Key Factors for Student Recruitment: The Issue of University Branding

Considering the number of universities and the size of the young population targeted for higher education in Turkey, there is an urgent need for further research studies on university branding efforts. The aim of this exploratory research study is to explore specific factors/criteria that Turkish students consider during the process of selecting a graduate degree program at a university in the USA and to contribute to the limited research in the area of university branding. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), which is a structured technique for analyzing complex, multi-criteria decisions, has been used for this research. Surveys were applied to students in order to discover specific factors/criteria that Turkish students employ during the process of selecting a graduate degree program at a university in the USA. In this study, there are many decision-criterias that need to be taken into consideration and each criterion must be analyzed with respect to a specific university. The in-depth interviews with professors/education counselors, student survey applications, and the analysis of previous stream of related research has led to identification of criterias to be used in the study. Following the pairwise comparisons, a survey has been designed to assess the relative superiority of the 12-criteria in the model. The most prominent criteria during the process of selecting a graduate degree program was reported as “Post Graduation Job and Career Prospects”. The findings of this study can be used to support those who have the intention to develop a successful university brand.


Introduction
As the global market becomes more competitive, the need to differentiate is highly appreciated.The attraction and recruitment of international students is requiring more innovative and effective marketing techniques.For this reason, universities are focusing on branding issues in a major way.New market research firms are forming that focus exclusively on the academic market.One of the primary reasons for university branding to move into high gear is the increasing tuition costs.At the same time, there are more students pursuing higher education degrees.The perceived value of the degree takes on greater significance.Companies search harder for employees with the strongest educational background and universities are concerned with their ability to attract the brightest students available.There is also growing competition for private and state funding and the proliferation of university choices including online learning degrees.All of these factors lead to the emergence and proliferation of university branding efforts on a global scale.
Strong and well-known brands play a prominent role in marketing strategy, and are perceived as valuable assets and sources of differentiation and competitive advantage for companies.A brand can take many forms, including a name, sign, symbol, or slogan.Even though there seems to be no simple answer to the question of what a brand actually is, there are several interesting definitions focusing on either the emotional or the functional components of brands.In essence, brand is the personality that identifies a product, service or company.In his book, "Building Strong Brands" David Aaker suggests the brand is a "mental box" and that it is concerned with thoughts, feelings, and imagery which are mentally linked to that brand in the consumer's memory (1996).Van Auken (2002) cites that "more importantly, a brand is the source of a promise for the consumer."Another study by Kapferer (2001) claims that "a brand is a deceptively simple concept . . .but very few people are able to propose a satisfying definition."Hart and Murphy (1998) proposed a broader definition, "the brand is a synthesis of all the elements, physical, aesthetic, rational and emotional."In a more recent study, de Chernatony ( 2009) defined a brand 'as a cluster of values that enables a promise to be made about a unique and welcoming experience'.In particular, de Chernatony has conducted many other works (de Chernatony & Riley, 1999;de Chernatony & Segal-Horn, 2001;de Chernatony & McDonald, 2003;de Chernatony et al., 2004) which placed special emphasis on developing the brand concept in services.Apart from de Chernatony, few studies have focused on brands and branding services (Moorthi, 2002 ;Hemsley-Brown & Goonawardana, 2007).
University branding is relatively a new area for research.In fact, a review of previous stream of research on branding universities reveal that there is limited studies in this field, especially at international level.One of the prominent researchers in the university branding literature is Chapleo (2004Chapleo ( , 2005Chapleo ( , 2007Chapleo ( , 2008)), whose works centered on successful university branding as well as perception issues.Some other recent works include Hemsley-Brown and Goonawardana, (2007) where they focused on the concept of brand harmonization of universities in the international market.Vrontis et al. (2007) worked on a choice-model of college students in developed countries.In a 2009 study, Ali-Choudry et al. explored the university brand components based on the views of university marketing directors.Gray et al. (2003) studied the positioning of university brands in Asian countries.On a similar note, Shahaida et al. (2009) developed a conceptual model of brand building for Indian management schools.Branding universities is inherently a more complex task, and that conventional brand management techniques are inadequate in this market (Jevons, 2006).Bennett and Ali-Choudhury (2009), suggested that the components of a university brand consist of 3 major factors: 1. a collection of promises presented to the outside world concerning the brand's benefits (high-caliber faculty, post graduation job and career prospects, opportunities for in-campus socialization).
2. a set of distinctive features that define the brand's inherent nature (university's market positioning, research vs. teaching orientation, university' s matriculation requirements campus safety).
3. advertisement designs and external communications that describe the brand (that is, name, logo and ad slogan).
A successful and well-known university brand posseses the ability to present itself as a "top" and/ or '"world-class" university (Belanger et al., 2002 ).This association will have a direct impact on the prospective students as well as their families and society at large.Unfortunately, in Turkey empirical findings from university branding studies are quite limited.Only a handful of Turkish universities have fully developed successful brands like commercial organizations.A number of universities are considered to have clear "reputations," but not necessarily "brands."As of September 2011, there are 104 public and 62 private universities in Turkey (Günay & Günay, 2011).Considering the number of universities and the size of the young population targeted for higher education, further research studies on university branding is crucial.There is ample room for considerable development in the area of university branding.
This research study is exploratory in nature, and the objectives were as follows:  To explore specific factors/criterion that Turkish students consider during the process of selecting a graduate degree program at a university in the USA. To contribute to the limited research in the area of university branding.

