Rene Descartes Essay - 611 Words

Rene Descartes Rene Descartes was a math philosopher, he was born in Toures, on March 31 1596, and he died at Stockholm on February 11 1650. His father was forced to spend half the year at Rennes, where he was a councilman. The rest of the time he spent with his family of Les Cartes at La Haye. Rene was the second child out of four kids. At the age of eight, he was sent to the Jesuit School at La Fleche. The school had very good education and discipline. On account of his delicate health, he was permitted to lie in bed until late in the mornings. In 1647, he visited Pascal, he told himself that the only way to do good work in math, and to keep his health was to never allow anyone to make him get up in the morning before he felt†¦show more content†¦The values of x and y determined the co-coordinates of a number of points which forms a curve, of which the equation f(x,y)=0 has a geometrical property. Rene said that a point in a space could be determined by three co-coordinates. Rene pointed out the very important facts that two or more curves can be referred to one and the same system of co-coordinates, and that the points in which two curves intersect can be determined by finding the roots common to their equations. Rene wrote three Geometric books. The first two are about analytical geometry, and the third is an analysis of algebra that was current then. Rene also paid particular attention to the theory of tangents to curves. Back then the current definition of a tangent at a point was a straight line through the point such that between it and the curve no other straight line could be drawn, that is the straight line of closet contact. Rene described his theory by giving the general rule for drawing tangents and normals to a roulette. The method that Rene used to find the tangent or normal at any point of a given curve was he determined the center and radius of a circle, which should cut the curve in two consecutive points. The tangent to the circle at that point will be the required tangent to the curve. In modern text books it isShow MoreRelated The Meditations by Rene Descartes1003 Words   |  5 PagesIn Descartes’ Meditations, his goal to prove the existence of things could only be accomplished if he was logical, clear, and correct in his thoughts and writings. The most important issues he noted were the threat of being deceived and the potential of being incorrect in his judgments, both of which would lead him into error. Error exists as a problem that individuals encounter on a regular basis, and it also exists as a focal point in Descartes’ Meditations. Descartes defines error as â€Å"a privationRead More Rene Descartes Essay1094 Words   |  5 PagesRene Descartes was a famous French mathematician, scientist and philosopher. He was arguably the first major philosopher in the modern era to make a serious effort to defeat skepticism. His views about knowledge and certainty, as well as his views about the relationship between mind and body have been very influe ntial over the last three centuries. Descartes was born at La Haye (now called Descartes), and educated at the Jesuit College of La Flà ¨che between 1606 and 1614. Descartes later claimedRead MoreEssay on Renà © Descartes759 Words   |  4 PagesRenà © Descartes Renà © Descartes was a French philosopher and also mathematician. His method of doubt led him to the famous cogito ergo sum when translated means I am thinking, therefore I exist. This cogito was the foundation for Descartes quest for certain knowledge. He explored doubt and how we can prove our own existence, by taking the first steps of scepticism. His book Meditations On First Philosophy, was written in six parts. EachRead More Rene Descartes Essay1271 Words   |  6 PagesI think, therefore I am Rene Descartes was a man obsessed with finding things out for himself, an intellectual who contributed to the field of psychology. Born in the 16th century, Descartes grew up in a society where ideas, thoughts and perceptions were not questioned but were supposed to be understood and supported. While growing up and through his studies, Descartes began to make strides in the fields of philosophy, mathematics and science. Descartes was a man who challenged accepted ideasRead MoreAppraisal of Renà © Descartes1209 Words   |  5 Pages Meditations on First Philosophy and The Passions of the Soul, Renà © Descartes lays out his views on the mind. Descartes is a dualist, specifically an interactionalist, which is someone who believes that mental states and physical states are distinct from one another, yet still affect each other. This view, however, faces significant obstacles, to which Descartes believes he has an answer for. In this paper I will outline Descartes’ argument for the distinctness between the mind and body, explicateRead MoreA Brief Biography of Rene Descartes1580 Words   |  6 Pagesworks of philosopher Rene Descartes, who had endorsed the mechanistic conception of the world and the human body by coining notions such as mind, substance, and the knowledge argument; although his notions were not always accepted, he managed to provide valid support. Born in France, Rene Descartes, dubbed The Father of Modern Philosophy was, in a way, a Renaissance man having contributed influence amongst subjects such science, mathematics, psychology, and philosophy. Descartes was the medium ofRead MoreA Brief Look at Rene Descartes829 Words   |  3 Pages Rene Descartes was a brilliant man who came up with many inventions and thoughts to put in people’s minds and let them ponder off and question life in itself. In one of the many things Rene Descartes created, he wrote a book called Discourse on the Method and Meditations. Descartes discusses how there are two main proofs of God’s existence, the casual argument in meditation three and the ontological argument in meditation five. There are a few differences between these two meditations and one isRead MoreThe Meditations of Rene Descartes Essay493 Words   |  2 PagesThe Meditations of Rene Descartes In 1916 Rene Descartes wrote What I wish to finish is . . . an absolutely new science enabling one to resolve all questions proposed on any order of continuos or discontinuous quantities. (p8 Methods Meditations). He made this ambitious statement at the young age of twenty-three. Renes ambition would take him far but it kept him from becoming the Aristotle of the modern age. The Meditations were an attempt to solve the many questions about life, existenceRead MoreRene Descartes and John Locke698 Words   |  3 PagesRene Descartes was a highly influential French philosopher, mathematician, scientist and writer. Many elements of his philosophy have precedent in late Aristolelianism and earlier philosophers like St. Augustine. Descartes was a major figure in 17th century continental rationalism, later advocated by Baruch Spinoza and opposed by the empiricist school of thought consisting of Locke, Berkeley, and Hume. His most famous statement is: Cogito ergo sum, translation in En glish I think therefore I am.Read MoreEssay about Rene Descartes1730 Words   |  7 PagesRene Descartes was born on March 31, 1596 in La Haye Touraine, France. Descartes was considered a jack of all trades, making major contributions to the areas of anatomy, cognitive science, optics, mathematics and philosophy. He has been referred to as the father of modern rationalism, soldier of fortune, scholar, pilgrim, traveler, and a firm adherent of the Roman Catholic faith. He was educated at the Jesuit college of La Fleche in Anjou. He entered the college at the age of eight years, just

