Benefits of International Education: Chinese Students' Perspective, Slides of Marketing

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The Decision to Study Abroad

-What Benefits are the Chinese Student Looking for?

Kristianstad University Master Thesis in Marketing Summer 2009

Tutor: Christer Ekelund Examiner: Jens Hultman

Author: Lisa Källström

ABSTRACT

Title: The Decision to Study Abroad - What Benefits is the Chinese Student Looking for?

Author: Lisa Källström

Tutor: Christer Ekelund

Problem: To be able to be successful in attracting international students it is necessary to understand why students choose to study abroad. Students engage in international education because they are looking for certain benefits, but which are these benefits? Does different students want different things and how well does Sweden deliver the sought after benefits? Does the introduction of a tuition fee influence the students’ decision?

Purpose: The study, both theoretically and empirically, investigates what lays behind the decision to take part in an international education with focus on what benefits associated with an international education that are important for students.

Methodolgy: A prestudy was conducted to create an understanding of the topic. The theoretical conclusions are tested with the help of questionnaires distributed at Hangzhou Dianzi University in China.

Conclusions: A conclusive summary is set up which lists the most important benefits with international education. The empirical study shows that improved English, culture experience, the university’s reputation and that the country offers a safe environment are key benefits influencing Chinese students to study abroad.

Keywords: international education, decision making process, benefits

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• ABSTRACT
• TABLE OF CONTENTS
• 1. INTRODUCTION
• 1.1 Background
• 1.2 Problem Discussion and Research Questions
• 1.3 Purpose
• 1.4 Limitations
• 1.5 Disposition
• 2. METHODOLOGY
• 2.1 Introduction to the Choice of Methodology
• 2.2 Scientific Approach and Philosophy
• 2.3 Data Collection
• 2.3.1 Secondary Sources
• 2.3.2 Primary Sources
• 2.3.2.1 The Prestudy
• 2.3.2.2 The Survey
• 3. PRESTUDY
• 3.1 The Prestudy
• 3.2 The Decision to Study Abroad
• 3.3 The Decision to Study in a Specific Country
• 3.4 The Decision to Study at a Specific University
• 3.5 Summary of Prestudy
• 4. THEORETICAL FRAME OF REFERENCE: CONSUMER
• 4.1 Introduction BEHAVIOUR AND THE BUYER DECISION PROCESS
• 4.2 Product
• 4.2.1 Value and Satisfaction
• 4.2.2 Services
• 4.2.3 Buying Behaviour depending on Product
• 4.3 Buyer
• 4.3.1 People Involved in the Decision Making Process
• 4.3.2 Buyer Characteristics
• 4.4 External Stimuli
• 4.5 The Buyer Decision Process
• 4.6 Summary with Focus on International Education
• 5. THEORETICAL REVIEW: BENEFITS CONNECTED
• 5.1 Introduction TO INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION
• 5.2 The Push and Pull Perspective
• 5.3 Benefits as the Foundation of Product Evaluation
• 5.4 Benefits Associated with the Choice to Study Abroad
• 5.4.1 Culture Experience
• 5.4.2 Access to Unique Knowledge
• 5.4.3 Higher Quality
• 5.4.4 Possibility to Migration
• 5.4.5 Improved Career Prospects
• 5.4.6 Personal Development
• 5.4.7 Status and Prestige
• 5.5 Benefits Associated with the Choice to Study in a Specific Country
• 5.5.1 Positive Country Image and International Recognition
• 5.5.2 Safety
• 5.5.3 Easy to Work during and after Studies
• 5.5.4 Improved English
• 5.5.5 Easy to Enter Country
• 5.6 Benefits Associated with the Choice to Study at a Specific University
• 5.6.1 Positive Institution Image and International Recognition
• 5.6.2 Good Facilities
• 5.6.3 Easy to Enter the University
• 5.7 Summary and Theoretical Conclusions
• 6. EMPIRICAL METHOD
• 6.1 Link between Research Question, Theory and Empirical Study
• 6.1.1 Main Benefits with International Education
• 6.1.2 Benefit Segmentation
• 6.1.3 External Stimulus: Price
• 6.1.4 Perception of Sweden as a Country for International Education
• 6.2 Research Design
• 6.3 Research Technique
• 6.4 The Questionnaire
• 6.4.1 Pilot-Tests
• 6.4.1.1 Pilot-Test One
• 6.4.1.2 Pilot-Test Two
• 6.5 Sample, Response Rate and Generalisability
• 6.6. Validity and Reliability
• 6.7 Limitations
• 7. ANALYSIS OF RESULT
• 7.1 Statistical Analysis
• 7.2 Respondents’ Profiles
• 7.3 Parametric or Non-Parametric Statistical Technique
• 7.4 Benefits with International Education
• 7.4.1 Correlations between the Questions Connected to the Benefits
• 7.4.2 Mean and Medians for the Benefits Connected to International
• 7.5 Segments Education
• 7.6 The Perception of Sweden as a Country for International Education
• 7.7 The External Stimulus Price
• 8. CONCLUSIONS
• 8.1 Research Question One
• 8.2 Research Question Two
• 8.3 Research Question Three
• 8.4 Research Question Four
• 8.5 Research Question Five
• 8.6 Practical Implications
• 8.7 Future Research
• SOURCES
• Appendix 1: Prestudy, Interview Guide APPENDICES
• Appendix 2: Transcripts of Interviews
• Appendix 3: Questionnaire
• Appendix 4: Spearman Correlation Tests
• Table 6.1 Questions in Part LIST OF TABLES
• Table 6.2 Questions in Part
• Table 6.3 Questions in Part
• Table 6.4 Results from the Pilot-test, Part
• Table 7.1 The Respondents Grouped by Age
• Table 7.2 The Respondents Grouped by Gender
• Table 7.3 Gender – Age Crosstabulation
• Table 7.4 The Respondents Grouped by the Number of Years Studied
• Table 7.5 The Respondents Grouped by their Grades at the University
• Table 7.6 The Respondents Grouped by Parents’ Work Position
• Table 7.7 The Respondents Grouped by Plans Regarding Work in the Future
• Table 7.8 The Respondents Grouped by what They Think Symbolises
• Table 7.9 Test of Normality in the Benefit “Culture”, Kolmogorov-Smirnov a Good Work
• Table 7.10 Spearman’s Correlation Test for the two Questions Connected
• Table 7.11 Mean Values and Medians for the Benefits Connected to to the Benefit “Culture”
• Table 7.12 One Sample T-Test, Test Value=4 International Education
• Table 7.13 Mann-Whitney U test for the Benefit “Knowledge”,
• Table 7.14 Medians for the Benefit ”Knowledge”, Grouping variable Gender Grouping Variable Gender

