Students as customers in higher education: reframing the debate

2016/07/02 by Melodi Guilbault · 1 citation
Business, Management and Accounting · #Management and Marketing Education #Customer Service Quality and Loyalty #Corporate Identity and Reputation

paper · doi:10.1080/08841241.2016.1245234

Abstract

Even though marketing in higher education (HE) is well established, there is a continued debate about who the customer is, with many still not accepting that students should be viewed as customers in HE. The student as customer model has its opponents and proponents. This paper reframes the debate using the framework of market orientation, customer orientation, and service (including co-creation) and relationship marketing. Using newer conceptualizations of the role of customers, the paper recommends exploring how to respond to students as customers instead of continuing to deny that students are customers.

Citations

• The Effect of a Market Orientation on Business Profitability
• Evolving to a New Dominant Logic for Marketing

Cited by

• A service-dominant logic of co-creation in higher education: emerging topics and conceptualizations

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