [M] and lower middle

[LM]) has grown over the years since the opening up of the economy. Another

interesting trend that can be seen from figures 2.6 and 2.7 is the increasing share of

the upper class in the national income distribution, showing that in general India is a

nation developing into a richer and more commercially aware nation (Indian Brand

Equity Foundation, 2007).

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Figure 2.4 Percentage of households in different income categories

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Figure 2.5 The consuming class

An average middle-class household in India spends 15% to 20% of its income on

education/careers for their children with this and the constant increase of the middle

class, demand for higher education is constantly rising (Ibef, 2007).

3) Effect of Trends:

The demand and desire for educated persons in this field will correlate with these

trends.

2.3.3 Socio-Cultural Environment:

1) Increase of number of women in higher education:

In the past, a negative parental attitude toward educating daughters was considered to

be a barrier to female education. Today, with greater awareness levels this thought

process has changed, more and more women are enrolling in universities and colleges

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and even going aboard to pursue higher education. The enrolment of women students

at the beginning of the academic year 2005-2006 for University and Higher Education

in India was 4,234,000 constituting 40.40 per cent of the total enrolment (Department

of education India, 2006).

2) A large young population:

The age structure of India's population is also favourable. 44% of the population is in

the under-19 age bracket, with their literacy rate pegged at over 75%. The working

population (19-60 year olds) is expected to increase from 485 million to 615 million

by 2010 with an educational base of 21 million professionals and 90 million

graduates/post graduates (Ibef, 2007)

Figure 2.6 Median Age of Population

Source: IBEF (2007)

2.3.4 Technological Environment:

1) Pace of technology and Internet penetration in the market accelerating:

The government of Indian is involved with various activities and has taken a number

of initiatives to both, increase the level of awareness regarding Information

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Technology and the actual penetration of the provision of Internet facilities all over

the country. The estimated growth for Broadband and Internet subscribers in the

country envisaged through various technologies is as follows:

Figure 2.7 Internet users

Year Ending Internet Subscribers Broadband Subscribers

2005 6 million 3 million



Source: Telecom Regulatory authority of India (2005)

The Internet subscriber�s base has crossed the Broadband Policy 2004 target of 6.0

million, three months before the target date by reaching 6.1 million during the quarter

ending September 2005 (Telecom Regulatory authority of India, 2005).

2) Distance learning:

The India Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) established by an Act of

Parliament in 1985 with the dual responsibilities of (i) enhancing access and equity to

higher education through distance mode and (ii) promotion, coordination and

determination of standards in such systems. The University has adopted an integrated

multiple-media instructional strategy consisting of print materials, audio-video, radio,

educational TV teleconferencing, video conferencing and face to face counselling at

study centres throughout India. The University is now offering 117 programmes, and

as of 2005 registered 460,807 students.

The cumulative enrolment of students at IGNOU is about 1.3 million (Department of

education India, 2006). The IGNOU and the Distance Educational Council (DEC)

under the status of the IGNOU have the mandate to expand the reach of education

through the Open Distance Learning (ODL) for higher education (Department of

education India, 2006). Roughly it is estimated that about 20% of the student

24

population at the higher education level is already taken care of by the

correspondence/distance/open learning systems in India.

3) The development of technology for education:

(a) Increasing Budget for IT in schools:

The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MoHRD) in India allocated a

budget of $265M for IT enablement of education and DE, and for

strengthening of computing and networking infrastructure in institutions over

the next three years (in comparison to cumulative expenditure of $46M on IT

in education efforts over the last 20 years). To enhance University education,

the MoHRD has drafted a set of recommendations to build digital libraries

(DLs) and interconnect 250 institutions. This will result in an expansion of the

existing educational backbone network Education and Research Network

(ERNET) (Rao, 2006).

(b) The University Grants Commission (UGC):

The apex policy and funding agency for higher education in India, plans to

build a very small aperture terminal (VSAT) and terrestrial network to connect

all Universities under its umbrella in a scalable Wide-Area Networking

(WAN), wherein even the most remote areas can be covered as easily as urban

locations. This facilitates data transfer, internet access, video conferencing at

all major Indian Universities. Additionally, the UGC has initiated a

programme to provide electronic access over the Internet to scholarly literature

in all areas of learning to the University Sector in India. The programme is

fully funded by the UGC. All Universities which come under the UGC�s

purview will be members of the programme, and it will gradually be extended

to various colleges as well. Accesses to various E-journals formally began on

January 1, 2004. This programme is expected to be a cornerstone of the UGC-

INFONET effort, which aims at addressing the teaching, learning, research,

and connectivity and governance requirements of the Universities (Department

of education India 2006).

25

Table 2.3 PEST summary

Source: Author

Political Economic Social Technology

Opening up Foreign

Direct Investment to

higher education are

expected to boost

foreign Universities to

enter the Indian

market.

Reforms and the

increase of the budget

in the education

sector will increase

quality and

standardization of

higher education in

India.

The government

through its External

scholarship and

special agreements

with the UK is

encouraging students

to study abroad and

the exchange of

academics and

researchers with UK

faculties.

India has a booming

economy, which leads

to an increase of

higher education

The growth of the

middle class in India

poses an increase in

the demand for

higher education,

especially overseas.

India is

acknowledging an

increase in women�s

participation in higher

education. This

translates to a total

increase for higher

education demand.

India has a young

�age� population. This

will increase the

educational

graduate/postgraduate

base.

The pace of

technology and

Internet penetration

in the market is

accelerating.

Distance / Virtual

Learning � an

increasingly used

educational concept

being increasingly

practiced and

developed in India.

The Indian

Government has

increased the budget

for IT in schools and

has set the plan to

develop an inter-

University network,

in order to develop

technology for

education.

26

Chapter 3:

3.1 Overview:

This chapter will touch upon the recent trends in the education sector with respect to the

Indian Student, laying emphasis on the movement of the Indian student and the consumption

of UK Universities by Indian students.

3.2 Indian student internationalization: an Overview:

�The emergence of a rapidly growing economy in India has created a huge international

market for western universities. Disposable income and gross domestic product has increased

and is continuing to grow fastest in Asia� (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and

Development, 2004).

The number of Indian students studying worldwide has increased from approximately 51400

in 1999 to almost 88000 in 2001-02 (Appendix 5). The US is the largest host country for

Indian students, followed by Australia and the UK. Most of the destinations (apart from

Germany) are English speaking countries.

Figure 3.1 Indian students at Main English Speaking Country Destination 2003-2004

Source: Education UK Partnership, 2006

27

Alongside the top three destinations (UK, USA and Australia), other countries have also

started to look at the Indian market and started attracting Indian students (e.g. New Zealand,

France etc.). Canada represents a 'low-cost' option with immigration advantages, while New

Zealand is a newcomer whose attraction is linked to immigration (www.britishcouncil.org).

France and Germany entered the market in 1997, and market themselves as affordable

destinations with subsidized tuition fees. Geographically closer countries, such as Thailand,

Malaysia and Singapore, are perceived as offering a 'western' education at 'eastern' prices

(www.britishcouncil.org).

These countries have national policy on international student recruitment, which is expected

to have a big impact on their neighboring countries and the student numbers coming to study

in the UK. For instance, the Government of Singapore recruitment target is 150,000

international students by 2012 whereas Malaysia aims at recruiting 100,000 by 2020

(Education UK Partnership, 2006).

3.3 The United Kingdom:

There has been a remarkable increase of Indian students in the UK over the years. In 2000/1 a

total of 4,875 students enrolled increasing to 14,625 in 2003/4 resulting in a 200% change.

(HESA 2005, 36 cited in Findlay and Stan, 2006)

28

The UK has had a long historical connection with India, giving it an advantage over other EU

countries. The education system in India resembles the one in Britain, making it and easy and

obvious choice for those who do not want to spend two years doing a Masters or six to seven

year on a PhD programme in the US. The fact that the UK system allows for shorter, more

intense programmes at lower cost is a key advantage. English being the medium of

instruction is another factor that attracts Indian students as there is no need to learn a foreign

language.

Part of the UK�s reasons for targeting Indian students in particular has been its own shortage

of students in the science and engineering field. A presentation by Alan Findlay and

Alexandra Stam on international student migration to the UK links new immigration policies

with the changes in policies regarding student migration.

Recently a British Council funded programme was launched under the heading of UK-India

Education Research initiative. The main focus of the initiative is on higher education and

promoting research links and partnerships between institutions in both countries. �A major

impact is expected in areas of science, technology and the social sciences which are crucial

for the future of both countries and their place in the globalised and increasingly knowledge-

based economy�. One of the key components is to encourage more doctorate and post-

doctorate collaboration between India and UK. The prime Minister committed 10 Million

pounds to this initiative in September 2005 (UKIER).

Apart from providing visas and scholarships it is important for students to have an option to

gain employment after their studies in their host countries. The launch of the Science and

Engineering Graduate scheme (SEGS) in October 2004 which allows non EEA nationals who

have graduated from a UK university or college in certain physical sciences, mathematics and

engineering subjects with a 2.2 or higher degree to remain in the UK for 12 months following

their studies, is a step in the right direction. The British degree becomes more attractive as it

becomes a gateway to switch from a student visa to and �employment permit�. The HSMP

(Highly skilled Migration Programme), which is based on a points system also helps

liberalise work possibilities for international students and graduates by allowing them to

apply for a work permit based on their educational and other achievements.

29

In terms of the government this kills two birds with one stone as it subsidises university

courses with low home enrolment figures through overseas student fees as well as bringing in

skilled workers into the labour market in a field in which the UK has been suffering a

shortage.

3.3.1 Past and present consumption UK:

India is the third biggest non-EU country, after China and US, in sending students to

the UK Higher Education (HE). Although this trend is expected to persist in the

future, it is uncertain whether Indian students will still prefer pursuing their studies in

the UK versus other cheaper options as seen previously, such as Canada, Malaysia,

Singapore or Australia (Education UK Partnership, 2006).

Traditionally, Indian students travel abroad to further their education at postgraduate

level (78% of Indian students in the UK are postgraduates), which would explain why

there are not many students in pre-tertiary education in the UK (Education UK

Partnership, 2006). The biggest increase in the number of students has been noted in

the postgraduate taught qualifications, particularly after 2001. These now account for

68% of total enrolments.

Figure 3.2 Level of Study of Indian Students 1996-2004

Source: HESA Student Record 2004. Note that the December population marker was used for this time

series chart.

30

With Figure 3.2 we can see an acceleration of the number of Indian postgraduate students

coming to study in the UK after 2001. If this trend pursues, we can expect the demand for

postgraduate studies by Indian students to increase tremendously in the following years.

Figure 3.3 provides an idea of how the demand for postgraduate studies by Indian is

subdivided by subjects.

Figure 3.3 Most Popular Subjects 2003-04

Unlike setting a course in India or teaching in India where there are a lot of regulation

barriers, there are no real regulations for students to come and study in the UK apart from

obtaining a visa. Obtaining a visa is a quick and easy process (qualitative research) �

candidates need to show the University�s offer letter, show financial support and show

evidence that the candidates will return to India after the studies. Candidates can expect to get

their visa in less then one week. Unfortunately however, recent changes in the UK student

visa procedures have had an impact on the student market in India. One of the recently

introduced six risk assessment units across the world is now based in India. Respectively the

refusal rate increased from 25% (accounting for almost 2,700 refusals) in 2001-02 to 43% in

2004-05 (accounting for almost 11,000 refusals) (Education UK Partnership, 2006). Also, the

gap between student visas applications and visas issued in 2001 has significantly widened in

2004-05.

