THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SERVICE MARKETING MIX AND THE STUDENTS SATISFACTION

The issue of marketing is a very important issue in order to reach the consumer market, but it needs afundamental mechanism in term of service marketing. therefore, more marketing elements need to be integrated into the marketing plans. This article discusses the relationship between service marketing mix and student satisfaction at KolejuniversityIslam Antrabangsa Selangor (KUIS). There are many factors that affect student satisfaction at (KUIS), which is the 7p. This study used a quantitative approach using questionnaires as tools to collect data. This study was applied to 322 male and female students studying in the third and fourth semesters. The results were analyzed using statistical methods, descriptive frequency ratio analysis, and deductive analysis, and the study found that the material evidence factor is the most positive factor affecting the level of satisfaction with (KUIS). The price factor is the factor that negatively affects student satisfaction at KUIS. The results obtained helped in giving indications of the strengths and weaknesses of the marketing process. The results of the research were given to the college in order to benefit from the findings.


INTRODUCTION
The world is witnessing many and rapid developments in the economic, social, political and cultural systems.The remarkable practical progress in various fields and activities has contributed to providing the latest inventions to serve the human being in various countries of the world.In light of the steady growth in the service industry and its contribution to comprehensive development, service provision has become a concern of researchers and those interested in development and improvement.
Different countries of the world have begun to study some mechanisms to achieve greater cohesion between universities and all sectors of society.Universities seek to market themselves continuously in the community in order to market their services that if they are of the required quality, then they achieve student satisfaction.According to Salinas and Martínez (2007), Student satisfaction with universities has become an important matter for educational institutions, because the continuation of these institutions depends mainly on student satisfaction.
In this sense, it became necessary to identify ways to measure student satisfaction in universities, which allows these universities to know the university level and what distinguishes other competitors from it and analyzes it over time.There is a link between the term quality and the term satisfaction, as it is interpreted as a result of a comparison of what is expected with the service provided by a party, which means that satisfaction defines the measure of quality.Effectiveness in service progress is what defines and measures quality.The success of programs or organizations mainly lies in responding to maximizing this proportion (Lago, López, Municio, Ospina and Vergara 2013, p. 37).
Within the context of the university where an increase in public and private universities is observed, higher education institutions must generate a competitive advantage and thus achieve student satisfaction, thus, customer satisfaction represented in this context in students has become the focus of marketing; Organizations recognize the value of a satisfied customer in terms of positive brand attitudes, effective word of mouth, repeat purchases, and loyalty (Spreng, MacKenzie, & Olshavsky, 1996).This paper is investigating the case study of The Selangor International Islamic University College which also known as KUIS.The problem of KUIS represented with the significant fluctuation between the decline and the rise of the number of students enrolled in the university between the period from 2012 to 2017, based on the statistics and official data obtained from the University.
The data were as follows: in 2012 the number of new students enrolled in the University is 4606 in 2013; the number of new students indicated a slight decline to reach 4598.While in 2014, there was rise in the number of students enrolled in the university and the number was then 5724 and in 2015 was 8090and it continued to rise in 2016.itreach 8929 in 2017 where the total number of students refers to 9038.Therefore, KUIS is facing a situation that represents a fluctuation in numbers in which shows the decline in a period and increasing in another period.This fluctuation pushed the researcher to do this study to investigate the factors that made the numbers fluctuate within this period.
However, (KUIS) seeks to transform from college to university.According to the standards of the Malaysian Ministry of Education, the number of students should exceed 10,000 students in order for the college to transfer to the name of a university (syukry, 2018).Faced with a state of instability or prosperity, the researcher directed to examine the marketing mechanisms used and how the university promotes its services to students.The marketing mix was what was followed in applying the study on (KUIS).

