Swedish Trade Council

1
REPORT Potential target markets for export of
Swedish higher education

• Swedish Trade Council
• October 12, 2006

2
AGENDA

• Introduction
• Methodology
• Findings
• Recommendations and discussion
• Appendix
• Definitions and sources
• Country profiles
• Scorecard in excel

3
BACKGROUND

• International students in Swedish higher
  education contribute to the educational
  environment and also have the potential to
  strengthen Swedens competitive advantage long
  term. A legislative change allowing for tuition
  fees for non EU/EES students has been suggested
  by a recent inquiry
• The transition from the current system where no
  fees are charged to a system with tuition fees
  will require a change in strategy. The exchange
  focus that Sweden has today will have to be
  supplemented with an export focus in order to
  attract paying international students in the
  increasingly competitive global market
• SI and STC have discussed how the two
  organisations can cooperate in preparing a new
  strategy as well as in marketing and business
  development activities to assist universities in
  the recruitment of international students. The
  first common project is presented in this report,
  Target markets for export of Swedish higher
  education

4
STRONG AND INCREASING COMPETITION FOR
INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION
As demand for international education is expected
to increase
more countries have a focus on attracting
international students as well as building
capacity of their own
Germany, France and Netherlands mentioned as
European growth countries - Targeted courses in
English
Number of students (000)
Asia competing for demand in near region -
Building capacity
Compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) 5,8
Australia, Canada and NZ positioned as
alternatives to US and UK - International
campaigns
Source IDP Global Student Mobility 2025
5
SWEDEN WILL ALWAYS BE A SMALLER NICHE PLAYER IN
THE MARKET FOR INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION- Focused
marketing effort necessary to maximize impact of
limited resources
Suggested principles for Swedens national
strategy
Examples from the Netherlands

• Capture share of existing flow of international
  students rather than trying to convert students
  into studying abroad
• Focus marketing efforts on a smaller number of
  target countries
• Focus on countries where Sweden already has a
  relatively strong position

• The Netherlands current 15 000 paying
  international students represent 0,75 of total
  international students world-wide
• Support offices run by NUFFIC opened in 5
  countries (China, Taiwan, Indonesia, Vietnam and
  Mexico), 4 more are planned
• Large proportion of international students in the
  Netherlands come from the former colonies
  Indonesia and Surinam

?
Netherlands Organization for International
Cooperation in Higher Education, a non-profit
organization financed by the department of
Education and Foreign Affairs
6
OVERALL AIM OF PROJECT IS TO PROVIDE INPUT TO
THE STRATEGY FOR INTERNATIONAL MARKETING OF
SWEDISH FEE-BASED EDUCATION- First step to
understand which markets to target
August-October 2006
October-December 2006
Phase 1 - Define target markets
Phase 2 - Define target group characteristics in
selected markets
Preparation of marketing strategy

• Workshop to decide upon a limited number of
  target markets

The aim of Phase 1 is to select 3-7 target
markets for further analysis in Phase 2
7
AGENDA

• Introduction
• Methodology
• Findings
• Recommendations and discussion
• Appendix
• Definitions and sources
• Country profiles
• Scorecard in excel

8
17 POTENTIAL TARGET COUNTRIES STUDIED -
Distributed globally, but Asia over-represented
due to high demand for international education
9
COUNTRIES INCLUDED BASED ON CURRENT IMPORT OF
EDUCATION AND TO ENSURE SUFFICIENT GEOGRAPHICAL
COVERAGE
Excluding France and Belgium
10
COUNTRIES HAVE BEEN EVALUATED BASED ON DEMAND
OF INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION AND RELATIVE POSITION
OF SWEDEN
Focus for marketing effort
High
Demand for int. education
Low
Most favourable
Least favourable
Relative position of Sweden
Combination of strong demand for international
education and positive image of Sweden indicates
high potential
11
SCORECARDS HAVE BEEN CREATED FOR THE TWO
DIMENSIONS AS AN ATTEMPT TO ENABLE A RELEVANT
COMPARISON

