Educational Communications and Technology †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Educational Communications and Technology. Answer: Introduction Australia is highly regarded as having one of the most advanced educational systems in the world (Smyth et al, 2014; Spector et al, 2004). The country exports educational services to several countries around the world, including China, Japan, and other countries in the region (Kaur, 2014). He allure of Australian education mainly stems form the system of education, (EABER, 2016), the teaching methods and the versatility of the system in being able to reflect environmental changes, especially in business, in its curriculum. Among the institutions which are highly regarded by students, home and abroad, is the Holmes Institute. The institution is well established, with campuses in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Gold Coast and Cairns. It also has a campus in Hong Kong, in the Peoples Republic of China. Holmes Institute is one of the most reputable institutions of higher learning in Australia. The institute admits students for undergraduate, graduate and high school diploma courses. The institution is populated mainly by Australian students, with a sizeable population of international students. These students have a profound effect on the general makeup of the institution. The undergraduate and graduate levels of education at the school are mostly oriented towards business education, which is in high demand in Australia and the wider region (Tisdell, 2013). Review of Consumer Behaviour literature When evaluating a product during the purchasing process, the potential consumer seeks out information that implies the suitability of the information. To cover this, the organization must offer more information that shows the consumers that this is the best to buy. In the age of internet, this has become simpler for companies to do. A company that is well adapted to using the internet to propagate its ideas will be more successful in communicating to potential customers. This is especially the case when the organization is targeting young consumers (Herve Mullet, 2009). Consumer behaviour is influenced by several factors, including their habits, culture, and what is trending at the moment. While some of the measures still remain the same, there are changing factors in the world. Changing political and socials economic realities for instance mean that a school in Australia is ready to accept students from particular countries, which previously would not have been possible (Rani, 2014). A changing economic and technological atmosphere means that products which organizations offer must be able to be versatile and measure up to expectations. Technology has for instance meant that the methods of learning are more interactive and versatile. Students have access to much more information than would be the case before. Due to this, the organization which is able to adapt most successfully to the environment is also likely to be the most successful at attracting and retaining customers (Cohen, Prayag Moital, 2014). Education is a service. As such, it follows the same laws of service marketing as other things such as tourism. One of the most important aspects in this sector is differentiation, whereby the company or other entity successfully shows the market that it offers a different product, which is superior to others. As a country, Australia has been able to do this (Winstewd Patterson, 1998). For individual institutions such as Holmes however, there is a high degree of competition among other schools which may be well established and possess the same, or superior, resources. He issue then is to develop superior capabilities in select areas, such as business education or other specialisation, and in the process be able to compete with other companies (Eichengreen Gupta, 2013). Up to 25% of all students at Holmes institute are international students. A large number of these come from Asia, mostly China, Indonesia, Malaysia and Japan. Other nationalities are also represented, as people seek to take advantage of Australias reputation as a standard bearer in education. Indeed, education has long been termed as Australias biggest service export, even surpassing tourism. The allure of Australian education is augmented by its alignment with the best western standards, coupled with its proximity to the major sources of these students. Additionally, as a member of the Commonwealth, an organization of former British colonies and dominions, Australia offers improved offers for students originating from commonwealth countries such as India, South Africa and Malaysia(Chowdhury, 2011). At Holmes Institute, the students are of all ages, including minors, for whom special arrangements on welfare are made in conjunction with their guardians. Despite the focus on international students, the vast majority of the student population at Holmes is Australian, accounting for more than 75% of the student population. Holmes institute offers a multi-sectoral education programme, from high school, diploma and higher education facilities. The institutes high school and diploma offering is closely aligned with Australian general standards. However, the higher education is decidedly business oriented, with major courses being in business management and information technology (Kendall, 2007). The students religious and racial background is diverse. However, most of