31

Chapter 4:

4.1 Overview:

The chapter will outline related marketing literature and present secondary data relevant to

Indian students. Marketing theory will relate to consumer behaviour and will include decision

and purchase process models reinforced with secondary research relative to Indian students.

4.2 Literature Review:

The UK Government sponsors several initiatives to attract more international students with

the intent to become one of the world's leading nations in international education (Binsardi

and Ekwulugo, 2003). �In order to be successful in the present global environment, students

must develop some key global cultural skills� (Cant, 2004). This has resulted in an increase in

the consumption of higher education around the world (Enders, 2004; Teichler, 2004). As

discussed earlier global trends within the field of higher education have brought new

competitors (Ivy, 2001), involved in an ever increasing and intense struggle to attract more

and more students (Nicholls et al., 1995; Soutar and Turner, 2002).

Higher education can be explained as a pure service which is characterised by a great amount

of interpersonal contact, complexity, divergence, and customization than any other service

businesses (Patterson et al., 1998). It can be noted that most of the quality attributes in higher

education cannot be perceived, felt, or tested in advance. This nature of higher education

makes it extremely difficult for the evaluation of a programme, especially for an international

student (Patterson et al., 1998; Harvey and Busher, 1996; Srikatanyoo and Gnoth, 2002).

The decision making process in the literature is defined as a multistage and complex process

undertaken consciously and sometimes subconsciously by a student intending to enter HE

and by which the problem of choosing a study destination and programme is resolved. The

decision process of consumers can be seen to be influenced by indirect mechanisms of

service evaluation. Consumers analyse aspects such as the image of the brand, the institution,

32

and the country of destination. �Due to the prestige image of certain countries in higher

education, students tend to believe that higher education offered in these countries is high

quality (Bourke, 2000). Thus, one of the factors considered by prospective students is the

status implied in studying in these countries (Bourke, 2000).� Further results strengthen the

theory that the country image plays an important role in the selection of students for

international education (Lawley, 1998, cited in Peng et al., 2000; Srikatanyoo and Gnoth,

2002). Thus, in certain cases prospective students tend to choose first the country and then

the institution (Bourke, 2000; Srikatanyoo and Gnoth, 2002). According to Peng et al. (2000)

the brand image is stronger than all the other factors a student considers in choosing a

destination for higher education.

The limited studies which have been conducted on the decision making process suggest that

student overseas decision making is based on a combination of push and pull factors. Push

factors consist of the economic or political factors and often play a more significant role in

choice of country. Pull factors such as institutional reputation, international recognition of

qualification, teaching quality and location factors have a greater influence on specific

institutional choice. Overseas students from India and China differ with EU students for

example in their motivations for studying abroad. For example, Taiwanese students choose to

study abroad because they consider the international acceptability and recognition of UK HE

as beneficial for their long-term investment (Maringe and Carter, 2007). On the other hand,

EU students choose to come to UK mainly because it provides them an opportunity to learn

the English language and the UK cultural traditions (Davey, 2005). These motivational

divergences have important implications for strategic international student marketing,

recruitment and retention. There is very little written about Indian students overseas study

decision making, yet the number of Indian students in UK HE continues to rise annually.

Hooley and Lynch (1981) in their research observed that the suitability of the programme is

the most important factor for a student in deciding a university/country. In this sense,

Binsardi and Ekwulugo (2003) show that product and promotion variables have increasing

importance in the choice. �Prospective students will compare programmes offered with those

being promoted by competing institutions in order to check their suitability� (Krampf and

Heinlein, 1981). The elements that influence the programme evaluation are a wide selection

of courses (Qureshi, 1995), their quality (Turner, 1998), international recognition of the

degree (Turner, 1998), availability of courses, entry requirements (Bourke, 2000), costs and

availability of financial support (Qureshi, 1995).

33

There are a few existing theories which attempt to explain how young people make choices

within education. One of them is the structural models, proposed by Gambetta (1996),

Roberts (1984) and Ryrie (1981). These explain choice in the context of institutional,

economic and cultural constrains imposed upon choosers whose choices and decisions can be

predicted along socio-economic, cultural and ethnic lines. Such theories have been used to

explain participation rates across different socio-economic and ethnic groups.

1) Market Segmentation:

An effective international marketing strategy depends on a firm�s ability to

segment its markets. The development of a successful marketing strategy

depends greatly on a firm�s ability to segment its markets so that uniform sets

of marketing decisions can be applied to a group of countries or particular

types of consumers in different countries (Dibb, 1998). In this context,

educational institutions must maintain their competitive advantage by

developing a distinctive image (Ivy, 2001; Välimaa, 2004) and positioning.

Porter (1986) supports the importance of segmentation, by stating that the

identification of target segments within countries assists in the determination

of effective international marketing strategies. Market segmentation follows a

succinct process of segmenting; targeting then positioning (STP) the identified

target markets based on attractiveness and importance.

According to the model shown in figure 4.1, it can be noted that the process

begins with the formulation of customers into groups, to maximize

homogeneity within, and heterogeneity between segments. Evaluation and

selection of the attracted segments is then followed by the positioning of the

segment in terms of the key attributes and strengths afforded to the university,

thus, an appropriate market plan for which the development of a suitable

marketing mix will be generated according to the needs of the identified

segment (Kotler, 1984).

34

Figure 4.1 Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning Model

Source: adapted from Kotler (1984)

In the Indian higher education sector, we focused on the Indian students who

sought explicit postgraduate studies in as their key choice factor. In their

decision making process, many factors influenced them such as academic

entry requirements, University reputation, faculty accreditation, total costs,

financial aid, peer influence, geographic location, and industry work-

placement opportunities. The criteria that seemed to be of greatest important

were course-related issues such as flexibility and length of the course and

reputation/prestige related issues.

35

2) Gaps Model of Service Quality and SERVQUAL

Fig. 4.2: Factors that Influence Customer Expectation

Source: Adapted from Lovelock et al, 2004, p40

Consumer expectations are beliefs held by the customer about a particular

service performance that �function as standards or reference points against

which performance is judged.� (Zeithaml and Bitner, 2003, p60). Knowledge

of a student�s expectation of an educational service is critical to an

organisation as an attempt will be made to deliver a service that will fulfil

these expectations needed and wanted by students. However a problem for

marketers is that due to customer expectations varying from consumer to

consumer, there can be no actual definition of a particular service expectation.

For example, a student expectation of a course provided by American

University, Harvard would greatly differ from the same expectation of a

Explicit & Implicit Service Promises, Word of Mouth Past Experience

Predicted Adequate

Desired

Situational Factors

Perceived Service Alterations

Perceived

Service

Personal

Zone

Of

Tolerance

36

course offering from an airline carrier such as Strathclyde (Lovelock and

Wright, 1999). Expectations are regularly formed by the past experiences of

customers. Clow (1995) stated that �any interaction that occurs between a

service provider and a customer is initiated and maintained because of the

existence of these expectations�.

However if no prior experience exists then customers may base their

expectation on factors such as word-of-mouth, advertising or sales

presentations though implicit or explicit promises made by the university

(Lovelock et al, 1999). Moreover certain norms may develop within what a

customer can expect from various service providers. These norms will be

reinforced by customer experience and by service provided factors such as

price, advertising, employees, tangible features of a service, etc (Lovelock and

Wright, 1999).

3) Gaps Model of Service Quality

The gaps model of service quality organises a service providers marketing

tasks such as key concepts, decisions and strategies into a manner that will

close the gap between customer expectations and perceptions (Zeithaml and

Bitner, 2003). It is agreed by many authors throughout marketing services

literature that in order to improve service quality and to ultimately satisfy

customers, the all important �customer gap� must be closed. In order for this to

be achieved, the four �provider gaps� are required to be closed (Lovelock et al

1999).

37

Figure 4.3

Source: Adapted from Zeithaml et al, 1990, p46

The customer and four provider gaps (Zeithaml and Bitner, 2003, p539):

Gap 1: Not knowing what customers expect.

Gap 2: Not selecting the right service designs and standards.

Gap 3: Not delivering to service standards.

Gap 4: Not matching performances to promises.

38

The Customer Gap: Difference between customer expectations and

perceptions.

The gaps model presents a clear guide for service management in discovering

where the reason or reasons of service quality failure lie. This tool will

identify the inconsistencies between the service provider�s and the customer�s

perceptions of service performance and in doing so will ultimately close the

gap between customer service expectation and perception (Grönroos, 2000).

4) SERVQUAL

The SERVQUAL scale was pioneered in 1985 by authors Parasuraman, Zeithaml and

Berry. This tool was designed to measure the service quality that is perceived by

customers through information retrieved from focus group. In 1988 the SERVQUAL

scale was published by the same authors in the form of a survey containing twenty-

one service attributes that are grouped into the five SERVQUAL dimensions

The perceived service quality is determined through the five SERVQUAL

dimensions. These consist of:

(a) Tangibles:

This dimension consists of the physical attributes of a service. For

example a service providers� attributes such as physical facilities,

equipment and the appearance of employees will be evaluated by

consumers in this field. Bennett et al (2005) states �tangibles create a

physical presence that affects consumers� sensory perceptions�. This

is in relation to consumers� often using physical evidence presented by

a service provider as a means to evaluate the quality of a service that

the consumer receives (Bebko, 2001).

(b) Reliability:

This field relates to the consistency and dependability of a service

performance. In doing this the firm will perform the service correctly

first time and will honour its promises made to the customer (Van

39

Looy et al, 1998). In relation to an educational establishment, promises

such as promoted electives, teaching styles, degree format must be

delivered as promised to students.

(c) Responsiveness:

Responsiveness relates to the service providers ability to supply a

prompt service and willingness to help the customer. Although

education is without the boundaries of this field as for example it is not

in the context of a bus service that has to ensure prompt service.

However Educational institutions must ensure that staff is always

willing and ready to help the needs of students.

(d) Assurance:

This dimension consists of the knowledge and courtesy of employees

who are able to convey trust and confidence to customers (Zeithaml

and Bitner, 2003). Assurance will embody attributes relating to an

educational institution e.g. that the service providers have a good pass

record, the department has the industry approved accreditations, staff

are experienced and efficient within their respective fields of study and

students trust and respect the company brand name (Bennett et al,

2005).

(e) Empathy:

The empathy dimension of the servqual model refers to whether the

customer received an individualised attention and the needs of the

customer are understood and cared for.

(5) Stakeholder Theory:

Kotler and Fox (1985) have introduced the stakeholder concept to education. The

concept emphasizes on the importance of all of whom have a �stake� in the education

process like parents, students, governments etc. Halal (1996) argued that because of

the nature of the education sector, marketing efforts need to be directed to students

40

but to the entire range of stakeholders. According to this view, students need to treat

as consumers and not mere customers.

Levitt (1980) on the other hand in his earlier work sees the universities offerings made

up of different products at three separate, distinct levels:

1) The core

2) Tangible

3) Augmented product

The core product benefit is the fact that the students are not buying a degree; they are

in-fact buying the benefits that a degree can provide in terms of employment, status,

lifestyle, etc. The tangible attributes might include the actual campus, library

facilities, sporting facilities etc. The augmented product therefore is made up of

intangible attributes such as library membership, student loans, employment services

etc. �International student�s requirements fit extremely well with Levitt�s work and

that of Kinnell (1985)� (Binsardi and Ekwulugo, 2007).