• No single measure exists that alone fully
  measures the two dimensions demand for
  international education and the relative
  position of Sweden
• Instead, a scorecard has been created for each of
  the two dimensions, where the 17 countries are
  compared with each other on a number of different
  parameters
• For each parameter, all countries are ranked in
  relation to each other. The top five countries in
  each parameter have been colored green and the
  bottom five countries for each parameter have
  been colored red. The countries in between are
  white - indicates that data have not been
  found for this parameter
• For each parameter, the top 5 countries (green)
  get the score 3, the middle countries (white) get
  the score 2 and the bottom 5 (red) countries get
  the score 1
• The average rating for each country are used to
  determine the relative position for each country
  in the scorecards Demand for Int. Education and
  Position of Sweden

Top 5 countries
Middle countries
Bottom 5 countries
In addition, each countrys economics and
demographics have been mapped, but not ranked
12
AGENDA

• Introduction
• Methodology
• Findings
• Recommendations and discussion
• Appendix
• Definitions and sources
• Country profiles
• Scorecard in excel

13
COUNTRY OVERVIEWS ECONOMY AND DEMOGRAPHICS (1)

14
COUNTRY OVERVIEWS ECONOMY AND DEMOGRAPHICS (2)

15
SCORECARD DEMAND FOR INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION (1)
Not included in average rating, shown in matrix
as size of circle Based on forecast of demand
for education in Australia
16
SCORECARD DEMAND FOR INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION (2)
Not included in average rating, shown in matrix
as size of circle Based on forecast of demand
for education in Australia
17
SCORECARD RELATIVE POSITION OF SWEDEN (1)

18
SCORECARD RELATIVE POSITION OF SWEDEN (2)

19
SCORECARD RELATIVE POSITION OF SWEDEN (3)

20
AGENDA

• Introduction
• Methodology
• Findings
• Recommendations and discussion
• Appendix
• Definitions and sources
• Country profiles
• Scorecard in excel

21
ARE INDIA, TURKEY, RUSSIA, CHINA, THAILAND AND
USA SUITABLE AS INITIAL TARGET MARKETS FOR
SWEDISH HIGHER EDUCATION?
High
India
China
Turkey
Malaysia
Demand for international education
Thailand
Korea
USA
Russia
Japan
Hong Kong
Taiwan
Mexico
Morocco
Iran
Singapore
Brazil
Chile
Number of students abroad (20 000)
Size
Low
Most favourable
Least favourable
Relative position of Sweden
22
WHAT ARE REALISTIC TARGETS FOR EACH COUNTRY AND
AS A TOTAL FOR SWEDEN?
Total target for of paying students
2 500
15 000
30 000
Total number of students abroad
of intl students
Country target
of intl students
Country target
of intl students
Country target
Higher percentages from India and Turkey could be
expected due to Sweden's favorable position
23
ATTRACTING 30 000 NON-EES STUDENTS COULD PROVIDE
A YEARLY INJECTION OF UP TO SEK 7 BN TO THE
SWEDISH ECONOMY

• In Australia, the export of education is
  estimated to be worth around SEK 40 billion per
  year, employing more than 48 000 people
• On average, this is equal to annual income of
  SEK 124 000 per student (including e.g. language
  studies)
• Survey in Australia shows that international
  students in higher education spend on average SEK
  170 000 per year (excludes tuition fees)
• Another service export industry tourism - is in
  Sweden worth around SEK 48,5 billion per year and
  employs 127 000 people

Minimum living expenses for a Swedish student
according to calculations by Sveriges Förenade
Studentlårer Higher spending than minimum, e.g
including tourism by students and relatives
24
AGENDA

• Introduction
• Methodology
• Findings
• Recommendations and discussion
• Appendix
• Definitions and sources
• Country profiles
• Scorecard in excel