the students are Christian, Muslim, Hindu or irreligious. In terms of race, most were Caucasian, with significant proportions of black African and Asian populations. All in all, the diversity of the institution meant that while Caucasians were more than the others, they were not the dominant group. This increased the diversity of the group. Additionally, the fact that most of the students were millennials, who were known for their levels of tolerance for different people and points of view, was important in making the institute among the most sought after institutions of higher education in Australia and beyond (Kendall, 2007). A majority of the students who have decided to study at Holmes Institute have been attracted by the high quality of education that the institute offers. The sensitivity of the price that has been set by Holmes is also a big influence for the students, who have chosen to come to Holmes instead of more expensive schools offering the same prices. Equally important is the message that the price communicates. It is not the cheapest of the higher education facilities in Australia. Rather, it tries to show that it offers high quality services that justify the prices charged as fees (Wearring et al, 2015). The students in the sample are defined by their diversity. However, they are overwhelmingly young, with more than 90% being under the age of 25, and only 1% being over 30 years of age. They are in the millennial group, which is characterised by competition, confidence and tolerance for diversity. The group is also renowned for its sociability, high level of achievement, and identification as true global citizens. This is well expressed at Holmes, where students are clearly at home away from their countries of origins, and the Australian students do not seem under any pressure from the presence of foreign students (Wearring, 2015). The psychographics of the students can therefore be analysed in terms of their age, background, and particular expectations form their experience at Holmes. While they were enthusiastic about their institution, their background meant that they had different attitudes to their studies. Students form countries economically developed countries were focused on using their newly acquired qualifications to secure better livelihoods in countries of origin. Those who were from poor countries that did not have enough economic activities were keen on staying on in Australia. These were likely to be sensitive about the price too, and the content of the product they were purchasing (Wearring et al, 2015; Kendall, 2007). Normally, the customer decision making process consists of five steps. These are problem recognition, information search, evaluation of alternatives, purchase, and post purchase satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Many countries form which the foreign students come from offer education that is substandard, and ill equipped to handle the realities of a global economy. Australian students enrolled at the institute hat they need a qualification which will help them secure jobs, and equip them with the necessary facilities needed to compete in the job market, as well as excelling in entrepreneurship. With this realisation, they can move on to the next step, which entails information search (Milner Rosenstreich, 2013). Information search is conducted online in most cases. The students in the sample obtained most of the information they required about Holmes and other institutions by using the internet, where almost every school has a presence. Besides this, information was gathered by speaking to students who had already been to the schools, as well as education fairs. Having secured the information necessary, the students who evaluated the choices they had. In doing this, the assessed their needs, and the ability of each of the institutions they had picked to meet these needs. This assessment also delved on the reputation and the prices of studying at each of the schools, and what others were saying about the institution (Pellemans, 1971). Having done this, the student would then move on to the selection of the desired institute the purchase. Here, the students would choose the institution they felt would best serve their interests, in terms of obtaining the desired qualification at the right price. Issues of welfare were also considered, including the student experience and the ease of settling down in these institutions. Now that the students had already enrolled at the institution, they were still in the process of purchasing, which would be done in phases. During this process, and at the end of it, they would reflect on whether the experience was worthy it, or what could have been done to make the experience even better. The students generally felt that the institution offered superior services, and that it could be a great avenue for others who wished to make it in the corporate world, or as entrepreneurs. The school has therefore been mostly reviewed as satisfactory, with a minority of students showing dissonanc e (Milner Rosenstreich, 2013). Overall, the reasons for satisfaction after the purchasing process are dependent on the characteristics and needs of the students, as well as the quality of the product that the institute offers. Due some inaccuracies during the earlier steps on the process, such as inaccurate collection of information, or wrong evaluation of the available choices, the satisfaction may be affected. Some