CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

With the demand of high-quality human resources for the development of society
and the more increasing competitiveness in education sector, training centers nowadays
face significant challenges to recruit new students and high quality with student
satisfaction level is one of the important keys to this situation of training centers. The role
and the position of educational training centers in contemporary society are largely
affected by the expansion of knowledge, globalization, uneven development of society,
the disproportion of political, military and economic power on the world stage, and many
other factors. It is important to emphasize that educational training centers are faced with
the requirement to increase their business marketing orientation due to a number of factors
that include the following: increasing presence of international training centers, the
establishment of private institutes, the introduction of the accreditation system, as well as
control measures and quality guarantees of education.
Customer satisfaction is one of the essential factors in creating success of any
business organizations. However, the definition of customer is very critical for educational
training centers. Customers of educational training centers can be categorized as students,
parents, the employees, the employers, the public sector, the industry and the wider
community (Vatolkina & Salimova, 2011). However in most educational training centers,
students are considered as primary customers of educational training centers. Student
satisfaction can be defined as a short-term attitude resulting from an evaluation of student
educational experiences. It is the result and outcome of an educational system. Student
satisfaction is a continually changing construct in the educational environment due to
repeated interactions and it is a dynamic process that requires clear and effective action as
a result of training center listening to its students. Therefore, student satisfaction is also
defined as a function of relative level of experiences and perceived performance about
educational service during the study period.
The future students choose the characteristics of the education offer which suits
them the best and they are operationalized through marketing mix instruments.
Contemporary marketing interprets marketing mix as one of the most commonly used
concepts whose instruments are crucial for the creation of the positive image of the
company, as well as for the satisfaction of consumers. The knowledge about student

1
satisfaction become particularly important for educational training centers to better
understand how students perceive the offered services as educational training centers will
compete with each other to both keep and attract the best students. In Mandalay, the
transformation of education from the ordinary to the competitive market makes training
centers have to compete for educating better students for the recruitment markets and
therefore, must care more for student satisfaction.
KMD training center is one of the private successful computer training centers in
Mandalay. It is offering application courses, professional courses and related subjects in
Mandalay. It provides a comprehensive students-centered learning community, highly
qualified education with excellent services, and helps individuals achieve their education
and career goals. There are about 200 students attending at KMD training center and its
opening hour is from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. KMD training center provides highly qualified
education with excellent services for getting the student satisfaction. It is essential to
measure student perceived satisfaction with marketing mix in order to continuously
improve the KMD training center's study program, teaching, staff and facilities. Overtime,
this continuous measurement provides vital information necessary for effective decision
making, monitoring performance and effectively allocating resources, then leading to the
success of KMD training center. This study only focuses on student satisfaction and
marketing mix of KMD training center in Mandalay.

1.1 Rationale of the Study

The marketing goal of each business organization, including educational training
centers, is to achieve the satisfaction of customers. The effort to improve the marketing
mix instruments, and thus to upgrade the image of the educational training centers, arises
from the fact that all educational training centers in the modern market game strive to
achieve as higher student satisfaction as possible in order to gain a competitive advantage.
It is, therefore, necessary to learn how to upgrade marketing mix instruments in order to
improve the image of educational training centers and achieve student satisfaction. For
service organizations, the practice of marketing mix (7Ps) is strongly demanded. The
effective use of 7Ps is sure for organizations to stand in the strong competitive business
environment.
Customer satisfaction plays a vital role in the success of every business especially
in customer-based equity of the company and as a principal tool to measure the
effectiveness of marketing performance (Pappu & Quester, 2006). Obtaining clearly which
2
factor affects this sector among 7Ps is necessary for firms and the owners. They can have
the right decision when considering which element should be prioritized first when
carrying out marketing programs. The study helps them take all the advantages of 7Ps as
well as save cost and time for their business. Moreover, the role of customer satisfaction
can be known clearly for the companies to have suitable policies and directions to treat
with this kind of vital people. The results of this study will be useful for the owner and the
responsible persons or managers who can know clearly which elements in 7Ps affect
students a lot and in contrast. The KMD training center can consider which elements
should be spent more effort as well as money on it to generate the profit and which
elements should be ignored or spend less effort and money.
KMD training center is one of the largest regional computers training center in
Mandalay. KMD Co., Ltd. has implemented the Quality Management Systems (QMS).
KMD training centre (KMD education services) is approved by GIC, UK. ISO Certified
(ISO 9001:2015) for Quality Management System. KMD qualifications are work-related
qualifications, created to give professional learners the skills and knowledge needed to
thrive in the workplace. KMD qualifications are suitable for a wide range of learners aged
14 and over. The benefits of KMD certificate give students an advantage in international
recognition and industry related salaries. However, in the past year, the number of students
enrolled in KMD training center has been decreasing. The major problem is that many
local students are going abroad for the studying. The decreasing trend of annual enrollment
rate has a great impact on prestige, development of KMD training center, and becomes a
challenge to its current position. The results of this study will be examining clearly and
carefully the relationship between each element in 7Ps and the student satisfaction among
students of KMD training center. It is hoped that this study will provide some new
information of what are important to student satisfaction to training manager.

1.2 Objectives of the Study

The objectives of the study are:
(1) To identify marketing mix of KMD training center
(2) To analyze the effects of marketing mix on student satisfaction of KMD
training center

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1.3 Methods of the Study
This study focused on the student satisfaction on marketing mix of KMD training
center. Both primary and secondary data were used in this study. The data collection period
was in February, 2020. Primary data were collected from KMD training center and survey
was conducted with 150 students by asking structured questionnaire with five-point Likert
scale. The statements included in questionnaire were adopted from previous empirical
studies. The respondents were selected by using simple random sampling method. The
students who attended training programs in KMD from January, 2019 to December, 2020
were the respondents of the study. The secondary data were collected from academic
journals, relevant text books, previous research papers, internet websites and managers of
KMD training center through interview. Descriptive statistics was used to describe the
profile of respondents and their perception on marketing mix (7Ps). Correlation analysis
was used to test the relationship between marketing mix and student satisfaction. Multiple
regression analysis was used to analyze the effect of marketing mix on student satisfaction
of KMD training center.

1.4 Scope and Limitations of the Study

The study analyzed the effect of marketing mix on student satisfaction of KMD
training center located in Mandalay. As the marketing mix, product, price, place,
promotion, people, process and physical evidence are used to test student satisfaction. The
perception of 150 students and their satisfaction level were explored to suggest KMD
training center about the importance of marketing mix for student satisfaction.
There are some limitations in this study. As one limitation, the study focused on
the students of KMD training center located in Mandalay. Other KMD training centers are
located in the whole country. The student satisfaction of other KMD training centers both
in Mandalay and other areas were not analyzed in this study. Marketing mix (7Ps) were
tested to prove their effect on student satisfaction. Student satisfaction can be created by
many other factors proposed by previous studies such as service quality. The other factors
that can create student satisfaction were not focused in this study. Additionally, student
satisfaction was the expected outcome of the study. Marketing mix can create outcomes
such as purchase intention, repurchase decision, customer loyalty which were not the scope
of the study.

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1.5 Organization of the Study
This study is divided into five main chapters. Chapter I is about the introduction
which includes rationale of the study, objectives of the study, methods of the study, scope
and limitations of the study and organization of the study. Chapter II discusses the
literature review which concerns with concept of marketing management, marketing mix,
customer satisfaction and findings from previous studies. Moreover, the conceptual
framework of the study is also illustrated in Chapter II. Chapter III presents the marketing
mix of KMD training center and the profile of KMD training center. Chapter IV is
concerned with the analysis of student satisfaction on marketing mix of KMD training
center. Chapter five is conclusion which includes findings and discussions, suggestions
and recommendations, and needs for further research.

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 CHAPTER II
LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter describes the concepts pertaining to the research study, the conceptual
model and how marketing mix (7P's) is essential to create and upgrade student satisfaction.
In this chapter, there are theories which comprises of marketing management, concept of
marketing mix and student satisfaction.

2.1 Concept of Marketing Management

According to Kotler and Keller (2012), marketing is a social and managerial
process by which individuals and groups obtain what they need and want through creating,
offering, and exchanging products of value with others. This definition of marketing is one
of the most widely accepted ones by marketing educators and practitioners. It points out
that marketing involves a diverse set of activities directed at a wide range of products and
it stresses the importance of facilitating satisfying exchanges between buyers and sellers.
In this view, marketing activities facilitate marketers and consumers to satisfy their needs
and wants. To generate satisfaction, the 4Ps must be carefully conducted by marketers.
Kotler and Armstrong (2006) defined marketing mix as 4Ps namely the product,
price, place and promotion and they designed to influence consumer decision making and
lead to profitable exchanges. According to Goi (2009), marketing mix is a set of marketing
tools that firms use to pursue their marketing objectives in the target market. Marketing
mix should have all the P's compatible with each other. The price is compatible with the
place of the product. Marketing mix helps for a new product development. While designing
an existing product, a number of ideas can come up related product that can be designed
by the company. The price, place and promotion may be different for such a product.
Nonetheless, it can be classified as a new product and hence while designing the marketing
mix, the company comes up with good ideas for a new product development as well.
Marketing mix helps to increase product portfolio. Whenever increase the product depth
or product line and length, it is necessary to make minor changes to the product.
Marketing mix helps to increase product image. Whenever the product line in
increased, it is necessary to make minor changes to the product, such as making changes
to the product features, to its pricing and if possible, to its promotions. As a result, altering
the marketing mix and its certain features ends up with an enlarged product image. It also

6
helps in differentiation, when analyses the marketing of the competitors, there are many
different ways to differentiate from the competitor. The competitor might have poor
promotions and by analyzing them, one can create better promotion of own product. The
competitors might have poor placement of products or might have the wrong process or
the wrong people in place. All these can be improved by giving a better marketing mix and
therefore a competitive advantage can be got in the market.
A company which is well-prepared has already been prepared when a disaster
strikes. During recession or during a poor business environment, a company should be
ready to respond. At such times, the company needs to be dynamic in nature. Such a
company needs to understand its product, price, place and promotion better. If it
understands them, it will respond with a better quality. Thus, there are many ways in which
marketing mix is important for the organization. The best part is that analyzing and
understanding the marketing is not a lengthy procedure and that the return to investment
on time spent is much higher.

