Posted: June 11th, 2015

Topic: Portfolio in Social media Twitter- Instagram

Bachelor of Business     Learning Plan Student Name Student ID: Major: (MARKETING) & Management CP Organisation : Global Student Your contact No CP Supervisor: Bridget Egan Academic Supervisor: CP Job title: Marketing assistant Workshop Supervisor

 

Overview

The Learning Plan is part of the academic programme of work you are required to complete for Co-operative Education.

It is designed to ensure that you have goals and objectives planned for what you want to achieve from your Co-operative Education Placement and to provide you with a solid foundation for the rest of the academic programme.

 

Please note that throughout your Learning Plan you must:

 

• apply concepts, models, frameworks, theories and/or technical competencies from your major, and other areas of study
• use authoritative sources
• provide in-text references in APA (6^th)
• update your Reference List with the full reference (APA 6^th)

 

Throughout Co-operative Education you will be focusing on how you are achieving the BBus Learning Goals set out below:

Learning Goal 1:    Be self-directed, reflective learners

Learning Goal 2:     Be knowledgeable in their major field(s) of study

Learning Goal 3:     Be critical enquirers and creative problem solvers

Learning Goal 4:     Be able to make business decisions that take into account social, ethical, environmental and global dimensions

Learning Goal 5:     Be able to work effectively with others

Learning Goal 6:     Be effective communicators

Learning Goal 7:     Be connected to business

 

The Learning Plan is the first stage of the assessment programme that culminates in an Oral Interview and Research Report. In the Co-operative Education assessments you will critically reflect on, analyse and evaluate your development throughout the Co-operative Education Placement and work on and complete an applied research topic of your choice.

 

Instructions for completing this document

 

You are required to address all of the points in each of the sections. You may either answer each point individually or you may choose to respond to all points in the one discussion of paragraphs using appropriate headings and sub-headings.

 

Note: Do not delete any of the information or instructions from the template

 

 

 

1.     Your Co-operative Education role –technical skills: including being knowledgeable in your major field(s) of study by demonstrating the application of knowledge from your major(s) to your Co-operative Education Placement

 

In this Learning Plan you will explain how your in-depth knowledge from your major(s) might apply to your tasks and discuss the value of your role.

 

You are required to address all of the points below. You may include further comments or discussion that is relevant. You must integrate relevant concepts, models, frameworks, theories and/or technical competencies (use in text references) to support your discussion.

 

1. Provide a brief overview of your role and your Co-operative Education Placement Organisation

I work as an intern at a Co-operative Education Placement Organization (CPO). My CPO is called Global Student, and it is headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand (Global Student, n.d.). Global Student is an organization that comprises a pool of dedicated education professionals who partner with institutes and universities in New Zealand, the United States, Australia, and Canada to find the best study opportunities for students worldwide. My role as an intern at Global Student is to help the organization find as many international study options as possible for students using website redesign and social media tools. In the process, I stand to gain useful experience working in the real-world.

 

2. Briefly describe each of your key tasks or activities that relate to your major(s). For each key task or activity, identify and briefly explain a comprehensive range of theories, concepts, models, frameworks and/or technical competencies from your major(s) and discuss how they could apply.

 

Task 1: To review the current website for content and visual attractiveness and provide an assessment

 

Theory: Content Marketing

 

As a strategic marketing approach, content marketing is primarily concerned with forming and distributing relevant, consistent, and useful content to attract and maintain a well-defined target group and, eventually, to foster beneficial customer outcomes (Pulizzi & Barrett, 2009). Content marketing is a process that has to be constantly and closely monitored at all times since it revolves around the ownership of media (Kotler, 2012).

 

Essentially, content marketing involves communicating with visitors without selling (Oden, 2012), and this concurs with Global Student’s website needs as it offers free services to students. It is non-interruption marketing, that is, rather than presenting goods or services for sale, the organization will deliver information that makes the students more informed about study opportunities abroad. The main concept behind the content marketing strategy is that if organizations, deliver relevant, consistent, and valuable information to people, they will be ultimately rewarded with customer loyalty (Weinstein, 2012).