students may have needed a specific qualification, due to their belief that this would be easier and more aligned with their skills. If the qualification is later found not to be in line with the expectations, there is likely to be dissatisfaction with the product purchased. Such instances were few, but were nevertheless present. This also points to the need of the organization to carefully orient their students, so that they can know what they are getting into early enough (Pellemans, 1971). Student motivation Motivation can be defined as the psychological force that enables action. The level of student motivation at Holmes Institute is dependent on the psychographics of the students, as well as the quality of services offered at Holmes institute. The services offered at this institute are of high quality, as the sample indicated during the research. However, this therefore greatly motivated the students to join and study at the institution. The services offered at the institution including orientation and other services instituted at the school to make it easier for students to get by are also very important. For instance, students who are well oriented by the institution, and who find supportive programs at the institution are more likely to be motivated, and eventually, to be satisfied with the services offered (Herve Mullet, 2009). Personality and emotions are also important in affecting their purchasing decisions. Some people, based on their personalities, feel that they are better placed studying business in university. They also feel that the Holmes institute offers the m with programs that best play to their strengths, due to the diversity, and the support programs offers. The personality of some students is such that English is their second or third language. They may have difficulty integrating in the school and in Australian society in general. Due to this, they will find it hard to excel and be happy with the product they acquire at Holmes, unless the institute offers them the required support (herve Mullet, 2009). Recommendations As institutions of higher learning seek to cash in on the higher fees paid by international students, there is a need to be more adaptive to what these students need. The majority of international students are from the neighbouring Asian countries. While these students have high purchasing power, they also have difficulty in cultural issues. For instance, the language barrier means that schools have to change the way they change their tuition methods. Additionally, they need to offer more support to their students, so that these students can be more satisfied with the education which is offered. The use of technology in advertising and communicating with potential students is also important. The institutions of higher learning should therefore be ready to invest in this. Additionally, they should be appreciative of the reasons why students come to Australia their curricula must adapt to both local and international business needs, for it to truly help the students. The school needs to further innovate and create a distinct brand for itself. It can incorporate the existing goodwill and reputation concerning Australian education sector, but additionally come up with distinct characteristics which will set it apart even in the country. By doing this, the institution will be better able to compete with other institutions, both in Australia and abroad. References Herve, C., Mullet, E., 2009. Age and Factors influencing consumer behaviour. International Journal of consumer studies, 33(3), pp 302-308. Rani, P., 2014. Factors influencing consumer behaviour. International Journal of Curriculum and Academic Research, 2(9), pp 52-61. Cohen, S., Prayag, G., Moital, M., 2014. Consumer behaviour in tourism: concepts, influences and opportunities. Current issues in tourism,17(10), pp 872-909. Chowdhury, M. 2011. Growth and dynamics of Australia's education exports. Journal of Applied Economics, 44(7), pp 879-888. Kendall, T., 2007. Exporting Australian educational services to China. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 26(1), pp 23-33. Wearring, A. et al., 2015. The international students experience: An exploratory study of students from Vietnam. The International Education Journal: Comparative Perspectives, 14(1), pp 71-89. Milner, T. Rosenstreich, D., 2013. A review of consumer decision-making models and development of a new model for financial services. Journal of Financial Services Marketing, 18 (2), pp106-120. Pellmans, P., 1971. The consumer decision?making process. European Journal of Marketing, 5 (2),pp 8-21. Winsted, K. Patterson, P., 1998. Internationalization of services: the service exporting decision Management, Journal of Services Marketing,12(4)pp.294-311. Eichengreen, B Gupta, P., 2013. Exports of services: Indian experience in perspective. Indian Growth and Development Review, 6(1), pp.35-60. Spector, M. et al, 2004. Handbook of Research on Educational Communications and Technology, London: Springer. Smyth, J., Down, B. Mclerney, P., 2014. The Socially Just School: Making Space for Youth to Speak Back, London: Springer Science. Kaur, S., 2014. Comparing Selected Higher Education Systems In Asia, Kuala Lumpur: ITBM. EABER, 2016. Partnership for Change: AustraliaChina Joint Economic Report, Canberra: Australian National University Press. Tisdell, C., 2013. Handbook of Tourism Economics, Singapore: World Scientific Publishing Co Ltd.