2.2 Marketing Mix

Marketing mix used by a particular firm will vary according to its resources, market
conditions and changing needs of clients. The importance of some elements within
marketing mix will vary from at any point in time. Decision cannot be made on one
element of the marketing mix without considering its impact on other elements (Low &
Kok, 1997). Marketing mix is one of the most important and fundamental concepts,
associated with the marketing process. It is an assemblage of tasks and sub-tasks, which
will ultimately help to satisfy the customer's requirements, in such a way as to enable the
company, to achieve its objectives in an optimum way.
According to Singh (2012), marketing mix is the combination of different
marketing decision variables being used by the firm to market its goods and services. After
identifying the market and gathering the basic information about it, the next step is the
direction of market programming, is to decide upon the instruments and the strategy to
meet the needs of the customers and the challenge of the competitors. It offers an optimum
combination of all marketing ingredients so that companies can realize goals for example
profit, sales volume, market share, return on investment etc. The seven Ps of marketing
mix: product, price, place, promotion, process, physical evidence and people are described
in Figure (2.1).

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 Figure (2.1) 7P's of Marketing Mix

Product

People
Price

Marketing Mix

Physical
Place Evidence

Promotion Process

Source: Kotler and Keller (2012)

2.2.1 Product
The first element in marketing mix is program. Program is the most basic decision
that higher education institutions have to make. Developing program that satisfies
consumers’ wants and needs are critical marketing activity for education institutions
(Hoyer & McInnis, 2001). In higher education, there are three main activities as service
offered: teaching, research and community service. Higher education should evaluate its
academic program and service product mix periodically, and particularly when
considering modifications. Quality of higher education institutions services becomes
important as a trigger for customer satisfaction. But, every stakeholder in higher education
has a particular view of quality, dependent on their specific needs.
Kotler and Fox (1995) developed a version of the marketing mix designed
specifically for the educational institutions, addressing the limitation of the marketing mix
of products. In the marketing mix of Kotler and Fox (1995), programs are replaced in the

8
products. Programs are the first basic elements of the marketing mix of institutions. The
most basic decision that the higher education institutions have to make is to develop
programs that satisfy the students’ wants and needs. It is a critical marketing activity for
the educational institutions (Hoyer & McInnis, 2001). Another aspect of the higher
education that can trigger students is the perceived quality of the institution; for without
good services, any marketing efforts are either futile or deceitful (Roberts, 1998). Mamta
(2013) suggested that the values derived from a program can greatly influence the student’s
behavior. That is when the students understand what they will achieve in studying the
program and the quality of the teaching staff they will likely chosen the institution. Barnes
(2007) stated that research into service quality in a higher educational context is somewhat
scant, and where investigations have been undertaken, very little has been concluded
among post-graduates. Moreover, understanding and measuring customer expectations
and performance are therefore an essential component and that can enhance the
performance of entire organization.
Hollensen (2003) held that an appropriately implemented marketing strategy
results in programs being design cooperatively, developed, tested, piloted, installed, and
refined. The word cooperatively means that the higher education does not just produce
programs, but are researching this with the potential consumers. The challenges of
marketing of education stems from the fact that the educational institution offers
professional services that customer cannot inspect before purchasing (Nicolescu, 2009).
Thus, an educational program is an experience, since its relevant characteristics is only
effectively assessed by consumption (Amaral & Magalhaes, 2007). It is only when a
student gets into the program after purchase that they can assess the service quality. In his
7Ps framework, Mamta (2013) outlined the product that the higher education is selling
includes curriculum, quality teachers, spiritual values, good students, safe environment,
courses/programs offered, and values (moral, social, ethical, and practical). The role of
product and its quality cannot be ignored.

2.2.2 Price
The second element to be discussed in the marketing mix is price. Price here refers
to training fees to be paid by prospective students. For the higher education institution,
price is important, as an important source of revenue. Tang et al. (2004) held that the
number of universities relying on tuition as a basic source of revenue is increasing. Price
has a major influence on marketing strategies, because most students and parents are
9
concerned about the financial implications of attending the university (Pugsley 2004:
Pennell & West 2005; Hemelt & Marcotte, 2011). An increase in tuition fees has a
significant negative effect for student enrolment (Dearden et al., 2011). This implies that
the opposite is true; a deduction of tuition can increase the enrolment fees-paying students
(Barr, 2012). As the customers (students) are relatively cost conscious, they will tend to
maximize the investment of their tuition fees, while maximizing returns or value (Eckel,
2007). Potential student will normally judge the price, when comparing universities, as
more expensive or affordably priced (Kotler & Fox, 1995). The main reason the higher
education institutions are charging tuition is the decline in public spending on education.
Governmental reforms have forced universities to look at tuition as an alternative form of
revenue generation (Rothschild & White, 1995).
According to Kotler and Armstrong (2014), price is the amount of money charged
for a product or service, or the total values that customers exchange for the benefit of
having the usage of product or service. Due to the intangible nature of services, price
become a crucial quality indicator where other information is not lacking or absent
(Zeithaml, 1981). Price is considered as the most important measurement of repurchase
intentions (Parasuraman & Grewal, 2000). In deciding to return to the service provider,
the customers normally think whether or not they received their value for money
(Zeithaml, 1981). It has been proven therefore, that customers usually buy products on the
basis of price rather than other attributes (Peter & Donnely, 2007). Of all the aspects of the
marketing mix, price is the one which creates sales revenue-all the others are costs. The
price of an item is clearly an important determinant of the value of sales made. In theory,
the price is really determined by the discovery of what customers perceive is the value of
the item on sales. Researching customer's opinions about pricing is important as it indicates
how they value what they are looking for as well as what they want to pay.

2.2.3 Place
This variable of marketing mix relates to the actual location of the training center.
It is projected by such variables as distance, comfort and the extent to which it is ideal for
teaching and learning activities. A study stated that that prospective parents choose a
training center which is located near their home. To this, Yoo et al. (2000) believed that
the reduction of travelling time to school could lead to a positive perception and thus have
positive impact in improving the school image in the parent mentality.

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 The third element of marketing mix in higher education is place or distribution. In
higher education, place refers to the availability of education/program to potential students
in the most convenient and accessible way. A typical delivery mode for education services
is for the institution to present courses at one location, with students gathering for
classroom instruction (Kotler & Fox, 1995). But the element place is not restricted to
geographic location as the information technology development provides alternatives in
delivery the education service. Higher education institution may use distance learning and
new technology in serving their students to enhance their competitive advantage.
Place is concerned with various methods of transporting and storing goods, and
then making them available for the customer. Getting the right products at the right place
at the right time are involved in the distribution system. The choice of distribution method
will depend on the variety of circumstances. It will be more convenient for some
manufacturers to sell to wholesalers who sell to retailers while others will prefer to sell
directly to retailers or customers.
Distribution refers to the marketing activities that make products available to
customer in a convenient location at the right time. An organization should pay attention
to place decision because of the importance of the product and consumption occurring at
the same time and at the same place that provide all information of customer, competition,
promotion action and marketing task. It should pay attention how it can deliver the product
at the right time and at the right place, and which channels should be used to deliver the
product (Copley, 2004).
Place is an essential component of a marketing mix. Place represents the location
where a product or service can be found for consumption use. It is often referred to the
distribution channel. The firm will decide when, where and how to deliver products to
customers (Lovelock and Wright, 2002). Additionally, based on Kotler (1997), place
includes the various activities a firm undertakes to make their product accessible and
available to target customer. Therefore, the choice of location is one of the important
business decisions.

2.2.4 Promotion
Higher education needs to communicate its services to the targeted market through
promotional strategies. Lamb et al. (2004) argue that the promotional strategies of a higher
education are planned for optimal use of the promotional elements. The higher education
needs to constantly analyze, plan, and manage their promotional activities (Brassington &
11
Pettitt, 2006). Palmer (2011) and Kitchen et al. (2008) break down promotion into four
elements: advertising, sales promotion, public relations, and personal selling. Various tools
are available for each of these elements to be used to communicate with potential students,
including: web advertising, social media, search engine optimizations, direct mailing,
educational show exhibits, open days, partnership with other higher education institutions,
or conferences (Blumenstyk, 2006). Off-campus visits to high schools are important
recruiting grounds for universities, which can yield results. It provides an opportunity to
show what the university has to offer directly to potential students.
Hayes (2012) suggests that universities should visit higher schools with the goal to
give students a better understanding of what the higher education provides socially and
culturally. The potential applicant can come and hear about the higher education and its
program and courses. Habiba and Monika (2016) distinguished various challenges in the
marketing of education service. They suggested that the intangible element of the services
could be difficult to communicate. Unlike advertising and promotion of tangible products,
where a product can be shown to the customers, it is difficult to represent quality education
in an advertisement. However, an institution may use tangible cues to help students
understand and judge a service: it can show it facilities (image), courses/ programs,
friendly staff, and happy students. In addition, how the courses and programmes will be
delivered, and an assurance of quality (Habiba & Monika, 2016). Promotional elements
can enhance name recognition and provide exposure for the HE institutions to its’ potential
students (Rudd & Mill, 2008).

2.2.5 People
The firth element of marketing mix is people. People refer in this context to faculty
and staff, with whose service delivery a customer relationship is, build (Kotler & Fox,
1995). Higher education institutions include current and former students as references for
prospective students to ask about their views of the university. People are an important
element of the marketing mix that can help influence a prospective student (Brassington,
2006; Hollensen, 2003). Those in support of the impact of the people factor based their
arguments on that education, like many other services, depends on people to deliver the
services to the customers. The people factor is related to promotion, and thus considered
an important factor, influencing students’ choice of higher education institution (Enache,
2011).

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 Staff members are an important part of the educational marketing, as education is
a high contact service operation, based on personal contact with staff, and faculty
members. The image of the staff is associated with the way in which they interact and
respond to student’s needs and questions. Ivy (2008) states that other people that could
influence student enrolment are public figures and well-known profiles, who frequently
attend television program or other media. When students seek information, the first
impression can be based on the initial contact with people of a particular university
(Soedijati & Pratminingsih, 2011). A marketing mix, which includes people, can greatly
improve with well-trained personnel. Eanche (2011) and Soedijati and Pratminingsih
(2011) argued that, people are the single most important factor in service marketing that
can influence a potential customer, in this case the student. In this regard, people who
interact with students from before admission, to when they are admitted, and upon
completion of studies, must be careful and choose their words well, when communicating
with students.

