INTERNATIONAL MASTER OF BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF KAOHSIUNG
Master Thesis
A Study of Marketing Strategy for Education Business:
The Case of Shane English Vietnam
Gradaute Student:Le Thi Nguyen
Advisor:Dr. Yung-Kai Yang
I
Acknowledge
I would like to express my gratitude and sincere thanks to Dr. Yung-Kai Yang, who aided by instructing me to find the direction of research, suggesting a practical approach, and suported my data analysis so that I could complete my graduate thesis successfully.
I also received a lot of attention, suggestions, and valuable support from my Professors, friends, and classmates during the period of studying, researching, and implementing the topic. I would also like to express my deep gratitude to:
- Professor Po-Chih Lee, Professor James Wu, Professor Shao-Hsun Keng, Dr. Pei-Chi Huang, Dr. David Wang and Dr. Yi- Kai Chen all of whom have conveyed to me useful knowledge during the past two years of studying at the National University of Kaohsiung.
- The Board of Directors of SEV and PSB College for their time and support.
- My friends and IMBA classmates who always encouraged and supported me in the process of studying and researching.
- Joanne Wu – the IMBA Assistant who is always willing to assist me and all IMBA students at any time we need help.
Finally, I am thankful to my parents and family members who have always supported and created favorable conditions for me, especially during my studying of a master's degree at NUK, Taiwan.
Yours sincerely,
Le Thi Nguyen July 2020
II
A STUDY OF MARKETING STRATEGY FOR EDUCATION
BUSINESS: THE CASE OF SHANE ENGLISH VIETNAM
Advisor: Dr. Yung-Kai Yang
Department of Asia-Pacific Industrial and Business Management National University of Kaohsiung
Student: Le Thi Nguyen
International Master of Business Management National University of Kaohsiung
ABSTRACT
As Vietnam progresses towards modernisation, the requirements for English and English proficiency certification have increased. People are looking to expand their English knowledge for internal study on English language courses, international study, research, business, and as a lingua franca for travelling and tourism. International Integration has opened up many opportunities and created quite a lot of challenges to all areas including the education sector. To be able to compete, education businesses are starting to pay attention to marketing strategies. By using qualitative analysis; SWOT, 7Ps, and resource based-view, this research will clarify the marketing strategy that Shane English Vietnam (SEV) has implemented. This approach is compared with other English Language schools (ILA, APOLO, British Council), and suggest strategies for SEV to improve its marketing strategies and activities in order to increase business revenue and brand awareness.
Keyword: Education Business Marketing Strategy, Shane English Vietnam, SWOT, 7P Analysis
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ABBREVIATION
EB Education Business
ELS English Language school
MOET Ministry of Education and Training DOET Department of Education and Training CCE Continuing Education Center
SEV Shane English Vietnam
HCMC Ho Chi Minh city
FDI Foreign Direct Investment
CP Children - Playgroup
CK Children - Kindergarten CL Children - Lower Elementary CH Children - Higher Elementary
CJ Children - Juniors
ESP English for a specific purpose
F.T Foreign Teachers
N/A Not applicable
Cert. Certificate
Dept. Department
MKT Marketing
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List of Contents
List of Figures ...VI List of Tables ... VII
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ... 1
I. Background Information ... 1
1. Education System in Vietnam ... 1
2. Education Business in Vietnam ... 4
3. Vietnam is a potential Market for Education Business Sector: ... 5
II. Motivation and Objectives ... 9
III. Purpose of Studies ... 9
IV. Research Procedure ... 10
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ... 12
I. English Language School... 12
II. Marketing Theories – The Marketing Mix ... 13
1. Marketing Definitions ... 13
2. Marketing strategy ... 14
3. Marketing Mix – 7Ps ... 15
4. Digital Marketing Mix ... 20
III. SWOT Analysis and Resource-Based View Analysis ... 25
1. SWOT Analysis ... 25
2. Resource-Based View ... 28
IV. Common marketing activities/channels at English Language Schools and EB ... 29
CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHOD ... 32
I. Research Methods ... 32
1. Interview Methods ... 32
2. Qualitative Analysis and others: ... 33
II. Research Framework... 34
CHAPTER 4: MAJOR OF FINDING ... 36
I. Brief Introduction of Shane English Vietnam ... 36
1. Saconcourt Group ... 36
2. Shane English Vietnam ... 38
3. Products/ Services: ... 38
V
1. Strengths: ... 41
2. Weaknesses: ... 46
3. Opportunities: ... 49
4. Threats: ... 51
III. Resource-based – viewed analysis ... 53
1. Value Propositions: ... 53
2. Rareness: ... 54
3. Imperfect Imitability and Substitutability: ... 54
IV. Marketing Strategy at SEV ... 54
1. Programme/ Products/ Services: ... 54
2. Price ... 55 3. Place: ... 56 4. People ... 56 5. Promotion ... 59 6. Process: ... 60 7. Physical Evidence ... 61 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION ... 62 I. Research results: ... 62
II. Practical implements: ... 65
1. Marketing Strategy Process ... 66
2. Branding Development ... 69
III. Limitations: ... 70
VI
List of Figures
Figure 1.1: Structure of the Education System in Vietnam ... 2
Figure 1.2: Educational Institution in Vietnam... 3
Figure 1.3: Vietnam Population in Mar 2020 ... 5
Figure 1.4: The number of Non-public students from 2015 to 2018 ... 7
Figure 1.5: Research Procedure ... 11
Figure 2.1: Marketing Mix Matrix – 7Ps ... 16
Figure 2.2: Product Life Cycle... 17
Figure 2.3: Alternative Pricing Mechanisms ... 22
Figure 2.4: Stage in Managing inbound email ... 24
Figure 2.5: SWOT Framework ... 26
Figure 2.6: Firm's Resources ... 28
Figure 2.7: Criteria of sustained competitive advantages ... 29
Figure 3.1: Research Framework ... 35
Figure 4.1: Saxoncourt Group... 36
Figure 4.2: Shane School Locations ... 37
Figure 4.3: Series of FAB Books ... 43
Figure 4.4: Series of SPEC Books ... 43
Figure 4.5: Ho Chi Minh City Population ... 50
Figure 4.6: Vietnam's Tourism Revenue ... 51
Figure 4.7: SEV Organization Structure ... 58
VII
List of Tables
Table 1.1: The number of Languages Centre and learners from 2017 to 2019 ... 7
Table 2.1: Elements of Digital Marketing Mix ... 20
Table 4.1: Top 10 Best English Schools in HCMC ... 48
Table 4.2: SEV - SWOT Analysis ... 52
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CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
I. Background Information
Vietnam is a country in Southeast Asia, shaped like a letter ‘S’ with an estimated 97,141,003 inhabitants as of 10 April 2020. In terms of population, it is the 15th most populous country in the world. Vietnam demographics are made up of 54 ethnic groups with the Vietnamese majority group accounting for 90%. Vietnamese is the most common language spoken across all ethnic groups. Vietnam is divided into 64 provinces and cities; 659 districts and towns and 10,732 communes, quarters, and towns (Wikipedia).
