MANAGING UNIVERSITY BRANDS IN THE CONTEXT OF DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION AND GLOBAL INTEGRATION A CASE STUDY ON PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES IN HANOI, VIETNAM Hoang Thi Minh Hue, Nguyen Trung Kien (VNU University of Education) Abstract This research explores the level at which digital transformation contributes to the knowledge and interactions for brand management activities in private universities in Hanoi, Vietnam We identify challenges and requirements for digital transformation in order to create deep i[.]
Trang 1OF DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION AND GLOBAL INTEGRATION -
A CASE STUDY ON PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES IN HANOI, VIETNAM
Hoang Thi Minh Hue, Nguyen Trung Kien
(VNU University of Education)
Abstract: This research explores the level at which digital transformation contributes to the knowledge and
interactions for brand management activities in private universities in Hanoi, Vietnam We identify challenges and requirements for digital transformation in order to create deep insights for brand management activities From these insights, we propose the contents for digital transformation, linking theory with execution of brand management activities in a university A qualitative case study is performed to provide a full understanding of the effect of digital transformation on brand management activities In 2021, online interviews were conducted
to confirm our results from the previous research phases Our results show that digital transformation and global integration both play a role in executing brand management activities in universities, especially private universities
in Hanoi The protocols and decisions made during brand management, as well as the level of interaction in brand management, greatly depend on the effectiveness of digital transformation on campus and the administrators’ willingness to integrate globally This paper adds to the literature of deploying brand management activities, with theoretical and practical values for improving understanding about the effect of digital transformation and the need to integrate globally in university brand management.
Keywords: brand management, university brand, university education, digital transformation, private
university, global integration.
1 INTRODUCTION
As countries move toward a more marketized education system, brand management is becoming
an increasingly popular strategy for universities to stand out to their competition Branding in university education is identified as an important field in modern branding theory However, the complexity and quirks of Vietnam’s current university education make brand management within digital transformation
a challenging endeavor At the same time, these challenges open up opportunities for change in order
to adapt to digital transformation and global integration for Vietnam universities, especially private universities in Hanoi This paper demonstrates the effect of digital transformation and global integration
on the process and decision making of brand management activities in private universities in Hanoi The ongoing digital transformation at private universities in Hanoi shows the necessity of achieving specific milestones in digital transformation to perform brand management processes coherently, giving value to such activities when making brand management decisions In addition, these milestones allow personnel to more clearly see the effectiveness of these activities, through gathering digital data and social interactions in digital transformation and global integration In this research, we define brand
Trang 2management as “activities performed on campus to ensure the university’s brand reflects the school’s values and meets students’ expectations”
Data in the digital transformation environment should aid personnel during brand management activities Digital data can thus be considered a valuable asset for universities, and a key element when performing brand communication An important point in increasing digital transformation effectiveness
in private universities in Hanoi is providing educational service products to the community through digital platforms Digital transformation can change how educational products are distributed: students may still need to attend classes, communicate with peers and be instructed by lecturers, but many aspects may change or become inverted The ratio of educational content received online will likely increase In fact, during COVID-19 lockdowns, all educational content must be conveyed online Similarly, students may receive lectures virtually at their homes, and go to class for group assignments The education experience will also shift from generalized to personalized content More flexible educational methods and syllabus will adapt to each student’s learning level, instead of forcing students to adapt to the syllabus (Digital transformation handbook, Ministry of Information and Communications, page 61) Providing digital education services is also an important step in the global integration roadmap for schools’ brand management strategies
Indeed, digital transformation is especially important in universities All data across campus can
be digitized, as well as business processes These digitized data are further processed with AI, Big Data and IoT technologies, leading to changes in the school’s management models and operations Data from digital transformation can act as insights to the school’s brand and help administrators direct the brand’s activities By looking into the state of digital transformation in Hanoi’s private universities and taking testimonials from brand management personnel, this research provides a current look at theoretical and practical aspects of the effect of digital transformation on a university’s brand