2.2.6 Process
This includes all the administrative functions of the university. It includes
registration patterns, courses evaluation, examination procedures, result communication
and student graduation (Mehardad et al, 2012; Ive, 2008). Also the teaching learning
processes and school relaxation policy are some of the processes that could be used to
project the image of the university. However, the necessity of school maintenance of
website is one factor that enhances school contemporary advertisement. This is because
school and organization websites mostly express the purpose, product and vision of the
institution (Rayport & Jaworski, 2001). Since the target parent in the society today belongs
to a generation that is active on social media (Konnel, 2014), there is the need for school
to stamp its presence on social media such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Twitter,
YouTube, etc.
It is worthwhile to note that the relevance of marketing mix and application of
different types of media should not be overlooked by the educational institutions especially
the private universities if they must create a lasting impression that could facilitate and
attract parents and prospective students to them. Hence, creating awareness about the
school program, product and physical evidence in terms of sufficient modern teaching
equipment, social networking and a school website would go a long way in facilitating
student enrolments (Uchendu et al., 2015).
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2.2.7 Physical Evidence
The higher education services are intangibles and the physical evidence provided
in the enrolment phase is a major proof of the quality of the services to be delivered
(Enache, 2011). Physical facilities, or evidence, refer to all of the physical tangible items
an institution makes available to its customers, ranging from infrastructures, pictures in
the brochures, or the university home page. Physical facilities are important, because the
intangible nature of the services offered by the higher education institution. Ivy and Fattal
(2010) argued that the environment, in which services are delivered, both tangible and
intangible, help to communicate, perform, and relay customer satisfaction to the students.
Kotler and Armstrong (2010) proposed that the physical evidence gives the first
impression of the university and usually they see the buildings and other facilities.
Gibbs and Knapp (2002) contended that the condition of the physical location
contributes to the image of the institution in the eyes of the students. This may be, e.g.
technologies used, cleanliness of rooms, library, furniture used, and the built environment.
Marketers need to collaborate with graphic designers to send information concerning the
physical evidence either, in electronic form or in printed copies, to present the attractive
and effectively functioning facilities. Price et al. (2003) found out that a high standard of
higher education facilities is perceive as having an important influence on students’ choice
of the higher education. It is therefore recommended for the higher education to include
facilities in the marketing strategies. Some institutions have a theme or a prefer colours,
e.g. the green colour is the preferred colour for the University of Leeds in the United
Kingdom (Gibbs & Knapp, 2002). The focus of this study is to examine the various
marketing mix in ensuring positive enrolment increase in KMD training center. The study
reviewed the 7P's of marketing mix to have the effect on student satisfaction or to create
and upgrade student satisfaction.

2.3 Student Satisfaction

Satisfaction means that a person’s feelings of pleasure or disappointment resulting
from comparing a product are perceived performance (or outcome) in relation to his or her
expectation (Parasuraman et al., 1988). Customer satisfaction is defined as the result of a
cognitive and affective evaluation where comparisons between the customer’s
expectations and the perceived performance of the product/service are done (Mostaghel,
2006). In the context of higher education, student satisfaction is defined as a short-term
attitude that comes from the student’s assessment of the overall college experience (Elliott
14
& Healy, 2001). Higher education institutes benefit from the satisfied students as they will
remain for a longer period, might enroll again for extra studies and spread positive words
about the organization.
On the other hand, dissatisfied students might quit the university or the college and
enroll in another one, complain about it and engage in negative word of mouth (Fosu &
Poku, 2014). Therefore, the idea of students’ satisfaction and loyalty became one of their
main goals. The definition of consumers is crucial for the higher education institutions; it
was divided into students, employees, employers, public, industry and wider community,
however, students were considered to be the most important customers (Temizer &
Turkyilmaz, 2012). The university’s product is not only academic program but a sum of
students’ social, physical, academic and spiritual experiences (Mavondo et al., 2004). In
other words, for many students, the studying process is not only related to the acquirement
of theoretical knowledge and certain skills, but also related to personal growth and social
development (Newell, 2015). Higher education institutions always seek for students’
opinion about everything in the academic life, mainly by using questionnaires (Douglas et
al., 2006).
In order to determine how consumers, react to and how satisfied they are with a
particular service, it is necessary to perform certain measurements and research, as well as
to quantify the results. The goal of measuring satisfaction is to demonstrate the level of
consumer satisfaction and achieve objectification and quantification of subjective
perceptions of consumers (Veljkovic, 2009; Gallifa & Batalle, 2010.). Therefore,
measurement and research of consumer satisfaction is carried out in institutions of higher
education. Many education institutions tend to improve their offer in order to attract more
users. Focusing on customer satisfaction is what every institution should start from.
Creating happier, satisfied users - whether they are students, their parents, donors,
professors or employers - should be the primary goal that will contribute to quality in
education institutions. User satisfaction is significant for the work of each institution of
higher education.
The level of satisfaction is determined by the difference between the service
features, how they were experienced by the users and their expectations. There are three
levels of satisfaction. If the service is below expectations, the user's dissatisfaction arises.
If a faculty fails to meet the students’ expectation, the students will change their attitude
towards the faculty and may leave or switch to another department or spread negative
information about the college. On the other hand, if the faculty meets students’
15
expectations, students will be satisfied and will become the best promoters of the faculty.
If the characteristics of the institution exceed students’ expectations, students will be very
satisfied or delighted (Kotler & Fox, 1995; Vázquez, Aza & Lanero, 2016; Hrnjic, 2016).
Given the fact that the satisfaction of students is the ultimate goal of every institution of
higher education, it is necessary to determine which marketing mix instruments affect the
student's satisfaction to the greatest extent possible, in order to improve the performance
of higher education institutions.

2.4 Previous Studies

There are various researches and studies related with customer satisfaction and
marketing mix over the years. The findings from previous studies based on marketing mix
and customer satisfaction are shown in Table (2.1).

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 Table (2.1) Findings from Previous Studies
Sr. Author (Year) Independent Variables Dependent Findings
No. Variable

1 Ivy (2008) product, price, place, promotion, Student The findings of this research suggest that the traditional 7P
people, physical facilities and Satisfaction marketing mix may not be the best way to approach student
processes satisfaction in South Africa. The price element of the mix
is unchanged from the traditional mix. The final element of
the new marketing mix is called premiums. This is a diverse
element of the mix, which included accommodation, the
number of modules in the degree, student exchange
programs, university computer facilities and class sizes.
2 Lertvittayatan Courses offerings, price, Customers' The study showed that the effective strategies to increase
(2016) location, promotion, teachers, Satisfaction customers’ satisfaction toward marketing mix of
administrative staff and physical franchised music schools in Bangkok.
environment
3 Raju and Bhaskar Services quality and marketing Student The result showed that there is a relationship between
(2018) mix Satisfaction marketing mix, service quality and reputation on student
satisfaction at the universities in Indonesia.

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 4 Basyouni (2019) Product, price, place, promotion, Student Marketing mix (7Ps) has significant impact on student
people, process and physical Satisfaction satisfaction at the higher education institutions in Dubai.
evidence
5 Brkanlic (2019) Product, price, place, promotion, Student The result showed how significant the effects of each
people, process and physical Satisfaction marketing mix tool and their combinations are in relation
evidence to satisfaction of students in Higher Education
Institutions.
6 Alimawi (2021) Product, price, place, promotion, Students Pearson's correlation study showed a positive relationship
people, process and physical Satisfaction between the variables of the marketing mix affecting the
evidence satisfaction of the students in the college. Based on the
analysis of the results, the factor of the physical evidence
is the most influential factor positively on the level of
satisfaction and the process factor comes second and also
achieved a positive result.
Source: Own compilation based on previous studies

18
 The previous research studies of student satisfaction on marketing mix are
presented and discussed in Table (2.1).
Ivy (2008) studied a new higher education marketing mix in which the 7Ps for
MBA marketing was focused. The results revealed that the price element of the mix is
unchanged from the traditional mix. The final element of the new marketing mix is called
premiums. This is a diverse element of the mix, which included accommodation, the
number of modules in the degree, student exchange programs, university computer
facilities and class sizes.
Lertvittayatan (2016) studied the influence of marketing mix towards the overall
satisfaction of parents on franchised music schools in Bangkok. The independent variables
of the research included courses offerings, price, location, promotion, teachers,
administrative staff and physical environment. Overall satisfaction was regarded as the
dependent variable. This research stated the effects of the marketing mix on the overall
satisfaction of parents on franchised music schools in Bangkok.
Raju and Bhaskar (2018) studied the relationship between marketing mix, service
quality and reputation on student satisfaction at the universities in Indonesia. The
independent variables of the research included marketing mix and service quality. Student
satisfaction was regarded as the dependent variable. This research stated that the
relationship between marketing mix dimensions, service quality and university reputation
on student satisfaction in Indonesia.
Basyouni (2019) conducted educational marketing mix and student satisfaction in
private universities in Dubai. This study of independent variables was marketing mix (7Ps)
and customer satisfaction was regarded as a dependent variable. Finding of this study
indicated that marketing mix have significant impact on student satisfaction at the higher
education institutions in Dubai.
Brkanlić (2019) studied the marketing mix instruments as factors of improvement
of image of higher education institutions and students satisfaction. The independent
variables of the research included product, price, place, promotion, people, process and
physical evidence. Student satisfaction was regarded as the dependent variable. The
finding of the research recommended that there was a relationship between marketing mix
and student satisfaction.
Alimawi (2021) tested the effect of marketing mix (7Ps) on student satisfaction of
Kolej Universiti Islam Antrabangsa Selangor (KUIS). Pearson's correlation results showed
a positive relationship between the variables of the marketing mix affecting the satisfaction
19
of the students in the college. Based on the analysis of the results, the factor of the physical
evidence is the most influential factor positively on the level of satisfaction (KUIS) and
the process factor comes second important marketing mix factor.

2.5 Conceptual Framework

The framework for the study was illustrated based on the empirical study as
described in Figure (2.2).

Figure (2.2) Conceptual Framework of the Study

Independent Variables Dependent Variable

(Marketing Mix)

Product

Price

Place

Promotion Student Satisfaction

People

Process

Physical Evidence

Source: Own Compilation

According to Figure (2.2), it explains that the factors of marketing mix of KMD
training center are expected to affect the student satisfaction. The KMD training center's
marketing mixes are product, price, place, promotion, people, process and physical
evidence. This study proposes that the effects of marketing mix on student satisfaction
have positive and significant relationship.

20
 CHAPTER III
MARKETING MIX OF KMD TRAINING CENTER

This chapter mainly focuses on the marketing mix activities of KMD training
center. In order to obtain the primary data, 150 students were collected by using structured
questionnaires. This chapter describes profile of KMD training center first. Then,
marketing mix activities of KMD training center are also described.