25
DEFINITIONS OF VARIABLES USED IN ECONOMY AND
DEMOGRAPHICS
26
DEFINITIONS OF VARIABLES USED IN DEMAND FOR INT.
EDUCATION
27
DEFINITIONS OF VARIABLES USED IN RELATIVE
POSITION OF SWEDEN
28
40 OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS PLAN TO EARN A
MASTER DEGREE WHEN STUDYING ABROAD
Primary goal for study abroad period for selected
countries of origin
of total international students by level of
education 2004-05 in Australia and UK
Most popular goal a Master degree (40), followed
by a Doctorate/PhD (19) and a Bachelor degree
(12)
Source Perceptions of European Higher Education
in Third Countries, ACA report, 2004, Student
questionnaire on "Perceptions of European Higher
Education in Third Countries Question 12 What
is the primary goal of your study abroad period?
www.ukcosa.org.uk/pages/hestats.htm, Aust Govt,
Dept of Edu, Sci, Training
29
BRAZIL lack of engineering educations in the
country
Profiles
Main Swedish industries well known in Brazil -
Automotive, e.g. Volvo established in Brazil in
the 1970s, Scania established in the 1950s.
Brazil is a major transport country, especially
land transport is important. - Mechanical
Industries, e.g. SKF although most people do not
know they are Swedish since they been established
in Brazil for a very long time. - Telecom, e.g.
Ericson Relationship Sweden Brazil The
political relations between Sweden and Brazil are
good, and the Swedish government has chosen
Brazil as one of the prioritized market and want
to develop the relationships in politics, culture
and trade. In regards to high level visits the
Brazilian Trade Minister visited Stockholm in
August 2004, and the Swedish Ambassador
(Margareta Winberg) is politically appointed.
Trend for higher education There is a growing
trend for higher education in Brazil and there
are a large number of Brazilian students that
study abroad. The majority of students go either
to USA or Europe. There is a lack of
technical/engineering educations, and the country
does not offer enough engineering subjects. It is
quite difficult to get in to the public
universities and therefore there are a large
number of students that pay for education at
Private Universities.
People in Brazil have a very positive view of
Sweden. People view Sweden as one of the richest
countries to live in and Brazil strive to have
the same social welfare system as Sweden. Many
Brazilians know about Sweden through Queen
Silvia, and the Swedish King and Queen visit
Brazil regularly since the Queen has relatives
here. Swedish representative, Brazil
Source Interview with Swedish representative,
Brazil
30
CHILE high demand for civil engineering
education
Profiles
Main Swedish industries well known in Chile -
Forestry, Paper and Mining industry - Automotive
and transport industry - Telecom Relationship
Sweden Chile Sweden has a good reputation in
Chile due to strong Swedish industry and the
environment, but many people also mix up Sweden
with Switzerland. The view of Sweden in Chile has
become clearer during the last 10 years due to
many Chilean people that have lived and worked in
Sweden are returning back home. Chilean people
mostly think of the high quality and high
technology products, but also the social welfare
system. Trend for higher education There has
been a constant expansion in higher education
since the 80s and there is a need in Chile to
improve the quality of universities, especially
the private ones. State universities tend to be
of better standard since they have more of
research than the private ones, and the state
universities are prioritized by the students.
Most popular educations are Engineering,
Architecture, Law and Medicine, and there is a
high demand for Civil Engineering education.
Scholarships are important in order for people to
afford going abroad to study since few can afford
tuition fees outside Chile. There is in general a
low level of English knowledge among Chilean
students.
