Integrated marketing communications for the Degree Programme for Multilingual Management Assistants
Da Silva De Gouveia, Mayra (2015)
Da Silva De Gouveia, Mayra
Haaga-Helia ammattikorkeakoulu
2015
All rights reserved
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-201505168384
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-201505168384
Tiivistelmä
The development of globalization, a steady decline in the demographics, specifically in the birth rate, and the marked swift to digital communications channels have affected the way higher education institutions compete to attract and retain prospective students.
The objective of this thesis is to identify the most effective modes of marketing communications to increase the visibility of the Degree Programme for Multilingual Management Assistants, hereafter referred to as MUBBA. The Degree Programme is instructed at HAAGA-HELIA University of Applied Sciences.
The theoretical framework is divided into two main parts. The first part introduces the integrated marketing communications and the second part presents the consumer decision process. In turn, both topics are applied to the higher education context. The thesis uses qualitative and quantitative research methods. A semi-structured interview with the communication manager of HAAGA-HELIA was conducted to gain insights of the marketing communications developed by HAAGA-HELIA. The interview was conducted in October 2014.
A web-based questionnaire was designed to collect empirical data from current MUBBA students, who represented the target group in this study. In total, the survey had 17 questions. There were closed and open-ended questions. Likert scales were also used. The results were presented and analysed using cross-tabulations for the closed questions; descriptive statistics, namely the mean and the standard deviation were calculated for the Likert scale statements. The open-ended questions were analysed manually. The survey was conducted in November 2014.
The thesis successfully answers the research questions posed at the beginning of the study. It provides the most effective modes of marketing communications for the MUBBA Degree Pro-gramme by presenting and analysing the consumer decision journey of its current students. Notice that the results of the survey cannot be generalized due to the low response rate. In total there were 40 respondents, which account for 17,4% of the total population.
The thesis concludes with a set of recommendations. The Degree Programme for Multilingual Management Assistants could benefit from this study by making use of social media platforms to increase its visibility when communicating with potential students. More emphasis should be placed in the studying experience to build and strength loyalty and thus, spur positive word-of-mouth. Nevertheless, continuous research is needed to follow the communication trends among the youth in order to successfully update the marketing communications campaigns on an ongoing basis.
The objective of this thesis is to identify the most effective modes of marketing communications to increase the visibility of the Degree Programme for Multilingual Management Assistants, hereafter referred to as MUBBA. The Degree Programme is instructed at HAAGA-HELIA University of Applied Sciences.
The theoretical framework is divided into two main parts. The first part introduces the integrated marketing communications and the second part presents the consumer decision process. In turn, both topics are applied to the higher education context. The thesis uses qualitative and quantitative research methods. A semi-structured interview with the communication manager of HAAGA-HELIA was conducted to gain insights of the marketing communications developed by HAAGA-HELIA. The interview was conducted in October 2014.
A web-based questionnaire was designed to collect empirical data from current MUBBA students, who represented the target group in this study. In total, the survey had 17 questions. There were closed and open-ended questions. Likert scales were also used. The results were presented and analysed using cross-tabulations for the closed questions; descriptive statistics, namely the mean and the standard deviation were calculated for the Likert scale statements. The open-ended questions were analysed manually. The survey was conducted in November 2014.
The thesis successfully answers the research questions posed at the beginning of the study. It provides the most effective modes of marketing communications for the MUBBA Degree Pro-gramme by presenting and analysing the consumer decision journey of its current students. Notice that the results of the survey cannot be generalized due to the low response rate. In total there were 40 respondents, which account for 17,4% of the total population.
The thesis concludes with a set of recommendations. The Degree Programme for Multilingual Management Assistants could benefit from this study by making use of social media platforms to increase its visibility when communicating with potential students. More emphasis should be placed in the studying experience to build and strength loyalty and thus, spur positive word-of-mouth. Nevertheless, continuous research is needed to follow the communication trends among the youth in order to successfully update the marketing communications campaigns on an ongoing basis.