C/M/305. Master’s Dissertation. An examination of the International Marketing functions in a Higher Education Institution.

This paper is a dissertation which aims to aims to explore the issues of the competitive environment in which colleges of Higher Education operate and of developing effective marketing strategy to attract international students to their institutions. It will also identify student perceptions of the marketing and resulting service they receive. The methodology explains and justifies the approach that has been taken by the author. The literary review and empirical research undertaken has explored the theory relating to strategy, the competitive environment, marketing and specifically to the marketing of services and of international marketing; in addition the research has identified issues that have been found to do with the marketing of higher education both to the domestic student and to those from other nationalities. There has been a review of the research that has been carried out previously into the Higher Education sector. Further secondary research was undertaken into the internet presence of HEIS on the internet. The primary research that has been carried out has established student perceptions of their experience at UK Colleges of Higher Education and their motivations for attending these institutions. The key for successful marketing seems to be that Higher Education Institutes must understand the competitive environment in order to plan their marketing strategies effectively. The task of developing competitive advantage via marketing strategies is one of complexity. This is due to the interrelation of the service providers and the difficulties in managing the quality of that service. It has been found that student perceptions and levels of satisfaction are related to the quality of the service.