 

As pertains to my Co-operative Education Placement, the concept of content marketing will help to appraise the current website by re-evaluating if the information provided matches the ‘search’ criteria of potential users. In addition, I will also prepare proposals that will be submitted to the organization on how to improve the visual attractiveness of the website. For example, since the target students have a long attention span, the website should be redesigned to integrate more information for them.

 

Task 2: To review competitor websites and summarize key features, which I would like on other sites, providing links to good features and good sites

 

Theory: Competitive Analysis

With regards to competitive analysis theory, I will have to ask the following important questions so as to improve the strategic market positioning of my organization:

1. Who are its major competitors?
2. What is their profile?
3. What are their strengths and weaknesses?
4. What threats do they present?
5. What are their likely responses to any of the organization’s actions?

 

In order to provide the right answers to the questions outlined above, I will apply competitive analysis tools such as SWOT analysis and PESTEL analysis.

 

Task 3: To prepare a report with recommendations for a potential new website including content suggestions; write content pages, and suggest new pages or design features

 

Theory: Marketing Communications

 

Strategic marketers recognize the need to bring everyone on board the decision making process since they understand the significance of gaining stakeholders’ ‘buy-in’, regardless of their divergent viewpoints and interests (Carté & Fox, 2008). It typically requires these marketers to more actively reach out to stakeholders of the organization through frequent engagement, proactive communication, and building of trust building. As a result, new creative and innovative ways of solving problems may be generated through the selection of the most favorable option for the organization.

 

Marketing reports act as communicational tools through which recommendations or suggestions for change can be presented to organizational executives and managers (Richardson & Gosnay, 2011). Since it is imperative to gain the support of these individuals in order to implement any change in the organization, the reports can be used to explain why the proposed changes are necessary.

 

Theory: Organizational Learning

 

Critical to the process of strategic marketing is the ability to nurture the spirit of organizational learning (Hill & Jones, 2012). Learning can be acquired by reexamining organizational outcomes; both positive and negative, involves promoting a culture of inquisitive thinking that may help to obtain possible explanations for the subsequent outcomes (Carroll, 2012). It implies that both success and failure provide an opportunity for learning to find concealed lessons.

 

Because preparing a good marketing report will be essential to successful stakeholders’ ‘buy-in’, I intend to seek the assistance of my supervisor so as to develop an accurate, evidence-based method of identifying flaws with the current website and, in turn, indicate how the new recommendations will help mitigate those flaws. Some of the key constituents of my marketing report will include the executive summary, introduction, data collection methods, data analysis, findings, limitations of study, conclusion, and recommendations (Ghauri & Cateora, 2014).

 

 

Task 4: To find Arabic sites where Saudi students discuss study abroad

 

Theory: Internationalization

 

With the ever-increasing rate of international relations, people are becoming increasingly integrated each day. The number of students seeking tertiary education abroad has drastically increased in recent years, indicating the growth of tertiary education systems globally and the integration of economies and societies worldwide (OECD, 2013).

 

In order to increase its growth prospects, Global Student will need to extend its services to students in other parts of the world since it is already a well-established brand in New Zealand, the United States, Australia, and Canada. In the same line, finding the Saudi students discussing the possibility of studying abroad in Arabic sites presents a good opportunity for international expansion.

 

Task 5: To post comments on blogs and sites where Saudi students discuss study abroad, mentioning Global Students services

 

Theory: Internet-Based Marketing

 

Traditionally, website adoptions have helped several organizations to tap into the global market irrespective of their size (Thomas, 2010). Nonetheless, with the dynamics and complexities facing organizations in the contemporary world, it has been increasingly important to integrate additional marketing communications to boost the existing ones (McKnight, 2012). Instead of using traditional marketing communications as ‘stand-alone’ strategies, many organizational leaders are embracing the use of social media avenues including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Google+.

