Mi on, Dumi u e al.
A icle
The in luence o con ex s in he p ocess o choosing a
uni e si y p oduc
Am i ea u Economic Jou nal
P o ided in Coope a ion wi h:
The Bucha es Uni e si y o Economic S udies
Sugges ed Ci a ion: Mi on, Dumi u e al. (2024) : The in luence o con ex s in he p ocess o choosing
a uni e si y p oduc , Am i ea u Economic Jou nal, ISSN 2247-9104, The Bucha es Uni e si y o
Economic S udies, Bucha es , Vol. 26, Iss. 66, pp. 648-665,
h ps://doi.o g/10.24818/EA/2024/66/665
This Ve sion is a ailable a :
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The In luence o Con ex s in he P ocess o Choosing a Uni e si y P oduc
648 Am i ea u Economic
THE INFLUENCE OF CONTEXTS IN THE PROCESS
OF CHOOSING A UNIVERSITY PRODUCT
Dumi u Mi on1
*
, Raluca Eca e ina B andabu 2,
Daniel Nicolae Măiță3 , Fla ius Cosmin Da ie4 , Dumi u Goldbach5
and Ion-Dănuț Lixand u6
1)2)3)4)6) Bucha es Uni e si y o Economic S udies, Bucha es , Romania.
5) Valahia Uni e si y o Tâ go iș e, Tâ go iș e, Romania.
Please ci e his a icle as:
Mi on, D., B andabu , R.E., Măiță, D.N., Da ie, F.C.,
Goldbach, D. and Lixand u, I.D., 2024. The In luence o
Con ex s in he P ocess o Choosing a Uni e si y
P oduc . Am i ea u Economic, 26(66), pp. 648-665.
DOI: h ps://doi.o g/10.24818/EA/2024/66/648
A icle His o y
Recei ed: 29 Decembe 2023
Re ised: 9 Feb ua y 2024
Accep ed: 10 Ap il 2024
Abs ac
In he cu en global con ex , o ganisa ions a e compelled o eposi ion hemsel es in he
dis ibu ion chain due o changes in consume beha iou . Consume s no longe simply seek
p oduc s and se ices; ins ead, hey a e pu suing he maximisa ion o sa is ac ion p omised
by hei p o ide s. The au ho s o his a icle ha e ocused hei analy ical e o s on
highligh ing speci ic aspec s o he di e se challenges ha consume s mus ind op imal
solu ions o a he ime o pu chase decision. Wi hin his dynamic amewo k, in ellec ual
capi al plays an inc easingly impo an ole, i s co e componen s being human capi al,
ela ional capi al, and s uc u al capi al. Add essing he human capi al componen , he
au ho s o his s udy ha e di ec ed hei analy ical app oach owa d he key de e minan s o
young people's decisions o op o speci ic s udy p og ammes, aiming o explain how
educa ional o e ings can be pe sonalised and adap ed. Me hodologically, an econome ic
model is employed, allowing uni e si ies o conduc a s akeholde analysis o ga he
in o ma ion o de e mine a ma ix o he exp essed in e es and in luence powe o a ious
ca ego ies o in e es s in socie al e ms. The pape p esen s he esul s o es ing he
ounda ions o s uden s' choices o a pa icula uni e si y-le el s udy p og amme.
Fu he mo e, he esea ch sough o es ablish he desi able le el o econome ic obus ness
o he basic ec o s in he decision-making p ocess ega ding he selec ion o a speci ic se
o compe encies and cogni i e skills p omised by he s udy p og ammes. Based on he
ope a ionalisa ion o he speci ic me hodological ools, a panel o ools has been
cons uc ed o uni e si ies o a emp o mee he expec a ions o u u e s uden s.
*
Au o de con ac , Dumi u Mi on – e-mail: [email p o ec ed]
Aces a es e un a icol cu acces deschis dis ibui în con o mi a e cu e menii C ea i e
Commons A ibu ion License (h ps://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by/4.0), ca e pe mi e
u iliza ea, dis ibui ea și ep oduce ea ă ă es icții în o ice mediu, cu condiția ca
luc a ea o iginală să ie ci a ă co ec . © 2023 Toa e d ep u ile apa țin au o ilo .
Am i ea u Economic Recommends
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Vol. 26 • No. 66 • May 2024 649
Candida es and s uden s can also use hese ools o ind ways o op imise esou ces ela ed
o he c ea ion, modi ica ion, and p omo ion o s udy p og ammes h ough he planning o
compe i i e s a egies and simul aneous ac ion as p omo e s o social esponsibili y.
