Research Article: 2022 Vol: 14 Issue: 5
Priya Saini, School of commerce
Swati, School of commerce
Pokhriyal AK, School of commerce
Citation Information: Saini, P., Swati., Pokhriyal, AK. (2022). Students’ perception about 7ps of higher education marketing mix in private universities in Uttarakhand. Business Studies Journal, 14(5), 1-13.
Purpose: This study aims to investigate how students perceive the seven ps of higher education marketing mix used by private universities.
Methodology: Data on a sample of 150 students majoring in business and management at private universities in Uttarakhand were gathered using a descriptive survey method and a modified questionnaire. The acquired data was assessed using statistical techniques including Mean, S.D., and t-test.
Result & conclusion: According to the study’s findings, all seven components of the higher education marketing mix are well-liked by students. The study also revealed that HE employs several marketing mix tactics for student recruiting. The programme, promotional strategy, location, cost, staff, and tangible proof all have an impact on the students’ decision to attend higher education.
Implication of the study: The findings have significance for university recruitment methods so that they can better understand the student selection process and how to cope with the factors that can shape students’ impressions. The university uses the 7ps of marketing mix, a group of controllable factors, to mould its market-facing offer.
Limitations of the study: This study has some drawbacks, including the time factors, non- probability sampling techniques, and the focus only on private universities.
Suggestion for future research: Researching each element of the marketing mix in depth could be beneficial.
Higher Education, 7ps of Marketing, Service Marketing.
Globally, and especially in emerging nations like India, significant changes have recently been made to higher education legislation, governance, organization, and status. In India’s higher education institutions, privatisation, diversity, decentralisation, internationalisation, and increased competitiveness are all taking place. Today’s higher education institutions are affected by these changes, which are seen as motivating factors for a higher education marketing orientation (Maringe, 2006). Marketing for higher education is rarely a novel concept. Marketing for higher education is essential for minimizing the effects of declining government support and rising competition (DesJardins et al., 2006). Institutions of higher learning ought to employ marketing tactics to succeed and establish a long-lasting competitive edge (Hoyt & Brown, 2003). Institutions of higher learning that are privately funded in India should establish a marketing strategy to guarantee their viability as a national asset in the development of educated human resources. A decline in student enrolment and growing competition from domestic and international universities are two problems that private higher education institutions should adopt marketing strategies to guarantee their viability as a national asset in producing qualified human resources. According to Kotler & Fox (1995), marketing crucial for higher education institutions because it can make it easier for them to accomplish their objectives, better serve their consumers, draw in additional marketing resources, and manage their operations. One element of a marketing strategy that higher education institutions may use is the marketing mix. This study aims to ascertain how students at private universities view the seven ps of higher education marketing mix and how marketing mix affects students’ decisions about higher education institutions (Omboi & Mutali, 2011).
Higher Education’s Marketing Mix
Higher education must coordinate and combine its marketing mix to create a marketing plan (Mothersbaugh et al., 2020; Kotler & Fox, 1995; Ivy, 2008).
The components are combined and coordinated by the marketing mix that enables businesses to meet client needs and deliver value. A conventional marketing mix has four elements: product, pricing, promotion, and site (Kotler & Fox, 1995).
All of the traits of a service sector, including:
1. The customers do not own any real estate. Most of the time, customer receive value from services without ever purchasing any tangible assets. Services are products that have an intangible quality. Things that are intangible can only be felt; they cannot be grasped or touched.
2. Involvement of customers in the production process. Through self-service or interaction with employees, customers frequently contribute to the creation of the service product.
3. The elements of the service involving people. The delivery of services by a variety of service providers makes it difficult to achieve consistency in that delivery.
4. Time’s worth is one thing. Therefore, in order to obtain them, clients must be physically present.
5. Unlike tangible things, services cannot be stored and are perishable.
Marketing for higher education demands a different marketing mix because it differs enough from marketing for products as a service.