It can safely be said that for universities to succeed they need to develop relationships

between stakeholders and the institution. This is done through different channels and

agents are one of the main channels. The role and importance of agents for the Indian

market is discussed in the following section.

4.3 Agents:

�An education agent can be defined as an individual, company or other organisation

providing services on a commercial basis to help students and their parents gain places on

study programs overseas. Agents use a range of different titles to describe themselves,

including student advisor, education consultant and representative. Most fall into one of three

broad categories:

(a) Education specialists who place students on behalf of one or more institutions;

(b) Education specialists who place students but with no ties to any particular institution;

(c) Non-education specialists, for example travel agents and publishers, who may offer

overseas education placement services as a subsidiary activity.

41

Other individuals may work as educating agents, or in similar capacity, including alumni,

parents and overseas education placement services as a subsidiary activity� (Krasocki, 2002).

4.3.1 Role of Agents:

In many countries like India, students and parents use the services provided by agents

to arrange and study abroad because of they lack knowledge and understanding of

overseas education systems. The service culture is such that the rich expect someone

to do the work for them (Krasocki, 2002). Agencies are used as an intermediaries

channel for the students to reach the university. There are a number of universities in

the United Kingdom therefore it is very difficult for the students to capture the whole

market and find out about the course, location, reputation, and accreditation etc.

Therefore private investors came into existence and opened counselling agencies.

They began to match the students need with the universities need. As the number of

students going abroad increased the competition between the agencies also increased

and many agencies came into existence and it became as a business. Later the

agencies began to tie up with the University.

Table 4.1

No of Agents

Year 1999 Year 2006

40 150

Agents have been found to have poor knowledge of UK education which in turn

significantly limits UK growth in the Indian Market (Krasocki, 2002). A significant

number of these agents have confirmed that they work better with Australian

Universities rather than UK and USA Universities. The use of poor agents not only

harms the reputation of university with which the agent is associated, but also the

institution�s relations with key supports for student recruitment - the British Embassy

or High Commission. One of the British Council�s key activities in support of UK

education is to identify and train agents.

42

4.4. Indian Students Buying Behaviour:

The Purchases Process for services vs. Indian Students Decision Making Process

(Source: Adapted from Lovelock and Wirtz, 2004, p35) and source: Author

Post

Purchase

Service Encounter

Pre

Purchase

Information Search

• Define needs • Explore Solutions • Identify Alternative Service

Choice of University and Course

Persons Channels

Research

Information

Channels researchAwareness of Need

Choice of Application Method

Future Performance

Evaluation of Service Performance

Service Delivery

Request Service from Chosen Supplier

Evaluation of Alternative Service Suppliers

• Review Documentation (e.g. advertising, brochures, web sites)

• Consult with Other People (e.g. friends, family, other customers)

• Visit Possible Service Suppliers, Speak to Personnel

43

The purchase process model given by Lovelock and Wirtz (2004) is based on the product

oriented consumer decision making process model in relation to buyer behaviour marketing

literature. The service purchase model can be explained with the help of three basic stages

and these are explained as:

1) Pre purchase stage

First Step: Awareness of need

Indian Students who decide to pursue their post-graduation do so in the light of a new

or emergent need or desire. This need can be quite specific for example, a desire to

study a hospitality course with a focus on human resource management. This can also

take a much more general form such as mere desire to study a master�s degree abroad

for International experience. During this stage of the process, Indian students may

drift towards the eventuality of studying overseas.

Second Step: information channels

Once the problem recognition (in this case a desire to pursue their post graduation)

has taken place the following step consists of the potential student collecting general

information, usually through information channels such as the Internet or British

libraries or Agencies. This �preliminary screening� can be in the form of a single

country of selection or simply specifying the desired interest of study, thus reducing

the number of possibilities to a list of possible Universities having similar

characteristics.

Third Step: person�s channels:

Further information research is then conducted by Indian students through person

channels search. Indian students gain further information through direct personal

contact with University members or with personal relationships in the country via e-

mail or Internet blogs. The people factor has an utmost importance for Indian students

and is generally the last step in the information research.

Fourth Step: Evaluation of alternatives:

After the information gathered, similar to any buying behaviour process, the Indian

student evaluates the different possibilities and decides by weighting different criteria

44

directly implied with the University such as its reputation or the course content

proposed, and other criteria implied by the place of study such as distance with home

country, cost issues or Indian community base.

2) Service Encounter Stage:

The next group of phases held within the �service encounter stage� involves the

customer choosing a service provider and becoming actively involved with the chosen

service provider. With respect to the service encounters stag, the students will choose

a University and decide on the method of application. In many cases, due to ease of

the method, agencies are used to apply for Universities.

Customers will now be able to further evaluate service quality provided by a

respective service provider within this stage, the consumers� direct contact with the

tangible components of the service provider will allow the customer to experience

tangible cues of the institution and allow for evaluation of service quality and

satisfaction.

When the student shortlists universities, more often than not they apply to more than 2

universities simultaneously so that in-case he/she is keen to go to a specific university

and fails to get an offer letter there is an alternative or back up. It has been seen in the

in-depth interviews that students after receiving the unconditional offer haven�t chose

not to join various universities due to the slow services offered by the universities.

Students apply in the month of February/March and do not receive the offer until

September, hence they have no option rather than to pay their fees to the universities

who have replied. Therefore the service not delivered on time has made certain

universities loose a number of students. Similarly it has been seen that the services

offered by the agencies is not up to the mark as they are rude and do not respond well

which has and effect on the image of the university which should be kept in mind.

3) Post purchase Stage:

The Post purchase stage of the services model, compared to the Consumer decision

making model�s final stage sees customers evaluating the service quality and their

satisfaction of the service experience. Within the Post purchase stage, the future

intentions of the customer will be decided, as satisfaction and service quality of the

chosen service provider will be evaluated.

45

4.5 Evaluation of Alternative Service Suppliers:

As explained earlier, it can be noted that a student seeking international education will first

make the decision to go abroad, and then select a host country based on a variety of factors.

Mazzarol et al (1997) discovered six factors that influenced student selection of a host

country.

Mazzarol et al (2002) conducted further research on these six factors applying them to four

different Asian markets including India. This research was conducted with the help of focus

groups and surveys. The Indian base research comprised of surveying a sample of 152 Indian

postgraduate students in the fields of science and technology. Although, not all the students in

the sample were not post-graduate students, we expect most of the trends to be applicable to

post-graduate students as well.

Before observing these six factors, a preliminary analysis was done by the researchers

analyzing the factors influencing student decision to study overseas. The results can be seen

below.

Table 4.2 Factors Influencing Student Decision to Study Overseas

Source: Mazzarol et al (2002)

INDIA

(n=152)

Percentage which indicated influencing

factor was important

Overseas course better than local 93

Difficult to gain entry at home 47

Course not available at home 47

Better understanding of West 47

Intention to migrate 59

46

Figure 4.5 shows a clear dominance (93%) of overseas courses being perceived better than

local courses highlighting the strong intentions of Indian students to study abroad.

For post graduate courses overseas, Indian students anticipate and expect that overseas study

will present higher standards in general than the courses offered in India. In relation to the

first factor for choosing a host country, �knowledge and awareness� of a host country was

measured through four items � ease of obtaining information, knowledge of host country,

quality of education in host country and the recognition of qualifications.

Table 4.3 Knowledge and Awareness of a Host Country


Figure 4.6 shows that all four fields are of high importance, the two most important factors

being linked to improving future employability and confirms the importance of overall

perception of overseas qualifications as a reason for going abroad as a primary decision

making driver. These factors that affect Indian students to choose a destination intervene at

the very beginning of the information search stage of the buying behaviour process when

students start by using information channels such as agents or foreign councils. Mazzarol et

al (2002) explains however that they are not, by themselves, sufficient to ensure the selection

INDIA

(n=152)


factor was important to their decision to

select a particular host country

Easy to obtain information on host 89

Knowledge of host country 82

Quality of education in host 96

Host qualifications recognized 90

47

of a host country but on the contrary that the four variables mentioned must work together to

provide the necessary influence, thus the host country must have a reputation for quality

education services; its qualifications must be recognized by the source countries and the host

country must have a high international profile and make information more accessible for

students.

Moving down through the buying behaviour process, as explained previously another

important factor to examine is the importance of person channels used for the research. The

second factor in Mazzarol�s research was the importance of personal recommendations when

deciding on a country of destination.

Table 4.4 Importance of Personal Recommendation


The researcher explained that �Reputation of institution� is greatly affected by the number of

people who are willing to refer others to the respective institution. These figures show the

importance of word of mouth in person channels and the trust factor interfering with word-

of-mouth referrals. Word-of-mouth referral projects are the most powerful form of promotion

that international education institutions can use. This factor is likely to become more

important if more students study in a host country, or have family who visit that country for

other reasons.

INDIA

(n=152)




Parents / relatives recommended 60

Agents recommendation 30

Reputation of institution 94

48

Underpinned by these findings is the capital role of alumni networks as a means of promoting

international education. Universities need to understand that strong international alumni are a

valuable source of word-of-mouth referral and one that competitors will have difficulty

emulating quickly.

When evaluating, additional factors which is looked at is the cost issue.

Table 4.5 Cost Issue


This table shows the importance of the various cost issues in influencing the decision of an

overseas student in selecting a particular host country. Indian postgraduate students see part-

time work opportunities as an essential part of their studies. Furthermore as shown by the in-

INDIA

(n=152)




Lower fees 35

Lower travel costs 32

Lower cost of living 37

Job opportunities 91

Safe (low crime) environment 46

Low racial discrimination 55

Established population of overseas students 78

Entry qualifications accepted 81

Institutions government run 62

49

depth interviews, the possibility of good work placement to gain experience in their chosen

fields may also be an encouraging factor for choosing a destination.

The two other factors Indian students examine when choosing a destination are the

importance of environment, social links and geography proximity. First by environment, the

researcher has divided it into three different elements climate, exiting place to live, and a

studious environment. The following were found:

Table 4.6 Importance of Environment


We can thus comprehend the importance certain universities place on the study environment

such as the range of the different nationalities their staff and students have in order to

promote the University. Many Indian students find this factor very appealing when they opt

for a university because they aspire to gain as much as they can from their experience abroad.

Mazzarol explains that the importance of environment is a matter that needs to be considered

by host nations and their institutions when seeking to develop marketing strategies.

Social links and geography proximity, results are presented in the following table:

INDIA

(n=152)




Comfortable climate 70

Exciting place to live 83

Quiet-studious environment 74

50

Table 4.7 Social links and Geography Proximity


It can be noted that it is least important for Indian students to study in a country

geographically close to India. Thus the geographical proximity of a country does not play a

role in influencing the Indian student decision making process to study overseas.

It has been argued that there has been a shift in the decision making process, from choosing

the country of education first as discussed in this part, followed by the choice of

course/institution. A more recent study conducted on international student recruitment shows

that students decide on the course they want to do first, followed by the choice on the

institution (Education UK Partnership, 2006). The same survey recorded a drop from 60% to

40% in the students choosing countries versus course of study.

