Marketing in international exchange of language courses: A study on the dimensions of the image

The present study sought to describe the image that potential customers, current customers and former customers have regarding the international exchange of language courses, based on three (cognitive, symbolic and emotional) of the four dimensions of the classification proposed by De Toni, Milan and Schuler (2004, 2005). To do so, it was opted for using the qualitative method, by means of 45 in-depth interviews with such groups of customers. During the interviews, the technique of drawings construction was used, which had the purpose to illustrate the content of the interviews. Furthermore, the information obtained was analyzed through the technique of content analysis by thematic units. The results show that the cognitive dimension can be classified into three broad categories: (a) the reasons that lead people to study abroad in international language courses; (b) Sources of information and groups of influence on the decision for language courses exchange; and (c) the criteria used for the choice of countries of destination for language courses exchange. Whereas in the symbolic dimension, the following categories were obtained: a) Growth and personal maturity; (b) Social status; c) Adventure, fun and challenge; d) Identity, freedom and independence; (e) New and different experiences. Finally, the emotional dimension can be divided into the following categories: a) Emotions and positive expectations; (b) Negative emotions and frustration of expectations; (c) Resources for the management of emotions; d) Emotions related to the mechanism of sacrificereward.


INTRODUCTION
The image that people have of products, services, brands or companies have functional , cognitive, symbolic and emotional dimensions that are able to influence their buying behavior and consumption (Dobni and Zinkhan, 1990;De Toni, Milan andSchuler, 2004 andDe Toni, Milan andSchuler, 2005).
Such authors still highlight that, although these dimensions can be studied separately, are inter-related and undergo mutual influence.
For this reason, the understanding of the image that people have in relation to a particular object (products, services, brands, etc.) can offer subsidies for the development of marketing strategies, constituting an important asset for companies that operate in different market segments (Grasseli, Souki e Mendes, 2009;Brandão et al., 2011).
However, it may be, the companies that operate in the sector of language courses exchange, need to understand the consumers' needs and desires so that they can formulate and implement marketing strategies.
Therefore, it becomes mandatory to understand the image that consumers have of this segment. Ferreira, Moura and Souki (2016), Grasseli, Souki and Mendes (2009), and Souki, Amorim and Mendes (2008) emphasizes that the image that people have on products, services, brands or professions can be analyzed on the basis of the functional, cognitive, symbolic and emotional dimensions, according to the classification proposed by De Toni, Milan andSchuler (2004, 2005). It is known that the image can influence the people's attitudes, purchase and consumption behavior. Therefore, the present study sought to describe the image that potential customers, current customers and former customers have regarding the exchange of language courses, based on three (cognitive, symbolic and emotional) of the four dimensions included in such classification.