 

In my position as an intern at Global Student, I will not only post comments on blogs and sites where Saudi students discuss study abroad, mentioning Global Student’s services but also ask them what they think about the content shared. This way, these students will participate more actively in the activities of the organization, and thus, obtain more information about its services.

 

 

Task 6: To post photos on the Global Student’s Instagram account

 

Theory: Social Media Marketing

 

The advent of effective marketing communication is sharing of information with the right target audience (Armstrong & Kotler, 2011). The social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram have provided platforms where organizations can share ideas and experiences real-time with their “fans”. Indeed, social media advertising is proving to be a critical marketing tool for many businesses in the present world.

The use of social media marketing will manifest itself particularly in my role of posting photos on the Global Student’s Instagram account. It will help to build loyal customers by keeping constant conversations with prospects and reviewing the comments posted to gain deeper insight into their needs.

3. Discuss the value that your role and personal attributes may add to your Organisation.

 

The value that my role and personal qualities can bring into the CPO include:

1. I believe that success at organizational level encompasses working with other members of the team to realize greater synergies collectively.
2. My ability to speak courteously with others will help build good relationships both at the workplace and when dealing with students.
3. My business analytic skills will assist to interpret feedback accurately so that effective corrective actions can be taken.
4. Being able to manage time properly will ensure that there are no delays in the delivery of pending work.

 

2.     Your Co-operative Education Placement Organisation and the environment it operates in: including being critical enquirers and creative problem solvers, being able to make business decisions that take into account social, ethical, environmental and global dimensions and being engaged with business

 

Part 1 –Exploring your Co-operative Education placement organisation’s internal environment by identifying and analysing interrelationships within the organisation

 

In this section you will start to develop an understanding of your organisation’s internal structure and relationships within the organisation.

 

Please note: you will be framing questions that will require answers in your Portfolio Part 1. These may be answered by

• secondary research
• interviewing your manager or another colleague
• a combination of both

 

You are required to address all of the points below. You may include further comments or discussion that is relevant. You must integrate relevant concepts, models, frameworks, theories and/or technical competencies (use in text references) from other business disciplines you have studied e.g. Management to support your discussion.

 

1. Include a copy of, or produce, an organisational chart of your organisation, showing your role and briefly discuss where your role fits in the organisation.

Figure 1: Organizational Chart of the CPO

Chief Executive Officer

 

 

 

Operations Manager

Finance Manager

Information and Technology Manager

Human Resource Manager

Marketing Manager

 

 

 

Ayat Almahasnah Assisting

 

 

 

As demonstrated in Figure 1 above, my main role in the organization is to help various departmental heads to execute their tasks. My CPO is made up of five departmental heads, who all report to the CEO. My CPO is small in size but has a wide scope of operation. I strongly believe that this type of structure is appropriate for the organization’s goal of finding the best study opportunities for students worldwide.

 

2. For each of your key tasks from Section 1, identify and discuss the type of the relationships you may have within your organisation when completing your tasks?

 

I will work closely with the Operations Manager, Marketing Manager, and IT Manager to ensure that the goal of finding as many international study options as possible for students using website redesign and social media tools. The Human Resource Manager will be tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that my team members have the skills and competencies necessary to facilitate the interpretation and realization of the Global Student’s objectives.

 

Theory: Coordination of Organizational Operations

The difficulty of understanding the challenges facing modern-day organizations operating globally is tremendous (Kotler, 2012). The transfer of technologies, resources, ideas, and the movement of commodities and people cross-border have significant consequences for individuals, governments, companies, and many other stakeholders involved. For many organizations, global operations intensify competition and opens up new opportunities at the same time. The good prospects of operating worldwide are making these organizations increasingly innovative and efficient in their use of both human and non-human resources.