The political relations between Sweden and
Chile are very good, especially since Sweden
supported Chile in the democratic process in the
beginning of the 90s. Many top officials have
visited Sweden or want to go. Further, a
Swedish-Chile development fund has been
established in 2000 to stimulate alliances
between Swedish and Chilean companies Swedish
representative, Chile
Source Interview with Swedish representative,
Chile
31
CHINA increased interest for higher education
Profiles
Main Swedish industries well known in China -
Telecom, e.g. Ericsson very well known -
Engineering/Manufacturing, e.g. Atlas Copco, SKF
- Automotive, e.g. Volvo, Scania - Design and
furniture, e.g. IKEA is starting to get well
recognised Relationship Sweden China There
is a strong tradition of Swedish companies in
China and a good relationship between the
countries. China shows an increased interest for
the environment aspect, where they look at
Sweden. Chinese view Sweden as a small country
that has been very successful with international
trade. Trend for higher education The
interest for higher education is increasing and
there is a strong trend for Chinese students to
go abroad and study since it is important to
learn English. The most popular subjects to
study are engineering, IT, business and law where
you have a chance to get a good job and a high
salary. No one studies for fun or of interest,
always with a goal. The government put lots of
money into RD which is important in order to
keep good quality at universities.
Regions Beijing and Shanghai are the most
thriving regions, also southern China in
Guangzhou region. Beijing and Shanghai are the
most international regions with strong economic
growth, a large group of middle class and people
with money that can afford paying for an
education.
There are good political relations between the
two countries. Sweden was one of the first
western countries that accepted Peoples Republic
of China. There are always friendly relations and
the Swedish King visited China recently, although
there hasnt been a prime minister visiting in a
while. Swedish representative, China
Source Interview with Swedish representative,
China
32
HONG KONG business is the most popular subject
to study
Profiles
Main Swedish industries well known in Hong
Kong - IT and Telecom, Engineering/Computers,
e.g. Ericsson - Automotive e.g. Volvo/SAAB (80
of buses in HK are Volvos). - Medical Devices -
Furniture, e.g. IKEA Relationship Sweden Hong
Kong The relationship is good and positive, and
most people have heard of Sweden and know about
it, but it often get mixed up with Switzerland.
IKEA has put Sweden on the map. HK people think
of Swedish people as nice and friendly people,
and Sweden as a clean country. The fact that we
have a King is also positive and exotic. One
negative aspect is that Sweden is viewed as
expensive. Trend for higher education There
is an increase in number of students in higher
education in HK. A majority studies business.
Traditionally there is a strong focus on trade
and business studies in Hong Kong, but now it is
a broader platform and more people study
engineering as well. A high amount of people go
abroad to study, especially for MBA studies, and
since the 80s it has been a trend to study
abroad, both at undergraduate and masters level.
The budget for government spending on education
seems to remain the same every year although many
universities also get private donations.
The relationship between HK and Sweden is very
good, and there have been some high levels visit
from HK in Sweden that especially look at the
elderly care. There have also been some
delegations in the environmental- and automotive
field from Sweden in HK. More political visits
are to mainland China, although many come to HK
in conjunction with their visit to China.
Swedish representative, Hong Kong
Source Interview with Swedish representative,
Hong Kong
33
INDIA trend to study engineering, IT and
business
Profiles