1. Education System in Vietnam
There are 3 Education history timelines to consider: (1) The feudal and colonial period (207 B.C. – 1945);(2) The period of War (1945 – 1975);(3) Post reformation and Modern (1975 – present). Since 1975 up to the present day, Vietnam’s Education Ministry developed and issued a curriculum for education taking up 12 years:
- Preschool education: 3 years (3 – 5 years old) - Elementary: 5 years (6 – 10 years old)
- Middle School: 4 years (11 – 15 years old) - High school: 3 years (16 -18 years old)
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Figure 1.1: Structure of the Education System in Vietnam (source:http://www.ibe.unesco.org)
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Educational Institutions in Vietnam:
Prescribed in Article 44 of Vietnam’s Education Law, there are four main types of educational establishments in Vietnam:
- Public education establishments: set up and monitored by the State.
- Semi-public educational establishments: established by the State and individuals in the society to jointly invest in infrastructure.
- People-founded educational establishments: Set up by social or economic organizations with non-State budget capital.
- Private educational establishments: Individuals or groups of individuals apply for permission from the Government to establish and invest in the institution by themselves.
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2. Education Business in Vietnam
The government's strong commitment to education has fostered significant growth in the education sector but investment still needs to be sustained to retain academics. In 2018, a decree of school autonomy allowed schools to operate independently without ministerial control. The government continued investing in education especially for the poor to continue to have access to basic education.
Non-public units are non-state non-business organizations, established by social organizations, enterprises, individuals or joint ventures between organizations and foreign countries, with legal status, providing public services, operating under the business model. Non-public non-business units owned by social organizations, professional social organizations, private economic organizations, individuals or foreign-invested capital. They are private schools, private hospitals, private scientific research organizations, private museums. These units are organized to operate under the model of enterprises, recruitment, management, and employment. The labor force is mainly based on labor relations under the provisions of the Dynamic Code.
Profit educational institutions (Education Business) included:
- Non-public educational establishments such as The semi-public, People-founded, and private educational establishments (Article 44 of Vietnam’s Education Law) for official education.
- International schools - CRAM schools
- Language schools/ centres
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3. Vietnam is a potential Market for Education Business Sector:
- A high number of population and a young population: According to the General Statistics Office of Viet Nam, an estimated 97 million inhabitants as of 10 April 2020. The population pyramid chart shows that Vietnam demography is skewed towards a young population with a statistic of 24 % for the age of younger than 15, and 68 % for the age of 16 – 64.
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- Non-public education development solutions are now available
The Government has promulgated the Resolution No. 35/NQ-CP (on June 4, 2019, on the strengthened mobilization of resources in the community for the development of education and training in the 2019 – 2025 period. To increase from 8.75% of non-public education institutions and 8.9% of students in these students in 2020 to 13.5% and 16%, respectively, in 2025, the Government has recommended several following solutions:
Completing the support regime to change from support for educational institutions to support directly granted to policy beneficiaries, or from support according to the average dispensing mechanism to support under the state procurement mechanism;
Reforming administrative procedures, simplifying documentation requirements for establishment and operation of non-public education institutions;
Giving equal treatment and creating an environment of fair and transparent competitiveness, irrespective of public and non-public education institutions; Promoting grant of autonomy to public education institutions and encouraging
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Figure 1.4: The number of Non-public students from 2015 to 2018 (source: https://moet.gov.vn/Pages/home.aspx)
- Increasing the number of Languages centres and language learners:
Table 1.1: The number of Languages Centre and learners from 2017 to 2019
Contents 2017-2018 2018-2019
Centre for Languages and IT Studies 2,854 3,974
Number of people study Languages 1,599,337 1,966,404 (source: https://moet.gov.vn/Pages/home.aspx)
- Number of non- public students from increased from 2001 – 2018
In recent years, there is an evolution of Non – public schools and non- public students accordingly. The reason the changes could be:
(1) Services are good and can be flexible. Non-public or Private educations are a kind of business sector that works for profits. They are flexible in services such as contact and working with parents via emails to update students' situations and
- 100,000 200,000 300,000 400,000 500,000 600,000 700,000 800,000 2015-2016 2015-2016 2016-2017 2017-2018 N u m b e r o f Stu d e n ts Kindergarten Primary School Secondary School High School University
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behaviour in class. Convenient payment systems likely transfer money to a school’s bank or pay by card. Particularly flexibility is shown in the opening hours and times of classes such as in public school, students need to be picked up at 4 pm while students can stay at private school until 6 pm, allowing parents to pick them up after work. Furthermore, with the development of technology, parents are reassured that they can see their children's activity through the camera system.
(2) Infrastructure: at private schools, facilities are usually spacious, new, and more modern than public schools. Because the capital is spent by the people, the school leaders have the right to renovate, repair, upgrade or build new buildings and new facilities for students' study.
(3) Study program: in order to compete with public universities, private universities often focus on upgrading facilities and their curriculum. Therefore, the programs at private schools are quite diverse and practical. Many private universities also associate with foreign universities and colleges, helping students to access advanced international education. They are also more open to exchanging knowledge and have the opportunity to receive an International degree upon graduation. Public universities have a more traditional training direction.
(4) Employment opportunities: typically, domestic businesses tend to favor applicants from public schools. However, for foreign companies, there is less importance placed on whether a candidate graduated from public or private universities because of the strength and experience you have. Therefore, learners who have been attending private schools have less concern about this issue.
