Academics as part-time marketers in university offshore programs: an exploratory study

Australian universities maintain almost 900 offshore programs delivered to more than 100,000 students, primarily in the nations of Singapore, Malaysia, China, and Hong Kong (Universities Australia, 2009; IDP, 2009a). While offshore students comprise an estimated 30 percent of international student enrolments at Australian universities (IDP, 2009b), there is evidence that many local institutions neither prepare academics to add value beyond their core teaching roles, nor create the environment in which academics become formally aware of their potential to serve as part-time marketers on behalf of their institutions (see, for instance, Dunn & Wallace, 2006). Thus, the aim of this exploratory study was to determine the extent to which such international management deficiencies exist in a sample institution. The results of the study indicate that substantial potential exists for the more-active participation of academics in marketing processes while engaged in offshore teaching activities, and that deliberate strategies to achieve this outcome were both demanded and desired. Further research will be undertaken to confirm the validity of this conclusion.