It has come to my attention that the university does not have a strict policy on the displaying of religious decorations around the campus grounds. Consequently, students and staff members are at liberty to put up religious decorations to mark their various religious celebrations and holidays. This practice is harmful considering the fact that the university is an institution that is founded on secular values. I therefore wish to provide a comprehensive discussion on why decorations for religious holidays should be prohibited on campus ground. Considering that this view is supported by other respectable universities, I will give a number of similar policies in universities around the world to support why our university should support the same policy.
Why Religious Holidays Decorations Should Be Disallowed
The educational system promoted in the United States is secular in nature and a separation between religion and education facilities is desired. Specifically, the university is a secular institution serving students and staff of varied religious backgrounds. Fairness demands that the institution should not endorse a particular religion but rather maintain a neutral stance to all religions. Members of the campus are to be treated with respect regardless of their religion and every person is to be tolerant to religious views that might be different from theirs. Display of religious decorations on campus grounds might create the impression that the university endorses a particular religion.
Allowing decorations on campus grounds sends the message that the particular religious holiday is of significance to the society. A reasonable observer is therefore likely to assume that the decorations are a sign that the school administration endorses the particular religion. This is especially so when the major world religions are given preference over minor religions. When this happens, religious decorations fail to create a neutral public face since those decorations serve to support one world view whether religious, cultural or social and unavoidably treat people with other world views in an unequal and detrimental manner (Tonya, 2005, p.139).
Display of religious decorations may have the undesirable effect of promoting certain religions in the educational institution. The constitution allows secular institutions to recognize festivals of a cultural or religious nature. However, the decorations may be used as a tool for promoting certain religious ideas. This is a valid fear considering that the major objective of many religions is to win over more converts. The neutral position of the educational institution will therefore be compromised when religious decorations are used to influence students and staff in the campus to follow or view a certain religion favorably.
Decorations for religious holiday inadvertently lead to questions being asked concerning the nature of the holiday. The public display of religious symbols will act as a platform for the followers of the religion to talk about their beliefs to the community. Followers of the religion may take up this opportunity to present their religion in a subjective manner. Preventing religious decorations from being displayed on campus grounds will ensure that members of a religion who might use the publicity provided by the decorations to promote their faith in the University are unable to engage in such activities.
Religious decorations create partiality among the members of the educational institute. All members of the campus have the right to express themselves. Most supporters of religious decorations on campus grounds argue that any restriction to displaying the decorations amounts to a denial of these freedoms. Institutions that act in response to this opinion end up creating a divided community where religious affiliations are given significant power. While it is true that all members of the campus have a right to express themselves, this expression should not be done at the expense of equality. Tonya (2005) asserts, Freedom of expression is outweighed by the ethics of impartiality (p.139). Ethics does not allow unlimited preference for a religious group, irrespective of its history or huge membership in the campus.
The University may break the law by allowing the display of religious decorations on campus grounds. For public universities, the buildings and campus grounds are public property. Huebner (2008) states that in the recent past, lawsuits over religious holiday decorations in public places have increased (p.20). A number of high profile cases have been brought before the US Supreme Court regarding holiday decorations in public places. Huebner (2008) notes that the guidelines provided by the courts with regard to this issue have been inconsistent and there is no well-defined standard of what religious decorations violate the law of the land. As such, the school administration might find it hard to decide on which holiday displays are consistent with the law. There is no well-defined standard of these acceptable decorations and the requirements only vaguely suggest that the decorations must promote pluralism and they must not endorse or debase any religion. Because of the lack of consistency on issues concerning display of religious decorations, it would be more prudent for the university to prohibit all religious decorations on campus ground.
Religious decorations encourage exclusion, which is an undesirable attribute in our multicultural and heterogeneous society. While most religions promote admirable values such as love, honesty, and charity, they tend to divide people into insiders and outsiders. Members of a religion are bound together by a set of common beliefs and practices. Owing to their unique beliefs and practices, followers of a particular religion may begin to view themselves as better informed compared to non-believers. This might lead to discrimination based on religious affiliations and increase divisions among community members. Religious decorations accentuate the differences between those who celebrate religious holidays and those who do not. The non-participants are excluded creating the perception of segregation. A secular approach is integral to the value of equality in the country. The university should therefore discourage decorations for religious holidays in order to promote inclusion in the society.
Religious decorations do not promote the goal of diversity that the university hopes to perpetuate. Religions are based on the concept of shared common beliefs among followers. They therefore promote conformity since members of the religion are expected to act in a uniform manner. The university is an education university created to serve individuals coming from different races, cultures, and religions. The campus should therefore promote diversity among this heterogeneous group of students and staff. Religions decorations will imply that the institution favors certain religions and cultures over others. This is contrary to the goals of diversity endorsed by the institution. Banning religious decorations on campus grounds will ensure that diversity is respected since all religions and cultures are treated equally.
Policies by Other Universities
The appropriateness of religious decorations on campus grounds has been debated in many universities around the world and a number of policies have been proposed. Every member of the university is expected to be familiar with the policies on religious holidays and act in a manner that is compliant with these policies.
Oregon State University (2012) declares that any religious decorations on campus ground must not convey a singular religious message. The decorations must be presented in such a manner that the overall message sent to the observer is one of diversity and religious tolerance rather than the support of a particular religion or faith. The university also asserts that a strong distinction is to be made between private and public spaces and religious decorations should be displayed in private space where it is clear that they are an expression of the individual rather than an endorsement of the institution (Oregon State University, 2012).When putting up decorations, focus should be placed on the season instead of the particular religious holidays. Images that are neutral and not associated with religious traditions are to be used since they are more inclusive and respectful of the diversity of the University (Oregon State University, 2012).
The University of Wisconsin La Crosse (2012) states that holiday decorations can only be displayed on campus grounds if they are deemed secular symbols. Any holiday display that explicitly celebrates a certain religion is prohibited on campus grounds since it might be presumed to be an endorsement of the particular religion by the University (UWLAX, 2012). The University of Wisconsin La Crosse also states that all university staff and students are allowed to display religious holiday decorations in their private spaces. A prohibition on the right of individuals to display decorations in their private space within the campus is a violation of their freedom of expression. However, religious decorations must not be displayed in the offices of high-ranking university officials since such symbols may be taken to mean that this is the official stand of the University concerning the particular religious celebration.
UWLAX (2012) specifies that the university should endeavor to promote pluralism and freedom through any religious decorations. As such, holiday displays can only be accepted if they include symbols from different religious traditions and therefore do not represent an endorsement of any particular religion or religion in general (UWLAX, 2012, p.1). Use of religious and secular symbols is preferred to using strictly religious symbols for decoration.
The policy by the University of Guelph (2012) states that the institute is prohibited from endorsing any religion and no University funds shall be used to fund any religious holiday preparations. Individuals are to make their own arrangements for their religious decorations within their private spaces. All members of the university must demonstrate sensitivity to each others disparate views concerning religious holidays.
Conclusion
The presence of religious decorations on campus grounds is detrimental to the values of neutrality, inclusion, and diversity promoted by the university. If these decorations are disallowed, the campus will be able to demonstrate neutrality and at the same time treat all religious or cultural events in an equal manner. Prohibition of religious decorations will help cultivate a pluralistic outlook that is desirable in the multi-cultural and diverse society that we live in. Harmony and tolerance will therefore be promoted by a restriction of religious decorations around our campus grounds.
References
Huebner, R. (2008). Legal Q & A Holiday Decorations on Public Property. Illinois Municipal Review, 12(3), 20-22. Web.
Oregon State University. (2012). Guidelines for Holiday Decorations. Web.
The University of Wisconsin La Crosse (UWLAX). (2012). Display of Christmas Trees and Religious Holiday Symbols on Campus. Web.
The purpose of this study is to develop a program implementation strategy for the Prince Muhammad bin Fahd University (PMU) to use to expand existing programs and successfully implement new programs, which are to be offered in English for both make and females students to make the university an international center of academic excellence, research and innovation. An analysis of the current situation, which forms part of the strategic management process, shows that the university offers programs in English for male students only, which reinforces the need to offer the programs in English for female students.
The strategy implementation process revealed that the university has some of the most modern facilities for learning and is in the process of introducing a wide variety of programs to accommodate new students from different parts of the world, to offer them the education to prepare them to address emerging challenges in innovation and technology.
The university has a management function, which integrates the planning, organizing, motivating, controlling, and staffing functions to ensure there is effective and efficient service delivery and to provide the best resources for the academic programs on offer.
An assessment of the universitys external and internal environments based on the economic trends of the country shows that most households have a sustainable income to support the students to complete their courses. A SWOT analysis shows that the university has modern facilities and offers various programs in English. To overcome the issues raised in the study, it was recommended that the university aligns its program implementation approaches to its mission and vision statements by integrating the strategic management concepts with the strategic objectives.
PMU Description
Introduction
Prince Muhammad bin Fahd University (PMU) is one of the most modern universities in Saudi Arabia, which has some of the modern facilities for facilitating the provision of high-quality education programs in Saudi Arabia (PMU, 2014). The core purpose of the university was to offer programs in different schools of learning to meet the rising demand for university education, to equip students with high-quality skills and knowledge to professionally address new and emerging challenges in the modern society (PMU, 2014). To reach that goal, the university has started to use the most modern technologies and facilities for the various programs it offers in different schools and faculties. Since it was started, the management of the university has realized the need to develop strategic management tools, which could provide the basis to offer quality academic programs competitively.
Research shows that Prince Muhammad bin Fahd University (PMU) provides the state of the art connectivity to the internet to facilitate research and development and for e-learning purposes (PMU, 2014). In addition to that, the university offers online registration for its programs, and other e-learning services, which makes learning easier and effective. As part of its strategy, the university provides a number of advanced services such as TV streaming, video conferencing facilities, and other technologies to facilitate the registration of students and to assist them to acquire and to be equipped with the most modern skills in technology and innovation (Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University, 2010). The universitys strategic approach of offering professional and high-quality education is based on a vigorous strategic program of expanding the programs to accommodate female students who want to study their programs in English (Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University, 2010).
Prince Muhammad bin Fahd University (PMU) is one of the fastest-growing institutions of higher learning in Saudi Arabia. The university embraces one of the best innovative approaches of imparting high-quality student-centered educational programs, who are groomed to be highly qualified professionals in their disciplines (Al-Ayed & Sheik, 2008). Here, the universitys policy is to provide students with the opportunity to explore genuine paths and skills in innovation, research, and development to make the university the center of academic and professional excellence in the provision of high-quality education. However, there is a need for the university to provide programs, which enable the students and the university as whole to address the emerging needs of the society and the economic and technological challenges that come with globalization.
