Brand Image of a University

INTRODUCTION Origin of Report As a part of our Marketing 465, Brand Management course, we learnt the various aspects of marketing and the management of brands. Problem and Purpose We were assigned a project where we were asked to find out the brand image of private university business graduates; and more specifically, the brand image of North South University, its positioning and state any improvements if necessary. Scope and Limitations The main limitation of this project was the lack of time required to carry out the type of research this project requires. Historical Background †¦ Hypothesis We hoped to establish that North South University is the best private university in Bangladesh. Research Methodology As stated previously, due to the lack of time we were not able to conduct the type of in-depth research that this project required. Instead the basis of our research were a set of in-depth interviews we carried out among various categories of people, such as current students of North South University, alumni, guardians, faculties, prospective/current employers, students of other universities, faculties of other universities, the University Grants Commission, prospective students, and the general public. There were sets of questions (See Appendix) for the various categories, and interviews were taken accordingly. THE SURVEY Findings Current Student For the current students who study at North South University, this is the best alternative for us after IBA and going abroad for studies. It’s the pioneer private university in Bangladesh, and quite popular. Even though through the years the quality of NSU has diminished, there are too many students taken in, and especially through the â€Å"backdoor† policy, and it’s become really unfair to those who work hard. However, NSU still has a lot of good name, and people do have goodwill towards it. Alumni According to the questions asked to Alumni of North South University, they believe that NSU’s graduates have an advantage over other graduates of other schools because they are more fluent in English, smart, and easily adaptable with the organizational environment. Guardians According to guardians of students studying in North South University, they believe that NSU graduates will be able to have: Jobs in MNC, monetary benefit, and be able to finish graduation quickly. They also believe that NSU is highly competitive, has the best educational quality, and the best faculty. Faculties According to faculties believe that NSU is a good university but not as good as IBA. This is because IBA concentrates more on practical fieldwork, where NSU is still lacking. Another factor they said that NSU has very short semesters, so faculties aren’t able to cover their topics completely. However, NSU students have good presentation skills, are intelligent and also street smart. Employers Certain employers believe that the graduates that come out of NSU are very hot-headed and pompous, and many of them have high CGPAs but cannot even communicate properly in the English language. NSU is believed to be the next best alternative to IBA. IBA might have worse teachers, but their student intake is much better. Students of other universities Students of other universities believe that a private university’s business program provides better job opportunities. Private universities are more efficient than pubic universities. North South University is very popular and quite sought after. University staff The university staff believes that the environment of NSU is not good. They brought up issues regarding clothing and student’s behaviour. They think students are very rude and disrespectful. University Grants Commission There are several factors through which the UGC grants a university, it focuses on infrastructure, faculties, how much money there is in the fund to make their own campus etc. Then in order to rank a university, they see how many students compete for a single seat during the admission process, the value of the certificate in the job sector, the quality of the faculties and the quality of the students. A complaint they made is that all universities are expected to shift to their new campus within 5 years of establishment, but none of the private universities have been able to do so. Prospective Students Most of the prospective students we interviewed, around the age of 16-18, none of them want to come to NSU. They believe that NSU is becoming too overrated and crowded. They would either try for abroad, or a public university, and then try for a private university. General Public In the eyes of the general public, NSU is still very sought after and considered a very good place for education. It’s only the people who are direct recipients of NSU’s output, the students and the employers who are affected the most. NSU students are seen are very culturally â€Å"fast† and ignorant. Conclusion After research we can conclude that academically, the students of NSU are good but there are behavioral and attitude problems among themselves. They’re more ignorant about what’s going on outside of NSU and they’re very pompous and they lack professionalism in the corporate world. There are a certain percentage of students who create a bad image for NSU, so most students are slammed with this label as well. But NSU comprises of all types of students from various social and economical backgrounds and not all are bad. Recommendations Alumni: Teaching method should be more practical based Internship in a good organization is very important. CPDS of NSU should be efficient enough to manage their graduates’ internship in a good organization NSU should organize more and more seminar, workshop regarding different organizational issues. University staff correct English grammar in both reading and writing environmental discipline cultural discipline manner build up moral character dress code study more Employers NSU should increase their employability NSU’s image is of No. 2, they should raise it to No. 1 NSU should move on to the researching level and provide consultancy to the different companies. Most foreign universities do consultancy work for companies on their countries. It really sets the standard for good quality education. Universities should talk to employers and brush up on the curriculum NSU should go for downward extension and start from the grassroots level. They should create primary and secondary level education so that the students go directly to the university level.