Enhancing university brand image and reputation through customer value co-creation behaviour

Abstract

This study examines (i) the role of students' value co-creation behaviour in contributing to a university's image and reputation, (ii) the significant role that a university website plays in engaging students' value co-creation behaviour, and (iii) the importance of identifying different types of customer value co-creation behaviour (i.e. participation behaviour and citizenship behaviour). Drawing upon a sample of 285 students from a London-based university and using partial least squares structural equation modelling, the findings argue that a university website is critical to generate students' co-creation behaviour. The research findings confirm the positive impact from website features on customer participation behaviour and customer citizenship behaviour; however, website applications and features have different impacts on the dimensions of customer value co-creation behaviour, i.e. customer participation and citizenship behaviour. This study asserts the pivotal role of students' value co-creation behaviour in creating and sustaining university brand image and reputation. This research is particularly useful for higher education (HE) institutions, by investigating and investing in their website design they can enhance students' co-creation behaviour in the context of the increasingly competitive UK HE market. Based upon the findings, this paper offers managerial implementations for decision-makers, brand managers, graphic and web designers who wish to understand the relationship between a website and its outcomes, especially relating to corporate image and reputation.