The following table adapted from (Maringe and Carter, 2007) is a summary of all the factors

that influence the students in deciding the country to pursue their higher education. �Push�

factors operate within the source country like government policies, funding etc. which initiate

a student�s decision to pursue international study. �Pull� factors operate within the host

country to make that country relatively more attractive to international students (Mazzarol

and Soutar, 2002).

INDIA

(n=152)

Percentage which indicated influencing factor

was important to their decision to select a

particular host country

Friends / relatives study there 75

Friends / relatives live there 62

Geographic proximity 28

51

4.6 �Push� and �Pull� Factors:

Fig 4.5 �Push� and �Pull� Factors

Source: Maringe and Carter, 2007

The motivations and the process in which an Indian student decides to choose a university or

country for further education can be explained using the above given model. The model

suggests that there are six elements that shape overseas study decision making. Push factors

52

according to Zimmermann (1995) are extremely important in that they provide a basis for a

broad conceptualisation of the recruitment environment of the countries of origin. A second

group of elements is about the pull factors operating at country, institution and subject of

study levels. The arrows in between the boxes serve to illustrate the �dynamic reflexive�

processes (Foskett and Hemsley-Brown, 2001) that occur as the student assesses information

from several sources weighing and incorporating but sometimes discarding other information.

At country level, students select the UK ahead of other fierce global competitors like the

USA, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and some EU countries notably, Germany, France and

Spain because they perceive it to provide the best scope for accessing an international HE

experience which has a tremendous global appeal.

53

Chapter 5:

5.1 Overview:

This chapter will discuss the research methodology used for this project. The chapter will

discuss what various types of research methodologies were adopted and utilised with the

respondents and provide justifications for the use of these methods.

5.2 Aim and Objectives of the research:

The aim of the research carried out is to investigate the buyer behaviour of Indian students

when choosing a university to study at the post graduate level in the UK.

The research objectives therefore is related to understanding the key choice criteria Indian

students hold of the most importance while, firstly deciding their institution and what external

factors motivate Indian students in opting for their respective institutions.

5.3 Qualitative Research:

Qualitative research was conducted for the purpose of the primary market research. This type

of research was chosen on the basis that the researcher was concerned with obtaining non-

quantifiable data that would provide penetrating insights into understanding the attitudes and

behaviours of Indian students (Wilson, 2006).

The researcher will try to �study something that is quite unremarkable, even �obvious� to

participants�, and the analysis of data �will not rely on identifying gripping or spectacular

stories� instead the aim of the research will try to �reveal various ways in which apparently

�obvious� phenomena are put together� (Silverman) and give meaning. For example the

interviews of students, the British Councils will be analysed and compared with existing

theories to comprehend the conditions of the Indian Student Market.

1) Individual depth interviews:

Individual depth interviews are described by Wilson (2006) as interviews which are

conducted face-to-face with a respondent where the subject matter is explored in

detail using an unstructured and flexible approach. Individual depth interviews tend to

last approximately 60 to 90 minutes to provide a detailed analysis of the respondent�s

beliefs and attitudes on a respective topic. Depth interviews were used as a primary

54

method for data collection as this type of research method would provide the

researcher with greater understanding of Indian student�s attitudes and behaviours

when choosing an institution and a course respectively.

2) Other Types of In-Depth Interviews:

There are many variations in which individual depth interviews can be conducted. For

the purpose of this research, �mini-depth� interviews and �tele-depth� interviews were

conducted. Smith (1998) describes the following types of depth interviews conducted:

• Mini-Depth Interview: shorter in time and not as wide ranging in terms of topic

exploration than full depth interviews. Mini-Depth interviews last approximately 30

minutes.

• Tele-Depth Interview: Interviews are conducted via telephone and last approximately

20 to 30 minutes. This type of interview provides the researcher with the ability to

interview targeted respondents located in-accessible geographical locations.

3) Focus Groups:

Also known as group discussions, this type of depth interview is carried out with 2 or

more respondents involving participation from respondents. The interaction between

group members can act as a stimulus for another respondent�s participation and can

initiate related discussions not explicitly outlined in the researcher�s topic list for the

interview (Wilson, 2006). Focus groups can provide the researcher with more detailed

information on a topic due to opinions and attitudes being stimulated by the group

dynamic which encourages an individual to critically analyse his/her own beliefs and

attitudes (Webb, 2002).

5.4 Sample:

The samples of respondents used were contacted via the MA department�s student database.

Respondents that were contacted related to current students on the departments postgraduate

programmes and potential candidates that although received unconditional offers to the

institution opted for alternative career/education paths. The rest of the sample was contacted

by using the database of the agents based in India.

55

British councils and Indian agencies were contacted via secondary research conducted by the

researcher.

5.5 Research Approach:

The following section will provide what type of qualitative research was carried out and with

the respective respondents.

Individual depth interviews:

• Industry expert � 2 individual depth interviews conducted to ascertain detailed

industry information.

Focus Groups:

• 2 current University of Nottingham postgraduate students � 1 focus group conducted.

Tele-Depth Interviews:

• 9 prospective Indian students � Each student tele-depth interviewed individually.

• 2 British Council Libraries � 1 tele-depth interview for each British Council library.

• 1 Indian education agency � 1 tele-depth interview conducted.

o Due to geographical location of students, British council and Agency, tele-

depth interview was regarded as the most viable research method.

Malhotra and Birks (2003), describe a research design as the �foundation for conducting the

project�. A research design can also be explained as a �logical plan for getting from here to

there�, where here is defined as the initial set of questions answered, and there is a set of

answers and conclusions about the question (Yin, 2003).

56

Figure 5.1: Research approach

Qualitative Research

Focus Group

Student 1 (S1)

Student 2 (S2)

Individual Depth Interview

Industry Expert

S1- Mumbai

S2- Bangalore

S3- Calcutta

S4- Delhi

S6- Delhi

S7 - Chandigarh

S5- Mumbai

S8- Mumbai

S9- Delhi

RESEARCH APPROACH

British Council

Chandigarh

Delhi

Agency

The Chopras

Students

Tele-Depth Interviews

Source: The Author

57

5.6 Interviews conducted:

The structure of the interviews conducted with the students is summarised as given below:

Questionnaire to students who got an unconditional offer and did not come to the

Universities in the UK

First Step - Background:

Educational and Professional background of interviewees before applying to

the UK.

Second Step - Research Process:

Description of the process used from problem recognition to application

Third Step - Research of Information (channels used for other reason please mention):

Did you visit British Council?

Did you research information through an Agency?

Did you apply through an Agency?

Agency impact, how did you hear of agency, choice of agency, WOM, promo,

etc?

How important was people relationship?

Any other channels used for information gathering or for application? Ex

newspapers, websites (which ones)

Fourth Step - Evaluating Information:

What kind of course were you interested in? More specific, more general

What kind of course content would be important? Internship, Double Diploma

What is more important for you? Length of course, course content

Are you working part time? How important was that in deciding of a place to

study?

58

Why did you want to purse higher education abroad?

Fifth Step - UK or Not:

Why did you not come to UK?

Why did you apply to the UK?

Is the course expensive?

Sixth Step - Overall recommendations by all interviewees:

How could the Universities been more appealing to you?

What recommendation do you give to Universities in The UK?

59

5.7 Limitations:

• Time Limitations � the number of current students, potential students, British Council

libraries and Agencies interviewed was limited due to the time constraints of the

research. A greater number of individual depth interviews and focus groups would

have been conducted if more time was available for research which would have

allowed for further generalisation of results.

• Financial Limitations � in the case for �tele-depth interviews�, financial constraints

were due to international telephone costs. As all tele-depth interview respondents

were geographically based in India, each interview was capped to a length of

20minutes due to international telephone rates. With further funding more tele-depth

interviews with increased interview time would be conducted.

• Because of the nature of the research and the number of interviews conducted the

results and recommendations presented are very general in nature. Further research is

required to test the suggestions given and the trend in the decision making process of

the Indian student.

• The impact of other countries like the USA, Singapore and Australia and the number

of private institutions springing in India need to be examined. Because of

globalisation ad industrialisation of the India Market a number of foreign players have

entered the Indian market, resulting in a need for fresh graduates. The impact of

industrialisation and the growing number of jobs available in India need to examine

with the backdrop of an international degree and its worth.

60

Chapter 6:

6.1 Overview:

This chapter will talk about the strengths of the UK educational sector. An analysis of the

primary research, will be followed by an elaborate discussion of the outcomes of the research

conducted and provide recommendations in relation to the objectives of the research.

Suggestions for future practices will also be presented to the Universities.

6.2 Destination UK:

6.2.1 U.K Strengths:

Value added from UK degree:

UK degree is more qualified and can help students gain more opportunities for the

career. As Higher Education Quality Council (HEQC) and the Higher Education

Funding Councils of England, Wales and Scotland conduct increasingly evaluation

activities, UK universities are more aware of their teaching quality. Therefore, the

education environment improves and students have better qualified courses. While

more and more international students come to study in UK, British degrees become

more recognized. As a result, potential students and companies from India see UK

qualifications in general as a higher standard then domestic based. Interviews

conducted with both the students and the agencies suggest that the education system

in the UK is still considered to be highly prestigious and only second to the US. Even

though other countries like Australia and New Zealand have come into the foray

students from India will still prefer coming to the UK.

Cultural familiarization:

The other strength of UK education environment is the cultural similarity between UK

and India. As UK had been colonized India for hundreds of year, Indian students are

more familiar with UK culture rather than other countries. Also, there are many

Indian migrations residing in UK and this could be a huge attraction when Indian

students choose a foreign nation for extending their studies. For instance, Indian

students may choose UK for their further education simply because they have

relatives in UK. The primary research conducted confirms the viability and the ease

with which the Indian students understand the system of education in the UK. Unlike

the education system in the USA, the one prevalent in the UK is extremely familiar.

61

The post graduate degree being of one year is a major attraction to the Indian students,

who sees it as an opportunity to save a year before he/she starts earning.

6.2.2 Weakness:

Visa:

Indian students need a visa to study in the UK. In general this visa lasts until the end

of the studies. Because the tuition fees are so exuberant, and the expenditure so high

the students would prefer to have an opportunity to stay back and at-least apply for

jobs. One of the recommendations put forth in the next section fortifies this point. The

graduate scheme where by international students are allowed to stay for one year after

completion of their studies is a step in the right direction. (Details can be found on the

website www.britishcouncil.org ).

Costs:

Tuition fees and UK living costs are supposed to be one of the highest in the world.

Australia and New Zealand for example both provide much cheaper courses and also

their living cost is lesser as compared to the UK, which is difficult to compete with.

With a very effective agent network Australia is attracting more and more Indian

students as being a cheaper alternative to that of UK. The UK universities need to

compete with these low cost options by either giving more bursaries or scholarships to

the Indian students. More information needs to be provided by the universities

themselves to the students.

Geographic factors:

Moreover, the distance between India and UK is a factor to consider and the weather

is definitely different from their tropical weather. Which results from India to UK

such a big shift, these two reasons may be great factors of influencing people�s

willingness of coming to study in UK. Even though both the primary research

conducted and the research conducted by Mazzarol et al. suggest that the students do

not give any importance to the distance factor as far as they get into a university of

their choice and get the course they want.

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6.3 Analysis:

As discussed in the literature review the purchase process model given by Lovelock and

Wirtz (2004) can be used to explain the Indian student decision making process. The

simplified model given by the author is tested and fortified by the actual research done. It is

found out that the Indian student researches and decides on the course he wants to pursue

before deciding upon the university or destination. The pre-purchase stage exhibit same

characteristics as that given in the literature review.