According to Al-Ayed and Sheik (2008), solutions to the challenges include continuous improvements of the programs being offered to address the ever-emerging demands for quality education. The university offers a wide variety of programs, including engineering and business programs in English for male students and is in the process of offering the same programs in English for female students (Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University, 2010). To achieve the strategic objective of training hardcore professionals, the university endeavors to align its expansion programs to its long term objectives, mission, and vision statements.
To ensure that the university is a unique and distinguished institution of higher education, it is important to ensure that there is adequate preparation of the students (PMU, 2014), who will become future and competent leaders in different disciplines (PMU, 2014). The strategy is achieved by developing and enriching the students with the relevant intelligence to become global players in academic and professional excellence in the world. The professionals could be able to explore current and innovative approaches to achieve set objectives to removes the barrier between academic life and their social wellbeing.
Vision
The universitys vision is to ensure that it becomes a distinguished source of quality education that participates (PMU, 2014) in the preparation of female and male students to become future professionals who could become distinguished in their areas of knowledge and skills (PMU, 2014). The university is to ensure the students possess the required skills to apply their academic knowledge and skills to solve social and technological problems for the betterment of human life. The university intends to develop talents who could contribute to the breaking of barriers between academic work skills and business in the society (PMU, 2014).
Mission Statement
The university shall endeavor to contribute to the advancement of global human intelligence and knowledge development (PMU, 2014). The university shall endeavor to transform graduates to play a contributory and enabling role to the community by enabling the students to take responsibilities (PMU, 2014) and contribute solutions to the problems affecting the society through creative thinking, collaborative work, retrospection and professional development (PMU, 2014). The university shall link theoretical approaches and the acquired specialized knowledge with actual workplace experiences and real-life situations by maintaining effective collaborations and partnerships with the local business firms and industry. PMU shall provide the requisite guidance for research and development activities in order to create viable solutions for the problems (PMU, 2014) and challenges affecting the local communities, through the application of research, technical and technological consultation (PMU, 2014).
Values
The values of the university are defined in need for the university staff and students to participate in activities, which support professional development, peer review, and peer review coaching based on a process of one-to-one coaching, mentoring activities, and to make presentations for academic and professional development.
Company Ownership
The university is a private institution, which us the fastest universities in Saudi Arabia and is owned by Prince Muhammad bin Fahd. The stakeholders include the students, staff, and support staff.
University Location & Facilities
The university is located in Saudi Arabia, in the Eastern Province of Dammam, Al Khobar. The university was accredited by the Saudi Ministry of education and was opened in a formal ceremony in 2008 on October, 8th (PMU, 2014). As part of the strategic process of developing the institution, the university had a strategic plan to complete the construction of its buildings in 2008, which was strategically planned to have a capacity of 5500 students by 2012 (PMU, 2014). The university has administration facilities located in the mens campus and has other faculties, which support different programs. Some of the special facilities are located outside the city (Half-moon Bay, Khobar City, Saudi Arabia) name the facilities (Library, Gym, Dining Hall, various sports courts) (PMU, 2014).
PMU Products & Services
The university offers a number of degree courses in engineering, information technology, and business administration. In addition to that, the university offers courses in various disciplines, which include Bachelor of Science (Finance, Accounting, Electric Engineering and Mechanical, Bachelor of Arts (Law) EMBA programs (PMU, 2014).
Figure 7: Courses offered at university.
Functions of Management
Planning
The university has a strategic plan to develop new programs in different areas of study and specialization to exploit existing opportunities and new opportunities, which come with new challenges in the global academic and Business Environment (PMU, 2014). The strategic plan is to exploit new opportunities and distinguish the university from other universities in Saudi Arabia by offering courses in English in different disciplines and colleges, which include the College of Engineering (courses in mechanical, civil, electrical, interior design, and information technology). Other strategic areas where the university is offering courses in English, which is serving as distinguishing mark include the College of Business Administration (for males and females in Accounting, Business administration, and Management Information systems) and in the College of Arts and Sciences (PMU, 2014)
Organizing
Organizing is one of the strategic management functions, which the university has embraced as a strategic tool to introduce the new programs in English (Freeman, 2010). To make the strategic program competitive, the university endeavors to align the strategic objectives with the long-term and short-term expansion plans by determining the external opportunities and threats, the internal strengths and weaknesses of the university and the long term objectives (Freeman, 2010). Internal strengths include teaching courses in English, offering a wide variety of courses, using the most modern facilities and technologies (labs, internet) for learning sessions, and establishing an open culture for students from other parts of the world. The threats include upcoming universities offering course in English for male and female students.
Motivating
Motivation is one of the strategic elements, which organisation use to improve the performance of their staff and gradually the performance of the university in various programs. The university offers scholarships, unique programs to suit student needs, part time courses, work study programs, and uses motivation as one of the strategic management tools in to implement the new programs in English by offering financial support and aid to the staff and students, when they conduct their research and for attending conferences (Hamdan, 2005).
Staffing
The university has a policy of employing highly qualified personnel from different nationalities and countries to contribute their knowledge to the various schools and courses being offered in the university (Hamdan, 2005). In addition, the university has a competent human resource department which is responsible for the recruitment and hiring qualified personnel through job advertisements and interviews. Interviews are conducted using the most modern technology and facilities such as Skype.
Controlling
The university recognizes the use and competence in English as a medium of communication and as a key element of strategic growth and competitiveness. Most universities in the region do not offer academic programs in good quality English (PMU, 2014). Lecturers have to show a high degree of competence in the language and in their area of specialization and any lecturer found incompetent is dismissed from duty. The compliance standard embraced by the university is ISO 2010, which is evident in the expansion strategy, which is based on the key concepts of the strategy development process (Hamdan, 2005). The strategy development process is a concept defined by the three key components, which include strategy formulation, implementation, and evaluation. The university has a quality control program consisting of a feedback, evaluation, and reporting mechanisms for effective strategy development (Freeman, 2010).
External Environment Assessment
Economic Forces
Statistical evidence on the economic trend in Saudi Arabia shows that the economy depends on revenue from petroleum and tourism. In its strategic approach to introducing new programs and expanding existing programs, the university has researched and understands the sources of revenue for the citizens who are critical in providing financial support for their family members who enroll for programs in the university (Al Fahad, 2000). Here, it is critical to note that the university recognizes the value of tourism as an additional source of revenue for the economy because tourists come from different parts of the world to visit the famous Islamic sites. The private sector provides 40% of the GDP of the economy comes from the private sector, which include the petroleum industry, which contributes 45% of the GDP, which is 90% of the export earnings of the country.
When compared with other Gulf States, the country has the strongest economy in the Middle East (Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University, 2010). The country has strategically developed economic cities for the purpose of spurring industrialization to attract talented professionals to participate in the growth of the economy for the country. Industrialization has brought numerous opportunities for tertiary institutions and has attracted a significant share of the governments investments in educational programs. The government of Saudi Arabia contributes 25% of its budgetary allocations to the education sector and actively participates in the development of research centers.
On the other hand, the country has made significant investments in other levels of the education sector and has initiated a number of the universities such as the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), which has a capacity of over 13,000 students. The following graph shows the statistical figures as per the contributions of the GDP of the economy by industry in 2011 (Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University, 2010).
Figure 1: GDP.
Political, Legal, and Regulatory Forces
The government of Saudi Arabia is governed under the Sharia Law, which in not codified as most democratic countries have done. Sharia Law is the supreme law of the land and each person has to comply with the Sharia law, irrespective of their position of authority. The ultimate source of the law of the land is the Holy Quran, which is referenced in any matter of the law. The king is entitled to issue decrees when certain situations dictate so. It is critical to note that the university has tailored its objectives and aligned them to the Sharia law, government policies, and the strategic process of developing and expanding new programs, which are taught in English (Al-Mubaraki, 2011).
Cultural, Social, Demographic Forces
The cultural, social, and demographic trends in Saudi are shown in the graph below. It is estimated that 20% of the people in Saudi Arabia are foreigners and the rest of 80% are Saudi Arabian nationals. It is estimated that the population of Saudi Arabia was 29 million by 2013 and is projected to rise to a new higher level in the coming years. The expected increase in the population is caused by low death rates and high birth rates. It is hoped that by 2015, the population of the country could be over 30.39 million, which is expected to increase at a rate of 4.1 % per annum (Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University, 2010).
The majority of the Saudi Arabian population is Afro-Arabs and 25% of the population below 25 years old speaks Arabic. The country has experienced a situation known as the youth bulge because of the drastic increase in the number of write about trends in the Saudi culture, society, and demographics (statistics), by the year 2006 are shown in the graph below.
Figure 2: Saudi population statistics.
Estimate shows that Saudi Arabian population who are based in the Sunni culture and traditions which are characterized by a strict dress code and public behavior is increasing drastically. The culture is enforced by the law of the land and is widely accepted in the society and recognised in law and binding to the citizens of the land. Following table provides the demographic trend of the population of Saud Arabia.
Table 1: Population size.
Natural Environmental Forces
The geography of Saudi Arabia shows that the country is bounded by seven countries and has three bodies of water, which link the country to the sea and to the international waters (Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University, 2010).
The following map shows the position of Saudi Arabia as one f the countries in the Middle East, which is bounded by other Arab-speaking countries.
Figure 4: Map of Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabian terrain is defined by fairly harsh and barren flat plains, which consist of salt flats, sand deserts, and anomie of manmade lakes which do not have permanent water channels which lead into he lakes. The country is also home to the largest sand desert in the world, which of one of the tourist attractions in the country.
Day time temperatures reach hundred degrees Fahrenheit, with humidity at the coastal region reaching 100 percent. Winter temperatures can reach below freezing point in the northern and central regions of the country. In addition, the country acquires very little rainfall in most parts, making country to have a desert or semi-desert climate.
Technology Forces
The country is experiencing a technological boom just like any other country in the world. Most people have bought and possess modern look mobile phones and computers such as laptops. The country has experienced rapid growth and use of new devices and there is a growing need for the educated professionals in Saudi Arabia to become innovative and embrace new technologies (Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University, 2010). One of the most critical challenges is that most of the content posted in the internet is in Arabic, which limits the number of people who read the content, adding to the need for the university to adopt the use of English as a medium of communication.
