A study on how two third-level institutions in the West of Ireland improve their marketing strategies in mainland China

Abstract

This thesis is concerned with the growing phenomenon o f mainland Chinese students studying in Ireland and various marketing strategies used by Irish Third-Level institutions to determine the elements that can be considered by Third-Level institution in future while designing their international marketing strategies with mainland China. The purpose o f this research project is to explain how two Third-Level institutions in the west o f Ireland improve their marketing strategies in mainland China. The study draws insight from a quantitative research approach and the case studies of GMIT and NUI Galway. Data were collected through questionnaire survey with mainland Chinese students studying in these two Third-Level institutions, and fifty-eight qualified questionnaires were fully analysed. This study illustrates the investigation and the data analysis. The study also tests the data against the relevant theory and discusses the findings. The study found that Irish Third-Level institutions should adopt different marketing strategies to recruit mainland Chinese students, such as university cooperation, recruitment agents, advertising and promotion, Internet using, and etc.