The University Of Wolverhampton

students to meet the market demands of various professions. Their faculties range from faculty of Science and Engineering, faculty of social sciences, faculty of arts, and faculty of education, health, and well-being. All these faculties offer different courses to suit the demands of society. The institution was established in 1827, as a mechanics school that gave vocational training and general education to the employed personnel. During this period, such training and education were mostly meant for men, and therefore the initial students of the institution were men (not because the institution adopted a policy that discriminated against women, but because of the existing social norms and order at that time). By 1903, the institution had grown to include more than 1,300 students who were mostly studying technical courses such as coachbuilding (University of Wolverhampton, 2019). By 1966, with a population of over 6,000 students, the institution began offering Bachelor’s degree courses. In 1992, the Wolverhampton Polytechnic was given university status and was rebranded to the University of Wolverhampton (University of Wolverhampton, 2019). Currently, the university has four faculties and offers more than 70 courses. Therefore, this article will analyse at the commercial objectives of the and how the university has established its brand over the year.

In regards to the study that was conducted by the institution in 2008, the preparation for the next assessment was done after three years. As per the study, the institutions, business engagement, and portfolio seemed to have increased in the same period. The previous strategic plan that was implemented in 2012 has so far been achieved. During the implementation of the 2012 strategic plan, the brand has invested £100 million in the brand, which outlines their plan to generate over £250 million from the venture by 2020, to boost the

In regards to the study that was conducted by the institution in 2008, the preparation for the next assessment was done after three years. As per the study, the institutions, business engagement, and portfolio seemed to have increased in the same period. The previous strategic plan that was implemented in 2012 has so far been achieved. During the implementation of the 2012 strategic plan, the brand has invested £100 million in the brand, which outlines their plan to generate over £250 million from the venture by 2020, to boost the student life and the local economy around the region (University of Wolverhampton, 2016). An investment plan that was rolled out dubbed “The Our Vision, Your Opportunity” program altered the initial goals of institution, with new accompaniments to city campus, which comprises of the state of art Science Centre named after Rosalind Franklin, and the Swraj Paul that houses the universities school of business (University of Wolverhampton, 2016). The new Strategic Plan aims at building making the University of Wolverhampton an influential powerhouse in the real of the United Kingdom educational sector, with both national and international significance. The strategic plan will ensure that the university grows not only in terms of business but also in terms of providing quality education that has a measurable effect on society.

To attain the £100 million investment goals, the University of Wolverhampton, ought to attract more shareholders, investors, and clients in the form of students, who will fund the dream. According to the 2018 financial report, one of the ways to raise the £100 meant for investment was to increase the student’s tuition fee (University of Wolverhampton, 2018).

The university started its operations as a regional service provider, meaning that in its initial years of existence, the band mainly focused on a regional level and was more popular even among workers. During this stage, the institution branded itself as the Wolverhampton Mechanics’ Institute. Since then, the institution has continuously grown into a globally recognised brand. By 2016 the University of Wolverhampton had developed into a beacon for quality teaching not just in the Black Country, but also in the adjacent areas and the world. In the last five years, the institution has developed its brand to be synonymous to student satisfaction and quality academic performance, while at the same time satisfying the needs of all students. In 2014, the university had the highest percentage of students coming from a poor background in the United Kingdom. In 2011, the student satisfaction rate was found to be more than 80%. However, the national survey revealed a relatively higher figure of 84%. The students are the main clients of the university, the fact that they are satisfied with the services offered by the university is an indicator that the brand is improving its image.

The increase in client satisfaction (students), is connected to the fact that the university has made the positive improvements in terms of the graduate prospects of the students, to a point where the university has recorded one of the highest employability rates as compared to other institutions. In a study conducted in 2011, 85.2% of the students reported that finding a source of employment or pursuing further studies after graduating. A later study in 2016 reported an employability rate of 96%, which made Wolverhampton the second university in the United Kingdom, in terms of graduate employability, outclassing the UK average for universities. This is an indicator that the University has developed its brand to a competitive level. Such a brand image and reputation will help the university to attract more investors, clients, and the relevant stakeholders that would fund the university’s ambition and strategic plan. The best part is that the local community has been engaged in the whole process, which means that the whole process is inclusive and holistic; a characteristic that most investors would want in any project.

