Management design as a strategic lever to add value to corporate reputation competitiveness in higher education institutions

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to aid the convergence of design and management as a strategic lever and innovative tool to improve corporate reputation in higher education institutions (HEIs), particularly in the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança, Portugal (IPB). Design/methodology/approach SWOT analysis is used to identify strengths and weaknesses in the context of an organization’s internal competencies (identity) and opportunities and threats in an analysis of the organization’s external competitive context (image). Quantitative analysis was used based on questionnaires conducted with IPB community to analyse if differences exist between identity (staff) and image (students) and where there are design structures (website, visual identity, advertising and environment. Corporate character scale developed by Davies et al. (2003, 2004) was used. Findings With the SWOT analysis, it is possible to outline IPB performance strategies that meet a positive reputation. A positive corporate reputation was found in IPB with the study of corporate character scale. It has been realized where there are differences from the point of view of identity and image, and thus, it is possible to indicate ideas of improvement to increase the competitiveness of HEIs. Research limitations/implications The study is restricted to five schools of IPB. It would also be pertinent to broaden the scope of the stakeholders, encompassing the external community of the IPB that is extending the study to the external public, such as parents, companies, suppliers and secondary students. Practical implications HEI competitiveness implies student recruitment and public policies. A positive reputation implies a positive brand image. Design competencies of the public higher education sector can go much further acting at the strategic level, establishing its directives of action in the markets where it operates to reflect its corporate reputation in a positive way in the mind of the consumer. Intangible assets such as identity, image and corporate reputation, appear as very valuable elements, presenting an increasing importance in the management of universities that entered a market context where sustainability requires the adoption of more entrepreneurial management guidelines. Originality value The paper is useful for the professionals and academics in perceiving the importance of use management and strategical tools to identify HEI communication and reputation difficulties for a thorough design thinking that delineates solutions that leverage the competitiveness of service organizations such as HEIs.

Antecedents of corporate reputation with employees in higher education institutions: a systematic review

“…More predictors identified in the literature include research performance, quality of student, program value, placement success, the order of entry and media rankings (Saf on, 2009). Identity and image of HEIs (Maduro et al, 2018), research, teaching and internationalization (Delgado-M arquez et al, 2012 are relevant drivers of HEIs reputation on the global context.…”

“…However, both antecedents and consequences of corporate reputation are complicated and specific to a setting and stakeholder (Ali et al, 2015;Ruiz et al, 2016), such as customers in a service organization (Walsh et al, 2009) and employees and students in HEIs. Few studies have investigated antecedents of reputation in HEIs related to employees (Seman and Zulhamri, 2012;Maduro et al, 2018). This paper intends to build from the existing literature.…”

A strategy tripod perspective on merger effectiveness in the higher education industry: the mediating role of future foresight

“…These resources can be the company's employees, the technologies, the business knowledge, the processes or procedures, the equipment or machinery, the brand value or even the financial capital (Wernerfelt, 1984). Previous studies in the higher education industry suggested that the resources, such as internal structures, organizational culture, management designs and leadership styles, influence the success or failure of the higher education institutions and the mergers in this sector (Chipunza and Gwarinda, 2010; Kitchener, 2002; Maduro et al , 2018; Manona, 2015; Ngcamu, 2017). On the other hand, the rivalry levels and the intensified competition were the major forces behind the increasing rate of mergers, and many higher education institutions opt for participating in mergers as a way to establish a competitive advantage in the industry (Boling et al , 2017; Hammond, 2016; Johnes, 2014).…”

Examining strategies behind universities’ technology transfer portfolio: how different patterns of resource consumption can lead to similar technology transfer profiles

“…Consequently, to increase their efficiency and effectiveness, universities behave strategically, trying to make the most of their resources by focussing on those activities in which they advance their competitors (Antonelli, 2008). According to de la , as different activities address the needs of specific stakeholders, universities display heterogeneous activity profiles and stakeholder orientations very much influenced by their resources and structural CR 31,3 characteristics (path dependency) but also by their territory (especially their economic characteristicssee Stonkiene et al, 2016), strategic planning and intangible assets (such as the university reputationsee Maduro et al, 2018). This entails that socio-economic benefits arising from university-industry interactions significantly differ within countries and from one university to another.…”