3.1 Profile of KMD Training Center

KMD (Knowledge Management & Dedication) Co., Ltd. was established in 1986,
and incorporated as private company known as KMD Company Limited in 1993. KMD
composes with five groups of companies. They are (1) KMD Training Center (2) IT &
Mobile Sales & Service Centre (3) Direct Channel Distribution (4) Myanmar Reliable
Source and (5) SoftComm Technology. At present, KMD Company Ltd. has been
specializing in ICT education trainings, and other businesses include ICT products sales
and services, channel distributions, enterprise solutions, maintenance & rental services and
software development. Most of those products are well accepted since last decades by
regular customers/buyers in markets nationwide, including individuals, corporate and
enterprise buyers, government and non-government organizations. Backed by more than
30 years of experiences in the ICT industry, KMD strongly managed to establish its proven
records of brand image and reputation as the greatest one of the most well-known and
leading ICT companies in Myanmar.
KMD has 133 branch centers in Myanmar for education. In Mandalay, it is located
on the 77 Street, between 27 and 28 Streets, Chan Aye Thar Zan Township. It is also a
five-storied building and with big complex, which is convenient for car parking. The
training center is situated at the first floor. The opening hour of the KMD training center
is from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The education partners of KMD are NCC Education,
University of Greenwich, University of Portmouth, SQA, LCCI, Microsoft, Huawei and
City & Guilds. The curriculums are designed to give students the academic knowledge and
complementary practical skills to reach their career aspirations. KMD training center
provides a comprehensive students-centered learning community, global highly qualified
education with excellent services, and helps individual achieve their education and career
goals.

21
Mission
Develop the people and the country from Information and Communication
Technology, by providing the best quality and value products, ICT solutions and services,
and ICT education training.

Vision
Develop People and the Country with Information and Communication
Technology.

3.2 Organization Structure of KMD Training Center

The organization structure of KMD training center is shown in Figure (3.1). Center
Manager is at the top of all departments, and Center Manager controls the Training
Manager. Training Manager directly controls all the departments including non-academic
and academic. Department heads are also empowered to control and take responsibility for
their subordinates. Training Manager takes responsible over academic and Center
Manager takes responsible over non-academic respectively.

Figure (3.1) Organization Structure of KMD Training Center

Center Manager

Training Manager

Finance Academic Admin Marketing Student Service HR

Account Lecture Staff Executive Clerical-Staff Executive

r
Source: KMD Training Center (February, 2020)

The duties and responsibilities of center manager, training manager and the head
of departments are discussed.

22
(i) Center Manager
The center manager manages all operational activities of KMD training center
including staffing, facilities and coordination. Develops corporate training center
strategies and initiative that reflect the organizations goals. Center manager also prepares
business plans that support the operation of the KMD training center and adhere to budget.
The center manager collaborates with educational institutions to provide specialized
training. Center manager is also responsible for supervising trainers and instructors. Center
manager manages subordinate staff in the day-to-day performance of their jobs.

(ii) Training Manager

The training manager identifies and monitors the training needs in KMD training
center, and design plan, and implement training programs, policies, and procedures to
fulfill those needs. The training manager reviews existing training programs; suggests
enhancements and modifications to improve engagement, learning, and retention. The
training manager maintains knowledge of new methods and techniques for training, and
training requirements applicable to KMD training center. The training manager
collaborates with third-party training providers to arrange employee registration for and
participation in outside training programs. The education partners of KMD are NCC
Education, University of Greenwich, University of Portmouth, SQA, LCCI, Microsoft,
Huawei and City & Guilds. The training manager performs other related duties as assigned.

(iii) Finance Department

The finance department provides financial and administrative support to
colleagues, clients and stakeholders. It helps to manage the finances of KMD training
center by monitoring its income and spending. The finance department will oversee
accounting and processing tasks across income and expenditure as well as reviewing bank
and balance sheet reconciliations. The finance department is also responsible for the
maintenance of financial records, ensuring financial data accuracy and often the
administration of the payroll.

(iv) Academic Department

The academic department is organized with experienced and professional lecturers
and academic advisors. The main duty of academic lecturer is transmitting of knowledge
through lectures. The academic staffs include Senior Lecturer, Lecturer, Assistant
23
Lecturer, Demonstrator and Instructor. The lectures from KMD are highly qualified and
experienced in the respective field of knowledge. To offer application courses,
professional courses and related subjects. To provide a comprehensive students-centered
learning community, highly qualified education with excellent services, and helps
individuals achieve their education and career goals. To encourage all staff to improve
their English skills and to study related subjects according to the grant program. The
curriculums are designed to give students the academic knowledge and complementary
practical skills to reach their career aspirations. KMD training center provides a
comprehensive students-centered learning community, global highly qualified education
with excellent services, and helps individual achieve their education and career goals.

(v) Admin Department

The admin department is responsible for building repairs, aircon repair, about
electricity providing services, purchasing a uniform delivery of brand shirts at the shop,
purchasing office accessories, production of office used computers, providing office car
arrangements services, checking travel expenses of sales managers and withdrawing
money, payment of expenses of marketing department, making for all center renewal of
business license and paying signage tax.

(vi) Marketing Department

The marketing department promotes KMD training center and drives sales of its
services. It provides the necessary research to identify the target customers and other
audiences. The marketing executive oversees the marketing department. Marketing
department carry out promotional strategies for services, and some may also incorporate
promotional activities, such as public relations. Promotional activity is important and
effective way for KMD training center to succeed during the short time. Especially,
promotion is a method to increase customer awareness, demand and profit. Promotion is
also defined as KMD training center's ability to communicate with its publics. Media,
social event, discount on fees, direct mails to the students are also included. Marketing
department applies various kinds of promotion activities to penetrate into the competitive
market. Marketing department spends numerous amounts of money for promotion through
journals, magazines and seasonal promotion. To keep motivated for all personnel,
marketing department provide suitable supporting facilities such as regular bonus and
allowance, social and welfare allowance, uniforms, communication, transportation and
24
accommodation facilities, discount offer to training courses and purchase of ICT
equipment. The marketing department advertises its business in journals at least 4 times
per month and magazines in every month. And it also advertises on the billboards yearly
and posters at least 4 times per year. It advertises on the websites and social networks at
least 2 times per weekly. The marketing department also offers various kind of special
discount to training courses.

(vii) Student Service Department

The student service department performs the process of management, enrolment,
teaching, learning, registration process, examination process, social and even sports
activities. Students can use online registration for training courses. The KMD also
expresses the supporting materials for learning in their website and students can download
this learning material anytime and anywhere. The clerical staffs of student service
department provide individual attention and caring and they communicate well with the
students. It is also easy to contact the clerical staffs by telephone if the student has some
cases to know some information or to inform leave, and the clerical staffs respect the
confidentiality of information that the students disclose to them. The student service
department values feedbacks from students to improve service performance.

(viii) HR Department
The HR department aims to improve operations by assessing operations issues and
do more knowledge-sharing training to improve the quality of staff. Appropriate staff are
allowed to attend undergraduate and other courses to enhance staff skills. KMD adjusts
salaries and other benefits for the welfare of its employees. Honorary gifts and cash prizes
are regularly awarded depending on the success of the project.

3.3 Marketing Mix of KMD Training Center

The marketing mix of a service-oriented organization is differing from the
marketing mix of an organization selling tangible products. The marketing mix of KMD
training center consists of the 7P’s. They are product, price, place, promotion, people,
process and physical evidence. The marketing mixes of KMD training center are as
followed.

25
3.3.1 Product
The teaching activities, types of assessment used, and the degree which will be
received at the end of the course have to be considered for product. KMD provides student-
centric teaching and learning method. All the lectures of KMD are qualified not only with
theories but also with practical. Courses are the main product of KMD training center.
KMD design their own programs freely to meet the student needs and wants and satisfy
them. KMD offers a wide variety of courses. The main courses offered by KMD training
center are application courses, professional courses, vocational courses, and international
diploma and degree courses.

Table (3.1) Computer Related Courses Provided by KMD

Sr. No. Computer Related Courses
1 i-Office: Office Automation, Desktop Publishing, e-mail and Web Services
2 Graphic and Layout Design
3 Excel
4 Computerized accounting
5 AutoCAD: Computer Aided Design
6 UK Diploma
7 Network and Software Engineering
Source: Survey Data (February, 2020)

KMD provides computer related courses categorized into seven groups: (1) i-
Office: Office Automation, Desktop Publishing, e-mail and Web Services, (2) Graphic and
Layout Design, (3) Excel, (4) Computerized Accounting, (5) AutoCAD: Computer Aided
Design, (6) UK Diploma and (7) Network and Software Engineering: Web Development
with PHP, Asp.Net for Web Application, Web Builder, Practical A+ and Networking with
Linux, Java, VB.net, C, C++, C#, Software Engineering in Database and e-Commerce.

3.3.2 Price
Price is the second element of the marketing mix. From the perspective of
education, it is defined as the amount of money the student pays to attain education. Price
has a major influence on marketing strategies, because most students and parents are
concerned about the financial implications of attending the training center. Myanmar is

26
now a developing country and monthly income of most of Myanmar people is not high.
The main reason the higher training center are charging fee is the decline in public
spending on education. The training fees of each course at KMD training center are
described in the following Table (3.2).

Table (3.2) Training Fees for Various Courses at KMD Training Center
Sr. Price Duration
Name of Course
No. (Kyats) (Months)
1 i-Office (Basic/Advanced) 50,000 1
2 Graphic Design Course 50,000 1.5
3 Excel Formulas and Functions 60,000 1.5
4 Layout Design Course 50,000 1.5
5 Excel in Business Application 50,000 1
6 AutoCAD 100,000 2
7 Computerized Accounting (MYOB) 60,000 2
8 Network Engineering 46,000 2
9 Software Engineering 54,000 2
Source: Survey Data (February, 2020)

KMD training center offers a wide variety of computer courses. As shown in the
above Table, there are nine kind of courses namely i-Office (Basic/Advanced), Graphic
Design Course, Excel Formulas and Functions, Layout Design Course, Excel in Business
Application, AutoCAD, Computerized Accounting (MYOB), Network Engineering and
Software Engineering. The prices of the courses are fair for the students comparing with
the standard living cost in Mandalay. According to the above Table, the training fee for
AutoCAD is the highest. The second highest courses are Excel Formulas and Functions,
and Computerized Accounting (MYOB). The prices of graphic and layout design courses
and network and software engineering courses are not the same. The rest courses are nearly
the same amount of price.

3.3.3 Place
The choice of location is one of the important business decisions as place is an
essential component of a marketing mix. Prospective parents may choose a training center

27
and it is a simple reason which training center is located near their home. The location of
KMD training center is convenient because it is situated on the 77 Street, between 27 and
28 Streets, Chan Aye Thar Zan Township in Mandalay. It is a big complex which is
convenient for car parking. It is also located near other kinds of schools and colleges. The
place element also includes a website. The KMD website expresses the purpose, product
and vision of the institution because the target student in the society today belongs to a
generation that is active on social media. From the KMD website, students enable
download for the learning material anytime. KMD also has 133 branch centers over the
country in Myanmar.

