Globalization as a macro-environmental force
The process of globalization can be defined as one of the main macro-environmental forces influencing the market of higher education in Australia. Globalization is considered a megatrend, as it affects nearly every segment of our civilization. It can be described as the accelerated movement of “people, goods, and ideas among countries and regions” (Qin-Hilliard and Suarez-Orozco 1). It changes the nature of the market of higher education all over the world and leads to internationalization. Nowadays, young people are open to other cultures and are willing to experience living in different countries. They have an opportunity to learn international languages and get all the knowledge required for being a competitive student in major educational institutions. It creates high competitiveness in the market of higher education. I believe, these processes can have a huge impact on the market of higher education in Australia. Australian higher education is accepted worldwide. However, the character of education in Australia is fully commercial while it is heavily subsidized in Japan and the USA (Marginson 16). Globalization enables the students to see the difference between the prices and give preference to the institutions outside Australia, which offer lower fees. Therefore, globalization leads to the inevitable changes in the Australian system of higher education, needed for the development of its competitive capacity.
Demographics as a macro-environmental force
Demographic factors present another macro-environmental force influencing the market of higher education in Australia. Demographic issues include age distribution, migration processes, environment specifics, etc. These factors will influence the market of higher education in Australia and worldwide. The aging of the overall population in Australia results in higher demand for healthcare services specialists. Constantly growing levels of migration to Australia lead to the necessity for adjusting the educational system to the needs of students coming from different cultures. Therefore, an issue of the necessity of the introduction of bilingual education can arise. A growing number of single-parent families in Australia will affect the paying capacity of future students. Therefore, the demographic factor will change the market of higher education in Australia and make it more flexible and suitable for the needs of the future society.
Technological force
The post on the technological force investigates the influence of modern technologies on the educational system. Technologies gave an opportunity to study distantly and introduced new approaches to the academic routine. Technology is progressively changing, and new inventions modify modern education in many ways (Bates 9). Higher education has faced challenges caused by the development of informational technologies, which influenced the perception of “how education should be delivered” (Johnsrud and Tabata 626). However, the negative effects of technology invasion in the educational process are not fully investigated. How does the use of the Web support cheating? Is the abundant use of gadgets during the studying process appropriate? These and some other questions need to be answered.
Economic and political forces
The post on political and economic factors investigates their influence on the global market for higher education. Political policies made educational institutions adjust their systems to the needs of foreign students. However, the financial crisis of 2007-2008 resulted in smaller budgets provided by the government. It made the institutions seek other sources of income and raise the tuition fees. Political groups invest in education in order to attract voter groups (Busemeyer 107). Then, is there a possibility of speculating on educational programs by political forces? How can it be regulated? Hanushek et al. state that the high economic development of the country is not always associated with the high competitiveness of its market of education (70). Is the financial side the most important one in providing a good level of education? More questions need to be answered.
Works Cited
Bates, Tony. Technology, E-learning and Distance Education. New York: Routledge, 2005. Print.
Busemeyer, Marius. “Social Democrats and the new partisan politics of public investment in education.” Journal of European Public Policy 16.1 (2009): 107-126. Print.
Hanushek, Eric, Dean Jamison, Eliot Jamison, & Ludger Woessmann. “Education and Economic Growth.” Education Next 8.2 (2008): 62-70. Print.
Johnsrud, Linda, and Lynn Tabata. “The Impact of Faculty Attitudes Toward Technology, Distance Education, and Innovation.” Research in Higher Education 49.7 (2007): 625-646. Print.
Marginson, Simon. “National and Global Competition in Higher Education.” The Australian Educational Researcher 31.2 (2004): 1-28. Print.
Qin-Hilliard, Desiree, and Marcelo Suarez-Orozco. Globalization: Culture and Education in the New Millennium. Oakland: University of California Press, 2004. Print.