Examining the Branding of Turkish Universities in the Context of Socioeconomic Development of Their Cities

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the branding processes of universities in Turkey with the consideration of the context of cities where the universities are located. This research is conducted to respond to this question: How is the branding process of Turkish universities in the context of the branding of their cities? Data constructed in accordance with qualitative approach were collected through document analysis technique. The study is structured based on a descriptive method. In the study, universities' branding process is assessed based on the related literature, the ratio of being chosen, base points for entry, and the number of students, faculty staff and faculties. According to the result of the study, the branding processes of Turkish universities are overshadowed by the branding of their cities. In addition, factors, including universities' faculty sources, the number of students and base point for entry, which are considered to be important for the branding of universities, are differentiated depending on the context of the cities.

User-generated and brand-generated content as indicators of university brand personality and business strategy

“…For the study, Turkish HEIs are chosen for analysis due to two main reasons. Parallel to the global expansion trend, the number of HEIs in Turkey experienced rapid growth, while the changing competitive landscape has forced the university management staff to adopt a more market-based management approach (Aysen et al, 2012;Karadag, 2016;Sart, 2014). Secondly, social media is very popular among Turkish citizens, in particular, the younger generation as there are 52 million active social media users which represent 63% of the population (We are Social, 2019).…”

Weighting the Indicators of Turkish University Rankings: The Example of University Ranking by Academic Performance (URAP) Turkey General Rankings

“…Doğal olarak, dünya genelinde üniversiteler için uluslararası öğrenciler kadar ulusal öğrencileri (hatta en iyilerini) çekebilmek ayrı bir önem taşımaktadır. Bu nedenle üniversite yöneticileri, uluslararası sıralamalardaki konumlarının yanı sıra, kurumlarının aynı ülkedeki diğer üniversitelerden daha başarılı olduğunu dile getirirken referans olarak genellikle ulusal üniversite sıralamalarını kullanmaktadır (Douglass, 2016;Karadağ, 2016;Williams, Leahy, Rassenfosse, & de Jensen, 2016). Ulusal üniversite sıralamaları ise çoğunlukla daha fazla puan göstergesi içerdiğinden, büyük benzerlikler gösterseler de daha uzun soluklu olan ve belli bir metodolojiyi benimseyen uluslararası üniversite sıralamalarına göre teknik açıdan eleştiriye daha açık görünmektedir (Çakır, Acartürk, Alaşehir, & Çilingir, 2015).…”