Research Design
Experiences and intiuitions are often insufficent when people are faced with making critical decisions.The main reason for this inadequacy is that there are various conflicting tangible and /or intangible criterias as well as targets that impact the outcome of the decisions.What complicates matters even more is the fact that not only the criterias/factors, but also solution alternatives are often conflicting.The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is a structured technique for analyzing such complex, multi-criteria decisions.Based on mathematics and psychology, it was developed by Thomas L. Saaty in the 1970s and has been extensively studied since then.AHP provides a comprehensive and rational framework for structuring a decision problem.One of the major features of this process is its ability to employ both tangible and/or intangible criteria and make a final selection in a simple, rapid and efficent manner.The Analytic Hierarchy Process is a theory of measurement through pairwise comparisons and relies on the judgements of experts to derive priority scales (Saaty, 2008).
The first step in the AHP is to model the problem as a decision hierarchy.By doing so, the various aspects of the problem at levels from general to detailed are explored and defined it in the multileveled way that the AHP requires.Based on the particular decision problem at hand, a hierarchy structure is composed and the goal is expressed at the top.Criterias and sub-criterias tied with these goals are defined.At the lowest level of the hierarchy, potential alternatives are listed.
Following the construction of the hierarchy model, pairwise comparison matrices are composed in order to establish priorities among the elements of the hierarchy.The 1-9 scale, proposed by Saaty (1980), is used in these matrices.By using the values of the composed pairwise comparison matrices, each element in an upper level is compared with the elements in the level immediately below with respect to its relative superiority (Dağdeviren, 2004).In the next step, eigen vectors are formed for each factor and alternative of the decision maker.Expert Choice program is employed to compute eigen vectors.At the same time, it is possible to calculate eigen vectors by normalizing elements in each column, and averaging elements on each row of the normalization matrice.
By drawing on eigen vectors, each element in the level below add its weighed values and obtain its overall priority.It is important to multiply each ranking by the priority of its criteria or subcriteria and add the resulting weighs for each alternative to get its final priority.This process of weighing and adding continues until the final priorities of the alternatives in the lowest bottom level are obtained.Consistency ratio is calculated to confirm the pairwise comparison of alternatives (Özkan, 2007).
A wide variety of research is available where the Analytic Hierarchy Process has been applied to solve decision problems.Yurdakul and İç (2004) has utilized AHP in the credit evaluations of manufacuting firms, whereas Kayacan and Erdoğan (2007) focused on AHP for product selection in apparel industry.Kaya (2007) worked on determining production performance factors and assessing performance for a textile firm.Furthermore, Dağdeviren ve Eren (2001) employed AHP to select supplier firms.Kwak et al. (2005) generated a study with AHP on advertising medium selection.Radasch and Kwak (1998) carried out a research where they used AHP application to offset proposal selection.Özdemir and Gasimov (2004) drew on AHP to determine faculty course assignments.Finally, Wind ve Saaty (1980) utilized AHP on a number of marketing related applications.