Competitive Forces
There are a number of other universities, which are coming up in Saudi Arabia offering the courses being offered by the university. In addition, because the universities have realized the potential opportunities and demand for higher education in the country, they have developed innovative ways of attracting students, such as offering new courses in English to attract English-speaking students. The major competing universities (KFUPM, Sultan University, King Faisal University, and Dammam University, and statistical evidence shows an increasing number of students getting register at the universities (Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University, 2010).
SWOT Analysis
The university has its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. When put it the correct perspective, the university has strategized to embark on an expansion of existing program and to offer new programs in English, which is a strategic strength of the university (Lee, Lo, Leung & Ko, 2000). One of the distinguishing weaknesses with universities in Saudi Arabia is that they offer their courses in Arabic, which is a limiting factor for most students who want to register and study in those universities from other parts of the world. Expanding the programs on offer will provide students from different parts of the world with a wide selection of disciplines.
The weaknesses discovered with the university to include few publications and research papers, its failure to acknowledge different systems of beliefs as part of an inventive to attract qualified talents from different religious backgrounds. Religion is one of the critical problems, which influences the way people from different cultural and religious backgrounds interact. Such an approach provides the university with another competitive advantage over the other universities in Saudi Arabia (Lee et al., 2000).
It has been established that the university can gain from contributions made by different academicians in different knowledge areas because they are able to share and communicate new ideas in English. Another critical element is that the courses are offered in English for women, who could equally gain from the opportunities to share their experiences and knowledge with their peers from other parts of the world. It is difficult for female students to find a university offering their programs in English as the PMU does in Saudi Arabia (PMU 2010).
The Strategy
To overcome the challenges associated with the rising number of universities competing with PMU, which offer new courses and eye the new opportunities in higher education, Prince Muhammad bin Fahd University (PMU) is a Saudi Arabia has developed a strategy to beat the competitors based on the strategic management concepts (Al-Mubaraki, 2011). The strategy was formulated to improve the universitys performance in offering new courses and in the expansion of already existing courses, which the university intends to offer in English. The main competence of the strategy is that most universities, which are competitors of Prince Muhammad bin Fahd University (PMU) is a Saudi Arabia offer their courses in Arabic and have not diversified their programs to include women (Al Fahad, 2000). A critical analysis of the situation shows that the most suitable strategy to improve the performance of the university is based on program expansion . Program expansion deals with increasing the number of courses being offered to include women and to offer the courses in English, as a strategic tool to be competitive in the academic arena.
Description of the Strategy
The strategy is to provide new courses and offer them in English and expand existing programs to enhance the performance of the university to ensure that the university becomes a center of learning of global excellence in academic and professional development in Saudi Arabia (Al-Mubaraki, 2011). The university will provide students from various parts of the country and the world the new courses in English to allow the university to belong to the family of other universities which have international reputation in innovation, technology, research, and development (Al-Mubaraki, 2011).
Rationale for Picking This Strategy
The rationale for choosing the strategy is based on the argument that when the courses are limited and offered in Arabic only, the students and instructors do not find a forum to exchange ideas and receive contributions from other academician and researchers in different disciplines on innovation and the creation of new ideas, which could significantly contribute to the development of the country and the university in research, innovation, and development (Al-Mubaraki, 2011).
On the other hand, by increasing or expanding the program being offered by the university in English, it will make the university to open its gates to the world and could enable many talented minds and professionals from different parts of the world to contribute their skills and knowledge to the pool of already existing knowledge in the university. In addition to that, the university could gain by hiring highly qualified and skilled human resource personnel such as professors who have a lot of experience in research and innovation in diverse disciplines (Al-Mubaraki, 2011). The university is bound to make the country of Saudi Arabia to gain from foreign earnings which is brought in by foreigners working and visiting the country and an additional source of revenue to the coffers of the country as a result of the exchanges with other foreign currencies.
The Feasibility/Viability and Possibility of This Strategy
The feasibility o the strategy being implementation successfully is based on various factors. One of the factors which supports the implementation of the strategy is the competitive advantage of the university in terms of the availability of the required personnel to fulfill the implementation of the program (Al-Mubaraki, 2011). It has been shown that the university has already hired some of the top-notch academicians from different parts of the world who have demonstrated a high level of competence and contributions to the development of solutions to problems which affect society. Such solutions have also provided the people and the host institutions they have worked for, with competitive advantage over a number of higher learning institutions. Communication will be the key element that will be used to implement the strategy and a number of benefits are bound to be experienced by implementing the strategy.
Improvements in Other Universities That Have Adopted This Strategy
Other universities have used the strategy to improve by factoring international issues which affect academic programs, which include the complex variables such as cultural, legal, technological, social, and competitive opportunities and threats, and aligning the strategy to solve the issues to achieve their academic objectives. In addition to that, the universities have factored the principles of conduct within their institutions to guide decision-making. The universities have a code of ethics, which guides the behavior of the students and the staff in their day to day activities (Al Fahad, 2000).
Drawbacks in Other Universities That Have Adopted This Strategy
The problem with the universities is that they fail to provide open access to their research publications and databases. The resources are usually limited to the students who belong to the universities and access is limited to students want to access the resources online. In addition to that, most of the academic material has not been digitalized (Horn, 2008).
What Benefits Can Be Earned From This Strategy?
It is important to note that when the university has completed expanding its programs to accommodate women and students from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds, the university will gain by embracing cultural exchanges because new and foreign students are able to mingle with other students who come from within Saudi Arabia. In addition, by offering the new courses in English and expanding on the existing courses, there could be enhanced communication and sharing of new and innovative ideas about the new unexplored areas if research and development, the environment could encourage dialogue and participation in various research projects, particularly between students and experienced and skilled professors in their areas of specialization (Al Fahad, 2000).
The students conducting research in the new courses being offered in English will be able to understand what other universities are doing in different disciplines to enable them make the best decisions on the path to follow to become more competent and improve the performance of the students. The university will be able to understand why other universities develop and continuously enhance their programs and how they do it, to enable the university adopt and develop new and academic better standards (Al Fahad, 2000).
Another strategic benefit includes the use of university resources for greater commitment in doing research and development. In addition, the management of the university will learn n new method of handling people from different cultural backgrounds, enable the management to understand what other universities are doing, reduce resistance to change, provide the management with the ability to learn and enhance problem-solving strategies, and provide the management with a clear understanding of the relationship between performance, rewards and success (Al Fahad, 2000).
Implementation of Strategy
Research has shown that the university can use a number of approaches to implement the strategy for program expansion and the delivery of instructions in English which is a medium of communication. The underpinning elements of the strategy are defined by the procedures the university has in place to address the needs of the students and include using the best practices for employee recruitment. Those practices include using Skype and other online sources based on the best human resource recruitment policies (Alam, 2007). In addition to that, the recruitment process is conducted using online adverts based on the needs for the employee.
The university targets some of the well-qualified personnel who have a rich experience working in different universities of the world so that they can contribute their knowledge and skills to the development of the students innovative skills in their lines of discipline. Each faculty has an in-house training for their staff to enhance their skills in different areas and in new and emerging technologies to make the university a center of academic excellence and innovation (Al Fahad, 2000). The university ensures that the employee working in different departments are trainee and retrained through a number of strategies. The strategies include job rotation, employee integration, work task analysis, and work standard determination to identify the best talent to suit a particular job.
The university has a program for marketing the new programs, which are offered in English to a wide audience of people and uses the internet, which provides a platform for different students and parents to access real time information on the programs on offer. In addition to that, the web based applications is flexible and interactive and offers the students with the capabilities and flexibility to apply online without using the normal and slow postal services and the responses are faster and real-time (Al Fahad, 2000).
Table 4: Internet usage.
Collaboration with other universities is an important element, which the university should factor as a tool to gain competitive advantage over other universities in Saudi Arabia. Collaboration is important because the university is able to share ideas with other universities in matters of innovation, research and development, and other exchange programs (Al Fahad, 2000). Research has shown that those students who want to transfer from other universities to the university are barred because the university lacks a credit transfer program. To attract such students, the university should establish a credit transfer program, in all faculties and at any stage of the academic lifecycle of the student to allow them register in the university.
Other area of important are in technology development, which targets technologies which are imported from other counties and, which contribute to the growth of the economy, especially the oil and gas industry and other new and emerging industries. Other methods include is to invite academicians and students to make international presentations on new innovations and discoveries in their areas of specialization, which is a good approach of giving students the best opportunities learn about the university. The strategy provides the university with the opportunity to allow international students to explore new academic opportunities and programs, which are unique to the university. It is important for the management to strategise on the best methods to make the university and international institution of higher learning.
Figure 6: Saudi Arabia exports to different countries.
Reviewing, Evaluating, and Controlling the Strategy
Some of the strategic approaches used by the university to implement the new programs and offer other programs in English for women have shown a significant number of issues. Those issues include cultural and ethical, religious, and language barriers, as the outcome of internal reviews. To address the language issues, it is recommended that the university integrates the use of English as a medium of instruction to enable students with different backgrounds to register and take studies in the university. The underpinning concept is internal reviews to control the program implementation strategy. In addition to that, it is important for the university to conduct external reviews, which have revealed a number of issues including competition from other local universities. Local universities have recognized the need to introduce different courses, which accommodate students from different religious and cultural backgrounds.
Once the program is fully implemented, an evaluation strategy to assess the effectiveness of the program will include putting performance measurement measures based on a feedback mechanism which provided the management with information about the performance of different departments towards the strategy. It is important to integrate intuition and analysis based on past analysis, feelings, and judgment to successfully implement the strategy.
To maintain the strategy, it is important to ensure that management has a program in place to continuously monitor the internal and external environments for trends and events such as change in technology, the global economic environment, the changes in demand for certain courses, and emerging trends in innovation, research and development to align the strategy to the new changes, opportunities and challenges, and the program will be successful.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the motivating factor underpinning the study was to develop a programs expansion strategy for Prince Mohammad University (PMU) to address the need to expand and offer new programs in English for male and female students. The aim of implementing the strategy is to provide the institution with a strategic advantage over the local universities and make it strategically positioned to offer high-quality university education. To achieve the program expansion objective, this study focused on developing a program implementation approach based on all the stages of strategy development by aligning the strategy development process with the mission and vision statements of the university.
