344 Final Report

Shaliza Allang 3575822
Desmond Pereira 3546007

Iqra Tabani 3753311
Hamza Aslam 3546020

Mitchell Fernandes 3566109
Lakmali Herath 3498712
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this marketing research and analysis report was to design strategies that would
increase the recruitment of new students for University of Wollongongs Bachelor of Commerce:
Marketing program and maintain the loyalty of current students in the program which would help
in retaining students.
2.0 KEY SUCCESS FACTORS
2.1 QUALITY.
Quality is a key factor in determining the attraction of students to UOWD. By interviewing the
students of UOWD it is established that the quality of the lecturers and content of the marketing
degree is perceived as very high [Refer to Appendix 11.1 e)]. At UOWD, the courses are all
accredited both locally by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and
internationally by Australian Universities Quality Agency [Refer to Appendix 11.2 a)]. The degree
provides scope for future employment opportunities which is proved by the current job positions,
graduates in the degree hold. The faculty and staff are all highly qualified. The staff have
received qualifications from different countries and have years of experience in different areas
which results in high quality education at UOWD. They also have extensive knowledge of MENA
practices. Students look for good lecturers who will teach the course effectively, assist with
problems, encourage participation, make the course entertaining and provide insight into
various matters. From all of the six interviews conducted, the students seem to have great
respect for the marketing faculty of UOWD, determining them as the best. At UOWD, the basic
requirement to become a university teacher is to have a PhD or at least be under the eye of a
PhD graduate. This adds a certain level of quality to the staff hired at UOWD. The professors at
UOWD also conduct their own research and are recognized for their work [Refer to Appendix
11.2 e)].
2.2 ATTRACTION AND RETENTION OF STUDENTS
Another important factor critical to success, is the recruitment strategies that the university
conducts to attract students. Representatives, exhibitions, advertisements all assist in promoting
the university. From the research conducted, students mainly found out about UOWD through
the website, brochures, exhibitions at school and word of mouth. They feel that the
advertisements were not too appealing at the time they joined, but as of late, UOWD has
increased their advertising through various mediums. However, when joining the university,
there isnt any guidance to choosing the right course which is important to students. UOWD has
a range of over 100 nationalities, the highest being Indians and Russians. UOWD holds
exhibitions in various countries to attract students for example IDP in Sri Lanka promotes
UOWD and coordinates with prospective students. Similarly, UOWD sends representatives to
carry out student admission interviews in various countries mostly in the Gulf region and Asia
[Refer to Appendix 11.2 h)]. Exhibitions are held in different schools that introduce what the
university is, their philosophy, values and mission statement. UOWD is actively involved in this
activity. A gap exists wherein UOWD attracts few Emiratis. The UAE population consists of
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mainly expatriates which are 8% East Asian and Westerners, 50% South Asian, Arabs and
Iranians are 23% and only 19% are Emirati who are citizens of the UAE (UNODC, 2011).
UOWD entry requirements are relatively of a higher standard than its direct competitors,
American University of Sharjah and American University in Dubai which is good because it
maintains the standards of students that become a part of UOWD. They require a minimum of 3
Bs & 4 Cs in 7 O-level subjects whereas AUS and AUD require minimum of Cs in all 7 O-level
subjects [Refer to Appendix 11.1 d)]). UOWD maintains a good retention of its students but a
few do leave to other universities citing various reasons from a more reputed degree to a better
overall university experience.
2.3 PROGRAM DIFFERENTIATION
Differentiation plays a key role in an organisations success and profitability, hence it is essential
for institutes to identify and exploit the opportunities available in the market before the rivals; in
order to experience sustainable competitive advantage. About 3 students with which interviews
were conducted mentioned that UOWDs B.comm Marketing program is very much related to
the BBA program offered, since majority of the subjects offered in BBA are marketing subjects
similar to the B.com Marketing course and students in the BBA program could cover the
marketing course by taking the remaining marketing subjects as electives [Refer to Appendix
11.1 i)]. Hence, a large population of students end up taking BBA with marketing electives
enabling them to have a similar degree as B.com Marketing. Thus it is essential for institutes to
differentiate between their degrees providing them an exposure to the particular field theyve
chosen.
Moreover, UOWDs BBA degree is much generalized as compared to competitive universities
[Refer to Appendix 11.1 d) and i)] which provide specialized BBA degrees in fields like
marketing, finance, human resource, etc. This belief was further cemented by the interviews
( with 4 out of 6 affirmations) and the focus groups we conducted, where the students
emphasised their need for a specialized BBA Marketing program as compared to B.com
specialization in the same, due to the mindset they had of BBA being more diverse and
professionalized. UOWD can optimize by offering specialized BBA programs to attract the
students who enrol into other universities based on this criterion. Its also evident that the same
Bcomm Marketing course offered in UOW differs from the course offered in UOWD, with more
variety of marketing subjects available to students in UOW (uow, 2011).
2.4 INDUSTRY AFFILIATIONS
When looking for a good marketing degree, most students look for the opportunity where they
can practically implement the theories learnt. Tie-ups with organizations in industry serve as a
guarantee to students of the relevance of their course to real business environment. It also
offers them the promise of possible employment opportunities through internships and joint
projects. Internships are the best way to provide practical application of the theory that
marketing students learn in the classroom. Compared to most of its competitors like AUS, AUD
and CUD, each of their marketing courses consist of one compulsory internship course whereas
UOWD does not offer any such course as part of the marketing degree which is an evident gap
[Refer to Appendix 11.1 d)]. Universities also stand to gain through the sharing of industryspecific know how with firms, and this again can facilitate more relevant courses. Successful
relationships with businesses will certainly improve universities image as being of high quality
and being involved with many companies. This also helps create employment opportunities for
students. UOWD does stand to help students with employment opportunities by having an
annual career fair, hosting about 25-30 companies which assists students in looking for
internships or jobs after they graduate.
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2.5 TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS:

Numerous universities like Murdoch University and University of Phoenix in Dubai have adopted
e-learning or online learning to target audience around the world and provide them the benefit of
completing their degree without travelling. Similarly, students are progressively accepting, hence
with time demanding online education. Sloan Consortium that is focused in online education
informed that in 2007 almost 3.9 million students applied for an online course in universities like
Devry University and University of Phoenix. Also, Madar Research reported that Dubais elearning market was expected to grow to approximately $24 million by 2008 (Al Bawaba, 2004).
Due to this reason, many institutes have included online programs in their portfolio to enlarge
their customer base(Kim & Bonk, 2006)
Furthermore, universities can use the alternative of incorporating blended learning program
instead of full online courses to act as a differentiator to appeal to students and corporate
partners. Blended learning is a combination where part of the course is accessed online while
the remaining is delivered on campus(Rovai & Jordan, 2004). Hence, UOWD can avail this
opportunity since it has almost all the resources and competencies required to offer blended
learning program (IT know-how and infrastructure). Moreover, it can even provide the facility for
the students to access the audio (or possibly even the video) lectures conducted in the campus
online enabling them to recap the lecture or avoid missing out on information. Since, most of the
bachelor students are either working part-time, have prior commitments or miss out on lectures
due to personal reasons/ emergencies, this competence will provide them an added advantage
of not losing out on information. Warwick Business School have benefitted with about 20
students per year by offering blended online courses (Thomas, 2007). Hence, UOWD might
experience a reduction in its target market by not availing this opportunity.
3.0 CONSTRAINTS AND ASSUMPTIONS
A certain number of constraints hampered our efforts in retrieving sufficient quality information
relevant to the analysis; this resulted in further probing that could help us in suggesting lucrative
strategies. In terms of the primary and secondary research data, the problems confronted
included the fact that the limited sample size taken into consideration may provide debatable
results on validity and reliability. We received incomplete information from the online survey.
Actual numbers of respondents for the survey were supposed to be 50 but we were only able to
get 32 responses, which led to information gaps. Irrespective of our plan to conduct three focus
groups, due to time constraints and availability of the students we were limited to carry out only
two focus groups. [Refer to 7.0 Methodology: timeline]. Interviews with the program director left
some queries unanswered due to the Program Director being new to this field. It was also not
possible to gain access whatsoever to any of the financial records, that would help in
understanding the cost structure for the B.com Marketing program. The confidentiality of teacher
evaluations that were done each semester meant that we were refused copies of the same. This
could have given us an insight into the feedback of the students on their views of the Marketing
faculty, on whether their competencies to teach the marketing course are beneficial to the
students. We relied on students perceptions that lecturer quality was high. Retrieving enrolment
records of UOWD and even that of the competitors was restricted, this was essential to identify
the demand for the various degree programs.
4.0 NEED AND VALUE ANALYSIS
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Beginning with, the need for quality tertiary education is met by a comprehensive degree thats
received dual accreditation. This is an especially important need to parents when they are the
primary decision makers, which is a large segment of the local market. Further, a degree
consolidates the skills, experience, and all past education undertaken by an individual to
employers, a primary need of academically inclined students who wish to be recognised
(students whom weve profiled as studious Sam or nerdy Nikita). UOWDs Marketing
programme is respected and renowned in the region to be among the best. For a significant
majority of students, proximity to their university is of a paramount importance. Often times this
is more relevant to their final choice of institution than several other otherwise decisive factors. It
is not least because travel/lodging costs can be substantial if students choose to pursue a
degree abroad. Again, concerned parents regard this as an important need (profiled as
desperate dads). A significantly large segment of students almost certainly expects their degree
to enhance employability (profiled Studious Sam and Ambitious Abdul), even though no
promises or guarantees might be made. In this regard, UOWD certainly goes beyond other
institutions in competition by having established a full-time dedicated career centre that will not
only help existing students find jobs as soon as they graduate, but also helps alumni in getting
suitable placements. In addition, students expect to acquire practical experience too as part of
their degree education, and this need in UOWD is fulfilled by team tasks and assignments which
are part of coursework. However, students have complained about them not being real
enough. These and additional needs that came to the fore during our student interviews and
focus groups are detailed in the appendix.
Conducting a CPV analysis, in the face of all the above mentioned benefits, the most significant
component of cost for customers is the monetary (tuition fees and other overheads). Time costs
are probably not a significant issue as UOWD is rather conveniently located and on the whole,
acquiring a bachelors degree does take anywhere from 3-4 years anywhere in the world. In
fact, UOWD is so flexible in its subject offerings each semester that students, who might wish to
do so, can complete their bachelors degree in 2.5 years. Energy costs are probably average
when compared to industry levels, though many students complain of blocks 14 and 15 being
too far from block 5, making for tiresome walking. Psychic costs probably exist by way of
students disinterest in the UOWD brand, something that definitely would alter their perception of
value. On the whole though, especially when compared to other universities in the region,
UOWD offers a fairly attractive value proposition to customers.
5.0 TARGET SEGMENT AND JUSTIFICATION
The target segment consists of a mix of characteristics that are a part of all the proposed five
segments, Studious Sam, Social Sara, Nerdy Nikita, Ambitious Abdul Kadir, Fernando the
Follower and Desperate Dads, which are explained in detail in Appendix. [Refer to Appendix
11.1 h)]. The ideal target segment for UOWDs B.Comm marketing degree consists of students
of both genders ranging from 15 to 18 years of age. These students are carer-oriented and look
for a university that provides a quality, accredited education with qualified professors while at
the same time looking for a university that provides extra curricular activities to be engaged in
whilst enrolled. The target segment is mainly expatriates since they make up the most of the
population in the UAE (around 81%) (UNODC, 2011). Most expatriate students have families
that wish to keep their children closer to them, here in Dubai after they complete school. Their
parents look for a credible university which will provide the right course for their children.
6.0 LITERATURE REVIEW
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6.1 BRAND IMAGE