Thus, this research addresses the following goals:
1 To explore the level at which digital transformation contributes to the deployment of brand management activities, define know-hows and interactions with digital transformation and global integration to each activity and campaign within brand management
2 To identify challenges for brand management activities when performed during the digital transformation process, and acknowledge the important role of administrators during digital transformation and global integration
3 To identify advantageous elements for brand management activities after successful digital transformation and global integration
Thus, this research provides an overview on what administrators at Hanoi’s private universities need to have in terms of strategy in order to cultivate digital transformation at their own universities
2 LITERATURE REVIEW AND STUDY CONTEXT
2.1 Brands and brand management at private universities in the context of education reform and global integration in Vietnam
In the past decade, the explosion in the number of universities in Vietnam has created a highly competitive market From 174 universities in 1991, Vietnam now has 236 universities and academies (excluding those belonging to the military sector), including 171 public universities, 60 private universities,
Trang 35 of which are 100% foreign funded This massive increase combined with the self-sufficient mantra from Vietnam’s government (Edict 16/2015/ND-CP on 14/02/2015) has lessened the gap between public and private universities and facilitated healthy competition In this environment, the concept of
“University branding” has caught the attention of scholars and policy makers in Vietnam In 2004, the Journal of Science from the University of Can Tho published a paper called “University branding in Vietnam, why not?” from Dao Van Khanh, a seminal work analyzing the state, challenges and solutions for building university brands in Vietnam Since then, hundreds of papers on branding in education have been published in journals and conferences across the nation, discussing the development of university brands The international conference “Building brands in university education: Practical experiences in the global context” was hosted in August 2009, with 50 foreign experts from 25 universities and faculties from over 100 universities in the country At the conference, many agreed that “building a brand is a necessity for existence within the competitive local markets as well as regionally and internationally” The conference “Evaluating - ranking universities in Vietnam” hosted by the Coalition of Universities
of Vietnam and Hue University in April 2010 also saw the participation of 280 universities nationwide, discussing the importance of ranking universities and important metrics for doing so The Ministry-level research topic “Measuring the brand asset for the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City” from Chu Nguyen Mong Ngoc Msc (PI), code CS-2011-32 has also seen results after deployment from August
2011 to August 2012
Brand development is a familiar concept in many Western countries, however this is still a relatively new activity in Vietnam and has only gained traction within the last 5 years Developing and advertising brands in university education is not a new issue, with many universities taking part in international work since their founding and focusing on receiving international students These international activities help build the school’s brand, boosting sales and international admissions Building, developing and advertising the brand is a frequent concern for leaders and administrators in developed nations A search for “university brand building” on Google gives 1.2 billion results in 0.62 seconds These references include plans for developing brands by various universities, many of which have highly established brands Globally, universities are actively advertising their brands through many means
Business principles have made their way to university education The market is highly acknowledged among universities (Zemsky, 2001) Universities with high amounts of exchange students are called “export businesses” (Gatfield, 1998); classes are called “education products” (Adler, 1998), new learning methods like online learning are dubbed “delivery mechanisms” (Gatfield, 1998), while other universities are considered “competitors” (Landrum et al., 1998) Similarly, potential students are considered “customers” (Browne et al., 1998), and the evaluation of student satisfaction is linked to
“customer satisfaction” (Licata and Maxham, 1998)
Beneke (2011) considered the goal of marketing in education includes 2 parts: (1) attract the best students and at a lower level, the best faculty members; and (2) attract funding from governments, businesses and the community To achieve these goals, many consider the main task for education marketers to be building and advertising the school’s brand, similar to the business world where brand is considered one of the greatest assets Educational brand is the combination of impressions, evaluations and recognition of the final product of an education system, such as teaching results, scientific works, and graduate quality
Trang 4Private universities in Hanoi include the following: (1) Hanoi University of Business and Technology; (2) Thang Long University; (3) Phuong Dong University; (4) Dai Nam University; (5) Phenikaa University; (6) Thanh Do University; (7) Nguyen Trai University; (8) Hoa Binh University; (9) FPT University; (10) Bac Ha International University; (11) Hanoi Financial and Banking University; (12) East Asia University of Technology; (13) University of Technology and Management; (14) RMIT University Vietnam; (15) Asia University of Industrial Arts; (16) British University Vietnam For private universities in Hanoi, the pressure of maintaining a sustainable cash flow and the freedom of students selecting their education has made their faculties highly aware of their brands The competition between schools includes competition for students talented faculty members, research funding, collaborations with prestigious organizations and investors, This competition is a testament of the business aspect in education