Table 7.15 Mann-Whitney U test for the Benefit “Easy to Enter”, 93 Grouping Variable Gender Table 7.16 Medians for the Benefit ”Easy to Enter”, Grouping Variable 93 Gender Table 7.17 Kruskal-Wallis Test for the Benefit “Migration”, Grouping 93 Variable Grade Table 7.18 Medians for the Benefit ”Migration”, Grouping Variable Grade 94 Table 7.19 Kruskal-Wallis Test for the Benefit “Migration”, Grouping 94 Variable Years at University Table 7.20 Medians for the Benefit ”Migration”, Grouping Variable 95 Years at University Table 7.21 Kruskal-Wallis Test for the Benefit “Opportunities”, Grouping 95 Variable Years at University Table 7.22 Medians for the Benefit ”Opportunities”, Grouping Variable 95 Years at University Table 7.23 Kruskal-Wallis Test for the Benefit “Easy to Enter”, 96 Grouping Variable Plans Regarding Work Table 7.24 Medians for the Benefit ”Easy to Enter”, Grouping Variable Plans 96 Regarding Work Table 7.25 Mean Values and Medians for Sweden concerning the 97 Benefits connected to International Education Table 7.26 One Sample T-Test, Test Value=4 98 Table 7.27 Kruskal-Wallis Test for the Overall Judgement of Sweden, 98 Grouping Variable Interested in Studies in Sweden Table 7.28 Medians for the Overall Judgement of Sweden, Grouping 99 Variable Interested in Studies in Sweden Table 7.29 The Most Important Benefits and How Well Sweden is 99 Believed to Deliver these Benefits Table 7.30 Students Interested in Studies in Sweden 100 Table 7.31 The Impact of Tuition Fees on the Interest in Studies in Sweden 100 Table 7.32 The Impact of Tuition Fees on the Interest in Studies in 101 Sweden for Respondents Interested in Studies in Sweden

