Marketing mix for higher education institutions – the case of the University of Latvia | Mārketinga pasākumu komplekss augstākās izglītības iestādēm – Latvijas Universitātes piemērs

英语. In traditional marketing theory the marketing mix is known as consisting of four P’s: product, price, place and promotion. Nowadays in service industries three more P’s have been added: people, process and physical evidence. The marketization of higher education and the competition among higher education institutions is a comparatively new trend in Latvia. Higher education institutions have to use the marketing mix to attract students. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the use of the marketing mix in higher education industry in Latvia. The results of a survey of mature students carried out by the author showed that in Latvia there are five important P’s: program, place, premiums, prominence and price. The most important factor is the program, which includes such indicators as quality staff (professors, lecturers), the content of the program and the study process (incl. the way how the lecturers present the program). We can conclude that mature students are more focused on their study results. Higher education institutions (HEI) should work on development strategies oriented towards enhancing the quality of the study programs. For further research, and for the development of a marketing communication plan, the author suggests carrying out a survey on the preferred information sources of the target group of HEI. The latest study results show that today the most effective information channel is the Internet and that decision-making is highly influenced by word of mouth [5]. Nevertheless, the author suggests researching the situation in Latvia and choosing a specific target group because of the cultural, traditional and economic situation differences.

拉脱维亚语. Mārketinga pasākumu kompleksu klasiskajā mārketinga teorijā veido tā saucamie četri P: 1) produkts, 2) sadale un izvietojums, 3) cena, 4) virzīšana tirgū (product, price, place and promotion). Jaunākie mārketinga pētījumi liecina, ka pakalpojuma nozarēs bez šiem četriem P vēl ir svarīgi trīs P: cilvēki, process un vide (people, process and physical evidence). Augstākās izglītības pakalpojums no tradicionālajiem pakalpojumiem atšķiras ar to, ka konkurence šajā nozarē Latvijā ir radusies salīdzinoši nesen, tāpēc augstākās izglītības iestādes aizvien vairāk studentu piesaistē sāk izmantot mārketinga pasākumu kompleksu. Raksta mērķis – izpētīt un analizēt mārketinga pasākumu kompleksa lietošanas iespējas augstākās izglītības iestādēs.