Keywo ds: in ellec ual capi al, con ex , in o med decision-making p ocess, s udy
p og amme, sus ainable educa ion.
JEL Classi ica ion: A13, I21, I23, I25, M31, P46.
In oduc ion
The educa ional landscape has always been one o con as s, encompassing bo h immobili y
and esis ance o change, as well as mode ni y and posi ioning a he o e on o socie al
ans o ma ions. Managing change equi es undamen al e isions o cu iculum con en ,
educa o p epa a ion, e hical and me hodological-didac ic econ igu a ions, and
pedagogical p ac ice. The aspec s ha in luence he decision o young people o op o
speci ic s udy p og ammes mus be iden i ied and unde s ood, as only in his way can
uni e si ies adap hei cu iculum design and equip hemsel es wi h highly quali ied
human esou ces o assis s uden s in he lea ning p ocess.
The opic ela ed o he main ac o s in luencing he decision-making p ocess o ce ain
s udy p og ammes has been o in e es o analys s since 2014 (Na ang and Mish a, 2014),
wi h he au ho s iden i ying and g ouping he main a iables in luencing decisions o
choose speci ic s udy p og ammes. G adually, i has become inc easingly clea ha such
analyses can p o ide high added alue o o ganisa ions seeking a be e unde s anding o
hei cus ome s' buying beha iou . In an a icle add essing he in luence o a ious ac o s
on pu chase decisions (Ka n eungsi i and P adi suwan, 2017), he impo ance o
unde s anding he key ounda ions o a decision ega ding he choice o s udy p og ammes
is highligh ed, whe he hey a e conduc ed online (Al Ku di e al., 2020) o in hei physical
o m (Wahyuni, 2022). One o he dilemmas ela ed o his hema ic a ea conce ns he
in ensi y wi h which young people's decision o choose a s udy p og amme is in luenced by
he speed and dep h o such a change.
Based on he analysis conduc ed, ou aim is o gain a deepe unde s anding o he ac o s
ha in luence pu chase decisions in he ield o educa ion. Using he p oposed model,
uni e si ies can be e ailo hei educa ional o e ings o candida es' equi emen s, o e ing
mo e a ac i e and ele an s udy p og ammes.
1. Ma ke ing Toolki - he Resilience Boos P o ided o he Educa ional Ac
1.1. The Mode n Uni e si y's Need o Expe imen wi h Mode n Elemen s o he
Ma ke ing Mix
In he speci ic con ex o he new economy and a knowledge-based and c ea i e socie y, an
inc easing numbe o social ac o s pa icipa e in he educa ional ac , playing oles ha a e
becoming mo e complex, and hei in luence needs o be inc easingly known and
conside ed. In Figu e 1, he syne gis ic in e e ences be ween hese socie al ec o s o high-
quali y educa ion a e p esen ed schema ically.
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ORGANISATION and
PARTNERS
HIGHER
EDUCATION
INSTITUTION
DIRECT
BENEFICIARIES
STUDENTS
COMPETITION
Figu e no. 1. Key Ac o s in he Highe Educa ion Ma ke
To build and op imise a mode n educa ional landscape, one in which he ansi ion om
eaching o lea ning has been ecognised, and he impo ance o p oac i i y and
pa icipa i e leade ship becomes inc easingly necessa y, he in e nalisa ion o speci ic
ma ke ing ools is essen ial. The unique ole o ma ke ing in he uni e si y landscape is o
es ablish a a ou able ela ionship be ween di e en in e es g oups using he mos
app op ia e ools and o modi y indi iduals' eac ions o ex e nal s imuli. In e na ionally, a
he Eu opean and na ional le els, we obse e a p o oca i e mix whose basic componen s
include he massi ica ion and ma ke isa ion o highe educa ion. Unde he in luence o
hese wo complemen a y bu con adic o y ends, one o he challenging aspec s becomes
he g ow h in he numbe o s uden s, as hei pa icipa ion in social p og ess and hei own
de elopmen become inc easingly p essing. Adop ing his concep once again aligns wi h
he applica ion o ma ke ing p ac ices in uni e si ies, wi h he mos sui able ange o ools
being social ma ke ing, designed o help dissemina e beha iou s, wi h he main objec i e o
modi ying one o he ou s a es: accep ing a new beha iou , ejec ing a po en ially
undesi able beha iou , changing cu en beha iou , o gi ing up an old inapp op ia e habi
(Cheng, Ko le and Lee, 2011).