3.3.4 Promotion
Promotional activity is important and effective way for all of the business to
succeed during the short time. Especially, promotion is a method to increase customer
awareness, demand and profit. Promotion is also defined as KMD training center's ability
to communicate with its publics. The promotional mix consists of six elements;
advertising, public relations, sales promotion, direct marketing, personal selling and
sponsorship. Media, social event, discount on fees, direct mails to the students are also
included. KMD applies various kinds of promotion activities to penetrate into the
competitive market. KMD spends numerous amount of money for promotion through
journals, magazines and seasonal promotion. To keep motivated for all personnel, KMD
provide or arrange suitable supporting facilities such as regular bonus and allowance,
social and welfare allowance, uniforms, communication, transportation and
accommodation facilities, discount offer to training courses and purchase of ICT
equipment. The following Table (3.3) describes the advertising media used by KMD
training center.
Table (3.3) Promotion Activities of KMD Training Center
Sr. No. Media Frequency
1 Journals At least 4 times per month
2 Magazines Monthly
3 Billboards Yearly
4 Posters At least 4 times per year
5 Websites and Social Networks At least 2 times per weekly
Source: Survey Data (February, 2020)

28
 According to Table, KMD advertises its business in journals at least 4 times per
month and magazines in every month. And it also advertises on the billboards yearly and
posters at least 4 times per year. It advertises on the websites and social networks at least
2 times per weekly. Various kind of special discount offers to training courses from KMD
training center are described in the following Table (3.4).

Table (3.4) Special Discount Offered by KMD Training Center

Sr. No. Types of Discounts Discount Percentage
1 Every Sunday 20
2 Online Registration on Every Tuesday 20
3 Chinese New Year Up to 50
4 Valentine's Day Up to 50
5 Thingyan 20-50
6 Thathingyut 30
7 Thazaungtaing 20-50
8 Christmas 20
9 Year End 35
10 Grade 10 Student with Normal Passed 25
11 Grade 10 Student Passed with 1 to 4 Distinctions 30
12 Grade 10 Student Passed with 5 to 6 Distinctions 35
13 Exhibitions, Conferences or Competitions 20-50
Source: Survey Data (February, 2020)

The Table shows the special discount offers to training courses from KMD training
center. From this Table, the highest discount percentage is 50% and the lowest discount
percentage is 20%. Among them, the discount for every Sunday and the discount for online
registration on every Tuesday always exist as 20%.

3.3.5 People
People in KMD training center include all the teaching and administrative staff that
is significant in delivering a satisfactory service and attracting students. The academic
team of KMD is organized with experienced and professional lecturers and academic
advisors. The main duty of academic lecturer is transmitting of knowledge through

29
lectures. The academic staffs include Senior Lecturer, Lecturer, Assistant Lecturer,
Demonstrator and Instructor. The lectures from KMD are highly qualified and experienced
in the respective field of knowledge. At KMD training center, it is easy to contact the
clerical staff by telephone if the student has some cases to know some information or to
inform leave, and the clerical staff respects the confidentiality of information that the
students disclose to them. The entire human factor of the center is completely adequate.

3.3.6 Process
It involves how things happen in the KMD training center, such as the process of
management, enrolment, teaching, learning, registration process, examination process,
social and even sports activities. KMD Company Ltd has implemented the Quality
Management Systems (QMS). It is approved by GIC, UK. ISO Certified (ISO 9001:2015)
for Quality Management System. Students can use online registration for training courses.
The KMD also expresses the supporting materials for learning in their website and students
can download this learning material anytime and anywhere.
The clerical staff of KMD training center provides individual attention and caring
and they communicate well with the students. It is also easy to contact the clerical staff by
telephone if the student has some cases to know some information or to inform leave, and
the clerical staff respects the confidentiality of information that the students disclose to
them. KMD values feedbacks from students to improve service performance.
Types of assessment used in KMD training center are formative assessment and
summative assessment. The general purpose of formative assessments is to give educators
in process feedback about what students are learning or not learning so that instructional
approaches, teaching materials and academic support can be modified accordingly.
Formative assessments are usually not scored or graded. The forms of assessments used
by KMD are from more formal quizzes and assignments to formal questioning techniques
and in-class discussion with students.
KMD uses summative assessment in order to evaluate student learning at the
conclusion of a specific instructional period typically at the end of a unit, course or
program. Summative assessments are typically scored and graded tests, assignments or
projects that are used to determine whether students have learned what they were expected
to learn during the defined instructional period. Formative assessments are commonly said
to be for learning because educators use the result to modify and improve teaching
techniques during an instructional period, while summative assessments are said to be of
30
learning because they evaluate academic achievement at the conclusion of an instructional
period. Therefore, KMD training center has a standardized and simple procedure for
providing educational services.

3.3.7 Physical Evidence

Physical evidence or facilities refer to all of the physical tangible items a training
center makes available to its students, ranging from infrastructures, pictures in the
brochures or KMD training center home page. It also includes furniture, projectors,
parking area, color, noise level, air conditioning system and facilities necessary to present
lectures. KMD is a five-storied building with big complex, which is convenient for car
parking. The training center is situated at the first floor. The center possesses an adequate
number of classrooms, rest rooms, computer equipment and other teaching facilities. The
opening hour of the KMD training center is from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

31
 CHAPTER IV
ANALYSIS OF STUDENT SATISFACTION ON MARKETING MIX
OF KMD TRAINING CENTER

The objectives of the study are to explore the marketing mix of KMD training
center and to analyze the student satisfaction on marketing mix of KMD training center.
To gain the objectives of this study, the data was analyzed by using SPSS 25.0. The general
information of the respondents, the descriptive statistics and the reliabilities of the
respondents are presented in the first part of this chapter, and then the main analysis of the
student satisfaction on marketing mix of KMD training center is described. Sample
students were selected by simple random sampling method. The 150 students who are
attending KMD training center and they participated and completed the structured
questionnaire. Sample size was represented by 75% of population. Five point Likert scale
is used to measure student's perception on marketing mix. Five point Likert scale: strongly
disagree, agree, neutral, disagree and strongly agree which scores for the scales were given
as:
Strongly disagree =1
Disagree =2
Neutral =3
Agree =4
Strongly agree =5
The demographic factors survey are analyzed using frequency distribution and
survey results of perception on marketing mix statements are converted into mean values.
The detail steps of the analysis (reliability test, correlation coefficient and multiple
regression analysis) are explained and the results are compared with the results of previous
empirical studies. In this case, the perception on marketing mix is independent variable
and student satisfaction is dependent variable.

4.1 Profile of the Respondents

The profile of the respondents from KMD training center was collected during the
administration of the structured questionnaire to help interpreting of the data. The general
information of the respondents includes gender, age, marital status, educational level,
attending course, reason for knowing and reason to attend.

32
4.1.1 Respondents by Gender
Firstly, the respondents are classified as gender and divided into two groups: Male
and Female.

Table (4.1) Respondents by Gender

Sr. No. Gender No. of Respondents Percentage
1 Male 59 39.33
2 Female 91 60.67
Total 150 100.00
Source: Survey Data (February, 2020)

From the data analysis, out of total 150 respondents, the majority of the respondents
are female with 60.67% and 39.33% are male respondents. Therefore, it can be said that
most of the students attending at KMD training center are female and female groups mostly
like to attend the computer training courses as their further study for getting greater job
opportunities.

4.1.2 Respondents by Age

For the age factor, the respondents are classified into four groups: (1) Under 20
years, (2) 20 - 25 years, (3) 26 - 30 years and (4) Above 30 years.

Table (4.2) Respondents by Age

Sr. No. Age No. of Respondents Percentage
1 20 years and below 98 65.33
2 21 - 25 years 33 22.00
3 26 - 30 years 9 6.00
4 Above 30 years 10 6.67
Total 150 100.00
Source: Survey Data (February, 2020)

According to the Table (4.2), the largest percentage of the age group is 20 years
and below with 65.33%, followed by the age group of 21 - 25 years with 22.00% and the
age group of 26 - 30 years is only 6.00%. The age group of above 30 years is 6.67%. It can

33
be said that the age under 20 years aged respondents mostly prefer to study computer
training courses at KMD training center for their career development.

4.1.3 Respondents by Marital Status

For marital status, respondents are classified into two groups: Single and Married.

Table (4.3) Respondents by Marital Status

Sr. No. Marital Status No. of Respondents Percentage
1 Single 141 94.00
2 Married 9 6.00
Total 150 100.00
Source: Survey Data (February, 2020)

According to the Table (4.3), 94.00% of the respondents are single and 6.00% are
married. Therefore, the number of single respondents is greater than that of married and it
can be said that single respondents like to study computer training courses for their career
development.

4.1.4 Respondents by Educational Level

Education level of respondents is classified into five classes: (1) High School, (2)
Undergraduate, (3) Diploma, (4) Graduate and (5) Post Graduate.

Table (4.4) Respondents by Educational Level

Sr. No. Educational Level No. of Respondents Percentage
1 High School 35 23.33
2 Undergraduate 47 31.33
3 Diploma 18 12.00
4 Graduate 40 26.67
5 Post Graduate 10 6.67
Total 150 100.00
Source: Survey Data (February, 2020)

34
 According to the Table (4.4), the largest percentage of the group is undergraduate
level which constitutes 31.33%. After the undergraduate level, graduate level with
constitutes 26.67% followed. After that, high school level with constitutes of 23.33%
followed and diploma level with constitutes of 12.00% followed. The post graduate level
constitutes with only 6.67%. It can be said that most of the students attending at KMD
training center are at least undergraduate level.

4.1.5 Respondents by Attending Course

In this study, the attending course level of respondents is categorized into seven
groups: (1) i-Office, (2) Graphic and Layout Design, (3) Excel, (4) Computerized
Accounting, (5) AutoCAD, (6) UK Diploma and (7) Network and Software Engineering.

Table (4.5) Respondents by Attending Course

Sr. No. Attending Course No. of Respondents Percentage
1 i-Office 37 24.67
2 Graphic and Layout Design 10 6.67
3 Excel 18 12.00
4 Computerized Accounting 10 6.67
5 AutoCAD 20 13.33
6 UK Diploma 23 15.33
7 Network and Software Engineering 32 21.33
Total 150 100.00
Source: Survey Data (February, 2020)

According to the Table (4.5), i-Office course leads at the top, constitutes with
24.67%. Then, the courses of Network and Software Engineering follows with the
constitution of 21.33%, UK Diploma follows with the constitution of 15.33%, AutoCAD
follows with the constitution of 13.33%, Excel follows with the constitution of 12.00%.
Graphic and Layout Design, and Computerized Accounting courses are 6.67%
respectively.