The services encounter stage, because of the ease and comfort Indian students opt to go

through an agent. It was found out during the primary research that most of the Indian

students do not trust the agencies and think that the agents are profit driven. Therefore the

trust factor is missing. It can be noted even though the students do not trust the agents the

agencies are responsible for most of the applications and admissions and there are very few

independent applications. This is due to the fact that the agents help in getting visas to these

countries as well as ensuring admission in at least one university in the chosen country.

Information search is a key component in the buying behaviour process. Through In-depth

interviews it was discovered that Indian students use different channels to search for

information such as the British Councils and Libraries, Agencies, Internet websites, Alumni

and University member based channels, and previous relationships. However the use of each

channel is different and has a specific role in the process of gathering information.

1) Information Channels:

British Councils and British Libraries are used to gain general information on the

country and the University as interviewees explained that they do not provide

sufficient service or much information on subjects or courses. However, these

channels were used as they are trusted by the Indian students and are considered to

present a neutral view. Agents on the other hand provide a satisfactory level of service

and information about the Universities to the students, but are mistrusted as the

advice/service is perceived to be biased by the commission fees the agents receive. As

agents do not hold a good image among students they are preferred to be used as a

mediator during the application process than for information support. Information

63

Channels are often used as a preliminary screening critique as a way to reduce

alternative destinations.

2) Person Channels:

Person Channels are the most important way for acquiring information, as this

channel is perceived to be the most trusted by Indian students. These channels consist

of alumni network, previous relationships, family and friends, blogs on respective

Universities, e-mail correspondence with University staff. Often used as a second

means of gathering information, a personal channel was found to have the greatest

impact on Indian student�s choice criteria.

Highlighted in the conducted primary research, the least important form of personal

recommendation is from agent�s recommendation. It is that parents/relatives

recommendation and moreover the overall reputation of the institution is said to

influence most student�s decision of choosing a destination.

3) Decision Making Process:

The Post purchase stage of the services model, compared to the Consumer decision

making model�s final stage sees customers evaluating the service quality and their

satisfaction of the service experience. Within the Post purchase stage, the future

intentions of the customer will be decided, as satisfaction and service quality of the

chosen service provider will be evaluated.

!Actual Student Satisfaction:

During the focus groups with Indian students studying a master�s degree

(MA), it was discovered that generally students were quite happy with the

actual delivery of their studies. The courses were well defined; they delivered

the skills necessary for the respective industries and added value to their

overall employability. However, it was discovered that several students had

difficulties with the English academic requirements such as PowerPoint

presentation creation, Harvard referencing and bibliography styles.

64

! Importance of Alumni:

Student Satisfaction is the first step to sustainability in Education. Future

relationship and contact can be achieved with the help of alumni�s.

Universities need to have a large alumni network and maintain a positive

relationship with them as in future years the positive image will be sustained.

For certain departments, there are already an existing number of alumni based

associations. The Association of British Scholars is very strong in India. More

recently, alumni are based primarily in New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore.

However there needs to be a presence of alumni�s in other cities of India as

well.

4) Consumer perceptions:

What interests the students most is the large range of management jobs available as

career progression is often rapid for hard working and ambitious graduates. Also for

postgraduate studies (primary research), the UK is an attractive destination due to the

short length of the courses as most Indian students research short term vocationally

focused courses as it enables them to work earlier. Prospective students see, in a one

year course, the opportunity to have a salary after the course instead of an additional

academic year if they studied in another country. In this perspective, although tuition

fees and living costs are extremely high, the shorter length of the course has in a way

altered positively the overall perception of cost (primary research).

5) Evaluation of Alternative Service Suppliers:

As explained earlier, it can be noted that a student seeking international education will

first make the decision to go abroad, and then select a host country based on a variety

of factors. Mazzarol et al (1997) discovered six factors that influenced student

selection of a host country.

Mazzarol et al (2002) conducted further research on these six factors applying them to

four different Asian markets including India. This research was done through focus

groups and surveys. The Indian base research consisted of surveying a sample of 152

Indian postgraduate students in the fields of science and technology. Although, the

students in the sample were not post graduate students, we expect most of the trends

to be applicable to post graduate students as well.

65

6.4 Interview with the British council:

The interviews conducted with the British Councils were also coherent with the factors which

were established in motivating Indian students to study abroad. The factors are summarized

below with excerpts from the actual interviews cementing the factors established. (Refer to

appendix 2 for a summary of the complete interview)

(a) The main motivational factor for Indian students is to obtain a foreign

degree/degree not available in India-

�Most degrees are not available in India. And when the student has a foreign degree is valued

more in its home country. 90% of the students go to study to UK for these reasons.�

(b) Cost of living plays an important role in decision making process-

�The cost of living in UK is much expensive as compared to India. Though the universities

provide campus accommodations students fell that they are expensive and can get a cheap

private accommodation�.

(c) Working opportunities in the host country motivates the student to opt for the

country to pursue their further education in-

�They would even prefer that they have a work permit to work in that country unless they

cannot work. British government allows international students to work 20 hours in a week.

Having a work permit during or after the course is one of the most import issue seen by 95%

of students before deciding the university.�

(d) The shorter length of the courses offered in the UK also attracts Indian students-

�90% of the students wants the course length to be of 12 months and that is why they go to

British universities.�

(e)Agents play an important role -

�80% of the Indian students apply through agents. This is because it is easy with the

application and communication with the university. The agencies handle 70% of the whole

procure. But in British council the student has to do a lot of research and do self

applications�.

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6.5 Comparative Evaluation:

The primary research conducted verified the importance of these five factors given by

Mazzarol et al.

One of the most cited reasons given by the Indian students was the fact that it is increasingly

difficult to get into a good institution in India due to the competition at home due to large

number of applicants. As discussed in chapter two the number of recognized institutions is

very few compared to students competing. There are a number of reservations based on caste

and creed in Indian institutions which makes it even harder to get through a good institution.

This factor is seemed to be given the most importance even more than the perception of

overseas course being better (primary research). A more recent study on international student

recruitment shows that students decide on the course they want to do first, followed by the

choice on the institution (Education UK Partnership, 2006). The same survey recorded a drop

from 60% to 40% in the students choosing countries versus course of study. This analysis is

further supported by the findings of the primary research in-depth interviews.

Primary research also shows that the stakeholder theory has actual implementation in the

education sectors, whereby the universities do not only need to deal with the students but

come across other stakeholders like the parents, the banks that issue student loans etc. And

that the universities to be successful need to build a relationship with all of the people who

have a �stake� in the entire process. Primary research focus group and in-depth interviews

support the notion that several Indian students chose their destination primarily due to the

uniqueness, quality and content the courses offers.

a) Percentage which indicated

influencing factor was important:

b) Overseas course better than local

c) Difficult to gain entry at home

d) Course not available at home

e) Better understanding of West

f) Intention to migrate

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6.6 Agents:

One of the major challenges facing the UK Universities and the British Council in India is to

help improve the general reputation of agents amongst the potential students and their parents

(Krasocki, 2002). The fact that Indian students do not trust the agents is further strengthened

by primary research whereby the students interviewed clearly state that they do not trust the

agents and think the motivations behind the agents to send students to a particular university

is driven by profit. Because in India there are no restrictions to who can become an agent,

anyone can start a business in the field, exploit uninformed students and strengthen the

existing views about the agents. The British Council needs to stress to build an association of

agents recommended by the council and the governments of both the host and the foreign

countries.

The internet has become an increasingly important source of information for Indian student

seeking post graduate study. However it is believed that it is believed that it will be while till

�e-recruitment� replaces the place of the agents. As given in the report by Krasocki (2002), it

can be said that at the moment the internet in-fact facilitates the agents creating an interest in

the Indian student and the actual services being provided by the agents themselves. The lack

of information about UK universities is another reason that the students tend to go to an

agent. Primary research reveals that most of the students choose to go to an agent rather than

applying on their own. This is due to various reasons, one because the students are not sure

about the universities and the courses being offered and secondly that the agents ensure the

students and help them in obtaining a student visa, which otherwise is considered to be a

tedious and difficult process.

Unlike setting a course in India or teaching in India where there are a lot of regulation

barriers, there are no huge regulations for students to come and study in the UK apart from

obtaining a visa. Obtaining a visa was a quick and easy process (qualitative research) �

candidates need to show the University�s offer letter, show financial support and show

evidence that the candidates will return to India after the studies. Candidates can expect to get

their visa in less then one week. Unfortunately however, recent changes in the UK student

visa procedures have had an impact on the student market in India. One of the recently

introduced six risk assessment units across the world is now based in India. Respectively the

refusal rate increased from 25% (accounting for almost 2,700 refusals) in 2001-02 to 43% in

68

2004-05 (accounting for almost 11,000 refusals) (Education UK Partnership, 2006). Also, the

gap between student visas applications and visas issued in 2001 has significantly widened in

2004-05. These are shown in Figure 6.1

Figure 6.1 Student Visas for Students from India

The research also points out the first choice for Indian students to pursue their post-graduate

studies is still the USA, and because of recent reforms in the structure of admissions where

by the US Universities are now accepting the three year commerce degrees as compared to

the mandatory four year degree courses in the past, is a step to attract more Indian students.

Because of cheaper tuition fees and a better network of agents in India, Australia is also

attracting a large number of Indian students. Therefore it is of utmost importance for UK

Universities to have better and more efficient and effective agent network in India to attract

more students.

69

6.7 �Push� and �Pull� Factors:

6.7.1 Push Factors:

�The global pattern of international student flows may be explained by a combination of

�push� and �pull� factors that encourage students to study overseas. Push factors operate

within the source country and initiate a students� decision to choose a destination to pursue

higher education in. �Pull� factors operate within a host country to make that country

relatively attractive to international students� (Mazzarol and Soutar,2002). McMahon (1992)

tested an outbound model or �push� model and an inbound or �pull� model. �According to

him the push model was dependent on the level of economic wealth, the degree of

involvement of the developing country in the world economy, the priority placed on

education by the government of the developing country and the availability of educational

opportunities in the home country. His pull model suggests student attraction to a host

country was influenced by the relative sizes of the student�s home country economy

compared to host country and the home country. (Mazzarol et al).

In the focus group, students were asked to reflect on the reasons why they chose to study in

the UK and to indicate other countries they had actively considered. Applying the push-pull

framework, it appeared that the most significant push factors were economic, political and

lack of local opportunity within the country of origin. One of the students reflected that:

�Because of the various reservations in India, it is impossible to get into a good university or

college of your choice.�

An interesting point was discussed about the local labour market where students with UK

higher education qualifications are preferred rather than those with local qualifications:

There are limited opportunities for well paid employment following a degree obtained in

India. Traditionally, anyone with a British education is considered well educated and has

better opportunities.

70

6.7.2 �Pull� factors:

The question asked was why the UK was so attractive and which other countries they

considered in their decision making. The majority students believe strongly that the UK HE

qualification enjoys international recognition and that acquiring it will be a life time

investment and opportunity. Many of them agreed with the following sentiment of Indian

students coming to engage with UK HE do so for four main reasons. First and foremost,

�In India, people who have this qualification (UK HE) are highly regarded and I would like

to be highly regarded too when I complete my studies.�

Second, was what students referred to it as a simple and straight forward application process.