Sample 2.2.1 Participants in the Case Study
One of the primary reasons for students to pursue international higher-education opportunities is to develop a solid career.Following the completion of their 4-year bachelor programs, many Turkish students choose to pursue a graduate study with a range of reasons from improving career prospects to learning new skills.Some of these students apply to degree programs at universities in various European countries.However, a majority of Turkish students are increasingly interested in pursuing a graduate degree at universities in the U.S.A.As of 2009-2010, there are over 13,000 turkish students reported to be studying at american universities (www.iie.org).
The USA has the world's largest international student population.Total international student enrollment in the U.S. increased 5% in 2010/11 to a record high of 723,277 international students (www.iie.org).Nearly 4% of all students enrolled in higher-level education are international students, and the numbers are growing.Graduate schools in the United States allow students to continue their education in an area they enjoy, these schools are more varied in content and allow for study of a wider range of subjects.Over 40% of international students were studying either business &management or engineering in 2010/11.There are a number of reasons why international students choose to attend graduate schools in the United States.Whether they are seeking to increase job prospects in their current field, or to develop specialized skills for a potential career, students are able to find high quality graduate programs at colleges and universities in the U.S.A

Research Instrument
In this study, the prominent goal was to identify specific factors/criteria that turkish students employ during the process of selecting a graduate degree program at a university in the USA.Students were questioned concerning their reasons for their choice of a US graduate education institution.In the first part of the study, potential selection criteria have been identified by conducting surveys on undergraduate students, interviewing professors, and educational counseling institutions.

The Problem of Case Study
Below are the key factors that Turkish students heed during the process of selecting a graduate degree program at a university in the USA:  University Tuition Fees (TF): Annual tuition paid to the Registrar's Office.
 University Location (UL): The region/location where the university is situated.
 Financial Assistance (FA): The availability of financial aid programs offered by the university.
 Brand Awaraness in Home Country (BAHC): The degree of brand awaraness/familiarity of the foreign university in the home country.This is considered as an important decision variable by a number of students. University's Brand Name (BN): Some students learn about the brand name of a particular university through their personal networks and word-of-mouth activities.They form their opinions about selecting a degree program based on this knowledge. International Recognition (IR): The international reputation of a university is another prominent criteria.
 National Survey Ranking (NSR): The ranking of the university on "US News' Best Graduate School" list.U.S.
News analyzes more than 1,200 graduate programs on an annual basis. Accreditation (ACC): The accreditation status of the university according to the regulations of the Turkish Higher Education Board.If the foreign university is not accredited in Turkey, then the diploma will not be valid.Thus, this a major criteria for students in their selection process. Home University Professors (HUP): The availability of home university professors at the selected institution.
For some students, these professors are perceived as an added bonus in terms of adaptation to the foreign country and assistance with daily struggles. Post Graduation Job and Career Prospects (PGJC): Two of the top reasons for choosing a graduate program are the employment rate of graduates and their average starting salaries.Undoubtedly, students place a great emphasis on these factors as they make relevant decisions regarding their career paths post-graduation. Ph.D. Program (PP): The availability of a ph.d.program at the university.For some students, especially those that are interested in an academic career, the availability of a ph.d.program may be an extra factor to consider in their selection proces. Education Period (EP): The typical duration of a graduate degree program is 2 years in most institutions.
However, there are a few programs that can be completed in 1 year.For some students, this may be a favorable criteria as they choose to apply to a program.
Following the pairwise comparisons, a survey has been designed to assess the relative superiority of the 12-criteria in the hierarchy model.The survey was applied to third and fourth year students at the management department of a private university.Out of the 160 surveys, 152 have been approved to be included in the study.Thomas Saaty's 1-9 scale has been utilized in the evaluation of the surveys.The evaluations were structurally based on pairwise comparions, thus they were applicable for AHP analysis.
The surveys were conducted face-to-face.In pairwise comparions, the significance of the criteria was asked and prioritized accordingly.The evaluations revealed that the consistency ratio for all of the pairwise comparions matrices fell within acceptable limits.