Higher Education Marketing Mix Free Essays

CHAPTER 3 MARKETING’S ROLE IN HIGHER EDUCATION 3. 1 INTRODUCTION Chapter 2 introduced some of the major changes and trends that have taken place in the higher education environment both internationally and locally. Although higher education institutions can be classified as non-profit organisations, the challenges discussed in Chapter 2 necessitate higher education institutions to take on the organisation-like behaviour of profit organisations and to become more marketingoriented. We will write a custom essay sample on Higher Education Marketing Mix or any similar topic only for you Order Now An understanding of the environment in which higher education institutions operate, provides an essential background against which to understand and assess the benefits of focusing on students as customers. If higher education institutions understand the landscape in which they operate, they can begin to plan to serve the market effectively and efficiently with their marketing strategy. Being marketingoriented requires that organisations have knowledge on external forces (as explained in Chapter 2), but also knowledge on customers’ needs and wants (to be addressed in Chapter 4). It is against this backdrop of changes in the environment, such as the decrease in government funding and the increase in competition, that the need for marketing in higher education can be seen. In order to survive and to develop a sustainable competitive advantage in a changing higher education landscape, higher education institutions should satisfy the needs of their customers by adding value. Institutions should provide more benefits to their customers than competitors if they want to stay competitive. In the competitive environment in which higher education institutions operate (refer to Chapter 2), enhanced customer satisfaction may be one of the ways in which institutions can create and sustain a competitive advantage. This can be achieved with the effective application of the marketing mix elements. Marketing, and more specific a market-orientation, can provide a detailed understanding of the needs of ustomers and ensure that higher education institutions address the needs in as – 73 – efficient and comprehensive manner as possible. In short, higher education institutions need to set marketing objectives and formulate a marketing strategy. Given the market-oriented focus and importance of the marketing mix elements, the main focus of this chapter will be on higher education institutions’ formulation and implementation of the elements of the services marketing mix. This chapter will explore the literature available on the changing role of marketing, the marketing concept, market- and marketing-orientation, consumer behaviour and the integration of all the units of a higher education institution to formulate a service product strategy, price strategy, distribution strategy, communication strategy, people strategy, physical evidence strategy and process strategy in order to meet the needs of students. 3. 2 THE CHANGING ROLE OF MARKETING Marketing plays a major role in any organisation and is viewed by Lamb et al. 2004:5) as a process that starts with identifying customer groups, finding out about their needs and wants, matching what the organisation can offer with what the customer wants and then effectively communicating and selling it to the customer. Although the primary aim of marketing is to satisfy the needs of customers, it involves a cluster of activities such as product/service innovation, design, development, distribution, advertising, selling and how the product/service is acquired and used by the customer. Machado and Cassim (2002:2) regard marketing as the process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion and distribution of ideas, goods and services to create exchanges that satisfy individual and organisational objectives. Mowen (1995:7) states that the importance of understanding consumer behaviour is found in the definition of marketing as a human activity directed at satisfying needs and wants through a human exchange process. Effective marketing requires a higher education institution to identify their target audiences, understand them, and communicate with them as directly and interactively as possible (Laurer, 2006). According to Shoemaker (1999), marketing is the proactive management of the relationship between a higher education institution and its various – 74 – markets by using the tools of marketing: service product, place, price, promotion, process, people and physical evidence. Marketing’s greater contribution lies in its ability to facilitate the exchange process that takes place between the non-profit organisation such as the higher education institution, and each of the customer groups it addresses (Sargeant, 2005:295). Marketing can provide a detailed understanding of the needs of such customers and ensure that the institution addresses these needs in as efficient and comprehensive manner as possible. This understanding of customers’ needs can aid organisations in creating and sustaining a competitive advantage. Lynch and Baines (2004:171) found that higher education institutions’ sustainable competitive advantages are usually based on superior knowledge, reputation, innovation or architectural related advantages. However, marketing is not stagnant and over the years the marketing activities of organisations have changed. Kolter (2003) and Strydom, Jooste and Cant (2000:10) identify four stages that strongly influence the evolution of organisations’ marketing activities. These stages are referred to as production, sales, marketing and societal marketing. The production orientation focuses on the internal capabilities of the organisation rather than the needs of the market, while a sales orientation is based on the premise that people will buy more if aggressive sales techniques are used. Both of these orientations lack a customer focus. Organisations realise the importance of marketing and building long-term relationships with their customers; thus, a marketing orientation. The societal marketing orientation builds on the marketing orientation but adds that customer value must be delivered in such a way that it maintains or improves the society’s wellbeing. According to Kotler and Fox (1995:11), there are also definite stages in the evolution of marketing in higher education. The focus has moved from â€Å"marketing is unnecessary† to â€Å"marketing is promotion† to â€Å"marketing is positioning† to the stage where in some cases marketing is seen as part of strategic planning for higher education institutions. Law (2002:4) is of the opinion that higher education institutions in South Africa are moving from â€Å"marketing is promotion† to more emphasis on positioning and strategic planning. This stage is also described as the â€Å"marketing company† era. The marketing – 75 – ompany era is characterised by short- and long-term marketing planning and the whole organisation’s efforts are guided by the marketing concept (Perreault McCarthy 2002:34). The marketing concept is a management philosophy with the basic premises that an organisation needs to research the needs and wants of customers and then produce products or services that will satisfy these needs and wants (Strydom, Jooste Cant, 2000:12; and Kohli Jaworski, 1990:467). The marketing concept will be explained in the next section. 3. 3 THE MARKETING CONCEPT Churchill and Peter (1998:12) describe the implementation of the marketing concept as an organisation that satisfies customer needs and wants as a means to achieve their own objectives. Although it seems simple, it is complex in the sense that changes within the economic, social, political and technological environment, as discussed in Chapter 2, constantly leads to changing customer needs and wants. Lamb et al. (2004:17) state that institutions who want to survive in the future will have to be customer-focused, market-driven, global in scope and flexible in its ability to deliver superior value to ustomers whose preferences and expectations change continuously. Foxall and Goldsmith (1998:7) feel that consumer orientation stems from an organisation’s adoption and implementation of the marketing mix (price, service product, promotion, place, people, process, physical evidence), but adds that the adoption and implementation of the marketing concept has four major implications: à ¢â‚¬ ¢ The success of any organisation depends above all on the consumers and what they are willing to accept and pay. †¢ The organisation must be aware of what the market wants, preferably well before production commences. Consumer wants must be continually monitored and measured so that, through service product and market development, the organisation keeps ahead of competitors. †¢ Top management must achieve the integration of all the components of the marketing strategy into a single strategic plan, based on knowledge of consumer behaviour. – 76 – Mowen (1995:4) underlines the importance of the marketing concept by stating that the marketing concept embodies the view that an industry is a customer satisfying process, not a goods producing process. An industry begins with the customer and its needs, not a patent, raw material, or selling skill. The general acceptance of the concept that an organisation functions to fulfil consumers’ needs and wants, through understanding their exchange partner (customers), makes the study of consumer behaviour, and thus this study, essential. Mowen (1995:5) and Churchill and Peter (1998:13) agree that the basic idea of the marketing concept is to give the customers what they want. However, consumers are not always sure of their wants or what they are being offered, and are much more open to persuasion than is commonly acknowledged by the marketing concept. The marketing concept is based on four basic principles: consumer orientation or the target market; long-term maximisation of profitability or another measure of long-term success, total organisation effort, and social responsibility (Kotler, 2003:20 and Perreault McCarthy, 2002:34). The four principles of the marketing concept will be briefly explained below. 3. 3. THE PRINCIPLE OF CONSUMER ORIENTATION Strydom et al. (2000:12) view consumer orientation as the first principle of the marketing concept, indicating that all actions should be aimed at satisfying consumer needs, demands and preferences. Although this implies that the consumer objective is to achieve total need satisfaction, it does not mean that an organisation must provide for unrealistic consumer needs. According to Kotler (2003:20), organisat ions have to carefully choose their target markets and then prepare a tailored marketing programme. Research conducted by Conway, Mackay and Yorke (1994:35) on higher education institutions in the United Kingdom (UK) found that more than half of the institutions did not have a customer orientation in their planning and that most institutions merely pay lip service to the variety of target markets they serve. This study will attempt to gather the necessary information to enable institutions to become more customer oriented in understanding the needs and wants of students, specifically regarding the choice factors and information sources used when selecting a university. 3. 3. THE PRINCIPLE OF INTEGRATION AND COORDINATION OF ACTIVITIES – 77 – Strydom et al. (2000:14) define a system as an integrated whole – a group of related units working together to achieve a joint objective. The second principle suggests that marketing activities of a higher education institution should be closely coordinated with each other and with other functional areas such as production, finance, administration, human resources and procurement. The marketing concept has been a useful mechanism in helping to unify the independent functional areas to increase customer satisfaction. All seven marketing mix instruments (price, service product, promotion, distribution, people, process and physical evidence) should complement and reinforce one another in such a way that the student will prefer the institution’s service offerings to that of competitors. 3. 3. 3 THE PRINCIPLE OF MAXIMISING LONG-TERM SUCCESS The third principle is directed at achieving market share, return on investment and the objectives of the organisation. Marketing plans and corporate goals must be closely coordinated to ensure profitability. Maximising profitability is the primary objective of a profit-seeking organisation and can be achieved only through the consideration of consumer needs. Non-profit organisations attempt to achieve some other objective than profit. This does not mean than they are uninterested in income, as they have to generate cash to survive. However, their primary goal is non-economic, and for higher education institutions that is to provide education. Although there is an emergence of for-profit higher education institutions, as discussed in Chapter 2, non-profit higher education institutions also need to focus on their long-term sustainability. For-profit organisational success is measured ultimately by profitability. For non-profit organisations, measuring success is not so easy. Higher education institutions’ success can be measured in research output terms, number of students taught, student pass rate, range of qualifications of staff or even the quality of teaching. The combination of these factors makes the measurement of success difficult and can lead to conflict. For example: more students and larger classes may reduce time needed for research by staff to deliver the required research outputs. The principle of maximising long-term success is therefore more complex in higher education institutions than for for-profit organisations. Marketing is of growing importance to non-profit organisations, because of the need to generate funds in an increasingly competitive arena. Even – 78 – higher education institutions that rely on government funding must show how their work is of benefit to society and must meet the needs of their customers. 3. 3. 4 THE PRINCIPLE OF SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY Zikmund and D’Amico (2001:20) state that the pure marketing concept disregards environmental changes and problems and focuses on short-term customer satisfaction rather than on the long-term wellbeing of society. Involvement and concern for the environment and the society in which the marketing task is performed are typical characteristics of a strategic approach to marketing management. Organisations should therefore strive to obtain the goodwill of the society, rather than only the support of the target market. By demonstrating social responsibility, higher education institutions can earn the goodwill of the public and government. This has a long-term dimension that can favourably influence the future of any institution in terms of funding and a steady supply of customers. From the discussion of the marketing concept and its principles, it is clear that by accepting the marketing concept, institutions have recognised that consumers and their behaviour has a direct bearing on the formulation of a marketing strategy – and therefore the relevance of this study. The marketing concept helps to bring focus and enables an organisation to satisfy consumers’ needs (Perreault McCarthy, 2002:41). If higher education institutions want to be successful in today’s dynamic higher education landscape, competing for resources, support and customers, they too should adhere to principles of the marketing concept, especially being consumeroriented, when conducting their business. Applied to higher education, the marketing concept holds that higher education institutions should conduct their planning bearing in mind and recognising that they exist primarily for the purpose of providing a service product to students. Campus activities should thus focus on satisfying the needs of students (Massad Tucker, 2000:1-5). The philosophy of the marketing concept forms the underlying basis for an organisation’s market- and marketing-orientation. These two concepts will be briefly explained in the next section. – 79 – 3. 