The most important approach was to gather, analyse, and organise the necessary information on Prince Mohammad University (PMU), competitors, and the other issues which are necessary for the implementation process. It was established that the owner of the university is Prince Mohammad. The university has other stakeholders who include students, lecturers, and support staff. The university has the state of the art facilities, a number of running programs, which include engineering, Information Technology, Bachelor of Arts, among others. There is statistical evidence to show that the mother country, Saudi Arabia has a very high GDPA and has diversified its economic and industrial activities to suit the current economic environment.
A synthesis of the strategy development process shows that the university needs to address certain weaknesses to successfully expand and implement the program based on English as medium of communication for the learning sessions for male and female students. The areas for the university to focus on include cultivating an environment to accommodate students who come from different cultural backgrounds.
References
Alam, A. A. (2007). Public opinion on organ donation in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Journal of Kidney Diseases and Transplantation, 18(1), 54. Web.
Al-Ayed, I. H., & Sheik, S. A. (2008). Assessment of the educational environment at the College of Medicine of King Saud University, Riyadh. Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal, 14(4), 3-30. Web.
Al Fahad, A. H. (2000). Prince, the ShaykhAnd the Lawyer, The Case W. Res. Journal of International Law, 32 (1), 307. Web.
Al-Mubaraki, A. A. S. (2011). National and Global Challenges to Higher Education in Saudi Arabia. Current Development and Future Strategies In Higher Education in the Asia-Pacific, 1(1), 413-430. Web.
Freeman, R. E. (2010). Strategic management: A stakeholder approach. New York: Cambridge University Press. Web.
Hamdan, A. (2010). E-Learning and teaching: The need for clear pedagogy. Transformative learning and online education: Aesthetics, dimensions and concepts, 2(1), 111-126. Web.
Hamdan, A. (2005). Women and education in Saudi Arabia: Challenges and achievements. International Education Journal, 6(1), 42-64. Web.
Hertog, S. (2011). Princes, Brokers, and Bureaucrats: Oil and the State in Saudi Arabia. New York: Cornell University Press. Web.
Horn, J. (2008). Enabling university excellence through a human resource strategy. Higher Education in the Twenty-First Century, 2(1), 107. Web.
Lee, S. F., Lo, K. K., Leung, R. F., & Ko, A. S. O. (2000). Strategy formulation framework for vocational education: integrating SWOT analysis, balanced scorecard, QFD methodology and MBNQA education criteria. Managerial Auditing Journal, 15(8), 407-423. Web.
PMU: Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University (2014). Web.
Education has been a key component in society for a long time. While there are both formal and informal types of education, the end products are usually acceptable since they positively contribute toward the well-being of members of society. This paper explores the effects of education in society with a cross-reference to Japan and the Gulf region.
Background
Brief History of Education
It has been an age-long practice for individual communities and societies to pass their skills, methods, traditions, and stock of values from one generation to another. This has been achieved through various ways (Hebert 86). For instance, both socialization and enculturation have been employed in the past to transfer societal values.
It is also profound to note that oral traditions were a critical part of informal education used by ancient civilizations. However, the growing demand for better knowledge and skills needed in managing challenges in life led to the gradual adoption of a formal curriculum of education. Advanced training has supplemented the formal basic or elementary education. For instance, the desire to excel in fields such as entrepreneurship, science, and technology has been precipitated by formal education (Platt 970-973).
Forms of education
There are two major forms of education in modern society. These are formal and informal education. However, informal education is partly practiced especially among communities that still cherish certain stock of values.
Societal concerns
Modern society is heavily dependent on contemporary skills and knowledge to expedite both economic and social growth. Also, there has been concern over the nature of governance being adopted across the world by various societies (Ibrahim 18). In other words, there is growing concern about the quality of education offered in various countries. It has been found out that the rate of economic growth is directly proportional to the nature of education offered to the population.
Problems Related to Lack of Education in Society
Lack of civilization
A segment of the population or society that lacks adequate formal and informal education is highly likely to lag in terms of civilization. An educated society is generally organized and can co-exist peacefully and mutually with others. Besides, both formal and informal educations eradicate extreme levels of arrogance that often leads to the poor citizens of a community (William et al 82).
Poor economic development
As already mentioned, education is required to hasten the rate of economic development in any given society. For instance, skills, knowledge, and technical competencies are key parameters needed to develop an economy. These qualities can only be obtained through a streamlined education process. Moreover, factors such as Gross Domestic Product, the balance of payment, exchange rate variations, and their effects on economic growth can only be understood and articulated by educated minds.
Poor development of cultural/social/political aspects
The cultural, political, and social domains in society are indeed critical in advancing the well being of any given population. For example, politics touches on the governance of a society. It is understood that articulate administrative structures are required in the process of governance (Platt 972). This cannot be attained in the absence of education. Besides, the cultural values and social aspects of any population can be championed well under the confines of education.
Economic and Political Effects of Education in Society
The agricultural revolution and hence adequate food supply
Knowledge and skills required to boost agricultural production can only be obtained through a well-defined system of education (Koterski 62). It can be recalled that the agrarian revolution of the 19th century was made possible by new farming methods that were adopted by farmers. For example, mechanization was introduced. This explains why food production and subsequent food security can be guaranteed when a knowledge-based system is applied in agriculture.
Protection of the environment and the entire ecosystem
An educated society can be easily sensitized to the importance of protecting the immediate environment through awareness creation. Through an elaborate awareness program, it is possible to instill the values of environmental protection to a population that is educated compared to the one that is partially or fully illiterate (Ibrahim 22-30).
Good governance
Political systems are part and parcel of governance in society. Education is the key pillar towards strong administrative skills required in a society. Although good governance may sometimes be an issue of morality, formal education can come in handy especially when advancing social norms and the expected stock of values.
Social cohesion and mutual co-existence
Formal and informal systems of education often foster social cohesion and mutual co-existence among individuals living in any particular society. Education unites people and also strengthens family ties especially when individuals work as teams to attain certain goals.
Comparing Japan and the Gulf Region
When the Chinese culture was adopted in Japan during the sixth century, it ushered in a new era of formal education in Japan. Currently, both the lower secondary and elementary levels are mandatory in Japan (Hebert 42). Although private schools exist, public education facilities are mostly embraced by several Japanese families especially at the lower levels. The figure below shows the schooling system in Japan.
In the gulf region, both formal and informal education has been in existence for a long. However, comparative education has not been fully established in the region bearing in mind that fewer people have undergone training in this field. The system of education begins from the elementary to the university level (Platt 976).
Recommendations
Mandatory basic education for all children
All children who have attained the age of going to school should be allowed to do so through a mandatory process. As such, legislation should be enacted to make sure that all children attain basic education at the proper age.
Subsidize the cost of education at all levels
National governments should take charge and chip in toward making the cost of education affordable. This will allow poor communities to send their children to schools up to higher levels without being impeded by the related costs (Ibrahim 53).
Community awareness on the relevance of education
Society at large should be sensitized to the values attached to education. Community awareness programs can be used to highlight the importance of taking children to school.
Conclusion
From the above discussion, it can be concluded that education is paramount towards the well being of individuals and society at large. An educated society enjoys several benefits such as good governance, sustained economic growth, environmental protection as well as social cohesion, and mutual co-existence. Therefore, there is a need to embrace the importance of educating individuals in modern societies.
Works Cited
Hebert, David. Wind Bands and Cultural Identity in Japanese Schools. Boston, MA: Springer press, 2011. Print.
Ibrahim, Ali. Comparative Education in the Gulf: In Search of a Foothold. Abu Dhabi: United Arab Emirates University Press, 2012. Print.
Koterski, Joseph. Medieval Education. New York: Fordham University Press, 2005. Print.
Platt, Brian. Japanese Childhood, Modern Childhood: The Nation-State, the School, and 19th-Century Globalization. Journal of Social History 38(2005): 965-985. Print.
William Theodore de de Bary, Donald Keene, George Tanabe and Paul Varley. Sources of Japanese Tradition (Vol. 2). New York: Columbia University Press, 2005. Print.
The article titled Sponsored and Contest Mobility Turner (1960) by Ralph H. Turner presents the concept of upward mobility or the dream of career growth of individuals and the way they can achieve it. Turner compared the American and English secondary education systems and found them to be vastly different. The article presents the idea of contested mobility and sponsored mobility through which individuals can move forward in their careers. The article clearly presents how an individual can start moving up the ladder right from the point of grammar school to joining the workforce. Thus, the main Turner argues that social and cultural differences in societies actually change the way individuals would want to pursue career growth. That is why Turner believes that there is a difference between the American and English education systems. It is argued that it is due to the difference in the social control of the system that the American and English education system differs so vastly on its content, importance placed on education, a system of examination, etc. Thus, the article by Turner provides a broad view on how an individual can aim for career growth and how one should go ahead in achieving it.
Career history
Career growth is the main idea presented in the article. The central question posed in the article is if how individuals can pursue a career and how one can be prepared in order to ensure upward mobility. The article points out that the main aim of individuals to build a career is to gain upward mobility (Turner, 1960). Every individual intends to build a career to gain social mobility. The other side of the spectrum, as presented in the article is sponsored mobility. According to Turners theory, the American education system is prone to contest mobility. Contest mobility implies that individuals put in the effort to move ahead, and their achievements are directly proportional to the effort they put in. Thus, the system puts stress more on hard work rather than skill or intelligence. Thus, Turner points out that individuals strive to achieve elite status, which is the desired goal, and the status is determined by society. Thus, the objective aim of individuals is to get an education, as Turner points out the desire of Americans to educate themselves to move upward. This theory actually establishes the definition of career management by Greenhaus, Callanan, and Godshalk (2010). Upward mobility is the ultimate goal of an individual in the path of setting a career goal. The paper provides an in-depth analysis of the concept of a career from the social system point of view and how provides a different understanding of a career.
Career concepts
The study by Turner is conducted through a survey of American and English secondary students. The author has presented brief notes of the findings of the survey. However, the primary data collected has not been presented by the author in form of an appendix.
Reflection: process and content
The article provides rich insight into the concept of a career. The data is collected through a qualitative survey conducted by the author and is a useful tool for conducting this kind of study. The article has shown that a career is not restricted to one type of job, rather can be attained through any field. Further, the paper distinctly makes a division between the education system of the UK and the US. Therefore, in many countries like Hong Kong or in Australia, where the UK system of education is followed, the career growth prospect becomes more as that can be observed in the UK. However, in these countries too, the main aim of students melts down to social upward mobility as pointed out in the article.
Style and grammar
The paper is moderately easy to understand. The style of writing of Turner is confusing at the beginning, but the ideas become clearer once the reader reaches the middle of the article. The article is well-written and error-free.
