Abstract
This study examines the role of student co-creation behavior in contributing to student satisfaction, perceived university image, and student positive word of mouth (WOM). Using a sample of 513 students from a Taiwanese university and conducting partial least squares structural equation modeling, the findings indicate that co-creating value is critical to student satisfaction, university image, and positive WOM. The results also show the effect of student satisfaction and university image on student positive WOM. This study confirms the pivotal role of student participation in co-creating value in enhancing satisfaction with the university experience, creating and sustaining a positive image, and building the credibility of the university. This research is particularly important to higher education institutions because it has practical implications for decision-makers, brand managers, and HE marketers who wish to improve understanding of the relationship between the university and students in the process of co-creating value and its outcomes.
Highlights
The global and highly competitive environment in which universities operate has led to a requirement for them to develop unique marketing strategies that emphasize the student education experience [1] Various business concepts have been applied in higher education (HE) to enhance competitive advantage and create a superior image that attracts students
While some researchers have argued that word of mouth (WOM) is a predictor of university image [67,68]; we argue that WOM behaviors are favorable associations held by students toward their university, consistent with Ajzen and Fishbein [69], because WOM could be considered to be a behavioral outcome of university brand image associations registered in a student’s mind; this view is consistent with previous studies on other service perspectives [70,71]
We investigated the relationship between co-creating value, student satisfaction, student-perceived university image, and positive WOM
Summary
The global and highly competitive environment in which universities operate has led to a requirement for them to develop unique marketing strategies that emphasize the student education experience [1] Various business concepts have been applied in higher education (HE) to enhance competitive advantage and create a superior image that attracts students. There are differences between the services that meet student expectations and the services that universities believe that students should experience [4] Both educational institutions and students want to enhance the student experience, there are few avenues for them to work together to do so. The process of co-creating value is one such avenue, and it improves the ability of universities and students to act as partners [5]. Through this process, student resources are integrated with institutional resources, supporting the tailoring of educational services to meet the specific needs of students and, as a result, assist in developing a unique experience for them during their HE years [6]. Value co-creation is a recent innovation in HE and there is still a lack of comprehensive conceptual models and a large volume of unexplored content [9,10]
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