THE IMAGE AND ITS DIMENSIONS
The literature review shows that there is not a consensus in relation to the meaning of the concept of image. This is because this concept has been used in several areas of knowledge such as Philosophy, Psychology, Mathematics, Physics, communications, computing, Psychoanalysis, Semiotics and the Marketing (Dowling, 1986 andVan Riel, 1995). There is, however, a great interest in the subject, which has been studied from several perspectives since antiquity (Salles, 2004).
The role of the image was discussed by Boulding (1956), who argues that human behavior is not directed only by information and knowledge, but is a product of the image perceived by the people. It should be noted that the attitudes and behavioral intentions that may be influenced by the image are not formed exclusively by the people's experiences in contact with the products or services. In reality, they may suffer influences of ideas shared, derived from the experience of others, as well as by various sources of information and by groups of influence. For this reason, despite of being taken as a reality, the images are not always accurate, which may be true or false, real or imaginary. In addition, images can be modified to the extent that individuals receive new stimuli or information (Boulding, 1956). However, due to being a way of people knowing the world, images can influence their behavior and their decisions (Barich and Kotler, 1991;Iasbeck, 1999). Barich and Kotler (1991) define image as the representation of beliefs, attitudes and impressions that a person or a group have on an object. It is worth emphasizing that this may be a company, a product, a brand, a service, a person, a place or a profession. Dichter (1985) also points out that the image refers not only to the characteristics or the individual qualities of the object, but also to the impression that remains on it in the people's minds.
Thus, the concept of image has a wide area of application, can be used in surveys about products, services, brands, professions, among other objects of study (Joly, 1996).
In the present study it was chosen the concept proposed by Dowling (1986: p. 112), which affirms that "an image is the set of meanings by which an object is known and through which people describe, remember and relate to it. That is, the net result of the interaction of a person's beliefs, ideas, feelings and impressions about an object". It is understood, therefore, that the concept of image is associated with the knowledge, beliefs, the perception or the interpretation that individuals have in relation to a particular information.
De Toni, Milan e Schuler (2004,2005) proposed, based on studies carried out by Dobni and Zinkhan (1990), that the image has functional, cognitive, symbolic and emotional dimensions, which will be better described below: The functional dimension is composed of a series of physical features that are perceived and valued by customers during the service provision process. As examples, one can cite the appearance of people who are part of the team, the physical facilities, equipment available, the location, the design, among other attributes (Stern, Zinkhan and Jaju, 2001;De Toni et al., 2005).
The cognitive dimension refers to mental constructions about objects or services being used by consumers to evaluate the image of themselves. Such constructions are influenced by the beliefs and by the prior knowledge that individuals have in relation to the product or service Thus, people evaluate the image of the services as a set of impressions, perceptions and attitudes concerning the service provider, as the professionals involved in the process and transactional aspects, such as the cost-benefit relationship (De Toni, Milan and Schuler 2005;Dobni and Zinkhan, 1990;Dichter, 1985).
Regarding the symbolic dimension, the services are evaluated not only by their intrinsic utility, but primarily by what they mean for the consumer. In this sense, the symbol consists of representing an indirect experience in which the service represents, as well as its own, other mental associations. Thus, with Levy (1981), when hiring a service, the individual may be motivated not only by a tangible final result, but also by symbolic aspects. According to De Toni (2005: p. 46), "the symbolic value, or image, is the extension that enhances the value of the person before his or her own eyes (self-esteem) and to the eyes of others (status)".
Whereas the emotional dimension is related to the feelings, like joy, pain, pleasure and/or fear, which are triggered by consumers and service providers to experience the production and consumption of the same (Reynolds & Gutman, 1984).

METHODOLOGY
As previously mentioned, the aim of this work was to describe the image that potential customers, current and former customers have in relation to the language courses exchange. To do so, cognitive, symbolic and emotional dimensions of the image, according to classification proposed by De Toni, Milan and Schuler were used (2004,2005).
It should also be highlighted that it was chosen to carry out a qualitative research, during which forty-five people were interviewed, being that 15 wanted to make exchanges (potential customers), fifteen had returned to language courses in different countries (ex-customers) and 15 were enrolled in language courses abroad on the occasion of the completion of the present research (current customers). However, the profile of the sample will be more fully described later during the presentation of results and discussion of this work.
The interviewees not resizing in Brazil were contacted by means of telephone calls, e-mails, instant messaging programs available on the internet (MSN® e Skype®) with voice and video calls.
In addition, it is worth noting that the participants were selected by convenience and the interviews were transcribed in full (Malhotra, 2001).
Although semi-structured scripts have been used which were developed specifically for each of the groups interviewed, the participants were encouraged to express themselves freely about the theme.
During the interviews, the technique of drawings construction was used, being that the interviewees were asked to associate keywords to them, with the aim of helping in their interpretation. The authors recognize that, although the technique of building drawings enables deep and complex analyzes of projections (Van Kolck, 1984), in this study the purpose of the use of designs was exclusively to illustrate the content of the interviews. It is understood, therefore, that in spite of the potential of this technique to be quite broad, allowing psychological and semi-discursive interpretations in greater depth, in this study it was sought to only use the graphical representation of the material obtained for purposes of illustration, as recommended by Souki, Amorim and Madureira (2007) and Grasseli, Souki and Mendes (2009).
The information obtained during the interviews were analyzed through the technique of content analysis for thematic units, according to classification proposed by Cooper and Schindler (2003). Adler (1999) emphasizes that this technique allows to analyze content from illustrations, photographs, phrases, stories or any form of communication available in articles, books, newspapers, magazines, TV programs, movies, advertisements and speeches. Figure 1 was developed with the purpose to promote the understanding of the way in which the present study was carried out.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
For the results presentation, it was ought to describe the image that potential customers, current customers and former customers have regarding the exchange of language courses, by means of cognitive, symbolic and emotional dimensions of the classification developed by De Toni, Milan andSchuler (2004, 2005). However, before responding to the objective proposed in this study, the sample surveyed will be described, as observed in Table 1. In this context the categories of respondents are presented, subdivided into potential, current and former customers, in addition to socio-demographic characteristics such as gender, income, age, marital status and schooling. Among the 45 interviewees, it was noticed that most of them (about 67%) has a monthly family income between R$ 3,001.00 to R$ 7,000.00, followed by the group with an income higher than the R$ 7,000,00, which corresponds to approximately 31% of those surveyed (Table 1).
25 people of female sex and 20 male were interviewed, with ages ranging from 17 to 43 years, and the mean was found to be 26.8 years and standard deviation of 6.4 years. Thus, there was a strong concentration of visiting exchange students aged between 20 and 30 years (66.7%).
In terms of the marital status of the interviewees, the present study showed that 34 were unmarried at the time in which the survey was carried out, 8 of them were married or had a stable union and three were separated or divorced.
Regarding schooling, it was found that 46.7% had a higher education course on the occasion of the completion of the interviews and other 20.0% had postgraduate level (Specialization or Master). In addition, 24.5% of the interviewees had an incomplete higher education course. Thus, it was verified that the level of schooling of the Exchange students is from high school to upper education.