• Main Swedish industries well known in India
• Automotive e.g. Volvo Buses have a very specific
  position in India, especially due to their strong
  image about safety, high quality and level of
  comfort.
• Manufacturing, e.g. SKF, Atlas Copco, ABB
• Telecom, e.g. Ericsson
• Relationship Sweden India
• Sweden is well known for high level of research
  and science, as well as product
• development and design in the high technology
  field. In India they also talk about the
• Wireless Valley in Sweden, known for IT/high
  technology. Swedish people are seen as
• very honest, reliable and innovative people. In
  general there is a good and positive feel
• about Sweden in India. 10 years ago people in
  India thought of Sweden as corrupt due
• to the Bofors scandal. This can still be
  mentioned in the news which is negative, but
  during the last 2-3 years it is not talked about
  as much.
• Trend for higher education
• There is a trend in India to study engineering,
  IT and business. There is a large
• number of Indian people that study abroad since
  it is a status symbol to study at a foreign
• University. The focus for Indian students is to
  find the best University with highest level of
• the quality of the education.

Sweden probably wants to have more business with
India than the other way around. Sweden is not a
prioritized country for India, India rather focus
on bigger countries such as USA, Japan etc. India
doesnt want to be seen as a poor country, rather
as an emerging market. Swedish representative,
India
Source Interview with Swedish representative,
India
34
IRAN engineering, IT and medicine popular
subjects
Profiles
Main Swedish industries well known in Iran -
Automotive Industry, e.g. Volvo Trucks, Scania
Trucks/Bus - Telecom, e.g. Ericsson - Gas
Turbines Relationship Sweden Iran Sweden has
a good reputation in Iran and one positive aspect
is the social welfare system in Sweden. There
are 10 Swedish subsidiaries in Iran, and further
90 companies are represented by agents. There is
an exchange and good co-operation today between
Iran and Sweden in the medical field, a large
number of projects have been carried out at KI by
Iranian researchers. Trend for higher education
There is a trend for more Iranian people to go
to university and a large number of students at
University are women (70). Most popular subjects
to study in Iran and abroad are Engineering, IT
and Medical studies. Many students prefer to go
abroad to study although this number has not
increased lately. There have been discussions in
the Government to expand and put more money into
the existing universities in order to increase
the level and quality of the education.
There are in general fine political relations
between the two countries, and there have been
Swedish politicians visiting Iran eg Anna Lindh
visited 5 years ago. The trade to Iran from
Sweden was increasing until the nuclear issue one
year ago, and after that it has been a political
stand still. There has been a Joint Commission
Delegation that have meetings in both Stockholm
and Teheran on Vice Minister Level which discuss
Bilateral Trade Issues. Swedish representative,
Iran
Source Interview with Swedish representative,
Iran
35
JAPAN more important where you study than what
you study
Profiles
Main Swedish industries well known in Japan -
Design/Furniture, e.g. IKEA is well known -
Medical Industry - Music Industry, e.g. groups
like Meya, The Cardigans, Abba are very well
known Relationship Sweden Japan Japanese
people have a positive view of Sweden, although
they dont know much about the country. Swedish
people are trustworthy and rather similar to
Japanese people, also easy to communicate with.
Sweden is viewed as a beautiful and clean
country, and a relaxing society. Trend for
higher education There does not seem to be any
major changes in educational trends in Japan, in
Japan students care mostly where they study than
what they study and Japanese companies look
mostly at where students have studied when
recruiting. 40-50 of all student go abroad to
study, and of these people 70 go to English
speaking countries in order to learn English and
to get new experiences.
There is a positive view of Sweden in Japan,
many people think of Sweden as a beautiful and
clean country. IKEA is wellknown and many people
knows about Swedish design. Swedish
representative, Japan
Source Interview with Swedish representative,
Japan
36
MALAYSIA expansion of number of Universities in
the country
Profiles
Main Swedish industries well known in Malaysia -
Telecom, e.g. Ericsson, regional H/O in Asia in
Malaysia - Automotive, e.g. Volvo first car maker
to have a plant in Malaysia in 60s -
Design/Furnitue, e.g. IKEA with biggest shop SE
Asia in Malaysia Relationship Sweden Malaysia
Sweden has a good reputation in general in
Malaysia, although few people know much about
Sweden or have an opinion about the country. It
is common to mix up Sweden with Switzerland. When
people think of Sweden they often think of IKEA.
Products that are coming from Sweden have in
general a good reputation and believed to have a
good quality, such as engineering and design.
Trend for higher education There is a growing
number of people studying at higher education in
Malaysia, and it has been a steady growth the
last few years. There has been an expansion of
Universities in the country with 3-5 new
universities that have been built during the last
10 years in order to accommodate the increasing
number of students. It is very common to study 2
years in a private college in Malaysia and then
study 2 years at a University abroad since that
is a cheaper option, but you get your degree from
a University abroad.
The former Malaysian PM visited Sweden in 2004
and that resulted in many positive articles in
the press. He mentioned that it is good to look
at Swedens way of working, but other than it
hasnt been much publicity of Sweden in
Malaysia. Swedish representative, Malaysia
Source Interview with Swedish representative,
Malaysia
37
MEXICO more popular to study business
administration than engineering
Profiles
Main Swedish industries well known in Mexico -
Automotive, e.g. Volvo - IT Telecom, e.g.
Ericson - Engineering, e.g. Atlas Copco, Sandvik,
Electrolux, ABB, Alfa Laval Relationship Sweden
Mexico People in Mexico have in general a
very good and positive view of Sweden.
Many people also have a very respectful view of
Sweden as a country, thinking of Sweden as a
leader for technology, many inventions and new
solutions. The only negative view is that it is
very cold in Sweden. Trend for higher
education There is a trend for University
students to study Business Administration, this
has become more popular than Engineering. Lately
it is also popular to study communication and
advertising. Other subjects are engineering,
medicine and dentistry. There is a lack of
skilled technology people, unfortunately there
isnt a big interest for technical subjects or
mechanical engineering in Mexico. 60 of
University students go to public universities and
40 go to private universities. The 4 best
Universities are private, and the 5th best
University is the largest public University
(called UNAM in Mexico City).
The political relations are excellent.
Recently the Swedish king visited Mexico on a
state visit, and the Mexican President visited
Sweden the year after. Swedish representative,
Mexico
Source Interview with Swedish representative,
Mexico
38
MOROCCO many students attracted to study abroad
Profiles