Because oday's consume s ha e inc easingly complex consump ion beha iou s ha a e
ha de o sa is y, a signi ican pa adigm shi in ma ke ing and consume a ac ion me hods
becomes necessa y. In he case o social ma ke ing, he e is an impe a i e ocus on
beha iou al lea ning, de ined as " he p ocess o de eloping au oma ic esponses o a
cons uc ed si ua ion h ough epea ed exposu e o i " (Ke in and Ha ley, 2017).
1.2. Implica ions o he Pa adigm Shi in Ma ke ing on he Buying Decision
In highe educa ion, we ha e been wi nessing a econ igu a ion o he con ex in which
signi ican decisions a e made. The mode n uni e si y, aspi ing o be bo h e ec i e and
e icien , mus i mly and i e e sibly align i sel wi h he coo dina es o en ep eneu ship,
wi h he ec o s o his p ocess being people, oppo uni ies, con ex , and ela ional diag am
(Os e walde , Pigneu and Tucci, 2005). Recen de elopmen s ha e ein o ced he idea ha
con ex p e ails compa ed o o he ec o s, wi h a i udes owa d ce ain ca ego ies o
goods and se ices becoming inc easingly impo an . Conside ing ha choice in ol es he
exis ence o al e na i es, Menon and Kahn (1995) p ac ically p esen ed a si ua ion whe e
changes in he con ex o choice may no signi ican ly educe he desi e o a ie y bu
could only o some ex en dec ease he inclina ion owa ds seeking di e si y. In o he
wo ds, beyond a ce ain h eshold, he epe i ion o choices can only be su passed by
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Vol. 26 • No. 66 • May 2024 651
di e si ying p oduc s wi hin he same ca ego y, indica ing a posi i e ela ionship, albei
wi h a lowe deg ee o s a is ical obus ness, be ween con ex and al e na i e e alua ion
(decision-making), and compe i ion can play an ex emely signi ican ole.
T adi ional economic models usually exclude con ex when explaining consume beha iou ,
bu a se ies o esea ch s udies in psychology and neu oeconomics show ha he ype o
consume beha iou signi ican ly depends on con ex (Louie and De Ma ino, 2014). This is
pa icula ly e iden , especially in cases whe e asse s subjec o choosing a e equen ly used
and ha e mode a e cos s. On he o he hand, bo h he heo y and p ac ice o beha iou al
economics ha e highligh ed nume ous si ua ions whe e consume s make i a ional choices.
Some analys s (S anke ich, 2017) ha e a gued abou he high alue o indica o s ela ed o
consume beha iou , emphasising he impo ance o he decision-making con ex .
Ano he s udy on he same heme (T ueblood e al., 2013) demons a ed h ough h ee
expe imen s ha decision-making is posi i ely in luenced by he con ex in which he
decision make is si ua ed and does no speci ically ely on pe cep ion, e en hough
in o ma ion can be accumula ed sequen ially. This sugges s ha he consume 's s a e
di ec ly in luences he buying decision.
The e o e, he con ex e e s mo e o he momen when he bene icia y o a pa icula
socie al ac i i y ecognises i s need. Addi ionally, O o e al. (2022) highligh ha he
op ions a ailable o consume s a e in luenced by hei pe cep ion o expec a ions, which, in
u n, depend on he con ex in which he consume inds hemsel es a he ime o decision-
making. They a gue ha he alue o an op ion is calcula ed in ela ion o i s con ex .
Consume s gain social app o al om hose a ound hem by adhe ing o social no ms
ela ed o hei consump ion choices, ensu ing ha hey a e isible, dis inc , and align wi h
wha he communi y desi es (Fishe and P ice, 1992). I his concep applies when he
consume decides o make a pu chase, i is unde s ood ha social pe cep ions a e closely
linked o he decision-making p ocess and a e in luenced by social ends.
A possible model o con ex ual decision-making by consume s is concep ually p esen ed
(Suomala, 2020) in Figu e 2. The model shows how a consume makes decisions in he ma ke
based on men al models o di e en con ex s (Cm1, Cm2,… Cmn), whe e each ep esen s a
speci ic con ex ual model, and a ha momen , hei p e ious belie s PB2 a e ac i a ed.