4 MARKET-ORIENTATION AND MARKETING-ORIENTATION Throughout the literature, the term market-orientation and marketing-orientation is used interchangeably (Payne, 1988; Kohli, Jaworski, Kumar, 1993 and Sharp, 1991). Notice should however be taken of a small group of authors, such as Cravens, Lamb and Crittenden (1996), who argue that there are slight differences between the two concepts. However, it is not the purpose of this study to argue or investigate if there are differences between these concepts, but rather to show how the adherence to these concepts can enable higher education institutions to survive and grow (Voon, 2006:598). 3. 4. 1 MARKET-ORIENTATION Market-orientation refers to everyone in the organisation being committed to the customer and adapting in a timely way to meeting the changing needs of the customer. Market-orientation is a bias towards the market, requiring knowledge of customer needs and wants, competitors and external forces (Evans, James Tomes, 1996:209). Kasper (2002:1047) defines a market-orientation as the degree to which an organisation and all its thinking and acting (internally as well as externally) is guided and committed to the factors determining the market behaviour of the organisation itself and its customers. Kohli and Jaworski (1990:3) define market-orientation as the activities involved in the implementation of the marketing concept. An organisation with a market-orientation determines the needs and wants of the target market and delivers the desired satisfaction more effectively and efficiently than the competition. Thus, market-orientation extends beyond the marketing concept philosophy, as it also offers a process for delivering customer value. A market-oriented organisation understands customer preference and requirements and effectively combines and directs the skills and resources of the entire organisation to satisfy customers’ needs. According to Kasper (2002:1052), a robust market-orientation has become a strategic necessity for any service organisation due to increasing market turbulence and intensifying competition. He states that the market-orientation of an organisation can be seen as a particular position on a scale ranging from being truly market-oriented to not being market-oriented at all. Results from Kasper’s research show that a market-oriented service organisation has an open, employee-oriented, result-oriented, pragmatic, – 80 – professional, well-communicated, marketing goals-oriented, market knowledge (customers and competition) system with dedicated employees that know what customer focus and service means. Market forces (refer to Chapter 2) changed the landscape of higher education into a competitive environment requiring a market-orientation (Koerwer, 2001). According to Couturier (2002), reduction in government support and increase in new technologies and improved learning produce students with high expectations and this further pressurises higher education institutions to become more market-oriented. Shoemaker (1999) states that glossy brochures, catchy slogans and the existence of marketing programmes do not give higher education institutions a market-orientation. Marketorientation requires a philosophy and a culture that go deep in the organisation. This means an institution where students are involved in the service production process and where administration, faculty and support staff work together effectively. A marketorientation requires a commitment and power from top management. Shoemaker (1999) states that a market-oriented higher education institution is characterised by: †¢ A top management actively involved in providing institutional marketing leadership; †¢ A marketing process integrated to reflect, recognise and involve all institutional stakeholders; Marketing plans that are well distributed among top institutional officers; †¢ Outside marketing consultants used to build and enrich the institutional culture; †¢ Regular and structured marketing research studies of all important stakeholder areas; †¢ A marketing-oriented planning culture that includes the participation of all stakeholder areas; and †¢ Marketing evaluation systems in place to assure continuous monitoring and improvement of marketing programmes and strategies. – 81 – 3. 4. 2 MARKETING-ORIENTATION An organisation with a marketing-orientation adheres to the principles of the marketing concept and offer customers what they need (Perreault McCarthy, 2002:37). Marketing-orientation implies that the main task of a higher education institution is to determine the needs and wants of target markets and to satisfy them through the design, communication, pricing, delivery of appropriate and competitively viable programmes and services (Kotler Fox, 1995:8). Laurer (2006) states that strategic plans of higher education institutions will have to become marketing-oriented plans. This begins with an environmental scan that determines how society is changing and then outlines how programmes, pricing and access to learning (distribution), employees (people) and process will meet these changing needs. According to Massad and Tucker (2000), higher education institutions in the United States have embraced a marketing-oriented approach to admission. They state that the trend began in the late 1970’s in the USA and is driven by increased competition and a shrinking enrolment pool. Higher education institutions in Shanghai started in 1999 to reform their policies to be more marketing-oriented (People Daily, 1999). These policies include practical plans such as providing enough residence and departmental buildings for students and lecturers, logistic service renovations, and improved logistic service quality. Several reasons exist why achieving a marketing-orientation is problematic for some higher education institutions (Sargeant, 2005:297): †¢ Conflict between management and academic interest. There is a split in the responsibility for dealing with customers between departments and an institution’s central administrative function. †¢ The lack of a strategic perspective. Courses are sometimes established and maintained for the status of the department or institution rather than where there is clear evidence of an economic viability or long-term demand. †¢ The diversity of the marketing activity. Marketing is conducted by a variety of players, such as the admissions officer, school liaison officers, research officer and faculties, making the coordination difficult. †¢ Academic value. Some institutions still perceive marketing as being incompatible with their education mission. – 82 – Nevertheless, higher education institutions must aim to become marketing-oriented. The market concept forms the underlying philosophy for both a market and marketingorientation. A marketing-orientation is an all-embracing concept referring to both behavioural and philosophical standing of marketing, therefore incorporating the market-orientation. Thus, for the purpose of this study, the term marketing-orientation will be used to indicate a market- and/or marketing-orientation. 3. 5 MARKETING STRATEGY AND CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR According to Hawkins et al. (2001:7), an effective marketing strategy is based on knowledge of the environment, competitors and customers. The study of customers’ needs, perceptions, aspirations, motivations, culture and decision-making processes is called consumer behaviour (Du Plessis Rousseau 2005:8). Consumer behaviour serves as a basis for marketing strategy formulation. Figure 3. 1 indicates that an understanding of consumer behaviour is the basis for marketing strategy formulation and will serve as a visual guide for the remainder of this chapter. It also visually shows the integration and link between Chapter 2, Chapter 3 and Chapter 4. Figure 3. begins with the analysis of the market (Step 1) in which the organisation is operating. It requires a detailed analysis of the organisation’s capabilities, strengths and weaknesses, competition, the economical and technological forces affecting the market, and the current and potential customers in the market (refer to Chapter 2). The consumer analysis component of the first step enables an organisation to identify groups of individuals with similar needs . The identified market segments, in step two, can be described in terms of demographics, media preference and geographic location. One or more of these segments are then selected as target market, based on the organisation’s capabilities relative to those of its competition, taking into account current economic and technological conditions. The organisation then decides on the desired image of the service product or brand, also known as the service product or brand position. The third step entails the marketing mix/strategy formulation. Hawkins et al. (2001:14) point out that a marketing strategy basically answers the question: How will we provide – 83 – superior customer value to our target market? The answer requires the formulation of a consistent marketing mix. Thus, the marketing strategy is formulated in terms of the marketing mix. Lamb et al. (2004:12) point out that this step involves the determining of service product features, price, communications (promotion), distribution (place), people, process and physical evidence that will provide the customer with superior value. The total service product is then presented to the target market, which constantly engages in processing information and making decisions to enhance and maintain their lifestyles. The marketing strategy (as implemented in the marketing mix) intervenes between the decision-making process of consumers (Step 4) and the outcomes/goals of an organisation. The outcomes of the organisation are determined by its interaction with the consumer decision-making process. Organisations can only succeed if consumers see a need that the organisation’s service product can address, become aware of the service product, decide that it is the best viable alternative solution, proceed to buy it, and become satisfied with the results (Hawkins et al. , 2004:22-23). The consumer decision-making process will be discussed in detail in Chapter 4. Finally, the reaction of the target market to the total service product produces an image of the service product, brand or organisation, sales (or the lack thereof), and some level of customer satisfaction among those who did purchase. As the components of the market analysis (Step 1) was discussed as part of the trends in the higher education landscape in Chapter 2 and the consumer decision-making process (Step 4) will be explained in Chapter 4, the remainder of the chapter will focus on the STP process (Step 2) and marketing strategy (Step 3) as depicted in Figure 3. . – 84 – MARKETING MIX/STRATEGY (CHAPTER 3) Service product (3. 7. 1) Price (3. 7. 2) Promotion (3. 7. 3) Place (3. 7. 4) People (3. 7. 5) Process (3. 7. 8) Physical evidence (3. 7. 9) Problem recognition (4. 7) Information search (4. 8) Alternative evaluation (4. 9) Selection and purchase (4. 10) Post-purchase process (4. 11) OUTCOME Customer Satisfaction Sales Product/brand image/organisation Source: Ad apted from Hawkins, Best and Coney (2001:8). – 85 – CHAPTER 3 STP- PROCESS (CHAPTER 3) Segmentation, target market and product positioning (3. 6) CONSUMER DECISION-MAKING PROCESS (CHAPTER 4) STEP 4 CHAPTER 2 MARKET ANALYSIS (CHAPTER 2) Competitors Company Consumer Conditions CHAPTER 4 STEP 3 STEP 2 STEP 1 Figure 3. 1: Marketing strategy and consumer behaviour As the components of the market analysis (Step 1) was discussed as part of the trends in the higher education landscape in Chapter 2 and the consumer decision-making process (Step 4) will be explained in Chapter 4, the remainder of the chapter will focus on the STP process (Step 2) and marketing strategy (Step 3) as depicted in Figure 3. . 3. 6 SEGMENTATION, TARGET MARKETING AND POSITIONING (STP PROCESS) Marketing strategy formulation for organisations takes place via the process of integrating segmentation, targeting, positioning and the services marketing mix. Once organisations have segmented the market, they must determine the market potential of each segment and then select segments to target. A target market can be defined as a fairly homogeneous group of customers to whom an organisation directs its market offering. Organisations must determine a mixture of the marketing elements that they will combine to satisfy their target market. Selecting a market-oriented strategy is referred to as target marketing. A specific marketing strategy specifies a particular target customer (Perreault McCarthy, 2002:47). Most non-profit organisations serve several groups or publics. The two broad groups are donors, who may be individuals, trusts, companies or governmental bodies. The second group consists of their clients such as students, parents, government or employers. Often higher education institutions need to satisfy both groups and this complicates the marketing task (Lovelock Wright, 2002:233). Students, prospective students and their families are seen as customers or consumers who must be attracted to the institution, who must be satisfied, and who must have a good experience at the institution. This will ensure that they spread positive word-of-mouth and influence other potential students to select the institution (Reich, 2004). Students can be regarded as the primary clients of higher education institutions and parents, employers and society as secondary beneficiaries. As an institution’s target market changes, new needs and trends evolve (as discussed in Chapter 2), making it necessary for institutions to rethink their position and often to reposition in order to address the new needs or trends (McGolddrick, 2000:54) This study focuses on students as a target market of institutions, as traditionally most institutions’ marketing efforts are directed at satisfying 86 – the needs of students. This study will provide insight into the demographics and choice factor importance that forms part of students decision-making behaviour, which will aid higher education institutions in understanding their target market to ensure satisfaction through implementing an appropriate marketing strategy. After segmentation and target marketing, organisations should position their market offerings in such a way that it is perceived to satisfy the needs of customers better than the competition. According to Hawkins et al. 2001:289), a product’s position refers to the schematic memory of a brand in relation to competing brands, products, services and stores. Brand image, a closely related concept, can be defined as the schematic memory of a brand without reference to competing brands. Strydom et al. (2000:14) regard