The Application of Relationship Marketing in Overseas Student Recruitments: An Example of Chinese-Vietnamese Undergraduate Students in Taiwan Universities

Abstract

Due to response to the globalization, internationalization of higher education in terms of attracting international students becomes a key agenda on higher education policies and part of national development plans. In this regard, higher education institutions need to be more explicit in building relationship marketing strategies to attract more and more overseas students. However, much of the so-called marketing strategies in many universities in the world are paid more attention to English programs rather than providing the host countries' languages in non-English speaking countries, like Taiwan. This study aims to build relationship marketing strategies in attracting more overseas Chinese students based on exploring the factors influencing Chinese-Vietnamese undergraduate students come to Taiwan for their study abroad. The interviews with 9 Chinese-Vietnamese students are undertaken as data collection. The main findings show that Taiwan has offered financial relationship marketing programs quite well with such positive factors, such as low cost of living and tuition fees, economic cooperation between Taiwan and Vietnam, and the ease to find part-time jobs. However, Taiwan has not paid enough attention to social and structural relationship marketing programs since the negative factors exist, such as language barriers, the feeling of minority students and dissatisfaction, somewhat cause the students' dissatisfaction of their studying. Based on the main findings, finally, certain relationship marketing strategies are proposed to enhance student's loyalty in choosing Taiwan higher education in the future toward Chinese-Vietnamese students.