According to a marketing mix created by Kotler & Fox (1995) for educational institutions, the following issues are addressed:
Program
The cost of a service is what the buyer pays for it in exchange for money (or another object that is traded or bartered). Tuition costs and other financial factors are mostly responsible for pricing in higher education. Pricing has a huge impact on marketing strategy because the majority of parents and students are worried about the financial costs of going to college. According to Kotler & Fox (1995), both financial and non-financial costs, including time, effort, and psychological costs, are part of the price of education for students.
Place
Distribution or place makes up the third one of the marketing mix components for higher education. According to Kotler et al. (2008), place in higher education refers to giving potential students courses and programmes in the most beneficial and approachable manners. The institution frequently holds classes in a single location, where students assemble for lessons (Kotler & fox, 1995). However, because of the advancement of information technology, the element of place is not limited to a certain geographic area. To improve their competitive advantage, higher education institutions may use distant learning and modern technologies to serve their students (Bangari & Chaubey, 2017).
Promotion
A marketing plan is necessary for an educational institution to advertise its services to the intended audience. Using promotional aspects to their fullest potential is the goal of a promotional strategy.
The expectations and needs of the student market, together with other factors influencing the university’s marketing choices, determine the promotion strategies that can be used by institutions. Promotions can a significant part in attracting students to higher education. Promotion can help people remember your name and give your university more exposure (Rudd & Mills, 2008).
Universities might employ both technique of pushing and pulling to market its offerings (Soedijati & Pratminingsih, 2011). The higher education mixed-media campaign includes sponsorships, advertising, online marketing, direct marketing, and sales promotion (Rudd & Mills, 2008). The key to creating a promotion plan for higher education institutions is to recognize students as the core consumers.
People
The university staff serves as a representative of the higher education marketing mix’s people element. Therefore, the term “individuals” refers to each member of the academic and administrative staff who offers the service and engages in client contacts (Kotler & fox, 1995). People are important because of the notion that workers are the most important factors in delivering high-quality service. University present and former students are also featured. This is because prospective students frequently seek out and validate the opinions of current and previous students.
According to Lovelock & Wrirght (2004) definition of direct engagement in service marketing, customers evaluate an offer based on the employees’ appearance, social skills, and technical knowledge. Employees of the institution should be taken into account when developing a marketing strategy. Customers’ perceptions of the services they receive are influenced by one’s behavior, views, and self-presentation. First impressions of higher education students toward the faculty.
Process
The administrative system as a whole is referred to as a process in terms of how an organisation does business (Kotler et al., 2008). The marketing mix includes the sequences of events that result in the consumption of services (Palmer, 2005). Universities assert that pupils must comprehend how services are obtained. Procedures are the activities that take place inside an institution in higher education, including administration, admission, instruction, education, social, and sporting events.
Physical Facilities and Evidence
Physical facilities, sometimes referred to as proof, are all the observable, material possessions that a company makes available to customers, such as offices and pamphlets. Physical documentation is crucial because higher education institutions’ services are largely intangible. Potential clients can be convinced of the value of the service by the real and intangible surroundings in which it is provided (Ivy & Al-Fattal, 2010; Butt & Ur Rehman, 2010).
Kotler et al. (2008) assert that a person’s first image of an institution is formed by its physical attributes, particularly its buildings and facilities. Additionally, according to Gibbs & Knapp (2012), the physical location affects how the institution is seen, as evidenced by the technology employed, the cleanliness of the rooms, the library, and other factors.
1. Jain et al. (2022) this paper presents a detailed story of the interaction between stakeholders in higher education and the digital era. It proposes a comprehensive framework for marketing higher education that makes use of the cue-utilization approach and perceived situational appropriateness as points of reference. Investigations are conducted using semi-structured in-depth interviews with individuals from the UAE, Nigeria, the UK, India, multi-stakeholder perspective. According to the study’s findings, connection marketing relationships of a high quality are essential for fostering student involvement. The findings reinforce cues that serve as proxies for surrogate markers of strong relationship quality in a higher education ecosystem. The framework it uses to explain relationship marketing’s influences and how they affect stakeholder involvement.