COGNITIVE DIMENSION
To perform the analysis of cognitive dimension of the image, it was sought to identify the beliefs and knowledge that potential customers, current customers and former customers had in relation to the language courses exchange.
The information obtained in this study indicate that the cognitive image of language courses exchange relate to the first three stages in the decisionmaking process of purchase (recognition of the need, search for information and evaluation of alternatives), as proposed by Engel, Blackwell and Miniard (2000). Therefore, such dimension can be classified into three categories: (a) the reasons that lead people to make language courses exchanges; (b) Sources of information and groups of influence on the decision for language courses exchange; and (c) the criteria used for the choice of countries of destination for language courses exchange.
The reasons that lead people to make language courses exchanges can be subdivided into six categories, namely: a1) possibility of learning a new language; a2) knowing other countries and new cultures; a3) meeting people and making friends; a4) professional development; a5) possibility of earning money, and a6) getting together work, study and leisure activities, which can be observed by means of the testimonies and drawings presented in Table 2.  The other would be thinking of a professional growth, sometimes even in this country that she chose to make the exchange, thinking that the employment opportunities are better than in her country of origin.
I am talking about making money. I discovered later when I came back, after I was there it was a paradise to work and earn money. There are people who will also work, that even if they are in sub-jobs, people get well and here in Brazil do not earn that much. Then they go to join some money, some wish to return, others want to stay.
At the time I did exchange, was a wonderful way to associate work, study and leisure. I had morning classes, had a lot of fun and at night I worked in a snack bar.
I think it will be a chance to learn English to enter the masters and get some money to be able to enjoy myself in another country. In addition, drawings that illustrate these sources of information and groups of influence, as seen in Figure 2 were obtained during the interviews. Finally, the criteria used for the choice of countries of destination for exchange of language courses are presented in Table 3   Finally, the subcategory called cultural aspects of the country of destination is illustrated by a drawing that shows people with different physical characteristics and the phrase "Access to various cultures".