What started as a regional brand popular among the employed men, has developed to attain a national recognition and beyond. From a brand that attracted 1300 students when it stated, currently, the brand has more than 10,000 students all over the world. The University of Wolverhampton has used its distance learning portal to attract students all over the world, especially those who cannot afford life in the United Kingdom. The online portal is accessed by students from Europe, America, Asia, and Africa. These statistics are a symbol that the University of Wolverhampton as a brand has a global influence. Besides, the university has been active in various online platforms such as the official university blog, Facebook and Twitter. In all these platforms, the brand enjoys a massive following, especially from its alumni students.

Besides the alumni students of the University of Wolverhampton have travelled to various countries for placements, and so far, they have recorded a success story. For example, Isabella Dank’s success story in her field (a graduate from the University of Wolverhampton with Bachelor’s degree in Midwifery), did not only market her as a Midwife but also marketed the whole institution in the Philippines. The same can be said about Lynn Butler, whose placement in ITV News Central in Birmingham was a success story, among others. Such instances help to improve the brand image to the point that the University of Wolverhampton has achieved a global reputation. The students, who act both as the institution's ambassadors and clients at the same time have taken an active role in promoting the brand image of the university. So far, it can be said, that the strategies (if there is any) used by the University of Wolverhampton is effective and is a success and has achieved the desired goal.

The institution’s media team has always been vibrant in terms of updating the institution's website, undertaking the necessary public relations activities, and keeping the online community active. These activities do create a brand not only awareness but also improves the image of the brand. The same can also be said about the alumni associations hosted in online platforms.

Various studies have identified the six separate but interconnect basics that can contribute to what they referred to as paradigm, which is the same as the pattern of the work environment or the values of an entity. This study will distinctly look at these factors in relations to Wolverhampton university. Johnson and Scholes (2002), stated that the cultural web involves the rituals, stories, powers structures, symbols, organisational structure, and control system. For Wolverhampton its brand name acts as the main symbol that binds together various departments and campus in different locations. It is a symbol of the scale of operation that the founders aimed at, therefore helping both the employees and students to cultivate an aggressive work culture (this has partly led to the success of the organisation). The power structure of Wolverhampton University is a flat pyramid with the Chancellor and Vice chancellor of the university being on the top. As much as investors also play an important role in the decision-making process of the organisation, the final decision is always based on the university’s management. The university started as polytechnic aimed at improving the labour force in the region, and after 30 years, it had developed to a university status, all these was done through the efforts of the university’s management and stakeholders; this explains the pervasiveness of a “Power Culture” at Wolverhampton University.

John and Scholes (2002), defined stakeholders as those individuals who rely on the organisation to fulfil their own objectives and in turn the organisation also needs them to attain its objectives. In the case of the University of Wolverhampton the major stakeholders are students, then the government and other partners. In reference to the Stakeholders Mapping, established by Savage et al. (1991), students and the government can be labelled as dominant stakeholder, while other partnering entities would qualify to be dependent stakeholders.

According to Keller and Brexendorf (2017, p.10), a good brand ought to communicate a distinct message, on its beliefs and how it distinguishes itself from its competitors in the market. The authors further stated that an excellent brand persuades their respective market that their lives will be enhanced by associating themselves with the brand in question, and without it, their lives would not be as good as it could have been if they had associated themselves with the brand. As a result of the marketing strategies used and the market position, clients will appreciate and internalise its continuous use. Every touch point within the client’s experience ought to reinforce the same consistent message. Martensen and Grønholdt (2010, p. 321) added that with a well-crafted strategy, an efficient brand would start to look like a system of belief or some sort of religion. At this point, the brand takes a vibrant life of its own and clients will support the brand, assume its claims and spread the message to other people. Major international brands such as Coca Cola, have mastered this strategy and use it to their advantage. The same can be said for people who own FORD automobiles; they believe that they have the most superior car. Such brands have developed beyond their slogans and have progressed into living hymns for both the business and their clients, shareholder, and interested parties.

