Exploring the Impact of Consumer Satisfaction on the Co-Creation of a Global Knowledge Brand

Abstract

Globalization is transforming higher education institutes' strategies to build a global brand by looking beyond academic content delivery. To achieve this aim, managers focus on student-related factors such as consumer satisfaction and loyalty. Hence, higher education knowledge brands must address changing student needs and dynamics. This article proposes a co-creation model which relates key factors that influence the creation of a global higher education knowledge brand. To build this model, we have adopted a mixed approach, using exploratory research, a structured literature review of educational brands, as well as unstructured open-ended interviews with management institute directors and administrators. We then administered a survey to more than five thousand student consumers from India, Southeast Asian countries, and some eastern European countries. More than three thousand respondents answered the survey comprehensively, with most respondents being from India. We used structured equation modeling (SEM) to test our model. Our data led us to define ‘Brand Co-Creation Theory’ and a ‘Student Satisfaction Theory.’ Our findings show that brand co-creation is primarily driven by global student consumer satisfaction, brand loyalty, campus culture, academic stimulus, campus infrastructure scalability, international career opportunities, immigration to western countries, and post-graduation experience with the education brand. Altogether, this research put in the forefront a comprehensive model of co-creating value for knowledge brands by bringing student consumers, educators, administrators, brand managers and institutes together.