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1.1 Perceived Value 11 Figure 4.1 The Anatomy of a Product 30 Figure 4.2 The Flower of Service Model 34 Figure 4.3 Four types of Buying Behaviour 35 Figure 4.4 Five-Stage Model of the Consumer Buying Process 41 Figure 4.5 The Consumer Buying Process for International Education 48 Figure 5.1 Conclusive Summary of Benefits Associated with 62 International Education Figure 7.1 Histogram for the Benefit ”Culture” 87 Figure 8.1 Conclusive Summary of Benefits Associated with 105 International Education

CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION

This chapter introduces the topic of the study and gives a background to the research field. The importance of the topic is highlighted. The problem discussion, the purpose of the study and limitations are explained and the chapter concludes with a disposition of the dissertation.

1.1 Background International education has become an important industry and in many countries such as U.S., Canada and Australia international students contribute with huge sums to the country’s economy and generate a substantive amount of work for the country’s people. International students do not only contribute with tuition fees they also live in the foreign country and spend money there on accommodation, food and others (Mazzarol, 1998). There are of course other reasons than foreign students being an income source for countries and universities to be interested in being a part of the international education industry. For some universities admitting foreign students to their courses and programmes is a way to survive when the country’s own students do not fill the places. The international students also bring the world to a local university without the local students having to go abroad and the presences of students with different nationalities create a good atmosphere at universities.

Today around two million students worldwide study outside their home country and this number is predicted to rise to around eight million by 2025 (Altbach, 2004; Svenskt Näringsliv, 2007). In other words: international education is an industry that is important to take into consideration. Sweden admitted 13 457 students from other countries in 2006 and 6 886 Swedish students studied abroad the same year (Högskoleverket, 2007). Even if Sweden today is a relatively small actor in the education industry international education is growing in importance and Sweden wants to be a part of this development.

Since international education has become an important industry it is vital to treat it as such. Countries and institutions have to think about education in the same way they think about other industries. With that comes marketing. Governments and universities need to offer international students what they are looking for but also

communicate and market it. The competition within the education industry is intense so the countries and institutions need to identify and maintain their competitive advantages and work with positioning themselves. International education is an interesting research field not only because of the importance for many people and countries but also because relatively little has been written on the marketing of education within international markets (Mazzarol, 1998).

21 percent of the foreign students that came to Sweden to study in 2006/2007 came from Asia and Asia is the region which shows the highest increase in sending students to Sweden to study. When it comes to countries outside the European Union, China sends the most students to Sweden. If all countries is included only Germany, Finland and France send more students to Sweden than China does. (Högskoleverket, 2008) Since China is an important source for Sweden when it comes to foreign students the focus in this study is on Chinese students. Kristianstad University, where this dissertation is written, has rather extensive experience of Chinese students, both through exchange programmes and through contract teaching. The university gives a programme in business administration with special emphasis on China and sees China as an important partner today and in the future. This has also contributed to the focus on Chinese students for this study.

1.2 Problem Discussion and Research Questions An important principle of marketing is that the marketing should be focused on what the customers want. If you do not fulfil the requirements of the customer and he/she does not get what he/she needs and wants the marketing has failed. The customer focus is getting increasingly important also within the education industry. Researchers within the field state the following: “In the past, the universities have determined what students want. Recently, however, the customers are being more vocal, thus indicating their dissatisfaction with the provision of the education sector.” (Binsardi & Ekwulugo, 2003, p. 320)