References
Greenhaus, J. H., Callanan, G. A., & Godshalk, V. M. (2010). Career Management. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Turner, R. H. (1960). Sponsored and Contest Mobility Turner. American Sociological Review Vol. 25 No. 6 , 855-867.
The concept of dry campuses was introduced in the 1990s. According to the law, students are not allowed to consume alcohol on the territory of the campus (Moak par. 14). Though there was an unwritten ban on alcohol consumption on campuses, there were numerous cases of injuries or even deaths associated with students drinking. The law was regarded as an effective solution to the problem. However, the law has proved to be ineffective as students still consume alcohol excessively. Therefore, it is ineffective to force students to drink less by making campuses dry but it is necessary to launch a program involving the concepts of moist campuses and particular attention to universities culture.
As has been mentioned above, the law has proved to be completely ineffective and needs revisiting. Scribner et al. note that alcohol is a factor in 40% of academic problems including 28% of dropouts in the USA (806). The researchers also claim that more than 1,800 student deaths are related to alcohol consumption (Scribner et al. 806). It is noteworthy that students still drink on campus (Moak n.p.). More so, students often leave the campus to go to the party and drink there which is associated with a variety of issues for the neighbourhood (Sanburn par. 5). Firstly, wild parties of students are noisy and often lead to certain damage to the neighbourhood. Secondly, drunk students tend to drive to their campuses form the parties and are a threat to people and property in the neighbourhood.
Therefore, it is crucial to let students have parties and consume certain amount of alcohol (so, the concept of a moist campus is introduced) (Moak par. 7). However, universities also have to pay specific attention to their culture and educators have to encourage students to focus on their academic performance and share such values as decency, pursuit of academic and career goals and so on. Students have to understand what is good and what is wrong. They have to make a responsible choice as they will understand that certain behaviour can lead to punishment (including expulsion). Developing appropriate culture and making students share particular values can be an effective solution.
Some may argue that enabling students to purchase alcohol and consume it on a campus may encourage underage drinking and lead to increase in alcohol consumption as students will be able to access alcohol easily. Nonetheless, this argument is not effective. Firstly, students are still drinking with or without the law prohibiting alcohol consumption on campus. Secondly, students drinking outside the campus are more likely to encourage underage drinking as the parties are held in neighbourhood where young people of all ages can appear (for example, high school students). Thirdly, dry campuses make it impossible to control alcohol consumption as students buy alcohol in the neighbourhood and the amount of drinks consumed is often considerable.
In conclusion, it is possible to state that the concept of dry campuses has proved to be ineffective and has to be changed to the concept of moist campuses where the alcohol selling (as well as consumption) is controlled. It is impossible to force students to drink less by forbidding drinking on campus. However, it is possible to try another strategy. It is possible to let students drink but it is essential to pose certain regulations, restrictions and, of course, sanctions. There should also be particular punishment for binge drinking and inappropriate behaviour.
Works Cited
Moak, Taylor. UK Revisiting Dry Campus Alcohol Policy. 2013. Web.
Scribner, Richard, Azmy S. Ackleh, Ben G. Fitzpatrick, Geoffrey Jacquez, eremy J. Thibodeaux, Robert Rommel and Neal Simonsen. A Systems Approach to College Drinking: Development of a Deterministic Model for Testing Alcohol Control Policies. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs 70.5 (2009): 805-821. Print.
There is a close relationship between education and development perspectives. In most cases, education entails the transfer of knowledge and skills that are substantial in the field of work and other national development concepts. This implies that, education yields understanding and skills that aid the society in eliminating the development constraints.
These constraints include poverty and gender discrimination among others. It is because of education that society can stand up and undertake actions that broadly reform the society.
Economists regard poverty as a result of inequitable social structures that need transformation. Additionally, education serves as an agent of the modest ongoing changes in the society. Therefore, it acts as a force that strengthens the political economic arrangements that prevail in the society.
The fundamental purpose of education is to legitimate the view of development as the main and economic phenomenon that occurs best in the circumstances of social and political stability. Different researchers define education differently.
Utilitarian fines education as the designed social investment that ensures that the succeeding generations assume their productive place within the socio-economic order. Contrary, economists define it as an abiding structure position that concerns the status quo on the basis of stability and continuity.
According to Apple (1995) and Clayton (2006), national education systems play a substantial role in legitimating the personal interests of those who benefit from the political and socio-economic arrangements that prevail. Samoff (2007) argues that, education is the force for transforming societal arrangement aspects that cause inequalities and social injustice.
A similar research is by Giroux (1983); Maclure (2006) and Mayo (2006). Their findings are that, the key goal of education is to address embedding inequalities and injustices that prevail in the larger society. Therefore, education drives development since everything the society does towards development is as a result of knowledge and skills that its citizens gain from education.
Critique
Several strengths and weaknesses of the paper are visible when going through the article. The article is worth publishing though there are certain aspects of the paper that need clarifications. These weaknesses can make the paper unworthy publishing. The discussion of some of the weaknesses is as follows; the authors do not clearly indicate the data collection method.
This is of significance since co-authors need to understand what lacks in the article in order to establish a way of filling the gap that exists in the same field. The second weakness of the paper is that, it does not provide additional sources where the reader can get more information on the same topic.
Providing the reader with more sources is vital in the marketing of the book. The other weakness is that, the publication of the paper is worthy, as a stand alone.
However, the article in this case is a chapter of the book in which the book incorporates other concepts that may not be of close links to the article. Finally, the article reveals both the negative part and the positive part of it. This can lead to misunderstanding the concept if the reader is not careful (Tilak, 2003).
Strengths
Despite the number of weaknesses that the article faces, there are more positive things about it. These are strengths that can lead to the publication of the article. The first strength of the article is its title. The title is exceedingly substantial in the marketing/publishing of any article. The title of the article is more appealing and carries more weight to the reader.
The content of the paper is the second strength. The article outlines each section that is vital to the reader. The article is worth publishing since it outlines the main subject in all aspects. It outlines the role of education in the development of the society.
It points out that the findings of different researchers and appreciates their efforts in addressing the problem. It further enlightens the reader on how to go about different aspects that drive development in his/her life (Abdi, 2005).
The third strength of the article is the flow of ideas in it. There is the flow of ideas that make the article interesting to the reader. In most articles where there is no flow of ideas, it makes no sense in the publication since the reader will not understand its concept. In this case, the reverse is true. The fourth strength of the article is its language.
Though most people view language as a minor element in publishing their work, it is essential that the writer considers language. This is vital since it determines the reader/audience. Therefore, the articles language can lead to its efficient marketing since the reader will understand the concept of the paper (Maclure, Sabbah, & Lavan, 2007)
How to improve the paper
Several things can be done to improve on the weakness of the paper. These will include; determining the main audience, publishing the paper on its own and incorporating research methods in the paper among others. In the article, the author should outline whom he/she is targeting in the article to avoid confusions/misunderstandings that might arise during marketing.
This will enable the author to communicate directly with the reader and get a response whether the article meets its writing intention. The other concept is writing the article as a stand alone paper. In this case, the article is one of the chapters of the book in which there is the incorporation of other chapters that may not have a close relationship with the article.
The article will be more viable if its writing and publication does not incorporate anything else. The other thing to improve on is the methodology. It will be more vital if the author incorporates both qualitative and quantitative research in drawing the conclusion. This will make sense since the article can fully instill a sense of satisfaction in the readers mind (Rassool & Canvin, 2007).
The other thing that can improve the quality of the paper is incorporating previous studies over the same subject. In this case, there is the incorporation of only four researches. This does not necessarily mean that there are limited studies in this area.
Additionally, the authors do not discuss all the findings from the studies. Some aspects that can be relevant might be left out if the paper focuses only on one or two sentences from the previous studies. Therefore, it is vital that the author incorporates almost all previous studies from the same field (Maclure, Sabbah, & Lavan, 2007).
Conclusion
It is vital to note that education is the backbone of all developments that take place in society. People should take it seriously because it is through it that there is growth of the countrys political and social economy. Education that entails the concepts of investment is also vital. This will enlighten an individual on investment projects that he/she might undertake.
This will increase an individuals capital because he/she will be able to realize high returns on the investment that he/she undertakes. Therefore, it is the knowledge and skills that one gains through education that determines his/her contribution towards the economys development. Regardless of ones age, gender or tribe among others, education is what drives change in individuals lives and society as a whole.
References
Abdi, A. A. (2005). Culture, education and development in South Africa : historical and contemporary perspectives. S.I: Information Age Publication.
Maclure, R., Sabbah, R., & Lavan, D. (2007). Issues in International development. In R. Maclure, R. Sabbah, & D. Lavan, Education and Development: The perennial contradictions of policy disclosure (pp. 399-412). New York: Dominic Morissette.
Rassool, N., & Canvin, M. (2007). Global issues in language, education, and development : perspectives from postcolonial countries. Clevedon [u.a.]: Multilingual Matters.
Tilak, J. B. (2003). Education, society, and development : national and international perspectives. New Delhi : A.P.H. Pub. Corp. For National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration.
The ever-changing scopes of trade and marketing have altered business operations across many sectors such as college education (Joshi, 2005). The world economy has been globalized in many different ways and the ever emerging market instruments have altered the scope and nature of education-resource management and learning-centered marketing in many different countries. Indeed, globalization in education has increased exchange of ideas and market expansion for many schools and universities in many countries like Australia and its trade-blocks. In many different ways, various marketers have argued that the practice of restricting a schools client base to the notion of nation-state and traditional methods of education is nearly being overturned by the current trade patterns and market-driven educational demands (Kegan & Wagner, 2006).
In a nutshell, the findings of this research have justified the often-mentioned empirical conclusion that the scope of higher education is changing. What has come into view is that various economic demands and enabling socio-political atmospheres as well as the widespread adoption of technology have created new platforms for local and international educational processes and needs for the modern-day university. Clearly, the Federation University Australia (FeUA) seems to have recognized that a schools visibility and marketing progress are limited when it faces its challenges as a single entity and within the traditional measures of education. Two, while the school still needs to improve on its teaching strategies, the marketing practices and students demands seem to have changed in Australias educational sector.