2. Siripipattanakul et al. (2022) this study aims to better understand how Thai people’s decisions to pursue an online master’s degree are influenced by the marketing mix (4cs). As a planned sample for a qualitative study, from three different universities, six Thai master’s students were selected. Using NVIVO software and content analysis, the data were examined. According to the results, the 4Cs marketing mix may affect a student’s performance decision to enroll in an online master’s programme at a Thai university. The top priorities for students pursuing an online master’s degree were affordability, customer service, convenience, and communication. The marketing mix (4cs) should be taken into account by educators and programme managers because it affects people’s decisions to pursue an online master’s degree. The implication, which affects consumer behavior or decisions, could assist all service sectors in selecting the best marketing plan or 4cs for their customers.
3. Wilkins (2020) investigates how universities and colleges in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) position themselves and compete with one another as a case study of a very competitive higher education market. The websites of organizations and regulatory bodies were among the secondary sources that provided the vast majority of the research data. Then, using hierarchical cluster analysis, institutional rivalry strategies in the UAE higher education market were found. An expert team reviewed and assessed the cluster results. The results demonstrate how institutions may set themselves up to create distinctive identities in the UAE market. The study’s findings might be beneficial to higher education institutions that compete in their fields, especially those that desire to assess international marketplaces.
4. Camilleri (2020) investigates how modern higher education institutions are marketed to on a worldwide scale. This paper considers current integrated marketing communications that are meant to assist HEIs in promoting their high-quality, student- centered education as well as their significant and high-impact research in international markets. Additionally, it describes how HEIs’ marketing efforts will be able to establish successful working relationships with industry stakeholders; promote student mobility and participation in exchange programmes, as they can establish partnership agreements with other institutions, among other tactical avenues. These challenges suggest that educational institutions of the future will need to continue investing in sufficient resources, competencies, and skills to leverage themselves in the face of increasing competition in difficult socioeconomic circumstances.
5. Kwang & Sone (2019) examine whether the standard services marketing mix affects students’ choice of schools. Data collection for the project is done using a case study method and qualitative techniques including structured interviews. The administrators and students of the university were the sampled populations. In the data analysis, an inductive technique is used. The study’s findings demonstrate that the HE employs a variety of marketing mix methods to recruit pupils. The research discovered that the components of the marketing mix had an advantageous effect on students’ selection of institutions. The programme, advertising strategy, setting, cost, people, and tangible proof all have an influence on the student’s choice of higher education. The study’s limitations include the time factor and the non-probability sampling approach. The impact of university selection is based on student satisfaction.
6. Messah & Ould Youcef (2019) investigates the impact of various marketing communication tactics for increasing admission in Kenya’s higher education institutions. The number of registered students is the dependent variable, whereas the independent factors under investigation include, public relations, advertising, personal selling, and direct marketing. Descriptive research methodology was used in this study. Examining the link between the dependent and independent variables using correlation allowed researchers to determine how particular marketing communication strategies affected the number of students who enrolled in private universities. A sample size of 125 respondents was obtained using probability-simple random sampling techniques from 25 private universities in Kenya. Inferential statistics and descriptive statistics were used to analyze descriptive data (chi-square test of significance). The data were analyzed using the SPSS social sciences statistical programme. The outcomes show that the most efficient marketing communication tools for informing prospective students are print media, such as newspapers, brochures, and alumni networks.
7. Tukur et al. (2019) presented an appropriate marketing mix for kwara state’s private institutions. The survey noted an increase in the number of candidates and linked this to the admission seekers’ less-than-impressive patronage of private universities. For the investigation, the researchers used an empirical study and a survey for study titled “Marketing Mix Services and Student Enrolment”. Means, t-test, and Pearson-moment statistic were used to analyse the data. Statistic indicated that marketing mix can boost student enrolment, but private universities in the state still don’t make full use of it. As a result, it was determined that implementing the marketing mix would considerably increase student enrolment at these institutions. Hence, the study suggests that institutions figure out which marketing mix is best for them. Universities are encouraged to use pricing and promotions to increase enrolment, which will increase their revenue.