Service marketing mix (SMM)
It is summarized by marketing tools that the citizen can use to achieve promotional goals for products and reach the customer market to produce the desired response (Kotler, 2000).After the development of higher education as a service (Bringle and Hatcher, 2000;Marine and Gibbs, 2008;Ng and Forbes, 2009) and students as a consumer (Clayson et al., 2005;Kotler, 1972), service marketing mix has become one of the most important service design factors in education programs.
To come up with an effective marketing plan, what is important is the optimal formation of the service-marketing mix in a timely manner to play a vital role in targeting the expected market and meeting the needs of students (Young, 2005).In the case of marketing, the physical product, a model consisting of 4Ps, product, price, place (distribution), and promotion, is known in the market as a product marketing mix (Blythe, 2008).McCarthy (1960) was the first to present an advanced version of 4Ps in a more simple way, in the form of 7Ps, which included people, physical evidence, and processes.(Booms and Bitner, 1981) In 1981 he introduced the Model 7Ps, which consisted of the original 4Ps along with the additive PS: process, people, and physical evidence that were most appropriate for a service-marketing process (Blythe, 2008), specifically the Education Marketing Process.(Ng, Forbes, 2009).

Producer (program)
The "product" component of service marketing is intangible in nature.In the case of an education context, it is referred to as a "program" offered to students.The product is the object of the exchange process, the thing that the producer or supplier offers to the potential customer in exchange for something that the supplier considers of equivalent or greater value (Holensen, 2010, p. 393).
Marketers have categorized the product into groups of non-durable goods, durable goods, and services according to tangible durability (Kotler & Keller, 2009).In educational institutions, curricula and students are products.In the marketing campaign in these institutions, the product was the first factor, which represents the academic programs.The program is the primary decision to be made by higher education institutions.
The development of education programs according to the desires of consumers (students) is an important marketing activity for educational services institutions (Hoyer and McInnis, 2001).In higher education, there are three main activities as a service: teaching, research, and community service.The educational program should serve the marketing process of the educational institutions.

Price
Price drives a vital part of the marketing mix, thus attracting consumers and also providing income to enterprises.Price is the value or amount of money that a buyer exchanges for a product or service, provided by the organization.
Lampet al. ( 2004) "Define prices as the value paid for a service or good."The "price" component is related to the price that results from the benefit of the educational service, and it is often paid to pay the tuition fees and the rest of the students' daily needs.
Agarwal (2006) sees pricing for higher education services playing a limited role in the supply and demand gap due to the weak economy of educational institutions.Kotler (1999) believes that a student may pay a higher price for receiving a premium service.
In some educational institutions an educational service is provided at a very high cost for a good product and vice versa, and some provide a poor educational service at a high cost (Helmsley- Brown and Foskett, 2001).

Place
The place refer to Providing access to clients created through service networks (Brassington and Pettitt, 2006) and ensuring the physical and geographic delivery of educational services at the right time and place (Hannagan, 1992;Kotler and Fox, 1995).
Placing within the marketing mix includes all the activities of the organization or company that make the product available to the target customer (Kotler, 2004).
A good area surrounded by transportation connections, recreational facilities, medical facilities, and a safe and cultured climate will attract potential students.Moreover, place is also associated with accessibility and connectivity to on-campus classrooms, laboratories, amenities and residential rooms (Maringe, 2006).

Promotion
Promotion is those mechanisms that institutions use to communicate with the groups or markets for which services or products are to be marketed to transfer the purpose, educational activities, and returns from their programs.Educational institutions to deliver their services to the target market need to implement marketing strategies.Lambs et al (2004) have argued that a promotional strategy is a plan for better use of elements of promotion such as advertising, sales promotion, and personal selling.
The elements of promotion that universities can use are determined by student market expectations, service requirements, and other elements of the institution's marketing decisions.Promotion can have a fundamental role in marketing a college education.Promotion can enhance familiarity with what an institution is and provide opportunity for the university (Rudd & Mills, 2008).A higher education institution can use push and pull strategies in its service promotion (Soedijati, 2006).
Universities have a combination of two methods of promotion, which are direct marketing or promotion through channels such as magazines, websites, and modern access channels (Rudd & Mills, 2008).The most important thing for a higher education institution in developing a promotion strategy is to understand and study the case of students as primary consumers.

