Current Business Processes of World University
Discuss about the Business Model of World University.
A group of private institutions around the world has come together in development of World University. This University is a fully online university where lecturers teach online from any place around the world. This University offers a number of courses to the students around the world and the students can sign in from any point of time for studying in world University. The University offers different courses and can furthermore choose from which country they graduate from. This is one of the exclusive features that are offered by World University. The student who has studied his entire degree from Australia can choose to graduate from the World University USA. This scenario gives an example of the excellent use of information technology or ICT services. Efficient use of the information technology resources is seen in World University. One of the main reasons of the popularity of World University is that it provides a cost effective solution to the students across the world. This is possible since the lectures are imparted online and therefore, the World University does not have to maintain any infrastructure cost (Jolliffe, Ritter & Stevens, 2012). The report discusses the business process or solution that can possibly enhance the business process model of World University. Since World University is mainly based on an online platform, the social media can play a very important role in promoting this model. The report discusses the possible ways in which the social media can help in promoting the business model of World University.
In order to promote the World University and to increase the business profits of the organization, a customer loyalty scheme has been proposed. The customer loyalty scheme is called Study Together. In this scheme, the students who will be introducing another student to study in the world university will be rewarded based in the course the student is enrolled to. Apart from this, the University makes use of different agents to sell its offerings to the employers. A well maintained business process of the organization approves any new application in less than 5 minutes. The payment for the courses is to be made via credit card or Paypal and cannot be refunded.
Purchase of e-books and laptops is a part of the course and this purchase can be made online. Any student who is interested in studying in World University cannot opt out of these purchases. The laptop purchased by the students is pre configured with the required software and this laptop is sent out to all the students. Students have to make use of that laptop only in order to receive services from World University. Since the laptop is pre configured with the required applications, it becomes easier from the students to operate those laptops.
Business Process Enhancement Suggestions
These are the current business processes associated with the World University. However, this business model needs certain enhancements or amendments in order to increase the profit of the organization and to reach out to a greater number of students. The suitable business processes or solution that can possibly enhance the business model of the business of World University is discussed in the following section.
With the growing business opportunities along with the increase in competition in the market, it is essential for World University to strengthen the business process in order to attract more students to take admission in World Universities. For that the University needs to redesign or modify the process of providing educational services to the students (Veletsianos & Navarrete, 2012). The offers to the students must be more attractive and the quality of the education should be enhanced as well. The organizational goal of World University is to provide modernized educational service to the students across the world. The enhancement of the existing business processes is therefore necessary. The two business processes that can be use to enhance the business process model of World University are as follows-
Marketing is one the important business processes that is needed to be incorporated in business model of World University. Proper marketing can help in increasing the students’ engagement with the University, thereby increasing the market price and the competitive advantage in the market. However, in order to develop proper marketing strategies, it is necessary for the university to incorporate proper compliance in the existing business process and the teaching style of the University (Croxton, 2014). The compliance that is mainly needed for the University to incorporate in the legal audit of the different business processes associated with the business of World University. The legal audit will ensure that the different practises, rules, regulations and legislation requirements are properly defined in the business processes of the organization.
Another important criterion associated with the modification of the business processes by proper marketing strategy is to build a positive reputation of the University. This can be achieved by hiring experienced professionals who can handle the students in an efficient way even working in an online platform. The success and flourishing of a particular business largely depends on public image of the organization The World University should be look to it that no illegal business processes is running within the organization (Shen et al., 2013). Furthermore, the administration should be very careful about the fact that no student is wrongly charged or overcharged for the courses they are engaged to (Kupczynski et al., 2012). This would not only develop a good public image of the organization but will also abide by the different legal requirements of the business. The marketing strategy for the business will be successful only in the World University manages to maintain a good public image of the organization. One of the significant benefits of this business process is that, with an effective marketing, the organization will be able to attract more students for taking up the courses in World University. With a good image of the University, the students will feel secure to engage in the educational services provided by the World University (Yuan, Powell & Olivier, 2014).