9 II. Motivation and Objectives
In my career, I have more than ten years of experience in running businesses and managing teaching centres. I have more than eight years of experience in managing, training, and recruiting staff. I worked for 8 years at Shane English Vietnam (SEV), here, I used to work for positions of Teaching Assistant, Senior Teaching Assistant, Programme Advisor, Assitant School Manager, and School Manager. After SEV, I worked for three years at PSB College Vietnam as an Academic Services Manager. Both SEV and PSB College are the Foreign Direct Invested (FDI). During the period I was working in these places, the scenario was played out as:
- Boss: First you get more students in order to increase revenue, and that I will allocate you more budget for you to do marketing.
- Sale staff: First you should do Marketing, get more students to know about us, thenwe can get more students for you.
Experienced from this story, questions are raised “Which came first the chicken or the egg”? Marketing first or students?
Like other business sectors, Education Business and English Language Schools nowadays have to face more competition. This essentially means that there are more schools but fewer students. So, what is a suitable MKT strategy for English Language Schools or Education Business? How can the schools use certain resources to develop their Marketing and improve their business?
III. Purpose of Studies
1. To understand the Education Business and English Language School field in Vietnam. 2. To evaluate Marketing strategy for Education Business and English Language Schools. 3. To offer suggestions for English Schools.
10 IV. Research Procedure
With the research topic ‘A study of Marketing Strategy for Education Business – The case of Shane English Vietnam’, Research methods to be used are: observation method, survey/
interview methods, qualitative analysis, and the comparison method. The research procedure included 6 steps as follows:
# Step 1: Introduction: Clarify the research background, research motivations, research objectives, and the research procedure.
# Step 2: Literature Review: Briefs of English Language schools in Vietnam, review of Marketing Strategy and SWOT, and Resource Based-view.
# Step 3: Research Methods: Describe the research methodology of the case study
# Step 4: Major of Findings: Introductions of Shane English Vietnam; SWOT, Resource Based-view, and Marketing Strategy at Shane English Vietnam currently.
# Step 5: Conclusion and further studies: Finding marketing methods for the education sector, practical implements, limitations of the research, and further research expectations.
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CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
I. English Language School
An English language school is a place where one studies the English language. Students vary widely by age, educational background, and work experience. Further, at language school, students usually select a specific course according to their language proficiency. According to the CEFR, six language levels define students' language proficiency base on their speaking, writing, and reading skills such as Beginner, Elementary, Pre-intermediate, Intermediate, Upper-intermediate, and Advanced. Students will be then arranged at the course that matches their skills.
An English school consists of 5 following components:
1) Structure
As a general rule, a new student is evaluated by a placement test which enables teachers to determine which is the most appropriate level for the student. Courses can be organized in groups or for individuals according to students’ demands.
2) Organization
Most language schools are private and for-profit organizations. Tuition fees vary depending on a multitude of factors such as local cost of living, exchange rates, and demand for the language in the area where a school is located. Language schools can be either independent entities or corporate franchises.
3) Teachers
Teachers are either English native speakers or formal qualifications to become a language teacher, however, they vary by school or country. Teachers may have graduated with a B.A, Master's degree, or a Ph.D. Pedagogy. Experience and strong
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teaching skills are the priority criteria during the recruitment of the language school's teachers.
4) Qualifications
Students in each course and at each level need to sit in the internal exam before moving up to the level. Besides, most students will sit an international language exam and receive an internationally recognized qualification. That could help students in national students such as to get exemption of English Entry test at Primary, Secondary, High Schools, and Universities. An International English certificate is an advantage or priority of entry requirements at the works. Additionally, a certificate of English is a condition that is not able to be missed for any applying for studies abroad, …
5) International language exams
English Language schools commonly offer specific programs to those wishing to prepare for internationally recognized language exams such as:
TOEIC: Test of English for International Communication TOEFL: Test of English as a Foreign Language
IELTS: International English Language Testing System Cambridge English Language Assessment
II. Marketing Theories – The Marketing Mix 1. Marketing Definitions
Currently, there are thousands of marketing definitions. However, these definitions are not really different, and, interestingly, none of them are considered to be unique. This is due to the face the authors of the marketing definitions have their views. Some definitions of typical organizations and individuals may be given:
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- According to the American Marketing Association (AMA): "Marketing is the performance of business activities that direct the flow of goods and services from producers to consumers." (Approved 1935). And: "Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large" (Approved 2017).
- The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM): "The management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer requirements profitably".
- Philip Kotler’s definition of Marketing is – “Marketing is a social and managerial process by which individuals and groups obtain what they need and want through creating and exchanging products and value with other”.
- ‘Marketing is engaging customers and managing profitable customer relationships. The twofold goal of marketing is to attract new customers by promising superior value and to keep and grow current customers by delivering satisfaction’. (Armstrong 32)
- In the words of Cundiff and Still – “Marketing is the term used to describe collectively those business functions most directly concerned with the demand stimulating and demand-fulfilling activities of the business enterprise”.
Thus, we can say, Marketing is selling what the market needs, not selling what we have.
2. Marketing strategy
A strategy is the overall decisions and actions related to the selection of facilities and the allocation of resources to achieve a certain goal. Strategy can also be defined through a variety of factors such as tasks, selection of areas of activity, complementarity of resources, operational and tactical options, priorities. and prepare for unexpected situations to complete the set tasks.
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There are three levels of strategy: Company-level strategy, business unit-level strategy, and functional strategy. Marketing strategy is a functional strategy. Marketing strategy is a logical point system, reasonable, as a basis for directing an organizational unit, calculating how to solve your Marketing tasks. It includes specific strategies for target markets, for the Marketing complex and marketing costs.
3. Marketing Mix – 7Ps
The marketing mix –referred to as the 4Ps of Product, Price, Place, and Promotion – was originally proposed by Jerome McCarthy (1960). It is still used as an essential part of formulating and implementing marketing strategy by many practitioners. The popularity of the mix as a guide for the application of marketing techniques is driven by the apparent simplicity of the framework. However, in the 1980s the 4Ps were challenged for not referencing the importance of customer service. The result was that the mix was extended to 7Ps, which include three further elements (the service mix) that better reflect service delivery: People, Process and Physical evidence (Booms and Bitner, 1981). Some writers argue that the service mix should be subsumed within the 4Ps. Since the 1990s there have been more changes in marketing thinking and research and the outcome has been a shift in emphasis in the application of the marketing mix towards the development of relationship building. Some writers even argue that this is a paradigm shift altering the underlying marketing philosophy guiding the application of marketing tools and concepts (Berry, 2008). Whereas others suggest the move to more relationship-orientated marketing is in response to growing customer demands and increasingly complex technology-driven trading environments (Singh et al., 2011) (Singh, Agrariya and Deepali, 2011).