Brand image is a factor that plays an important part in affecting the level of loyalty towards a
brand. Achieving the brand image status takes time and is not an easy task that can be attained
through just good advertising campaigns (Chong, 2008), but requires the product behind the
image to earn the trust of customers (Chong, 2008). A sub set of factors like quality,
perceptions, trust, country of origin (Chong, 2008), luxury and many others contribute to form a
dynamic brand image. According to an unpublished study, the image of an educational institute
can be broken down into three categories, which are, Study environment which deals with the
innovation and factors that are student focused, Practicality in terms of enrolments and
Conservativeness which is a measure of whether the institution is traditional or well
established(Turner, 1999). Perceptual mapping of an institutions image would gain loyalty from
students provided that the institutions deliver the perceived value that they promise through their
brand image. UOWD markets their brand image through their slogan, Your Australian University
in Dubai, that focuses on the exclusivity of the Australian education in Dubai. Problem with the
brand that was evident from the research was that students didnt mind being a part of UOWD,
but do not necessarily want to be associated with the brand [Refer Appendix 11.5].
6.2 QUALITY
Quality has many forms, most of which are linked to brand image through customer perception.
But quality by itself is a very important variable that affects the way customers become loyal to a
brand. Firms implementing the philosophy of TQM (total quality management) are able to focus
on services providing the most value for the customers through CRM. External agencies
evaluate the level of quality in an organisation and the deliverance of that quality to its
customers on the basis of certain international standards. Through audits, the agencies are able
to award ISOs to companies if the quality of service meets or exceeds the set criteria of
international standards. The educational system has an award rating of ISO 9000, which is a
combined effort by the company in terms of perfecting quality of external and internal activities
(Dobrzaski et al, 2007). This type of quality rating is important because it cannot be easily
perceived by the customer through brand image; it must be communicated to them. The degree
offered at UOWD is accredited by the Ministry of education and also by AUQA [Refer Appendix
11.1 d]. Students through research have shown that it is important for their choice of UOWD
because of its accreditation [Refer 8.0 Quantitative Analysis].
6.3
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION
To date, a vast amount of research has clearly underscored the direct link between customer
satisfaction and loyalty, and it undoubtedly remains one of the most relevant variables directly
affecting customers commitment to any particular business (C.-T. Liu et al, 2011). In the
international higher education market, customer (student) loyalty is indeed positively related to
their satisfaction with the universitys product, which they evaluate primarily through direct
experience. This can also substantially influence their perception of the institutions reputation,
which is another certain variable impacting loyalty (Helgesen et al, 2007). A major constituent of
students satisfaction with universities is their satisfaction with service augmenters,
supplementary components which enhance delivery of the core education, namely factors such
as financial aid, student accommodation, quality of campus life, health services and the like. It
should be noted here that these factors are of special interest and relevance to international
students, and as such can have a profound influence on their choice of institution (Paswan et al,
2009). As far as UOWD is concerned, the online survey we conducted with B.com Marketing
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majors painted a grim picture of students satisfaction levels; a whopping 43% strongly
disagreed to being satisfied with their university experience, while a significant 29% was
neutral to the statement. Not surprisingly, 43% responded neutral to I am very loyal to my
university brand while 21.5% strongly disagreed to it.
6.4 CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP
The extent of relationship between a brand and its customer determines the strength of loyalty
of the customer for that particular brand. Service industries adopt the concept of CRM
(customer relationship management) to create and maintain lasting relationship between the
firms and its customers (Nelson, Chan, Gibson, 2004). Firms may invest and place focus on
relationship building and customer intimacy (Nelson, Chan, Gibson, 2004) to prioritize retention
of customers, which also works as a great marketing tool to attract potential customers. By
understanding the customer to meet their needs or even exceed them, firms are able to reduce
the customer turnover and experience higher margins of profit (Gronroos, 1994). Since the
relationship houses a bundle of intangible value, there has to be a strengthened relation
marketing so that there is no deterrence in the relationship quality, otherwise it could easily
hamper the customers perception of their loyalty to a brand if it doesnt meet their expectations.
Running your business on the philosophy of always providing more for your customers than
you have to engenders loyalty (Linask, 2011). Universities build customer relationship by
offering counselling services with relation to career opportunities and student academics. In
UOWD, there are a variety of services offered for the students; like the SASS, SRC, sports and
academic merits, Career Development, International Student Program, Personal Counselling
and Health Services. Analysis has shown that even with these services present, there is not
enough awareness so that the students can benefit from them. [Refer Appendix 11.4]
6.5 CONVENIENCE
In many industries and for many products, customers loyalty simply boils down to convenience;
primarily convenience of access to the product. Factors such as location and opening hours
dictate the choice of brand, and there is barely any loyalty to the brand itself, even though
repurchase is almost guaranteed as long as a more convenient option doesnt open up.
However, there is a strong possibility here of the customer becoming unintentionally loyal to
the brand, and may subconsciously look to purchase it when travelling or shopping at an
unfamiliar store. Today, supermarkets for instance increasingly have to rely on location as a
source of differentiation since most of them carry very similar inventories (Rowley, 2005). Of
interesting note here is the fact that convenience might have a significant impact on customers
choice of complex services as well, and not only on routinely purchased goods, as was
traditionally thought. Indeed, a large proportion of students today have enrolled at their
universities because it was the closest to them, among other convenience-causing factors. Our
interviews and focus groups confirmed this phenomenon, as almost everyone cited location as a
decisive factor (if not by them selves, then for their parents) in choosing to study at UOWD,
albeit to various levels of significance.
6.6 MULTICULTURAL MARKETING.

Marketing aimed at targeting ethnic groups focuses on aspiration marketing, because marketers
have understood that aspirations linked to the company brand would form building blocks that
would lead to lasting customer loyalty (Rooney, 2001). Marketing on aspirations means that
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companies can identify on relevant themes of their product which can be tailored to suit the
needs of different cultural groups (Rooney, 2001). Brand loyalty is established also by
specifically marketing to individualistic and group oriented societies. In the group oriented
society, close-knit family values and acceptance and recognition in society are given importance
(Rooney, 2001). While individual values focus on physical attractions which are more related to
cross cultural groups. International students prefer applying to universities that offer interaction
with their foreign neighbours. UOWD targets a number of ethnic markets, with adverts of its
multicultural population, hosting cultural events and degree planners in five different languages.
To add to that UOWD also has representatives in different Asian countries to represent the
university in a number of education exhibitions. Students at UOWD believe that interaction with
students from foreign background adds to the university experience. [Refer Appendix 11.3 b]
7.0 METHODOLOGY AND QUESTIONAIRE JUSTIFICATION
A combination of primary and secondary data sources were used to compile this report.
Secondary research sources included corporate websites, financial reports, magazines, journal
articles etc. For primary research, explanatory interviews were held with Mrs. Jenny Knowles
who is Program Director of B.Comm Marketing, on February 1st 2011 at 1:20pm and Mr. Rajesh
Chandrasekaran Prema who is Marketing Officer from Marketing Relations department on
February 13th 2011 at 4:00pm. In addition to this more data was collected through 6 face to face
in-depth interviews, 2 focus groups and 32 online survey responses. The online questionnaire
designed by the office of institutional effectiveness provided us with quantitative information. Our
focus will put light on the factors that affect students decisions with relation to the variables that
affect loyalty. The tools used in the data collection were both quantitative and qualitative.
Lectures from Academic Vice President Mohamed Khalifa and Assistant Manager of Marketing,
Naheed Maalik also helped us gather key findings.
TIMELINE:
SAMPLE SIZE AND JUSTIFICATION