People
People are the mainstay of any service, trade or business.Services look to production and consumption in the same period, and aspects of the customer's experience for a particular service are adapted and changed to meet the needs of the person who wants to consume it."According to Goldsmith (1999), it is the individuals who crystallize the production and delivery of service.Soedijati and Pratminingsih (2011) believe that it is about the ability, skills and characteristics of teachers that are the prerogatives of faculty and staff.Suitable and highly trained personnel are considered to provide their services, and he is It is critical if the organization seeks to create a competitive advantage, and the employees must have personal skills, competence, and knowledge of appropriate ways to provide the service that the consumer pays for.
The component includes all university employees who interact with them with potential students and when they are registered as students at the university.At the graduate level, students' perceptions of faculty reputation can play an important role in the institution's selection process (Cubillo et al., 2006;Ivy, 2001) some students may be affected.For example, by the number of faculty with a PhD, Others may be influenced by the general academic profile (such as experts in television interviews or other advertisements).
In terms of administrative and academic support, Deem is an important entry point for Higher education services are both on the front lines and what might be considered behind the scenes, influencing students' perceptions of service quality.Lin, L (1999), argues, "The goal is to place the right person to fill jobs or assignments in departments of educational institutions."For example, the manner in which an employee receives student inquiries over the phone may have a greater impact on whether a student chooses to enrol in those university institutions compared to comparing his choice of university to the professor's publications, additions, or research history.

Process
It is linked to the administrative system through which service is provided by employees or employees as service providers to customers (Kotler et al., 2002).It includes many activities from recording, teaching and learning, to activities outside the classroom (Kaplinsky and Morris, 2000).
Academic and practical instructional processes and support activities are effective in student engagement, both inside and outside the classroom that contribute to determining organizational performance (Harper and Quaye, 2009).Operations are very crucial in maintaining forward momentum to achieve the academic and nonacademic goals of students as well as institutions.Its effective application is what positively affects the quality of service for students.
The service process that encourages student participation through community learning, and group research between students and faculty, tends to be mentally engaged rather than involving students physically through their awareness of their responsibility towards activities (Koh, 2009).These services directly contribute to student retention, engagement, performance, satisfaction and trustworthiness which are directly related to institutional performance (Yorke and Longden, 2004).

Physical evidence
Physical evidence refers to the tangible surrounding environment that contributes to seamless service delivery to performance (Palmer, 2001).Physical evidence refers to the location of the institution in terms of the location, its external general appearance and its internal details, for example the design of the building, study rooms, offices of academic staff are all considered as material evidence.Kotler and Fox (1995) also believe that a student's first emission will be shaped in his mind through the factor of physical evidence.Ivy (2004) considers modern devices that present lectures in a video format to be classified as physical evidence.
Infrastructure facilities such as the library, computer lab, or chemistry lab are also very important in the process of raising the level of student satisfaction with the educational institution (Rodney Arambiola and John Hall, 2009) "Many institutions participate in an integrated and distinct appearance of their physical infrastructure and facilities to facilitate the reputation and enhance the desired image.Through brochures, advertising media (Lovelock and Wright, 1999), and social networks.
Several service models recognize the unique characteristics of the physical environment that influence service quality (Jain et al., 2013;Teeroovengadum et al., 2016) and customer satisfaction (Kotler and Keller, 2006).