Gurley et al (2005) concludes in their paper “Consumer Decision Process Modelling: How Leaders Can Better Understand Buyers’ Choices” that what enables the right allocation of resources and support actions is to identify which of the hundreds of elements that affects the consumer’s purchasing decision that are the key drivers. This study starts with an overview of consumer behaviour and how a consumer makes a purchasing decision. By looking at the buying decision process for international

education one understands that there are a lot of different fields which can be researched. Information sources are for example one interesting research field. What kinds of sources are available to a potential customer? What information source has the greatest impact on the decision? Do different information sources have different impact on different kinds of potential customers and on different stages in the decision process? It is also valuable to look closer at the different influencers and on what dimensions these influencers affects the decision maker. Earlier research highlights for example finance, information, expectation, persuasion and competition as areas where influencers such as family have an impact (Pimpa, 2003). The different external stimuli such as the marketing mix also constitute an interesting research field. An extended version of the four P:s where participants, physical evidence and process are included could constitute a good foundation for research concerning external influencing factors on a student’s decision to participate in international education (Russel, 2005).

This study’s main focus is however on what the customer, the international student or even more specific Chinese students, are searching for when they look for an international education. The study investigates why students decide to study abroad, with focus on what kind of benefits the students are seeking when they engage in international education.

Consumers generally buy things because they think that they will get a value from the product or service. Perceived value can be defines as the total benefits a product or service gives a customer less the costs associated with the purchase.

Perceived Value = Total Benefits – Total Costs

Figure 1.1 Perceived Value

The benefits must be greater than the cost otherwise the customer will not be interested in the product. This study is focused on the sought-after benefits connected to international education which is the positive side of the equation, even if the cost is somewhat highlighted through the introduction of price in the study.

By understanding what benefits a student is looking for when going abroad to study one can understand a great deal about the decision to engage in international education. If a university knows what students are looking for it is possible to work on delivering just that and to highlight those aspects in the marketing campaigns. The first step in delivering value to customers is to understand what the customers perceive as value.

It is not likely that all students have the same view on the benefits and their importance on the decision to study abroad and an analysis is therefore conducted to see if segments can be identified. The idea is to conduct benefit segmentation and identify segments with different preferences concerning benefits.

One external stimulus is added to the study: price. Fee on education is under great debate in Sweden and it is therefore interesting to see how students would react if the education in Sweden would start to cost money. Since the cost would rise the perceived value would sink if the Swedish universities do not manage to increase the perceived benefits.

Finally, this study is conducted in China and on Chinese students since China is an important source for Sweden when it comes to sending students to our country. A part from identifying what benefits the students are looking for the study also shows how well the Chinese students believe that Sweden deliver the sought after benefits. This is of practical value for Swedish universities and it is of great interest to see how Sweden ranks when it comes to the benefits most important for students.

To summarise, the field of this study is consumer behaviour in the field of international education. The following research questions constitute the foundation of the study:

1. How is the decision to take part in an international education created and what factors influences the decision?
2. What are the main benefits connected to international education which make students desire an international education?
3. Using benefit segmentation, what segments can be identified?
4. Price is an important external stimulus. How does price influence the desire to engage in international education?

5. How is Sweden perceived to deliver the sought after benefits?

Research question one is answered theoretically, research question two is given an answer both theoretically and empirically and research questions three, four and five are given empirical answers.

1.3 Purpose The main purpose is to get an understanding of the buyer decision process and what influences the decision to take part in an international education.The focus is on the positive part of perceived value and on what benefits that is important for students when they think about international education. If we know how students think about international education and what benefits that are important for them it is possible to, both at a country and a university level, work with this issue and take them into account in the marketing of education to international students.

In a more theoretical perspective this study aims at getting an understanding of what kind of research that has been conducted on the topic and to help to develop a field where relatively little research has been done: marketing and the education sector. The study highlights and shows the need for more research within this field. The study more specifically contributes to the research concerning international education by identifying benefits which are important when regarding the decision to take part of an international education.

1.4 Limitations This study primarily focuses on the positive part of perceived value and by doing so the costs are given a secondary place in the study. This does however not mean that this is not important. Once we know what benefits that are wanted and how Sweden is perceived it is of course interesting to know how much the students are willing to sacrifice to get access to these benefits. The costs are only highlighted by introducing tuition fee as external stimuli however no deep analysis of the total perceived cost is made due to limitation in time and since it was believed to lead to a too wide study.

Other external stimuli than the price are excluded. Furthermore, since the main focus is the benefits associated with the decision to engage in international education the

rest of the decision process, for example information course and need recognition, is excluded from this study.