 

3. Identify and frame 6 questions that you will need to ask or research in order to develop your understanding of the internal relationships within the organisation and how they are managed. You should think about the practices, processes, systems and general tools you consider your employer may use to manage internal relationships (e.g. organisational communication channels, structure, internal controls). (If, when you start your placement you discover your questions are not relevant, you must identify replacement questions to answer in your Portfolio Part 1).

 

1. What internal control systems have been put in place to ensure that organizational operations flow smoothly?
2. Which tools are used for interdepartmental communication?
3. Why is it important for the departmental managers to report to the CEO?
4. How does the organization ensure that each department has the necessary pool of personnel at all times?
5. What criteria is used to appraise the performance of top-level managers of the organization?
6. Who is responsible for the overall success of the organization?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Part 2 – Exploring your Co-operative Education placement organisation’s external environment by identifying and critically analysing the impact of the external environment on your organisation and its industry

 

In this section you will start to develop an understanding of your organisation and its industry sector

 

My Organisation is:

 

My Organisation’s core business is:

 

Industry sector to which they belong is:

 

Please note: you will be framing questions that will require answers in your Portfolio Part 1. These may be answered by

• secondary research
• interviewing your manager or another colleague
• a combination of both

 

You are required to address all of the points below. You may include further comments or discussion that is relevant. You must integrate relevant concepts, models, frameworks, theories, technical competencies and/or secondary research (use in text references) to support your discussion.

 

1. Outline key facts about your industry sector (e.g. size, demand, growth).

 

Key Industry Facts

 

According to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2014):

1. Even though traditional destinations, such as the United States, continue to attract many students looking for a high-quality education overseas, new destinations, and regional centres are also grappling for a share of the income and intellectual capital of international students.
2. In 2012, almost one-half of all international students worldwide were hosted in five countries including: the United States (18 percent), the United Kingdom (11 percent), France (7 percent), Australia (6 percent), and Germany (5 percent). However, these top-five countries experienced a decline of 8 percent (from 55 percent to 47 percent) in their share of international students’ enrolment rate between 2000 and 2012.
3. Traditional hubs in the East Asia and Pacific region, Australia and Japan, now compete for international students with countries such as the Republic of Korea, China, Singapore, Malaysia, and New Zealand, which attracted 6 percent of international students throughout the globe in 2012.
4. In the Arab world, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates are pursuing strategies to host more students from overseas. These three countries received 4 percent of the share of international students worldwide.

Emerging Issues: Factors Encouraging International Students to Study Abroad

Some of the perceived benefits of studying overseas according to international students include high-status accreditation, cultural development, improved communication abilities, and a competitive advantage to secure better jobs (OECD, 2013). Studying cross-border allows students to increase their knowledge of other people, their culture, languages, and business approaches, and to boost their competitiveness in the labour market (OECD, 2013). In addition, reductions in international travel and communications expenditures also make it easier for more students to study outside their countries of citizenship (OECD, 2013).

2. Identify some of the possible external stakeholders and comment briefly on the likely significance of the relationship.

State governments: they may be keen on increasing the stock of human capital by creating incentives to lure potential international students into their countries.

Tertiary institutions: these institutions might want to boost multicultural diversity by admitting students from different national cultures, and thus, attain the status of truly global education organizations.

3. Identify and frame 6 questions that you need to ask or research in order to develop your understanding of current external factors including current business issues that may impact on your organisation and its industry and how they might be managed by your organisation. (If, when you start your placement you discover your questions are not relevant, you must identify replacement questions to answer in your Portfolio Part 1)

 

1. International students are often expected to meet some legal requirements before they can be allowed to move abroad. How successfully have these legal restraints been reduced?
2. The cost of tuition for tertiary education plays an integral part in determining the attractiveness of a country as a destination for international students. What are some of the financial incentives available for these students?
3. Many students seeking higher education abroad hope to get absorbed into the domestic labour market upon completion of studies. As individual state governments continue to pursue strategies to attract international students, are they creating more job opportunities for such students?
4. These days, many people opt to study online instead of moving abroad. To what extent has this trend impacted on the number of students seeking to move outside their countries?
5. Language barrier has for a long time restrained many international students from moving to their destination of choice. In the same line, what is being done to reduce the number of students kept away by language barriers?
6. Political tension overseas can make students feel unsafe. What are some of the measures kept in place to ensure that these students feel and remain safe in case of such cases?