While the importance of university branding is well acknowledged as universities start their global integration process, there is still a lot of confusion on how to evaluate and build a university’s brand Several conditions motivate the development of university brands with focus on international integration:
- Vietnam aims to build one or several central universities at international scale, able to serve local students and attract foreign admissions
- The government needs to strongly invest into multi-disciplinary universities, forming the basis of creating high-quality universities
- The university system needs a ranking system moderated by quality assurance centers for continued improvements
- Increase in self-sufficiency for universities
- Vietnam’s universities need strategies for self improvement through evaluation, to reach international standards
- The Ministry of Education and universities need to change mindsets: students are true customers
of the education service
- Brand development enforces and builds prestige, improving quality and self-sufficiency is the path to sustained development for Vietnam’s universities
For a brand to have value, schools need to create new methods and ideas for solving problems, improve their service quality and most importantly be adaptable to changes Change does not stop at learning qualities, it also applies to management methods, commercializing research or connecting with businesses and other educators Brand management helps private universities affirm their direction such that it is suitable to the current process of change and global integration
2.2 Current state of digital transformation at private universities in Hanoi, Vietnam
Digital transformation is an inevitable, fast moving trend within the current Industrial Revolution 4.0, through which people can have more access to information, communicate across vast distances and save valuable time
In the global integration, Vietnam in general and the education system specifically cannot stay out of the world’s movement, and must quickly get on board the fourth Industrial Revolution to reap
Trang 5its benefits Aspects of digital transformation relating to university education, such as requirements for success, current state, achievements and problems, need to be evaluated as a means to propose directions for the future
Application of digital transformation in university education
Digital transformation can help universities in several ways, including: shifting from lectures to developing students’ skillsets; improving self-study capabilities; allowing learning anywhere, anytime; personalizing the learning process; creating a learning society and promoting lifelong learning The explosion of IoT, Big Data, AI, SMAC (Social networks - Mobile - AI - Cloud) has formed the basis
of a digital education system Accordingly, several smart education models are being developed on top
of ICT technologies These models aim to help personalize learning by automatically finding optimal syllabuses and schedules for each individual; enable easy access to vast knowledge repositories; and allow near-instant communication between family members, faculty staff and students
Digital transformation in private universities in Hanoi are focusing on two primary aspects: transforming administration and transforming teaching, learning, testing and scientific research The transformation of administration tasks include digitizing administrative data, creating large federated databases, deploying public online services, applying AI, blockchain, data analysis, to streamline administrative processes The transformation of teaching, learning, testing and scientific research include digitizing syllabuses (lecture notes, test questions, ), building digital libraries and virtual labs, deploying e-learning systems and cyber classes, and digitizing scientific results
The current state of digital transformation in private universities in Hanoi
To date, most private universities have determined that applying ICT is a central mission for successfully undergoing digital transformation In several schools, policies for encouraging digital transformation have been passed, completing legal frameworks such as rules for applying ICT in administration, online teaching, rules for remote university education, rules for administering and operating databases, models for connecting ICT applications, and instructions regarding ICT-related missions for faculties
For administration, all 16 schools have performed digitization and construction of databases for all departments All current data have been digitized and identified Such databases are useful tools for recruitment and reporting; helping administrators pass more effective policies The schools’ digital administrative systems are interconnected with over 300 other universities and colleges nationwide, with the Ministry of Education as the moderator for continued operation
For teaching and learning, lecturers are encouraged to contribute their syllabuses to the school’s repository and to the Digitized Vietnamese Knowledge base, helping to build a learning society
Specific policies are in place to train ICT personnel Most private universities in Hanoi offer an ICT specialization, as well as collaborations with businesses and international organizations for additional resources, associating education with the needs of businesses and the public
However, there are issues in the execution of digital transformation at Hanoi’s private university that needs addressing, including:
- Network infrastructure and ICT equipment are largely nonuniform and inadequate for full digital transformation This is partly the reason why applications of AI, Big Data, IoT, on current databases are not yet complete, leading to patchy results
Trang 6- Digitizing, building and updating digital resources require large investments in human resources and financially to ensure a complete, high quality repository that can serve the needs of students in all levels and specialization For now, the construction of such repositories are mostly self-supported and unstructured, making it difficult for quality control
- The gathering, sharing and mining of data require a common legal framework: laws on copyrights, intellectual property, information security, digital transactions, data sharing consent More specifically, these laws include copyrights for digital lectures (in what conditions can they be used, partially or fully), regulations for data mining (who can mine what data, at which level, regulated by whom), and legal guidelines for digital files and especially digital grade sheets These frameworks would help develop a sufficiently large database for universities and adequately serve their needs in the digital transformation However, data fragmentation is still existent in most private universities in Hanoi
- It is necessary to complete guidelines regarding online education, specifically: Rules on online learning content, duration, online evaluation, inspecting and accrediting online learning quality, classroom organization (short-term and long-term) alongside other legal bindings during the digital transformation process
Conditions for successful digital transformation in private universities in Hanoi, Vietnam
Most administrators of private universities in Hanoi are focused and determined to successfully perform digital transformation Below are several conditions required for this endeavor as stated in these universities’s documents:
- Awareness of digital transformation needs to be communicated and agreed upon throughout each department and individual of the faculty There needs to be consensus that digital transformation is an inevitability, thus requires adequate preparation and investment
- Rules, policies and legal frameworks need to be completed in order to facilitate campus-wide digital transformation in all activities Such policies include ensuring copyright and intellectual property registration; relating to online teaching quality such as information security; relating politics, ethics such
as protecting personal information; and relating to conditions of online teaching as well as inspection and accreditation of online learning
- ICT and other types of infrastructure need to be provided uniformly throughout campus to ensure administration, teaching and learning can be performed smoothly between departments, connections are stable and information is secured This requires adequate financial investments for high-quality equipment and software solutions
- Finally, personnel (including administrators, lecturers, and students) need to be well educated
on topics relating to digital transformation These topics include IT skills, knowledge of information security, and the ability to effectively use support tools for teaching and learning
2.3 Brand management trends for universities in the context of digital transformation and global integration in Hanoi, Vietnam
The new trend in development for university education worldwide is building the university brand through specific activities, such as: expanding facilities; increasing international scientific collaboration; diversifying partnerships among schools and businesses; building educational centers to attract foreign investors; recruiting experts on brand development and financial investments for developing the brand; developing the brand on social media… These are activities that enhance the school’s brand, creating
Trang 7prestige in the community The trend in brand management with digital transformation and global integration manifests in several ways:
(1) Creating a difference for the brand
Branding in education is very important as students and parents have many choices to choose from A research from Milward Brown shows that people tend to buy from brands they believe to be meaningful, different and able to stand out Such qualities are directly correlated to how people choose, pay for and commit to brands Hence, private universities need to create brands that evoke positive emotions from students, parents and the public by creating meaningful differences to their competition
To create sustainable competitive advantages, a brand needs good recognition, and its marketing needs to reflect and heighten that difference Meaningful differences start from the brand’s benefit Different brands are clear in their intent - they need to provide what students want or need, and what other competitors cannot copy
School brands in university education help students tell one university from the other For private universities, it is not enough to only have brand directions for the school, but also for each specialization
it offers This type of brand direction is suitable for private universities at this time, whose educational qualities are not yet recognized by the public and media A focus on branding for a particular major will bring a strong and distinct signature to the overall brand, creating good impressions and prestige among educators and society in general
(2) Brands serving the students’ needs
Becoming a student-oriented brand can help brands become a necessity and gain students’ attention, increasing sentiment and student loyalty through school pride When a university’s brand is accepted
by students, it brings the school tangible benefit, including easier access to the market even for new specializations
(3) Bringing the brand experience to students