In-Depth Interviews Sample size of 6 which constituted of students enrolled in the Bachelor
of Commerce: Marketing program. This was to probe into what factors aided them in joining
university and why they stayed
Focus Groups two focus groups were conducted. Each had four students. The first one
comprised of second year students in the marketing course so as to gain ideas of fresh
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perceptions of UOWD whilst the second group were students in their last year in the marketing
course which helped us gain insight into course delivery and loyalty factors.
Online Questionnaire Survey target sample of 50 questionnaires. Survey link was
distributed to students currently enrolled as well as students outside university.
8.0 DATA ANALYSIS
8.1 QUALITIATIVE RESEARCH - KEY FINDINGS.
Qualitative research through in-depth interviews and focus groups helped determine key
reasons for choosing UOWD, what factors influenced their choice of university and degree,
their opinions about and suggestions for the university and the current perception of the
university as a brand and what position it holds in students minds. It also helped identify gaps
in the market.
The main reasons that students chose to study at the University of Wollongong in Dubai
included the need for a quality education as a top priority. They felt the need for an accredited
program was vital for success in todays marketplace. The students were also informed of the
highly qualified faculty and this was another key determinant in joining UOWD. The University
of Wollongong also happens to be among the top 10 universities in Dubai with a history of 18
years. Other social factors included family, friends and networking influences. Students wanted
to experience a multicultural experience. UOWD also has a very attractive location being in the
central hub called Knowledge Village located near Dubai Media City and easily accessible by
metro and bus. Since many students dont drive, this was a great benefactor.
Students mainly discovered the university through sources such as the university website,
university brochures and booklets, friends and word of mouth. Some students were influenced
by current UOWD students, graduates of UOWD and after communicating with the registrar
and faculty of UOWD. Exhibitions at high school and GETEX helped to gain awareness of the
university and the courses offered. Advertisements played a very minor role in attracting the
students. Three to four years back, UOWD had very minimal advertising but as of late they
advertise through mediums like theatre, radio, television, and newspapers.
Students who joined the university expected to gain more knowledge of work place practices
and to meet diverse set of students from different countries. They expected a course that
would be challenging, practical and relate to the practices of todays world. Students look
forward to the opportunity to transfer to Australia and also the possibility of gaining
employment there. On the whole, they expect an accredited, quality degree program, with high
qualified lecturers and a fun, diverse environment.
Many factors influenced their reasons to enrol in the marketing program. Parents and
counsellors played a big role. Students were also attracted to the great faculty teaching the
subjects in the course. They wanted something practical and challenging and hoped to gain
employment opportunities in various marketing fields after graduating with this degree.
Research shows that students are not entirely happy with the course. They feel that some
subjects are not necessary for the marketing program. Some subjects in the degree and not
too in-depth or articulate enough. Moreover, the course contains lots of opportunities for the
students to conduct research but less emphasis on fields like advertising and design, emarketing and mass media. The marketing strategy and services marketing subjects are great
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opportunities to gain practical experience but the rest are too theoretical. There is just one
communications subject in the course and that too does not create opportunities to create,
design, advertise and market your own ideas. Subjects like philosophy and psychology are not
fields of interest unless they could be related to marketing.
The students highly praised the faculty of the marketing program. They claim that the faculty
have some of the best professors and with their qualifications and experience from different
countries, they bring interesting, various perspectives to the course.
Students were asked if they would be interested in having internships as a part of their course
to which mainly answered positively. They felt that it would be a great opportunity to gain
experience if they actually took what they study in the classroom out into an actual workplace
where they could apply their knowledge practically. It would prepare them for the challenge of
work and gain more skills along the process. It could also look good on their CV when applying
for jobs after graduation. Other universities make it compulsory to complete an internship thus
opening a gap for UOWD.
When asked if any of the expectations they had prior to joining UOWD has changed, senior
students stated that the course does deliver but it could be more diversified. They expected to
have a multicultural experience but theres not much interaction between some cultures. They
looked forward to extracurricular activities which didnt live up to expectations.
8.2 QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH - KEY FINDINGS.
By analysing the results of the online questionnaire, we gain insightful, statistical information on
factors affecting loyalty and perceptions of UOWD.
Around half of the surveyed students think lecturers make their subject interesting while 28.57%
and 21.43% responded neutral and strongly disagree respectively, implying the quality of
teachers at UOWD is on the whole a mixed bag. Over 71% of the students believe that the
course is relevant to future employment, something that can be expected to increase the
probability of positive word of mouth. 57% think teachers are experts in their fields, 28.57% are
neutral, and 14.29% disagree to the same. Teachers expertise is evident through their
examples and methods of teaching which is important to provide range and quality. 57.41%
believe local employers respect UOWD which they feel is important to secure a job. The
marketing major appears to have enhanced students problem solving and analytical skills, as
only a mere 7.14% of the surveyed disagree with the statement. 71.43% of the students believe
the standards of foreign universities have the best reputations in UAE/Gulf states, which could
explain the increasing interest of UAEs high school graduates in UOWD. Over 42% students
believe the course content is made relevant to the UAE, 35.71% are neutral, and 21.43%
disagree with the same. 70% believe they must be highly self motivated to achieve HDs and Ds.
Over 50% agree with the fact that university has good career advisors to assist in guiding them
with career counselling whilst over 28% are have a neutral opinion and 14.29% disagree. A
large percentage, about 78.57% of the surveyed, believes that this course involves a lot
coursework and assignments. However, judging from the otherwise constant outcry of students
with regards to the lack of opportunities for practical experience, wed be inclined to think most
of these assignments predominantly involve secondary research. Much interestingly, an exactly
equal percentage of 36% of the surveyed students strongly agree and strongly disagree with
the statement my course has met all of my expectations, while the remaining 29% voted
neutral. Since we have found satisfaction to be a very critical variable directly impacting
loyalty, this is indeed an issue of concern.
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However, it should be borne in mind here that the above results have been derived from a
survey of just 32 people, and of those, only 14 completed it in whole. Indeed then, the results
should not in any way be considered conclusive.
9.0 RECOMMENDED STRATEGY
After analysing our data and determining the key findings we can formulate strategies for
increasing recruitment to the university and creating loyalty of students currently enrolled. The
strategies are tailored to each of the 7 Ps of the marketing mix.
9.1 PRODUCT STRATEGY
From our key findings its observed that students are unsatisfied with the course because it
offers too many research-oriented assignments and very few, if any, that give the students an
opportunity to design realistic marketing campaigns.
We recommend implementing more marketing related subjects in different fields. The same
course in UOW Australia offers subjects such as MARK395-Tourism Marketing, MARK-356
Creating & Marketing New Products, MARK-250 Advertising Practice & Creative Strategies and
COMM332-Startup of a Socially Innovative Business. Hence, adding these offerings will
strengthen UOWDs portfolio providing more courses that have a more practical approach to
coursework.[Refer to Appendix 11.1.i. II)].
Another strategy involves differentiating the BBA program from the Marketing program. The BBA
program includes a lot of overlap with the marketing program which results in students enrolling
in the BBA program and taking the rest of the marketing degree subjects as electives. This
takes students away from enrolling in the marketing program. A way to do this is by
implementing the above mentioned strategy which will keep the UOWD B.comm Marketing
degree unique and differentiated than the BBA degree. .[Refer to Appendix 11.1.i. l]
One of the untapped segments UOWD is unable to exploit is the need for a part-time course
schedule to attract students, profiled as Ambitious Ali Dinajad [Refer Appendix 11.1 h]. Since
UOWD is already considering to implement part-time BBA degree course schedule (UOWD,
2011), we recommend them to offer a similar approach to B.comm Marketing program. This will
allow students to enrol in the part-time courses while being employed in their respective
companies. This has been further facilitated in 2007 by the official approval of the government
whereby students aged 15 -18 are allowed to work part-time. (DubaiFaq, 2010).
From our competitive analysis we found that three major universities offer internships as a part
of their marketing course. This is a gap for the University of Wollongong since we do not provide
internships in the Bachelor of Commerce: Marketing course. American University of Sharjah and
American University in Dubai find it relatively easy to place internships since they are
government funded and have huge influence but an institution such as Canadian University in
Dubai have internships too. Thus we recommend a similar approach to be implemented which
will not only be beneficial for the universities reputation but also for the students.
9.2 PRICE STRATEGY
Our in-depth interviews and focus groups revealed that a large majority of students strongly felt
that some subjects offered in the course were not worth the tuition fee charged, namely the
GED subjects (ARTS035, ARTS015, ENVI030 etc). To counter this, we recommend a tiered
pricing system which would price subjects based on their level (from 0 through to 300 levels).
Truth of the matter is, even if the zero-levels were worth their fees, the fact that all subjects right
up to the last year of the study are priced the same, customers perceptions of value for their
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money spent on the GED subjects will be poor. Pursuing this strategy would also result in two
additional possible benefits; firstly, individual subject pricing should mean that subjects are also
costed separately, enabling management to pick out the most valuable ones and helping in
allocating scarce university resources wisely. Second, students can now be expected to follow
the intended subject sequence with much regularity, from 0 through to 100, 200, and 300 levels
(fees can be incrementally set for all the 3 years and presented as such to the
students/parents). Another suggestion with regards to price is to consider adding the cost of a
courses textbook to its tuition fees and then providing a copy of it to every student who enrols.
To attract new students, and to retain existing ones, students could also be offered price
reductions in tuition fees in direct proportion to their performance improvements. The higher
they achieve, the greater the reduction in fees.
9.3 PLACE STRATEGY
As tricky as getting this aspect of the business strategy right might be, the place elements can
very really make or break anybodys final decision. Also bear in mind that place doesnt solely
refer to the physical university campus; any means of access to its resources, online or
otherwise, also constitute its place. As far as UOWD is concerned, its physical location is quite
convenient with regards to access from Dubai (and even other cities in the region). However,
within knowledge village itself, UOWD is spread over blocks 5, 14 and 15. The latter two are
significantly far from block 5 and this makes for some intolerable walking (especially) in summer.
If all the blocks could be located just next to each other, it would not only greatly reduce
inconvenience caused to students, but would give the university a much more integrated, unified
look to greatly aid its brand image as well. As of now, since most classes are located in blocks
14 and 15 only, while block 5 appears to be serving the sole role of a recreation centre, a
substantial percentage of the students miss out on the events happening in UOWD day in and
day out just due to the lack of awareness and poor communication. Elsewhere, since most
universities in the region do not offer online training programmes (or blended learning
programmes), or for that matter distance learning programmes, UOWD could be among the
pioneers in the fields of e-learning.
9.4 PROMOTION STRATEGY
Although students perceive the value of the education and faculty of UOWD to be high, students
have a low perception of brand image because of a dull university experience and most do not
seem proud to associate themselves as UOWD students [Refer Appendix 11.4]. Promotion
strategies will target high school graduates who look for a prestigious qualified university which
offers a fun university experience at the same time.
Firstly, we recommend the university to promote itself as a memorable, multicultural
environment to attract the freshers (Studious Sam and Social Sara) while providing educational
information to the Desperate Dads [Refer Appendix 11.1 h ]through a print advertisement which
will feature a collage of various activities undertaken by the Student Representative Council
over the past few years. The background will represent a desk on which the pictures are
cluttered like a collage with the Graduation Picture as the forefront, which will depict students
journey down the memory lane at UOWD. This creates an awareness of an entertaining
university experience to the freshers and new recruits and stimulates them to join UOWD and
participate in the activities. Furthermore, the bottom right of the print advertisement will have a
slogan accompanied by the university logo. This advertisement will be printed in Newspapers,
Magazines like Ahlan!, Friday, Masala, etc. which the young generation read.
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Secondly, to attract our target students to the marketing degree, two persuasive advertisements
will be positioned as Billboards, Posters which would highlight the main aspects marketing
degree would offer showing Australian education system through the logo. Moreover, we also
recommend a video advertisement to be used which shows students trying to create and
market their product but fail to do so effectively and therefore should turn to UOWDs marketing
program. This will help to convey the message more clearly to the viewer and promote the B.
comm. Marketing Degree.
9.5 PEOPLE STRATEGY
UOWD has taken great pride in its people and is famous for its strength in its employees i.e. its
outstanding faculty, efficient staff and hardworking members associated with the university. It
has formulated a phenomenal people strategy, which is a documentation of a companys
attitude towards and relationship with its employees as well as with the students. Irrespective of
its strong strategy, UOWD is unable to create an informal relationship between the
administrative staff and students, or create awareness amongst its students regarding the
faculty they will be involved with. Unlike post graduate students who have the opportunity to
intermingle with the President of the University at the Majlis, held once per semester at block
15, 3rd floor; hence we recommend that the undergraduate students should also be provided
with similar opportunity to network with the President since many are unaware of the universitys
senior executives. Furthermore to create good vibe between the faculty and the students, an
early semester informal/casual beach trip or an event should be held. This would lead to
a strong student-professor rapport which will give the students an idea as to what the professor
expects and at the same time provide the professor with an insight of students feedback, hence
strengthening customer relationship which is an important factor of loyalty.
Secondly, through the interviews we conducted we were able to gauge a need for assistance
especially in the degree planning where most of the students faced problems (which most of the
students found challenging) and required personal help. Therefore, under such circumstances,
hiring a professional academic advisor, solely for the purpose of consulting the students
regarding the planning of their degree is beneficial. On an important note, to benefit from
sustainable comparative advantage the academic counselor should not be part of the faculty but
a specialist dedicated to this field. This facility could also be provided online to exploit technical
advancement as mentioned in the KSF (2.5) which would result in customer satisfaction and a
brand image of providing high quality service.
9.6 PROCESS STRATEGY

