Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to present an analysis of the market orientation (MO) of Irish higher education institutions (HEIs) including by type. MO is argued as the implementation of the marketing concept (Kohli and Jaworski, 1990); that is making customers central to the organisation (Wrenn, 1997; van Raaij & Stoelhorst, 2008).
MO has been credited with enhanced HEI performance (Abou-Warda 2014; Casidy, 2014; Modi & Mishra, 2010). However, MO in the context of HE is different (Scullion et al., 2011; Akonkwa, 2009). In the HE context MO can be understood as a culture with resulting behaviours, across all departments that seeks to understand and respond to; students, other HEIs, parents, employees, employers, funders and other relevant stakeholders as well as wider society and the HE environment in an innovative and sustainable way (Dwyer, 2023). Thus, this study investigates the nature of the MO of Irish HEIs and how this MO may vary by HEI type.
A deductive content analysis of the strategic plans of six HEIs categorising the manifest content according to a conceptual framework was undertaken. The strategic plans from three universities and three formerly institutes of technology reflected an educational and geographical diversity aimed at being able to provide an understanding of the phenomena in question – the nature of the MO of Irish HEIs including by type. Data was examined across eleven dimensions reflective of the framework; student orientation, employee orientation, sustainable innovation orientation, employer orientation, parent orientation, resource orientation, stakeholder orientation, societal orientation, competitor orientation, environment orientation, inter-functional coordination.
Findings indicate Irish HEIs are MO. This MO is ‘student, employee, stakeholder, innovation/research oriented’ and is consistently demonstrated across the strategic plans of all six HEIs. The MO of the different HEI types, universities and IoTs, as well as between different HEIs was determined as having differences.
The research provides an examination of the MO of Irish HEIs including by type - which to date has not been undertaken. Furthermore, the research provides a conceptual framework for educational managers to assess the MO of a HEI. A robust conceptualisation of MO in a HE context can avoid HEIs striving for inappropriate or perhaps damaging goals and resulting performance impacts.
MO has been credited with enhanced HEI performance (Abou-Warda 2014; Casidy, 2014; Modi & Mishra, 2010). However, MO in the context of HE is different (Scullion et al., 2011; Akonkwa, 2009). In the HE context MO can be understood as a culture with resulting behaviours, across all departments that seeks to understand and respond to; students, other HEIs, parents, employees, employers, funders and other relevant stakeholders as well as wider society and the HE environment in an innovative and sustainable way (Dwyer, 2023). Thus, this study investigates the nature of the MO of Irish HEIs and how this MO may vary by HEI type.
A deductive content analysis of the strategic plans of six HEIs categorising the manifest content according to a conceptual framework was undertaken. The strategic plans from three universities and three formerly institutes of technology reflected an educational and geographical diversity aimed at being able to provide an understanding of the phenomena in question – the nature of the MO of Irish HEIs including by type. Data was examined across eleven dimensions reflective of the framework; student orientation, employee orientation, sustainable innovation orientation, employer orientation, parent orientation, resource orientation, stakeholder orientation, societal orientation, competitor orientation, environment orientation, inter-functional coordination.
Findings indicate Irish HEIs are MO. This MO is ‘student, employee, stakeholder, innovation/research oriented’ and is consistently demonstrated across the strategic plans of all six HEIs. The MO of the different HEI types, universities and IoTs, as well as between different HEIs was determined as having differences.
The research provides an examination of the MO of Irish HEIs including by type - which to date has not been undertaken. Furthermore, the research provides a conceptual framework for educational managers to assess the MO of a HEI. A robust conceptualisation of MO in a HE context can avoid HEIs striving for inappropriate or perhaps damaging goals and resulting performance impacts.
| Original language | English (Ireland) |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Educational Studies Association of Ireland Conference |
| Subtitle of host publication | Maynooth University, 2024 |
| Publication status | Published - 2024 |