Customer Based Brand Equity in Higher Education- A Study of Private Higher Education in Nepal.

Abstract

The primary objective of the research was to explore the factors that influence Customer Based Brand Equity in Higher Education (HE) and investigate the interrelationships between them. Brand Equity in HE largely remains an area of limited focus in the Marketing of HE literature and the study aims to extend our knowledge in that field.

The research was conducted in Nepal where HE has seen phenomenal growth in a short period of time and is largely private and highly competitive. The data was collected from post graduate students of chosen colleges in Kathmandu Valley, capital city of Nepal and a total of 418 questionnaires were used for data analysis. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) analysis findings provided support for the theoretical model and all hypothesized relationships except 2 out of 12. The findings of the study revealed several significant relationships and patterns related to factors influencing Customer Based Brand Equity in Higher Education in Nepal. The study concluded that there was a positive significant impact of Brand Awareness, Brand Association and Brand Loyalty on Student (Customer) Based Brand Equity for HE institutions. Likewise, the study also concluded that there was a significant positive impact of brand awareness on brand association and brand association on brand loyalty. Next, student satisfaction revealed to have a significant impact on brand loyalty and core and supplementary education services were shown to have a positive and significant impact on student satisfaction. Furthermore, controlled communication (advertising and marketing collaterals) was found to have a significant impact on brand awareness and brand association while uncontrolled communication (publicity and word of mouth) did not have a significant impact on brand awareness and brand association. The study contributes to the existing literature in Branding in HE and has practical implications for the practitioners and policy makers of HE.

Date of Award	21 Feb 2024
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bath
Supervisor	Haiming Hang (Supervisor) & Yvetta Simonyan (Supervisor)