Use of the Marketing Mix in Transnational Higher Education Institutions: A Literature Review

Abstract

Organizations offering graduate degree programs nowadays have to devise measures to differentiate them from others in the market as there is intense competition. Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) offering graduate studies programs, specifically those in the Transnational Education (TNE) industry, need to be abreast of their target markets and environments’ changing preferences and expectations. The study used an integrative literature review to analyze readily 35 journal articles on marketing mix to support Transnational HEIs. The sources came from research databases such as Google Scholar, Directory of Open Access journals, business publications, and other websites. Results show that HEIs are expected to take on a customer-focused marketing approach to attract more students with commercialization and stiff competition.  Creating an appropriate marketing mix in line with the target audience and intended purpose has proven useful for HEIs’ marketing strategy. The study concludes that formulating an effective marketing mix strategy is one of the keys to TNE providers’ sustainable growth.