Online Promotion with Social Media
In order to improve the competitive advantage in the market, one of the recommended business processes is identification and proper management of the risks associated with the existing business process of the organization. Incorporation of proper administration is recommended for the organization. Proper administration is lacking in the current business processes of the organization and therefore, there are high changes of different risks including operational risk and technical risk. Risk administration is essential as it will help in removing the different business loopholes and drawbacks of the current business processes (Wang, Shannon & Ross, 2013). This will enhance the business output of the organization as well. The hiring of the employees should be strictly on basis of the experience and the degree so that the students get the best services from the organization. This will increase the engagement of the students with the World University.
These are the two recommendations for suitable business solution that will be employed in order to enhance the existing business process model of World University. The following section discusses the role of social media in promoting the suggested business model and the business operation of World University.
The business model and the business of World University can be widely promoted and marketed with the help of social media. This can be precisely done by making use of the social media platform in order to target and reach a greater number of audiences. Social media is a platform of computer mediated technology that facilitates creation, storage and sharing of the data with the people across the world (Veletsianos & Navarrete, 2012). Social media is a platform that enables a user in creating and sharing the content with the help of social networking. There are around 3 billion social media users in the world and therefore, this platform can easily increase the customers’ reach in any business (Castronovo & Huang, 2012). Therefore, World University can largely be benefitted with the use of social media in promoting and marketing their business.
This can be achieved by properly designing a marketing campaign in form of advertisements in the social media (Berthon et al., 2012). Social media will provide a direct platform of interaction with the target audience of the organization (Scott, 2015). The customer reach can be estimated by the number of followers in the social media. Furthermore, the important information associated with World University can be conveyed to the students and the target audiences by sending out updates in the social media profiles of World University along with well structure advertisements. Promoted tweets in twitter can help spreading the business process of World University in a more efficient way.
Social media can furthermore be used to receive honest reviews and feedbacks from the students and the people who are interested in engaging with the services offered by the World University. These reviews can be incorporated in the website of the organization so that the students who wish to engage with the services offered the University get a clear idea of the different business processes of the organization (Van Der Aalst, La & Santoro, 2016). This will also infuse a transparency in the existing business processes of World University. Furthermore, the feedbacks obtained from the students and the target audience can help in bringing the needed modifications in the existing structure and the business processes of World University (Thackeray, Neiger & Keller, 2012). The new business process can be designed according to the needs of the customers and their feedback. This is one of the significant advantages of using social media in promoting a particular business.
Since the use of social media makes it easier to provide and receive the feedbacks, it is easier to resolve the queries of the target audiences. Social media being an interactive platform will enable the authorities to resolve the queries of the audience much faster. Furthermore, it will provide the students a platform to raise their queries which can be resolved in no time. The marketing of the business process of World University and the opportunities that can be provided to the students of World University will be easier by making use of social media in the business of the organization.
The ethical data mining and mining of certain necessary information from the social media can help in finding the information of the students who can take an admission in the University thus improving the business process of World University (He, Zha & Li, 2013). Apart from this, the use of the different social media tools in marketing and advertising the business of the organization is cost effective solution as well. Since setting up of a social media page does not incurs huge infrastructure cost.
Therefore, it is seen that social media plays a huge role in marketing the business model of World University in an efficient manner.
Conclusion
The report discusses the modification in the business processes that is needed in World University in order to expand its business. The use of proper marketing and administration strategy is needed in order to enhance the business process and the business model of World University. The report further discusses the use of social media in promoting, advertising and marketing the business model of World University. The use of social media is recommended since it can help in promoting the objectives, goals and business of World University is a much lower cost and will considerably increase the customers’ reach as well.
The recommendations for improving the business process of the World University are as follows-
- Although the purchase of laptop is an important business need for the organization, this scheme can be made optional; that is if a student wishes to use his/her own laptop, she can do it.
- An e-book library can be created with a monthly subscription charge that can help the students in accessing the required contents anytime anywhere.
References
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