By providing positive experiences to students, universities can find loyal students, people who will recommend the brand to others This is what maintains the brand’s strength when faced with competition Impressions from students and parents are created through various events as part of the brand’s marketing campaign Each of these events need to provide a consistent impression of the experience the brand provides to students to avoid creating gaps that negatively affect brand perception
By creating a strong experience both online and on-campus, schools can facilitate recommendations and loyalty, thus improving the brand’s value
3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
From a business perspective, education is considered a service industry, provided by schools to students as their customers Similar to a business environment, growth requires universities to actively advertise their brands, images and names to students instead of passively waiting for them This applies even for publicly funded facilities Thus, “brand development” in education is a major issue
This research is based on gathering qualitative data from three sources: (1) archived records, (2) semi-structured interviews and (3) recurring unstructured conversations with personnel involved in brand management at private universities in Hanoi We perform our data collection in three phases The first phase starts in October 2020, in which we gather public records from various sources on the scale, organization and reviews of private universities in Hanoi The goal for this phase is evaluating the context of our research, and gaining data regarding the current state of brand management during digital
Trang 8transformation for private universities in Hanoi Our most valuable source of data is archived records, including documents on universities’ activities, policy documents and evaluation reports related to digital transformation processes: brand management at private universities; Application of digital transformation
in university education, The current state of digital transformation in private universities, Conditions for successful digital transformation in private universities in Hanoi; And brand management trends for universities in the context of digital transformation and global integration in Hanoi, Vietnam
The second phase uses a qualitative method to evaluate the effects of digital transformation to brand management, in the form of a case study on private universities in Hanoi:
- Methodology: we use theories and viewpoints from brand management in economics as our basis for creating methods, determining our scope and selecting methods for addressing the problem
- Theoretical methods: we gather scientific information from existing documents on brand management in education and logical deduction to come to our conclusions, including:
+ Method for classifying and organizing theories: we group documents on branding and brand management by facets, authors, problem natures and development paths We then organize these groups into an overall theoretical model;
+ Method for analyzing and summarizing theories: we analyze different documents by breaking down the branding and brand management topic into different sub-topics To summarize them, we link these different sub-topics into a unified model to describe brand management in private universities within the context of digital transformation and global integration of Vietnam
We initially planned phase three of our research in July and August of 2021 This phase includes semi-structured interviews and conversations with administrators and personnel involved in brand management
as well as digital transformation in private universities However, due to the COVID-19 lockdown in Hanoi, our direct interviews had to become online interviews We conducted several candid interviews to verify our findings Online surveys and discussions are our most important sources in this phase
Brand management in university education in Vietnam still requires more research and analysis based on scientific evidence and deduction to identify specific factors affecting brand development
In the context of digital transformation and global integration, universities need brand management
strategies that are suitable to their situations and scientific methods to execute them: Establishing values and positioning for the brand; Planning and executing brand marketing programs; Measuring and explaining brand effectiveness
4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The digital transformation and global integration process in university education in Vietnam is happening alongside the transformation and integration of the entire economy Digital transformation
in education is essentially bringing all educational activities to the digital environment, changing how educational activities operate with 4 primary aspects: teaching activities, learning activities, research activities, and administrative processes
Brand management activities for a private university in the context of digital transformation and global integration of Hanoi, Vietnam
Entering a new phase of building and developing the economy with increased globalization and more scientific advancements than ever, scientists and education experts agree that it is crucial to have a healthy, honest and modern education system The system must be adept at creating meaningful change
Trang 9in general literacy, developing human resources, fostering talent and taking part in building Vietnam’s culture and people Government regulations on education and administering educational facilities need
to have suitable definitions of commercialization in education in the current global context In this section, we present our findings and analysis of brand management activities in a private university in the context of digital transformation and global integration of Vietnam.