Process plays a vital role in gauging the quality and efficiency of an organisation, it is a
sequential consumption of resources required to convert inputs into outputs. The process
approach currently incorporated by UOWD includes the timeline of the degree from the
application to the graduation. Along with the manual enrolment UOWD has also facilitated online
enrolments which has helped in reducing the time and energy cost experienced by the
registration staff, hence increasing the overall productivity. There are yet a few grey areas that
require improvements, thus the strategy for a new and improved website portal would be
beneficial to both the UOWD staff and the students. As it is now, the front page of the UOWD
website is very cluttered, and there are links located in certain places that make it difficult to
navigate. An improved version of the UOWD website would have drop down menus and less
information displayed on the main page. Links within the drop down menus would allow for
smoother navigation into each of the degree offerings. By having links to different faculties - by
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using the same concept as the UOW website potential/current students, parents and teachers
can gain insight into the faculty of interest. Students have also had problems with regards to the
sites provided to them for academic purpose, which require separate logins that are time
consuming. By using myUOWD as the main academic portal, the site can branch out into a link
that encompasses a merge between mySols, uowMail and WebCT. As a form of e-learning,
audio lectures can also be uploaded on myUOWD after the lectures have taken place,
especially for those students that missed the actual lecture and those that visit virtual
classrooms. This would allow for the ease of access, enrolment process and even focus on the
simplicity of an academic portal with a powerful engine driving it.
9.7 PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT STRATEGY
The UOWD Logo is an important brand asset that falls under physical evidence. However, it
does not play an important brand image to students. Most students have no idea about the
significance of the logo, thus finding it meaningless and unattractive. The best strategy
recommended for this would be to opt for a logo change preferably to a more attractive one like
the one designed. [See Appendix Logo 11.5] The new logo outlines the map of Australia and has
UOWD written in the maps outline. The main colors blue, yellow and red being significant and
symbolic colors of the university, would remain unchanged from the new logo. The blue and red
would come from the flag which is layered in the wordings on the logo. The background of the
Australia map would be filled with royal yellow pattern. This brings out the emphasis of your
Australian University in Dubai, being more attractive and simply unique. The new recommended
logo can be adapted on hoodies, mugs, pens, t-shirts and library book bags as a way of
promoting and creating a new changed brand image of UOWD.
Physical Evidence also includes the facilities that are provided by the university, which are the
lounges, bean bags, games rooms etc. UOWD have an effective strategy which looks forward to
continuously improving their facilities to enhance university life experience. The most recent
improvements would include the library extension, creation of a new ladies lounge and
multipurpose hall designed especially for events and other activities. This strategy does
positively affect student perception of the university making them more loyal and satisfied.
.
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11.0 APPENDIX
11.1 TABLES
a) PESTEL ANALYSIS
AREA REVIEWED
FACTOR
POSITIVE
EFFECT?
Political
-Most universities are private

owned
-Government doesnt play a major
+No government intervention in

UOWD
-Limit on intl students UOWD can
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OR
NEGATIVE

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role
accept
-Quotas with immigration (on intl
students)
Economical
-Slow movement from recession

-Low Interest rates
-Stable Exchange rates
Inflation rate (CPI) fallen than in
earlier years
-Increased unemployment
-Education market:
200> Universities and other
institutes
-Free Zone
+Opportunities to increase premises

(Block14) when interest rates are
low [cheaper loans]
+Cheap to employ staff
-Huge competition UOWD faces in
education market
-Relatively easy for new competitors
to come in
-Recovering from fall in enrollments
in previous semesters
Social
-Population in UAE: more expats

than locals, higher no. of teens
-Career attitudes moving towards
commerce also depending on job
opportunities
-Mix culture in the UAE
+Great no. of potential customers

+UOWD a business university
+Multicultural environment in the
university
Technological
-Improved facilities
-Everything done over the internet
-Social Networking
-Online
methods
of
communication
+UOWD Website
+e-Learning and online databases
for students
+SOLS
+ WiFi, Computer Labs
+Advertising online (Facebook,
Twitter etc)
Environmental
-Located in Knowledge Village

+academic environment in KV
-Far from the city
+transport services for students
-Metro/Public
Transport/Shuttle -competition among colleges in KV
Bus services
Legislation
-Visa requirement
+Quality students being enrolled
-Application for Student Visa
-Procedures involved for Student
-Accreditation from Education Visa
Ministry
Sources:
Interview with Mr. Rajesh Chandrasekharan,
Government of Dubai website. Available: (http://www.dubai.ae/en.portal),
Trading
Economics.
(2010).
UAE
Economy
Statistics.
Available:
http://www.tradingeconomics.com/Economics/GDP-Growth.aspx?symbol=AED.
Last
accessed 18th February 2011.
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b) STAKEHOLDER ANALYSIS
Stakeholders
Interests
ITC Group
Importance
Provide high
education.
Customers
Creating
between
UOWD.
a
UOW
link
and
A degree of high value

and recognition that
leads to higher studies
or employment.
A caring, pleasant,
secure
experience
surrounded
with
facilities of high quality.
Fine academic support

and
teaching
standards.
A strong University
brand image to take
pride in.
well
Attract domestic and

international students
to UOWD
Provide
a
educational
experience.
Instill brand awareness

and
build
UOWD
position.
Relationship
management
strategic
communication
future students.
quality
HIGH
Initiatives/Actions
HIGH
managed
Page 18 of 48
total
and
with
Quality
programs
Focus on
students
completion.
Ensuring employment.
Offering scholarships.
accredited
satisfying
and

