ERIC Number: EJ1082343
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0098-9495
EISSN: N/A
The Private School Market in Kuwait: A Field Study on Educational Investment Behavior of Kuwaiti Families
Alqahtani, Abdulmuhsen Ayedh
Journal of Education Finance, v40 n2 p175-192 Fall 2014
The current study aims at exploring Kuwaiti families' educational investment behavior pursuant to the selection of a specific private school for their children from the private school market. Using the quantitative approach and the principles of marketing research, a survey was administered to a randomly selected sample of Kuwaiti families (n = 1400). The results showed that the Kuwaiti families focused on the quality of teaching and value of schooling when they decided to select a specific private school for their children. Based on the obtained results, relevant managerial and educational implications are included for the purpose of analyzing pertinent theories and practices. In the current investment environment and the new economy, the market's gestalt has changed. Competition is intense, and more market shares have emerged (Alqahtani, 2011). The term "new economy" refers to the changes in market activities that have occurred in the last 20 years that forced enterprises to focus not merely on profit maximization. The major distinction in this regard is the business enterprise's ability to shift from product orientation, in which businesses expect customers to purchase what they produce, to a customer orientation, in which the focus is on the customer (Kerin, Hartley, & Rudelius, 2010). The same economic and market changes also affect the education industry. Because educational services have been partially decentralized in the developing world and new private schools have emerged, educational marketing has intensified as well (Alqahtani & Alazmi, 2011). One could claim that educational customers have become the major success factor for educational business enterprises to gain increased market share and to compete successfully in the new economy (Alqahtani, 2011). The success of a brand name in the long term depends on the individuals who regularly prefer it to other brands. This is what researchers call "consumer brand loyalty" (Jacoby & Chestnut, 1978). All managers must consider loyalty when they devise plans for marketing their businesses. The main characteristic of effective marketing is the differentiation of one's products and services from those of competitors; thus, customers are expected to remain loyal to the same brand name when they make business decisions in future. Of course, this behavior indicates that the individuals appreciate the services or products and hence consider them superior to other brands (Blackwell, Szeinbach, Barnes, Garner, & Bush, 1999). When customers are not loyal, they are likely to change to other brands, meaning that customer loyalty is not guaranteed. Customer loyalty is influenced by several factors. The most important factor affecting loyalty is customer satisfaction. Although satisfaction does not necessarily result in loyalty, nor does dissatisfaction always result in disloyalty, customer satisfaction can increase the probability of loyalty toward a specific brand (Egan, 2008). This sequence of customer satisfaction and loyalty is the meaningful shadow of investment (Kerin, Hartley & Rudelius, 2010; Valentini, Montaguti & Neslin, 2011).
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Private Schools, Statistical Analysis, Marketing, Surveys, Educational Quality, Family Attitudes, School Choice, Competition, Economic Factors, Parent Attitudes, Satisfaction, Cost Effectiveness
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Kuwait
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A