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Figure 2.1: Marketing Mix Matrix – 7Ps (1) Product:
According to Hollensen (2014), Products, or services, are the vital ingredients of the market offering and are the vehicles for providing customer satisfaction. Thus, we can understand a product is built or manufactured to meet the needs of a certain group of people. Products in 7Ps marketing may be intangible or intangible because they may be in the form of services or goods. Make sure that the products designed and manufactured meet the needs and keep up with the consumer trends of the market targeting. Therefore, during the product development phase, marketers must conduct a series of extensive research on the product life cycle they are creating.
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Figure 2.2: Product Life Cycle
(Source: Marketing Management Textbook, Hollensen (2014)
In developing the right product, we have to answer the following questions: What does the customer want from the service or product? How will the customer use it? Where will the client use it? What’s the name of the product? How is your product/service different from the products of your competitors?
(2) Price:
Hollensen (2014) mentioned: Pricing is the only element of the marketing mix to generate revenue. However, price affects not only the profit through its impact on revenue, it also affects the quantity sold through its influence on demand. The price of a product is simply understand is the amount that customers have to pay to use it. Adjusting the price of products will have a major impact on the overall marketing strategy. At the same time, it also greatly affects the sales and demand of the product. If the company is new to the market and has not made a name for itself, the target customers will not be willing to pay a high price. While they may be willing to pay a large sum in the future, it will be difficult to do so at the start-up stage.
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Price considers cheaper prices of cooperatives products compared to other shops, Discount, Credit purchase, Adoption of commodities‟ prices to members‟ expectations, Purchase by installments. Market penetration pricing, Market skimming pricing, Neutral pricing are the three major pricing strategies, and these are the important questions that people should ask themself when they are setting the product price: What will be the quantity demanded at any given price? What will the effect of changes in price be on sales volume? How much did it cost you to make the product? What is the customers’ perceived product value? Do you think that a slight price decrease could significantly increase your market share? Can the current price of the product compete with the price of the product’s competitors?
(3) Place
A place or distribution channel - an important part of the marketing mix definition. You must locate and distribute the product where it is easy to reach the potential goal. This often requires a deep understanding of the market. From there, you will find distribution channels that can connect directly with your target customers. Intensive distribution, Exclusive distribution, Selective distribution, Franchising are considered as distribution strategies
The questions should be made in order to develop the distribution strategy: Where do your clients look for your service or product? Do they shop in a mall, in the supermarket, or online? How do you access the different distribution channels? Do you need a strong sales force? Do you need to attend trade fairs? Do you need to sell online?
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Promotion is a very important component of marketing because it can improve brand awareness and sales. Promotion is comprised of various parts such as Sales Organization, Public Relations, Advertising and Sales Promotion
In creating an effective product promotion strategy, you need to answer the following questions: How can you send marketing messages to your potential clients? When is the best time to promote your product/service? Will you reach your potential clients through television ads? Is it best to use social media in promoting the product/ service? What is the promotion strategies of your competitors?
(5) People
People include both the target market and people directly related to the business. For people, thorough research is important to find out if enough people in your target market are in demand for certain types of products & services. or not. Employees of the company are very important in marketing. They are service providers.
(6) Process
The process of marketing 7P is one of the important elements of marketing. System and organizational process affecting service deployment. So make sure you have a suitable process to minimize costs. Minimizing here can be your entire sales channel, payment system, …
(7) Physical Evidence
Because the characteristic of the service industry is that the business abstraction needs "tangible" evidence to make it easier for customers to visualize the services provided. Also, physical evidence in 7p marketing is related to the branding of businesses and their products are perceived in the market. It is
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physical evidence of the presence and establishment of a business. One concept of this is branding.
4. Digital Marketing Mix
‘The use of the Internet and other digital media and technology to support ‘modern marketing’ has given rise to a bewildering range of labels and jargon created by both academics and professionals. It has been called digital marketing, Internet marketing, e-marketing and web e-marketing’ (Chaffey & Chadwick, 2016). In other words, ‘Evaluating the opportunities provided by the Internet for varying the marketing mix is a useful framework for assessing current and future digital marketing strategy’. (Chaffey & Chadwick, 2016, p. 293).
Digital marketing affects all aspects of the traditional and service marketing mix:
Table 2.1: Elements of Digital Marketing Mix
(textbook: Digital Marketing - Strategy, Implementation and Practice)
(1) Product:
The product variable of the marketing mix refers to the characteristics of a product, service, or brand. With the popularity of YouTubers rapidly increasing, companies are now paying them to sponsor their products by making unboxing videos. On the
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website, you can make your product stand out by using indicative imagery. The main implications of the Internet for the product element of the digital marketing mix are 1. options for varying the core product; 2. options for offering digital products; 3. options for changing the extended product; 4. conducting research online; 5. speed of new product development; 6. speed of new product diffusion (Chaffey & Chadwick, 2016, p. 256).