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successful
financially
university.
Employees
Businesses
A university with a
positive outlook for the HIGH
future.
Reward
schemes.
Promotions
Training courses
and
pay
Thriving
development
career
Friendly and
atmosphere
colleagues.
Students possessing
precise capabilities and
skills to be recruited.
Providing internships.
Employing
students
after completion of
degree.
Procurement policies.
Supporting
universitys plans
Taking part in cultural

or
environmental
events the university
Creating partnerships.
Assisting with research

that
may
prove
beneficial
to
their
organisation.
Short, efficient and

understandable
information technology
enabled
processes.
HIGH
Chances
to
deepen/expand current
relationships with the
university.
A university that is well

established, successful
and
raises
the
standards of recruits, MOD
improving employment
in the city and creating
business; boost the
economy.
Suppliers
Community
and
stable
HIGH
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diverse
of
the

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A high standard of
education for their
children.
Families
Media
MOD
A safe environment.
Employable
opportunities
graduation.
Background check.
Focus
on
children
finishing degree and
finding employment.
after
Success of university.
Advertise UOWD.
What activities the

university takes part in.
Promote
campaigns.
Publish
articles
newspapers.
Any accomplishments.
Accolades.
Breaking news.
MOD
c) PORTERS FIVE FORCES FRAMEWORK.
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through
in

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Threat of new entrants
Hamza Aslam 3546020

The scope for tertiary education in Dubai and other

emirates is rapidly evolving. With free zones like Dubai
Knowledge Village and Dubai Academic City providing
encouragement and active support and also the
relative ease to obtain a license from the KHDA to set
up a campus, many universities are opening up. In
addition to these, there are universities that offer online
courses which prove to be a threat because it provides
ease and less time consuming ways to study such as
University of Phoenixs courses. However not many
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new institutes that are set up have local or international

accreditation. Getting their courses accredited even
locally is a difficult process. UOWD, however, being a
firmly established university, have the benefit of
providing dual accreditation. Therefore the threat from
new entrants is moderate.
Bargaining power of suppliers
Bargaining power of buyers
The qualified faculty that provide education to the

students are perhaps the biggest suppliers. Their
bargaining power is high since teachers with the
specific qualifications they possess are rare, and they
can switch jobs any time they are dissatisfied. There
are many universities that provide students with a
marketing undergraduate course. However the threat
from suppliers is moderate, because although many
universities are suppliers, the possession of qualified
staff is important to maintain quality of the degree.
Therefore retention through employee satisfaction and
payment methods is important.
The landscape of the competition among universities in

the Middle East is interesting to look at. There are
various universities and institutes offering a range of
courses. The buyers (customers) have a lot of choices.
Buyers have the utmost power because if they are
unsatisfied with UOWD they can switch to another
university they find more appropriate to their needs. In
the case of UOWD, the students are separated into
centre for learning English courses, undergraduate,
postgraduate and as of recently PhD. The bargaining
power of the students are high because there are
many other universities offering the same range of
courses under the undergraduate and postgraduate
category, and some are in direct competition with
UOWD, like the American University of Sharjah and
American University in Dubai. Customers have more
power since they can evaluate the differences in prices
and costs. Between some universities the switching
costs are low, so the threat from bargaining power of
buyers is high.
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Threat of substitutes
Competitive Rivalry
Hamza Aslam 3546020

It is also important to consider the threat from

substitutes which is another important consideration
while observing growth rate of the industry. In terms of
threats to UOWD, if a student is unable to get a
university education there are other institutes that offer
marketing courses, accounting courses etc that cater
specifically to a certain area of study which could help
them in getting certain qualifications required for their
job. However the security and credibility of an
accredited, quality degree would not be the same.
Therefore the threat of substitutes is medium.
In this industry, there is countless number of rivals but

only some prove to be direct competition in terms of
accreditation and experience etc. the directness
depends on the price, promotions and core
competencies. There are many universities in the
middle east, we analyse the top 5 that are directly
competitive with UOWD offering similar course. There
are even options for online courses which customers
look to, for convenience and ease. The threat from
competition is high
Overall, from analyzing the industry using the Porters framework, its observed that the threat
from new entrants is moderate, suppliers have a relatively moderate bargaining power whereas
the bargaining power of buyers are high and there is intense competition faced by equally well
established universities and substitute products which indicates that on the whole industry
profitability
is
low.
Sources:
Personal Interview with Mr. Rajesh (Marketing External Relations)

Customer interviews.
Websites:
- Dubai, 2011, Education[online]. Available: http://www.dubai.ae/en.portal?
topic,ctz_edu,0,&_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=topic
- KHDA. Available: http://www.khda.gov.ae/en/default.aspx
Personal experiences.
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d) COMPETITOR ANALYSIS.
Product
American
University
of Sharjah
American
University
In Dubai
Canadian
University
of Dubai
Bachelor of
Science in
Business
Administrati
on
with
majors
in
Marketing
Bachelor of
Business
Administratio
n specialised
in Marketing
Bachelor
Business
Administration
Marketing
Number of
subjects in
course:
18
core
subjects + 13
marketing
specific
subjects + 3
electives (of
which one is
an Internship
course)
Number
of
subjects
in
course:
18 core subjects +
17
marketing
subjects (of which
one is an internship
course) + 3 free
electives + 2 major
electives.
Number
of
subjects
in
course:
29
core
subjects + 8
marketing
specific
subjects + 9
electives.
Number
of
subjects
in
course:
21 core subjects
+ 8 marketing
specific subjects
+ 5 electives.
Local:
Local:
Local:
Local:
Local:
Ministry of
Higher
Education &
Scientific
Research
Ministry
of Ministry of Higher
Higher
Education
&
Education & Scientific Research
Scientific
Research
Internation
Internationa
Number of
subjects in
course:
20
core
subjects +
11
marketing
specific
subjects + 6
minor
electives &
1
major
elective
+
A
compulsory
internship
program.
Quality
Accreditatio
n
Page 24 of 48
Abu
Dhabi University
of
University
Wollongong in
Dubai
of Bachelor
of Bachelor
Business
Commerce:
in Administration Marketing
in Marketing
Ministry
Higher
Education
Scientific
Research
of
of Ministry
of
Higher
& Education
&
Scientific
Research.
International:

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al:
Hamza Aslam 3546020

l:
International:
International:
Middle
States
Commission
on Higher
Education
(USA).
Southern
Association
No
international
of Colleges & accreditation.
Schools.
Australian
Ministry
of Universities
Education
in Quality Agency
all
GCC (AUQA).
countries and
Jordan
International
Assembly for
Association Collegiate
to Advance Business
Collegiate
Education
Schools of
Business
IGCSE/GCSE:
Entry
Requiremen
t
IGCSE,
GCSE,
GCE:
Minimum 8
subs with 4
IGCSE/GCE
Cs and 4
Bs.
Combination
of
seven
subjects
(O/AS/A) or
four subjects
(AS/A) with
TOEFL:
grade C or
- IBT:
above.
Min score of
71.
- CBT:
TOEFL:
Min score of
197.
- Institutional
AUS
TOEFL
Institutional
minimum
TOEFL:
score of 550.
Min score of
530.
- IBT:
Min
score
79-80
+
writing skills
range 24-30.
- 7 subjects at
ordinary level with
minimum score of
C.
- minimum score of
D and E for AS/A
respectively
IGCSE/GCSE:
- 7 Ordinary
level
subjects
with
minimum
3Bs and 4 Cs.
- 4 AS level
subjects
with
grade
C
or
IGCSE/GCSE:
above.
- At least 2 A
- 7 subjects at
levels subjects
either O level
with no grade
TOEFL:
or AS/A2 and
less than D.
- IBT:
minimum
Min score of 61 grade of C for
TOEFL:
CBT
O level, D for
Min score of 173 AS and E for - IBT: minimum
score of 71
A2.
- CBT: minimum
score 195
- PBT: minimum
score of 525
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TOEFL:
ADU
Institutional
TOEFL score
of
500+
IBT:
Min score of
61

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Price
AED
AED 356,700 AED 227,550 for AED 158,670 AED 173,400 for
307,360 for for
the the course.
for the course. the course
the course.
course.
Place
Sharjah,
UAE
Physical
Environmen
t
- residential - cafeteria
halls
- residence
student halls
center
- open air
- cafeteria
sports
facilities
outdoor
courts
student
center
- sports field
- car park
- car park
- gym
laboratories - access by
metro
- library
Next
to Behind Shangri-LA Abu
Dubai Media Hotel on Sheikh UAE
City, Dubai, Zayed
Road,
UAE
Dubai, UAE.
- state
theatre
of
art
Dhabi, Knowledge
Village, Dubai,
UAE.
- own campus.
- library
- tennis court
- car park
- Span of 3
blocks
under
UOWD (largest
in
Knowledge
Village).
- outdoor courtyard
residence - Games room

- gym
halls
- E-games room
Recreational - laboratories
- Student lounge
area.
-cafeteria
- car park
- access by metro
- Multi purpose
hall
Computer
laboratories
-
Library
- Quiet Study
Area
- Coffee Planet
- post office
- car park
Food
Court
- Easy access
by metro and
public
bus.
- Metro shuttle
to
station
provided
- Car park
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By analyzing the competitors in terms of their product offering, entry requirements, price,
location and other factors in comparison to UOWD, points of competitive advantage and gaps
can be identified. UOWD is the only university who offers a Bachelor of Commerce: Marketing
degree whereas everywhere else its a part of Business Administration. Each university has
local and international accreditation except AbuDhabi University which has no international
accreditation. In terms of prices, American University of Dubai has highest tuition fees. Most of
the competitors entry requirements constitute of 7-8 O level subjects of grade C and above
whereas UOWD states 7 O levels with 3 Bs and 4 Cs are required. This states a generally
higher standard than the rest. American university of Sharjah have the relatively largest campus.
UOWD has a competitive advantage with its dual accreditation, affordable prices, convenient
location and multicultural environment. A gap is identified in the provision of internships. Most of
the competitors state that students need to complete an internship to graduate in the marketing
course but UOWD does not offer any such internships.
Sources:
Websites:
o American University of Sharjah (http://www.aus.edu/)
o American University in Dubai (www.aud.edu)
o Canadian University in Dubai (www.cud.ac.ae)
o AbuDhabi University (www.adu.ac.ae)
o Middlesex University in Dubai (www.mdx.ac)
o University of Wollongong Dubai (www.uowdubai.ac.ae)
e) PERCEIVED VALUE for UOWD.