 

 

 

Part 3- Being able to make business decisions that take into account social, ethical, environmental and global dimensions

 

In this section you will start to develop an understanding of the range of dimensions your organisation should consider when making business decisions. You must integrate relevant concepts, models, frameworks, theories, technical competencies and/or secondary research (use in text references) to support your discussion.

 

1. Identify two current issues, challenges or events that your think the business world is facing.

Cybercrime: Cybercrime has increased amidst the increased use of computerized systems to record, maintain, and store data (Thomas, 2010). Unrestricted access of Global Student’s website might lead to fraudulent activities and, in turn, contribute to unethical and criminal behavior, which harm users.

Terrorism threats: in recent years, terrorism has snow-balled as one of the most serious threats against the safety of international students (OECD, 2013). Increased threat of terrorism attacks is making traditional education destinations such as the United States less attractive as many international students opt for ‘safer’ destinations.

 

2. Discuss and give examples of what your organisation and industry might need to consider in order to make business decisions about these issues, challenges or events that take into account social, ethical, environmental and global dimensions. Use Carroll’s Pyramid of Corporate Social Responsibility (1991) as a framework for your discussion.

 

According to Carroll (1991), the elements of corporate social responsibility comprise the economic, legal, ethical and philanthropic aspects. My CPO has an ethical responsibility to ensure that it operated a secure website so that all types of cyber-related crime including fraud, data mining, and hacking can be prevented. As a player in the education sector, the organization, working together with other organizations in the same sector, has a legal responsibility to rally support behind efforts to tighten security measures against terrorism threats.

3.     Your Professional skills including incorporating communicate effectively in professional settings, working effectively with others including intercultural perspectives

 

In this section you will develop TWO goals for your professional development to work on during your placement. These should relate to

• working effectively with others to make constructive contributions
• working with one’s own and other cultures and diverse perspectives in professional settings

 

These goals will relate to either further developing a strength, or addressing a weakness.  Your goals should relate to the development of professional transferable skills or capabilities that enable you to work effectively with others and make constructive contributions that could be transferred to other roles and workplaces in the future. If you are in a permanent role you may choose different aspects particular to your work situation and career development. (Discuss with your Workshop Supervisor)

 

You must integrate relevant concepts, models, frameworks, theories and/or technical competencies (use in text references) where relevant to support your discussion of each Aspect.

 

Aspect 1: Working effectively with others to make constructive contributions

 

1. Clearly identify one specific aspect relating to the areas above (for further information please refer to materials on Blackboard (AUTonline)) and comment on why this particular aspect is significant in developing your ability to working effectively with others to make constructive contributions

Nurture a culture of professionalism: I will take advantage of the opportunity to work for the CPO to practice a culture of professionalism by treating my colleagues with respect, courtesy, and politeness. I expect that practicing professionalism at the workplace will lead to greater efficiency.

2. Identify and discuss your strength or weakness in this specific aspect.

My ability to make friends easily often makes me to treat formal relationships rather casually. For example, I may fail to address my workmates using their formal names because I am quite close to them. Therefore, I want to learn how to handle my relationships with people at the workplace more formally. On the positive side, I am a fast-learner; I adjust to new changes easily.

 

3. During my Co-operative Education Placement (CP), my goal in this aspect is:

My principal aim is to nurture a culture of professionalism through the CPO placement. According to Moutinho and Southern (2010), practicing proper professional ethics ensures that employees remain satisfied with their jobs. Therefore, I will develop my professional prowess while contributing towards the growth of the CPO at the same time.

