The Marketing Research Study for Not-for-Profit English Language Business School in BRUXELLES, Belgium

               The market research is essential in so many ways, and one should understand that without proper market research, it is hard to achieve goals and objectives which are developed during business planning. William Bill works in Wealth Design Group LLC, and once he said that “Failure to do market research before you begin a business venture or during its operation is like driving a car from Texas to New York without a map or street signs,” This shows the importance and criticality of the market research, especially for any new organization going to start their business or work in a new area. There are different types of market researchers, which an organization can pursue. The first type is primary market research, which collects data through questionnaires, surveys, interviews as well as focus groups. The second type is called secondary research, and data for this research is collected by analyzing the existing data and information available about the required market. So, it is up to the organization what kind of market research is required for their business or work, and how they want to do it (Pyle, 2010). In this market study, it will be analyzed and explained why Not-for-Profit English Language Business School will need marketing research and how they can do it.

Why to do Marketing Research?

               An English language not-for-profit Business School is going to start its school in Belgium, and they must know that the English language is not something very common in the country because a majority of people speak French, German as well as the Dutch language. So, when an English language school will start its operations in such an area, it will have to do market research so that they can get the views from the students of Belgium. They are going to start two programs in the beginning; BA and MBA in the city of Bruxelles. But it is imperative for them to know which business programs should be available in the beginning, and what else can be done in the future. It is an important question for them to find answers about what students will prefer in a not-for-profit business school. They will also have to identify an area in the city, which does not have any considerable business institute, because it may not be good to start a business school in an area, where there are too many business schools that are already operating. So, they will have to find a suitable area, and they will have to know the perspective of citizens, how they want this school to operate, etc. (Pope, Isely and Asamoa‐Tutu)

The Marketing Research Objectives to Collect Required Information

               It is vital for the business school to understand that they need to develop concrete objectives so that they can follow those objectives to collect important data, which is required to move forward with a certain plan. Here are some of the marketing research objectives for the English language not-for-profit Business School:

• The first objective is to identify the choices of students like what kind of business programs they would like to see in this business school

• What do students think about the initial two programs to be started; BA and MBA?

• Which area of the city would be suitable to build the campus of this business school?

• What kind of behavior and choices are shown by the students living in Belgium?

• If students want to see any changes in programs or they want this business school to come up with other programs other than the business field?

               So, these are some of the most important and primary objectives of this marketing research study, and they will have to collect relevant information and data so that these objectives can be met with the required expectations. The problem is that Business School is not sure about their start in the city as an English language institute. Moreover, they don’t know about the preferences of the local students like they want an English language school or not, etc. These questions have to be answered and their answers will help the business school to derive their detailed future strategy, otherwise, their overall plan would remain vague and confusing. They have to find a direction, and it can only be found by finding answers to the above-mentioned questions.

Marketing Research Methodology of The Marketing Research Study for Not-for-Profit English Language Business School in BRUXELLES, Belgium

               There are various research methods to go with marketing research, and it will be dependent on the choice and requirement of an organization. For this particular marketing research, the business school will have to go with the Primary research method, because they need first hand and real information from the market. They have certain objectives and these objectives cannot be fulfilled by the existing secondary data. However, it is important to mention here that it is viable for the business school to look at any existing available data so that they can get an overview of what kind of research has been done earlier, and how much information is available. It may give them an indication about their future direction, but things will not be absolutely clear until they conduct primary market research. They will have to conduct primary marketing research in a detailed manner by collecting data from various samples of the students.

               The primary research can be done with a variety of methods. Here we are going to discuss different methods to conclude what methods will be suitable for this business school. The first method is a market survey, which is considered to be the most important method to collect data from any market. The good thing about the survey questionnaire is that it can be sent to a large number of samples, and it can be sent through online platforms over the internet. This method will be useful for the business school to collect data from students from all parts of the city. The second considerable method is focus groups. In this research, a panel of people is selected who sit together and discuss issues in an informal way. This method is quite expensive as compared to the survey method because, in focus group discussion, the researcher will have to arrange a physical space, some other entertainment, as well as they might have to pay for participants. So, this method is not viable for the business school, because they are already a not-for-profit organization, and they can’t bear any extra expenses. Moreover, another market research method is to do in-depth interviews, where people are contacted on the phone or face to face and interviewed to get the required information. Looking at the objectives of the business school, this method is also not viable. So, they should go with the survey questionnaire method (FRITZ, 2019)

Statement of Deliverables of The Marketing Research Study for Not-for-Profit English Language Business School in BRUXELLES, Belgium

               There are various deliverables for this marketing research study. They will have to first determine their sample from the market, and then survey questionnaire research will be conducted to collect the data from students. Once they will have the data, then it will be analyzed to get viable findings. Those findings will help the business school to estimate how many programs they should start, and what kind of building should be built. If programs are not too many, then they can build a small campus, but if there are various programs identified after the research, then they will have to build a large building to accommodate the number of students enrolled in this business school. It will also be the time to make the budget estimation that how many financial resources will be needed to complete the whole project of the business school. It is also important to mention here that research will be completed in 30 days. The first ten days will be used in planning, the next ten days will be used to collect data, then 5 days will be taken to analyze data and get findings. In the last 5 days, future planning and budget estimation will be made.

Conclusion of The Marketing Research Study for Not-for-Profit English Language Business School in BRUXELLES, Belgium

               After looking at different aspects of the marketing research, it can be said that an English language not-for-profit Business School in Belgium will need a lot of detailed research from the market, before starting their institute. They can’t just begin with the plan without any market research. This market research study will help them to get the required information and data, which can be used to make considerable future decisions.

References of The Marketing Research Study for Not-for-Profit English Language Business School in BRUXELLES, Belgium

FRITZ, JOANNE. 8 Ways Even Small Nonprofits Can Do Market Research. 2019. 6 November 2019. <https://www.thebalancesmb.com/small-nonprofit-market-research-2502235>.

Pope, Jennifer A., Elaine Sterrett Isely and Fidel Asamoa‐Tutu. "Developing a Marketing Strategy for Nonprofit Organizations: An Exploratory Study." Journal of Nonprofit & Public Sector Marketing 21.2 (2009): 184-201.

Pyle, Lesley Spencer. How to Do Market Research--The Basics. 2010. 6 November 2019. <https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/217345>.