These changes have affected marketing trends and student options in relation to the schools local and international educational challenges. Three, schools such as the Federation University of Australia are now positioning themselves as entities propped up by the desire to achieve higher levels of market competiveness and more international relevance. Indeed, in the new international trade environment and educational processes, service provision in many schools has become unavoidable targets for the widely-acclaimed purposes of value addition. Unsurprisingly, however, some marketing (learning measures) and perception-boosting plans have not led to the desired outcomes. Four, based upon the scrutiny of various valid responses, it is evident that the majority of the sampled population had issues regarding the manner in which the teaching methods, as marketing strategies for the school, are being handled.
Five, the growing relevance of online tutorials and courses in the Federation University Australia is unlikely to be reversed. It appears that a number of students prefer learning through online tutorials rather than attending face-to-face lectures. This reality matches the views advanced by Carr (2011) that the scope and demands of todays lifestyles, which have been heightened by advanced information technological discoveries and the widespread use of the Internet, are reducing the relevance of face-to-face lectures and communication. Six, there seems to a disproportionate level of satisfaction among students of the Federation University Australia when it comes to learning methodologies. On average, it appears, only 46% out of the customers (students) sampled were fully satisfied with the quality and standards of services they received from the schools face-to-face and online teaching methods.
Seven, measures such as the use of technology, lecturer-resource references, integration of various teaching methods, delays in graduation for some students, student learning pressures and availability of critical reading materials as well as the lack of timely educational programs responses are generating controversies.
Research Topic and Questions
In many ways, a range of policies have been formulated to address the ever-deteriorating educational standards of schools in many parts of the world (Moll, 2004). Partly, these polices have been tailored around marketing and service provision aimed at boosting students perceptions of their learning institutions (Ravenscroft, 2007). Like in most business entities, organizations within the education sector require well-thought-out measures to enhance their overall success (Kegan & Wagner, 2006). In fact, for many businesses, strategies relating to the manner in which marketing and perception management are developed achieve competitive advantages (Babin, Lowe, Ward, Winzar, & Zickmund, 2014). In the end, as an element of education-change-management measure, many researchers have suggested that various strategies should be embraced to create many graduates who are better equipped for gainful employment and improved college attendance (Zwick, 2004).
However, what has clearly emerged is that actions aimed at improving student enrolment rates and college turnouts have not always produced the desired levels of student perception and growth in many schools (Moll, 2004). In spite of this acclaimed opinion, many recent and past researches indicate that there is a relationship between improved learning-based marketing and student enrolment rates (Ravenscroft, 2007). In a sense, the policy that advocates for an increase in a better student-centered service provision in schools have led to better academic performances and improved enrolment rates in various schools (Zwick, 2004).
To this extent, the number of returns for graduates have increased just as there has been a rise in the number of students enrolling in such schools (Moll, 2004). More interestingly, however, is the relationship between online teaching and the adoption of the Internet in boosting student performance and satisfaction. Although concerns around the effectiveness and relevance of such learning measures have been raised in many educational initiatives, the effects that they have on traditional university teaching programs continue to create controversies (Albarran, 2013). The extent to which the emergence of online courses continues to influence educational processes against face-to-face lectures is a source of concern.
Progressively, however, it is becoming less necessary for learners to visit physical libraries or consult lecturers on a one-on-one basis for their course work assignments and reading needs (Appel, 2011). Today, online students are able to get instant data on nearly all subjects through various search engines like Google (Arsham, 2011).
In fact, the emergence of online courses has led to the formulation of various distance learning programs in universities. To this end, the nature of traditional universities continues to change (Appel, 2011). According to Arsham (2011), an Internet-addicted student is more likely to hop from one e-book website to the other. While this multi-screening may be a crisis, it is a suitable way of reading diverse texts at the same time (Henke, 2001). In spite of how some commentators have argued against it, the practice of multi-screen reading seems to be an inescapable new learning method in most universities. In any case, many new e-books are encouraging young readers to delve into more published facts (Albarran, 2013).
Based on the emerging research evidence and perceived student satisfaction-dissatisfaction levels at the Federation University Australia, this research paper focuses on a number of marketing issues. The specific research questions include:
What is the relationship between the various modes of study and student perceptions on learning-service-provision measures within the Federation University Australia? How does this affect marketing measures for the university?
To what extent is the use of computer-mediated technologies and adoption of the Internet affecting student performance and perception of educational services offered in the university?
What is the most preferred teaching method between face-to-face lectures and online tutorials as suitable marketing strategies for the school?
What are the major issues of concern for students in the Federation University Australia?
All these questions are related to the hypothesis that there is a gap between the schools teaching methodologies and students expectations.
Data Analysis, Results and Discussions
A stratified method of data analysis has been used. This method is suitable because it allows for the subdivision of samples into important variables. Moreover, to achieve a balanced analysis, the paper focuses on evaluating different pieces of information. In some instances, an average of specific data is analyzed. Where necessary, however, an average of such data is tabulated to meet the demands of the studys main objectives and to answer the research questions. It should be noted from the outset that the information drawn out of the administered questionnaires have been analyzed and evaluated critically. On the whole, most of the questionnaires were found to be valid for analysis. The figure below shows the validity (usability) of the questionnaires.
Fig 1: Questionnaire Respondents and Validity.
The Suitability of the Current Marketing (Learning Strategies) for Federation University Australia (FeUA)
Relating to the scope of the research questions, various students of the Federation University Australia (FeUA) are affected directly or indirectly by the marketing strategies (teaching/learning methods) employed by the school. Based upon various valid responses, it is evident that a majority of the sampled population (disaggregated by gender) had various issues regarding the nature and manner in which the teaching methods, as marketing strategies for the school, are formulated and handled. To be sure, many students are reasonably dissatisfied with the way in which some teaching programs such as student-centered assignments are being handled. More than a half of the respondents have various concerns on the seemingly poor manner in which face-to-face and online learning strategies in the school are implemented to achieve their intended goals.
Fig 2: Suitability of the employed marketing (teaching/learning) strategies.
From the figure above, it is evident that 64% of the respondents are concerned with the schools face-to-face lecture learning (marketing) strategies. This reality raises a number of concerns on the actual suitability of some of the learning methods, particularly lecture-student reference methods used as marketing strategies. The 36% respondents who reported to have been fully satisfied with the used marketing (learning) strategies constitute a very small proportion largely because of the changing needs of university education and student sensitivity to global demands. In any case, the role of online-based learning in increasing the availability of reading materials seems to be affecting the role of traditional-lecture methods in university education (Carr, 2013).
Customer (Student) Satisfaction Levels
The level of satisfaction and dissatisfaction among students of the Federation University Australia seem disproportionate when it comes to learning methodologies. On average, it appears, only 46% out of the customers sampled are fully satisfied with the quality and standards of services they receive from the schools face-to-face and online teaching methods. A number of reasons should be attributed to this high level of customer dissatisfaction despite the teaching efforts and the seemingly widespread adoption of technology aimed at boosting quality of services. In other words, customer-loyalty services are not at the level where they are supposed to be. The table below shows the aggregated data on student (customer) satisfaction levels.
Category
Percentage
Partially Satisfied Customers/Students
35%
Fully Satisfied Customers/Students
46%
Students/Customers Not Satisfied At All
10%
Students/Customers with Indifferent Views
8%
Fig 3: Customer/Student Satisfaction Levels.
For a school like the Federation University Australia, a total customer satisfaction level of 46% is not good enough for a meaningful future progress and perception-boosting and marketing-enhancement purposes. A total dissatisfaction level of 10% appears to be very high and a clear indicator of the need to analyze the actual causes of the schools measures that contribute to such customer displeasure. Ultimately, of course, various issues could be attributed to the needs and desires of students in a globally competitive world.
Customers Major Concerns
Various issues have been raised by the schools customers/students. Some of the issues raised seem to be very critical for both the schools progress and the overall success of other universities operating in Australia. Issues such as the use of technology, lecturer-resource references, integration of various teaching methods, delays in graduation for some students, student learning pressures and unavailability of critical reading materials and lack of timely learning responses in relation to various educational programs seem to be generating controversies.
Concern
Percentage
Use of technology
39%
Lecturer-resource reference
10%
Challenges of Integrating various teaching methods
10%
Graduation delays
5%
Inadequate learning responses
6%
Figure 4: Students Major Concerns.
Moreover, even though there seems to be robust research findings meant to benefit the school, problems such as resistance to change, refusal to share information and ideas, school management bureaucracy and the overall cost of implementing some of the research findings could greatly hinder the implementation process. The existence of various student concerns should, however, necessitate that the universitys administrative and teaching staff consider some of the recommendations made in the efforts geared towards making the school more competitive.
Conclusions and Recommendations
Conclusions
The conclusions drawn and the recommendations made in this reflective research are not plucked from the air. All of them relate to the studys empirical evidence as adduced from the study and the relevant theoretical frameworks. Any conclusions or recommendations mentioned here and which might have been mentioned in other researches could only imply that they have stronger empirical justifications. Based on the research evidence and analysis, a number of conclusions can be drawn. One, the major marketing strategies that are used by the school includes the utilization of certain competitive advantages such as location, adequate defensive strategies and the dynamic product management strategies.
Two, it is evident that various components of the marketing mix (4Ps) have been addressed differently by the Federation University of Australia (Moloney, 2006). In a way, the product that has been developed by the Federation University Australia ensures that customers marketing needs are met to a reasonable extent. Based on the needs of the students, the teaching programs seem to have been developed to realize customized services to clients. However, the school has not responded to the challenges of the prevailing market and needs of the customers. In spite of this, the costs of service provision seem to be moderated to ensure that customers are not exploited.
Three, most universities including the Federation University Australia have focused more on the traditional methods of training human capital. While the use of lecture methods has been common in many universities, its use in almost total isolation seems to be affecting the desired student satisfaction levels negatively. Three, while the school still needs to improve on its teaching strategies, the marketing practices and student demands seem to have changed.
Recommendations
In order to ensure that actual success and benefits of this research process is attained, this paper makes a number of recommendations. The key recommendations are as follows:
One, the Federation University Australia (FeUA) should establish a task force to assess the various concerns raised in this paper. To this end, the focus should be tailored around service distribution models. The distribution marketing models are different channels that need to be employed in a business to identify how a customers needs could be best addressed (Babin et al., 2014). This model is best employed through a market research that identifies the needs of clients (in this case, student) and analyzes the prevailing market trends (Kegan & Wagner, 2006).
Relevant technologies are then designed to meet the identified customer-needs distribution strategies such as the use of brokers and retailers. In the case of the Federation University Australia, the use of student leaders as brokers will be more appropriate. In the end, both indirect and direct marketing distribution channels should be employed by the school (Joshi, 2005).