The empirical study is limited to include the Chinese students’ view on international education. Limitations regarding the empirical study is further discussed in chapter six Empirical Method.

1.5 Disposition An overview of the dissertation and its chapters with short introductions is presented below.

Chapter 1: Introduction The first chapter introduces the topic of the study and explains what is being researched by setting up five research questions. The purpose and the general limitations are stated.

Chapter 2: Methodology The choice of methodology and the scientific approach is presented. The data collection with focus on the secondary data is introduced and the methodology for the prestudy is presented as well as a brief presentation of the survey.

Chapter 3: Prestudy Three interviews were conducted as a prestudy for the dissertation and the result of these interviews is presented.

Chapter 4: Theoretical Frame of Reference: Consumer Behaviour and the Buyer Decision Process A wide theory chapter is presented with the purpose to put the study’s focus in a wider context. The buyer decision process is the foundation and important influencing factors on the purchase decision are introduced.

Chapter 5: Theoretical Review: Benefits Connected to International Education The chapter focuses on the part of the buyer decision process which includes the evaluation of alternatives and presents benefits that attracts students to an international education. A theoretical conclusion is made.

Chapter 6: Empirical Method The link between the research questions, theory and the empirical study is clarified and the survey is presented. The questionnaire is analysed and the question design is discussed. The pilot tests are highlighted and a discussion concerning sample and response rate is included. Finally, validity, reliability and limitations concerning the survey are discussed.

Chapter 7: Analysis of Result The result of the survey is presented. The result of the questionnaire is analysed with the help of SPSS and the respondents’ profile is introduced. How the respondents value the benefits is explained and differences between the respondents are investigated. Furthermore, how the respondents view Sweden and their attitude towards tuition fees is presented.

Chapter 8: Conclusion The research questions are answered and conclusions are drawn. Practical implications are discussed and the chapter concludes by giving suggestions for future research.

CHAPTER 2. METHODOLOGY

This chapter presents the choice of methodology and describes the scientific approach. A short description of the data collection, including both secondary data and primary data is included. The prestudy is described and the survey is briefly introduced.

2.1 Introduction to the Choice of Methodology The area of this study is international education and the main purpose of the study is to get a better understanding of why students study abroad and what benefits connected to international education that drives students to studies abroad. Chinese students are used as an example in the study since China is one of the countries sending most students to Sweden.

The research started with an inductive prestudy where Chinese students studying at Kristianstad University were interviewed concerning the reasons for how and why they became students at Kristianstad University. The purpose of the prestudy was to get a first insight into how international students reason and think concerning their international education and to see if the topic was worth investigating further. The prestudy is further highlighted later in this dissertation.

After the prestudy was conducted and analysed the purpose of the main study was established and research questions set up. Since the main purpose is to get a better understanding of what lies behind the decision to take part of an international education it was natural to start the investigation by reading and getting to know what kind of research on the topic that had been conducted before and what was already known. A deductive approach for the main study was therefore adapted. A rather comprehensive and widespread literature review was conducted which lead to that theoretical conclusions could be drawn. As an addition to the theoretical work an empirical quantitative study was conducted with the help of questionnaires with Chinese students studying at the School of Management at Hangzhou Dianzi University as respondents.

The research can be described as abductive in its way to relate to already existing theories since it started by an empirical prestudy before the literature review was conducted. The development of the research model was however mostly deductive, since existing theories and research within the area laid the ground for the model. The prestudy was not actively included in the production of the model; however the knowledge from the study may instinctively have affected the process. It is therefore most correct to label the study as abductive.

