David Fleischman

This thesis investigates value co-creation within the context of the Australian international tertiary education service. Value co-creation is an emerging area of interest in services marketing and one that is germane to the increasingly important international service sector, tertiary education. In Australia, the international tertiary education sector is one of the country's top exports, valued at approximately $18 billion. However, the Australian international tertiary education sector is facing a number of challenges, impacting its future viability and global competitiveness. Aggressive international student recruiting from competitors, a strong Australian dollar, poor visa practices, crime involving international students and changing student expectations, are present challenges faced by the sector. To effectively address these challenges, a rethink of the strategic approach of the Australian international tertiary education sector is required. As such, this thesis aims to provide a new perspective in marketing international education-value co-creation via community engagement-as a potential catalyst to help sustain the viability of the Australian international tertiary education sector over time.