Figu e no. 2. The Consume Con ex ual Decision-Making Model
Sou ce: Suomala, 2020
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Suomala (2020) cons uc ed he model based on models o con ex ual and a ional
esou ces o human beha iou and decision-making (G i i hs, Liede and Goodman, 2015;
Tymula and Plassmann, 2016; McKenzie, 2018).
1.3. Me hodological Conside a ions Rega ding he Speci ics o S udy P og ams and
he Beha iou al Elemen s o hei Bene icia ies
Specialised pe sonnel in ol ed in educa ional ma ke ing ac i i ies mus possess, abo e all,
a comp ehensi e unde s anding o he p oduc /se ice o e ed and demons a e an
unde s anding o consume beha iou al pa e ns. The e olu ion owa ds a global lea ning
ecosys em inc easingly based on digi al esilience, cha ac e ised by almos unlimi ed access
o in o ma ion and ex ended lea ning oppo uni ies, comple ely ede ines how we in e ac
in he academic en i onmen , o e ing he inc easingly digi al gene a ion a di e se
spec um o esou ces and educa ional communi ies h ough i ual communica ion
(Dolence, 2015). The cu iculum design planning o an educa ion p o ide mus ocus on
he gene al academic plan o he u u e, conside ing he undamen al changes b ough by
he new pa adigm and global lea ning ecosys em, and ac as a cen al guide, o ien ing he
o ganisa ion, and suppo ing o he ins i u ional s a egic plans (Dolence, 2015).
An in e es ing app oach o he uni e si y's p oduc (K achenbe g, 1972; Dominici and Sea ,
2009; Nedbalo á, G eenac e and Schulz, 2014; Mahajan and Golahi , 2019) is he s udy
p og amme chosen by s uden s. P ac ically, all pa icipan s in he uni e si y-le el
educa ional ac a ibu e inc easing impo ance o he dynamic co ela ion be ween
specialised and ans e sal skills and cogni i e abili ies o e ed by s udy p og ammes and
he cu en equi emen s o he labou ma ke (Psacha opoulos and Velez, 1993; Ha man
and Schmid , 1995). I has been obse ed ha he alignmen be ween educa ional objec i es
and he eal needs o employe s has been es ablished as he mos impo an ac o
con ibu ing o maximising he sa is ac ion o pos g adua e s uden s (Ha ey and G een,
1993). As employe s expec s uden s o be p epa ed o he business en i onmen , hey also
alue his aspec (B uce, 2009).
One o he concep s wi h he highes equency bo h in posi ion pape s om a ious
o ganisa ions and in academic esea ch is sus ainabili y, which is de ined as a combina ion
o economic e iciency, social esponsibili y, and ecological esilience. In he ield o
highe educa ion, he e is a need o maximise he deg ee o sus ainabili y, his p ocess
in ol ing ob aining a le el o knowledge ha co esponds o a sus ainable wo ld and
p omo ing skills o success in an unp edic able u u e (Cini e al., 2023). Al hough
uni e si ies a e i al in add essing hese challenges and p epa ing s uden s o u u e
demands, hese o ganisa ions mus unde go signi ican ans o ma ion, demons a ing ha
hey in e nalise new oppo uni ies, a e p epa ed o ace h ea s, and se he one o u u e
di ec ions in ad anced knowledge.
S a ing om a se ies o g ounded hypo heses, we ocused on he mos ele an co ela ions
be ween he aspi a ions nu u ed by he in e es g oups ha ma e a he socie al le el
(Uni ed Na ions, 2023). We also s a ed om he hypo hesis ha o align wi h he goals
con ibu ing o sus ainable de elopmen , uni e si ies mus make changes in he cu iculum,
p omo e esea ch de elopmen and he gene a ion o inno a i e p ac ices, con inuously
mode nise hei in as uc u e and in os uc u e, and in ol e s uden s and membe s o he
communi ies o which hey belong in hei own ac i i ies, no jus o de elop skills o
sus ainable de elopmen (Wang, Sommie and Vasques, 2022). A uni e si y should align
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Vol. 26 • No. 66 • May 2024 653
i s s a egies and ope a ional p og ammes wi h social no ms and con ex o ensu e ha i s
educa ional o e ing emains ele an and i s e o s ake in o accoun he dynamic needs o
he communi y. Adap ing s a egies o i social no ms equips s uden s wi h eal success
skills and con ibu es o socie al p og ess, imp o ing he ins i u ion's ele ance,
sus ainabili y, and communi y suppo . The digi al e olu ion in educa ion con i ms he
di ec ion owa d sus ainable managemen o his ield. Uni e si ies mus quickly adap o
mac o-en i onmen al changes and in eg a e key ends in hei digi al ans o ma ion,
whe e a i icial in elligence s ands as a c ucial pa o his change (Mohamed Hashim,
Tlemsani and Ma hews, 2022). The e o e, we decided o obse e how much he con ex o
al e able ac o s could in luence he decision-making p ocess.
