Jane Hemsley-Brown

Universities in a competitive global marketplace

Purpose – The purpose of this systematic review was to explore the nature of the marketing of higher education (HE) and universities in an international context. The objectives of the review were to: systematically collect, document, scrutinise and critically analyse the current research literature on supply‐side higher education marketing; establish the scope of higher education marketing; identify gaps in the research literature; and make recommendations for further research in this field.Design/methodology/approach – The approach for this study entailed extensive searches of relevant business management and education databases. The intention was to ensure that, as far as possible, all literature in the field was identified – while keeping the focus on literature of greatest pertinence to the research questions.Findings – The paper finds that potential benefits of applying marketing theories and concepts that have been effective in the business world are gradually being recognised by researchers in the ...

The Use of Research to Improve Professional Practice: a systematic review of the literature

In a keynote address to the Teacher Training Agency Annual Conference, Professor David Hargreaves suggested that teaching could become an evidence-based profession if educational researchers were made more accountable to teachers. This systematic literature review set out to explore: how teachers use research; which features of research encourage teachers to use research findings in their own practice; whether medical practitioners make greater use of research findings than teachers; and approaches to dissemination. Two key ideas emerge from this review. First, there appear to be common barriers to research use in both medicine and in education. Findings suggest that there is a need to create a culture in the public sector which supports and values research. There are, however, a number of factors, which appear to be more specific to the education field. Key differences in the way that research knowledge is constructed in the social sciences has led to researchers being challenged about their findings, particularly in relation to the context, generalisability and validity of the research. For these reasons the development of communication networks, links between researchers and practitioners, and greater involvement of practitioners in the research process, have emerged as strategies for improving research impact.

The research on school marketing: Current issues and future directions

This review provides a synthesis of the scholarship that has sought to expand the understanding of educational marketing practice in schools. The following research questions guided this review. What are the common themes and characteristics that emerge from research about marketing in schools? What remains underdeveloped in the characterization of the school marketing and what are the topics for future research? Based on 25 studies identified as pertinent to the current review the topics of: marketing perceptions, marketing planning, marketing strategies and promotion are discussed. The paper concludes by providing an analysis of the limitations of the current research and discussing future directions for research on school marketing.

College Choice Perceptions and Priorities

Choice in education has become a key issue for educational debate. In Further Education, especially since 1992, where recruitment has been linked to funding, interest in markets and choice mechanisms has understandably increased. This paper summarizes the findings of a longitudinal multi-site study which examined the reasons and motives of 16 year olds choosing among post-16 colleges and school sixth forms in one local area. It analyses decision-making processes and strategies, and reveals subjective and objective approaches in students’ handling of marketing information. The paper concludes that although students initially base their choices on ‘pre-dispositions’ and work within social and cultural frames of reference, young people also rely on the marketing information provided by colleges to justify their choices, and to announce their decisions to others.

Facilitating research utilisation

For many management researchers, it is important that the knowledge they create is utilised and has some impact on managerial practice. Sustainable competitive advantage depends less on who has the information and increasingly on those able to make the best use of that information. This paper focuses on two key questions: what are the barriers to research utilisation and what are the most effective strategies for facilitating the use of research by managers in the public sector, based on research evidence? The approach entailed extensive searches of on‐line databases in the fields of management, education and medicine, from the UK, USA, Canada, Australia and Europe. Key themes to emerge from this review were the accessibility and relevance of research, trust and credibility; the gap between researchers and users, and organisational factors. Research use can be facilitated through: support and training; collaboration and partnership; dissemination strategies; networks; and strong, visible leadership.

‘The best education in the world’: reality, repetition or cliché? International students' reasons for choosing an English university

Universities and students collaborate in a shared language of excellence, quality and choice, and become part of the same discourse of marketisation, commodification and globalisation, where each plays their part as provider and consumer in a highly competitive international area. Whilst there are an increasing number of studies which focus on the use of the Internet and websites, there are still very few articles on the use of websites in the context of higher education and university choice. This study uses a sample of 60 personal statements from online postgraduate applications submitted by international students. The extracts are coded for analysis and compared against the website information provided on university and British Council websites during the time period of the applications. Applicants used specific nouns, adjectives and phrases published on the British Council website and the website of their target university as reasons for choosing a university.