Perceived value
UOWD
Products Value
Page 27 of 48
Accredited by both Ministry of Higher

Education and Scientific Research and
the Australian Universities Quality
Agency.
Recognized by businesses
chance of job opportunities.
UOWD alumni have prominent job

positions in both public & private sectors
of the economy.
high

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Service Value
Image Value
Employees Value
Sources: UOWD
experiences.
website
(www.uowdubai.ac.ae),
Page 28 of 48
Undergraduate classes are all during the

day till 5:30 which is suitable.
Small batches in each class, so that

each students needs and doubts are
taken care of.
Classes are of maximum 2 hours so as

to not tire students.
Use of technology like projectors and

visual aid to present matter to students
more aptly.
Situated in a calming
among other universities.
UOWD is renowned for its integrity,

credibility and quality.
Is considered in high esteem by

government,
businesses,
students,
alumni.
Tradition of excellence.
Combination of staff that are recruited

both locally as well as internationally.
Wide spread knowledge in teaching as

well as extensive experience in industry
and business.
Conducted lots of research and received

recognition for it.
Customer
interviews,
environment
Personal

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f) NEEDS ANALYSIS FOR UOWD (MASLOWS HIERACHY OF NEEDS)
1) Psychological needs.
2) Safety needs.
- Food > food court, cafes, vending machines

available.
- Water > water dispensers, vending machines
available in every building.
- Shelter > university is in a safe, enclosed building.
- safe environment
- medical facility available
- security guards monitoring the area
- security cameras located in all buildings
3) Social needs.
- meet new people

- friendly atmosphere
- different cultures
- a course that can help learn more about the field
of marketing.
- working with real companies to get a feel of the
subject.
- student services
- career counseling
- tutoring
4) Esteem needs.
- a university to be proud of.

- status.
- to have a degree thats recognized internationally.
- pride to have worked on a real live case study in
marketing subjects.
5) Self Actualization
- make the right choice, right course which determines

path of life, career.
- Graduate with high distinction and to get a job with
reputed company.
Sources: Customer interviews, Personal experiences.
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g) NEEDS ANALYSIS FOR UOWD.

NEED
HOW UOWD / B.COM MARKETING PROGRAMME DELIVERS
Need for quality

tertiary
education
All those whove completed primary and secondary education naturally

wish to progress on to a bachelors degree that consolidates and builds
upon past education. The B.Com marketing programme fulfils this need
by offering a comprehensive degree thats received dual accreditation.
Need
recognition
for
To be recognised for the skills and competencies that an individual

possesses, it is essential in todays competitive landscape to back them
up with a bachelors degree, at the least. All of UOWDs undergraduate
degrees more than fulfil this need and are renowned regionally for the
same.
Need
interaction
for
During the course of acquiring this education, students feel a pressing

need to belong to, and be identified as part of a group. Social needs,
though not really emphasised on all the time, are of paramount
importance. Note here its not only healthy peer interaction thats
important, but close relations with professors and tutors are also critical
to a pleasant university experience. UOWD plays host to more than 80
nationalities, and makes sure to provide ample opportunity for students
to mingle and socialise by organising parties, sports festivals, cultural
gatherings, etc.
Need
for
accessibility
Need to secure
employment
Most students (and/or their parents) would prefer to be in close proximity

to their university, and not so only in the physical sense, but also in terms
of access to university resources on the web. A campus located far from
residence (or possibly even abroad) would mean significant expenditure
on commuting costs and/or lodging. Since most students are on
definitive budgets, this factor can be a crucial variable affecting the final
choice of institution. UOWDs central location at the heart of the
education industry in Dubai (I.e. knowledge village) makes for very
convenient access for students from the all of Dubai, and even from the
region at large.
The ultimate aim of pursuing a degree for most students boils down to
enhancing prospects of full-time employment. Even despite students
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being given to understand a degree doesnt invariably guarantee a

permanent job; theyd expect a good university to help them with finding
one. To this end, UOWD has a dedicated unit in its career centre that is
committed to sourcing employment opportunities for students, and it also
regularly organises career fairs inviting employers to interview students
on
campus.
Need
practical
experience
for
Need
networking
for
A major aspect of getting ready for the workplace involves gaining firsthand experience of industry standard practices and learning how to
actually implement textbook theories in real-life scenarios. Even as
employers are reluctant to take on fresh graduates, those with any sort of
practical experience as opposed to a purely theoretical education will
definitely be preferred. As such, the B.Com Marketing programme at
UOWD does involve a lot of projects and assignments as part of its
compulsory coursework, but most of these are based either on purely
hypothetical situations or on previously researched-on material.
Need to unwind
and relax
Need
for
a
creative outlet
This is slightly different from the need for belonging as is mentioned

above; people who are actively looking for opportunities to network are
keen on establishing ties with others who might be of possible benefit to
them, in business or otherwise. UOWD does indeed provide a platform
for this as it brings together students, teachers, and industry
professionals from various walks of life to one location, day in and day
out.
An imperative function any good university performs is to offer its

students opportunities to relax and wind down, as they more than need
(and expect it) given the work-load and intensity of work at tertiary
education level. UOWDs offerings in this regard are among the best in
competition, and include 2 games rooms, an expansive student lounge,
and other facilities common to knowledge village such as vending
machines,
a
large
food
court,
etc.
As is generally thought, and as was confirmed from our interviews and

focus groups, most students enrolling in a marketing degree associate it
with a substantial amount of creative work; designing adverts, developing
marketing campaigns, and the like. Those with a natural inclination
towards arts and creativity, then, were most likely to opt for the B.Com
Marketing specialisation. UOWDs programme could maybe do better at
providing its students an outlet to unleash their creativity, as students
have complained about activities not being engaging enough and being
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very
book
oriented.
Sources: Student interviews and focus groups, personal experience

h) PROPOSED SEGMENTS
Student Profiles
Student
Studious Sam
Social Sara
Ambitious Abdul Kadir
Nerdy Nikita
Character description
Fresh
high
school
graduate
completed all 13 years of study and
is very job focused and looking for a
university that has good career
opportunities
and
ties
with
businesses that helps to gain
practical
experience.
Hes
hardworking and overall achieves
high grades in all academic work.
High school graduate done with 11

years of study and looking to join a
university right away which does not
have foundation programs. Looking
for a diverse atmosphere and wide
range of facilities. Mostly interested
in joining with friends and for the
status of being associated with a
prestigious university.
Emirati student who is just done with
high school and decides to enter the
workplace but discovers the need for
a higher level of education and is
interested to find an internationally
accredited university.
A student who is interested in gaining

knowledge about practices in the
MENA region and a degree with
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recognition in the UAE/gulf regions.

Shes hardworking and has high
academic
achievement
levels.
Fernando the follower
Desperate Dads
A graduate of high school who has

no proper goals set and has not
decided what to do in life. He is a
follower, and ends up going on the
same path as his friends, thus these
students are easy to attract and
retain since they have no interest in
the education they are gaining.
Parents who influence students

university decisions and want them to
stay closer to home. Strict at looking
at quality of the lecturers and degree.
Not too interested in the fun and
extracurricular activities. Looks at the
reputation,
accreditation
and
credibility.
Sources: personal observations
i)COURSE COMPARISON.
I) UOWDs BBA course vs Bcomm Marketing course.

