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NZUSA ON MARKETING LIKE TANGO LESSONS FROM THE POPE
Taking marketing advice from the New Zealand University Students Association is like taking tango lessons from the Pope.
NZUSA's criticisms of tertiary institutions' marketing spends can be ignored because the organisation knows nothing
whatsoever about marketing, Student Choice spokesman Glenn Peoples said.
NZUSA is a monopoly organisation funded by compulsory fees, and therefore has no understanding of the marketing
requirements of organisations which have to compete for customers.
NZUSA's income is derived from compulsory fees forced on university students as a result of compulsory membership of
regional student associations. Most university students have to pay money to NZUSA before they can study.
NZUSA doesn't have customers, it has commercial captives. The organisation never has to sell its services to students,
never has to worry about providing value for money, has guaranteed income and suffers no financial penalty for failure,
and never has to compete with other providers.
NZUSA operates in a commercial fantasy land because compulsory membership means it doesn't know what price students
might put on the organisation. Therefore it's not surprising that NZUSA doesn't understand the imperatives of
organisations which have to compete.
NZUSA's complaints can be ignored. Compulsory membership means the association has no mandate to speak on behalf of all
university students. The more important question is how much longer the government and vice-chancellors will support
compulsory membership and the boneheaded economics it forces onto tertiary students.
Glenn Peoples 03 473 8638
Student Choice upholds voluntary student association membership for all students on the grounds of freedom of
association.
studentchoice.org.nz
1 March 2004
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