8. Afolabi et al. (2019) explore the prospect of utilising marketing mix to enhance the performance of private colleges in Nigeria and provide appropriate marketing plans for higher education. Research was conducted using a survey design because the research’s objective was to investigate how marketing strategies may be used in higher education learning. A questionnaire designed especially for this study received responses from parents and students. Bowen University in Iwo, Osun State, conducted the research. Bowen University is a leading private university in Nigeria’s geopolitical Zone of the south-western region.
9. Ratiu & Avram (2013) use a number of concrete examples to underline the 7 aspects of the academic marketing mix. Because helping higher education institutions become more market-oriented is the main objective of marketing strategy implementation in the academic environment. The concept of the academic marketing mix must be developed by higher education institutions in order to ensure academic success in a cutthroat market and to establish strategies for luring high-caliber students. This will enable them to fulfil their mission of training specialists in all fields, providing education and advancing science through their research.
10. Soedijati & Pratminingsih (2011) investigate how the marketing mix influences pupils ’decisions while selecting a higher education institution. The survey questions were formulated using the seven components of Kotler and fox’s marketing mix for education. This study combined a quantitative strategy with the survey method. The survey sample was chosen at random from 300 students enrolled in Widyatama university’s bachelor’s degree programmes in accounting and business management. The collected data were analysed using statistical methods including correlation analysis. According to the study’s findings, the marketing mix significantly and favourably affects students’ choices of which institutions to attend.
11. Samani et al. (2017) examined how the marketing mix affects students’ decisions to select a language institution and used the 7ps to learner’s institution choice models. Quantitative information was gathered via a questionnaire that was written in Persian. There were 120 English learners in all, both male and female, with ages ranging from 18 to 35. From two Iranian language schools in Shahrekord and Chabahar, they were chosen at random. The study’s findings indicated that price component (mean=8.9), the programme (mean=17.3), and the people element (mean=17.8) were three crucial factors. The 7ps and Iranian EFL learners’ preference for language institution were not significantly correlated, as shown by a 0.596 level of significance (p>0.05) for the association between the two variables.
12. Mahajan (2017) investigated perception and incentive to use TE using the 11ps of the service marketing mix instead of the more conventional 7ps. In respect to the 11ps of the marketing mix, the study demonstrates different approaches to HE by service providers (institutions) and service customers (students). Conclusions from the study will benefit organisations, governments, and TE service providers create an effective strategy plan based on the 11ps that will both expand the volume of TE and enhance the performance of service providers. On students who are currently enrolled in classes or who recently completed their TE affiliated with North Maharashtra University, Jalgaon, a quantitative research study was conducted using a standard questionnaire. Only Jalgaon, North Maharashtra University, and the Indian Khandesh region are included in the survey.
13. Strack carried out research on “Marketing within Higher Education Institutions-A Case Study of Two Private Thai Universities”. This study’s goal is to examine and describe the marketing techniques employed by for-profit Thai higher education institutions to entice and enrol foreign students. To answer the research questions, both qualitative and quantitative data were gathered for the case study from the relevant university through an interview, surveys, and observation. According to the findings, Thai higher education institutions employ a variety of marketing strategies to recruit and enrol international students. Online marketing strategies included the use of websites, IT resources, and physical presence at gatherings, open homes, and social events. Place, advancement, people, process, IT, image and reputation were all valued equally by foreign students at BUIC and WU.
14. Ahmad investigates the marketing strategies employed by institutions to draw in and enrol students. Based on the findings, higher education institutions have been recommended some cutting-edge and beneficial ways for them to thrive in a cut-throat and unstable environment. The marketing of educational services was the only thing covered in the study. The study was limited to the Delhi and NCR region because it has the most higher education institutions and students from all over the country. The research employs a descriptive research design. A questionnaire was created to learn the respondent’s perspectives on the aspects that assist students in making decisions. The survey was administered to 500 students at higher secondary schools, colleges, and institutions throughout Delhi and the NCR. In order to understand how students choose their final year of high school and institution, the researcher concentrated on 12th grade and graduating students. As a result, convenience sampling was employed instead of probability sampling. Bar charts, pie charts, and tables, among other visual representations of findings and results, have been employed.