2.2 Scientific Approach and Philosophy Research philosophy is important since it influences how the researcher views the world and in its turn it therefore has an impact on the research. Even though philosophy can seem irrelevant all researchers who carry out research make assumptions about how the world is and how it is possible to develop knowledge about it. The debate concerning philosophy within the marketing discipline goes back to the 1950s when marketing as a research field changed. It moved from being descriptive and qualitative to more emphasising quantification with the purpose to be perceived as a stricter and therefore a more acceptable discipline. With this transformation came a positivistic approach to research and theory development. (Easton, 2002) A positivistic view is common among natural scientists since it means that researchers “prefer working with an observable social reality and that the end product of such research can be law-like generalisations…” (Saunders, 2007, p. 103)

In the 1980s and early 1990s the question concerning the most appropriate research philosophy for the marketing discipline was given new attention and views such as realism and relativism were heavily debated. Hunt wrote the article “Truth in Marketing Theory and Research” (1990) which was given a lot of attention in the debate. Hunt concluded that many marketing researchers are guided by scientific realism and even though he did not want to go as fare as saying that all marketing researchers should adopt scientific realism he provided strong grounds for accepting some form of realism as the philosophical way forward. (Hunt, 1990). Realism can be seen as the winner in the debate and offered an alternative to the previous positivist paradigm in marketing (Easton, 2002).

The theory of realism is founded on “that what the senses show us as reality is the truth: that objects have an existence independent of the human mind.” (Saunders,

2007, p. 104) Realism has connection to positivism since both philosophies assumes a scientific approach to the development of knowledge.

There exist different forms of realism. Critical realism is argued to offer a good alternative to the positivistic view in marketing (Easton, 2002). Critical realists take realism one step further. Instead of experiencing the world simply by the sensations the research object conveys, as direct realists, critical realists believe that there exists a mental processing that goes on sometime after that sensation meets our senses (Saunders, 2007).

This research is founded on the principles of critical realism. This means that it is believed that the knowledge of the reality, for example why students engage in international education, cannot be understood independently of the actors involved in the knowledge process and that the picture of the reality is a result of previous experiences and knowledge. It is possible to understand a phenomenon only if we understand the social structures that have given rise to it. It is argued that “ the critical realist’s position…is much more in line with the purpose of business and management research…” (Saunders, 2007, p. 106)

2.3 Data Collection Data and knowledge have been collected both through secondary sources and primary sources. The primary data has been collected both through a qualitative prestudy using interviews and through a quantitative study using questionnaires.

2.3.1 Secondary Sources The literature review for the study can be divided into two parts. In the first step the focus was on consumer behaviour and the buyer decision process. The purpose of this first part of the literature review, presented in chapter four Theoretical Frame of Reference: Consumer behaviour and the Buyer Decision Process, was to get a general understanding of what influence a customer and the decision making process to then be able to apply this on the decision for students to take part of international education. This part of the review constitutes a background to the second more narrow and deep literature review. The second part is focused on the buyer decision process for international education with special focus on the positive part of the perceived value which is sought after benefits.

For the first part, the theoretical frame of reference, books highlighting consumer behaviour and the buyer decision process constituted the foundation. The area is well established and since the purpose of this part of the study was to present an introduction and overview of the research field books constituted an appropriate source. The books was complemented by research articles with the purpose to bring new and up-to date knowledge to the review as well as offering a greater depth when judged necessary.

The second part of the review, which is focused on international education and influencing factors on the decision to study abroad and presented in chapter five is mainly founded on research articles published in acknowledge journals. The research area is rather new and specific and since the purpose of this review was to get a deep understanding of the phenomenon research articles constituted a good source. The articles were mainly found using online databases such as ELIN and Emerald. The lists of references of relevant research articles constituted a good source for the search for further articles. The articles included in the review had to meet the following criteria: the researches had to be contemporary, written in English or in Swedish, directly related to international education and listed in references of other studies with similar character and focus.

When you use secondary sources it is important to critically evaluate its credibility and relevance (Malhotra & Birks, 2003; Saunders, 2007). One way to secure the credibility of the secondary sources used is to use articles published in acknowledge journals such as European Journal of Marketing and Journal of Services Marketing. It is also important that you base your research on information and factors which several researchers have came up with independent of each other’s studies. This means that the likelihood for the research result to be true is increased. These rules functioned as guidelines when conducting the theoretical review for this study.

2.3.2 Primary Sources There are several different methods to choose from when you wish to conduct an empirical study and collect primary data. Some of the most common are interviews, questionnaires and observations. The different methods have both advantages and disadvantages however depending on the purpose of the study and the topic certain

methods are more appropriate than others in certain circumstances. In this study two empirical studies were conducted. A prestudy was made with the help of interviews and the main study was conducted through a questionnaire.

