Chapter 9: Discussion and Conclusions
9.6 Objective 4
experience for the target market. Lovelock’s consultation petal applied here includes the need for career advice, counselling advice, motivation, job experience and the use of laboratories (Lovelock, 1996, p.341). The hospitality petal (Lovelock, 1996, p.341) includes the need for mentors, making one feel welcome, health care, a place to buy food and accommodation close to the university.
Lastly the payment petal (Lovelock, 1996, p.341) includes the need for financial assistance. So besides just focusing on the quality education factor which is the core service the target market is looking for more, i.e. ‘the additional extras’ in their choice of university. For UKZN to stand out among its competitors it needs to make provision for meeting these needs and cannot just rely on improving the quality of the education offered. UKZN also needs to communicate what it offers in terms of these needs to help the target market see how they are specifically being catered for. As seen in the discussion above for all of the needs UKZN needs to make improvements to improve its position with this target market. It will help make the service offering of a Foundation programme more ‘beautiful’ to its target market.
9.5.1 Conclusion for Objective 3
The image the CSA would like its target market to have of the Foundation programme is one of success according to the CSA Head (Kioko, 2008). Although in its rating on the various attributes UKZN had mostly positive responses from the respondents and stands out compared to the other institutions, it is not completely aligned to the position of where the needs of the target market are or what attributes they are looking for in a university. There are particular areas such as financial assistance, getting job experience and using laboratories where there is a bigger gap between the respondents’ need and UKZN’s rating on these factors. These are important needs of the target market and unique to them because of their background. These are areas of concern that UKZN should address. UKZN’s marketing strategy, particularly for its Foundation programme in science, needs to take cognisance of this and re-position itself.
offered which includes the Foundation programme. The target market is aware of UKZN as a university and more familiar with it than the competing institutions. The results showed that there were more “I don’t know” or no response for the other institutions than UKZN in the ratings of the various institutions included in this study. The results also showed that 69% of the respondents were not aware of any Access Programmes in Science at other Universities. This can be used to the advantage of UKZN and the CSA to penetrate the market first. It shows that the promotion strategies of other institutions are also not fully reaching this target market.
The CSA also does it own advertising which mainly consists of past and current students going out and doing presentations at disadvantaged schools close to their homes during the winter vacation. In some cases especially with events such a career days and community events staff members also conduct presentations at schools. The CSA in addition has employed a marketing assistant to also do presentations at various schools in KwaZulu-Natal. The majority of the respondents, i.e. 66%
were not aware of the Foundation Programme at UKZN. Thus the marketing communication done for the access programme is not reaching a large proportion of its target market as the respondents have indicated. The advertising done by the CSA has not been very effective as only 28% of the respondents were aware of its advertising. This indicates that the CSA has not reached much of its target market.
Many of the respondents are not aware that the access option could help them gain entry into a science degree. Career guidance provides a good channel for information to go out to the target market. As discussed above for this target market the teacher was the second most influential person in their decision-making of which university to attend. The first most influential person was their parents. Teachers, especially those involved in teaching Maths and Science, can relay this information to the target market. This career guidance would need to be included with the science subject matter as part of what the science teachers do with the learners as a separate session for career guidance currently does not exist.
For each of the eight suggested forms of advertising the majority of the respondents agreed that these were appropriate for the CSA to use in reaching them. According to the students responses
“sending a staff member to the school” would be the most effective with 84% of the respondents agreeing. This was closely followed by advertising on television (83% agreed), showing them successful graduates (83% agreed), sending CSA students (from their community) to visit the school and to do a presentation about the access programmes (82% agreed) and advertising in
newspapers (81% agreed). Cellphone advertising was not as highly recommended as the other forms of advertising with 70% of the respondents agreeing. Other suggestions, which were not very significant, included advertising at school, on facebook, on mixit, via email, in a magazine and organising career guidance.
Majority, i.e. 66%, of the respondents were not aware of the Foundation Programme at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. This indicates that the CSA’s marketing communication is not reaching all of its target market. On the other hand 69% of the respondents were not aware of any Access Programmes in Science at other Universities either. This is positive for UKZN because it means that their competitors have not infiltrated their target market either.
There is not enough awareness of access programmes in general and in particular the access programme at UKZN. However the CSA is using an appropriate strategy, i.e. sending out staff or students to schools, but this form of marketing communication isn’t reaching a substantial portion of the target market. Although advertising through television had a high response in terms of appropriateness for the target market this would need to be assessed with information on how many homes actually have television. The same would apply for advertising in newspapers. Information is needed on how many of the target market actually have access and read newspapers. With such financial difficulties it could mean that television and newspapers are seen as luxury items. The most appropriate marketing communication for this target market seems to include people, i.e. staff, students or successful graduates that come into contact with them. The target market finds it easier to relate to university students and trust their opinion. They feel that students would not lie to them and therefore seek their opinion. The use of people however is more labour intensive and time consuming but it helps the target market and provides an opportunity for the communication to be two way, i.e. the target market will also be able to ask questions.
9.6.1 Conclusion for Objective 4
The findings showed that there is not enough awareness of access programmes in general and in particular the access programme at UKZN. However the CSA is using an appropriate strategy, i.e.
sending out staff or students to schools. But this form of advertising isn’t reaching a substantial portion of the target market.