a product’s position as the way consumers perceive a product or service in terms of its character and advantages in relation to competitors. Du Plessis and Rousseau (2003:276) state that the important underlying principle is recognising that the marketing battle today is fought in the minds of the consumer. Research shows those products or services that enjoy high awareness levels usually enjoy dominant market penetration and market share. But awareness is not enough; the service product must have a meaningful position in the mind of the consumer and stand for something of value to the consumer. Mowen (1995:18) defines product differentiation as the process of positioning the product by manipulating the marketing mix so that customers can perceive meaningful differences between a particular brand and competing brands. A highly differentiated brand may have strong competitive advantages, because it is easily recognisable as being different from competitors. Institutions need to know how they and their service products are positioned in the student’s mind. The stimuli that institutions employ, such as advertising or sponsorships, can influence the service product’s interpretation and thus its position. Hawkins et al. (2001:289) is of the opinion that organisations frequently fail to achieve the type of service product image or position they desire, because they fail to anticipate or test the consumer’s reaction. These positions have developed and evolved over time. Therefore, the message received from the organisation must be consistent or change in a deliberate manner to reflect or alter a desired change in brand position. – 87 – Strydom et al. (2000:134) state that organisations must position their brands so that they are perceived to satisfy the needs of the target market better than competitors’ offerings. The institution must develop a unique appeal for the brand in the consumer’s mind and position the brand as filling a particular need of the consumer. Berman and Evans (2001:122) point out that through positioning, institutions devise their strategy in a way that projects an image relative to the institution’s category and its competitors, and elicits consumers’ responses to their image. Sargeant (2005:322) notes that positioning can also have a profound impact on the success or failure of fundraising initiatives and attempts to work closely with commerce and industry. Those higher education institutions that are perceived as being either of high quality or as unique in some way, are likely to have the greatest success in these areas. Law (2002:3) states that it is important for institutions to distinguish themselves from competitors in terms of values that are important to the student. Therefore, higher education institutions need to develop a clear position that can be stated simply, effectively and often (Dehne, 2001). The author continues by saying that as competition becomes stronger, an integrated marketing strategy based on the identified positioning of the institution will play a crucial role. If organisations want staff and students to project a positive image, they must clearly define exactly what that image is; not vague understanding, but specifics (Sharpe Harville, 1987). Law (2002:4) emphasises the importance of addressing the values that are important for prospective students in the publications of the institution. It can therefore be said that in the positioning of the institution, the needs and perceptions of important values of the respective public should be seriously considered. The elements of higher education institutions’ marketing are mixed to form an integrated strategy where each component plays a role to position the institution in its chosen target market (Van Biljon, 1992:65). According to Czinkota, Kotabe and Mecer (1997:217), organisations must first determine how they want to position their service products and use their service products’ position as basis for developing their marketing strategies. This means that after the STP (segmentation, targeting and positioning) process, organisations must blend the services marketing mix elements into a marketing strategy that reflect the organisation’s desired osition to their target market. – 88 – The next section focuses on the services marketing mix and its elements as it pertains to higher education institutions. 3. 7 THE SERVICES MARKETING MIX OF HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS The development of a marketing strategy involves the coordination and combination of the m arketing mix elements (Mowen, 1995:19; and Hawkins et al. , 2001:6). It is the combination and coordination of the elements in the marketing mix that enables organisations to meet customers’ needs and provides customer value. A traditional marketing mix consists of the following elements: price, service product, promotion and place (distribution). However, due to the intangible, inseparable, heterogeneous and perishable nature of services, the traditional marketing mix was extended to include process, people and physical evidence (Goldsmith, 1999:178). Because higher education institutions mainly provide intangible service products, the extended marketing mix, better known as the services marketing mix, forms the focus of this chapter. Higher education institutions need a well-developed comprehensive marketing strategy that is carefully communicated throughout the institution (Robinson Long, 1987:44; Brooker Noble, 1985:34) and the services marketing mix will help higher education institutions to shape their service offerings according to the needs of their customers. Grove, in Kraft (2006) showed that in the marketing of education, the marketing mix is the single most important determinant of marketing success. In the light of the fact that marketing can influence the consumer’s behaviour and the services marketing mix can assist higher education institutions in developing a holistic and well thought-through service offering, the seven services marketing mix elements (service product, price, promotion, distribution, people, physical evidence and process) will be discussed in the main part of this chapter. – 89 – 3. 7. 1 THE SERVICE PRODUCT STRATEGY OF HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS The most basic decision that higher education institutions have to make is what programmes and services they will offer to their students, alumni and donors. An institution’s service product strategy determines its identity, position and how customers will respond to the institution. A product is anything a consumer acquires, or might acquire to meet a perceived need and thus the sum of all the products and/or services offered by an organisation. To define the term service is not easy or simplistic. Although the process may be tied to a physical product, the performance is essentially intangible and does not normally result in ownership of any of the factors of production. Services create value and provide benefits for customers at specific times and places. Lovelock and Wright (2002:3) define services as an act or performance offered by one party to another. Irons (1997:12) defines services as perishable, transient acts that have no lasting material, being mainly presented by people that cannot be separated from the provider. Therefore, the personal characteristics of the provider are an important part of the service. Du Plessis and Rousseau (2003:175) state that these definitions reveal that the nature of service centres on the characteristic of intangibility and that it is this feature that distinguishes services marketing from the marketing of physical goods. The goods and services continuum is shown in Figure 3. 2 below. Figure 3. 2: Goods and services continuum Tangible dominant Complete tangible products Tangible products with supporting services Intangible dominant Hybrid offers Source: Adapted from Palmer (2005:24). – 90 – Major service with supporting products Pure services It is evident that in services, the intangible element is dominant. The provision of education, although intangible, also contains tangible elements. Institutions provide service activities such as the teaching process and contact with customers (intangible element) as well as learning aterial such as textbooks (tangible element). McCollKennedy (2003:6-7) regards goods and services’ tangibility on a continuum, rather than in one category. At one end of the continuum are the intangible services and at the other end are tangible products. Higher education, which can be described as a major service (intangible) with minor supporting products (ta ngible), are leaning towards the intangible side of the continuum. In addition to categorising services based on their tangibility, it is also useful to identify who or what is the direct recipient of the service. Services can either be directed at people’s bodies, intangible assetes, physical possessions or people’s minds such as education (Lovelock, 1996:29). In order to better understand the concept of services, the distinguishing characteristics of services will now be explained. The basic characteristics of services are briefly outlined below (Lovelock Wright, 2002:14-16): †¢ Customers do not obtain ownership. Customers usually derive value from a service without obtaining ownership of any tangible elements; †¢ Service products are intangible performances. Intangible refers to something that is experienced and cannot be touched or preserved. Although services often include tangible elements, the service performance itself is basically intangible; †¢ Customer involvement in the production process. Customers are often actively involved in helping to create the service product by helping themselves or by cooperating with the service personnel. Customers cannot sit back and wait for the experience to be delivered as they do with the purchase of tangible products they have to participate. †¢ People as part of the service product. Given the fact that different service personnel may deliver the service product to customers, it is difficult to achieve – 91 – uniformity in service delivery. This difference (heterogeneity) in attitude and action will typically result in very different customer perceptions of the quality and overall satisfaction levels. People are such an important component of service delivery that it is added as an element to service organisations marketing mix and will be discussed in Section 3. 7. 5; †¢ Importance of time. Customers have to be physically present to receive services. Customers are becoming increasingly time sensitive and speed is often a key element in good service delivery; and †¢ Services are perishable and cannot be stored like physical goods. Thus, although education includes tangible elements such as textbooks, chairs and notes, students derive value from higher education without obtaining ownership. Students are involved in the education production process as they participate in and help make the final service product, by giving inputs in class or participating in campus events. As higher education is perishable and cannot be stored, students must be physically present to receive education. It is evident that offering educational services involve special challenges, since most services education is intangible, inseparable, variable and perishable. Developing service products that satisfy consumers’ wants and needs are a critical marketing activity for institutions (Hoyer MacInnis, 2001:40). Consumer research can provide useful information for service product decisions. According to Czinkota et al. (1997:109), information provided by consumer behaviour research, such as this study, can help organisations to decide which attributes to add to or change in an existing offering; aid them in correctly naming or re-naming their organisations and make effective packaging and branding decisions. Higher education institutions should evaluate its academic programmes and service product mix periodically, and particularly when considering modifications. Some programmes are more central than others. Education offerings are specifically essential programmes that institutions cannot do without. Other programmes may be easier to modify, like recreational activities that are usually auxiliary programmes. Certain programmes will play a major role in attracting customers and these are called flagship programmes (Kotler Fox, 1995:282). – 92 – Information provided by this study will enable institutions to determine the importance of some components of their service product (variety of study courses, academic quality and sport programmes) in the institution selection process of students. Higher education institutions must also develop a pricing strategy for their service products. The pricing decision is of utmost importance, as this will ensure income for higher education institutions that will enable them to implement al the other decisions such as promotion, distribution, processes, physical evidence and people. Section 3. 7. 2 will focus on the pricing strategy of higher education institutions. 3. 7. 2 THE PRICING STRATEGY OF HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS In this section, the pricing strategy of higher education institutions will be discussed by defining the term price, explaining possible pricing objectives of higher education institutions, explaining discounts and highlighting the role of price. Price plays an important role in the marketing mix, quality perception, attracting customers and providing revenue to institutions. Price is the amount of money (or some other item that is exchanged or bartered) that the buyer exchanges for a service product provided by the seller. Lamb et al. (2004:570) describe prices as that which is given up in exchange to acquire goods and services. The price of a service plays two major roles. Firstly, it influences how much of the service product the customer will purchase, and secondly, it influences whether selling the service will be profitable for the organisation or not (Machado Cassim, 2000:99). Prices can be seen as the amount that a customer (students, parents or employers) must pay to be educated. The price of higher education institutions are influenced by the subsidy from government as well as donations and the cost of presenting the course, prices of competition and inflation. Price, for students, consists of a monetary cost as well as other costs, for example effort cost (completing long essay application forms), psychological cost (stress of enrolling in an institution far from home) and time cost (visiting or attending open days at different institutions) (Kotler Fox, 1995:311). Students and their parents are not just interested in the institution’s list price (official – 93 – tuition and fees printed in a catalogue), but also the effective price. According to Kotler and Fox (1995:312), the effective price is the amount the customer will actually pay for all the educational benefits and value received. Prospective students may find it difficult to measure effective price early in the decision process, since effective price can only be known after the student has gone though the application process and has been accepted and financial aid has been allocated. Tuition fees represent only a fraction of the total cost of attending a higher education institution and living cost and other education related expenses must also be considered by students (Anon, 2006b). Diederichs (1987:112) found that