35
4.1.6 Respondents by Sources of Information
In this study, source of information is categorized into three groups: (1) Facebook,
(2) Friend's Recommendation and (3) Campus Visits. The number of respondents by
source of information is presented in Table (4.6).
Table (4.6) Respondents by Sources of Information
Sr. No. Source of Information No. of Respondents Percentage
1 Facebook 74 49.33
2 Friend's Recommendation 45 30.00
3 Campus Visits 31 20.67
Total 150 100.00
Source: Survey Data (February, 2020)

According to the Table (4.6), the largest percentage of the group is Facebook with
constitutes 49.33%. Then the second largest percentage of the group is Friend's
Recommendation with 30.00%. The group of Campus Visits follows with only 20.67%. It
shows that the majority of the respondents know about KMD from Facebook and Friend's
Recommendation.

4.1.7 Respondents by Reason to Attend

The respondents are classified into six groups according to their reason to attend at
KMD training center. The reasons are (1) Center Reputation, (2) Courses Offered, (3)
Convenient Opening Hours, (4) Professional Lecturers, (5) Easily Employable Certificates
and (6) Discount on Training Fee.
Table (4.7) Respondents by Reason to Attend
Sr. No. Reason to Attend No. of Respondents Percentage
1 Center Reputation 26 17.33
2 Courses Offered 32 21.33
3 Convenient Opening Hours 23 15.34
4 Professional Lecturers 18 12.00
5 Easily Employable Certificates 9 6.00
6 Discount on Training Fee 42 28.00
Total 150 100.00
Source: Survey Data (February, 2020)

36
 According to the Table (4.7), the largest percentage of the respondents of reason to
attend is according to Discount on Training Fee with constitutes 28.00%. The second
largest percentage of the respondents of reason to attend is according to Courses Offered
with constitutes 21.33%. The third largest percentage of the respondents of reason to attend
is according to Center Reputation with constitutes 17.33%. It can be concluded that most
of the students attend at KMD because of Discount on Training Fee, Courses Offered and
Center Reputation.

4.2 Analysis of Student Perception on Marketing Mix of KMD Training Center

The structured questionnaire was used to collect the primary data for determining
the student perception on marketing mix of KMD training center. The descriptive statistics,
reliabilities statistics, and the mean values of marketing mix were firstly calculated.
According to Best (1977), the mean values of five-point Likert scale items were
interpreted as follows:
The score among 1.00 — 1.80 means strongly disagree.
The score among 1.81 — 2.60 means disagree.
The score among 2.61 — 3.40 means neither agree nor disagree.
The score among 3.41 — 4.20 means agree.
The score among 4.21 — 5.00 means strongly agree.
Standard deviation (S.D) is a measure that is used to quantify the amount of
variation or dispersion of a set of data values. A low standard deviation indicates that the
data points tend to be close to the mean (also called expected value) of the set, while the
standard deviation indicates that the data points are spread out over a wide range of values
(Bland & Altman, 1996). The standard deviation is commonly used to measure confidence
in statistical conclusions.

4.2.1 Reliability Test

The respondents' perceptions on product, price, place, promotion, people, process
and physical evidence provided by KMD training center and the student satisfaction were
collected through structured questionnaire as the primary data. Firstly, the mean values of
the factors, descriptive statistics, reliabilities and correlations were calculated.
All items were adopted from previous empirical studies. In reliability analysis of
the variables, some factors/items support the acceptable reliability level. Cronbach's Alpha
values were used to examine the reliability of the variables. Generally, reliability
37
coefficient alpha values around 0.9 are considered "excellent", values around 0.8 are "very
good", and those around 0.7 are adequate (Cronbach, 1951). Table (4.8) describes the
reliability (alpha value) of each selected variable.

Table (4.8) Reliability of the Variables

Sr. No. Variables No. of Items Alpha
1 Product 5 0.900
2 Price 5 0.888
3 Place 5 0.899
4 Promotion 5 0.895
5 People 5 0.900
6 Process 5 0.890
7 Physical Evidence 5 0.890
8 Student Satisfaction 14 0.897
Source: Survey Data (February, 2020)

Table (4.8) shows the alpha values of the selected variables (Product, Price, Place,
Promotion, People, Process, Physical Evidence and Student Satisfaction). All variables
have the alpha value of above 0.8, thus the scales items of questionnaires are directed
towards one dimension. Therefore, the reliability analysis result of each variable is under
the acceptable reliability level.

4.2.2 Student Perception on Product

Table (4.9) represents the mean value and overall mean value for the perception on
product of KMD training center. Student perception on product factor was measured with
five items.

38
 Table (4.9) Student Perception on Product
Sr. Description Mean Standard
No. Deviation
1 Designing the courses to meet the student needs and 4.11 0.734
wants
2 Offering a wide variety of computer related courses 4.17 0.775
3 Providing the courses with sufficient duration 3.87 0.748
4 Providing qualified lectures not only with theories but 3.92 0.815
also with practical
5 Applying student-centric teaching and learning method 3.94 0.837
Overall Mean 4.00
Source: Survey Data (February, 2020)

According to the results of Table (4.9), the overall mean value of student perception
on product is 4.00 and showed the agree level of the respondents. As the product for
education sector including training center, programs are mainly focused. The different
programs of KMD training center offered to the students are essential in determining their
satisfaction level. Offering a wide variety of computer related courses gained the
maximum mean value of 4.17 that shows the agree level of the respondents. This indicates
that most students believe that the center offers a wide variety of computer related courses.
Providing the courses with sufficient duration had the minimum mean value of 3.87 but it
showed the agree level of students that the center provides the courses with sufficient
duration which is essential for students to get complete knowledge related to the course.

4.2.3 Student Perception on Price

Student Perception on price factor was measured with five items. The mean value
for each statement and overall mean value are presented in Table (4.10).

39
 Table (4.10) Student Perception on Price
Sr. Description Mean Standard
No. Deviation
1 Offering various courses with reasonable prices 4.13 0.800
2 Having cheaper training fees than other competitors in 3.92 0.700
Mandalay
3 Using installment plan for payment 3.89 0.747
4 Having consistent training fees in every branch 4.06 0.716
5 Offering discounts on training fee 3.97 0.718
Overall Mean 3.99
Source: Survey Data (February, 2020)

According to the results of Table (4.10), the overall mean value of student
perception on price statement is 3.99 and showed the agree level of the respondents. The
price of any course is considered by the students and they generally stated the acceptable
level of price of KMD training center. The statement with maximum mean value 4.13
shows the agree level of the respondents. This indicates that the students agree with the
price of various courses offered by KMD training center. On the other hand, using
installment plan for payment gained the minimum mean value of 3.89 but showed the
agree level of respondents and it means that the students are accepted the installment plan
for payment and this plan can also attract students.

4.2.4 Student Perception on Place

Table (4.11) represents the mean value and overall mean value for the perception
on place of KMD training center. Student perception on place factor was measured with
five items.

40
 Table (4.11) Student Perception on Place
Sr. Description Mean Standard
No. Deviation
1 Being situated on the convenient location 4.27 0.682
2 Having adequate parking spaces 3.69 0.581
3 Being located near other kinds of institutes/colleges 4.15 0.659
4 Being easily access via public transport 3.97 0.670
5 Expressing necessary information and learning 4.20 0.705
materials through the websites and social networks
Overall Mean 4.05
Source: Survey Data (February, 2020)

According to the results of Table (4.11), the overall mean value of student
perception on place is 4.05 and showed the agree level of respondents. The convenient
location and the easy mean to use public transport and other conditions provide positive
perception of students. The students accepted the place of KMD training center. Being
situated on the convenient location gained the maximum mean value of 4.27 shows the
strongly agree level of the respondents. This indicates that the students accepted location
of the center as convenient place. On the other hand, having adequate parking spaces has
the minimum value of 3.69 but showed the agree level of respondents. It means that the
parking spaces of the center gained the weak perception of students. Providing enough
parking area is needed to be reviewed and KMD center should provide the parking area to
attract more students.

4.2.5 Student Perception on Promotion

Table (4.12) represents the mean value and overall mean value for the perception
on promotion of KMD training center. Student perception on promotion was measured
with five items.

41
 Table (4.12) Student Perception on Promotion
Sr. Description Mean Standard
No. Deviation
1 Using print media (journals, magazines, etc.) for 4.37 0.671
advertising
2 Applying billboards, website and social network for 4.36 0.668
advertising
3 Organizing interesting promotional events such as 4.40 0.676
conferences, exhibitions, competitions, etc.
4 Providing gifts (umbrellas, T-shirts, hats, etc.) to the 4.03 0.750
attendees
5 Offering frequently special discount on computer 3.86 0.591
training courses
Overall Mean 4.20
Source: Survey Data (February, 2020)

According to the results of Table (4.12), the overall mean value of student
perception on promotion is 4.20 and showed the agree level of respondents. The promotion
activities of KMD training center can attract students and can create a good perception of
students. The statement with maximum mean value 4.40 shows the strongly agree level of
the respondents. This indicates that the students strongly agree with the promotional events
organized by KMD training center. These events are expected by the students. On the other
hand, offering frequently special discount on computer training courses showed the
minimum score 3.86 but it gained the agree level of the students. The special discount on
computer training courses can attract the students because of their agreement level. KMD
training center should offer more attractive discount programs to promote the good
perception of students.

4.2.6 Student Perception on People

Student perception on people of KMD training center was measured with five
items. Table (4.13) describes the overall mean values of student perception on people of
KMD training center.

42
 Table (4.13) Student Perception on People
Sr. Description Mean Standard
No. Deviation
1 Being organized with qualified and experienced 3.89 0.687
lecturers in the respective field of knowledge
2 Being organized teachers with positive 3.90 0.740
attitudes/behaviors towards students
3 Having academic advisor in delivering a satisfactory 3.84 0.760
service and attracting students
4 Providing clerical staff to contact easily by telephone if 3.82 0.742
the student has some cases to know some information
or to inform leave
5 Having enough lecturers and administrative staff 4.58 0.594
Overall Mean 4.01
Source: Survey Data (February, 2020)

According to the results of Table (4.13), the overall mean value of student
perception on people statement is 4.01 and showed the agree level of respondents. The
academic and admin staff are skillful and the student prefer the services of those staff. The
statement with maximum mean value 4.58 shows the strongly agree level of the
respondents. This indicates that the students strongly agree with lecturers and
administrative staff of KMD training center. On the other hand, providing clerical staff to
contact easily by telephone if the student has some cases to know some information or to
inform leave gained the minimum value of 3.82 but showed the agree level of respondents.
According to the results, KMD training center should review the services of clerical staff
to fulfill the needs of the students.