University brand management is the combination of all solutions and resources dedicated to fulfilling the school’s quality commitment to the public University brand management is the execution
of the school’s mission and vision; the construction of the school’s core values, through which the brand’s position to the public is asserted, via evaluations on education quality and university rankings,
as well as related third parties Brand management means analyzing and planning so that the brand
is recognized on the market In other words: brand management is the process of controlling every aspect of how the brand is perceived Brand management for private universities within the context of digital transformation and global integration includes:
a Establishing values and positioning for the brand
To establish a university brand, it is crucial to determine why students and parents select a brand In education, these reasons may include: learning experience, tuition fee, education quality, recommendations from others, reputation/recognition from the media and the public, position in public rankings, Brand positioning is defined by Kohler as: “The act of designing brand products and images such that it remains in a unique and valuable position in the minds of target customers” Thus, brand positioning includes understanding tangible and intangible properties of the university The process of brand positioning for universities consists of the following five steps: (1) Determine potential students; (2) Analyze schools with similar properties; (3) Research and evaluate opportunities to position the brand; (4) Set up the brand positioning map, the goal of which is establishing the brand’s core differences and properties, especially compared to competitors; (5) Decide the positioning plan
Determine and establish the brand’s value: Brand value is the financial value that potential students
are willing to spend in tuition to receive an education at the university behind the brand For each school, brand value is a guarantee for forecasting demand It helps the school commit to improving education quality, improve sales, create distinct styles, habits and cultures The core value of a brand is its most powerful, unique difference The core value is seen as the guiding compass for the brand, as all activities
to build and develop the brand are built around the core value The brand’s core value needs to be the first value to be decided on, from which programs, faculties, facilities, administrative models, are developed Additionally, school activities are highly affected by the results of digital transformation Thus, universities need to promote important foundations for digital transformation such as: internet infrastructure (5G, telecom networks, ) and legal frameworks for information security; policies towards training and improving digital competence; fostering the ecosystem of edutech companies; focus on using AI, ML, Blockchain, in education will bring positive results in solving current problems affecting the education system at private universities in Hanoi, Vietnam Therefore, universities need
to have creative solutions to promote accessibility and provide quality education to all demographics regardless of location
b Planning and executing brand marketing programs
Planning marketing strategies is the construction of marketing strategies and specific marketing methods The first step is determining the brand positioning based on selected student demographics
Trang 10Marketing administrators need to care about positioning the brand compared to other competitors on the market Positioning is both a goal and a strategic direction for the university’s marketing activities Brand positioning helps the brand stand out within the education system, thus having corresponding target student demographics Selecting the appropriate brand positioning is tied to the brand’s competitors, related properties, the competitor’s positioning and market segments The final choice may either be a positioning strategy compared against competing schools, with the same target student demographic, or
a new positioning on the market without any competitors
To successfully execute their marketing strategies, schools need to have a detailed action plan.The action plan also assigns decision responsibilities and tasks for departments and individuals, with timetables for tasks and specific milestones to hit
Digital transformation in universities aim at creating new models for operations, new ways to experience education services, and improve competitiveness Digital transformation in planning and executing brand communication campaigns can be very impactful: delivering information to prospective students, parents and the public on tuition policies, programs, products, school culture, school resources; convincing students, parents and the public to positively change their perception towards the school Digital transformation affects the choice of communication media - specific channels through which messages and advertisements are delivered to target students These messages are designed to change the perception of students, parents and the public, which motivates the desire to enroll and increasing trust A university with a good brand communication campaign can approach many prospective students, receive positive feedback and expand brand recognition Digital transformation can help improve information access, overcome distances and save time in delivering school values and cultures and increasing prestige
c Measuring and explaining brand effectiveness
“Brand capital is the collection of existing and owed assets associated with the brand, its name and symbol, which increases or decreases the value of products or services provided by companies to their customers” (Aaker) For a university, the brand capital includes: Brand name perception, experience quality, brand network, brand assets, value proposition to students, value proposition to the school and brand loyalty of students and parents
Building brand capital towards students is the differential effect of brand knowledge on the reaction
of students, parents and the public to the brand’s marketing Measuring brand capital based on students includes selecting ways to develop and execute the brand capital measurement system Brand capital management is considering ways to evaluate sources of brand capital and their outcomes, ways to create brand value through marketing, components connecting phases from the source to outcome, and value multipliers at each phase of brand management
To effectively measure and explain brand effectiveness, private universities need to ensure digital transformation has reached changes in administrative methods, processes and school culture
by switching to digital models via Big Data, IoT, Cloud computing and corresponding software Digitizing information makes it easier to store, search and share Applying digital technology in business processes such as using software can simplify and streamline school activities, aiming toward the highest level of digital transformation which involves the use of AI, Big Data, IoT to collect, process, analyze data, measure and explain data, leading to changes to the school’s model and operations or brand development strategy