price plays an important role in students’ choices of a higher education institution. The first aspect organisations should consider when pricing a service product is to decide on the pricing objectives they want to achieve. Pricing objectives can influence the price of the service product and include: maximising profit (short- or long-term), building market share, maximising long-term customer perceptions of the value of the service product, maximising immediate cash flow, positioning the service product in a certain place in customers’ minds, and targeting a given segment of the market. Higher education institutions may pursue more than one of these objectives at the same time depending on the situation they are facing. A new higher education institution emerging after a merger may aim to position their service product, as well as targeting a given segment and maximising long-term perceptions of value (McColl-Kennedy, 2003:270 and Machado Cassim, 2002:106-107). Higher education institutions should take into account three factors when setting prices for their educational programmes: †¢ Firstly, cost, by determining the amount of revenue needed to cover expected operating expenses; Secondly, customer demand, which emphasises that the final price decision is always made by the customer; and †¢ Thirdly, competition, as institutions have to weigh their â€Å"value† and establish their price relative to their competitors. Institutions should always consider the effects of a given pricing policy on enrolment, the nature and mission of the institution, the prices charged by competition and the – 94 – effect of their prices and price changes on actions of competition (Kotler Fox, 1995:309). The pricing objective of a higher education institution will also affect its discount policy, as discount influence profit, market share, cash flow and positioning. Once the basic price is established, organisations need to establish some flexibility in terms of that price. Discount can be defined as the reductions to the basic price (Machado Cassim, 2002:116). Higher education institutions need to determine and publish their prices (tuition fees) and discounts. Financial aid is seen as a form as discount by students. Kotler and Fox (1995:310) state that financial aid is not just used to attract students to increase the size of classes, but also to ensure the needed composition of the class to meet diversity objectives. Student aid or financial aid makes it possible for many students from low- and middle income families to afford higher education (Anon, 2006b). Cabrera and La Nasa (2000:10) found that financial aid especially influences students positively to select a particular institution and also allows parents to consider a wider range of institutions. This study will include the importance of financial aid in selecting a higher education institution. Diederichs (1987:114) found that a higher education institution’s price policy should take into consideration the facilities needed, quality of education and competitiveness, as students often use the price of a product or service as an indicator of quality. For example, more expensive institutions may be viewed as providing better education. Some institutions make use of their price/quality relationship by trying to raise the prestige and attractiveness of their institution by raising the tuition fees. Higher education institutions must carefully consider the role of price in the marketing mix, as price can be used as a quality indicator and thereby influence the perception of the institution’s position. Higher education institutions often offer substantial amounts of financial aid to talented students to maintain their competitive advantage. Students and parents are looking for the best overall deal in terms of educational quality and prices (Laurer, 2006). Courant (2006:4) is of the opinion that higher education institutions prepare students to lead an examined life and should therefore price higher education as an expensive, high value proposition. Wallace (2003:32) argues that higher tuition fees will enable institutions to improve the quality of education and in countries where higher education is subsidised or offered for free, education would be held in higher esteem if a price were attached to it. However, Beckett (2005) warns that institutions – 95 – should be aware that charging top fees may cause institutions to loose students and not widen the participation. Wallace (2003) states that universities in France, England, the United States and Germany are facing the same problems with the price of education, as government funding for education is decreasing and institutions have to look at increasing tuition fees. The result is that students in these countries are protesting the price increases. The increased value of a higher education degree, increased research at universities, reduced state funding for public higher education institutions and monopolistic behaviour of higher education institutions are other possible reasons for higher prices (Barry, 1998:84). Higher educational institutions rely on tuition fees, donors and government subsidies as sources of revenue. As discussed in Chapter 2, changes in the financial environment emphasise the trend of institutions to cut cost, increase productivity and offer more financial aid to students. Most educational institutions depend heavily on tuition fees to keep operating and pricing therefore becomes very important. Price plays a role in determining who will apply, who will attend, who the institutions will serve, what the institutions will be able to offer and whether the institutions will meet its enrolment objectives and revenue needs. From the discussion it is evident that a pricing strategy is important for education institutions because they depend on revenue to operate, especially in the light of the decrease in subsidies (refer to Chapter 2). Price is part of the marketing mix and should be considered as an element of the institution’s strategy planning. When setting price, decision-makers should understand how students perceive price and the importance of price in selecting institutions. According to Cosser and Du Toit (2002:77), price is an important factor considered in choosing a higher education institution. It is important that higher education institutions know the cost of producing the service, know the price of competitors, identify pricing factors that are relevant to pricing decisions, and decide on a pricing strategy that will attract enough students. It is evident from the above-mentioned that higher education management needs information on the students and market to make effective pricing decisions. This study will provide some insight on the importance of price in the institution selection process. – 96 – Higher education institutions can have good quality educational services offered at the right price to students, but if students and parents are not aware of these services and prices, they will not consider the institution. It is thus important that higher education institutions communicate with their prospective students and parents. The next section will focus on the promotional or communication strategy of higher education institutions. 3. 7. THE PROMOTIONAL STRATEGY OF HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS Educational institutions need to effectively communicate with their target market(s) and publics. Institutions must inform students and parents about its goals, activities and offerings and motivate them to take an interest in the institution. To identify and satisfy consumers’ needs, an institution must have a good understanding of the consumer in order to gain a competitive advantage through its marketing mix (service product, price, distribution, promotion, process, people and physical evidence). Persuasive communication is central to the marketing of service products as features, benefits and values must be communicated to the consumers to influence their purchase behaviour. Everything and everybody in an institution has a role to play in communication. Examples include the organisation’s brand name or logo, campus grounds, service product quality, prices, employees, delivery vehicles, buildings, the technology the organisation has at its disposal, the capital the organisation has at its disposal and the organisational philosophy. Kelley and Mahady (2003:2) are of the opinion that promotion is an element sometimes overlooked by non-profit organisations. They argue that even if an institution offers some of the best programmes and services, these will not be utilised to the fullest if the market they were intended for has no knowledge of their existence. The remainder of Section 3. 7. 3 will focus on the definition of promotion, the communication process and the integrated services marketing communication (ISMC) mix available for higher education institutions. According to Hawkins et al. 2001:19), promotion or marketing communication includes advertising, the sales force, public relations, packaging and any other signals that the – 97 – organisation provides about itself and its products and services. Lamb et al. (2004:466) describe the promotional strategy as a plan for the optimal use of the elements of promotion, namely advertising, sales promotion, publicity and personal selling. Many higher e ducation institutions are returning to promotional or communication tools to promote courses in an attempt to maintain and/or expand their market share. The importance of communication can be seen in the establishment of communication departments, more funds that are allocated to marketing and appointing marketing managers or external communication experts to help with promotional activities. Higher education institutions are making use of radio, television, newspapers, buses, taxis and open days as well as more professional brochures and promotional material as vehicles for communication (Jones, 2002:41). This is necessary, since higher education institutions can no longer depend on pass rates alone to attract students. In order to utilise the promotional tools to their fullest and to ensure effective communication, higher education institutions need to understand the communication process. Communication involves the creation of shared meaning between participants. The intangibility, inseparability, perishability and heterogeneity of services create special communication requirements and involve the risk of miscommunication that is not so evident in the marketing of goods (McColl-Kennedy, 2003:236). Communication can be viewed upon as the transfer of a message from a sender to a receiver by means of a signal of some sort via a channel or medium. The sender translates his/her objectives, ideas and concepts through language into a message also known as encoding (Strydom et al. , 2000:344). The receiver tries to decode the message before he/she can comprehend its meaning and then the receiver reacts or responds to the message (Lamb et al. , 2004:326). The disturbances (physical or psychological) that prevent the successful transfer of the message are known as noise. Noise influences all the components of the communication process and places obstacles in the way of effective communication. Higher education institutions are the senders, while the receivers of the message are the potential students, existing students, parents, employers or alumni. For the purpose of this study, the focus is on the students of a higher education institution. This does not mean that institutions do not need to communicate with other publics such as alumni, parents, donors, government or the general public as well. According – 98 – to Jones (2002:44) the student’s ability to decode the message is influenced by his/her past experiences, feelings, emotions, attitudes and perceptions of the institution. Thus, higher education institutions need to fully understand their target market to identify the appropriate intended messages for the target market. The communication process gives higher education institutions the opportunity to influence prospective students’ behaviour by developing a message that creates awareness, position themselves in the mind of the student, change the student’s attitude towards the institution, or encourage the student to apply to the institution (Jones, 2002:45). The most popular communication/promotion objectives are general image enhancement and awareness of the institutions (Kittle, 2000). According to Jones (2002:43), emotions or feelings also play an important part in the encoding process and it is vital that higher education institutions should have empathy for other people’s cultural backgrounds. Higher education institutions need to select a medium that will attract attention, arouse interest and present the message clearly (Kotler Fox, 1995:353). Higher education institutions need knowledge about the language of the prospective students, knowledge of forms of communication and general background information about the prospective students in order to encode successfully. The media that will be investigated in this study include: printed media (advertisement in magazines, newspapers or outdoor media), broadcasting media (advertisements on radio and television), direct mail or direct marketing (newsletters and brochures of higher education institutions), body language and direct communication through representatives of the institution (school visits by staff or open days attended by students), word-of-mouth (conversations with alumni, friends or family members), or websites. In Chapter 4 the different media will be further discussed as part of the sources of information used by students. The promotional mix that an institution uses is determined by the student market’s expectations and requirements of the service products, together with the other elements of institutions’ marketing decisions. Machado and Cassim (2002:157) describe the promotional mix as the blend of promotional methods used by the organisation to communicate. A huge array of promotion elements exist, such as direct marketing, sales promotions, advertising, Internet and sponsorships. The communication process and the promotional mix elements (advertising, public – 99 – elations, personal selling and sales promotions) are used by organisations to communicate to their prospective customers. The message that reaches the customer should be the same regardless of whether it is an advertisement on the radio, websites, open days, or a newspaper insert. To ensure the careful coordination of all the promotional mix elements, organisations must adopt the concept of Integrated Marketi ng Communications (IMC) (Du Plessis Rousseau, 2005:345). For a higher education institution, this means that the institution coordinates all its communication activities. Zeithaml and Bitner (2000:405) suggest that a more complex integrated form of communication is needed for services, hence the ISMC approach as shown in Figure 3. 3. This concept requires a complete communication strategy that involves staff, every interface the institution has with its students, stakeholders and the community at large (Jones, 2002:450). Laurer (2006) suggests that institutions must coordinate all the promotional elements so that they meet the needs of students and parents who will pay for their products and services. Figure 3. serves as a visual guide for the discussion How to cite Higher Education Marketing Mix, Papers

