The student as customer and quality in higher education

Calma, A; Dickson-Deane, C

The student as customer and quality in higher education

Calma, A Dickson-Deane, C

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Publisher:: Emerald
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: International Journal of Educational Management, 2020, ahead-of-print, (ahead-of-print)
Issue Date:: 2020-05-14

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Calma, A
dc.contributor.author	Dickson-Deane, C https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5504-7856
dc.date.accessioned	2020-05-19T07:34:26Z
dc.date.available	2020-05-19T07:34:26Z
dc.date.issued	2020-05-14
dc.identifier.citation	International Journal of Educational Management, 2020, ahead-of-print, (ahead-of-print)
dc.identifier.issn	0951-354X
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/140822
dc.description.abstract	<jats:sec><jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Purpose</jats:title><jats:p>This paper explores some management concepts and how applying these concepts from business to higher education can be problematic, let alone incompatible, particularly in relation to measuring quality in higher education.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Design/methodology/approach</jats:title><jats:p>It provides a conceptual understanding of the literature on quality in the higher education context. It does so by examining the literature on students as customers, customer expectations, customer satisfaction and other management theories that have been applied to higher education.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Findings</jats:title><jats:p>It argues that the current bases for perceiving quality such as meeting customer expectations, satisfying the customer, ensuring quality control, meeting standards and assessing the cost associated with poor quality are in disagreement with the principal aims and measures of quality in higher education.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Research limitations/implications</jats:title><jats:p>This paper can certainly benefit from many other concepts in business that have been applied in higher education, which it lacks. It only focussed on a number of key and popular ideas in management theory that have been used in higher education more broadly.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Practical implications</jats:title><jats:p>Student-focussed quality initiatives can be devoid of the student as customer concept. How programs, subjects and experiences are curated can be solely for the purpose of continuous improvement. Second, universities that choose to treat the student as a customer may find it beneficial to apply a relationship marketing approach to higher education. Lastly, those against the student as customer concept may focus on the long-term impact of quality initiatives such as promoting lifelong learning, building long-term relationships with alumni and employers and those that further promote academic integrity.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Originality/value</jats:title><jats:p>Some considerations have been offered. These considerations revisit the basic notions of teaching and learning in higher education. It puts an emphasis on sidestepping the student as customer metaphor, that learning is not expressed in dollar terms, and that the quality of the student experience cannot be measured by student evaluation alone because it is felt much later in life.</jats:p></jats:sec>
dc.language	en
dc.publisher	Emerald
dc.relation.ispartof	International Journal of Educational Management
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1108/ijem-03-2019-0093
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess
dc.subject	13 Education, 15 Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services
dc.subject.classification	Education
dc.title	The student as customer and quality in higher education
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	ahead-of-print
utslib.for	13 Education
utslib.for	15 Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access	*
dc.date.updated	2020-05-19T07:34:22Z
pubs.issue	ahead-of-print
pubs.publication-status	Published
pubs.volume	ahead-of-print
utslib.citation.issue	ahead-of-print

Abstract:

PurposeThis paper explores some management concepts and how applying these concepts from business to higher education can be problematic, let alone incompatible, particularly in relation to measuring quality in higher education.Design/methodology/approachIt provides a conceptual understanding of the literature on quality in the higher education context. It does so by examining the literature on students as customers, customer expectations, customer satisfaction and other management theories that have been applied to higher education.FindingsIt argues that the current bases for perceiving quality such as meeting customer expectations, satisfying the customer, ensuring quality control, meeting standards and assessing the cost associated with poor quality are in disagreement with the principal aims and measures of quality in higher education.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper can certainly benefit from many other concepts in business that have been applied in higher education, which it lacks. It only focussed on a number of key and popular ideas in management theory that have been used in higher education more broadly.Practical implicationsStudent-focussed quality initiatives can be devoid of the student as customer concept. How programs, subjects and experiences are curated can be solely for the purpose of continuous improvement. Second, universities that choose to treat the student as a customer may find it beneficial to apply a relationship marketing approach to higher education. Lastly, those against the student as customer concept may focus on the long-term impact of quality initiatives such as promoting lifelong learning, building long-term relationships with alumni and employers and those that further promote academic integrity.Originality/valueSome considerations have been offered. These considerations revisit the basic notions of teaching and learning in higher education. It puts an emphasis on sidestepping the student as customer metaphor, that learning is not expressed in dollar terms, and that the quality of the student experience cannot be measured by student evaluation alone because it is felt much later in life.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/140822