Bachelor of Commerce: Marketing
subject listing
Bachelor of Business Administration

subject listing
ARTS015
INTRODUCTION TO UNI LIFE
ARTS015
ARTS017
ISLAMIC CULTURE
ARTS017
ISLAMIC CULTURE
ENVI030
ENVI030
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ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY
ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY
ARTS035
INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY
ARTS035
MATH015
FOUNDATION MATHEMATICS A
MATH015
CSCI015
COMPUTER APPLICATIONS
CSCI015
STAT015
INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICS
STAT015
LAW101
LAW,BUSINESS AND SOCIETY
LAW101
IACT201
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND CITIZENS
RIGHTS
IACT201
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND CITIZENS
RIGHTS
PSYC015
INTRODUCTION TO PYSCHOLOGY
PSYC015
ACCY100
ACCOUNTING A
ACCY100
ACCOUNTING A
ACCY102
ACCOUNTING B
ACCY102
ACCOUNTING B
COMM110
BUSINESS INFORMATION SYSTEMS
COMM110
BUSINESS INFORMATION SYSTEMS
COMM121
QUANTITATIVE METHODS 1
COMM121
ECON101
MACROECONOMIC ESSENTIALS
ECON101
ECON111
INTRODUCTORY MICROECONOMICS
ECON111
INTRODUCTORY MICROECONOMICS
FIN221
INTRODUCTORY BUSINESS FINANCE
FIN221
INTRODUCTORY BUSINESS FINANCE
MARK101
MARKETING PRINCIPLES
MARK101
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MGMT110
INTRODUCTION TO MANAGEMENT
MGMT110
INTRODUCTION TO MANAGEMENT
MGMT316
OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT
MGMT102
BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS
COMM351
BUSINESS ETHICS AND GOVERNANCE
MGMT314
STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT
MARK217
CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR
MARK217
CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR
MARK270
SERVICES MARKETING
MARK270
SERVICES MARKETING
MARK343
INTERNATIONAL MARKETING
MARK343
MARK344
MARKETING STRATEGY
MARK344
MARKETING STRATEGY
MARK201
APPLIED MARKETING RESEARCH A
MGMT389
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
MARK202
APPLIED MARKETING RESEARCH B
MGMT201 OR MGMT206
ORGANIZATIONAL
BEHAVIOUR
MANAGING HR.
MARK301
INTERNET APPLICATIONS FOR MARKETING
ECON216
INTERNATIONAL
POLICY
MARK333
MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS
ECON332
MANAGERIAL
OPERATIONS
ELECTIVE
ACCY211
MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTING II
ELECTIVE
ELECTIVE
ELECTIVE
ELECTIVE
ELECTIVE
ELECTIVE
ELECTIVE
ELECTIVE
TRADE
THEORY
ECONOMICS
OR
AND
AND
By comparing these two courses its evident that BBA comprises mostly of five key marketing
subjects, MARK217, MARK270, MARK343 and MARK344. Under the marketing program, the
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main subjects of the course are these 4 subjects plus 4 more subjects
MARK201,MARK202,MARK301 and MARK333. BBA allows for 4 electives and if these subjects
are taken. Students are able to complete a marketing course while being in BBA.
Sources: www.uowdubai.ac.ae
II) UOWDs Bcomm marketing course vs UOW Bcomm marketing course
University of Wollongong in Dubai

subject listing
University of Wollongong
ARTS015
ACCY111
ACCOUNTING FUNDAMENTALS IN
SOCIETY
ARTS017
ISLAMIC CULTURE
COMM101
PRINCIPLES
COMMERCE
ENVI030
ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY
COMM121
STATISTICS FOR BUSINESS
ARTS035
ECON101
MACROECONOMIC
FOR BUSINESS
MATH015
FIN111
INTRODUCTORY PRINCIPLES OF
FINANCE
CSCI015
MGMT110
INTRODUCTION
MANAGEMENT
STAT015
MARK101
LAW101
(plus a choice from)

COMM113
BUSINESS
ORIENTED
INFORMATION SYSTEMS
IACT201
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND
CITIZENS RIGHTS
. ACCY112
ACCOUNTING IN ORGANIZATIONS

subject listing
Page 36 of 48
OF
RESPONSIBLE
ESSENTIALS
TO

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PSYC015
ECON111
INTRODUCTORY
MICROECONOMICS
ACCY100
ACCOUNTING A
MGMT102
BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS
ACCY102
ACCOUNTING B
(plus one capstone subject from)

COMM331
SIMULATION OF A SOCIALLY
INNOVATIVE ENTERPRISE.
COMM110
BUSINESS
SYSTEMS
INFORMATION
COMM332
START UP OF A SOCIALLY
INNOVATIVE BUSINESS.
COMM121
COMM333
APPLIED BUSINESS RESEARCH
OR SOCIAL INNOVATION.
ECON101
COMM334
INTERCULTURAL APPLICATIONS
OF
SOCIALLY
INNOVATIVE
COMMERCE
ECON111
INTRODUCTORY
MICROECONOMICS
(major marketing subjects)

MARK205
INTRODUCTORY
MARKETING
RESEARCH.
FIN221
INTRODUCTORY
FINANCE
BUSINESS
MARK101
MGMT110
INTRODUCTION
MANAGEMENT
MARK270
SERVICES MARKETING
MARK333
TO MARKETING
COMMUNICATIONS
AND ADVERTISING
MGMT316
OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT
COMM351
BUSINESS
ETHICS
GOVERNANCE
MARK217
MARK217
CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR
MARK344
MARKETING STRATEGY
AND
(plus 18cp from the following)

MARK250
ADVERTISING PRACTICE AND
CREATIVE STRATEGIES.
MARK301
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CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR
INTERNET APPLICATIONS
MARKETING.
FOR
MARK270
SERVICES MARKETING
MARK305
ADVANCED
RESEARCH.
MARK343
MARK317
BUSINESS
MARKETING.
MARK344
MARKETING STRATEGY
MARK320
SOCIAL MARKETING.
MARK201
APPLIED MARKETING RESEARCH
A
MARK343
INTERNATIONAL MARKETING.
MARK202
APPLIED MARKETING RESEARCH
B
MARK356
CREATING AND MARKETING NEW
PRODUCTS.
MARK301
INTERNET APPLICATIONS
MARKETING
MARK395
TOURISM MARKETING.
FOR
MARKETING
TO
BUSINESS
MARK333
MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS
ELECTIVE
ELECTIVE
ELECTIVE
ELECTIVE
ELECTIVE
The subjects highlighted under the UOW marketing program are subjects that current students
of UOWD wish to have in their course offering as its very practical and offer to be very
challenging
and
provide
different
aspects
of
marketing.
Sources: http://www.uowdubai.ac.ae & http://www.uow.edu.au
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11.2 ORGANISATIONAL ANALYSIS:

a) COMPANY BACKGROUND.
UOWD was the first Australian university in Dubai to be licensed by the UAE Ministry of Higher
Education & Scientific Research and was established in 1993. It currently serves to over 3000
students from approximately 110 nationalities, 60% students are from the Asian subcontinent
and 40% from other countries, and students ages range from 16 to 55. It is located at Dubai
Knowledge Village in the free trade zones campus in that offers facilities for training and
learning institutions. UOWD offers facilities such as student lounge, 3 faculties, library,
administrative building, food court, residential services to students and also arranged shuttle
buses that are take students to and from the nearest metro station and is available every 10
minutes. UOWD It offers English programs, Certificates of Proficiency programs, Undergraduate
programs, Postgraduate programs, and Postgraduate Research Programs. It has dual
accreditation which is an indication of international recognition and quality of UAE and
Australian standards, which is important to locals and expatriates when choosing a university
and during job recruitment.
Source: Lecture by Vice President Mohamed Khalifa
b) THE BUSINESS STRATEGY:
UOWDs strategy is to take the education standards and student facilities to the next
level.
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c) UOWD AS A BRAND:
UOWDs journey started as an Australian Institute located opposite Al Mulla Plaza where it
offered English language courses. In 2000, it moved to Jumeirah road and was able to create a
strong presence and awareness due to its image and recognition and in 2005, it moved to its
current location, Dubai Knowledge Village, that marked a breakthrough for UOWD as student
numbers increased significantly, new programs were added, new amendments to the curriculum
were made, students were more exposed in terms of extra curricular activities and today UOWD
is considered a vital part of Dubai due to its reputation as a committed educational institute.
Source: Coffee table book
d) ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE:
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Source: Mrs Jenny Knowles (Program Director)
e) STAFF:
UOWD current employs approximately 250 (190 full time staff and 55 part time staff) members
from 30 different countries.
The council academic accreditation (CCA in the UAE) has taken an initiative to hire developed
human capital i.e.: lecturers/professor. They must atleast have a PhD (or must be supervised by
PhD graduate) which makes a real difference in terms of quality.
To maintain their quality productivity Center for academic support and professional development
organizes workshops that guides/assists staff to refresh statistics, teach them how to use
technologies such as blackboard systems, to research and write and how to support PG
students in their research. These workshops occur every other week during Spring and Autumn
semesters and is optional.
An issue that has been recognized around the world is that even though lecturers/professors
might have the requirements and knowledge to be a lecturer, it is equally important for a
lecturer/professor to be able to pass on information an effectively and efficient and interesting
manner teaching skills.
ULT (University learning and training) an Australian system that offers a specific teacher training
program that focuses on teaching skills and this program offers a masters degree.
Source: Interview with Mrs. Jenny Knowles (Program Director)
f) THE PORTFOLIO OF PRODUCTS:

Degrees offered by UOWD are accredited by the UAE Ministry of Higher Education and
Scientific Research (Commission for Academic Accreditation) and also audited by the Australian
Universities Quality Agency. These degrees are acknowledged in the UAE, GCC countries and
internationally for higher education and employment.
Undergraduate programs (Target group 16- 24)
Bachelor of Business Administration
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Bachelor of Commerce (with specialization in Accounting/ Finance/ Human Resource

Management/ Management/ Marketing/ Insurance/ Property Development and
Management )
Bachelor of Computer Science (Software Development)
Bachelor of Computer Science in Digital Systems Security (DSS)
Bachelor of Information Technology in Management Information Systems (MIS)
Bachelor of Internet Science & Technology
Bachelor of Computer Science in Multimedia Technology
Postgraduate programs PG target group 25-40 yrs old.
Master of Business Administration (MBA)

Master of International Business (MIB)
Master of Quality Management (MQM)
Master of Strategic Marketing (MSM)
Master of Strategic Human Resource Management (MSHRM)
Master of Applied Finance and Banking (MAFB)
Master of Engineering Management (MEM)
Master of Information Technology Management (MITM)
Master of Science in Logistics (M Sc. Logistics)
English programs
UniPrep (English for University studies)

Go English! (Business and Conversational English)
IELTS preparation and testing
CELTA
Certificates of Proficiency
Accounting for Managers

Marketing Management
International Business Strategy
Quality Management
Engineering Project Management
Information Technology Strategic Planning
Popular programs especially at PG levels are MBA, MIB and MQM.