6th grade Atmosphere Unit Example For Students

6th grade Atmosphere Unit Question Answer Troposphere Layer in which we live, weather occurs here Stratosphere Gases are found in layers, ozone layer is found here Mesosphere Coolest layer, meteors burn up in this layer Thermosphere Highest temperatures, contains the ionosphere Atmosphere The mixture of gases which surround our planet; mostly nitrogen and oxygen Weather The state of the atmosphere at a place and time What is the most abundant gas in the atmosphere? Nitrogen Global winds Winds that follow regular patterns and paths Sea Breeze During the DAY cool dense air moves from the ocean towards the warm, less dense shore. Land Breeze During NIGHT, cool dense air moves from the land towards the warm, less dense ocean. Cumulus Fluffy, white clouds with flat bottoms. Stratus Layered clouds which block out the Sun. Can cause constant drizzly rain. Cirrus Small, wispy clouds created by strong winds. They often indicate a change in weather. Condensation The change of water vapor to liquid water due to cooling; where clouds form Precipitation Water returning back to Earths surface: hail, sleet, snow, and rain Global Warming The gradual increase of Earths atmospheric temperature Greenhouse effect The trapping of heat in the Earths atmosphere due to an increase in greenhouse gases (CO2) Cold front When a cool air mass comes in and pushes a warm air mass up; results in cool weather Warm front Warm air moves over cold, dense air. Results in drizzly rain and warm temperatures Occluded front Warm air is trapped between 2 cool air masses; warm air rises up. This creates cool temperatures and lots of snow. Stationary front When a warm and cold air mass meet, but neither can overpower the other. Results in days of cloudy weather rain Air mass A large mass of air which has similar temperature and water vapor content Wind The movement of air caused by temperature differences How does wind move? From high pressure to low pressure Mountain Valley Breezes Caused by the elevation and temperature differences Humidity Amount of water vapor in the air Dew Point Temperature where air cools to saturate it Isobars Lines on a weather map that connect air pressure