SYMBOLIC DIMENSION
In the analysis of the symbolic dimension of the image it was sought to identify what the exchange of language courses represents or means to potential customers, current and former customers. Although this is a subjective dimension typically, it was possible to realize some common meanings to the interviewees, being that this dimension was associated to the following categories: a) Growth and personal maturity; (b) social status; c) Adventure, fun and challenge; d) identity, freedom and independence, and finally, (e) new and different experiences. Such categories of the symbolic dimension of the image can be observed in the testimonies and drawings presented in Table 4.
The drawing which refers to the category called Growth and Personal maturity shows the transformation of a girl into a woman, which is part of the changes that can be triggered by the experience of a language courses exchange.
Whereas the illustration on the Social status category expresses the relationship between the exchange and the status that it can provide, showing that a person who experiences the experience of an exchange, can highlight in relation to other people, becoming symbolically higher even than her or his own world.
A third category was found regarding the Adventure, fun and challenge, which is illustrated by means of the drawing that symbolizes the practice of extreme sports, such as the parachuting and free flight.
The drawing on the category Identity, freedom and independence illustrates the representation of the sun between mountains, beyond a handcuff being broken and the word New (novo) between exclamation points. It is believed that, symbolically, such a drawing can represent the search for a new path, "Sunnier, with more freedom and independence.
Finally, the category entitled News and different experiences was illustrated by means of a drawing that shows a symbol of "different" between Brazil and New Zealand, with several yellow arrows pointing to it. This reveals the emphasis of the differences among the countries. In addition, considering that yellow is a color associated with the feeling of joy and excitement (VAN KOLCK, 1984), it is believed that this difference is perceived as something positive. However, there is also in this case, a clear rejection of the interviewee to the United States, as the country of destination.    Table 5.
In the drawing on the category Emotions and positive expectations, there is a heart with the colors of the flag of Germany, representing the love relationship of the interviewee by that country. It is observed still in this drawing, a clock with explicit mention to a cultural German feature, which is the punctuality. In addition, this drawing shows a train, which is a very common means of transport in Germany. Apparently, these characteristics of that country generate admiration at the interviewee.   Finally, it was verified the occurrence of emotional aspects related to the Mechanism of sacrifice-reward. This is because the interviewee demonstrated through her drawing that she was having to make a sacrifice to not buy a dress she wanted with the purpose to save money to facilitate the achievement of the language course exchange.

FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
The present study sought to describe the image that potential customers, current customers and former customers have regarding the exchange of language courses, based on three (cognitive, symbolic and emotional) of the four dimensions of the classification proposed by De Toni, Milan andSchuler (2004, 2005).
To do so, it was opted for using the qualitative method, by means of 45 indepth interviews with such groups of customers. During the interviews, the technique of drawings construction was used, which had the purpose to illustrate the content of the interviews. Furthermore, the information obtained was analyzed through the technique of content analysis for thematic units.
Among the interviewees, it was noticed that most of them have a monthly family income between R$ 3,001.00 to R$ 7,000,00, followed by the group with an income higher than the R$ 7,000,00. 25 females and 20 male people were interviewed, with an average age of 26.8 years, being observed a strong concentration of Exchange students aged between 20 and 30 years.
Regarding the interviewees' marital status, the present study showed a higher frequency of single exchange students than the other groups analyzed.
Approximately half of the respondents had already completed a higher education course on the occasion of the completion of the interviews, as well as a part of them had some title at postgraduate level (Specialization or Master). In addition, around a quarter of respondents had incomplete higher education course, what indicates a trend that the schooling level of the Exchange students is from high school to upper education.
Regarding the results obtained for the cognitive dimension of the image, it was verified that it can be classified into three broad categories: (a) the reasons that lead people to make language courses exchanges; (b) Sources of information and groups of influence on the decision for language courses exchange; and (c) the criteria used for the choice of countries of destination for language courses exchange.
The reasons that lead people to make language courses exchanges was subdivided into six categories, namely: a1) possibility of learning a new language; a2) knowing other countries and new cultures; a3) meeting people and making friends; a4) evoluting professionally; a5) possibility of earning money, and a6) getting together work, study and leisure activities.
Whereas in the category called Information sources and groups of influence on the decision by language courses exchange, it was found that the internet, the exchange agencies and relatives and friends are the main ones. related to the mechanism of sacrifice-reward.

RESEACH LIMITATIONS
The most expressive limitations of this work refer to the methodological choices. This is because there was a concern to understand the problem better, in detriment to obtain conclusive results. Thus, as the method adopted has a qualitative nature it does not either fit or is intended to perform statistical inferences, because this would only be possible with the adoption of the quantitative method.
It should also be noted that in the research a single cross sectional study was carried out that might change over time and vary according to different social, economic, historical, cultural and marketing situations. Therefore, different results might be found in other cities and countries, as well as in other historical moments.
Besides the above, the interpretations of the information obtained, because they involve some degree of subjectivity in the analysis, may undergo the researchers' influence. Also in this sense, the interpretations were performed under the marketing paradigm, using the classification proposed by De Toni, Milan andSchuler (2004, 2005). Thus, the interpretations found in this study could be different if another theoretical basis is used.