When analysing the brand strength of the Wolverhampton University, the article will use the parameters established above, to determine the position of the University of Wolverhampton as a brand. First, as Keller and Brexendorf (2017, p.4), a strong brand should be able to communicate a clear message and how it differentiates itself with its competitors. Up to this extent, the University of Wolverhampton has proved that it has a clear message and beliefs that differentiate it from other institutions of higher learning. The institution’s mission is to maximise on the relevant opportunities through generating knowledge, enterprise, and innovation, and has an ambition of becoming an influential leader that champions for growth , diversity and creating equal life changes for all, and at the same time improving on financial effect and accelerating determination across the whole university community. To some extent, the University of Wolverhampton has achieved its mission and objectives, which has ultimately improved the brand’s position in the market. For example, the fact that the university has been ranked the second-best in the UK in reference to graduate employability and the best in terms of catering for the needs of students from poor backgrounds has really played a big role in differentiating it with other universities.

However, the brand has not yet established itself to point where it can exist on its own, and the clients will support it; this can be attributed to the fact that Wolverhampton attained its University status in the early 1990s, as compared to its competitors who have had this status for more than 50 years. In fact, Universities like Cambridge and Harvard have had the same status for more than a century. This trickle down to the fact that the University of Wolverhampton has produced fewer graduates (clients) as compared it its competitors. In business terms, it can be said that the university has served fewer clients as compared to its counterparts, and therefore, their voices that can be used to spread the entities ideologies are fewer. To counter such an effect, the University of Wolverhampton should consider serving more clients; this does not mean that it should enrol more students, rather the institution should take an active role in community engagement and conduct community or national projects. Such activities will boost the public image of the institution, which will subsequently lead to a more vibrant and stronger brand.

The University of Wolverhampton as a brand has been structured as a corporate brand. This means that the brand uses its company name across all its activities and products, and the same name is common among all the shareholders, consumers, partners, and suppliers. In regards to the type of brand, the University of Wolverhampton qualifies as a budget brand. Budget brands are those brands that are welcomed by every consumer. They do not demean the social status of the upper-middle-class, and at the same time, they are affordable by the lower class. The tuition fees charged by the University of Wolverhampton is relatively pocket-friendly as compared to other institutions of higher learning of such reputation; this was the main reason the university was voted as the best in terms of hosting students from needy backgrounds. Besides, catering for the needs of students from the lower class, the university also has a reputation of producing qualified and marketable graduates, which has given the brand favour among the upper and the middle class. This is not only evident in the United Kingdom, but has also been observed through the number of foreign students learning in the university, either through distance learning or physically attending the classes.

Martensen and Grønholdt (2010, p. 321) defined brand community as a connection that is formed on the foundations of brand attachment to the product or brand name. The University of Wolverhampton has a sizeable strong brand community, but it has not yet reached its potential in terms of mobilising its a brand community. As compared to other reputable universities such as the London School of Business, Harvard, and Oxford Universities, the University of Wolverhampton has a slightly smaller competitor. To improve on the brand community, the University of Wolverhampton must first mobilise its alumni. So far, the University has an alumni section only on its website, and these alumni groups are limited to certain regions (University of Wolverhampton, 2019). It is high time the university considered coming up with relevant social media platform that would help it in mobilising their ex-graduate. This can be done by using the three most popular social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and Snapchat. The communication group should create Facebook groups or pages that aim to mobilise the alumni community and come up with a relevant Twitter handle and hashtags (#) for the same purpose.

Besides, mobilising the alumni community, the university should consider to invest in community enhancement programs, then later mobilise the beneficiaries of such projects. Such activities will broaden the horizons of the institution and help it in creating a sizeable online community that can improve the brand image. Therefore, the University of Wolverhampton should majorly concentrate on how to mobilise the existing community and how to recruit more participants into the community to match their competitors in the market. This mobilisation can be done through online platforms, face-to-face networking, and assuming a leadership role in society.