The Planets Gustav Holsts Suite Essay Example For Students

The Planets Gustav Holsts Suite Essay Upon deciding what piece of music to write about it was very difficult to decide, since before taking this class the only classical musician I knew was Beethoven. However, I came across the planets. So I decided to give I try. It just took a play button, which transported me into a world of mystery. As the symphony started with mars I felt as though I was going in a space ship of those that came on the star wars saga. It as the song progressed it felt as though there was a battle in space. Listing to this while in the dark made it easier for me to see what was really happening. We will write a custom essay on The Planets Gustav Holsts Suite specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now I can see bullets fly by me closer and closer, until this bullet hit me and the ship pieces disperse into space as the song did too. There is a moment of silence when am awaken in to the world of lord of the rings. I see my self at the elves garden standing in the castles balcony looking at the roses. As the piece keeps going I see my black clouds covering the horizon, with darkness and mystery upon. For some reason there is a sense of peace even though at some parts it feels as thought there is a war about to start. This made me feel like this was countering, like they say after the storm the sun will come out. Next was mercury a dangerous. t first it felt as thought I was running away from someone or something. But it doesn’t feel like I’m running away from something dangerous. As the piece kept going I started to see why I was running, I was running like Bambi in the Disney movie. I can see birds and butterflies, flying on top of my head in circles. I started to run with the birds faster and faster making my war across a big green field. I don’t know why this image comes to my heard but as keep listening a can see a lot of animals running too. They are jumping across the green field. Jupiter starts and with it I start to remember my grandma back home. I can see her coming in from a long trip. I can see her coming closer to me bringing nothing but a smile to my face. As viola and baritones appear, I can imagine our reunite. This piece only brings image of happy ending, like those of Disney movies. I can see people throwing confetti to the sky, celebrating and parting. All this happiness is suddenly, wiped away, because with the start of Saturn. I hear something approaching me slowly and slowly. It is not a scary thing coming but it is a sense of realization. I see that the person coming is me but as an old man. I look frail and fragile. I see my self-walking slowly and for each step I take my steps become slower and slower. As the piece progresses, I start to hear bells. This piece just bring sadness into my head all I can think now is that for every day that passes by I am near the end. But the end of what? I don’t understand. As Saturn comes to the end I see the old me just standing there without moving. It seems as thought the end has come, like the suffering and everything happening in life has finally stop. Uranus stars and I can imagine a giant man walking along a giant sidewalk. In the sidewalk I can see a lot of soldiers marching. There is a feeling of mystery with the piccolo and clarinets. Neptune was the last piece. This was my favorite one because it had something that the rest of the other planets did not and that is a women chorus. This gives a feeling of going into heaven a reaching the divine one. .uf1f0d1fb3fa8082f741b6f8ca03afda7 , .uf1f0d1fb3fa8082f741b6f8ca03afda7 .postImageUrl , .uf1f0d1fb3fa8082f741b6f8ca03afda7 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uf1f0d1fb3fa8082f741b6f8ca03afda7 , .uf1f0d1fb3fa8082f741b6f8ca03afda7:hover , .uf1f0d1fb3fa8082f741b6f8ca03afda7:visited , .uf1f0d1fb3fa8082f741b6f8ca03afda7:active { border:0!important; } .uf1f0d1fb3fa8082f741b6f8ca03afda7 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uf1f0d1fb3fa8082f741b6f8ca03afda7 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uf1f0d1fb3fa8082f741b6f8ca03afda7:active , .uf1f0d1fb3fa8082f741b6f8ca03afda7:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uf1f0d1fb3fa8082f741b6f8ca03afda7 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uf1f0d1fb3fa8082f741b6f8ca03afda7 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uf1f0d1fb3fa8082f741b6f8ca03afda7 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uf1f0d1fb3fa8082f741b6f8ca03afda7 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uf1f0d1fb3fa8082f741b6f8ca03afda7:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uf1f0d1fb3fa8082f741b6f8ca03afda7 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uf1f0d1fb3fa8082f741b6f8ca03afda7 .uf1f0d1fb3fa8082f741b6f8ca03afda7-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uf1f0d1fb3fa8082f741b6f8ca03afda7:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Music downloading, illegal or not ? EssayI can see other people reaching to the heavens as well as the women chorus joins with the bells. The feeling of reaching the end of the symphony, is unforgettable the women chorus starts to become fade out slowly becoming fainter until there is a slight difference between silence and sound. I was left trilled after listening to this symphony. I never felt this way it was an amazing experience feeling as thought I was flying through the cosmos of the universe. However I wonder if there is Pluto. And if there is I’m guessing it would probably give images of unknown and mystery.

Free Essays on Sistine Chapel

The chapel was built between 1475 and 1483, in the time of Pope Sixtus IV della Rovere. A basic feature of the chapel itself, so obvious that it is sometimes ignored, is the papal function, as the pope's chapel and the location of the elections of new popes. Furthermore, the building was in some respects a personal monument to the Della Rovere family, since Sixtus IV saw to its actual construction and the frescoes beneath the vaults, and his nephew Julius II commissioned the ceiling decoration. Oak leaves and acorns abound, heraldic symbols of the family whose name means literally "from the oak." The Chapel is rectangular in shape and measures 40,93 meters long by 13,41 meters wide, i.e. the exact dimensions of the Temple of Solomon, as given in the Old Testament. It is 20,70 meters high and is surmounted by a shallow barrel vault with six tall windows cut into the long sides, forming a series of pendentives between them. A marble mosaic floor of exquisite workmanship describes the processional itinerary up to and beyond the marble screen, to the innermost space, where it offers a surround for the papal throne and the cardinals' seats. The architectural plans were made by Baccio Pontelli and the construction was supervised by Giovanino de'Dolci. The walls are divided into three orders by horizontal cornices; according to the decorative program, the lower of the three orders was to be painted with fictive "tapestries," the central one with two facing cycles - one relating the life of Moses (left wall) and the other the Life of Christ (right wall), starting from the end wall, where the altar fresco, painted by Perugino, depicted the Virgin of the Assumption, to whom the chapel was dedicated. The upper order is endowed with pilasters that support the pendentives of the vault. Above the upper cornice are situated the lunettes. Between each window below the lunettes, in fictive niches, run images of the first popes - from Peter to Marc... Free Essays on Sistine Chapel Free Essays on Sistine Chapel The Sistine Chapel was built in 1473 under Pope Sixtus. It is most famous for it’s beautiful decorations and artwork. There are different colored marble floor mosaics, which are well known, but the paintings on the walls and ceilings are the chapel’s most famous feature. Frescoes by many artists cover the walls depicting scenes from the lives of Moses and Christ. However the most famous achievements in the chapel are the artwork of Michelangelo. Across the ceilings he painted nine episodes from genesis that are representations of the stages of creation and man’s temptation and fall. Below these scenes are the scenes of figures and prophets with episodes from the Old Testament, all designed for the salvation of Christianity. The last great work in the chapel was Michelangelo’s Last Judgment on the altar wall. Over the following years the wall accumulated soot and animal glues from previous restorers. By 1980 cleaning and restoration of Michelangelo’s frescoes began. Before beginning the restoration, computers were used to map every single inch of the 2,732-square-foot ceiling. A huge movable scaffold was used to test the areas, much like the one Michelangelo used while painting. After all the testing was done, full restorations were in progress. The dull, dark ceilings of the Sistine chapel no longer exist. The vivid colors provide a new way of looking at Michelangelo’s work. It took restorers a total of fourteen years (from 1981 to 1995) to remove the centuries’ worth of grime and decay. The restoration of the chapel is often called the restoration of the century. But it was followed by much controversy. After restoration was completed many people argued and were upset, saying that the restorers had distorted and destroyed all of the frescoes. Some people even said that it has been ruined. They complained that Michelangelo had used a second coat of paint to soften the colors and that the restorer... Free Essays on Sistine Chapel The chapel was built between 1475 and 1483, in the time of Pope Sixtus IV della Rovere. A basic feature of the chapel itself, so obvious that it is sometimes ignored, is the papal function, as the pope's chapel and the location of the elections of new popes. Furthermore, the building was in some respects a personal monument to the Della Rovere family, since Sixtus IV saw to its actual construction and the frescoes beneath the vaults, and his nephew Julius II commissioned the ceiling decoration. Oak leaves and acorns abound, heraldic symbols of the family whose name means literally "from the oak." The Chapel is rectangular in shape and measures 40,93 meters long by 13,41 meters wide, i.e. the exact dimensions of the Temple of Solomon, as given in the Old Testament. It is 20,70 meters high and is surmounted by a shallow barrel vault with six tall windows cut into the long sides, forming a series of pendentives between them. A marble mosaic floor of exquisite workmanship describes the processional itinerary up to and beyond the marble screen, to the innermost space, where it offers a surround for the papal throne and the cardinals' seats. The architectural plans were made by Baccio Pontelli and the construction was supervised by Giovanino de'Dolci. The walls are divided into three orders by horizontal cornices; according to the decorative program, the lower of the three orders was to be painted with fictive "tapestries," the central one with two facing cycles - one relating the life of Moses (left wall) and the other the Life of Christ (right wall), starting from the end wall, where the altar fresco, painted by Perugino, depicted the Virgin of the Assumption, to whom the chapel was dedicated. The upper order is endowed with pilasters that support the pendentives of the vault. Above the upper cornice are situated the lunettes. Between each window below the lunettes, in fictive niches, run images of the first popes - from Peter to Marc...

