Abstract
Marketing of higher education has become a strategic competitive tool due to the emergence of private universities. The purpose of this paper is to identify the important factors that influence students’ satisfaction at the higher education institutions (HEIs) and to measure the level of students’ satisfaction with respect to the educational marketing mix (EMM) being offered by the universities. Data was collected through questionnaires from randomly selected 324 students from Middlesex University and Wollongong University in Dubai. SPSS program was used to analyze the data. The study found that ‘People’ was the most important factor that influence students’ satisfaction level while ‘Program’ was the least. The satisfaction level of students was high; and this indicates the good performance of the universities in Dubai. The paper recommended conducting a further research that compares between student satisfaction in both public and private universities. Keywords: Student Satisfaction, Educational Marketing Mix, Higher Education, Student’s Choice, Dubai. DOI : 10.7176/EJBM/11-24-15 Publication date : August 31 st 2019
Highlights
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) was established as a federal state on the 2nd of December 1971, with the coalition of six Emirates, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Qaiwain, and Fujairah while the seventh Emirate, Ras Al Khaimah, joined them in 1972 (Alhebsi et al, 2015)
2.5 Previous Studies and Findings Two separate studies were done to compare between the opinions of the administrators and the students of universities and colleges regarding the most important factors needed for a successful marketing strategy for an educational institution
The length of time it took them to complete the questionnaire was noted. It took from 12 to 15 minutes to complete the survey. They were asked about their feedback concerning the validity and reliability of the questions, if there was anything missing from the questionnaire
Summary
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) was established as a federal state on the 2nd of December 1971, with the coalition of six Emirates, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Qaiwain, and Fujairah while the seventh Emirate, Ras Al Khaimah, joined them in 1972 (Alhebsi et al, 2015). In 1971, there were no universities at that time in UAE; only 74 schools. After the establishment of the country, the education system was developed based on the British model, though lately, aspects of the US system have been adopted. In a very short period of time, the UAE has established an outstanding and diversified system of higher education (Abou Naaj et al, 2012). The first HEI in UAE was the UAE University. It was established in Al Ain Emirate in 1977 (Wilkins, 2010). According to Sheikh Saud bin Qasimi Foundation for Policy Reseach (2013), higher education in UAE includes three types; public, semi-public, and private universities. As the competition between the private universities is increasing, marketing of higher education has become a strategic tool. This paper will help the HEIs recognize the factors that influence students’ satisfaction
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