Demographic Differences In Higher Education Institutions (Hei): A Comparison Between A Selection Of Southern African And Indonesian Students Based On Student-Customer Orientation Questionnaire (Scoq)

Various authors researched the importance of the marketing concept related to higher education. Most of them contend that customer orientation enhances business performance regardless of the industry they are operating in or the size of the organization. Higher education institutions are regarded as businesses such as various other service related organizations and should consequently embrace a customer-orientated approach within the marketing concept if they want to succeed. This came in the light that higher education is operating in a highly competitive and dynamic environment. The challenge is more intense given the host of comparable alternatives. It is contended that institutions of higher education world-wide, have to compete for funds from both public and private sectors as well as for potential students. Because only a few institutions of higher education can claim that they differentiate based on historical heritage or sustainability, and academic excellence or value-creation also no longer entail any differential advantage, institutions of higher education increasingly position themselves as customer-oriented academic institutions, stressing flexibility and convenience of attendance to attract prospective students. This study aims to investigate the different categories of educational experience and to what extent students expect higher education institutions to be customer orientated. A comparison is made between gender and between Indonesian and South African students.