Economic Themes (2012) 50 (4) 11, 615-631
Aleksandar Grubor
Abstract: Expansion of the scope of application of services marketing into education industry is especially manifest in higher education institutions. Dynamic and increasingly prominent changes in the services marketing result in a real need for a different approach to service provision in higher education. Essentially, universities, faculties and colleges should regard students as consumers of their services. In the second decade of the 21st century, students are increasingly perceived as buyers of higher education services, who expect higher quality of educational services, lower costs, upto- date and practically applicable curricula. Conceptualisation of education marketing enables its distinction from business marketing and opening a separate niche within services marketing. Higher education institutions should achieve a balance between the students’ needs and expectations on the one hand and building their academic reputation and attaining education goals on the other. It is for this reason that higher education institutions’ service quality is gaining importance in education marketing, bearing in mind that it is a key component of enhancing the scientific competence of knowledge and academic affirmation of higher education institutions.
Keywords: service quality; services marketing; higher education institutions
THE CHALLENGES OF SERVICE QUALITY AT HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS
Aleksandar Grubor
Abstract: Expansion of the scope of application of services marketing into education industry is especially manifest in higher education institutions. Dynamic and increasingly prominent changes in the services marketing result in a real need for a different approach to service provision in higher education. Essentially, universities, faculties and colleges should regard students as consumers of their services. In the second decade of the 21st century, students are increasingly perceived as buyers of higher education services, who expect higher quality of educational services, lower costs, upto- date and practically applicable curricula. Conceptualisation of education marketing enables its distinction from business marketing and opening a separate niche within services marketing. Higher education institutions should achieve a balance between the students’ needs and expectations on the one hand and building their academic reputation and attaining education goals on the other. It is for this reason that higher education institutions’ service quality is gaining importance in education marketing, bearing in mind that it is a key component of enhancing the scientific competence of knowledge and academic affirmation of higher education institutions.
Keywords: service quality; services marketing; higher education institutions