(2) Price:
Focussing on the implications for setting prices in digital markets; new pricing models and strategies. The Internet leads to price transparency and commoditization and hence lower prices. Dynamic pricing gives the ability to test prices or to offer differential pricing for different segments or in response to variations in demand (Chaffey & Chadwick, 2016, p. 293). New pricing models such as auctions are available. There are many pricing strategies you can implement on your website, which will make your products stand out to your customers: Discount codes, Online vouchers, Price cutting, Packages and bundles,…These techniques have worked very successfully on websites in the past. The main implications of the Internet for the price aspect of the Digital Marketing mix are:1. increased price transparency and its implications on differential pricing (a supplier can use the technology for differential pricing); 2. downward pressure on price (including Precision, Adaptability, Segmentation, Cost-plus pricing, Target-profit pricing, Competition-based pricing, Market-orientated pricing. Premium pricing Penetration pricing); 3. new pricing approaches (including dynamic pricing, price testing, and auctions); 4. alternative pricing structure or policies (basic price; discounts; add-ons and extra products and services; guarantees and warranties; refund policies; order cancellation terms). (Chaffey & Chadwick, 2016, p. 268)
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Figure 2.3: Alternative Pricing Mechanisms
(Textbook: Digital Marketing - Strategy, Implementation and Practice)
(3) Place:
Refers to the place of purchase and channel structure on the Internet. There are three main locations for e-commerce transactions: seller site, buyer site and intermediary (Chaffey & Chadwick, 2016, p. 293). Electronic partnerships can be used to deliver the entire marketing mix, which includes: advertising through Paid Search networks (e.g. Google AdWords); promoting services through feeds on price comparison search engines (e.g. Kelkoo or Google Product Search); promoting services through affiliate networks (e.g. Commission Junction) or advertising networks (e.g. Google AdSense publishers programme); procuring expertise for short-term digital marketing work through an online web skills marketplace such as Elance (www.elance.com), Guru.com (www.guru.com), Scriptlance (www.scriptlance.com)
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or oDesk (www.oDesk.com); use of secure payment system services such as Paypal or Google Checkout;analysis of web performance through online web analytics services (e.g. Google Analytics) (Chaffey & Chadwick, 2016, p. 283).
(4) Promotion:
The promotion element of the digital marketing mix is reviewing new ways of applying each of the elements of the communications mix – such as advertising, sales promotions, PR and direct marketing; assessing how the Internet can be used at different stages of the buying process; using promotional tools to assist in different stages of customer relationship management from customer acquisition to retention (Chaffey & Chadwick, 2016, p. 284). In a web context this includes gaining initial visitors to the site and gaining repeat visits through these types of communications techniques:
Table 2.2: The main element of Promotional Mix
(textbook: Digital Marketing - Strategy, Implementation and Practice)
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The People variable of the marketing mix relates to how an organisation’s staff interacts with customers and other stakeholders during sales and pre- and post-sales communications with them. To manage service and quality, organisations must devise plans to accommodate the five stages shown in the figure below:
- Stage 1: Customer defines support query - Stage 2: Receipt of email and acknowledgment - Stage 3: Routeing of email
- Stage 4: Compose a response - Stage 5: Follow-up
(6) Process
The Process variable of the digital marketing mix refers to the methods and procedures companies use to achieve all marketing functions – such as new product development, promotion, sales and customer service. Customer contact strategies for
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integrating web and email support into existing contact centre operations usually incorporate elements of both of the following options: Customer-preferred channel. School -preferred channel, Delivering customer services and assisted sales (Chaffey & Chadwick, 2016, p. 288).
(7) Physical evidence
The Physical evidence variable of the marketing mix refers to the tangible expression of a product and how it is purchased and used. In an online context, ‘physical evidence’ refers to the customer’s experience of the company through the website. It includes issues likely site ease of use or navigation, availability, and performance.
III. SWOT Analysis and Resource-Based View Analysis 1. SWOT Analysis
The SWOT analysis model is thought to have been developed by Albert Humphrey in the 1960s and 1970s. This is the result of a research project conducted by Stanford University, USA. This project uses data from the 500 largest companies in the United States (Fortune 500). To find the cause of failure in the planning of these businesses.
Initially, this analysis model was called SOFT, which stands for Satisfactory - Good in the present, Opportunity (Opportunity) - Good in the future, Fault (Fault) - Bad thing in the present in; Threat - The bad thing in the future. However, until 1964, after the model was introduced to Urick and Orr in Zurich Switzerland, Albert and his colleagues changed F (Fault) to W (Weakness) and SWOT was born. In 1973, SWOT was used at J W French Ltd and developed from here. In early 2004, SWOT was finalized and demonstrated the ability to effectively set and unify organizational goals without relying on advice or other costly resources.
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Figure 2.5: SWOT Framework
Strengths
The strength of a business is often internal factors that can help it grow and build its advantage against competitors in the market. These factors can be controlled by the enterprise: What process can businesses be applying to help them become successful? What are the strong points of the people that your business has, such as professional skills, relationships, education, job skills, reputation..? What are the strengths of material and assets that the business owns, such as customer files, facilities, finance, technology, patents, etc.? What are your competitive advantages compared to competitors in the market? Also, marketers need to think about the opponent. Take an example; if all other competitors provide high-quality products, even if you have a good product, it is not necessarily your advantage.
27 Weaknesses
Weaknesses focus on people, resources, systems, and procedures. The simple explanation is that Weaknesses are weak points of an enterprise, which are weak points compared to competitors. Factors that do not exist in strengths will certainly appear certain weaknesses. List out the things that still exist according to the most objective assessment with questions such as: Think about what you could improve and the sorts of practices you should avoid? You should find out how other people in your market see you. Do they notice weaknesses that you did not recognize? Need to examine how and why your competitors are doing better than you. What are you lacking? How can you improve it? Which should you avoid? Do industry insiders comment on what is your weakness? What factors prevent you from selling?
Opportunities
Opportunities are external environmental factors that have a positive impact on business development. External factors help you successfully achieve the goals set out in the plan. What are the good opportunities you can seize? What trends are you currently aware of? Take advantage of opportunities that come from Trends in technology and market; Changes in government policies related to your industry; Change in society, population, lifestyle ...; Local events; Trends of customers
Threats
Threats are external factors that directly affect businesses. These are barriers that reduce the productivity and efficiency of the project. Think about What are the obstacles you are facing and must try to overcome? What are competitors doing? Have quality standards or specifications for the work/product/service changed? Will technology help to change
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threaten your position in your industry? Do you have bad debt or financial difficulties? Are there any weaknesses that will threaten your business?
2. Resource-Based View
Firms’ resources are defined as assets, capabilities, organizational processes, firm attributes, information, knowledge, etc. controlled by firms that enable the firm to conceive of and implement strategies that improve its efficiency and effectiveness (Barney, 1991).
Figure 2.6: Firm's Resources
A firm has a competitive advantage when it is implementing a value-creating strategy that is not simultaneously being implemented by any current or potential competitors and when others are unable to duplicate the benefits of this strategy. The criteria of sustained competitive advantages include:
- Valuable: improve its efficiency and effectiveness. - Rare: not large numbers of firms have the same resources
- Imperfectly imitable: firms that do not possess these resources cannot obtain them because of the following 3 reasons: Unique historical conditions (e.g. location, human
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capital), Causally ambiguous, Socially complex(e.g. interpersonal relations, culture, reputation)
- Substitutability (low): no strategically equivalent valuable resources. substitutability can take two forms: similar resources, different resources but have the same effects.