Benefits Of Outsourcing To Host Country

Benefits Of Outsourcing To Host Country In spite of the recent global economic recession, the worldwide business outsourcing market has achieved tremendous growth, According to one of famous International investment consultancy firm known as â€Å"McKinsey & Company† predicts that the demand for outsourcing services will obtain $230 billion by in 2011 from whole worlds and it will grow and by 10.5 percent (compound annual growth rate.). In the current business world many large organizations are outsourcing various jobs for example call centre services, payroll, e-mail services, Business Process Outsource and HR. As example: HSBC Bank has outsourced their call centres and Electronic Data Processing at India and Sri Lanka. AVIVA Insurance outsourced their call centres at India and Sri Lanka. IBM has outsource business Transformation system and customer contact work [call centres] at India 1.1 Outsourcing Outsourcing can be defined as contact between two companies to provide services which might otherwise be performed by in-house employees. In today’s world there is trend of outsourcing .Many multinational companies are now outsourced various level of jobs, as example such as call centre services, payroll management-mail service assistance. These outsourced jobs are handled by companies who have skilful labours who specialize to provide in services which are located outside the home country. In today business world Outsourcings has become latest trend which is becoming more common in information technology field. 1.2 Reasons for Outsourcings There are various reasons behind for outsourcings. Following section will describe the reasons for outsourcing: Improve Goal Congruence Outsourcing allow management to make attention on the vital or core business issues related with meeting customer needs and maintaining day to day issues. Outsourcings Allow To Access World-Class Capabilities Each notation is specialization in their own core activities. Ex: Qualitative labour-India. Advance technology -China and Japan. Outsourcing allow to access world-class capabilities, including innovative technology and so forth Share Risks With Different Peoples Outsourcing allows management spread certain level of risks as example demand variability and capital investments. Provider Free Resources for non core activities Outsourcing allowing organization to concentrate on non core activities and it allow to allocate those free resources among other activities Reducing Cost By Economic Of Scale Outsourcing allows organization to provide services at lower cost structure, which resulted from economies of scale. Reducing cost is the most persuasive reasons for outsourcing. Allow To Use Resources Not Internally Accessible Outsourcing is most preferable opportunity for companies that have potential to rapid growth, expansion into a new geography area , or spin-offs . Outsourcing Allow to use Resources not internally accessible Allow To Mange Functions Are Difficult Control problems are a one of m ajor reason for outsourcing. However, managers have to find out underlying causes for difficulties rather than outsourcing Even though there are various reason behind for outsourcing , ability of obtaining cost advantages is The main objective of outsourcing is, But lot of organizations are fail to realize any cost advantages received from outsourcing. The famous investment company â€Å"Gartner† is predictive that in 2009, 80% of organizations outsourced by having primary goal of coat cutting bit they are unable to achieve their primary goal of cost cutting, because there are various hidden cost of outsourcing. Such as outsourcing companies have high level of staff turnover rates than other organizations ,Normally it is high as 80% – 100%, cost of losing client due to increases of frustration. Therefore outsourcing must be fully monitored. Can easily fail.

Electronic Communication in the Workplace Assignment

Electronic Communication in the Workplace - Assignment Example An unfortunate incident in the corporate sector is that of Royal and SunAlliance Insurance Company. The organization sacked and disciplined employees involved in the distribution and emailing of pornographic content. The time allocated to the viewing and distribution of the illegal content at the workplace is a clear indication of misappropriation of resources in the company. The unanticipated fall in employee count disorganized the structure of the organization. Consequently, the output of the organization decreased. The company ought to address the misconduct of email at work through employment policies. It is necessary for each staff to go through these policies and agreeing to them by signing the document if it is in hard copy. Installation of email filtering software is vital for monitoring the employees and in punishing the offenders of the employment policies. In addition to that, the employer is responsible for addressing the issue in regular meetings by insisting a high level of formality in the use emails both externally and internally. Implementation of the mentioned guidelines at the workplace is a holistic approach to the elimination of unproductiveness at the workplace while promoting ethics in the business. The purpose of writing is to announce the implementation of guidelines for the use of the company’s email as a tool of communication within the workplace. The decision resulted from recently revealed statistics on the abuse of the resource in the company. The use of employment policies as a guideline is vital in mitigating the email misuse. Employment policies of the company have undergone revision. The inclusion of Internet and email use as a section in the policies is a necessary move in the implementation and enforcement of the rear mentioned guideline. Attached is a revised copy of the employment policies. Take time to go through each policy related to the use of Internet and email.  

IT - Bit Torrent Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

IT - Bit Torrent - Essay Example The partners of BitTorrent have been segregated into different categories which include venture capital, technology and device. The partners of the company in relation to venture capital include Accel, DCM and DAG Ventures. The technology related partners include Virgin Media, Opera Software and ESA Flash Components. The device associated partners of the company include D-Link, I-O Data and Buffalo. The aforementioned partners intend to work with BitTorrent with the intention of moving ahead in the business market competition (BitTorrent Inc., â€Å"Partners†). Thesis Statement The paper intends to make a detailed analysis about a particular technology i.e. BitTorrent DNA which is used by a peer-to-peer file sharing based company namely BitTorrent while transmitting large files through the medium of internet to its several viewers. The purpose of implementing the abovementioned technology along with its various implications will be taken into concern in the discussion. Discuss ion An Overview of BitTorrent DNA It has been apparent to the fact that there lies the necessity of developing as well as implementing efficient technologies in order to perform various technological related operations such as sharing, allocating and delivering huge files through internet. ... sourceful content delivery based technology which is acknowledged as BitTorrent DNA for the reason of considerably reducing particularly the bandwidth costs which are involved during distributing, sharing as well as delivering the large files. This particular technology contributes towards improving the working performance as well as the scalability of the websites on behalf of the company (BitTorrent Inc., â€Å"Company Overview†). Purpose of Introducing BitTorrent DNA The company constantly desires to share and deliver large files such as streaming video and music files among others to its several partners. In order to fulfill this desire, BitTorrent has introduced an innovative service based technology i.e. BitTorrent DNA which is also recognized as BitTorrent Delivery Network Accelerator that assists the company in sharing along with delivering large files to its large base of users. The technology successfully generates a virtual network of the computers of the viewers an d thus enables to speed up the download of popular files from the servers which can be easily shared amid the users. The crucial facet of this technology is that it performs the aforementioned act with more transparency. Moreover, the significant characteristic for which BitTorrent utilizes the technology is that it reduces the bandwidth costs by a considerable extent through which the company can earn maximum revenue along with making huge savings (AOL Inc. â€Å"BitTorrent DNA: Torrenting No Longer A Dirty Word†). The other major purpose of implementing the technology of BitTorrent DNA by the company is to gain superior customer satisfaction by enabling to make downloads of the large files at a higher speed. The downloadable options mainly include streaming videos, music files, downloading

Croygas Sports club Essay Example for Free

Croygas Sports club Essay Croygas Sports club has many roles and responsibilities that people have to fill. Here is a list of these roles and responsibilities of the personnel involved in the club:  President  A president is the title given to a person who is head of an organisation or company. The president at Croygas Sports Club is a figure head for the club, and shows up at different functions to represent the club.  Chairman  The chairman takes a more hands on role in the sport clubs day to day management. The chairman is the presiding officer of meetings, organisations and committee. Secretary  The secretary of this club performs routine and personal task tasks for a superior. The secretary performs duties such as typing, making tea, sending letters etc. The secretary will have to be very organised making sure that all the files and paperwork are kept neat and tidy.  Social Secretary  The social secretary organises and handles the personal details of clients; they are very similar to a personal assistant. This person will require strong communication skills because they will be communicating with people a lot and basic computer literacy because all there work is based on the computer. Treasurer  The treasurer is responsible for running the treasury. They are employed by organisations to look after the funds. The treasurer would oversee how the money is spent, making sure that they dont over or under spend.  Publicity Officer  The publicity officer is the key person in charge of publicising events and activities run by Croygas. This person is also responsible for the clubs policies and procedures e.g. the clubs policy on the welfare of children. The most important member of the club is the president. He is the founder of the club and has the biggest responsibility of looking after Croygas and making sure that everyone is doing their jobs properly. He also chooses to hire and fire staff, it is his decision how to use the money that the club raises and what to spend it on. He has a big impact on the club, because he has helped it to develop the club into a family orientated club that is currently highly successful in the football and cricket leagues. The chairman of Croygas has a more hands on role at the club. He has a big influence on the club and is always ever present in meetings and committees. He will be informed and up-to-date on all the information that is happening at the club and it his job to keep the president informed with this information. He will work with the president, deciding on future plans together and ways of improving the club. The secretary is just as important to the club as the president or the chairman. She has to sort out all the paper wok into files making sure that it is all organised and easy to access. A lot of the work the secretary does doesnt get seen, they do things like answering the phones, writing and sending out letters, organise things such as quiz nights and fixtures etc. The secretary is the main organiser at the club and plays a vital role in making the club successful, without the secretary, there would be nobody to organise paper work and keep files etc. The treasurer deals with the financial side of the business. They have a lot of control over the money and how the money is pumped into the club. The treasurer has a lot of work to do with things like organising fund raising activities, sponsorship, match and sub fees etc. There is a lot of organising to do and the president relies on the treasurers advice to decide what to spend the clubs money on.  The social secretary and the publicity officer both play similar roles as the secretary; they deal more with organising events to help raise money, and not so much paper work as the secretary. There are a number of problems that a club faces, and they would have to devise an action plan to improve the operation of the club. These problems include relegation. If a team is relegated from the Premier League to the Championship, then they will lose money in a number of different ways. Firstly the stadium wont have as many fans coming to watch the games because they are of lower standard and they want to see the best teams play, therefore they will lose money because they arent getting the same gate receipts as the previous season. Some of the best players in the relegated team might attract interest from bigger teams, and the chances are that these players will want a move away from the relegated team because they want to play at the highest standard possible. Also teams will find it hard to reject a respectable offer for their best player, because they need the money to help with the finances, and because of the loss of money due to relegation, the club might not be able to afford the wages that these players are earning, so they might be forced to leave the club that can pay the wages of the players. Relegation can give clubs a problem regarding money from television companies such as Sky Sports and the BBC, the teams wont be shown on the television and will lose money because of this. Teams that are in the Premier League receive a lot of money from these companies so that they can go television.