Mapping determinants of stakeholder perceptions about higher education institutions: an Indian context

Higher education institutions (HEIs) have long attempted to identify parameters that constitute perception among their significant stakeholders. Understanding stakeholder perceptions is vital for HEIs as, along with other factors, they contribute significantly to HEI reputation, and hence (stakeholder) perceptions are also used as an input for ranking HEI. This paper aims to revisit HEIs stakeholder groups (for an adequate identification of stakeholder groups whose perceptions are valuable) to identify the parameters that help determine these stakeholders' perceptions and suggest a theoretical framework that helps Indian HEIs. Case study of an Indian HEI involving expert opinion and focus group discussion techniques is the research methodology used to attain the research objectives. The major findings are: 1) a comprehensive set of stakeholders that are particularly relevant for Indian HEIs; 2) an inventory of determinants in the context of each of these stakeholder groups on which these groups form a perception about HEIs; 3) a theoretical framework based on which concerned decision makers at Indian HEIs/universities can act upon to deal with HEIs stakeholders' perceptions.