• Main Swedish industries well known in Morocco
• Telecom, e.g. Ericsson
• Automotive, e.g. Volvo
• Engineering
• Relationship Sweden Morocco
• Sweden generally has a good reputation in
  Morocco, although people do not know much about
  Sweden as a country. It is seen as a cold country
  in the far north that is expensive to live in.
  People knows about HM and IKEA although they
  have not opened up in Morocco, but they can see
  ads on French and Spanish television.
• Trend for higher education
• The trend in Morocco is to put more money towards
  education, both at basic education and at higher
  levels. This is part of a development project
  recently introduced by the king in Morocco. High
  unemployment and low wages in Morocco makes it
  more attractive to study abroad. If a Moroccan
  person will study abroad, the most attractive
  place to go is France since people speak French.
  There is a pull away from Morocco, younger people
  rather study abroad if they can afford it and
  hope that they can stay in that country and find
  a job after theyve finished their studies. There
  is a great demand in Morocco for Schengen visas
  and residence permits, necessary for students in
  Schengen EU-countries.

Sweden generally has a good reputation in
Morocco, among other things for its devotion to
international law and human rights. However,
differences in views on the Western Sahara issue
does not facilitate relations. Moroccos Foreign
Minister was in Sweden for the Lebanon and
Palestine Donor Conferences in August-September
2006 and that Sweden took the lead in this issue
has been seen very positively in
Morocco. Swedish representative Morocco
Source Interview with Swedish representative,
Morocco
39
RUSSIA focus on increasing the quality of
domestic higher education
Profiles
Main Swedish industries well known in
Russia Swedish industries are best known in
St.Petersburg area, especially - Automotive,
e.g. Volvo, SAAB - Tekecom, e.g. Ericsson -
Engineering, e.g. Electrolux, Skania -
Furniture/Design, e.g. IKEA Relationship Sweden
Russia There is a good relationship and a
positive view of Sweden in Russia, although
people sometimes mix up Sweden with Switzerland.
Sweden is viewed as a rich and clean country that
is good to live in, with a wonderful nature and
trustworthy and respectable people. Trend for
higher education There are no current
discussions about expanding with new
universities, but talks about increasing the
quality of the current higher education. Russia
will try to change the University Degree to make
it more similar to international standards.
Subjects like social sciences and business
administration are becoming more popular. Higher
education is an important status factor in
Russia as well as being able to study abroad.
There is a trend to study abroad but only for a
limited time frame like a semester or a year.
There are good political relations between
Russia and Sweden, and the two countries have a
long history. There is a frequent exchange of
visits at state level and a good exchange of
experiences in i.e. environmental issues.
Swedish representative, Russia
Source Interview with Swedish representative,
Russia
40
SINGAPORE common with transnational education
Profiles