Asked to explain this in greater detail one of the students who participated in an extended

interview explained how easy it to get admission in a UK university is:

�In England, you apply direct to the institution of your choice and if you do it on line, the next

day you have a response and in many cases, if everything is OK, you get an offer before you

know it.�

Third was what students described as excellent teaching and learning environments in UK

Higher education. Critically this is a view which had obviously been influenced by their prior

and ongoing experience of UK Higher education. However, when we asked one of the

students to explain whether they felt this way prior to starting their course, he had this to say:

�Back home, images of quality education are associated with private education most of which

is offered by institutions with a British association.�

Among the other important reasons mentioned by students was the prospect of obtaining, not

just only an internationally recognised qualification, but also that of being exposed to an

international educational experience:

71

�There does not seem to be many countries in the world with such a rich diversity of cultures

living in one place. It�s (England) universities have the same international character. You get

a truly international experience studying here.�

Students consider that the best place to gain and international educational experience is the

UK. It appears that an international educational experience is one where people from

different cultural backgrounds exchange knowledge and understandings, first and foremost,

and are taught by a team of international experts. British lecturers are also seen as being at the

frontiers of their fields of expertise. �Labour market opportunities in terms of term time

employment and opportunities for progression beyond current levels of study are also seen as

important factors drawing these students from India to UK higher education� (Maringe and

Carter, 2007).

72

6.8 Recommendations:

1) Offering internship possibilities

This was both seen from the analysis of the industry and from contacted students. It was

discovered that work experience was though to give students more industry experience,

which in the end would give them an advantage on the marketplace. According to Jauhari

(2006) there is a real lack of quality industrial training in India. Internship in the industry

can be used as an important tool in shaping competencies of the managers Jauhari (2006),

and an important tool to increase the ability of students to critically reflect on the tourism

business (Tribe, 2001). Additionally, students see in internships a real opportunity for

being employed in the company after the end of the internships. Internships can also play

the role of brand ambassadors for the school and help construct a good network with

hotels and other types of companies related to tourism that will enable future contact.

Schools have developed strong connections with the industry as a result of internships

and industry specific education. For all these reasons, it is important that internships are

managed effectively, not only would it allow future internship possibilities, but it would

also amplify positive word-of-mouth of the course from students and companies.

2) Offering a 12 or 18 months courses

Because of the high level of tuition fee and the cost of living in the UK, the length of the

course is very important. Indeed the rather short 52 weeks long postgraduate courses

proposed impacts the comparative cost to going to other countries. These may appear

with much lower yearly costs but will see their total costs increase accordingly to the

length of the course. Furthermore, it was seen in our qualitative research that prospective

students see in a one year course the opportunity to have a job after the course instead of

the additional academic years if studied in another country. In this perspective, although

tuition fees and living costs are extremely high for Indians, the shorter length of the

course has in a way altered positively the overall perception of cost. This is extremely

important as the Indian market demands high quality but at an affordable price. However

it was also discussed as explained previously that offering an internship would be also

positively seen, especially in the case of a paid internship. Baring this in mind, the report

73

suggests the Department to offer courses of 12 or a maximum of 12+6 with the

availability (maybe on option) to do an internship.

3) Cross Border Delivery

The first possible mode would entail the use of the Information Communication

Technology as a means to deliver an educational service to Indian students. For this

method Universities would need to adopt a �distance education� approach. This would

inform the use of information and communication technologies in order to connect a

prospective student with educational resources and services. Rao (2006, p226) states that

Distance Learning is �any educational or learning process or system in that the teacher

and instructor are separated geographically or in time from his or her students�. Rao

(2006) explains that this distance education delivery can be achieved through integrating

various technologies that will range from various formats such as audio, internet, video,

satellites, interactive video / C.D. ROM, and postal services.

The benefit this mode of entry delivers is that it will distribute a quick delivery of a

course syllabus to any desired geographical location in a short period of time. Unlike

vocational course where only a physical number of students can be accommodated to the

parameters of an intuitions resource; through distance education an unlimited number of

students can now participate on a nation-wide basis. Distance education also provides

equal access to a designated market, which will also include populations in more remote

areas of India. The course material will also be available on demand due to any time

access to system's databases and communications facilities through e-mail and internet

browsers. These factors therefore provide the various UK Universities with an

increasingly cost effective measure of supplying a course to potential students that

otherwise would not be able to physically recruit to the universities in UK.

Lomine (2002) states that through research conducted at the University of Gloucestershire,

the delivery of online education proved to be one of great success. Lomine (2002) highlights

4 key factors that reinforced the success of online learning.

74

I.T Skills: Firstly �IT Skills�, it was noted that students were able to develop and hone

their I.T skills �directly and effectively� through online learning due to the nature of

the module.

Innovativeness: Students welcomed a break from the more traditional means of

�learning in a classroom� and found this means of learning more interesting an

dynamic similar to the learning attractiveness of watching a video or conducting in a

class field trip.

Flexibility: The flexibility of online leaning greatly appealed to students as factors

such as not being stuck to a routine of being in the same classroom at the same time,

arrangements could be worked around the time scheduling of the module, as internet

access meant that the course could be accessed from a students home or any other

convenient internet access point thus the point being reinforced that �what matters is

the work done and the learning experience, not their presence in a university

classroom� (Lomine 2002).

Support: Lastly Lomine (2002) identifies that students achieve greater �support� through

online learning. By support Lomine (2002) refers to the support of �working online� as

this fundamentally aids the learning process the student will go through, as the student

will be able to have a better grasp of the course and better understand the objectives of the

module as by learning online the student can move back and forward between concept

and theories at his/her own pace (Lomine 2002).

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4) Commercial Presence

Universities can opt for is an entry method in to the Indian market with the purpose to

create a commercial presence within the Indian market. This can be done through 2

primary functions.

(a) Franchising:

The first of these commercial presence methods Universities could adopt is

franchising. By franchising its courses to independent or public funded institutions in

India will allow strong relationships to be built with foreign universities and in

particular India. Goodall (1994) states that by franchising institutions will be able to

achieve 3 major objectives synonymous with all higher educational institutions: these

being firstly broaden the range of courses that Universities can offer; improve the

status and brand image of the institution and finally to widen the target market.

Goodall (1994) points out that if this entry mode is to be endorsed, then strong and

efficient management of information and communication must be utilised by the host

and franchisee institution as a breakdown in the franchise process will ultimately lead

to dissatisfaction with the courses offered.

(b) Twinning:

Twinning arrangements between two institutions refers to where a student�s degree

course entitles that student to perform part of their degree at their local institution and

another part at a partnered foreign institution. Mazzarol (1996) uses the simple

definition, �whereby two institutions collaborate in the provision of a degree from one

of the institutions�. Mazzarol (1996) explains that by using twinning arrangements

institutions collaborate with foreign institutions in the sense of �strategic alliances�.

This will provide universities with the opportunity to benefit from alliances that will

fulfil goals and help with the strategic direction the institution wishes adopt. Using an

example based on the twinning arrangements set by Indian university, Manipal; the

following arrangements outline 2 commonly but differently used course twinning

strategies that an institution can adopt (www.manipal.edu).

76

Allowing, Indian students to pursue the first term in an Indian institution, and the

second term in a foreign university, where the foreign university awards the student

with the actual degree.

Mazzarol (1996) explains that educational alliances provide firstly greater access for foreign

students to study abroad and also provide foreign students with lower costs in which they can

pursue at foreign universities; as without twinning arrangements, foreign university fees may

be too high and may deter students from applying to respective foreign institutions due to

these high fees.

Therefore twinning arrangements provide greater penetration and easier access to foreign

student markets that they wish to pursue.

5) Offering flexible payment method:

According to our primary research, Indian students may prefer and select a University

that offers the possibility of paying their tuitions fees in instalment as this was much

easier for them. Hence, we recommend that the universities continue and seek for new

methods of payment to offer more flexible payment method; a possibility for example

would be to accept payment once they graduate and found a job.

77

Chapter 7:

7.1 Overview:

This chapter will summarize the analysis and findings of the research giving suggestions for

further research.

7.2 Conclusions:

Institutions need to ensure that their marketing and promotion is undertaken in an efficient

manner and the quality claims be substantiated (Mazzarol and Geoffrey, 2002). Especially in

Indian Market, an important aspect where the universities need to work on and in-fact have

already recognized the need to improve is that of the role of agents. The Indian market is

dominated by agents and the Indian student largely depends on and uses the services offered

by the agents. The British council has recognized the fact and have set out various objectives

to improve the current situation.

The �pull� factors discussed in the literature are extremely important in ensuring foreign

students choosing UK as their choice of destination for higher education. Awareness and

reputation of the host country and its institutions is critical. Key influences are personal

recommendations or word-of-mouth referrals of former alumni (Mazzarol and Geoffrey,

2002). Because of the recent trend in government policies in most Asian countries, especially

India, they have witnessed a significant up gradation of the local supply-side of education at

all levels (more and more private institutions are opening). This trend is likely to continue

and host countries are participating and developing branch campuses in theses source

countries (World Bank, 1992). Therefore it can be anticipated that over time the impact of

�push� factors as discussed before will be of lesser importance. As previously mentioned by

achieving total satisfaction for students, will result in satisfied Indian consumers. These

students will begin to formulate an alumni base that will provide a means for positive �word-

of-mouth� in the spread of educational pursuits. As observed with the help of primary

research, the Indian student represents a market driven by �word-of-mouth�, thus, if a positive

�word-of-mouth� alumni base is achieved, greater awareness levels will be achieved with

potential students who in turn will be encouraged to pursue their higher education in the UK

by this satisfied alumni base and ultimately add to this alumni base that will further spread

and communicate the strengths and positives of studying in the UK.

78

Source: Author

Figure 7.1 Positive Word-of-Mouth Cycle

If the universities can successfully achieve and implement the proposed strategy of

strengthening the alumni network in the host country then positive word of mouth referrals

will not only spread amongst Indian student networks but student networks over global

markets.

79

1) Delivering an international HE experience:

The universities need to evaluate if the institutional programmes being offered by them

have the desired international element. With the help of this research and previous

researches we understand that students already have a partial view of how international

education is supposed to be. To have a large number of international students does not

constitute of an international higher education experience, the curriculum of the courses

need to be international as well. A key aspect which these students consider important is

that their education should put them in better stead back home. This is perhaps an issue of

curriculum development worth considering and enhancing the international appeal of post

graduate programmes.

2) Information requirements for informed decision making:

From the data given and the research conducted the importance of information

dissemination can be determined. Institutions need to ensure that not only is information

made available, but also the right information. Students are keen to know about the

quality of the courses and how they compare with other providers, employment

opportunities for graduates, progression opportunities (UK COSA, 2004),

accommodation and labour market aspects. Most importantly institutions which will be

seeking to expand their Indian recruitment markets will need to develop creative financial

packages (like more scholarships and bursaries, financial aid, payments in instalments

etc.) to help fund the Indian student.

Finally, an important element in the development of higher education globally is

internationalisation of education. As markets grow and develop, so should the understanding

of those markets. It is only when institutions have a full understanding of the markets they

serve, that they can begin to provide a higher education that is both relevant and meaningful

to international students. Equally, it is through such understanding that institutions can begin

to market appropriately to the needs of emerging consumers and markets and begin to address

the contemporary international recruitment concept of responsible recruitment.