The implementation of the above recommendation requires special attention because distribution channels are normally aligned to customer-purchase patterns and contexts (Moloney, 2006). For the school, local distribution channels should be planned in accordance with the Australian socio-economic outlook but the international channels should be based on the probability of success in the global sphere. In the event that the scope of the distribution becomes limited to a single intermediary, the use of periodic research findings will be in order. At any rate, the implementation of influential marketing distribution models should result into wider customer bases, better market coverage and increased levels of sales (Kegan & Wagner, 2006).
Two, some of the marketing strategies (teaching methods) used by the school and which do not substantially benefit students should be done away with and very competitive strategies put in place. One of the ways to achieve this is by interrogating various integrative strategies employed in educational processes to overhaul the over-use or restrictive use of testing methods. In any case, Zwick (2004) suggests that a test can never be good enough to determine what decision is good for all schools and students.
A case in point is that some tests that gauge a student performance have inaccuracies and are designed to foster learning which is devoid of social, intellectual and emotional developmental aspects in education (Moll, 2004). Studies also show that some tests that evaluate extents of student morale in schools are insufficiently validated and construed. In the long run, students who are exposed to standardized tests only are often inattentive during class lessons and record poor academic performances (Kohn, 2009).
Three, the use of technology as teaching methods should be enhanced. One way through which this should be done is by offering every student with compulsory computer-textbook laptops. In any case, personal student laptop computers have some indispensable advantages. While they limit meaningful evaluation of a students achievements, they make learning resources more accessible (Kohn, 2009).
What remains debatable is their responsiveness to todays socio-economic needs that emphasize assessment-based learning. Despite this limitation, individual student laptop computers enable teachers to make quick follow-ups to ensure that students undertake their assignments. Within a short time, teachers are able to gauge a students performance in instructional groups and boost their learning interests within a particular school (Ravenscroft, 2007). Besides, it addresses the problem of up-to-date scarcity of books in most schools (Kohn, 2009). While the use of computer laptops in university education has been controversial, various researchers have suggested that the strategy should be embraced to create graduates who are better equipped for gainful employment and technology-based education (Carr, 2013).
Four, the teaching and learning methods employed by the university ought to be tailored more on Customer Relationship Management (CRM). This implies that they should be student-driven. At any rate, the management of the relationship between a business organization and its customers is one of the very influential marketing tasks. CRM refers to the methodologies, processes, skills, software and at times the Internet capabilities that are always employed for an organization to manage and boost the response of its customers in an organized manner. According to Joshi (2005), CRM helps in the formation of a very individualized relationship between customers and a business enterprise (Joshi, 2005).
Often, such a relationship leads to the provision of high-quality services and products to the most profitable customers. Good CRM ensure that an organizations employees get timely and vital information regarding the clients needs and wants. In the end, the employees (in this case, teachers) will be in a position to work towards responding to clients needs (Moloney, 2006).
Besides, there is a need for improved communication strategy. To build strong relationships with customers (students), regular updates on learning methods through the emails and short messages would be appropriate. Moreover, different online-promotional messages could generate better perceptions/attitudes among customers.
References
Albarran, A. (2013). The social media industries. New York: Routledge. Web.
Appel, E. (2011). Internet searches for vetting, investigations, and open-source Intelligence. Boca Raton: Taylor and Francis Group. Web.
Arsham, H. (2011). Impact of the Internet on learning and teaching. USDLA Journal, 16 (3), 153-508. Web.
Carr, N. (2013). The shallows: How the Internet is changing the way we think, read and remember. London: Atlantic Books Limited. Web.
Henke, H. (2001). Electronic books and e-publishing: A Practical guide for authors. New York: Springer. Web.
Joshi, R. (2005). The business of marketing at international levels. New Delhi: Oxford University Press. Web.
Kegan, R., & Wagner, T. (2006). Change leadership: A practical guide to transforming our schools. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Web.
Kohn, A. (2009). Technology and its victims in schools. Journal of Education, 23 (2), 453-465. Web.
Moll, M. (2004). Passing the test: The false promises of standardized testing. Ottawa: Canadian Center for Policy Alternatives. Web.
Moloney, C. (2006). Winning loyalty and trust: Business best tools, practices and business Techniques. London: Routledge. Web.
Ravenscroft, A. (2007). Promoting thinking and conceptual change with digital dialogue games. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 23 (2), 453-465. Web.
Thompson, P. (2003). Crafting and the execution of business strategy: A text book reading. Melbourne: Wiley and Sons. Web.
Zwick, R. (2004). Re-thinking the SAT: The future of standardized testing in university admissions. New York: Routledge-Falmer. Web.
Based on the literature, the development of the modern American university during the period 1890 to 1910 can be termed as the foundation for todays university. The birth of the modern American university might have experienced great growth, but nowadays there is all reason to believe that this growth is not felt because of concerns about low graduation rates from institutions of higher learning. This paper aims to create a better understanding of the changes that took place in higher education in the late 19th century by describing the modern university that emerged.
Thelin (2011) gives an account of the characteristics defining the modern-day American University. These characteristics emerged towards the end of the 19th century. The great universities of America had a strong financial base that enabled them to propel to new heights. The existence of presidential figures to link the university to external industrial and political worlds has been beneficial. Besides, a great network of professors, who are deemed as experts in their fields of specialization get involved in professional bodies and groups, as well as in publications. Engagement in such activities is commensurate with Goldins and Katzs (1998) indication that research university was one of the dimensions in which the American university evolved. Gradation became an important concept in the creation of a university professoriate. Unlike in the years before 1890 when there was a flux of both nomenclature for and areas of study, the university curriculum changed, and there were clearly defined departments (Renker, 200, p. 843). The American literature was one department that bloomed during this formative 1890 to 1910 period. Besides, there was some level of specialization as individuals pursued masters and Ph.D. degree programs in specific fields (Thelin, 2011).
The Committee of Ten declared that high school should aim at preparing intellectually capable students for postsecondary education. The committee agreed that education in the U.S. would be defined by eight years in elementary school and four years in secondary school. High schools were asked to provide both classical and contemporary programs. Classical programs included Latin and Greek classical studies while the contemporary programs utilized modern languages and English. Arts, music, vocational education, and physical indication were not given importance. High school was meant to prepare students for life after school irrespective of the nature of the program. This curriculum is still adopted by some schools in the United States (Martin & Loomis, 2014, p. 270).
The formative periods between 1890 and 1940, even before the boom of federal funding, higher education, and the development of the G.I. Bill saw the growth in scale and scope of higher education institutions. During this time, research activities increased, states provided financial support to higher education, and the public sector experienced exponential growth compared with the private sector (Goldin & Katz, 1998). States that had ignored the welfare of their institutions of higher learning began to support them. Differences in federal support to institutions of higher learning across states stem from the differences in public support per capita that were experienced at the end of the 19th century. Funding of institutions of higher learning-enabled enrollment of students from less privileged backgrounds into these institutions. The paper by Goldin and Katz (1998) aims to discuss the industrial and political economy shifts in higher education, and the associated reasons and consequences.
Haigh (2005) sees higher education as a pillar of sustainable development. The article talks of the UN Resolution 57/254 as a means to foster development by inviting governments to integrate education into the various employment opportunities for sustainable development. This move is triggered by the idea of an ideal university, which is deemed as the foundation for every economy. During the period 1890 to 1910, the university grew tremendously through federal grants, and the main focus was on research and publications. Subsequently, there was an increased number of students in public universities, and an increased dispatch of personnel to the relevant mining and manufacturing industries (Goldin & Katz, 1998).
Thelin comprehensively defines the new practices that defined the modern American university. The same expansion that saw the growth of the university between 1890 and 1910 is the same expansion that has integrated environmental sustainability into the entire curriculum of higher education. The essence is to ensure that all disciplines take part in ensuring the environment stays safe to avoid losing future opportunities.
References
Goldin, C., & Katz, L. (1998). The shaping of higher education: The formative years in the United States, 1890 to 1940. Working Paper 6537. Cambridge: National Bureau of Economic Research.
Haigh, M. (2005). Greening the University Curriculum: Appraising an International Movement. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 29(1), 31-48.
Martin, D., & Loomis, K. (2014). Building Teachers: A Constructivist Approach to Introducing Education (2nd ed.). Belmont: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
Renker, W. (2000). American literature in the college curriculum: Three case studies, 1890-1910. English Literary History, 67(3), 843-871.
Thelin, J. (2011). A history of American Higher Education (2nd ed.). Baltimore: The John Hopkins University Press.
A number of theories have been developed to explain adult learning. Learning refers to a relatively permanent change in behavior (Brooks 2005, p. 8). Adult learning theories provide insight into how adults learn. They can facilitate the development of an effective training program (Brooks 2005, p. 8). This essay examines three theories of adult learning in the workplace.
Andragogy Theory
Malcolm Knowles developed andragogy theory in 1980 (Colan 2010, p. 12). He developed the theory by identifying five factors that motivate adult learning. According to Knowles, adults are independent learners capable of directing their own learning, they possess a reservoir of life experiences, and are willing to learn when faced with new challenges (Colan 2010, p. 12). Adults are also eager to apply new knowledge immediately because of intrinsic motivation (Colan 2010, pp. 12-13). Andragogy has greatly influenced the practice of adult learning. However, some of the theorys principles are not exclusive to adult learning (Colan 2010, pp. 13-15).
Andragogy theory can be very useful in my training design. First, the theory proposes that adult learners are intrinsically motivated; hence, they are cooperative (Colan 2010, p. 23). Second, the theory stipulates that adults learn by doing. Therefore, the training design will have practical activities that aim at enabling adult learners to apply new knowledge. However, the theory is broad-based; hence, difficult to employ in all trainings (Colan 2010, p. 24).
Action Learning Theory
Reg Revans developed the action learning theory in 1984 (Dorothy & Johnson 2009, p. 46). Revans argues that learning should be action oriented. Therefore, learning requires both programmed knowledge and a questioning insight (Dorothy & Johnson 2009, p. 45). Revans developed the theory based on the following assumptions. First, adult learners should be organized into small groups and a learning coach selected for each group (Dorothy & Johnson 2009, p. 46). Second, the learning coaches should also form a group from which an overall group leader is chosen (Dorothy & Johnson 2009, p. 47). The overall group leader acts as a facilitator during the learning process.