Student Satisfaction
Students are most important in the eyes of educational institutions as they are the source of income for these institutions.In an environment that recognizes higher education as a primary service and students as consumers, student satisfaction has become a primary and strategic goal of the majority of higher education institutions (Brown & Mazzarol, 2008;Lee & Anantharaman, 2013).The importance of customer satisfaction has been recognized by educational institutions, and has been adopted by officials in competitive ways (Lee & Anantharaman, 2013).
Student satisfaction with their universities is reflected in student performance and helps universities and institutes become more competitive to attract students (Lee, Jolly, Kench, & Gelonesi, 2000;Sojkin, Bartkowiak, & Skuza, 2012;Tinto, 1993).Measuring customer satisfaction is an intrinsic topic because it is considered an indicator to measure the activity that influences a customer's decisions (Lin & Sun, 2009).Student satisfaction is not a short-term assessment.Athiyaman (1997) and Szymanski and Henard (2001) indicated that student satisfaction is a condition resulting from students' evaluation of their experiences with the educational institution.
Students evaluate their schools on several levels, including physical evidence, price, people, and product.Therefore, this study views student satisfaction as a positive attitude that captures students' general feeling of their experiences in higher education.Brown and Mazarul (2008) developed a satisfaction scale with two dimensions -post-assessment and post-emotion.Examine measurement problems like fun and surprise students and what they need.To measure student satisfaction, the author used a modified version of the model (Brown and Mazzarol, 2008).

Research gap
Previous literature provided the conceptual framework for the service marketing mix without adequate support for empirical research.Martin (2009) believes that the conventional PS system has a limited orientation based on the assumption; "One size fits all."Traditional 7Ps are not suitable for achieving marketing excellence in the undergraduate education sector and badly need more research work based on their application (Ivy, 2008) in addition to asking for conceptual and contextual integration (Lim et al., 2018).
Previous studies of service marketing mix were used to verify marketing performance in the commercial sector, but they found that they lacked focus on the role of service marketing mix in customer satisfaction and service performance in a service sector such as higher education.Performance should be examined in terms of skills and knowledge acquired by students during education, satisfaction in terms of service offerings, performance, and work of recommendation to others.
All literature related to services marketing mix has focused on its importance as an input in the service industry.The traditional mix of service marketing is seen as internal factors in which service providers control and prefer them over their customers.As a manager, the focus of the service marketing mix is on meeting customer needs and desires (Kushwaha and Agrawal, 2015), and there are many elements of the service marketing mix, in terms of customer-oriented behavior arising from the service delivery experience (service product), which have yet to be explored.
There is a need to integrate the service marketing mix as a service input and service output in terms of customer orientation.Thus, measuring the inputs (service provider direction) and outputs (customer direction) of the system is important even in reformulating the inputs provided by the service providers.Second, if the Ps were not presented as a product of a service system, they would not be able to take customer direction (Kotler 2003).

Objectives, framework and hypothesis
The study aims to identify the factors affecting student satisfaction, examine the relationship between the marketing mix and student satisfaction, as well as identify the elements of the marketing mix that affect their satisfaction, whether negative or positive.
For this paper, the researcher established a theoretical framework and the hypotheses that supports the study and clarifies the relationship between variables.Student satisfaction represents the dependent variable and the marketing mix represents an independent variable and it is the 7Pc as the following: product, price, place, promotion, people, process and the physical evidence.
Through the framework, the following hypotheses were drawn: H1.Product variable has a direct and significant influence in the student satisfaction.
H2. Price variable has a direct and significant influence in the student satisfaction.
H3.Place variable has a direct and significant influence in the student satisfaction.
H4. Promotion variable has a direct and significant influence in the student satisfaction.
H5.People variable has a direct and significant influence in the student satisfaction.H6.Process variable has a direct and significant influence in the student satisfaction.H7.Physical evidence variable has a direct and significant influence in the student satisfaction.

METHODOLOGY
For the research and as suggested by (Creswell, 2012), the decision to choose the research method is made based on the literature review and the objective of this study.
In this paper, the researcher applied the quantitative research method because of the possibility of formulating the hypothesis (Kotler et al., 2016), to perform multivariate statistical techniques on big data (Donald et al., 2010;Hossler, 1999), to test the relationships between the study variables with specificity and transparency (Borrego et al., 2009).
The questionnaire was distributed to students as respondents to answer all of the questions.This study was conducted at the International Islamic University College (KUIS); the target sample number was 322 students who study in the third and fourth semesters of major colleges.