 

4. Outline your plan including specific steps and/or strategies that you will put in place to develop your strength or to address your weakness and achieve this goal.

        (You must ensure that each specific step and/or strategy planned involves an action that is practical and measurable and draws on relevant concepts, models, frameworks, theories and/or technical competencies using in-text references)

 

According to Butterfield (2011), the most effective professionals remain positive even when facing tough situations. My plan is to ensure acceptable workplace conduct by:

 

1. Making a deep individual commitment to improve my interpersonal communication skills
2. Emphasizing on problem-solving instead of blame-shifting
3. Exercising self-restraint especially during challenging times
4. Treating others with respect regardless of their role in the organization

 

5. How will you know that you have achieved your goal? What evidence and/or measurements might you use to demonstrate that you have achieved your goal?

 

I expect to receive a letter of recommendation upon completion of my time at the CPO. I hope to obtain positive comments from my supervisor with regards to my professional conduct. In addition, I will gauge my accomplishment of this goal through the day-to-day feedback that I will receive when dealing directly with existing and potential students.

Aspect 2: Work with one’s own and other cultures and diverse perspectives in professional settings

 

1. Clearly identify one specific aspect relating to the areas above (for further information please refer to materials on Blackboard(AUTonline)) and comment on why this particular aspect is significant in developing your ability to working effectively with others to make constructive contributions

Upholding organizational ethics: From an organizational perspective, ethics is the acceptable code of conduct for providing products or service to people within a particular society (Kotler, 2012). Business ethics requires that an organization should take into account the welfare of stakeholders when making decisions (Thomas, 2010). As such, I will strive to work in accordance with the ethics of my CPO.

2. Identify and discuss your strength or weakness in this specific aspect.

So far, I have been successful at complying with my personal ethics. I intend to apply the same discipline in upholding the work ethics of my CPO. Although I can eventually adjust to new work ethics, I may take a lot of time before doing so completely.

 

3. During my Co-operative Education Placement (CP), my goal in this aspect is:

My role as an intern at Global Student is to help the organization find as many international study options as possible for students using website redesign and social media tools.

 

4. Outline your plan including specific steps and/or strategies that you will put in place to develop your strength or to address your weakness and achieve this goal.

(You must ensure that each specific step and/or strategy planned involves an action that is practical and measurable and draws on relevant concepts, models, frameworks, theories and/or technical competencies using in-text references)

 

I intend to develop my strength and weaknesses in relation to the attainment of my goal by performing a personal SWOT Analysis that will entail (Bratton, 2010):

 

1. Identifying sources of motivation for my adherence to personal ethics
2. Identifying the likely benefits of merging personal ethics with professional ethics
3. Look for ways of acclimatizing to new environments

 

5. How will you know that you have achieved your goal? What evidence and/or measurements might you use to demonstrate that you have achieved your goal?

 

I will conduct a summative evaluation of the feedback that I receive from my superiors. These may constitute, but are not limited to: a public appreciation of my efforts; ‘job-well-done’ remarks for tasks completed well; announcing Outstanding Employee of the Month; and going for recreational tours and travelling for top-ranked individuals (Khan, S., Zarif & Khan, B., 2011).

3. Your Conceptual Skills: Applied Research Topic including developing your skills as a critical enquirer and creative problem solver, being knowledgeable in your major field of study by demonstrating the application of knowledge from your major(s) to your Co-operative Education role, placement, or industry

 

Throughout Co-operative Education you will be working on an area of focus arising out of an organisational or industry practice, linked to your major and developing a critical enquiry approach. This MUST be applied either to your role and/or your organisation and/or industry sector.

 

In the Final Research Report you will be required to critically analyse and evaluate your chosen topic from your discipline perspective. This topic should develop your discipline knowledge beyond that acquired in your role and your skills as a critical enquirer and creative problem solver. Your topic must demonstrate comprehensive understanding of a difficult or complex topic through research and be applied to your role and/or industry and/or organisation.