1.4. In luences o he Con ex on he O e ing o S udy P og ammes
To success ully implemen hese ac i i ies, he success ul eshaping o s udy p og ammes
equi es con inuous in ol emen om all ac o s pa icipa ing in he educa ional p ocess.
Each o hese s akeholde s con ibu es, in i s speci ic way, o he c ea ion and dissemina ion
o uni e si y-le el educa ional p oduc s. Mo eo e , each o hem ope a es in a ce ain
con ex ha can be a ou able o no and has di ec implica ions no only on he
con igu a ion o his ac i i y. In Figu e 3, he con ex ual implica ions a e p esen ed o he
ou en i ies in ol ed in he educa ional p ocess, esul ing in a combina ion o con ex s o
s a es o en i ies ha lead o consequences o he p oduc .
Con ex
Posi i e Nega i e
Uni e si y
Socie y
Compe i ion
S uden s
Con ex pai s
S imulus O ganism Answe o
s imulus
Figu e no. 3. The In luence o Con ex on he Beha io o En i ies In ol ed
in he Educa ional P ocess
Sou ce: Adap ed om He, e al., 2012
S a ing om he iden i iable ela ional diag am o he educa ional landscape, we
p oceeded o de e mine he a ious ypes o a chi ec u es in which he ou mos impo an
in e es g oups can pa icipa e using he o mula:
R=SO (1)
Whe e:
R = he numbe o di e en combina ions o con ex s/s a es
S = he o al numbe o con ex s (no less han 2)
O = he o al numbe o o ganisms
In Figu e 3, i is ele an ha , depending on he ypes o con ex ha can be iden i ied
( a ou able o un a ou able), 16 di e en combina ions o con ex ual elemen s can be
ou lined, each ha ing a no iceable in luence. The di e si y o co ela ions is e y high, wi h
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each in e es g oup being in a ou able o un a ou able si ua ions. In e es ing a e he ways
o minimise nega i e e ec s and hose in which aining e ec s can be maximised.
The e o e, i becomes ex emely necessa y o he educa ional p oduc o be designed
conside ing he in e sec ion o a ou able s a es, he complexi y o he p ocess o be
acknowledged, and, as some analys s ha e emphasised (Ko le and A ms ong, 2008), he
s ages p esen ed in Figu e 4 should be ollowed.
Figu e no. 4. S ages o he decision-making p ocess
Sou ce: Adap ed om Ko le and A ms ong, 2008
Ano he in e es ing app oach can be obse ed in Belch and Belch (2009), who anspose
he s ages in o a psychological p ocess o adap a ion and lea ning (Figu e 5). Each o hese
phases is in e connec ed and un olds in a con inuous sequence when a pe son is in he
decision-making p ocess. They a e in luenced by pe sonal and si ua ional ac o s, and he
p og ession o hese s ages can a y om pe son o pe son.
Figu e no. 5. S ages o he decision-making p ocess om a psychological pe spec i e
Sou ce: Adap ed om Belch and Belch, 2009
Unde s anding he complexi y o hese s ages and hei in e ac ions can con ibu e o
imp o ing he quali y o he decision-making p ocess and achie ing he en isaged
objec i es. The e o e, i is impe a i e o unde s and o wha ex en he con ex , as de ined
ea lie o he ou en i ies con ibu ing o he smoo h unning o he educa ional p ocess in
he uni e si y en i onmen , can in luence hese s ages and how uni e si ies can be assis ed
in unde s anding his con ex and adap ing hei s a egies acco dingly. To empi ically es
analy ical hypo heses, we subjec ed he mul i-pa ame ic educa ional landscape o a
comp ehensi e examina ion, aced wi h inc easingly nume ous challenges.
