Economic sciences / 6. Marketing and Management
Shevchenko L. S.
Doctor of Economic Sciences,
Full Professor,
Yaroslav the Wise National Law
University, Kharkiv, Ukraine
EDUCATIONAL MARKETING IN A SYSTEM OF UNIVERSITY
MANAGEMENT
Becoming of market relationships in the sphere of higher education,
realization of principles of academic, financial, organizational and personnel
autonomy of universities, competition between universities for bringing in of
future students – these and other arguments determine the necessity of
marketing approaches to university
management.
The first theoretical concept of
educational marketing was suggested by W. Zahers and F. Haberlin in 1980. The authors
differentiated: first, marketing educational activity of universities as part
of marketing services – for the purpose of selling educational services and
improving the educational climate in educational institutions, and secondly,
education as marketing instrument – use of modern teaching technologies in
order to attract or retain customers. In fact, the marketing activity of the
university is much broader than this understanding. It is necessary to analyze
marketing in higher education, which, in terms of its content, includes
educational, industrial and procurement marketing, each of which has its own
extensive system of forms and methods.
The educational marketing directs activity of university to the careful
study of educational market and
satisfaction of necessities of students as end-user of educational products and services. A
recipient of education is independent in his choice, but through marketing it is
possible to influence on forming of his necessities and tastes, motivation, behavior and
estimation of educational service. Such marketing is sometimes named the marketing of intake of students with
application of marketing instruments [1]. Some of
researchers acknowledge marketing in the sphere of education as the pedagogical marketing. They understand
under it the complex study of social demand on education: possible degree of demand
on those or other knowledge, the necessary level of training of listeners, forms
of studies and possibility of their improvement. The purpose of pedagogical
marketing is to create the educational establishment adapted to the modern
terms [2, p. 8]. But the institutes of higher education put before the
educational marketing also the special economic aims such as increase of profit
from the sale of educational services and cutback of spending of university due
to more rational use of marketing budget.
Realization of idea of the
educational marketing depends on features of educational market. Some of
scientists interprets it as a market of educational services and determines the
last as a process (activities) of creation of educational product. The expected
result is formed simultaneously by two parties – by producer and consumer of
educational service, which coordinate their activity, and each of partners is
of great value for other. In the process of teaching there are consumption
of intellectual potential of producer of educational product (of teacher) and
at the same time production of intellectual potential of consumer of
educational product (of student): forming of cognitive interest and various
abilities for labor, increase of qualification and professional skills,
development of personality of students. In such case the educational marketing
must be defined as the marketing of partner relations.
Other researchers consider that universities operate at the market of
educational products and offer to recipients of education:
1) Knowledge, skills, experience of students, created during the
consumption of educational service in form lectures, seminars and other like
it;
2) Competences that allow to student to realize successful professional
activity in different spheres;
3) Educational commodities in form of textbooks, methodical materials,
monographs, research and information
products (data bases, reference and information systems, informatively
thematic modules) which have typical descriptions of ordinary commodity [3; 4];
4) General and professional educational programs which
are developed by the university for satisfaction a requirement in education and
for achievement of certain social effect. Electing the certain university, a
student, in essence, elects the curriculum. The increase of level of education
or qualification, what student hopes to get as a result of its mastering, is
the measure of quality of the educational program. That is why the programs of
certain universities are more success, than other programs [5];
5) Humanitarian product as the graduating students and
teachers of new generation [6, p. 25].
Taking
into account such complication of educational suggestion, universities come
running to the use of a few types of marketing [2, p. 9].
Marketing of educational services is realization of
complex of measures in an educational process, directed on forming the
different professional qualities of recipients of education in accordance with
the aims of education.
Marketing of educational commodities is realization of
measures from advancement to the market of products of professional activity of
teachers and workers of educational establishments, which can be used
independently or in an educational process (educational programs, train aids,
didactics materials, and others like that).
Marketing of personality is advancement of
achievements and personality business qualities of the best teachers, educators
and guidance of educational institute.
Marketing of university is forming of popularity
of university depending on successes of educational activity and perspectives
of pedagogical approaches, business connections with other educational
institutes and social partners, which are instrumental in growth of authority
of university.
Marketing of industry is forming for the
students of understanding of prestige of specialization of knowledge exactly in
elected industry of economy, national and world prospects of its development.
Marketing of territories is forming of
model of city as an educational and scientific center, with opportunities of
employment and satisfaction of various intellectual necessities.
Lately
Ukrainian universities ran into the problem of educational migration of the
Ukrainian young people for a border. If in 2008 18 thousands of young
Ukrainians got education in Europe, in 2013 them there were already almost 29
thousands. It is necessary to use the international
educational marketing.
Marketing
of export of educational services and products means that the university activates
their educational and scientific contacts abroad, resorting to the
collaboration with foreign mediators and agents for advancement of the
educational services on the markets of other states. On the stage of indirect
export the university develops educational services as commodities for an
internal market and entrusts to commercial firms in other countries, which are
specialized on the grant of educational services, the doing international
operations. By such method there is «testing» of foreign markets of educational
services for the subsequent selection of most attractive and most profitable
educational services. On the stage of direct export the university creates the
special subsections, accountable for a sale and expansion on foreign
educational markets, gives consideration to the foreign buyers, although
domestic standards yet remain as base. On the stage of transnalization the university creates
the branches, subsections, educational establishments and others like that
abroad. It is the greatest level of penetration to the foreign markets of
educational services and influence on them. In activity of universities, which
spreads on a few countries of the world, we can see the basic signs of
marketing of transnational company.
Marketing
of import is the special form of international educational market. Its purposes
are providing of effective purchases of educational commodities and services
and protection of internal market from penetration of foreign subjects of
educational activity. For Ukraine this is important especially: in the
conditions of the expansion of sphere of requiring payment education the
Ukrainian universities became attractive for foreign providers of transnational
education. The
perceptible barriers of entrance of foreign universities to the Ukrainian
market of educational services are absent; according to rules of WTO the state
– members must not create artificial barriers to the reception (to the import)
on their territory of commodities and services, including educational. There is
not state strategy of forming and development of large national universities,
which would make a competition at the internal market for the foreign providers
of educational services.
The development of
marketing relationships requires the changes in university management, in
particular creation of the special marketing subsection and inculcation of
position of vice-president of university responsible for marketing.
References
1. Fox, K. (2012). Marketing of high
school: the experience of the United States. Human Capital and vocational
education, 1, 37-41 (in Russ).
2. Shemyatihina, L. Yu. (2007). Marketing in the education:
training complex. Yekaterinburg: GOU VPO "UkrGPU" (in Russ).
3. Dmitriev, V. (2012). Features
of the marketing concept of educational services. Retrieved from http://www.archive.nbuv.gov.ua/e-journal/ttmuo/2012_8/2.pdf (in Ukr.).
4. Dmitriev, V. (2012). Features
of educational market in higher education. Retrieved from http://www.narodnaosvita.kiev.ua/vupysku/18/statti/dmitriev.htm
(in Ukr.).
5. Ksenofontova, O. L. (2006).
Specificity of educational services: marketing aspect. Retrieved from http://www.main.isuct.ru/files/publ/snt/2006/02/HTM/45.htm
(in Russ).
6. Borisova, S. G. (2008). Evaluating
the effectiveness of marketing solutions in the sphere of education.
Novosibirsk: NSPU (in Russ).