Type of analysis
To obtain data from the information gathers through the questionnaire, researchers have used tow data analysis methods, inferential statistics and descriptive statistics.The data obtained will be analyzed using the statistical package for social science data editor (SPSS) version 23.
To achieve the first objective, the researchers have used the Pearson correlation analysis method to find out the significant relationship between the students' satisfaction of the Selangor Islamic University College (KUIS) with mixed marketing variables.
Pearson correlation is a statistical technique used to find a relationship between two variables or more to its quantitative nature.The pearson correlation is used because the data for the study is interval level data.The purpose of this analysis is to determine the influence of a variable on the other variables and to find the most dominant relationship between the students' variables studied.In the table below, the researcher explains the method of analysis.

THE ITEM
The method of analysis

Demographic profile Descriptive analysis
The relationship between variables Pearson correlation analysis

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
This regression analysis is used to examine the most dominant factor in influencing the student's satisfaction in the Selangor International Islamic University College (KUIS).Physical evidence factor and process who recorded a significant value at 0.000 at the beta value of 0.340 and 0.204.
This means that the factors of (Physical evidence and process factor) are the most dominant factors in influencing student's satisfaction in the College Selangor International Islamic University (KUIS).
Moreover, all of the hypotheses were accepted in this study.

0.631
The results of the data analysis were able to answer the study questions and thus achieve the objectives of the study.To determine the elements of marketing mix that can influence the student's satisfaction at Selangor International Islamic University College (KUIS).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 and also achieved a positive result in this direction.
Making these two factors a good outcome is strongly related to the successful marketing process at (KUIS), which supports the success of attracting new students and acquiring them more than other competitive universities.Since the physical evidence relates to the university's location, the external and internal structure of the buildings, the teaching rooms, the teaching apparatus itself, the equipment used in teaching and the facilities of the students, and the facilities provided by the university to the students, all these factors reflected very positively the satisfaction of the students at (KUIS).
The services provided within the university, such as the procedures carried out by the staff within the university departments to serve the students, which are the registration procedures and the method of teaching, as well as the examination, evaluation and attention to all the affairs of the students, all these operations justified the result related to the process factor who indicated great satisfaction from the students at (KUIS).
To examine the relationship between elements of marketing mix and the (KUIS) Overall, Pearson's correlation study showed a positive relationship between the variables of the marketing mix affecting the satisfaction of the students in the college.These results support the hypotheses developed by the researcher and conducted by the analysis of data collected from the respondents at (KUIS).
After the analysis of the hypotheses for all variables, the results showed a positive relationship between all the independent variables and the student satisfaction variable and the positive results vary between the variables, but there are two variables whose results dominate the rest of the variables are the variable physical evidence and the variable process.
Finally, the purpose of the paper is to reach some conclusions, suggestions and recommendations that can contribute to the development of university services, and recommendations in the field of marketing.
After analyzing the data, the results obtained by the researcher help to develop appropriate recommendations that support the marketing process in a more efficient and effective manner.These recommendations will be developed by the researcher in this final semester of the study.Recommendations can be summarized as follows: -Diversifying options in self-development and co-curriculum programs that can develop the knowledge, skills, breeds and interests of students.
-Set prices or fees in line with the quality of marketing provided.
-Promotional activities can also be done indirectly by providing good services to existing students so that they are satisfied that they can do the promotion by attracting friends to enter the Selangor International Islam International College (KUIS).
-improve the quality and competency in human resource management (e.g, lecturers and staff) by providing appropriate training to their respective fields.
-continue the same approach and behaviour in dealing with students who have met a high level of satisfaction.

CONCLUSION
Effective marketing mechanisms achieve positive results in implementing marketing plans and achieving goals, as demonstrated by the results of the study of the effect of the marketing mix on student satisfaction.Through this study, stakeholders can learn about existing problems and tackle the problem.Meanwhile, it will have a positive impact in improving sales revenue and also boosting students enrolling at the College of International Islamic University of Selangor (KUIS) so that this message can help in raising awareness in choosing places of study.This choice will be the result of the success of marketing operations in providing recommendations from students who have studied and experienced in this university and have the ability to provide advice to parents, friends and all those who have a relationship with them to register in a college that provides services with the required quality and achieve a sense of satisfaction.