The Casual Chain of Relationship Among the Antecedents of Brand Equity in Pakistan's Higher Education Sector

Abstract

The stud aims at investigating brand equity along with its relevant determinants specifically thestudents' preferences as proposed in earlier literature then institutes of higher studies will be not onlyattract a mass number of students' but be able to serve the society in a far better manner. In addition,the objective of this study is also to examine the causal chain of a relationship among the antecedentsof brand equity like students preferences, brand meaning, students' satisfaction, trust, andcommitment with the mediating role of attachment strength in the higher education sector ofPakistan. A survey questionnaire was used for the collection of data from graduate level students ofPakistani Universities from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) and GilgitBaltistan. A sample of 255 students was analyzed using SmartPLS3.2.7. The findings of the studyrevealed that there exists a causal chain of a relationship among the constructs of the conceptualmodel. Furthermore, attachment strength fully mediates between brand meaning and therelationship factors like Students' satisfaction, and trust while partially mediates amid brand imageon student commitment. This paper is an effort to provide ample guidelines to the policymakers inthe higher education sector. Keywords: Brand Meaning, Relationship Factors, Attachment Strength, Higher Education