Figure 2.7: Criteria of sustained competitive advantages
IV. Common marketing activities/channels at English Language Schools and EB 1. Traditional marketing:
- Advertising on publications (print ads): activities that introduce information and images of the schools in newspapers, magazines, specialized books, brochures, flyers, … - Events: activities through events such as Students affair, publicity events, outdoor
activities, … help parents and the press know, remember about training programs, courses and also an opportunity for schools to meet potential students and parents and covert them to be students of the schools.
- Phone marketing: is the use of phones to convey information to parents directly. Phone Marketing should make in a suitable time to make sure the parents or students are willing to listen and avoid bother them at the rush time such as travel time, studying
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time, and working time (early morning or late afternoon). The evening would be a good time for calling as well since people can be more patient in listening to the consultation and make more questions.
- Direct mail: means activities using mail via the post office, express mail sent directly to residential or work addresses of customers.
- Trials/ Demonstrations: beside media such as leaflets, newspaper, magazines, and TVC television marketing, some schools offer a trial program/ lesson such as "1-day-to-be-a-student-at-X-school"
- Word of mouth: it relies on how the schools are impressing students and parents and it has been applied as the most important type of marketing strategy. Being heard is important in the business world. When schools give quality services to customers, they’d like to promote you. Most of the schools reward parents and students by giving discounts or commission/referral fees for friend introduction.
- Relationship marketing: This type of marketing is basically focused on customer relationship building. It enhances existing relationships with customers and improving customer loyalty as a statistic proved 80% of the revenue of the firms is from current customers.
2. Online Marketing:
- Keyword advertising (Google Adwords): This is marketing activities through Google search engine, charging when someone clicks on the ad.
- E-mail marketing: schools can use email to send letters of recommendation about the programs and courses to potential students.
- Website optimization (Search Engine Optimization): it helps make the school website in the top 10 when searching Google. That will be a prestigious plus of the school in the eyes of candidates and this tool needs a long-term strategy but the results are very sustainable.
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- Using Social Network (Facebook mainly): the strength is that school images and posts can spread information to many people in a short time.
- Paid advertising: one of the most well-known marketing approaches is internet marketing. It includes different methods like PPC (Pay per click) and paid advertising.
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CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHOD
I. Research Methods
1. Interview Methods a. Interview Objectives:
In our research, Shane English Vietnam was chosen as a case study to examine and understand those relationships in our Marketing strategy for education Business, particularly in the field of English Language Schools.
b. Interview question
Product/ Service
1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of programmes? 2. What programmes do you promote in
the summer?
Price
1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of tuition fees?
2. How do you encourage students to pay for a full package (from 2 courses to 1 year)?
Place
1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of your school location? 2. Which channels do you use for
Marketing?
3. Who do you cooperate with for your online MKT?
4. What are your public relations
Promotion
1. How do you approach your potential students?
2. What promotion do you use in a year such as 2019?
3. What is your Marketing plan in 2019? 4. What do you score your actual
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activities? 2019?
5. How do you encourage students to renew?
6. What do you reward the referrals?
2. Qualitative Analysis and others:
Besides the interview method, we also use other methods to support my research such as qualitative analysis, observation of the markets in Vietnam, comparison with other English Language Schools in Vietnam to support my research and dissertation.
We would choose SEV, ILA, APOLO and British Council to compare and analyse the qualities of SEV due to they have similar criteria such as type of firm, teaching resource, programme and year of establishment that are closed to each other.
Schools SEV ILA APOLO
BRITISH COUNCIL
Type of firm FDI FDI FDI FDI
Year of Establishment 2003 1998 1995 1993 Teachers 100 % F.T 100 % F.T 100 % F.T 100 % F.T Programme / Course 1. Very Young Children 2. Young Children 3. Teens 4. Adults 1. Very Young Children 2. Young Children 3. Teens 4. Adults 1. Very Young Children 2. Young Children 3. Teens 4. Adults 1. Very Young Children 2. Young Children 3. Teens 4. Adults
34 5. Exam Preparation 6. Corporate Training 5. Exam Preparation 6. Corporate Training 7. Online courses 5. Exam Preparation 6. Corporate Training 7. Online courses 5. Exam Preparation 6. Corporate Training 7. Online courses Type of teaching Contact # In-person # Online # In-person # Online # In-person # Online # In-person # Online
II. Research Framework
The study focuses on marketing strategy for English Language schools in Vietnam and HCMC based on the case of Shane English Vietnam. The research was conducted as the below framework:
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CHAPTER 4: MAJOR OF FINDING
I. Brief Introduction of Shane English Vietnam
1. Saconcourt Group
The Saxoncourt Group is made up of all the companies, schools, and services including the brand of Shane. Shane English School is just one part of a much larger network that offers support to Shane English Schools worldwide. The Saxoncourt provider, Saxoncourt is able to provide support to all Saxoncourt and Shane schools worldwide and partners everywhere. The support can be anything from recruitment and materials to franchising opportunities.
Figure 4.1: Saxoncourt Group
Parts of the Saxoncourt Group - Shane English School:
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Shane English school began operating in 1977. The school primary focus is on young learners but includes all age groups providing education to all ages and levels. Shane English Schools remains a popular option for language learners in certain key countries and is a common starting location for new teachers entering the ESL industry especially in Taiwan.
- Shane English School Locations:
Shane English Schools are located around the world with the largest markets being in Taiwan. The original schools in Japan were sold in 2010 to Eikoh eduction group (some 200 schools). Shane English schools continue to pursue new opportunities such as Thailand and the school has frequently tried to establish a foothold in Europe. Shane also has a number of single or small groups of schools across Asia, Europe and Africa.
Figure 4.2: Shane School Locations
- Shane English School Franchising:
Shane English School continues to grow into new markets. Their model is based around franchising so they are frequent attendees at franchising fares. The Saxoncourt Group has
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had lots of success with this model in Taiwan and Japan but has not always replicated it in other regions i.e. Vietnam or Malaysia. A school owner will pay a franchise fee to Shane English schools and receive their own branded teaching materials, access to teacher recruitment and teacher training and some academic support.