• Main Swedish industries well known in Singapore
• Infocom, e.g. Ericsson
• Medical Equipment
• Consumer goods, e.g. cars, mobile phones, vacuum
  cleaners, IKEA furniture
• Industrial goods, e.g. ball-bearings, submarines
       
• Relationship Sweden Singapore
• Sweden is well-known for inventions, high-quality
  products, functional design, environmental
  consciousness, gender-equality especially in
  household responsibilities, good childcare
  centers, being a welfare state that takes care of
  its citizens from cradle to grave. The only
  negative aspect of Sweden is the high taxes.
  Trend for higher education
• Over the last few years, the Embassy has seen a
  doubling of student visa applications
• from Singaporean students on exchange programs in
  Swedish Universities.
• Singaporean students seem to be looking further
  to Scandinavia away from the traditional
• countries like the UK, USA and Australia. In
  2005, the National University of Singapore
• started its first overseas European college in
  KTH in Stockholm. Transnational education
• is common in Singapore.  There are 16 foreign
  universities (e.g. INSEAD, Technical
• University of Munich, MIT, Stanford, Shanghai
  Jiao Tong University) with activities in
• Singapore.

The political relations between Sweden and
Singapore are good. Sweden has a good image in
Singapore. With local promotional efforts in,
among others, art, culture, film, design
 Singaporeans are keen to find out more about
Sweden. Swedish representative, Singapore
Source Interview with Swedish representative,
Singapore
41
SOUTH KOREA more students choose China when
studying abroad
Profiles
Main Swedish industries well known in South
Korea - IT Telecom, e.g. Ericsson - Automotive
industry - Biotech industry - Design, e.g. IKEA
Relationship Sweden South Korea Good
relationship between the countries and the
general view is that Sweden is a rich and clean
country where it is good to live and with a
wonderful nature. Many people knows about the
social welfare system. Trend for higher
education There is a constant expansion on
higher education, and a very high focus on
studies in South Korea. The government and people
spend a lot of money on education since the whole
society is built on a high level of education.
Studies abroad is getting more focused on China
since it is the growing economy and has an
improving standard of higher education, and it is
cheaper than studying in the US, further the
Chinese language is getting more important.
The political relations are friendly since
Sweden supported Korea after the war, especially
remember the military hospitals built. There is a
Swedish observation force in the DMZ that observe
political relations between North and South
Korea. Swedish representative, South Korea
Source Interview with Swedish representative,
South Korea
42
TAIWAN engineering most important subject to
study
Profiles
Main Swedish industries well known in Taiwan -
Telecom, e.g. Ericsson - Automotive, e.g. Volvo -
Design/Furniture, e.g. IKEA Relationship Sweden
Taiwan Taiwanese people see Sweden as a
welfare state, a beautiful country with a clean
environment and lots of water and forests.
Taiwanese people knows that Sweden is a high
technology country, and that Swedish products
have high quality. Many people think that it is
arctic cold in Sweden, people also knows about
the high taxes in Sweden and that it is
expensive, much more expensive compared to other
European cities. Trend for higher education In
Taiwan many new Universities have been built
during the last years and they put lots of
effort and money into their education system.
40-50 of students from high school continue to
University studies. The best universities in
Taiwan are public and these universities are
public funded, but some also have a tuition fee.
Engineering/IT is the main focus and the most
important subject to study. Lots of money is
spent in this sector. Highest status is to
study Engineering, but Medicine and Law is also
important. Taiwanese students will look for a
high class education, and Sweden should push that
Educations are in English and that it is
relatively cheap compared to studying in USA/UK.
Taiwan is isolated in an international
perspective, but the relationship with Sweden is
relatively good. There is an interest for the
Swedish model in regards to the welfare system in
Sweden and the environment. Taiwan knows about
the strong and long tradition of high class
engineering in Sweden and that Sweden is
developed in regards to IT/telecom. Swedish
representative, Taiwan
Source Interview with Swedish representative,
Taiwan
43
THAILAND more common to study abroad
Profiles

