Marketing the University Marketing the University



Marketing the University

The work of university academics has long been devoted to teaching, research and service, although the extent and ratio of each role function varies from one university to another and from one discipline to another (Boyer, 1982; Coser, 1971). The service academics should provide is more difficult to define as it is related, at least in part, to academic cultures as well as to changing higher education (HE) policies and reforms.

Thus, many reforms that have been introduced in HE systems worldwide since the 1990s (e.g. accountability, privatisation and marketisation) have brought about some re-conceptualisations of the academic's role. The 'service' function has moved from academic aspects (e.g. service on academic committees) to more administrative-organisational ones (e.g. fund-raising). Likewise, with the retreat of the state from its role as the primary provider and financer of knowledge, new knowledge producers are emerging (Delanty, 2001) resulting in increased competition among HE providers. The steady influx of new students into the university has been replaced by instability in student recruitment and in academics' work conditions.

In response to these changes, the value and potential benefits of using marketing theories and concepts, which have been effective in the business world, are gradually now being applied by many universities, with a view to gaining a larger share of the market (Hemsley-Brown & Oplatka, 2006). Many HE institutions now recognise that they need to market themselves in a climate of competition that for universities is frequently a global one. For instance, Nguyen and Le Blanc (2001) referred to the crucial role the institution's image plays in the development of market positioning, claiming that all marketing activities should be geared towards the customer.

In light of the increased focus on marketing in HE institutions worldwide, it is interesting to explore the role of academics in marketing their institution, a role considered to be of great significance in service marketing, as the professional or the service provider has a salient part in the marketing process of the institution (Mazzarol, 1998). Thus far, however, most investigations have tended to ignore the personal perspectives of academics towards their responsibility in marketing their institutions and towards the essentials of the marketing perspective.

Thus, the purpose of this qualitative study was twofold: (1) to examine British academics' perceptions of the introduction of educational markets and, particularly, their attitudes towards academics' roles and responsibilities in the new marketing-led university; and (2) to obtain a greater understanding of academics' actual patterns of involvement in the marketing of their institutions and of the impact of educational markets upon their wellbeing.

The study aims to examine perceptions of marketing from the academics' subjective points of view, i.e. the meanings they attach to issues of marketing and marketisation of HE. The study provides insights into the manner in which academics interpret various aspects of marketing as well as their own day-to-day practical activities in relation to these aspects and the overall impact of marketing on their role as ...