- Saxoncourt Recruitment:
Saxoncourt has a training and recruitment centre in the UK. Here teachers are put onto a CELTA course and can then be directly recruited into one of the Shane schools around the world. The individual schools pay Saxoncourt a recruitment fee. Despite selling their schools in Japan Saxoncourt is still able to recruit and find teachers for the schools in Japan.
- Saxoncourt Publishing
Shane has developed its own in-house published teaching materials. These are predominantly for young learners as these were the most successful materials (adult materials met with limited acceptance due to an already well-saturated market of adult course books). These materials are sold outside of the Shane English school system but are mainly used within the franchise system Shane has. The materials were all written in house by working teachers.
2. Shane English Vietnam
Shane English Centre Vietnam was established in 2003 and is part of the Saxoncourt Group. The centre is operated as a different school but still, part of the Saxoncourt umbrella group and all operations are reported to the CEO Mr Lipscombe. Despite this Shane English Centre Vietnam was able to operate fairly independently much as a franchise would.
3. Products/ Services:
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Based on our highly successful Playgroup and Kindergarten courses, the International Pre-School focuses on the complete development of the child during the formative years. Through games, songs, and arts and crafts, our children study English the 'natural' way. # Playgroup (2.5 – 4 Years)
The Shane Kindergarten course is aimed at the complete development of the students through English. Their philosophy is to work on projects and tasks using English as the communicative medium. The students, therefore, develop a need for the language (they must use it to communicate), and this enhances their English ability.
# Kindergarten (5 – 6 Years)
The Shane Kindergarten course is aimed at the complete development of the students through English. Their philosophy is to work on projects and tasks using English as the communicative medium. The students, therefore, develop a need for the language (they must use it to communicate), and this enhances their English ability.
# Lower Elementary (7 – 9 Years)
Using their own Shane Primary English Course (SPEC) books, this course is designed to develop the four principal skills; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening. A special emphasis is also placed on the study of Phonics. The children learn how to spell and say the sounds of English, all the while improving their pronunciation. Mid and end-of-term written and oral tests enable us to carefully monitor the progress of our students. This is reinforced through our regular 'Telephone Teaching' sessions.
# Higher Elementary (10 – 12 Years)
Using their Take Off books, this course is designed to develop the four principal skills; Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening. A special emphasis is also placed on the study of Phonics. The children learn how to spell and say the sounds of English, all the while improving their pronunciation. Mid and end-of-term written and oral tests enable
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us to carefully monitor the progress of our students. This is reinforced through our regular 'Telephone Teaching' sessions.
# Junior (13 – 16 Years):
Teenage English courses have a strong international focus and prepare students for success at school and beyond. Courses for teenagers focus on real-world topics in English which emphasis the four language skills: speaking, writing, listening, and reading. There is an emphasis on writing, which will help the more senior students when taking international standardised English examinations (such as IELTS).
b. Adults’ Courses
The Adult General English course is a long-running course that focuses on all four primary skills: Speaking (conversational skills, fluency exercises, and pronunciation), Listening, Reading and Writing. There is considerable work on grammar, but always with an emphasis on its function to help students to be better communicators of English. A careful balance is struck between accuracy and fluency. The course is divided into five different levels: Elementary, Pre-Intermediate, Intermediate, Upper-Intermediate, and Advanced.
c. Business English
# Standard Courses: Professional English Courses – These courses are for those working in specialised fields such as banking, travel agencies, accounting or finance. Such training can also supplement standard courses.
# Professional Courses: Standard Business English Courses – From basic elementary to the most advanced level.
d. Exam Courses:
# IELTS – The International English Language Testing System: The SHANE IELTS course is offered at three levels – Foundation, Preparatory and Advanced.
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Throughout the course, students will be introduced to ‘test taking skills' and ‘study tips', together with mini-tests.
# TOEFL – Test Of English As A Foreign Language: The SHANE TOEFL course introduces students to the features of the test and strategies for approaching them. Pre-Tests, Post-Tests and regular review exercises performed under exam conditions will provide students with an invaluable insight into the requirements of the TOEFL test. The Shane course is offered at two levels – Introductory and Advanced.
# TOEIC – Test Of English For International Communication: The Shane TOEIC Course is aimed at specific TOEIC preparation, with students being coached on the different techniques necessary for a satisfactory grade. The Shane course is offered at two levels – Introductory and Advanced.
II. SWOT Analysis:
This analysis is conducted by my real working experience at SEV and my observation as well as in comparison with other English Language Schools in Ho Chi Minh City.
1. Strengths:
- Shane English Vietnam is an FDI school. As mentioned in the brief introduction about Saxoncourt and Shane English Schools, SEV is directed by Mr. Shane who owning the schools around the world. With advantages of FDI school, Shane English Vietnam have an international brand, own learning materials, teacher are recruited by headquarter, study abroad pathways, new and international methods of teaching such as The Eclectic Approach of Language Learning (Target Language, Talking Time, Phonics, Writing, Math, Character Education); The PPP Method of Language Learning (Advantages, Presentation, Controlled Practice, Free Practice, Production, Bookwork, Skill Building); The ESA Method of Language Learning (Advantages, Engage, Study, Activate, Boomerang)
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- 100% English native speaker who recruited by Saxoncourt Recruitment, UK. Shane English Vietnam is working as a part of Shane Schools but it’s also working independently in business strategy and plans, revenue and budget, hence, Shane English Vietnam pays for Saxoncourt Recruitment, UK to hunt teachers and send them to Vietnam. The faculty or teachers need to meet requirements of teaching in Vietnam such as English teacher needs to have Bachelor Degree and a Teaching certificate. They are also trained and observed by the Director of Study who have really much experience in teaching, training, and management. Teachers are trained at the first arrival for doing their job; teachers should keep being observed and given feedback to make sure they do their job well. Also, advising teachers to solve classroom problems and deal with some special students would be useful. Moreover, young and energy teachers and teaching assistants could be a plus score for SEV.
- Shane schools and Shane English Vietnam have their own material. While most of English schools are currently using textbooks from Cambridge and Macmillan, Shane English schools are using their own books which created and published by Saxoncourt Publishing. Such as series of fun, colourful, and interesting FAB books ( FAB RED, YELLOW, BLUE, and GREEN) are being used for Very young students from 3 - 6 years old. The series of SPEC books (SPEC 1, 2, 3… and 9) are using for levels of 7 – 12 years old. The textbook package which consists of a student book, homework book, super skills book, and CD/ downloadable audio, flashcards provides a comprehensive language course. The special advantages of these series of books are created to develop full of 4 skills of Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing generally and consistently.