Market heal thyself: the challenges of a free market in higher education

The market is now accepted as an organizing principle of the world economy and is gradually replacing a number of political extremes ranging from totalitarianism to communism. The market continues to be viewed as way of addressing a wide range of social, industrial and economic issues: improving economic efficiency; greater value for money; enhancing innovation: a more cost effective way of achieving goals; increasing quality and the ability to compete more effectively internationally. These are just a few of the expectations of effective markets, but can the market be expected to compensate for its own shortcomings? Notwithstanding the continuing and emerging downsides to markets worldwide such as the failure of financial and housing markets, the mechanism continues to be viewed as a panacea for economic, social and political challenges in the delivery of education – even to the point of being viewed as the solution to its own failings. I will begin with a brief introduction to the launch and development of market principles and market mechanisms in higher education, and trace the challenges of markets and marketisation brought about by simultaneous internationalization. Then, I raise questions about the operation of a free market in education as it is poised to become the overriding mechanism for the allocation of resources worldwide. I explore some of the potential damage the market can inflict on higher education, and raise concerns that the achievement of some of the fundamental and core values of higher education are in conflict with the market – including evidence that markets are known to increase social polarization and reduce equality of access.

University Choice: What Do We Know, What Don't We Know and What Do We Still Need to Find Out?.

– The purpose of this paper is to systematically document, scrutinise and critically analyse the current research literature on higher education choice to: establish the scope of the studies; map the factors associated with choice; identify the key strengths and weaknesses in the research literature; critically analyse the extant research and make recommendations for further research in this field. , – The authors conducted extensive searches of relevant and education and management databases. The search is limited to publications between 1992 and 2013 and is intended to cover national and international research. The review is based on 75 papers which focus on institutional choice, assembled on an Excel database (45 surveys, 13 secondary data studies, one experimental study, two longitudinal studies, 11 qualitative studies and three studies that use both qualitative and quantitative techniques). , – Results are presented under thematic headings which emerged from the analysis: first, demographics and academic factors; second, factors which relate to the institution: quality, outcomes and benefits, facilities, and characteristics of institutions. Finally factors which affect both the institution and the students: price and price sensitivity, information and information sources, and travel and geographical factors are considered. , – Comprehensive analysis of prior research in the field of institutional choice is long overdue. Theoretical models for future research are presented as a result of the findings.

Educational marketisation and the head's psychological well-being: A speculative conceptualisation

One of the most important changes in the environment of schooling during the last decade has been the establishment of educational markets and inter–institutional competition which, in turn, has led to the development of a new management culture in schools. In the light of these developments, this paper draws together the research on heads’ responses to marketisation and suggests theoretical hypotheses on the impact of its underlying features on their psychological well–being. Our argument is that the major features of educational marketisation may promote the emergence of both the determinants of professional growth and self–renewal and of occupational stress and job burnout among headteachers. These determinants, in turn, lead to the appearance of two types of well–being among school heads. To support our hypothesis we refer to the work of others and empirical findings from various fields of study.

The incorporation of market orientation in the school culture: An essential aspect of school marketing

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present the major features of market orientation (MO) and its benefits for schools, suggests an inventory to measure the degree of MO in a school, and provides strategies to incorporate elements of MO into the school culture.Design/methodology/approach – An instructional, technical approach which is based on empirical literature both from business and service marketing and from the emergent research on educational marketing is taken in this article.Findings – The paper analyzes the implications of MO for the management of school‐environment relations, and provides an inventory to measure the degree of MO in individual schools. In addition, a stage by stage approach to incorporating MO into the school culture is broadly discussed, with a focus on the principals key role in this process.Practical implications – The paper concludes by suggesting some implications for future research on MO in schools and other educational institutions and highlights the significance ...