Findings and Results
Figure 1 presents the 12 criteria that Turkish students employ during the process of selecting a graduate degree program at a university.These criteria have been identified after the surveys have been analyzed.These criteria influence the university choices that students make, thus there is a need to adopt a solution method that enables simulatenous evaluation of the criterias and preferences.The best approach is to solve this particular problem is to deal with every single criteria without missing an important detail and prioritize accordingly.AHP Method is best suited for analyzing such complex, multi-criteria decisions.In the first step, the criteria must be aligned in a hierarchical structure and alternatives must be compared with each other at the very bottom part of this hierarchy.(Figure 1).
Then pairwise comparison matrices are constructed with the aid of survey results and interview transcripts.Finally, "Expert Choice" program is used in the solution process of the decision problem.
Table 1 depicts the criteria priorities values and the consistency ratio.The most prominent criteria employed during the process of selecting a graduate degree program was reported as "Post Graduation Job and Career Prospects" with a value of 0,213.Gray et al. (2003) suggested in their study that brand reputation includes the university's brand name, achievements and high standard of education.Such high educational standards and post-graduation job and career prospects 'were reported to be the most important elements of schools' brand reputation.Turkish students in the sample verified this argument by placing the related factor as the top criterion of their selection process.
www.ccsenThe overall rank of each university is calculated by multiplying a criteria priority by a university priority for each criterion and summing the results for all the criteria.The final ranking of the universities is given in Table 3.The Analytic Hierarchy Process measurement revealed that University of Texas-Austin has the highest ranking (0,239) in the study."University of Michigan" takes the second spot with a value of 0,170, and "Carnegie Mellon University" follows with 0,139."University of North Carolina" was ranked as the fourth university with 0,121.

Conclusion and Recommendations
The purpose of this research was to identify and explore criteria that turkish students perceived important as they searched for a graduate degree program at a university in the USA.Although the exploratory nature of this research means that no hard conclusions can be made, there are certain interesting factors to note.A number of key themes became apparent.Students place a great emphasis on the career advancement opportunuties they can cultivate thorugh obtaining graduate degrees in the USA.For this reason, their top criterion was reported as career prospects and job opportunities.They reported to be almost equally affected by the brand reputation, ranking and accrediation issues of the higher-education institutions.The general consensus is that internationally recognized, high-ranked american universities would provide solid education, high-paying job prospects and competitive careers for their students.
The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) has been used for this research.There are many criterias that need to be taken into consideration and each criterion must be analyzed with respect to a specific university.The in-depth interviews with professors/ education counselors, student survey applications, along with the analysis of previous stream of related research has led to identification of criterias to be used in the study.Professors/education counselors have been interviewed to evaluate the universities based on these criterias and pairwise comparison matrices have been developed according to these experts' opinions.The pairwise comparison matrices have been sorted with "Expert Choice" program.As a result of the analysis, the top three choices of students who want to pursue an MBA in the United States include University of Texas (0.239), University of Michigan (0.170) and Carnegie Mellon University (0.139) respectively.Taken seperately, each criterion also supports these ranking results.
As competition among universities increases, there is a probability that the higher-education institutions spend large amounts of money on branding activities to attract home-country as well as international students and funding.The findings of this study can be used to support those who have the intention to develop a university brand.This research contributes to the existing literature specifically in determining the selection criteria of Turkish students who intend to do an MBA in the United States and adds to the discussion of the university branding concept.Some of the criteria discovered give clues about how students perceive certain components of a university and how particular components add or detract value from the university's brand.In the global educational environment, universities should try to get into the minds of students and examine how they perceive different university brands and how they ultimately make decision about them.
It should be noted that the findings presented here are limited by the sample and measures used.The sample used in this study was sufficent for the purposes of this study and allowed reasonable conclusions to be drawn.However, future research may be conducted on a larger, nationally representative sample with students from various public and private universities across the country.Such studies could validate and strengthen the current findings in order to improve generalizability.
This study is limited to students focusing on a gradute degree in busines however studies can be carried out in other disciplines.It would be interesting to test whether same or similar criteria are valid in the students' university selection process.

Table 2 .
Summary of Universities' Priorities for Each Criterion

Table 3 .
Final Ranking