ABSTRACT This study synthesized and integrated findings from diverse research on the antecedents and moderators of student loyalty in the higher education sector. Through a comprehensive meta-analysis, the research sought to understand the primary drivers of student loyalty and the potential cultural and contextual indicators that might influence these relationships. This meta-analysis analyzed 103 studies involving over 54,000 students from over 60 countries across five continents. The study identified key antecedents of student loyalty. Satisfaction had the most influence on loyalty, followed by student engagement and perceived value. We also detected significant cultural and contextual moderators. This research offers a holistic view of student loyalty, bridging gaps from conflicting findings in prior literature.

ABSTRACT This study explores student perception and identification with cobranded HEIs in the UK. Due to the success of many international partnerships, domestic academic partnerships have increased tremendously in the UK. However, little is known about student perception and identification with cobranded HEIs in local academic partnerships such as in the UK. Semi-structured interviews are conducted to explore student perception of cobranded HEIs in the UK. Thematic analysis using QSR NVivo 12 is employed. Findings indicate factors that determine students’ relationship with cobranded HEIs in the UK. Interview findings were shared with five academic experts to subjectively validate them for future empirical investigations. Theoretically, the study contributes to cobranding in higher education and corporate branding literature by showcasing the factors that influence students’ decision to enrol in cobranded HEIs. Based on identified factors, academic managers can devise a marketing strategy to achieve competitive advantage, increase student recruitment and retain existing students.

ABSTRACT Drawing on social identity theory and the elaboration likelihood model, the authors hypothesize that positive affect (PA) similarity between recruiters and applicants affects both parties, and the influenced recruiters’ behaviour thus affecting applicants’ attitudes and behaviours. Nine hypotheses are tested by conducting two studies featuring a time-lagged research design with the goal of investigating the recruitment practices used by higher education institutions (HEIs) in China. Cross-level polynomial regression and block variable approaches examining 142 and 148 separate recruiter/applicant dyads support the proposed recruiter/applicant PA similarity effects. The underlying mechanism is revealed to be recruiters’ informativeness and affective delivery (Study 1), that then causes applicants to form brand identification, which further influences applicants’ attraction to the organization, and intentions to spread positive word-of-mouth about the organization (Study 2). Findings indicate that HEIs and organizations should strive to match applicant/recruiter PA levels. Implications and directions for future research are also discussed.

ABSTRACT This paper investigates the presence of support information on university websites, with a specific focus on care-experienced young people. Engaging with extant research about the university and college choice process as it involves marketing of higher education internet sites, the paper is based on a national scan of equity support provision on Australian university websites. This paper posits that there is an extra element in the ‘phased decision-making’ for people with additional needs in universities that is yet to be recognised by higher education institutions in Australia. The website scan and analysis found significant gaps in essential information for care-experienced young people and highlights that current practices on institutional websites concentrate on marketing. The lack of information for applicants with additional needs arguably deepens disadvantage and the marketised nature of higher education information contradicts the tertiary goals of equitability of access.

ABSTRACT Improvement of student services is increasingly important for institutions providing higher education in today's competitive market. Consequently, leveraging the online content generated by students is an effective means of actively involving customers in the educational process. As a result, the co-creation of innovative educational services through user-generated content (UGC) has become imperative. Engaging students in the service development process requires the adoption of an appropriate New Service Development (NSD) model, enabling the implementation of a co-creation strategy. The present study investigates this phenomenon by examining user-generated content on a website dedicated to higher education services. Employing the thematic analysis approach, 46 themes were identified that can be utilized in the development of new higher educational services. The findings demonstrate the potential of user-generated content in implementing a co-creation strategy at every stage of the new service development process.