 

Your approach could include:

• Making some recommendations to solve a current business challenge or address a current issue related to your industry based on research
• Analysing opportunities and challenges and make a judgement about the feasibility of a new or alternate idea relating to your organisation or industry
• Investigating a current business challenge or situation from a fresh perspective and generate novel solutions

* All topics should draw on academic and business literature

 

This topic will be researched using secondary data including academic literature.

• You must not disclose any confidential information or complete any primary research
• Your work must not have been previously submitted by yourself or another person.
• All researched information has been acknowledged by in-text references in APA 6^th

 

You will make regular submissions:

• In this Learning Plan you must list 2-3 ideas for a topic in an area of focus from your discipline perspective and provide a rationale including how this could be applied either to your role and/or your organisation and/or industry.
• In Portfolio Part 1 (due Week 4 of your placement) you will provide an update of your research to date for feedback from your Academic Supervisor.
• Your Oral Interview at the end of your placement will provide an opportunity to demonstrate your progress and receive feedback on your applied research.
• The Final Report will be the culmination of this applied research in your area of focus.

 

Topic idea(s) and rationale:

 

 

Reference List: See 2015 Business Assessment and Study Handbook (p. 11)

 

References

Armstrong, G., & Kotler, P. (2011). Marketing: An introduction. Boston, MA: Pearson.

Bratton, J. (2010). Work and organizational behaviour. Basingstoke, England: Palgrave Macmillan.

Butterfield, J. (2011). Professionalism. Boston, MA: Course Technology Cengage Learning.

Carroll, A.B. (1981). The Pyramid of Corporate Social Responsibility: Toward the Moral Management of Organizational Stakeholders, Business Horizons, July-August 1981, 39-48.

Carroll, D. (2012). Managing value in organisations: New learning, management, and business models. Farnham, Surrey: Gower.

Carté, P., & Fox, C. (2008). Bridging the culture gap: A practical guide to international business communication. London, England: Kogan Page.

Coulter, M. K. (2010). Strategic management in action. Boston, MA: Prentice Hall.

Dess, G. G. (2012). Strategic management: Creating competitive advantages. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.

Ghauri, P. N., & Cateora, P. (2014). International marketing. London, England: McGraw-Hill Education.

Global Student. (n.d.). Retrieved April 20, 2015, from http://www.global-student.com/

Hill, C. W., & Jones, G. R. (2012). Strategic management essentials. Mason, OH: South-Western.

Khan, S., Zarif, T., & Khan, B. (2011). Effects of recognition-based rewards on employees’ efficiency and effectiveness. Journal of Management and Social Sciences, 7(2), 01-07. Retrieved from http://biztek.edu.pk/ibt/qec/7.2/1%20Effects%20of%20Recognition.pdf

Kotler, P. (2012). Marketing management. Harlow, England: Pearson.

McKnight, S. (2012). Customer value discovery. London, England: Henry Stewart Talks.

Moutinho, L., & Southern, G. (2010). Strategic marketing management: A business process approach. Hampshire, U.K: Cengage Learning EMEA.

Odden, L. (2012). Optimize: How to attract and engage more customers by integrating SEO, social media, and content marketing. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

OECD. (2013). Education indicators in focus. OECD Publishing.

Pulizzi, J., & Barrett, N. (2009). Get content, get customers: Turn prospects into buyers with content marketing. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Richardson, N., & Gosnay, R. (2011). Develop your marketing skills. London, England: Kogan Page.

Thomas, L. (2010). Online marketing. Maidenhead, England: McGraw-Hill Professional.

UNESCO Institute for Statistics. (2014). Global flow of tertiary-level students. Retrieved from http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/Pages/international-student-flow-viz.aspx

Weinstein, A. (2012). Superior customer value: Strategies for winning and retaining customers. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.