The University of Wolverhampton is a manufacturer brand. When a brand is directly linked with the manufacture of the brand of the product, it is referred to as the manufacturer brand. It can also be referred to as a national brand especially if the brand has a good image like in the case of the University of Wolverhampton. This implies that every service or product given by the institution is branded with the institution’s name. The major product that the university majorly offers as per the current report is bachelors degrees, then followed by other undergraduate programs. The number of both undergraduate and post-graduate programs are relatively equal. However, the institution has more numbers of undergraduate students as compared to postgraduate students. Such trends have been observed in various institutions of higher learning, and the University of Wolverhampton is not an exception. Even so, the institution can capitalise on this trend to come up with a favourable environment that will increase its post-graduate enrolment. This a field that has not been exploited by various institutions and so Wolverhampton can seize this opportunity to gain a competitive advantage over its rivals. Favourable policies such as pocket-friendly tuition fee and financial aid should be replicated in the postgraduate level to attract more students. Additionally, the institution should also consider introducing science and technology-based subjects such as engineering, Medicine, Biochemistry among others. As much of these courses are expensive to establish, they would help the University in attracting more students and increasing its community.

The University of Wolverhampton has established itself as an institution that prioritises the needs of students, by providing quality education and a pocket-friendly price; this is a niche that the University has created and communicated its brand so. This niche has made the institution’s brand to stand out against its competitors. The institution also uses active marketing to communicate their brands. However, their marketing strategies have not been as efficient as it ought to be in terms of communicating the brand. This is evident in the low online privacy depicted in the marketing activities of the institutions. Apart from the University’s official site and blog, there is no other platform used to communicate the company’s brand, which is detrimental to the progress of the brand. The University should also consider partnering with other organisations as a strategy of communicating its brand to people who might not be conversant with it.

The University of Wolverhampton should consider using consistent colours and logos which will them tell the same story to everyone in any corner of the world. For example, Coca Cola has been known to using the colour red in all its campaigns. The same can be replicated with the University of Wolverhampton. Another example is that most universities in the United States of America has adopted animal symbols to differentiate and communicate their brand. For example, the University of Alaska adopted a polar bear symbol as a way of communicating its brand. So far, the University of Wolverhampton has not been keen on using logos, and symbols to communicate its brand. Such strategies can help to communicate the Brand, even without the physical presence of the organisation.

This form of Corporate Social Responsibility Model aims at conducting social responsibility as means of increasing profit either directly or indirectly. As much as the supporters of this methodology acknowledge that conflicts persist when making business decisions, they also believe that CSR investments have the capability of generating other sources of revenues. The Value-Added Model focus on issues like the value of CSR in attracting socially conscious consumers, sourcing for socially conscious employees and managing any threats presented by negative press. The University of Wolverhampton undertakes various social responsibility programs as strategy of marketing the institution, and creating a reputable brand image. This is evident in the programs the university conducts within the community and regionally, for example the adult education programs, aims at reducing the illiteracy rate in the region, and at the same time promoting the brand of the university as an institution that can transform an individual to a competent and skilled worker.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the University of Wolverhampton is still a developing institution that is when compared to other institutions of higher learning. Even it is developing stage; the institution has managed to overcome various challenges and establish itself as an important player in the education sector, not only in the United Kingdom but also in the global arena. In this regards, it can be said that the company is doing enough in terms of promoting its brand and segmenting its targeted market. However, for better output, the institution ought to embrace digital platforms.

Take a deeper dive into The Transformative Power of Education with our additional resources.

References

• Keller, K.L. and Brexendorf, T.O., 2017. Measuring brand equity. Handbuch Markenführung, pp.1-32.
• Martensen, A. and Grønholdt, L., 2010. Measuring and managing brand equity: A study with a focus on product and service quality in banking — International Journal of Quality and Service Sciences, 2(3), pp.300-316.
• The University of Wolverhampton. (2018). Reports and Financial Statements. Retrieved from;