2.3.2.1 The Prestudy The prestudy was conducted by using interviews. Interviews can help you to gather reliable data which help you to answer your research questions or, as in this case, help you to formulate and develop clear research questions and objectives. Interviews can be planned and carried out in different ways. For this prestudy semi-structured interviews were used. This means that an interview guide was created in advance consisting of a list of relevant questions; however the interview guide was not strictly followed (see appendix 1 for interview guide). The order of the questions varied from interview to interview depending on the flow of the conversation and sometimes some questions were added to bring more value to the interview. Non-standardised interviews such as semi structured interviews are used to gather data which normally is analysed qualitatively. (Saunders, 2007)

Three interviews with Chinese students who studied international business at Kristianstad University were carried out. The selection of the interviewees can be seen as s purposive sampling which often is used when working with very small samples and when you wish to reach particularly informative cases (Saunders, 2007). The three students selected to participate in the study were students at Kristianstad University who were writing their master dissertation and who were willing to participate. All interviews were in the form of respondent interviews where the interviewer directs and control the interview and the interviewee responds to the questions of the interviewer. The interviews were short, lasting for around 20 minutes each and were recorded. Transcripts of the interviews can be found in appendix 2.

When conducting interviews there is always a risk that the interviewer influences the interviewee. In a worst case scenario the respondent will not answer the questions truthfully; instead he/she will give the answers which are believed to be the answers the interviewer is looking for. To avoid this situation it is important that the interviewer tries to be as objective as possible and not influence the interviewee in any way. (Saunders, 2007) This was the ambition when the interviews for the

prestudy were conducted. The interviewees were allowed to elaborate their answers with out being interrupted and the interviewer tried to stay as neutral as possible.

2.3.2.2 The Survey After the theoretical review was conducted certain conclusions could be drawn. These conclusions were further analysed and researched with the help of a survey. The survey consisted of questionnaires and was conducted at Hangzhou Dianzi University. The method of the survey is in detail presented in chapter 6 Empirical Method.

CHAPTER 3.

PRESTUDY

This chapter presents the prestudy consisting of three interviews which were conducted with Chinese students. The interviews focused on why the students decided to go abroad to study, why they decide to go to a specific country and why they decided to go to a specific university.

3.1 The prestudy Three interviews with Chinese students who studied international business at the Centre of Business Studies at Kristianstad University were conducted. The interviews were semi-structured in the sense that questions were created in advance but the questions and the interview plan was not strictly followed. The interviewee and the specific interview situation that occurred was allowed to influence the questions which lead to that some questions were excluded in some of the interviews, the order of the questions changed and some additional questions were added. (Saunders, 2007)

All interviewed students were Chinese and came from Ningbo University. Even if all students ended up at the same university at the same department and on the same course the students were asked to talk about the entire decision making process and not only include information about how and why they ended up in Kristianstad. This meant that they for example included their first thoughts about which country they wanted to go to, which not necessarily were Sweden. In this way a more complete picture of what is going on in the mind of students looking for international education could be created.

The interviews centred on three topics: why the student decided to go abroad to study, why they decided to go to a specific country and why the decided to go to a specific university. A number of questions were created under each specific field which aimed at getting the interviewee to paint as a complete picture as possible. The interview plan with formulated questions can be find in appendix 1. Transcripts of the interviews can be found in appendix 2.

3.2 The Decision to Study Abroad It was possible to identify two main reasons to why the students decided to go abroad to study. The first reason is connected to future career opportunities. All interviewees highlighted that studies abroad improves their English which is a great benefit for them. If you are good at English it will be an advantage when you are looking for work. Two of the interviewees also highlighted that doing business is very popular in China to day and that a lot of the good positions in China are within the field of international business. If you have experience from living and studying in other countries it gives you an advantage when it comes to applying for these kinds of positions. To study abroad also helps you understand other cultures and how people think, work and act in other countries. These experiences can be useful in future work situations. One student also mentioned the possibility for foreign education to lead to an international career with work abroad.

