Factors Influencing Selection of Higher Education Institutions in Finland by Foreign Students : Marketing Higher Education Services to Foreign Students
Kunwar, Jeet (2017)
Kunwar, Jeet
Lahden ammattikorkeakoulu
2017
All rights reserved
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2017060512431
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2017060512431
Tiivistelmä
Increasingly Finland has turned out to be a popular destination for foreign students seeking higher education institutions (HEIs) for further studies abroad. In this context, it is natural to try to understand how foreign students evaluate their choices for HEIs globally and more specifically within Finland. The aim of this study is to find out the factors which influence selection of HEIs by foreign students. Ultimately, the aim of the study is to develop appropriate marketing strategies for HEIs based on the understanding of those influencing factors.
The theoretical framework used in the thesis is from services marketing and management. It seems appropriate because higher education is a form of service provided by HEIs. From the services marketing field, several factors closely align with the 7Ps model relevant to higher educational sectors were derived. The 7Ps tailored to higher educational sector were then used as a basis for factors affecting the selection of HEIs by foreign students in Finland.
The factors derived theoretically were evaluated through a questionnaire survey designed and administered through Webropol to a sample of 67 students currently enrolled or planning to apply to HEIs in Finland.The questionnaire survey method was used both as an exploratory basis to gauze the importance of different factors by foreign students, the method of analysis used was mainly quantitative.
The study findings from the study suggests several factors which are important for the selection of HEIs by foreign students in Finland.These were mainly students’ personal, location-specific, university-specific, program-specific, financial, future career- related and social-life related factors. The results led to assessment of these different factors in terms of their importance from the foreign students’ perspective.
The theoretical framework used in the thesis is from services marketing and management. It seems appropriate because higher education is a form of service provided by HEIs. From the services marketing field, several factors closely align with the 7Ps model relevant to higher educational sectors were derived. The 7Ps tailored to higher educational sector were then used as a basis for factors affecting the selection of HEIs by foreign students in Finland.
The factors derived theoretically were evaluated through a questionnaire survey designed and administered through Webropol to a sample of 67 students currently enrolled or planning to apply to HEIs in Finland.The questionnaire survey method was used both as an exploratory basis to gauze the importance of different factors by foreign students, the method of analysis used was mainly quantitative.
The study findings from the study suggests several factors which are important for the selection of HEIs by foreign students in Finland.These were mainly students’ personal, location-specific, university-specific, program-specific, financial, future career- related and social-life related factors. The results led to assessment of these different factors in terms of their importance from the foreign students’ perspective.