Globalization and increased job opportunities in Australia has led students to apply for universities in the country (Sheil, 2010). While searching for universities there are certain ranking and other criteria’s against which they are evaluated. The scope of this report analyses competitively Central Queensland University as against Queensland University in Australia. For the purpose of analysis SWOT, segmentation analysis, marketing mix analysis and other relevant criteria’s has been applied.
CQ University and QUT based in Australia are universities that are focused on high levels of quality and excellence. Both the universities attract students from around the world with their various new and industry effective courses (Harmon, 2015). They provide their students with research facilities and good infrastructure to support transformational learning. CQU merged with CQ TAFE in 2014 and now has over 25 campuses accommodating over 35,000 students from world over. Currently it has over 300 educational programs, some of which are funded to provide support to financially backward students. It has campuses in urban as well as regional areas. QUT established in the year 1911, now caters to over 51,000 students offering undergraduates and postgraduate degrees. It is the founder member of online higher education consortium edX, global Universitas 21 network and research intensive Group of Eight. Two Nobel laureates was associated with the University staff and alumni (Abelson, 2009).
Market summary and demand assessment enables establishing a framework of marketing plan for the Universities. CQU and QUT both attract considerable number of students from abroad and from Australia (Williams, 2008). The courses, professors, infrastructure and research facilities offered by these two Universities are branded amongst the leading in the world. Both the Universities experiences steady demand from students for studying management and technical courses. These courses along with short term professional courses are amongst the best accredited in the world. These Universities aim to attract bright and energetic candidates from world over. The costs for various courses are determined and set according to their market demand assessment. Each year the Universities receive influx of students especially from Asian countries due to the rankings and research of these Universities (Blythe, 2008). According to their rankings for particular course the University sets targeted marketing activities to attract students. But due to higher technical courses in CQ it attracts more students compared to QUT.
Universities of CQU and QUT receive steady candidates from various countries but marketing activities ensures the same. The segmentation and target market analysis for the universities can be undertaken by demographic, psychographic and geographic segmentation strategy (Aaker, 2008). Though strategy of marketing greatly varies form course to course but generally segmentation of the target market helps define scope of the market.
Demographic Segmentation: CQU and QUT targets school pass outs who want to enroll in undergraduate and graduate programs. The age group they target is from 17 years to 21 years of age. They generally prefer fresher’s who have high score levels at their school passing standards. The Universities targets males as well as female candidates who have high academic acumen. The courses of each University are expensive in nature and ranges from AUD 4,000 to AUD 10,000 per year, which attracts upper income class. But the University has made arrangements and receives funding for providing education to outstanding students through various scholarships and grants programs.
Psychographic Segmentation: These Universities are focused on catering to academically exceptional candidates (Adkins, 2007). The psychographic set-up of candidates that the Universities attract is those who are willing to study outside their home country in a well-ranked foreign University.
Geographic Segmentation: Both the Universities aim to attract candidates from outside and within Australia. The primary geographic location that both these Universities attract candidates is from Asian, highly populated and skilled countries as India, China, Malaysia and so on.
The segmentation analysis reveals that target market is similar for both universities yet CQ attracts more students compared to QUT due to its large number of industry accredited technical courses.
Marketing mix analyzes various components of marketing elements used by the Universities in order to position their various courses attractively for probable candidates. The four dimensions of marketing that is used by the Universities are product, price, place and promotion (Goi C. L., 2015).
Product: The various courses of management, technical, hospitality and professional courses are the products of CQU and QUT. The courses of both the Universities are designed in a unique manner that makes the students industry ready. Due to the high industry accreditation of these courses, the products of the both Universities is unique compared to competitors. CQ has more technical oriented courses compared to QUT.
Price: Due to high competition amongst competitors, these Universities offer courses at affordable rates (Goi C. , 2009). For some doctoral course and post-graduation courses various assistantships are provided to aid students.
Place: CQU and QUT have various branches located throughout Australia. The Universities have several educational partners across the world to attract suitable candidates from world over. The University partners and associates also often visit countries for spot admissions of students.
Promotions: The Universities conduct several promotional strategies such that they can attract suitable candidates towards the same. The University promotes its business primarily through word-of-marketing, social media advertisements, partnering programs and so on. CQ does extensive promotions as compared to QUT.
While CQU and QUT conducts marketing activities through various ways, an analysis of external environment allows better understanding of situational factors. Situational factors existing in Australia can be understood in terms of PEST analysis which is an abbreviated form for political, economic, social and technological factors.
Political factors: The existing government at Australia is highly supportive to develop quality levels of education. It offers several assistance and aid programs to fund universities to expand their area of operations. Though there is substantial amount of aid received yet there is little political intervention in universities for their ways of conduct.
Economic factors: Australia has a stable economy, with stable rate of inflation and currency rates. Budgetary allocation of the country allows for funding of universities for research and developmental programs, which is conducive for university growth and development.
Social factors: Australia was predominantly British dominant country which has had high impacts on its social and cultural systems prevailing. The University follows highest levels of diligence and academic quality which provides them worldwide ranking, especially in the quality of their research work, student intake capacity, infrastructure and so on.
Technological factors: Australia is technologically highly developed hence the universities also adopts the same. There is all technological facility available across university campuses rto aid better learning and understanding of students.
A competitor analysis for CQU or QUT consists of analyzing their educational, placement, research and infrastructural facilities as against other universities. The major competitors of theses universities consists of Australian National University, Deakin University, Melbourne University and so on. A better comprehensive understanding of the competitors can be done by way of Porter’s Five Forces analysis as (Porter, 2008);
Rivalry amongst existing universities: There are high levels of competition amongst universities in Australia as well as from those in New Zealand.
Threat from bargaining power of students: The students willing to study in Australia in CQU or QUT have a hosts of choices from universities from across the world. Hence they tend bargain with rates of scholarships and tuition fees.
Threat from Substitute courses: At the moment there are a number of universities that are offering online courses which form the prime substitute product for the universities.
Threat from educational partners: Educational partners often charge high rates for student transfers and student programs (Marginson, 2007)..
Internal analysis can be better understood by means of a comprehensive SWOT as strength, weakness, opportunity and threats. An analysis for CQU is given below;
|
Strength Ø Suitable location Ø Affordable course fees Ø High rankings |
Weakness Ø Unavailability of various short term professional courses Ø Low student involvement |
|
Opportunity Ø Attract more students from other countries Ø Conduct research poor grams extensively |
Threat Ø Growing online courses Ø Increasing conflicts amongst locals and foreign students |
SWOT Analysis of CQU
Source: Author
The Universities offer unique value of placement and quality brand name association. Records of students from CQU and QUT prove that the Universities have high placement rates amongst all universities with good academic culture (Khan, 2014). This positioning enables the Universities to establish themselves as a brand apart from other brands.
Conclusion
Analysis of CQU and QUT reveals that the Universities offer industry ready programs that are highly accredited and acclimatized. Students from various parts of the world study and take part in various courses and programs offered by these Universities, hence they have a leading competing position with value based marketing strategy. However, due to large number of technical course of CQ and promotional strategy it attracts more students compared to QUT.
Reference Lists
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