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Figure 4.3: Series of FAB Books
Figure 4.4: Series of SPEC Books
- A pathway of Learning English for students: At Shane English Vietnam, Students can start studying English at the age of 2.5 with Playtime courses (CP), then students move to CK (Kindergarten) courses from 4 – 6 years old, after that from 7 – 12 years old students can join CL classes, 13 – 14 years for CH, the final level of general English her is CJ with age from 14 – 16. After finishing the general course, students can join the exam
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preparation courses such as IELTS, TOEFL or TOEIC to support the purpose of School enters or exits requirements, for working or studying abroad. Furthermore, students can choose to student intensive course such as communication courses, Business English class, … these courses are opened for working people also. In general, we can see that SEV offers full English studies cover from 2.5 years old to an adult.
- Diversification of services: Besides indoor lessons, SEV also has programmes for outside classes like sending teachers to Kindergartens, University. Additionally, they have corporate programmes to teach companies’ staff such as hotels, manufacturing industries. Also, one to one course is a part of the services at SEV.
- Competitive Tuition Fee: currently the average tuition fee at SEV is VND 2.1million ($90) per month and an average of $6 per hour. In comparison with previous years, SEV has stable fees, just increases a little bit per year to adapt to an increase in staff salaries, the bills and rent, and others. Comparing with other competitors, that have 100% foreign teacher and FDI institutions, Shane tuition fees are much cheaper, offer a competitive tuition fee to make sure that it is affordable for most parents/ students in HCMC.
Schools SEV ILA APOLO
BRITISH COUNCIL Average Fee per hour 6 11.5 13 14.5 Average Fee per month 90 182 208 230 (unit: USD)
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- Promotion: SEV offers different kinds of promotions to individual students. SEV has more flexible prices of tuition fees for students, Shane’s staff, and Shane staff's relatives compared with ILA, APOLO, and BC.
Schools SEV ILA APOLO
BRITISH COUNCIL Package payments 5% - 10% off 10% - 20% off # Pay 6 months get 2 months free # Pay 9 months get 3 months free # Pay 12 months get 6months free N/A Sibling 10% - 20% off for each
5% off for one only
5% off for one only
5% off for 2nd child
Referrals 5% off 5% off 5% off N/A
Season Promotion
Flexible Flexible Flexible Flexible
Return/
Coming back student
20% off For the first
course
3% - 5% off 5% off N/A
Staff Free 90% off Free 50% off
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Ex- Staff’s child 25% N/A N/A N/A
2. Weaknesses:
- Limited of Marketing Strategy and Activities: At SEV, staff cum admin works, one Vietnamese staff at Shane English Vietnam can be expected to take on many roles within the organisation. Besides the advantages that staff can have experience and ready to cover others if necessary. However, it could lead to a lack of staff working for specifications such as Marketing or Human Resource. In the marketing area, SEV doesn’t have a Marketing Executive or Manager. This caused SEV doesn’t have a marketing strategy, plan, or activities with long term goals or plans. Marketing activities at SEV now based on Word of Mouth – Referral, Facebook, Website…
- Poor Facilities: As tuition fee is low and revenue is low, SEV also puts low budgets on investing in facilities. While other competitors have big luxury buildings full of modern technologies for teaching supports such Projects in classrooms, Lab room for Listening Practise, Movie room, SEV is still using whiteboards, markers, and CD players for teaching.
- Number of Campuses: there is one campus HCMC and it is the only campus in Vietnam. This causes the weaknesses of SEV in comparison with the competitors since they have had more campuses that give them opportunities to approach and recruit more students:
Schools SEV ILA APOLO
BRITISH COUNCIL
47 Number of campuses in HCMC 1 20 8 3 Number of campuses in Vietnam 1 46 39 5 Number of Students used to study Around 5,000 300,000 515,274 180,000
- Young Teachers: Most of the foreign teachers at Shane English Vietnam are recruited by the Saxoncourt head office. A common characteristic of these teachers is young and without experience. They are trained by the Director of Studies before teaching. Some of them might quit after a few months that they know Ho Chi Minh City well and they know how to apply to others. Most of them rarely renew the contract after one year. Again, it takes so much time to train then just use them for a while.
- Weak brand in Vietnam/ Ho Chi Minh City: Shane English Vietnam was established in 2003. Up to now, they have had 17 years operating in Vietnam. However, SEV is a weak brand in Vietnam since they have one campus in District 10 Ho Chi Minh city. To support this idea, I had in-person interviews with 10 peoples (age from 24 – 35) who live HCMC with a question ‘Do you know Shane English Vietnam’. I got the same answers ‘No’. I also have a quick online interview with the same question, there were 10 members replied on and sadly 09 answerers said ‘No’, and one said ‘Yes’. Additionally, we can use a function of Google keywords to search for the top English school in HCMC and
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information from Vn Economic Times and The Top 10 schools showed the list of top 10 best English schools in HCMC as followings:
Table 4.1: Top 10 Best English Schools in HCMC (sources: younetmedia and Top 10 Truong)
Top 10 Best English Schools in HCMC
Top 10 English Schools in HCMC were searched and discussed Social Media in 2019
1. ILA Vietnam VUS
2. VUS British Council
3. Apollo English ILA Vietnam
4. British Council Apollo English
5. Wall Street English (WSE) YOLA
6. AMA Wall Street English (WSE)
7. NIS APAX
8. ACET IELTS Ngoc Bach
9. AROMA IELTS Fighter
10. YOLA Anh Ngu Ms Hoa
- Limitations of location: SEV is located at 357 3/2 Street, District 10, HCMC. District 10
is one of the central districts of HCMC. 3/2 street is a large street to connect many other Districts. In other words, there are a large number of people passing this street to go into works, shopping, studying every day. People could easily notice and recognize SEV whenever they stop for the red light. However, SEV is the opposite of the People's Committee of District 10, HCMC. Therefore, no advertising such as banners hanging or wall painting is allowed. In 2014, the government constructed an overpass to solve the traffic jam problem, unfortunately for SEV since the bridge is in front of and hides its
