Understanding university image: a structural equation model approach

Abstract

Over the last years, institutional image management has become a critical element to the competitiveness of higher education institutions. The aims of this study are to review the organizational image construct; explore the process of image formation and analyze the impact of the different source factors on university's image. A sample of 1024 university student was surveyed to test a conceptual model of university image formation trough structural equations. The results show that, nevertheless all factors being significant to image formation, the university social life atmosphere and employment opportunities are the most important predictors. As a result, this study is important for researchers and practitioners, as it presents a different approach to image measurement, it provides a new framework to assess university image formation and, at the same time, helps managers to understand that educational related factors aren't the only ones where they should focus to successful differentiate their institutions and remain competitive.

Word of Mouth Sebagai Konsekuensi Kepuasan Pelanggan

“…Citra juga mempunyai pengaruh terhadap kepuasan konsumen seperti hasil penelitian (Duarte, Alves, & Raposo, 2010) pada industri Pendidikan tinggi. (Duarte et al, 2010) menemukan betapa penting peran citra perguruan tinggi bagi kepuasan dan loyalitas konsumennya yaitu mahasiswa.…”

“…(Duarte et al, 2010) menemukan betapa penting peran citra perguruan tinggi bagi kepuasan dan loyalitas konsumennya yaitu mahasiswa. Begitu juga penelitian yang dilakukan oleh (Nikbin et al, 2012) pada pelayanan penerbangan Iran Air menemukan bahwa citra perusahaan memoderasi persepsi konsumen akan keadilan perusahaan terhadap kepuasan konsumen setelah terjadi kegagalan pelayana.…”

“…Hasil penelitian ini menjadi menarik, karena ternyata berbeda dengan penelitian yang menyatakan bahwa citra tidak berpengaruh secara kuat terhadap kepuasan pasien rumah sakit di Tangerang. Tetapi hasil penelitian ini searah dengan beberapa penelitian yang dilakukan pada berbagai industri jasa dan menemukan bahwa citra perusahaan mempunyai pengaruh yang positif terhadap kepuasan konsumen (Duarte et al, 2010;Nikbin et al, 2012).…”

School Choice of Computing Students: A Comparative Perspective from Two Universities

“…Competition may contribute to improve the quality of education (Gabriel et al, 2008;Bukowska & Siwinska-Gorzelak, 2011). School administrators are compelled to make improvements and developments in their schools because of pressure from competitors and the need to attract students (Harrison, 2005b;Duarte et al, 2010). Most schools that cannot cope with the competition are likely to be left behind in attracting students.…”

“…This makes competition over possible enrollees stiffer (Szekeres, 2010). They are now competing for students (Duarte et al, 2010) in terms of not only their abilities and cognitive skills but also their social background (Robert, 2010). This resulted in applying a number of standard marketing practices in higher education institutions (Szekeres, 2010).…”