Niche program offered at UOWD is Master of Science and logistics has great potential as it is
aligned with the strategic position of UAE.
Since the top demanded programs are business, IT and engineering programs in the UAE,
UOWD will expand into are telecommunication, engineering, computer engineering and
electrical engineering programs in the future.
Source: http://www.uowdubai.ac.ae/programs/index.php
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g) Boston Consulting Groups (BCG) Growth Share Matrix
This matrix is valuable to assess the overall performance of UOWD and numerous portfolios of
courses it offers. On the horizontal axis, the market share lies and the vertical axis represents
the growth rate of the market. Moving clockwise, when a course is in demand and extremely
effective it is a Star. As far as UOWD is considered, BBA (Bachelor of Business
Administrative) is by far labelled as a star with approximately 639 enrolments which is
equivalent to the total number of students enrolled in the B.com program. (Balakrishnan, 2011).
Amongst the B.com degree, B.com in Management is considered as a star with the movement
of the institutional trend towards having a Bachelors degree in Management since the job
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market for this degree is perceived to be superior. Moving on UOWD contemplates its B.com in
Marketing program to be a Cash Cow, as it is considered a market leader with high market
share but comparatively little potential in growth. Hence, B.com in Marketing degree has seen a
downward trend with the number of total enrolments increasing every year but the number of
graduates for this particular program decreasing. This was mainly due to the introduction of
more specialized yet less demanding courses leading to cannibalization where students prefer a
program which has a mix of less challenging courses enabling them to graduate in a shorter
time. Thus looking at this, we can conclude that UOWD can use its B.com in Marketing program
to establish a comprehensive financial basis to subsidize other programs which are necessary
but does not have the money to finance its research or maintain its educational feasibility. It can
also be used to fund the creation of new and innovative programs which are high in demand
(Balakrishnan, 2011)
Dogs are labelled to courses that are less lucrative and a financial drain to the institution,
hence so far UOWD does not have any courses that fall in this category though they should be
alert when courses lose their popularity and become a dog, and take corrective steps. Lastly, we
look into the Question Mark box which includes courses; such as Bachelor of Commerce:
International Business, which are novel to the market and have a need but have not incurred
significant disbursements resulting in an uncertain position in relation to the market share. As
the course may experience a considerable increase in demand making it a star or might result in
a financial stress becoming a dog (Knowles, J 2011).
Sources: Interview with Dr. Jenny Knowles Program Director and
http://www.bizymoms.com/bachelors/bachelors-management.html.
h) ANSOFF MATRIX
PRESENT
PRODUCTS
NEW
PRODUCTS
PRESENT
MARKETS
Market penetration
Product expansion
NEW
MARKETS
Market expansion
Diversification
Ansoff Matrix (Ansoff, 2010) is an essential framework to identify new opportunities for growth
within a particular market. UOWD was established by University of Wollongong in Australia;
whereby University of Wollongong incorporated the market expansion strategy seeking to sell
its existing products into new geographical market i.e. Dubai. It is one of the oldest and most
renowned universities established in 1993 and recognized as an integral part of Dubai
(UOWD, 1999-2011). UOWD identified an untapped market and realized the need for innovative
programs within the bachelors which the current students as well as potential target audience
were interested in. Hence, it ventured in a specialized bachelors program to satisfy the
requirements of its existing market developing a product expansion strategy, amongst these
bachelors in commerce program many focused degrees like Marketing, Human Resource
Management and Finance were introduced which helped UOWD to enlarge its consumer base.
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Sources: www.uowdubai.ac.ae, http://www.ansoffmatrix.com/

i)
MARKET OF OPERATIONS:
Market of operations mainly takes place in Bahrain, Bangladesh, Czech Republic, Germany,
India, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Morocco, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore,
Thailand, Turkey, UAE and Uzbekistan.
Marketing activities take place around the world with help of agents. e.g.: IDP is the agent in Sri
Lanka, IDP coordinates events such as interviews - a chance to meet prospective students and
their parents.
Promotion also occurs during social networks and word of mouth and through the strong alumni
network UOWD has created over the years.
UOWD offers dual accreditation- is an indication of international recognition and quality of UAE
and Australian standards, which is important to locals and expatriates when choosing a
university and during job recruitment and offers a developed human capital in terms of staff.
Marketing strategies and promotion is targeted at students who want to learn a UG, PG,
Doctorate and language courses and also parents.
75% of marketing activities occur in the UAE and 25% occur internationally. Even though 25%
occurs internationally, 75% of marketing activities is targeted at the multicultural student base in
UAE. The monthly budget ranges from AED 200,000 to AED 300,000.
UOWD promotion occurs using various channels of advertising. The commonly used channels
are print, radio, TV, cinemas, billboards, electronic and social networks. Public relations publish
articles in the media.
Source: Interview with Mr. Rajesh Chandrasekharan Prema Marketing Office, Marketing
External Relations
j)
CONSTRAINTS:
Due to political issues, there was a turnover of leadership and many people went to a
competitor and took quite a number of faculty with them, so it was a hard time in the
org.. as it divided the org and for the people who stayed back were uncertain about their
future due to change.
Loss of colleagues
Rob Whelan has been the president for 2 and half years and has brought value to
UOWD and created synergy at the workplace and to maintain this synergy is a
challenge.
Dean turnover - difficult to recruit deans, because is the Middle East is generally seen as
a significant career work location as universities in UAE is not established like
universities in USA and UK. Deans are usually over 40 years and have to leave their
endeavors back home and also issues arise with family, like children having trouble
adjusting to the new environments, schooling etc.
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11.3 INTERVIEWS
a) Explanatory Interview Questions
Interview with Mrs. Jenny Knowles and Mr. Rajesh Chandrasekharan Prema.
1) How popular is the B.comm marketing course compared to the other undergraduate courses
in terms of enrolments and graduates?
2) What aspects of the marketing degree does UOWD offer that are unique and differentiate it
from other universities?
What (do) you include/have industry endorsements for the course?
4) Which universities or institutes prove to be the most competitive for the B.comm marketing
course?
5) How easy is it to recruit skilled professors to teach at UOWD for marketing?
What plans are in store for a co-op program in the degree?
7) How valuable has the image of the UOWD/UOW degree been in affecting graduates job
applications?
8) How long have you (Mrs. Jenny Knowles) been at UOWD as course director and how has
your experience been?
9) What steps/measures are taken to increase quality productivity of staff and keep staff
motivated?
0)
From an organizational aspect, how does UOWD retain its employees?
1)
What has been the profit rate since the past ten years of UOWD?
3)
12)
What are the constraints/challenges that UOWD faced in the past and how have
they overcome them?
What are the constraints/challenges that UOWD might face in the future?
14)
Describe the organizational structure of UOWD and no. of staff working

currently.
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6)

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15)
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What is/are the main business strategies of UOWD and what are the markets of
operations?
How has UOWD established itself as a brand over the past 18 years?
b) In-depth Interview questions:
What factors affected your choice of university BEFORE you joined UOWD? Did you do
any research to short list universities with these factors?
What was the most important factor?

What research did you do?
What were the main sources of your research?
Did any of UOWD advertisements appeal to you?
How informative were the advertising?
What were your expectations for your university experience at UOWD?
3
-
On what terms, did you base these expectations?

Have they changed?
If so, what shaped these changes?
4
-
Why did you choose UOWDs marketing program? For freshers

If research is done by the students why did they choose the marketing program at
UOWD and not other universities?
If research is not done why did they choose marketing program among the other
programs offered at UOWD?
Are you considering transferring to another program or university? Why?
Are you concerned about the standard of subjects are not what you would expect from
UOWD?
Are u satisfied with the course?

What is your opinion on how the course is delivered?
How would you define the quality of the lecturers?
What do you think of the course content?
Does the course have the appropriate mix of subjects?
Does this course show a scope for employment after graduation?
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Do you look for practical experience?

Would you be interested in an internship as a part of the course?
c) Focus group questions:

1) What factors affected your choice of university BEFORE you joined UOWD? Did you
do any research to short list universities with these factors?
2) What were your expectations for your university experience at UOWD?
3) Why did you choose UOWDs marketing program?
4) Are u satisfied with the course?
5) What do you think of the university as a brand?
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Desmond Pereira 3546007

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2.5 TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS:

4.0 NEED AND VALUE ANALYSIS

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6.0 LITERATURE REVIEW

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6.1 BRAND IMAGE

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6.6 MULTICULTURAL MARKETING.

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SAMPLE SIZE AND JUSTIFICATION

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9.6 PROCESS STRATEGY

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Alavi, M. and B. Gallupe, 2003,Using Information Technology in Learning: Case Studies in

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Available at http://www.nmc.org/pdf/Future-of-Higher-Ed-(NMC).pdf, Accessed: 1 February,

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UOWD Prospectus. (2010). Your Australian University in Dubai. Available:

-Most universities are private

+No government intervention in

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-Slow movement from recession

+Opportunities to increase premises

-Population in UAE: more expats

+Great no. of potential customers

-Located in Knowledge Village

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A degree of high value

Fine academic support

Attract domestic and

Instill brand awareness

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Taking part in cultural

Assisting with research

Short, efficient and