15. Mamta Chawla studied the 7Ps of Higher education Marketing Mix among North Haryana’s ten self-financing professional institutes. 500 education college students randomly selected to serve as the subject of a descriptive survey employing a self-designed and administered questionnaire to gather data. The study’s findings revealed that students of management and education do not significantly differ from one another. Perceptions on an overall assessment, with t=0.85 (insignificant on 0.05and 0.01 levels of significance); however, when evaluating the significant differences dimension-wise, the product (t=3.03), people (t=3.35), and process (t=2.01) all of which exhibit notable variances.
16. Filip (2012) the goal of this research is to show that marketing theory can be used at universities to increase system efficiency and effectiveness. The role of marketing is examined from both a social and a service viewpoint to explain its value to universities, individuals, and the community at large. Universities are advised to employ a set of seven marketing-mix instruments in developing their market interactions, according to the type of educational services, curriculum, pricing, place, promotion, processes, physical facilities, and people.
17. Robert Seliga examine the characteristic of university, marketing and higher education (HE) from a worldwide standpoint. There is a considerable body of knowledge about higher education marketing and customer behaviour. Scholars present proof of marketing methods used by higher education institutions. There isn’t much material comparing the preferences of polish and British students, thus this is an uncharted territory. This study compares the selection procedures followed by polish and British students when selecting a university.
18. Enache (2011) carried out the research project titled “Marketing Higher Education Using 7ps Framework”. The study’s goal is to employ the marketing mix more broadly. The inclusion of various important educational market forces gives the topic background. The seven ps approach is then used to acquire data. The strategies for the marketing mix framework of higher education are given one at a time. It is demonstrated that each performs a unique role in the educational market and that synergistic effects are significant. The benefits of the marketing mix strategy are emphasized.
The descriptive survey approach is the foundation of the current study. The researcher can interact directly with the subjects of her study using the survey approach. After carefully examining each research strategy and methodology, the researcher came to the conclusion that neither the historical, philosophical, genetic, case study, nor experimental research methodologies were suitable for the topic at hand. Only the descriptive survey method was deemed the best appropriate for the study’s goal (David & Martina, 2011).
Objectives of the Study
To study the students’ perceptions about 7ps of higher education marketing mix adopted by the private universities.
Hypotheses of the Study
The study has framed the following major and sub-hypothesis on the basis of objective:
H1 : students’ have positive perceptions towards marketing mix adopted by the institutions.
H1a : students’ have positive perception towards program offered by the institutions.
H1b : students’ have positive perception towards price charged by the institutions.
H1c : students’ have positive perception towards place (location) of the institutions.
H1d : students’ have positive perception towards promotion policy of the institutions.
H1e : students’ have positive perception towards people (Teachers $ Management) of the institutions.
H1f : students’ have positive perception towards teaching process of the institutions.
H1g : students’ have positive perception towards physical facilities provided by the institutions.
Sampling Technique
A convenient & straightforward random sampling method was used to choose students from the private universities in Uttarakhand that were offering management and commerce programmes on their campuses after a stratified sampling method was employed to identify the universities. 150 students with backgrounds in business and management courses were selected as a sample.
Research Tool
A customized questionnaire built on the 7ps of the service marketing mix were applied to find out how the students felt about the higher education marketing services that their schools provided. The reliability score (Cronbach alpha) for the survey was determined to be .9539 using the statistical programme SPSS.
Scoring
Students’ opinions were graded using the anchor labels of “strongly agree” and “strongly disagree” on a five-point scale (Table 1).
| Table 1 Scoring | |||||
| Responses on perceptions | Strongly agree | Agree | Neutral | Disagree | Strongly disagree |
| Score | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Statistical Techniques Used for Data Analysis
After data collection, the scores were tabulated. The researcher utilized the following descriptive and inferential statistical techniques for data analysis and interpretation (Table 2):