• Main Swedish industries well known in Thailand
• Telecom, e.g. Ericsson
• Furniture, e.g. IKEA
• Relationship Sweden Thailand
• Sweden has a good reputation and most Thai people
  knows about Sweden through the high number of
  Swedish tourists visiting Thailand, which can be
  viewed both in a positive and negative way.
  People in business know about Sweden as a high
  technology country with high environmental
  thinking.
• Trend for higher education
• There is an increase in the number of students in
  Thailand, and there is more common to study
  abroad. There are many discussions in the country
  about higher education. There are an exchange
  today between Thailand and Sweden and an interest
  from Thai students to study abroad.

The political relation between Sweden and
Thailand is good, and Sweden is viewed in a
positive way in Thailand. Swedish
representative, Thailand
Source Interview with Swedish representative,
Thailand
44
TURKEY higher education is growing but quality
a problem
Profiles
Main Swedish industries well known in Turkey -
Telecom (Ericson) - Engineering/Automotive
(Volvo) - Design/Furniture (IKEA) Relationship
Sweden Turkey Sweden has a good reputation
among educated people in Turkey, but the
average person wouldnt know much about Sweden.
Many people would mix up Sweden with Switzerland.
Recently the Swedish Trade Council in Turkey and
some Swedish companies started a seminar about
Good Corporate Governance among companies, and
Sweden is now connected to the name GOOD. Trend
for higher education The higher education is
growing in Turkey, but there are difficulties
with teachers and the quality of the education is
therefore becoming a problem. State universities
are free of charge, but can not accept all
students that want to get in. Engineering
subjects are very popular, always have been and
still is, same with Business, Media and
Communication, Design/Industrial Design and
Textile Engineering/Design. There are limited
funds for RD at Universities from the state in
Turkey, even at the best universities, and there
is a trend towards more University students going
abroad, both at undergraduate and masters, but
also for research.
The political relations between the two
countries are in general good, but have been up
and down. Turkey felt Sweden was against Turkish
involvement in EU, but realized recently that
Sweden wasnt but instead promoted certain
guidelines and human rights issues. Another
aspect is the kurd issue where some Turkish
people feel that Sweden support the PKK and has
many Kurdish people living in Sweden. Swedish
representative, Turkey
Source Interview with Swedish representative,
Turkey
45
USA study abroad is often a year of fun
Profiles

• Main Swedish industries well known in USA
• Engineering
• Swedish Design/Furniture e.g. IKEA
• Product development and Innovation
• Relationship Sweden USA
• There is a good relationship between the
  countries but Sweden does not have a very strong
  profile, people have a very cloudy picture of
  Sweden.. Sweden is viewed as a cold country, more
  like Alaska, with high living standards. They
  think about the high social welfare and think
  that it is a politically leftwing country.
• Trend for higher education
• Due to a high increase in the number of students
  there is an expansion of colleges.
• This will be funded through state funds or from
  higher tuition fees. 15-20 years ago
• business administration with a final MBA was very
  popular, but that is not as common
• today. The cost for higher studies has increased
  a lot more than the inflation over the
• years and it is becoming very expensive to study.
  There is a weak trend for studying
• abroad. It isnt common to study abroad for more
  than one year and generally only for a
• year of fun.

Politically the relationship between USA and
Sweden is generally good, and there is a general
respect for Sweden. Swedish representative, USA
Source Interview with Swedish representative, USA