80

To conclude we have identified that the Indian student market presents an extremely viable

market which provides great potential for the Universities in UK to penetrate with their

activities and resources.

81

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Appendix:

Appendix 1 � British Council

The British council offices are set up in the 4 metropolitan cities and have 7 libraries providing information about the British universities. The British council provides all the information about the universities in UK. They help the students in the initial procedure but students have to search all the information. Therefore it provides the Indian students with 11 British libraries which allows them the following services

" Borrow books " fully automated library " answer Queries on request " access an increasing electronic resource collection " get information about studying in the UK " apply for a scholarship programme " work with other professionals in your area of interest " Photocopying " Reserve the book you are looking for " Renew your books by phone, fax or email " Borrow books from any of our 11 libraries in the country " Buy the books withdrawn from the Library collection at a discounted price

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British Fair

The British universities carry out a fair twice in a year in the 4 metropolitan cities in the month of February and November.

Interview with the British council

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Criteria�s

British Council 2(Delhi and Chandigarh)

Relationship

It has a effect but not to those people who like the course content and trust the accreditation and willing to study expert faculties of the University

Obtaining a foreign degree/ degree not available in India

The degree isn�t available in India. And when the student has a foreign degree is valued more in its home country. 90% of the students go to study to UK for these reasons. When a student obtains a foreign degree he automatically keeps in mind the culture lifestyle and adapts to the environment. These things go hand in hand when a person obtains a foreign degree.

Cost of living/ accommodation

The cost of living in UK is much expensive as compared to India. Though the universities provide campus accommodations students fell that they are expensive and can get a cheap private accommodation. That is why the student is very choosy about the place.

Working opportunities/ work permit

Any industry requires experience. Because of the change in government policies and the easy access to funds students are being able to go there and study. Therefore to pay back their loan and for future career prospects 70% of the students keep this in mind. They would even prefer that they have a work permit to work in that country unless they cannot work. British government allows international students to work 20 hours in a week. Having a work permit during or after the course is one of the most import issue seen by 95% of students before deciding the university.

Climates/Location There haven�t been changes seen in the students decision in the past regarding the location and the climate because they have this general perception that the country is cold a degree or two up or down doesn�t matter. There are about 20 to 25% students who are very choosy about the location.

Ranking All students wish to go to the top rates universities. The students who are not willing to pay the fees offered by the top ranked university or the students who don�t have a good score in academics do not consider ratings.

Placement/ Internship Students feel that need to practice along with the course as their course demands it. Therefore students prefer going to universities who offer placements and internship. The universities are changing their pattern and are starting to offer it.

Course length/ Course content

90% of the students want the course length to be of 12 months and that is why they go to British universities. There is a ratio of 1:1 of students wanting to have general and specific course content. The times in the near future are changing and people will want to do more specific courses

Tuitions fees/ Scholarships/ Loans

Students are willing to pay as per their capacity. All students are generally ready to pay between 6,500 to 9000 pounds. The government and private banks has given various opportunities to students by proving them long term loan so that they can spend for their fees. The British government also allows them scholarship as per their qualification. Therefore for many students� tuition fees, bank loans and scholarships are interlinked

Agencies 80% of the Indian students apply through agencies. This is because it is easy with the application and communication with the university. The agencies handle 70% of the whole procure. But in British council the student has to do a lot of research and do self applications.

IELTS/ TOEFL There is an entrance exam required to enter the British universities The

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Appendix 2 � Agency:

Agencies are used as an intermediaries channel for the students to reach the university. There are a number of universities in the United Kingdom therefore it is very difficult for the students to capture the whole market and find out about the course, location, reputation, and accreditation etc. Therefore private investors came into existence and opened counselling agencies. They began to match the students need with the universities need. As the number of students going abroad increased the competition between the agencies also increased and many agencies came into existence and it became as a business. Later the agencies began to tie up with the University.

No of Agents Year 1999 Year 2006

40 150

There are many places where the agencies are not opened yet but through their website the student can apply and seek all sort of information.

Idea Generation - Student makes the decision to go and study abroad speaks to the family member of friends.

Idea Screening � Beginning to search information during this time friend and relatives play an important role they generally recommend universities/agencies they have heard of been to. After knowing everyone�s views the student selects the agency.

Approach Agencies- visit 2-3 agencies and then decide upon the final one

Fees by agencies � generally agencies don�t charge any counselling fees as the university pays them 10% of the fees of each student sent as commission.

Students are also concerned about how they will recover the amount to repay the study loan they have taken out with the support of their parents or sponsors. Therefore the agency are very mindful that a qualification from a British university for example is a life long investment and will continue, throughout a student�s lifetime and career, to open doors to opportunities for employment and promotion.

First step � to know the students background

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The counsellor at the agency first wants to know what the student wishes to do and what his if professional and educational background.

The students would generally say that would like to apply to the top university or would like to go to the one of the top 5 rated universities.

Agency brief

The agency then tells them the procedure that the agency would help them with.

" Inform them the most popular countries student prefers to go. " Inform them different universities. " Help them short list it " Applications to universities " Giving any entrance test required " Receiving the conditional/ unconditional letter " To accommodation " Fees payment " Finally visa.

Problem:

The drawback here is the basic entry requirement is first class and IELTS score of 7 bands. In-case the student doesn�t have first class and still wishes to apply the agency tells them through experience that they will not agree or will not take. So even if there are chances of the university taking it into consideration the student has already lost a chance. Many of the counsellors at the agencies have studied abroad themselves. Different agency ranks each university differently. Therefore the student who depends only on the agency will not be able to see the true picture. Some claim to have offices in UK to provide support to students who go there to study. They say that students can even get spot admissions by University staff members from the UK visiting their offices. A research shows that students are not happy and do not trust the agencies and believe that they send students were they get more commission.

No of Indian Students Study in UK Year 2002 Year 2006

65% 80%

Advertising:

The agencies use all possible means to advertise themselves so that students can come to them and the universities benefit tying up with them. The different methods used to advertise their agency are as follows.

" Banners at all places " Send handouts " TV / Radio advertisements " Say that they Have authority to recommend waiver of IELTS/TOEFL. " Provide personalized coaching for GRE/GMAT/SAT/TOEFL/IELTS through

preparatory material and CD's by experienced faculty and well-equipped library. " Word of mouth � very important when a student has a good experience with the

agency.

92

" Call final year undergraduates and ask whether they are interested " Put up notices in universities.

Interview with the Chopra Agency.

The Criteria�s Agency experience of the years that suggests: Popular countries Students generally prefer going to USA the second options is UK. Australia has

began to give competition to both the countries in this filed.

Qualifications

People who apply are generally people who are not of the similar background but who apply for Masters as they wish to change their stream because of interest, opportunities, diversification etc. Students apply for the courses only as a reason to enter the country, international exposure etc.

Willing to pay

Students are generally willing to pay 6000 to 8000 pounds. Students only who do not take a loan or if the university ranks in the top 5 � 10 in the world are willing to pay more.

Ranking The ranking of the university does matter the most. Not for students who do not have a first class in under graduation.

Course Length Students generally prefer a 12 month courses and an 18th month if there are placements or internship.

Job opportunities Play an important role because at the completion of the course and looking for full time experience in this field is what matters. And going back to India with international work experience makes no sense.

Course Content The course content is very essential to those students who have studied in the past from the same background. doing masters they need to be specific and do not want to repeat what they have studied in past

Previous relationship/ Word of mouth

Yes for Indian student�s word of mouth and previous relation experience plays the most important role in deciding the university

Living costs

It does play a very important role especially when a student goes to UK it living cost is highest among all countries. Where the accommodation, living cost, and job opportunities are interlinked.

Entrance exam They students not to take an entrance exam. As a compulsion by the universities the student prefers give IELTS or TOFFLE and only 25% of the

93

students clear GMAT.

Existing Indian communities

Not a very important role as the students knows and goes there for cultural diversification. Only matters if there is racism in the country.

Culture (lifestyle) Not a very important role as the students knows and goes for environmental change.

Reasons of going to study abroad.

The student who generally goes for only four reasons. 1. international exposure 2. experience 3. additional degree on CV 4. cultural diversity

Work The work advantages the student gets in UK is that they are paid much more they can earn in India both as part time and full time.

94

Appendix 3- Country wise number of students studying in Foreign Universities:

95

Appendix 4: Questionnaire to students who got an unconditional offer and did not come to the Universities in the UK:

96

First Step � Background:

Educational and Professional background of interviewees before applying to the UK.

Second Step - Research Process:

Description of the process used from problem recognition to application to one University

Third Step: Research of Information (channels used for other reason please mention):

Did you visit British Council?

Did you research information through an Agency?

Did you apply through an Agency?

Agency impact, how did you hear of agency, choice of agency, WOM, promo, etc?

How important was people relationship?

Any other channels used for information gathering or for application? Ex newspapers, websites (which ones)

Fourth Step: Evaluating Information:

What kind of course were you interested in? More specific, more general

What kind of course content would be important? Internship, Double Diploma (with other University)

What is more important for you? Length of course, course content

Are you working part time? How important was that in deciding of a place to study?

Why did you want to purse higher education abroad?

Obtaining Foreign Degree ,Discover a new environment, Working opportunities overseas ,Degree not available in India , Others

Fifth Step: UK or Not:

Why did you not come to UK?

Why did you apply to the UK?

Is the course expensive?

Sixth Step: Overall recommendations by all interviewees:

How could the Universities been more appealing to you?

What recommendation do you give to Universities in The UK?

Responses from the interviewees

First Step -Background Information

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Interviews NO

Past education Present education Work Past/ Present Future plans

1.

Bachelor in Business Administration (India)

Master in Marketing University of Melbourne

Today working as a marketing assistant.

Start own business.

2. Bachelors in Hotel Management (India)

- Supervisor in Taj Hotel in India. Today working in Thistle Hotel full time.

Planning to do Masters in Business Management.

3. Bachelors of Commerce (India)

Masters in Finance, National University of Singapore.

Export business in India. Not working part time with the course.

Work

4. Bachelors of Commerce and Chattered Accountancy Course (India)

- -


- Helping his father in family business.

Planning to do Masters in Hotel and Tourism in Strathclyde next year.

6. Bachelors in Food and Nutrition (India)

Masters in Marketing, University of Monash

Worked as a Dietician in Talwalkars fitness Centre India Working part time in Mc Donald�s.

Planning to take up a job in a company as a Marketing Manager

7. Bachelor in Economics Masters of Business Administration in Marketing (India)

Masters of Business Administration (USA)

- Planning to work in a well renowned company after the course

8. Bachelor in Business Administration (India)

- -

At a higher position.


- - Planning to work in a well renowned company.

Second Step - Research Process

Description of the process used from problem recognition to application to one University

98

Interviews NO

First Step Second Step Third Step Fourth Step Sponsors

6. Wanted to do Finance but was not sure whether will get in so applied to Marketing as well

Contacted Study Overseas Agency

Searched the net. Found many people currently studying in university.

Applied to Strathclyde - University of Nottingham -Monash University,

Loan

Interviews NO

First Step Second Step Third Step Fourth Step Sponsors

1. Want to expand the business Needed International exposure

Searched the internet Saw the rating Saw the course content fees

Evaluated all the information Made self application

4 University listed - UTS, Australia - Strathclyde - Bournemouth - University of Melbourne.

Own Business

2. Wanted to do MBA. Felt UK would be the best option. Had a couple of friends in UK which was influential.

Contacted various agencies. Visited the British Council twice.

