Recently I read an article in the Times Higher Education on a creeping "mission drift" in UK Universities. After reading it - I was intrigued to see the stated perception recruiting international students. The article states that Universities are not "profit maximising" operations, however one cannot ignore the fact that UK Unis are having to fend for themselves and the inclination to source a major chunk of the funding from students is apparent. So I wouldn't completely argue that Unis should not look at running operations the way a corporation does.
However I agree that recruiting international students should be done ethically and Unis have responsibility in educating students in what to expect right at the outset. This brings me to thinking about educating your audience. How important is "educating" the customer in the early stages of the purchasing cycle?
And shouldn't customers educate the sellers? Shouldn't expectations be made clear from the buyer? That also raises the question if the buyer knows what exactly he wants.. ! Where should Universities draw the line in pure commercialisation of offered courses/services to students - no matter from where they hail?
A paper on Ethical Marketing of Higher Education: What might be done to encourage its adoption? by Middlesex University and University of Notre Dame and published by the OECD outlines issues surrounding marketing with a moral sense in today's super competitive environment. It is pretty interesting to see the issues outlined and how leaders within institutions have a strong role in adhering to ethical marketing.
I think compared to faceless corporations, institutions are still in the clearer zone when it comes to delivering on promised dreams and my naive heart wants to believe that all of them do deliver on their basic promise of imparting education. Marketing with ethics, strong morals and pure intentions is not always possible and probably not always what the consumer/customer wants to hear either. But I think it is our responsibility to make sure we try to adhere to these guidelines as much as we can.
However I agree that recruiting international students should be done ethically and Unis have responsibility in educating students in what to expect right at the outset. This brings me to thinking about educating your audience. How important is "educating" the customer in the early stages of the purchasing cycle?
And shouldn't customers educate the sellers? Shouldn't expectations be made clear from the buyer? That also raises the question if the buyer knows what exactly he wants.. ! Where should Universities draw the line in pure commercialisation of offered courses/services to students - no matter from where they hail?
A paper on Ethical Marketing of Higher Education: What might be done to encourage its adoption? by Middlesex University and University of Notre Dame and published by the OECD outlines issues surrounding marketing with a moral sense in today's super competitive environment. It is pretty interesting to see the issues outlined and how leaders within institutions have a strong role in adhering to ethical marketing.
I think compared to faceless corporations, institutions are still in the clearer zone when it comes to delivering on promised dreams and my naive heart wants to believe that all of them do deliver on their basic promise of imparting education. Marketing with ethics, strong morals and pure intentions is not always possible and probably not always what the consumer/customer wants to hear either. But I think it is our responsibility to make sure we try to adhere to these guidelines as much as we can.