2. Resea ch Me hodology
2.1. Iden i ica ion o he Decision-Making Issue and Resea ch Pu pose
Acco ding o he Na ional Ins i u e o S a is ics, in he academic yea 2022-2023, 3.472
million young indi iduals we e en olled in a s udy p og amme in Romania ( ega dless o
he educa ional le el), which was a dec ease o 23,000 compa ed o he p e ious yea . O
hese, in he academic yea 2022-2023, 538.7 housand s uden s we e en olled, wi h 55.3%
being emale (INSSE.RO, 2023). A he Eu opean le el o educa ion, he numbe o people
en olled in highe educa ion (uni e si y) in all p og ammes and sex was 19,969,131 in
2019, indica ing a downwa d end (T adingeconomics, 2023).
As a esul o de elopmen s wi hin he Bologna p ocess, whose main ec o is
in e na ionalisa ion, acco ding o ele an s a is ics (Eu os a , 2023), 1.52 million s uden s
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om membe coun ies o he Eu opean Union a e s udying ab oad, bo h wi hin and ou side
he con inen .
Taking in o accoun he g owing in e es o young people in s udying p og ammes in
coun ies o he han Romania, decision make s in Romanian uni e si ies mus co ec ly
unde s and he ac o s on which he decision o young people o op o a pa icula e ia y
educa ion ins i u ion depends. Uni e si ies ha e a g ea e chance o es ablishing e ec i e
and pe sonalised ma ke ing s a egies based on s uden desi es and expec a ions i hey
unde s and he de ining con ex ual elemen s hey ind hemsel es a he momen o
deciding on a speci ic uni e si y s udy p og amme. The e o e, in a wo ld o ie ce
compe i ion whe e all highe educa ion en i ies s i e o a ac he mos aluable young
people, p omising hem a ema kable educa ional expe ience, his deep unde s anding could
p o ide a conside able ad an age.
Unde s anding he undamen al elemen s o he beha iou o a p ospec i e s uden in a
uni e si y s udy p og amme becomes c ucial o he su i al o ha s udy p og amme and
he uni e si y o e ing i . The e o e, we conduc ed esea ch aimed a de eloping and es ing
a model ha ocusses on he in luence o con ex s on he choice o uni e si y s udy
p og ammes.
2.2. Objec i es and Resea ch Hypo heses
We aim o achie e he ollowing analy ical and me hodological objec i es h oughou he
in es iga ion:
O1. E alua e he causali y ela ionships be ween he speci ic con ex ual design o each o
he main in e es g oups;
O2. Measu e he impac o pe cep ion on con ex s in he decision-making p ocess;
O3. Iden i y and a gue possible changes in he acquisi ion decision-making p ocess;
O4. Es ablish he mos ele an con ex o he decision o op o a pa icula uni e si y-
le el s udy p og amme.
Resea ch hypo heses:
Building on he concep o O o e al. (2022), s a ing ha pe cep ion luc ua es based on he
a ailable op ions o he consume , we empi ically es ed he ollowing hypo heses
ega ding s uden s' pe cep ion o con ex s:
H1: The pe cep ion o he consume 's (s uden 's) con ex posi i ely impac s he o ganism's
own con ex (T ueblood e al., 2013);
H2: The pe cep ion o he uni e si y's compe i i e con ex posi i ely impac s he
o ganism's own con ex (Menon and Kahn, 1995);
H3: The pe cep ion o he uni e si y's con ex posi i ely impac s he o ganism's own
con ex (Menon and Kahn, 1995);
H4: The pe cep ion o socie y's con ex posi i ely impac s he o ganism's own con ex
(Fishe and P ice, 1992);
H5A: The pe cep ion o he pe sonal con ex posi i ely impac s he decision-making
p ocess;
H5B: The pe cep ion o he uni e si y's compe i i e con ex posi i ely impac s he
decision-making p ocess;
AE
The In luence o Con ex s in he P ocess o Choosing a Uni e si y P oduc
662 Am i ea u Economic
inno a i e educa ional mechanisms and p ocesses. Rega ding he decision-making p ocess
in choosing a s udy p og amme, s uden s ansi ion om e alua ing al e na i es o ob aining
in o ma ion, and he pe cep ion o he compe i i e uni e si y con ex decisi ely in luences
his p ocess. The ela ionships be ween he en i ies in ol ed in he decision a e
in e dependen , ele an , and alid. The s udy sugges s a quali a i e app oach o be e
unde s and he complex p ocess o s uden s choosing a acul y.