ABSTRACT Drawing on an increasing body of investigation on student satisfaction and the Service – Dominant Logic theoretical framework (SDL), this study focuses on student perception of the value of Game-Based Learning (GBL) and student co-creation behavior in Higher Education (HE). To understand how student co-creation behavior promotes the creation of mutual value for students and in what ways this perception of value may contribute to satisfaction, a survey-based study was conducted with a sample size of 356 respondents. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to test the proposed model. Our results show that student co-creation behavior during GBL has no impact on the overall satisfaction of students, although there is a positive relationship between student citizenship behavior and student perception of value. The results show that students’ optimal perception of GBL in the context of their HE experience positively impacts their satisfaction with GBL. Finally, drawing on the findings, several managerial implications are suggested for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), mainly for educators and educational developers.

ABSTRACT Student satisfaction and loyalty are crucial metrics for assessing the quality of education in universities. Despite their importance, these aspects have received limited attention within the private higher education sector in Kazakhstan. Our study addresses this gap by applying customer satisfaction models to identify the critical factors influencing student satisfaction at a leading Kazakhstani private university. We developed a comprehensive research framework that includes the university's institutional capabilities, the social environment, and students’ perceptions of the university's ethos. A survey conducted with 129 undergraduate students revealed that institutional capabilities and students’ perceptions of the university's ethos play a pivotal role in fostering satisfaction, which, in turn, enhances their likelihood to recommend the institution. Our research offers valuable insights and a strategic framework for private universities in Kazakhstan to improve their educational services, thereby increasing student satisfaction, loyalty, and ensuring the institution's long-term success.

ABSTRACT The landscape of higher education has been evolving, necessitating universities to forge symbiotic relationships with the industry to ensure mutual growth and development. In this line, marketing becomes crucial for universities to effectively engage with businesses, foster partnerships, and drive innovation. Therefore, we present a comprehensive and in-depth analysis of the existing research landscape in this domain. By doing so, we seek to address pertinent questions regarding when, who, where, and what is currently known in the field, and considering the need for a holistic understanding by adopting an innovative mixed-method approach. Thus, combining a systematic mapping study (SMS) with a thorough categorisation and analysis of research themes, supported by VOSviewer software, the results provide an integrated analysis of the state of the art; notably, they illuminate that this field of knowledge is in its early stages and exhibits a fragmented research focus. This study presents an opportunity to contribute to the future development of knowledge in university to business marketing – both in theoretical and practical terms – to assist universities in effectively managing this challenge.

ABSTRACT This study offers important context for understanding why educational institutions ought to modify their recruitment marketing strategies to incorporate a multicultural perspective. African American, Asian American, Hispanic, International, and Native American student ratios are greater in institutions with a broadly varied faculty. Yet very few schools use metrics related to racial and ethnic diversity for brand marketing and benchmarking when utilizing online, offline, and social media tactics. The discovery has implications for creating admissions brochures that are designed to convey the institution's inclusiveness. This is a crucial component of every college’s and university's recruitment campaigns. Genuine interactions between students and faculty from similar demographic backgrounds should be portrayed in photo illustrations. For more than 2000 Carnegie-classified schools, we rank faculty and student diversity indices and provide higher education marketers with quartile statistics to utilize as a differentiator.

ABSTRACT Measuring and managing reputation is one of the core challenges for higher education institutions (HEIs). Although research and theory in higher education marketing has been addressing this key issue for decades, a clear picture of how to capture and monitor the reputation of higher education institutions has not emerged. As a result, recommendations on how to apply systematic reputation management in the HEI setting are lacking. We review traditional conceptualizations of the construct of reputation, identify common challenges to reputation measurement, and examine their application in higher education settings. Bringing together the baselines from these fields, we argue along four main lines that recommending a theoretically acceptable way to capture HEI reputation is tantamount to an unsolvable task. As a solution to the impasse, we call for an exploration of altered perspectives on reputation measurement for the HEI context. Increased consideration of relevance and departures from existing attempts are two issues that are particularly addressed. To advance the theory and encourage new thinking, we develop several lines of research that we hope will inspire further work in this important area and move the field toward more applicable solutions.