Action learning theory has been used for a long period. Therefore, it has proved to be highly effective. It provides adult learners with a chance to direct their own learning (Dorothy & Johnson 2009, p. 47). The theory will be suitable for my training design because it is ideal for finding solutions to problems that do not have a particular answer (Dorothy & Johnson 2009, pp. 47-48). Therefore, individuals can learn from each other while in the small groups. However, reliability across all groups might be unattainable.
Experiential Learning Theory
David Kolb developed the experiential learning theory in 1984 (Brooks 2005, p. 13). He proposed a four-stage learning process. The four stages include concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation (Brooks 2005, p. 13). According to Kolb, the learning process can begin at any of the four stages (Brooks 2005, p. 14). The theory provides a holistic model of learning (Brooks 2005, pp. 14-15).
Experiential learning theory can suit my training design because it emphasizes reflection during the learning process. However, it might be challenging to assess learning outcomes using this theory.
Conclusion
From the preceding discussion, adult learning theories can enable a trainer to design an effective training program, which is capable of enhancing employees productivity.
References
Brooks, J 2005, Training and Development, Kogan Press, London. Web.
Colan, J 2010, Adult Learning, Oxford University Press, London. Web.
Dorothy, M & Johnson, J 2009, Action Learning: A Guide to Professional Management, Gulf Publishing Company, Houston. Web.
Quality education is one of the public goods that every nation endeavors to deliver to its citizens by enacting relevant education policies. While in many nations including Canada, basic education is delivered by the state at much subsidized costs, financing post-secondary education causes people to dig deep into their pockets both in the developing and developed world.
From an economist perspective, increasing the prices of public goods has the impact of reducing the demand for the public good. In this sense, increasing the fees for post-secondary education would mean a reduction in the accessibility levels. This paper seeks to provide a response as to whether this economic view applies for the case of Canadian post-secondary education.
Impacts of increasing tuition fees on accessibility to post-secondary education in Canada
Affordability limits accessibility levels
Hiking of fees for post-secondary education makes it only affordable by the wealthy people. This claim means that the less fortunate people would not have equal accessibility levels with the more fortunate members of the society (Kirby 268).
Indeed, over the last 15 years, the tuition fee paid by Canadians has grown to thresholds that make fees account for the largest expense that is encountered by university and other higher education institutions students. This hiking has been attributed to cutting down public funding on post-secondary education by the federal government (Coelli 1072) and provincial governments (Easton and Rockerbie 194).
Over the last two decades in Canada, a sharp cut from 84 percent to 57 percent on post secondary funding from the public kitty has been experienced. Over the same period, tuition fees grew on an upwards trend right from 14 percent of operating funding to over 34 percent (Coelli 1081).
This growth produces multiple impacts on the affordability of post-secondary education when compounded with a reduction in public spending on post secondary education. The overall effect of the reduction of funding of post-secondary education by the federal and provincial governments is that post-secondary education has shifted from a public-focused model to a more privatized fee model.
Consequently, a rapid increment of fees without necessarily being accompanied by increased economic wellbeing of the Canadians makes the accessibility to post-secondary education fragmented and segregated based on peoples economic status. Hence, increasing tuition fees makes post-secondary education less affordable for middle and low-income households in Canada.
Relationship between debt level and post secondary education completion rates
Although a reduction of public funding on post-secondary education has the impact of making low and middle-income families have limited accessibility to education as argued above, some critics argue that such families can still gain access to the education through debts.
Their point is that the costs of education can be transferred into some future time meaning that increasing tuition fees would have minimal or even no impacts on the accessibility levels if the students would have accessibility to government and or other sources of educational loans (Finnie 156).
While the above argument remains valid, research on the impacts of high tuition fees on post-secondary accessibility proves otherwise. For instance, Statistics Canada reports that low income families students are less than a half as likely to participate in university than those from high incomes families (17).
In further support of this finding, Statistics Canada and Human Resources and Skills Development Canada conducted yet another research referred to as youth transition survey on which it found out that amongst the reasons cited by secondary school graduates for not participating in post secondary education was related to financial reasons (156).
British Columbia researcher by the name Lori McElroy echoed similar results in his study that found out students with little or no debt were more than twice as likely to finish their degree as students with high levels of debt (McElroy 5). Based on these findings, debt levels are negatively correlated with post-secondary completion rates.
Therefore, even though many people may consider funding the otherwise expensive post-secondary education with the readily accessible credit, risks associated with the credit may make people shun away from indulging in credit commitments in their pursuit of post-secondary education.
The above argument is not only supported by the discussed scholarly results within Canada. Elsewhere in the world, for instance in the US, similar results are obtained. For example, the University of California researchers based in Lose Angeles found, for every $1,000 increase in tuition fees, enrolment rates dropped by 15 percent (Kane 11).
Kanes study further demonstrated, decrease in enrolment was composed almost exclusively from minority and low-income students (Kane 12). Putting these results in the Canadian context, Canadian Association of University Teachers conducted an analysis of long-term effects of increasing tuition fees as a proportion of after tax income in Canada (205).
The research found out that increasing tuition fees produced the most pronounced impacts on the poor people in Canada. This case implies that accessibility of credit for funding post-secondary education whose fees has been on the rise for the last two decades does not reduce the impacts that high tuition fees has on accessibility levels to post-secondary education.
Bursaries and loans have mild impacts on absorption of negative impacts on high tuition fees
Before the implementation of the education policy, every government will have evaluated the short-term and long-terms impact of the policy. In the US and Canada among other nations, the government is aware that the rising of tuition fees would obviously have negative implications.
For instance, according to Finnie, the Charest government planned to reinvest 35 percent on the total amount of money generated through hiked post secondary education on bursaries and loans through the financial aid program (159).
The reinvestments are meant to ensure that those students who already have accessibility to bursaries would get more funding through bursaries and loans coupled with attracting more loan and bursary recipients.
Since post-secondary bursaries allocation in Canada is done based on proof of the need of financial aid, application of this idea would mean leveraging the impact of the rise in tuition fees on the middle and low-income families to bring them at par with students from wealthy families.
Putting in place such a strategy would mean exploration of exclusion policies based on financial endowment of the Canadians. Bearing in mind 40% of parents, independently of their revenue, do not help their children financially during their studies (Finnie 161), the impacts of such an exclusion policy are expected to be spectacular before the public eyes.
The argument here is that financial aid in response of the impacts of the financial hike on the accessibility of post-secondary education among middle and low-income households would not aid in the absorption of the resulting negative impacts of the fees hike.
If the financial aid program is to absorb a significant amount of negative impacts of post-secondary education fee hikes, it needs to apply to all students irrespective of their financial status.
Being a post-graduate does not necessarily mean having the power to finance education that is more expensive
The notions behind increasing fees for postgraduates rest on the platforms of the argument that people with an advanced degree have the ability to earn more during their work lifespan in relation to the low-skilled people. For this reason, justification is made for escalating international students, PhD, and masters degree students fees (McElroy 13).
In this context, McElroy argues that universities in Canada have over exaggerated the earning of advanced degree holders in pursuit of higher fees (13). This exaggeration makes post-secondary education institutions charge fees beyond the market expectation and capability. Therefore, few graduates would seek access to post-graduate education.
Basing the reason for increasing fees for postgraduate education on the assumption that post-graduates earn more in the labor market is flawed since it ignores that they also pay more incomes taxes, which in one way or another land in the basket for paying the costs of post-secondary education.
The underlying argument is that, irrespective of the targeted population seeking post-secondary education in Canada by high fees, the accessibility to post-secondary education is influenced either directly or indirectly. The condition is shoddier for intercontinental and higher-grade students.
As Kirby confirms, While undergraduates, unlike the graduates, are not enrolled all year round, they do not pay fees during the months of summer (273). Compared to alumnae, those still in college and or universities do not only have to disburse lower tuition charges but also disburse less charges for during a usual winter and fall school program.
In 2010, international students had their tuition fees increased by 5.2 percent in Canada. Such an increase is prohibitive to accessing post-secondary education in Canada by the international students. Therefore, the more the tuition fess is hiked for graduate and international students, the more the chances of losing accessibility to Canadian post-secondary education.
From the Veroniques argument, tuition hikes in the 1990s in the rest of Canada had decreased the participation in post-secondary education for youths from families earning less than $75 000 per year (Para. 4), increase in tuition fees for undergraduates would mean a pronounced negative impact on post-secondary education accessibility levels.
Conclusion
Therefore, based on the expositions made in the paper, it suffices to point out that, in the effort to build a skilled human resource capital base in Canada, post-secondary education is inevitable. Knowledgeable people have low felony rates, improved public activities, and reduced expenditures on health matters.
In the modern Canada, a university degree is becoming almost a primary requirement for full participation of the citizens in the economy. Based on these benefits of post-secondary education, it would be almost imperative to presume that post-secondary education needs to be made easily accessible in Canada for all people irrespective of their social economic backgrounds.
Unfortunately, as argued in the paper, this is not the case. Over the last two decades, there have been rising tuition fees for post-secondary education institutions in Canada. The paper held that, for all levels of education (postgraduate, graduate, and even undergraduate), increasing tuition fees has had the impact of reducing accessibility to the respective post-secondary education level.
Works Cited
Canadian Association of University Teachers. The Economics of Access: The Fiscal Reality of PSE Costs for Low-Income Families. CAUT Education Review 8.2(2006): 205-217. Print.
Coelli, Michael. Tuition fees and equality of university enrollment. Canadian Journal of Economics 42.3(2009): 1072-1099. Print.
Easton, Stephen, and Duane Rockerbie. Optimal government subsidies to universities in the face of tuition and enrollment constraints. Education Economics 16.2(2008): 191-201. Print.
Finnie, Ross. Student loans, student financial aid and post-secondary education in Canada. Journal of Higher education Policy & Management 24.2(2002): 155-170. Print.
Kane, Thomas. The Price of Admission: Rethinking How Americans Pay for College. California: University of California Press, 2003. Print.
Kirby, Dale. Strategies for widening access in a quasi-market higher education environment: recent developments in Canada. Higher Education 62.3(2011): 267-278. Print.
McElroy, Lori. Student Aid and University Persistence: Does Debt Matter? Montreal: Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation, 2005. Print.
Statistics Canada and Human Resources and Skills Development Canada. At a Crossroads: First Results for the 18 to 20-Year-old Cohort of the Youth in Transition Survey. Higher Education 12.1(2002):156-169. Print.
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Veronique, Lisa. Give up university education? Together lets stop the hike, 2012. Web.