4.2.7 Student Perception on Process

Table (4.14) represents the mean value and overall mean value for the perception
on process of KMD training center. Student perception on process factor was measured
with five items.

43
 Table (4.14) Student Perception on Process
Sr. Description Mean Standard
No. Deviation
1 Implementing a standardized and simple procedure for 4.60 0.613
providing educational services
2 Using online system for registration 4.15 0.683
3 Providing well-organized teaching processes such as 4.15 0.702
lectures, seminars, consultations, etc.
4 Providing a well-organized student information system 4.19 0.737
5 Having valuable feedbacks from students to improve 3.76 0.662
service performance
Overall Mean 4.17
Source: Survey Data (February, 2020)

According to the results of Table (4.14), the overall mean value of student
perception on process statement is 4.17 and showed the agree level of respondents. The
implementation of process for different training programs is under the acceptable level of
students. Implementing a standardized and simple procedure for providing educational
services gained the maximum mean value of 4.60 that showed the strongly agree level of
the respondents. This indicates that the students strongly agree with the standardized and
simple procedure of KMD training center for providing educational services. On the other
hand, having valuable feedbacks from students to improve service performance showed
the minimum score 3.76 but showed the agree level of respondents. Although the student
perception is weak in this factor, KMD training center always emphasizes the feedbacks
of students. The process of reviewing student feedback should be effective for students.

4.2.8 Student Perception on Physical Evidence

Student perception on physical evidence of KMD training center was measured
with five items. Table (4.15) describes the overall mean values of student perception on
physical evidence of KMD training center.

44
 Table (4.15) Student Perception on Physical Evidence
Sr. Description Mean Standard
No. Deviation
1 Possessing adequate number of classrooms for 4.15 0.683
unobstructed teaching
2 Having adequate number of rest rooms 4.17 0.712
3 Possessing adequate number of computer equipment 4.16 0.733
4 Having adequate facilities necessary to present lectures 3.87 0.692
such as white boards, projectors, air conditioning
system, etc.
5 Allows staffs with same uniforms 4.10 0.445

Overall Mean 4.09

Source: Survey Data (February, 2020)

According to the results of Table (4.15), the overall mean value of student
perception on physical evidence is 4.09 that showed the agree level of respondents.
Physical facilities provided to students are attractive and are under the acceptable level of
students. The statement with maximum mean value 4.17 shows the agree level of the
respondents. This indicates that the students agree with the adequate number of rest rooms
and computer equipment from KMD training center. On the other hand, having adequate
facilities necessary to present lectures such as white boards, projectors, air conditioning
system, etc. gained the minimum score 3.87 but showed the agree level of respondents and
it means that the students are less perception on the fact that the center has adequate
facilities necessary to present lectures such as white boards, projectors, air conditioning
system, etc.

4.2.9 Summary of Student Perception on Marketing Mix

Student perception on marketing mix of KMD training center was measured with
seven items. Table (4.16) describes the overall mean values of student perception on
marketing mix of KMD training center.

45
 Table (4.16) Summary of Student Perception on Marketing Mix of
KMD Training Center
Sr. No. Marketing Mix Mean
1 Product 4.00
2 Price 3.99
3 Place 4.05
4 Promotion 4.20
5 People 4.01
6 Process 4.17
7 Physical Evidence 4.09
Source: Survey Data (February, 2020)

According to Table (4.16), the student perception on product showed the maximum
mean value of 4.20, which means that most of the students have good perception on the
promotion offered by KMD training center. This is because KMD training center offers
various kinds of special discount on computer training courses. KMD spends numerous
amount of money for promotion through journals, magazines and seasonal promotion. To
keep motivated for all personnel, KMD arrange suitable supporting facilities such as
regular bonus and allowance, social and welfare allowance, uniforms, communication,
transportation and accommodation facilities, discount offer to training courses and
purchase of ICT equipment. The second largest mean value of 4.17 is found in process.
Perception on physical evidence is in third place with mean of 4.09 and place is in fourth
place with mean of 4.05 respectively. The means of remaining qualities are around 4.00.
These are product 4.00, price 3.99 and people 4.01. According to these values, it is
concluded that student perception on marketing mix are positive.

4.2.10 Student Satisfaction on Marketing Mix of KMD Training Center

Student satisfaction on marketing mix of KMD training center was measured with
fourteen items. The mean values for each statement and the overall mean value are
presented in Table (4.17).

46
Table (4.17) Student Satisfaction on Marketing Mix of KMD Training Center
Sr. Standard
Description Mean
No. Deviation
1 Satisfying the variety of computer related courses offered 3.79 0.729
by KMD training center with sufficient duration
2 Satisfying the qualified lectures and student-centric 3.82 0.786
teaching and learning method provided by KMD training
center
3 Satisfying training fees of the courses offered by KMD 4.03 0.811
training center are cheaper than other competitors in
Mandalay
4 Satisfying the discount prices and installment plans for 3.81 0.679
various courses offered by KMD training center
5 Satisfying KMD training center is situated on the 3.97 0.670
convenient location with adequate parking spaces
6 Satisfying the easy access via public transport to KMD 4.20 0.705
training center and the proximity to other kinds of
institutes/colleges
7 Satisfying the various media for advertising and 4.37 0.671
promotional activities used by KMD training center
8 Satisfying the gifts and special discount offered by KMD 4.24 0.721
training center
9 Satisfying KMD training center has qualified and 3.89 0.687
experienced lecturers with positive attitudes/behaviors
towards students
10 Satisfying the education services provided by KMD 3.90 0.740
training center with enough lecturers and administrative
staff
11 Satisfying the well-organized teaching and student 4.29 0.679
information system with standard procedure provided by
KMD training center
12 Satisfying the student feedback system and online 4.04 0.684
registration system used by KMD training center

47
 Sr. Description Mean Standard
No.
13 Satisfying the adequate number of workspaces and 3.78 0.654
associated utilities of KMD training center
14 Satisfying the enough number of computer equipment in 4.04 0.432
KMD training center and allowing staffs with same
uniforms
Overall Mean 4.01
Source: Survey Data (February, 2020)

According to the results of Table (4.17), the overall mean value of student
satisfaction is 4.01 and shows the satisfied level of respondents. The statement with
maximum mean value 4.37 shows the strongly agree level of the respondents. This
indicates that the students strongly agree with the various media for advertising and
promotional activities used by KMD training center. On the other hand, the statement with
minimum score 3.78 also shows the agree level of respondents. It means that the student
perception on the adequate number of workspaces and associated utilities of KMD training
center is weak and should be reviewed.

4.3 Correlation between Marketing Mix and Student Satisfaction of KMD

Training Center
After the reliability test, the correlation of the independent variables (Product,
Price, Place, Promotion, People, Process and Physical Evidence) was tested to show their
correlation with dependent variable (Student Satisfaction). Correlation is the statistical
technique that can show whether and how strongly pairs of variables are related.
Correlation coefficient ranges from -1 to +1. As the correlation coefficient values goes
toward 0, the relationship between the two variables will be weaker. The direction of the
relationship is indicated by the sign of the coefficient; a (+) sign indicates a positive
relationship and a (-) sign indicates a negative relationship. If the value is positive, it means
that if one variable gets larger, the other gets larger. If the value is negative, it means that
one variable gets larger, the other gets smaller. The results of the correlations of the
measured variables are shown in Table (4.18).

48
Table (4.18) Correlation between Marketing Mix and Student Satisfaction of KMD
Training Center
Sr. No. Variables Pearson Correlation Coefficient P-value
1 Product 0.645*** 0.000
2 Price 0.739*** 0.000
3 Place 0.709*** 0.000
4 Promotion 0.710*** 0.000
5 People 0.669*** 0.000
6 Process 0.697*** 0.000
7 Physical Evidence 0.750*** 0.000
Source: Survey Data (February, 2020)
*** Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).
Dependent Variable: Student Satisfaction

Table (4.18) showed that the seven dimensions of marketing mix (Product, Price,
Place, Promotion, People, Process and Physical Evidence) are significantly correlated with
student satisfaction at 0.01 levels. According to the results, the stronger the marketing mix
dimensions, the more the center can get their student satisfaction. Additionally, if the
marketing mix of KMD is attractive for the students, the high satisfaction level of students
can be expected. With student satisfaction, the successful future of KMD training center
will be a question. All marketing mix dimensions (product, price, place, promotion,
people, process and physical evidence) have moderate positive correlation with student
satisfaction. The moderate correlation coefficient between product and student satisfaction
is 0.645 at 0.01 levels. The moderate correlation coefficient between price and student
satisfaction is 0.739 at 0.01 levels. The moderate correlation coefficient between place and
student satisfaction is 0.709 at 0.01 levels. The moderately correlation coefficient between
promotion and student satisfaction is 0.710 at 0.01 levels. The moderate correlation
coefficient between people and student satisfaction is 0.669 at 0.01 level. The moderate
correlation coefficient between process and student satisfaction is 0.697 at 0.01 levels. The
strong correlation coefficient between Physical evidence and student satisfaction is 0.750
at 0.01 levels. Physical evidence has the strongest correlation with student satisfaction.
The overall correlation results showed that all of the marketing mix dimensions are
essential to promote student satisfaction.

49
4.4 Multiple Regression Analysis of Marketing Mix and Student Satisfaction of
KMD Training Center
Multiple regression is a statistical technique that used to analyze the linear
relationship between an individual dependent variable and two or more independent
variables by forecasting the coefficient of equation for the straight line (Hair et al., 2006).
The test would be significant when p-value is less than 0.05. The variables will be
significant if the p-value is less than 0.05. The beta coefficient is used to determine which
independent variables have the most influence on the dependent variable. Lastly, the
multiple r square is used to determine the strength of the relationship between all the
independent variables collectively and the dependent variable.
Multiple regression analysis was conducted to test the effect of marketing mix on
student satisfaction. The marketing mix includes product, price, place, promotion, people,
process and physical evidence which were considered as independent variables while
student satisfaction was dependent variable. Additionally, multiple regression analysis is
used to prove the most influencing marketing mix on student satisfaction. The following
equation explains the relationship between the independent variables and dependent
variable.

The proposed model is

Yi = β0 + β1X1 + β2X2 + β3X3 + β4X4 + β5X5 + β6X6 + β7X7 + εi

Where,
Yi = Student Satisfaction
0 = Constant (Intercept)
1,2,3,4,5,6,7 = Regression Coefficients
X1 = Product
X2 = Price
X3 = Place
X4 = Promotion
X5 = People
X6 = Process
X7 = Physical Evidence
i = Random Error
The results of multiple regression analysis are shown in Table (4.19).