| Table 2 Demographic Profile of the Students | |||
| Demographic Variables | Categories | Frequency | Percentage |
| Student status | 1st year | 121 | 80.70% |
| 2nd year | 8 | 5.30% | |
| Final year | 21 | 21% | |
| Gender | Male | 74 | 49.30% |
| Female | 76 | 50.70% | |
| Others | - | - | |
| Age Group | Below 20 years | 59 | 39.30% |
| 21-23 years | 87 | 58% | |
| 24-26 years | 4 | 2.70% | |
| 26 years & above | - | - | |
| Location of universities / institutions | Hilly Area | 122 | 81.30% |
| Plain Area | 28 | 18.70% | |
| Residential area of students | Rural | 51 | 34% |
| Urban | 99 | 66% | |
| Family Income | Less than 30,000 | 28 | 18.70% |
| 30,000-50,000 | 45 | 30% | |
| 50,000-1,00,000 | 43 | 28.70% | |
| More than 1,00,000 | 34 | 22.70% | |
1. Mean
2. S.D.
3. ‘t-Test’
Data Analysis and Interpretation
Interpretation
From table 2, we can conclude that out of 150 respondents, 80.7% of the respondents are 1st year students and 21% of the respondents are final year students. 50.7% of the respondents are female, and 49.3% are male. The highest age group of students is 21-23 years that is 58% and the second highest is 39.3% which is below 20 years and last is 24-26 years group is 4%. Most of the respondents’ institutions are located in hilly area that is 81.3% and only 18.7% institutions of respondents are located in plain area. Maximum respondents are live in urban area that is 66% and 34% respondents are live in rural area. Lastly maximum respondents’ family income is come under category of Rs. 30,000 to 50,000 that are 30% and only 18.7% respondents’ family income is less than Rs. 30,000 (Table 3 & 4).
| Table 3 Descriptive Statistics for Marketing Mix | ||||
| N | Mean | Std. Deviation | Std. Error Mean | |
| Program | 150 | 20.5800 | 2.29464 | .18736 |
| Price | 150 | 16.4200 | 5.01979 | .40986 |
| Place | 150 | 19.7267 | 3.58576 | .29278 |
| Promotion | 150 | 18.3133 | 3.70405 | .30243 |
| People | 150 | 18.4867 | 5.08021 | .41480 |
| Process | 150 | 19.2800 | 4.87305 | .39788 |
| Physical Evidence | 150 | 19.1400 | 4.51549 | .36869 |
| Table 4 One Sample Test | ||||||
| Test value = 15 | ||||||
| t | df | Sign (2-tailed) | Mean Difference | Lower | Upper | |
| Program | 29.783 | 149 | 0 | 5.58 | 5.2098 | 5.9502 |
| Price | 3.465 | 149 | 0.001 | 1.42 | 0.6101 | 2.2299 |
| Place | 16.144 | 149 | 0 | 4.72667 | 4.1481 | 5.3052 |
| Promotion | 10.956 | 149 | 0 | 3.31333 | 2.7157 | 3.9109 |
| People | 8.406 | 149 | 0 | 3.48667 | 2.667 | 4.3063 |
| Process | 10.757 | 149 | 0 | 4.28 | 3.4938 | 5.0662 |
| Physical Evidence | 11.229 | 149 | 0 | 4.14 | 3.4115 | 4.8685 |
H1: Students’ have positive perception towards marketing mix adopted by the institutions.
H1a: Students’ have positive perception towards program offered by the institutions.
One sample t-test showed that t=29.783 on df=149 with mean value 20.580 and p= 0.000 at 0.05 significant level. Here actual mean value 20.580 was more than μ=15 and p=0.000 less than 0.05 so that sub-hypothesis was accepted which means students’ have positive perception towards program offered by the institutions.
H1b: Students’ have positive perception towards price charged by the institutions.
One sample t-test showed that t=3.465 on df=149 with mean value 16.4200 and p= 0.001 at 0.05 significant level. Here actual mean value 16.4200 was more than μ=15 and p=0.001 less than 0.05 so that sub-hypothesis was accepted which means students’ have positive perception towards price charged by the institutions.
H1c: Students’ have positive perception towards place (location) of the institutions.
One sample t-test showed that t=16.144 on df=149 with mean value 19.7267 and p=0.000 at 0.05 significant level. Here actual mean value 19.7267 was more than μ=15 and p=0.000 less than 0.05. So that sub-hypothesis was accepted which means students’ have positive perception towards place of the institutions.
