One major trend is franchising. We believe that authorizing franchises, which many programs are doing, sacrifices quality to quantity, and we are therefore unwilling to do so, preferring to maintain our own tradition and the reputation we have enjoyed for so long. Also, some programs are selling off their big branches and instead are establishing medium-sized branches throughout the city. This strategy allows them to become available in local neighborhoods, which eliminates the necessity for students to face traffic or otherwise lose time getting to the school. Although we believe this is causing quality to decline, what matters at present in Brazil is good marketing and commercializing the courses.
Programs look for good locations and try to bring students in by charging lower fees.
We see a lot of price competition, with many programs lowering their prices and promising many special offers and discounts.