50
 Table (4.19) Multiple Regression Analysis of Marketing Mix and Student
Satisfaction of KMD Training Center
Unstandardized Standardized
Model Coefficients Coefficients t Sig.
B Std. Error Beta
(Constant) 0.295 0.155
Product 0.133 0.032 0.192 4.164 0.000
Price 0.080 0.040 0.118 2.002 0.047
Place 0.189 0.045 0.208 4.191 0.000
Promotion 0.154 0.036 0.217 4.310 0.000
People 0.159 0.035 0.207 4.536 0.000
Process -0.146 0.067 -0.203 -2.171 0.032
Physical Evidence 0.348 0.077 0.413 4.519 0.000
R2 0.820
Adjusted R2 0.811
Source: Survey Data (February, 2020)
P < 0.05; Dependent Variable: Student Satisfaction

The estimated model is

Ŷ = b0 +b1X1 + b2X2 + b3X3 + b4X4 + b5X5 + b6X6 + b7X7

Student Satisfaction = 0.295 + 0.133 Product + 0.080 Price + 0.189 Place + 0.154
Promotion + 0.159 People - 0.146 Process + 0.348 Physical
Evidence

According to the regression results shown in Table (4.19), all of the marketing mix
except process have positive and significant effect on student satisfaction and all the
factors are significant at 0.05 levels. While process is significant but has negative effect
on student satisfaction. Unstandardized coefficients indicate how much the dependent
variable varies with an independent variable when all other independent variables are held
constant. The unstandardized coefficient for process is equal to -0.146. This means that
for each one unit increase in process, there is a decrease in student satisfaction of 0.146
when all other variables are held constant.

51
 According to the above equation, when one additional unit of product is added,
student satisfaction will be increased by 0.133. Student satisfaction will be increased by
0.080 when one additional unit of price is added. When one additional unit of place is
added, student satisfaction will be increased by 0.189. Student satisfaction will be
increased by 0.154 when one additional unit of promotion is added. When one additional
unit of people is added, student satisfaction will be increased by 0.159. One additional unit
of process is added, student satisfaction will be decreased by 0.146. When one additional
unit of physical evidence is added, student satisfaction will be increased by 0.348.
This study examines the relationship between the marketing mix (product, price,
place, promotion, people, process, physical evidence) and student satisfaction. The results
reveled that product, price, place, promotion, people and physical evidence are essential
for student satisfaction while students dislike the process of KMD training center because
of negative effect on student satisfaction. Although the process for students is comfortable,
the satisfaction level of student is declined. It may be possible that the students consider
the process from the negative perception.
According to the results, among the marketing mix, physical evidence was the most
significant factor to influence on student satisfaction ( = 0.413, p < 0.05). Moreover, price
was the least significant factor to influence on student satisfaction ( = 0.118, p < 0.05).
The process is significant ( = 0.203, p < 0.05) and has the negative relationship with
student satisfaction. Although process is significant, the students of KMD training center
perceived that the other marketing mix dimensions are more important for their satisfaction
than process.
The conceptual framework with multiple regression analysis is provided in Figure
(4.1).

52
 Figure (4.1) Conceptual Framework with Results
Independent Variables
(Marketing Mix) Dependent Variable

Product

Price

Place

Student Satisfaction
Promotion

People

Significant

Process

Physical Evidence

Source: Own Compilation Based on Results

The results of this study showed that product, price, place, promotion, people, and
physical evidence have positive and significant effect on student satisfaction of KMD
training center. The process has significant and negative effect on student satisfaction. This
means that all of the marketing mix dimensions offered by KMD training center can make
student satisfaction except process.

53
 CHAPTER V
CONCLUSION

In this chapter, there are three main parts including findings and discussions,
suggestions and recommendations, and needs for further research. The findings of the
study are based on the results of data analysis on marketing mix of KMD training center.
The suggestions and recommendations for KMD training center based on findings, and
needs for further research are discussed in this chapter.

5.1 Findings and Discussions

By gender, female student population is much greater than male population. The
60.7% of respondents are female and the remaining 39.3% represents male population.
Most of KMD students are female. By age group, it can be seen that majority of students
arc young aged under 20 years persons. By marital status, majority of students are single
persons. By educational level, it is found that majority of students are undergraduate. The
remaining nearly one fourth of the students have graduate and high school education
respectively. By attending courses, one fourth of the students attend i-Office. Another
nearly one fourth of the students are attending network and software engineering.
For product, most students believe that the center offers a wide variety of computer
related courses and the center designs their courses to meet the student needs and wants.
Students strongly believe that they can study in a specialization of interest and they have
wide variety and choice of courses. They also satisfy with the qualified lectures and
student-centric teaching and learning method provided by KMD training center. However,
less perception is found on the duration of the courses. Eventually, it is concluded that
students give positive and strong perception on product.
For price, the students agree with the price of various courses offered by KMD
training center. They satisfy the training fees and discount prices of the courses offered by
KMD training center. Briefly, it is concluded that students give positive and strong
perception on price.
For place, the students strongly agree with the situated location of the center with
adequate parking spaces. They also satisfy the easy access via public transport to KMD
training center and the proximity to other kinds of institutes/colleges. It is concluded that
students give positive and strong perception on place.

54
 For promotion, the students strongly agree with the promotional events organized
by KMD training center. They satisfy the various media for advertising and promotional
activities used by KMD training center. They also satisfy with the gifts and special
discount offered by KMD training center. However, the students are less perception on the
special discount on computer training courses. Finally, it is concluded that students give
positive and strong perception on promotion.
For people, the students strongly agree with the qualified and experienced lecturers
with positive attitudes/behaviors towards them. Administrative members provide timely
response and rapid services. Moreover, admin members provide timely notification and
they provide clear guidelines and advice. Briefly, it is concluded that students give positive
and strong perception on people.
For process, the students strongly agree with the standardized and simple procedure
of KMD training center for providing educational services such as the process of
management, enrolment, teaching, learning, registration process, examination process,
social and even sports activities. Students can use online registration for training courses
and can download their learning material from KMD website anytime and anywhere.
However, the students are less perception on the feedback system used to improve the
service performance of KMD training center. Eventually, it is concluded that students give
positive and strong perception on process.
For physical evidence, the students agree with the adequate number of number of
classrooms, rest rooms, computer equipment and other teaching facilities from KMD
training center. Moreover, they think that the center has adequate facilities necessary to
present lectures such as white boards, projectors, air conditioning system, etc. Finally, it
is concluded that students give positive and strong perception on physical evidence.
To summarize the analysis of the study, the objective or the study is to evaluate the
perception of marketing mix recognized by the respondents of KMD training center and
its effect on student satisfaction. After the review of theoretical, conceptual related
literature of the study, perception of respondents on marketing mix had a significant
relationship with the student satisfaction. When conducting the study, the necessary data
is acquired via five points Likert scale structured questionnaire which was adopted from
several prior related studies, in order to measure all variables of the study. According to
the descriptive findings of the study, promotion has the maximum mean value of the
respondents. The respondents preferred the promotion activity of KMD training center.
Furthermore, process had the second highest perception of respondents. The students
55
found that KMD training center has a standardized and simple procedure for providing
educational services. And the respondents also preferred the physical evidence because
KMD is a five-storied building with big complex and convenient for car parking. The
center also possesses an adequate number of classrooms, rest rooms, computer equipment
and other teaching facilities. The place of KMD training center is reasonable for the
respondents as it is also located near other kinds of schools and colleges. Finally, price is
the least mean value factor in the marketing mix. But it was also got the agree level of
respondents.
According to the correlation results, price, place, promotion and physical evidence
have strong positive correlation with student satisfaction and product, people and process
have moderate correlation with student satisfaction. These results can determine that the
marketing mix is essential for student satisfaction and the stronger the marketing mix
dimensions, the more the center can get their student satisfaction.
In addition, the results of multiple regression analysis revealed that all of the
marketing mix dimensions except process have positive effect on student satisfaction. All
the factors are significant at 0.05 level but process has negative effect on student
satisfaction. Although process is significant, the students of KMD training center
perceived that the other marketing mix dimensions are more important for increasing the
student satisfaction. According to the theory, these marketing mix dimensions play a
significant role to increase the student satisfaction.

5.2 Suggestions and Recommendations

The objective of this study is to explore the effect of marketing mix on student
satisfaction. This study observed a significant and positive effect of all marketing mix on
student satisfaction except process which has significant and negative effect on student
satisfaction. This finding implied that gaining higher level of student satisfaction depends
on how well marketing mix activities were provided by center and how much this factors
encourage respondents to satisfy. It is suggested that the marketing mix play a significant
role to create and promote student satisfaction.
According to the results, physical evidence is the most significant factor for student
satisfaction because the adequate facilities of the training center can attract the students.
The facilities create convenience for students in studying their subjects. The present
condition of physical evidence should be retained by KMD training center. The promotion
is the second influencing factor on student satisfaction. The attractive promotion activities
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and the special discount should be continuously or periodically offered by KMD training
center. The promotion is one of the tools to create satisfaction of students.
On the other hand, price showed the least effect on student satisfaction. According
to the results, the center should recognize the respondents' perception on price. The
importance of price should not be ignored by the center. Student satisfaction can improve
the quality of the organization such as productivity, service quality, net profit, and sales
volumes etc. The policy makers, the responsible person and the managerial level of KMD
training center should have turned their attention to provide different kinds of marketing
mix activities in order to create the student satisfaction.
The present study focused on seven marketing mix and their influence on student
satisfaction. Understanding of the factor affecting student satisfaction will be useful for
the centers in order to manage and maintain the potential and loyal consumers. The
findings of this study are valuable for the centers to consider the strengths and weaknesses
of the marketing mix in the real workplace. Additionally, the decision maker levels will
get the knowledge about the importance of these factors that plays a significant role for
student satisfaction. Moreover, the firms should play more attention to the factor, which
has negative relationship (e. g., process) with student satisfaction.

5.3 Needs for Further Research

The limitations of this study should be considered when further research interprets
the findings. Firstly, this study focuses on the total students of 150. The results and findings
of the study might change if more students are included in this study. To be better in future,
inquire and observe once again with a bigger sample size to have more generalizability.
Secondly, the scope of the study is KMD training center in Mandalay. Other training center
in Mandalay and other areas should be focused by further research.
Finally, this study only focused on the effect of marketing mix on student
satisfaction. It is suggested that further research should focus on other proposed factors to
explore the student satisfaction. It will provide a broader point of view and different
results. Furthermore, other outcomes such as purchase intention, repurchase decision
should be tested to have broader perception of students related to marketing mix. Although
there are some limitations, the results of this study do contribute to gain the student
satisfaction by illustrating the important of these seven marketing mix variables.

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