Was informed that MBA needed work experience

2 University listed - University of Nottingham - Strathclyde

Loan

3. Wanted to change the current field

Visited the British Council Contacted Global Reach Agency

Evaluated the information. Relative had an influence.

5 University listed - Strathclyde - LBS - NUS, Singapore - University of Auckland, New Zealand.

Parents

4. Childhood dream to study in UK background)

Visited the British Council Contacted Chopras Agency

Searched the internet Approached a couple of friends for advice

4 University listed - Strathclyde - Sheffield - Bournemouth - Liverpool

Parents & Loan

5. Felt the industry was fast blooming and that there were many opportunities in it.

Contacted Overseas Education Agency

Applied along with a friend who was interested in doing the same course and university

2 University listed - University of Nottingham -Cardiff

Loan

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Australia. 7. Wanted to study

further Going to USA was difficult The second best option was UK

Visited the British Council Searched the British Library. Attended the British fair.

Searched the net Meet the university representatives at the fair Made self application

4 University listed - Strathclyde - John & Will (USA) - Birmingham - Leeds

Loan & Scholarship

8. Wanted an international Exposure. Going to USA was difficult The second best option was UK

Contacted Edwise International Agency

Evaluated the information. Found out a number of job opportunities.

2 University listed - Strathclyde - University of Nottingham

Parents & Loan

9. Wanted to change the current field Felt commerce was fast blooming and that there were many opportunities in it.

Visited the British Council. Attended the British fair. Contacted Campus Abroad Agency

Evaluated the information.

4 University listed - Leeds - Strathclyde - Bournemouth

Self

Third Step: Research of Information (channels used for other reason please mention)

Interviews British Council Agencies Alumni and Additional

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NO and Library / Fair

Relationship Channels

1. - - - - Searched educational websites - went through the newspaper Education times.

2. Visited the British Council twice. Could not get specific information

Chopra Agency � applied because a friend went through it. The lady at the agency what not very co-operative and did not have the whole information.

Many friends were applying along with me to many parts of UK.

Google � no clear ranking of the universities Newspaper � Educational times .

3. Visited the British Council twice. Not very satisfactory.

Global Reach Agency- Saw advertisement around the city. Delayed in giving me the feedback from the universities.

Yes was influenced with an uncle staying in UK and forced to decide the university near to the relative.

-

4. Visited 2-3 times. They recommended Chopra Agency.

Chopra Agency � Applied as the agency said that the university is highly rated. Totally dependant on the agency.

Friend in past studied in UK and recommended it.

Searched internet a little

5. - Overseas Education Agency � a friend was applying through the same agency. Totally dependant on the agency.

Had a friend who was going together and was applying to same universities and colleges.

-

Interviews NO

British Council and

Agencies Alumni and Relationship

Additional Channels

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Library / Fair 6. - Study Overseas

Agency � heard through friends � responded well. Totally dependant on the agency.

- Searched the internet for job opportunities and not for course and universities.

7. Visited a number of times was informed about the British fair attended (February)

- Had a couple of friends in UK but they did not have any influence

- Searched educational websites for the rankings. - went through the newspaper Education times no ads.

8. - Edwise International Agency � a friend Totally dependant on the agency as assured that I will definitely get in.

- -

9. Visited the British Council a couple of times were informed about the British fair attended (February).

Campus Abroad Agency � a friend had applied through it in past.

A friend who was studying a different course said the university was really good.

- Searched educational websites

Fourth Step: Evaluating Information

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Interviews No

Course More Specific/General

Course Content Internship, Double Diploma, Placement

Length of the course 12 month/ 18 month

/ 24 month 1. More Specific Placement and work during

the course.

12 month

2. More General

Placement 18 month

3. More Specific

Double Diploma 24 month

4. More Specific

Placement 12 month

5. More General

Live project with the course 18 month

6. More General

Internship 12 month

7. More Specific

Placement or Internship 18 month

8. More Specific

Placement and work during the course.

12 month

9. More General

Live project with the course 12 month

Interviews No

Working Part-time

Was it a deciding factor during applications?

1. Yes

No- as have my own business

2. Yes

Yes - as to pay back the loan

3. No

No - do not wish to work during course

4. No

No - wish to concentrate on my studies first

5. No

No � would go there and search

6. Yes

Yes � wanted to earn money as well as study

7. Yes

Yes - as to pay back the loan

8. Yes

Yes � as experience in this field matters

9. No No - wish to concentrate on my studies first + 1st option + + + + 4th option

+ + 2nd option + + + + + 5th option

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+ + + 3rd option + + + + + + last option

Interviews No

Reasons to purse higher education.

1. Experience, International exposure, Degree not available in India, New environment, Accreditation

2. All friends were in UK, Job Prospects, Experience, International exposure, New environment

3. Childhood dream, Experience, International exposure

4. Experience, International exposure, Degree not available in India , New environment, Accreditation

5. Experience, International exposure, Degree not available in India

6. Expérience, International exposure, Cultural Diversified environment

7. Degree not available in India, Accreditation,New environment

8. Experience, Accreditation, International exposure, New enviornment, Job opportunities

9. Discovering new environment, to understand a diversified culture and also to interact with people from different parts of the world.

Interviews No

Course content

Job opportunities

Reputation Location Accommodation Tuition fees

1. + + +

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

2. + + + + + +

+ + + +

+ + + + + + + + + + +

3. + + + + +

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

4. ++

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

5. + + + + + + + +

+ + + + + + + + + + + + +

6. + + +

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

7. +

+ + +

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

8. + + + +

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

9. +

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

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Fifth Step: UK or Not

Interviews No

Why did you not come to the UK Is the course

expensive 1. Because got into University of Melbourne

University in the UK did not offer nor did negotiate and offer discount of 1000 pound

Yes

2. Wanted an MBA course and the agency discouraged me to apply for an MBA By the time I communicated with the university and applied to MBA I had already got a full time offer from UTS, Australia.

Yes

3. Wanted to come to the UK but was forced by uncle who convinced my father to send me to the university near to his place (Singapore)

Yes

4. Was very keen to come to the UK Did applications in the month of December and got a reply in June after paying the fees in another university.

No

5. Had some financial problems and the paper work could not get completed Planning to come next year

Yes

6. Wanted to MSc in Finance and was doubtful to get it and did not want to waste year so applied as a back up to Marketing Studying at Monash University, Australia.

Yes

7. Was very keen to come to the University of Manchester Did applications in the month of March made unlimited calls to ask about the decision. The course was to commence on 28th September and I got the offer on 1st September after paying the fees in USA

No

8. My first choice was the UK, but looking at the course content and the fees Structure I decided to opt for a University in the Australia.

No

9. I had got offer from all the three universities that I applied to and was planning to come to UK but I had a problem with my VISA and couldn�t make it through for September 2006 intake. So the next best option in front of me was Australia which had a January 2007 intake.

No

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Sixth Step: Overall recommendations by all interviewees

To provide more efficient service in responding to the students

Advertise using print media like newspapers, educational magazines

Advertise with the help of British Council Fair

Improve the websites of the universities

Make information more accessible on the websites.

Follow up on students who are selected

Encourage and ensure greater efficiency from the agent, develop better agent networks

Set up offices in India

Information dissemination

Hold seminars in renowned and reputed colleges and schools

Better and more unique courses

Offer more scholarships and financial aid

Flexible methods of paying tuition fees

Reduce the tuition fees; make it comparable to home students.

Inform more and more students about advantages of studying abroad

Provide placement

Make a live project during the resulting in actual experience and theoretical knowledge

Ensure that agencies do not misguide students

Fees should be same for all students

Ranking of the universities to be made available on the internet

Better utilization of the British councils

Keep university representatives at the British councils

Hold seminars, at least once a year And advertise well before that date.

Reduce communication gap.

Remove as many intermediaries channels as possible

Ensure ethnic diversity in the courses and the universities

Cultural diversification of students in the courses is extremely important.

Develop an active alumni base.

Develop positive Brand Image as word of mouth lays an important role in India. E.g. blogging sites

Advertise in educational magazines and local newspapers

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Appendix 5 � Primary research:

Summary of the interview from a member of the university

Indian Market

Indian Market: $ Most Demand $ It is a market for postgraduate institutional courses $ Has a growing economy industry

! Yet not choosing UK

$ Want short term vocationally focused courses Indian Choice Criteria:

$ Main attraction: Course Content , Size of the Department, number of academic staff, facilities, choice of electives

$ Research Rankings, Teaching assessment irrelevant for Master

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Appendix 6 � Focus Group

Summary of Focus Group with Students studying in University of Nottingham

Questions Student 1 Student 2

Background Educational / Work

Bachelor in BBA administration 3 year (Business Administration) Worked 3 months in a company, in India

Degree in Sciences

Today�s career

Masters degree in UK

Masters degree in UK

Future

Find a job in UK after the course Back to India, and work in management or commerce related field for a multi national company

Research Process First Step

Research of specific course of interest (human resources)

Want to work in a multi national company. Decided to do a Master�s Degree abroad for International Experience and to enhance CV

Second Step

Research schools that presented Masters in that domain.

Sister told him that he should study in a country where the first language was English. Started by researching English speaking countries

Third Step

Research of information � internet Getting in touch with students who are/have studied there (blog, e-mailing, intermediary)

Contacted a friend studying in the UK Went to British Consulate libraries (but not too much information) Doesn�t trust Agency but relationship very important

Fourth Step

Evaluated information Evaluated information

Fifth Step

University choice University choice

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Questions Student 1 Student 2

Research British Council Used more for general information.

Gives a neutral point of view. Only facts, no comments.

Not much help, neither much information on a subject nor Course

Agencies

Provide help with the process, exams that have to be taken, submission of fees, getting an airline ticket, visa chosen from newspapers, business magazines, undergraduate promotions (in Universities)

Knowledge of their importance Work only for Students wanting to go Internationally, and often country based Commercial, don�t always have a good image among students. Unsure about advise

Alumni & Relationship

Research alumni to discuss about schools Used as a second means of information but has the biggest impact

Is of utmost importance. Rely on people they trust.

Evaluating Information

Course Course Content was the most important

Masters degrees abroad

University

Checking university rankings, reputation

The University offers the possibility of paying in instalments.

Country UK institutions offer better courses and a highly qualified staff and better future opportunities.

Looked countries with English as the first language, for example New Zealand and information on city.

External factors of influence

Previous relationship with one member of staff + WOM from previous students

Importance of WOM from brother + friend studying in the UK. WOM from trusted people, of utmost importance.

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Combined Outcome

Marketing

Promotion

$ Ranking of University, (in most cases which university is better heard of than the actual ranking) $ New possible channels: newspapers, education fairs, British Council

Advantages

$ UK $ Financially beneficial (one year course, payment in instalments) $ Positive effect from people-relationship (alumni, question/answer e-mail to staff, previous

relationship) Meeting Expectations

$ Expectations are met and even better $ Impressed with research facilities $ Difficulties with English academic requirements (PowerPoint presentations, referencing,

bibliography) $ High standard of education $ Added value to the CV, job prospects and skills in the industry. $ Delighted Students with the delivery

Recommendations

$ Need for very specialized degrees $ Better Promotion is needed $ Very interested for a work placement $ Not interested with a Double Diploma

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Appendix 7 - Source of tuition fees

international students motivations for studying in uk higher education

Documents