Tim Mazzarol

“Push‐pull” factors influencing international student destination choice

Examines the factors motivating international student choice of the host country. It describes a “push‐pull” model motivating the student’s desire to seek overseas education and influencing the decision process in selection of a final study destination. Drawing on the findings from research studies undertaken in Indonesia, Taiwan, China and India, the paper examines the factors influencing host country selection and additional research that examines the factors influencing choice of final host institution. Based on these findings the paper argues that economic and social forces within the home country serve to “push” students abroad. However, the decision as to which host country they will select is dependent on a variety of “pull” factors. After drawing together the findings, the paper then examines the implications for governments and education institutions seeking to recruit international students.

The third wave: future trends in international education

Describes how the second half of the twentieth century saw the development of a global market in international education. Following the Second World War, the flow of international students undertaking courses at all levels grew rapidly as developing countries sought to educate their populations. By the century’s end, there were an estimated 1.5 million students studying internationally at the HE level. Driving this market expansion was a combination of forces that both pushed the students from their countries of origin and simultaneously pulled them toward certain host nations. By the 1990s, the HE systems of many host nations (e.g. Australia, Canada, the USA, the UK and New Zealand) had become more market focused and institutions were adopting professional marketing strategies to recruit students into fee‐paying programs. For many education institutions such fees had become a critical source of financing. Suggests that the international education industry, HE administrators and managers and academic staff face very significant challenges in the next few years.

Word of mouth: measuring the power of individual messages

Purpose – Word‐of‐mouth (WOM) marketing has become a key focus for many organisations. However, little research has sought to identify the dimensionality of WOM. The present research project aims to describe the development of a 12‐item measure that can be used to assess WOM at an individual message level for positive and negative WOM and among givers and receivers of WOM.Design/methodology/approach – The research includes four studies, a qualitative focus group phase and quantitative phases involving surveys of over 2,000 consumers representing givers and receivers of positive and negative WOM.Findings – Three distinct dimensions emerged. Two (cognitive content and richness of content) reflect the composition of the message, while the third, termed strength of delivery, reflects the manner of delivery. The scale has strong psychometric properties and was found to be generalisable in the four contexts – sending positive/negative messages and receiving positive/negative messages.Research limitations/implic...

A model of small business HR growth management

Substantial work has been undertaken in the field of human resource management (HRM) as it applies to large organizations. However, for small business these models frequently do not apply. The small business lacks adequate systems to ensure the efficient management of human resources. Further, most small businesses are the product of their owners, whose personality and personal involvement dominate. Drawing upon evidence from four case studies of small business owners who have experienced growth the aim of the paper is to examine the point at which these owners became aware of the need for team building and delegation within their companies and how they responded. All have found finding, motivating and retaining good staff a critical bottleneck in their business growth. Of importance, appears to be their beliefs, attitudes and values. A shift in these areas was necessary before change could be undertaken. The point of awareness for many came from the managerial training programs but was tempered by their beliefs and the growth cycles of their companies. Prior to change being possible these owner‐managers needed to develop skills and competencies in leadership, coaching and management before effective delegation and team building could take place. These findings are linked to the existing body of knowledge relating to HRM. A theoretical model of the small business HR process for small business growth is presented. Future, implications for small business management and research are discussed.

Strategic Planning in Growth Oriented Small Firms

Purpose – The paper aims to examine the management practices of owner‐managers of small businesses seeking to grow their firms. It seeks to better understand their strategic thinking in relation to internal and external environmental issues.Design/methodology/approach – A sample of 204 owner‐managers who had indicated their desire for growth was surveyed using a questionnaire developed from earlier research that examined their strategic and operational behaviour. Follow‐up discussions over their results were conducted face‐to‐face. Data were analysed using confirmatory factor analysis and discriminant analysis.Findings – Firms that possessed formal written business plans were found to be more likely to have stronger support network partnerships, formal quality assurance and the ability to lead change among employees. A relationship was found between an above average level of annual sales turnover and the personal vision of the owner‐managers.Research limitations/implications – Although the sample was atyp...

Factors enhancing word-of-mouth influence: positive and negative service-related messages

Purpose – This study aims to examine the effects interpersonal, service product and message factors has on positive and negative word of mouths (WOM) influence. The study also sought to address the impact WOM had on changes in peoples willingness to use a service provider. Design/methodology/approach – A total of 495 consumers who had received positive WOM and 505 who had received negative WOM in the prior 12 months completed an online survey. The sample was recruited through a national online consumer panel provider. Findings – Positive WOM was more effective and positive WOM messages had a greater effect on peoples willingness to use a service than did negative WOM. Paradoxically, the strength of WOM and interpersonal factors had more impact on the influence of negative WOM, while brand equity enhanced positive WOM and acted as a buffer to negative WOM. Research limitations/implications – The study was conducted in a services context and may not necessarily be generalizable to product contexts. Furth...

A study of the factors influencing the operating location decisions of small firms

Investigates the purchase of industrial real estate by small to medium enterprises. Using a three‐stage methodology, examined the views of a stakeholder panel, then drew a sample of 450 firms ranging from micro‐businesses to large firms and examined the importance of various factors likely to influence the attractiveness of an industrial site. A focus group comprising members of an expert panel was then convened to discuss the findings. Highlights the subjective decision‐making associated with the smaller firms in comparison with the “buying centre” objectivity of the larger firms. Owner‐managers from micro and small firms were motivated by such personal issues as the proximity of the industrial site to their home, rather than access to transport routes or freight terminals. The findings suggest that government and private sector agencies seeking to develop and market industrial land need to devote more time to understanding the needs of small firms. Also discusses implications for future research.

The selection of international retail franchisees in East Asia

Purpose – Although international franchising has occurred in East Asia over the past 20 years, surprisingly very little academic research has been undertaken to understand key dynamics of this marketing phenomenon. The purpose of this paper is to examine franchise resources, which is a key construct in the internationalization of retail franchising.Design/methodology/approach – A multiple case study approach has been adopted to generate rich data designed to aid understanding of the complexities inherent within such an international marketing relationship. The data were drawn from five US food service retail franchises, which are household brands across East Asia, operating in Singapore.Findings – This study presents several interesting findings for the retail franchise industry. First, consistent with resource scarcity theory, international franchising relationship begins with a high degree of franchise dependency on the local franchisees. Next, international franchisors will be well served to select the...

Australian educational institutions' international markets: a correspondence analysis

Purpose – The global market for international students have become highly competitive and many institutions, particularly higher education institutions, rely heavily on fee income from overseas students. This study aims to examine the countries from which Australian education institutions draw such students and used this information to better understand such patterns.Design/methodology/approach – Data were obtained from a sample of 225 schools, colleges and universities that were actively engaged in the recruitment of international students and correspondence analysis and cluster analysis were used to examine the recruitment choices made by these institutions.Findings – It was clear there were three groups within the data that had different recruitment strategies. Group 1 (local players) institutions were primarily established to cater to the needs of international students studying in Australia and had a narrowly focussed recruitment strategy. Group 2 (global players) were institutions (mainly universiti...

Innovativeness in Small Firms: An Exploratory Study of the Perspectives of Growth Oriented Owner-Managers

Summary The present paper is an exploratory study that examines the findings of a sample of 137 growth-oriented owner-managers of Australian small to medium enterprises in terms of their attitudes toward innovativeness among their employees. It considers the possible relationship that may lie between a set of factors identified as having relevance to the successful development of small businesses. The paper suggests that enhanced innovative behaviour among employees is likely to take place in conjunction with other variables that influence overall organisational culture within the firm and highlights the importance of the owner-manager as a leader and role model.