Competitive Positioning of a Higher Education Institution in Zambia: The Case of ZCAS

Abstract

This study was the second phase of a larger research project that was designed to identify and measure a higher education institution's brand in Zambia in order to ascertain areas for strengthening the brand's competitive position. The objectives of this conjoint study were twofold: firstly, to identify the current position of the ZCAS brand as a case study and secondly, to establish the current position of the ZCAS brand relative to its higher education (HE) competitors in Zambia. This quantitative study involved administering a conjoint questionnaire to 110 first year students in ZCAS and 280 first year students in seven universities in the country. The 19 branding elements identified in the initial qualitative stage of the project were aggregated into five principal branding factors using Atlas.ti's co-occurrence tools to facilitate this conjoint study. These five principal branding attributes are teaching quality, fees, course availability, learning environment and employability. The study revealed that ZCAS has a fairly strong brand position in the Zambian HE sector because the most important elements in its brand model, i.e. course availability, teaching quality and facilities are also the premier brand dimensions in the market. The study also revealed that ZCAS needs to reposition itself away from the competition in order to occupy a more favorable position in the minds of its prospective and existing customers. Accordingly, the study recommends that ZCAS increases its course offerings and collaborates with universities in the region. ZCAS should also consider setting up a quality assurance unit to foster quality in the institution. This study adds to the increasing body of knowledge on HE branding, particularly in developing countries, by developing and then testing a brand orientation model for the Zambian HE market.

The relationship between Perceptual Mapping and Marketing Effectiveness in Private Universities in Egypt

“…In this study, the questionnaire was utilized as a tool for data collection and the researchers developed the items or scales included in the questionnaire list based on previous studies and the exploratory study. The questionnaire included a list of items that measure the research variables understudy; where the perceptual mapping and its three dimensions were measured with ( 14) items, as for the first dimension brand image was measured with ( 6) items (Jonathan, 2001;Kayombo & Carter, 2017; Gutiérrez-Villar, Alcaide-Pulido & Carbonero-Ruz, 2022), the second dimension (quality) was measured by ( 5) items (Jonathan, 2001;Ashraf et al, 2009;Kundu, 2017;Kayombo & Carter, 2017;Najimdeen, Amzat, & Ali, 2021), and then third dimension (tuition fees) was measured with (3) items (Ashraf et al, 2009). Marketing effectiveness and its two dimensions were measured with (12) items, as for the first dimension (profits) was measured with (8) items (Ahmed Zebal & Goodwin, 2012) and other developed by the researchers, and then the second dimension (satisfaction) was measured with (4) items (Adikaram, Khatibi & Yajid, 2016;Najimdeen, Amzat, & Ali, 2021); these items were measured using five-point Likert scale which ranges between strongly disagree, disagree, neutral, agree and strongly agree.…”

“…Perceptual mapping can be referred to as perceptual positioning mapping or positioning mapping (Kotler & Armstrong, 2005;Kayombo & Carter, 2017;Ugurlu, 2019;Gigauri, 2019). It is also known as spatial maps (Ugurlu, 2019).…”

“…Gower et al (2010) describe perceptual maps as a graphical representation in which competing alternatives are plotted in Euclidean space (Gigauri, 2019;Ugurlu, 2019). Kotler & Keller (2012) define perceptual maps as visual or graphical demonstrations of consumers' perceptions and preferences, measuring how consumers position certain attributes of an organization's product, service, or brand in their minds in comparison to competitors (Kayombo & Carter, 2017;Gigauri, 2019). Recently, Prasad and Verma (2019) define perceptual maps as a technique for analyzing consumers' perceptions to generate maps or pictures that illustrate how attributes of a service are perceived by consumers and positioned in their minds.…”

“…Besides, the rapid changes of consumer preferences and changing market conditions lead to more aggressive competition among universities. Consequently, universities are encouraged to continuously rethink of their marketing, positioning, and differentiation strategies (Kayombo & Carter, 2017) to create strong distinctive image among rivals (Plungpongoan, Tiangsoongern, & Speece, 2014). Considering the previous discussion, there are pressing responsibilities for decision makers, managers, and marketers of private universities to utilize marketing mechanisms that effectively enable them to determine their positions, and to gain competitive advantages based on the perceptions of their target customers, both students and parents.…”

The determinants of university strategic positioning: a reappraisal of the organisation

“…These studies are based on the five forces model (Huisman and Pringle 2011;Mathooko and Ogutu 2015), the role of institutional research (Klemenčič 2016), the analysis of ranking indicators (Hou et al 2012), the development of organisational capabilities (Lynch and Baines 2004;Bobe and Kober 2015) specific analytical techniques and management tools such as strategic group analysis (Wilkins 2019), growth-share matrix (Haezendonck et al 2017) and operational models like that of the European Foundation for Quality Management (Mashhadi et al 2008) or the 'Model for Metropolitan Universities' (Brown et al 1993). Finally, in the marketing literature, research focuses on the impact of students' preferences (Bakewell and Gibson-Sweet 1998;Maringe 2006;Niculescu 2006;Mourad 2010;Dorozhkin et al 2016;Kayombo and Carter 2017). Yet, in these papers, the determinants of positioning are mainly tacit while universities are assumed to be able to choose their course of action in a rational fashion.…”