The second main reason for getting an international education seems to personal development. Two of the interviewees emphasised that the style of teaching and education methods are different in China compared to Western countries. One student put it like “ In China the style of studying, the teachers, are very different from other countries. For the first the students will only focus on the examination and they will do the work on by the individual…” (Prestudy Interview 3). By taking part of a different view on education and knowledge the students felt personal development. One of the students also stressed that it was possible to learn things that were not accessible in China. This has an impact on the personal development but also constitutes an advantage when it comes to finding a good work since it increases the person’s knowledge. Getting to know different cultures do not only constitute an advantage when it comes to work opportunities. It also contributes to ones personal development.

The students were also asked to describe who influenced them in their decision to study abroad. The interviewees stressed that it was primarily their own decision. Two of the students did however mention that their parents had had an impact on their decision. Former students, so called alumnus, who have studied abroad seem also to have an impact on the students’ decision to take part of international education. Two of the interviewees talk about friends with positive experiences from international education as an influencing element.

3.3 The Decision to Study in a Specific Country When it comes to which country to go to all three interviewed students belong to an exchange programme which brought them to Sweden and Kristianstad University. Their home university offer only two such exchange programmes. One exchange programme which brings them to Sweden with the focus on International Business and one exchange programme which brings them to Australia with the focus on Finance.

All three interviewees emphasise that studies in Sweden are for free and the fact that the education was without fee was the most important reason that brought them to Sweden. The only other free of charges education offered to them was the exchange programme to Australia. The students chose Sweden over Australia because of the subject offered. International Business was regarded as more popular than Finance. Free of charges education and an attractive programme sees to be the main reasons for the interviewees to come to Sweden. One of the students did however also mention that he had heard nice things about Sweden before and that he thought about as a nice country with a good welfare system. Sweden was also regarded as a cheap alternative when it comes to living costs which was a contributing factor for the decision to come to Sweden. It is also relatively easy to get visa in Sweden and with that visa the student can travel all over Europe. Finally one of the students interviewed mentioned that many Swedish people can speak English and that there are not many Chinese people living in Sweden. Both of these factors had a positive influence on the student’s decision to come to Sweden and study.

When the students were asked which country they at first wanted to go to before they knew anything about exchange programmes and fees none of them said that their first choice were Sweden. One of the interviewed students first wanted to go to Canada, one wanted to go to United States and one wanted to go to Australia. The common denominator for these three countries is that they are all English speaking countries. All the three interviewees stressed the benefits associated with studying in an English speaking country. Other factors contributing to their desire to study in Canada, United States and Australia were their positive image of these countries. It was also highlighted that the country in questions was in the front when it comes to research within field of business administration. Apart from giving the students a positive image concerning the country and its education it was also important for the students

what other people in China thought about their decision concerning international education. “Chinese people think that education in America is very good. So it is good to study in America” (Prestudy Interview 2). It should also be mentioned that if a country has famous universities it also gives the country advantages. The success of a single university rubs on on the country and gives the entire country a positive image when it comes to its education.

The amount of advertisement made by these countries was also mentioned by the interviewed students. According to one of the interviewee Canada has a lot of advertisement about education in China. The following was said about advertisement and Australian education: “The Australian school make the education to an industry. They use education to make money and have many abroad students” (Prestudy Interview 3). A lot of advertisement creates an awareness which has a positive impact on the students when it comes to the decision concerning which country to study in.

3.4 The Decision to Study at a Specific University All three interviewed students come from the same university in China. This university only has contacts in Sweden with Kristianstad University. The students could therefore not choose which university within Sweden to go to. The interviewees were still asked some more general questions connected to the decision to study at a specific university. When it came to how important the university was to the interviewed students they were quite unanimous about that it was not very important. The country and the type of subject were more important to the students than to which university to go to. One of the students interviewed did however mention that the brand of the university is important in China. The common view seem to be that the brand is important if you can go to one of the world’s top universities but in other circumstances it is not so important. The brand of the university can have a positive influence if it is very well-known but if the university is unknown it does not has to have a negative influence.

None of the interviewed students knew much about Kristianstad University before they came here. They were however not nervous about the quality of the university since they got here by an exchange programme: “Anyway I trust the university because there is an exchange programme” (Prestudy Interview 1). All of them would