Segmenting university graduates on the basis of perceived value, image and identification

• Autores: David Jiménez Castillo, Raquel Sánchez Fernández, María Angeles Iniesta Bonillo
• Localización: International review on public and nonprofit marketing: official publication of the International Association on Public and Nonprofit Marketing, ISSN 1865-1984, Vol. 10, Nº. 3, 2013, págs. 235-252
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • In a knowledge-based environment, public institutions and in particular universities must be able to design and implement sustainable strategies in order to become innovative service organizations. The need of a market orientation in this public context entails the identification of market segments and the use of strategies adapted to the selected targets. This study aims to identify and profile graduate segments on the basis of the relationships between three key variables in the educational context: the perceived value of the university, the university image, and the graduate identification with the institution. Given that this potential heterogeneity in the graduate market has not been explored in the literature, we try to improve the knowledge in this area by showing how these relationships may vary among segments. Using a finite mixture modeling approach, we demonstrate that perceived value and university image influence on identification through a global model. We also identify three subgroups that differ in the intensity and sign of the proposed relationships and we describe their profile. Implications and recommendations for future research and practice are discussed.