H1d: Students’ have positive perception towards promotion policy of the institutions.
One sample t-test showed that t=10.956 on df=149 with mean value 18.3133 and p=0.000 at 0.05 significant level. Here actual mean value 18.3133 was more than μ=15 and p=0.000 less than 0.05 so that sub-hypothesis was accepted which means students’ have positive perception towards promotion policy of the institutions.
H1e : Students’ have positive perception towards people of the institutions.
One sample t-test showed that t=8.406 on df=149 with mean value 18.4867 and p=0.000 at 0.05 significant level. Here actual mean value 18.4867 was more than μ=15 and p=0.000 less than 0.05 so that sub-hypothesis was accepted which means students’ have positive perception towards people of the institutions.
H1f : Students’ have positive perception towards teaching process adopted by the institutions.
One sample t-test showed that t=10.757 on df=149 with mean value 19.2800 and p=0.000 at 0.05 significant level. Here actual mean value 19.2800 was more than μ=15 and p=0.000 less than 0.05 so that sub-hypothesis was accepted which means students’ have positive perception towards teaching process adopted by the institutions.
H1g : Students’ have positive perception towards physical facilities provided by the institutions.
One sample t-test showed that t=11.229 on df=149 with mean value 19.1400 and p=0.000 at 0.05 significant level. Here actual mean value 19.1400 was more than μ=15 and p=0.000 less than 0.05 so that sub-hypothesis was accepted which means students’ have positive perception towards physical facilities provided by the institutions (Table 5).
| Table 5 Summary of Hypotheses of Perception about Marketing Mix | ||
| Hypotheses | Variables | Hypotheses support |
| H1 | Overall perception about 7ps of higher education |
Yes (0.000, p< 0.05) |
| H1a | Program | Yes (0.000, p< 0.05) |
| H1b | Price | Yes (0.000, p< 0.05) |
| H1c | Place | Yes (0.000, p< 0.05) |
| H1d | Promotion | Yes (0.000, p<0.05) |
| H1e | People | Yes (0.000, p< 0.05) |
| H1f | Process | Yes (0.000, p< 0.05) |
| H1g | Physical facilities | Yes (0.000, p< 0.05) |
One sample t-test calculates the t value for each of the following constructs; program, price, place, promotion, people, process, and physical evidence. The aforementioned table shows that the mean value of every construct is greater than 15. The seven ps of the higher education marketing mix, which private universities adopted, were shown to all contribute to favorable perception. As a result we may state that the study’s major and supporting hypotheses are all true (Soedijati & Pratminingsih, 2011; Mothersbaugh et al., 2020).
Suggestions for Future Research
Future investigation in the following areas is suggested
1. To see if the major findings from this study are similar to those from students in other study disciplines, a similar study can be carried out with them.
2. A similar study might be conducted to compare and contrast university students from Uttarakhand with those from other states.
3. A thorough investigation into each element of the marketing mix, such as which price approach students and their parents should favor or which promotional tactics work best to draw in new customers, could be beneficial.
The existence of the 7ps of the service marketing mix, which have their significance for students while choosing any institution, can be inferred from the facts that were previously mentioned. However, the present study’s findings concur with those of other studies. Who also recognized the 7ps of service marketing mix in education services? Whereas some other studies in various services, such as (Insurance services, Engineering and technical service corporations, Tourism industry and Tata indicom’s cellular services) had also identified these seven dimensions of service marketing mix.
In conclusion, the findings of this study indicate that students had favorable perceptions of all seven components of the higher education marketing mix. The findings have significance for university recruitment methods so that they can better understand the student selection process and how to cope with the factors that can shape students’ impressions. The university uses the 7ps of marketing mix, a group of controllable factors, to mould its market-facing offer.
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Received: 01-Sep-2022, Manuscript No. BSJ-22-12614; Editor assigned: 02-Sep-2022, PreQC No. BSJ-22-12614(PQ); Reviewed: 16-Sep- 2022, QC No. BSJ-22-12614; Revised: 19-Sep-2022, Manuscript No. BSJ-22-12614(R); Published: 26-Sep-2022