A Conceptual Framework for Developing Student Recruitment Agents Management System using the Balanced Scorecard

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to provide a conceptual framework for the development of a student recruitment agent management system for private universities and colleges in Malaysia. There is a need for such system especially in a maturing (competitive) international education market life cycle as competition intensifies. The availability of such system could provide private universities and colleges with the opportunity to develop competitive advantage through the control of the marketing channel of the international education market. This system is developed based on the balanced scorecard methodology proposed by Kaplan and Norton in the 1990s. The paper, first, analyses the nature of competition in the international education market, the role of the recruitment agents in the industry, the behaviour of the international students, and the behaviour of the recruitment agents. Next, it discusses the principal-agent theory and power theory to explain the behaviour of the agents. Apart from that, the management control theory will be used in conjunction with balanced scorecard to outline conceptual framework for the development of the student recruitment agent management system. It is hoped that this conceptual framework can be applied and tested empirically in future research. Keywords: Student Recruitment Management System, Balanced Scorecard, Performance Management and International Education.