The esea ch highligh s ha pe cep ion and pe sonal ac o s in luence s uden s' decisions in
choosing a s udy p og amme. Uni e si ies, aced wi h a compe i i e ma ke , mus
an icipa e demand and adjus p og ammes o emain ele an . The decision-making p ocess
o s uden s is no dic a ed only by socie y o uni e si y equi emen s, bu also by
imp essions o he compe i i e en i onmen o he ins i u ion. An adap able and sus ainable
app oach o educa ional o e ings can make educa ion mo e ele an o s uden needs,
p epa ing hem o make in o med choices and con ibu e o sus ainable solu ions.
Due o in ense compe i ion na ionally and in e na ionally, uni e si ies mus apidly adap o
mee cu en equi emen s. I is c ucial o hem o adjus ma ke ing s a egies and s udy
p og ammes o mee s uden s' needs and opinions, p ima ily in luenced by pe sonal goals
and alues. Flexibili y becomes essen ial o main ain compe i i eness and adap o changes
in educa ion and he job ma ke .
Highe educa ion needs o econside i s app oaches in he ace o inc easing digi isa ion,
adop ing inno a i e eaching me hods, and ensu ing ha s udy p og ammes a e ele an o
indus y equi emen s. Uni e si ies should highligh he unique and inno a i e aspec s o
hei p og ammes, including sus ainabili y conce ns and alignmen wi h con empo a y
needs. S uden and communi y pa icipa ion, along wi h he p omo ion o esea ch and
ex e nal pa ne ships, can be key o a ac ing s uden s and de eloping e ec i e ma ke ing
s a egies in he uni e si y en i onmen . Unde s anding he in luences on s uden decisions
and he adap abili y o educa ional ins i u ions becomes impe a i e o main aining
ele ance and e ec i eness in he e e -changing educa ional landscape.
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Appendix No. 1. Table no. 1. De ini ion o Resea ch Va iables
Ques ion se C . no. I em
I em
Codi ica ion
La en a iable
Ope a ional
desc ip ion
1
Socie y's p essu e o choose a pa icula
p og amme:
SocCn x 1 Nega i e
2
Family's expec a ions o con inue s udies: SocCn x 2 Ra he nega i e
3
The possibili y o ob aining a be e job: SocCn x 3 Neu al
4
How iends o schoolma es ha e app oached
he subjec :
SocCn x 4 Ra he posi i e
5
How he online and media in o med you: SocCn x 5 Posi i e
1
Compe i i eness o he s udy p og amme
( acul y):
ComCn x 1 Nega i e
2
The p essu e o acquain ances o choose a op
college:
ComCn x 2 Ra he nega i e
3
In o ma ion abou admission a es and chances
o being accep ed o you desi ed uni e si y:
ComCn x 3 Neu al
4
Repu a ion o he chosen acul y: ComCn x 4 Ra he posi i e
5
Cos s and ees o he chosen uni e si y: ComCn x 5 Posi i e
1
Subjec s s udied: UniCn x 1 Nega i e
2
Ca ee oppo uni ies and p o essional p ospec s
o e ed by he s udy p og amme:
UniCn x 2 Ra he nega i e
3
Issues ela ed o uni e si y in as uc u e such
as esea ch acili ies, lib a y and echnological
acili ies:
UniCn x 3 Neu al
4
The expe ience o cu en s uden s o g adua es
o he s udy p og amme and how he uni e si y
has helped hem in hei academic and
p o essional de elopmen :
UniCn x 4 Ra he posi i e
5
Schola ships o unding oppo uni ies o e ed by
he college:
UniCn x 5 Posi i e
1 Pe sonal goals:
P sCn x 1 Nega i e
2
You own in e es s, passions and alues in
ela ion o you ield o s udy:
P sCn x 2 Ra he nega i e
3
Geog aphical loca ion, size o uni e si y o
cul u al en i onmen :
P sCn x 3 Neu al
4
Academic and pe sonal li e balance: P sCn x 4 Ra he posi i e
5
The hough ha you migh gi e up you
uni e si y s udies i hey pu you in an
un a ou able ci cums ance:
P sCn x 5 Posi i e
1
I ealized ha I needed a uni e si y deg ee DecS ep1 S ep 1
2
I s a ed looking o in o ma ion abou a
pa icula deg ee p og am
DecS ep2 S ep 2
3
I s a ed looking o in o ma ion abou se e al
uni e si y deg ee p og ams
DecS ep3 S ep 3
4
I' e decided which unde g adua e p og am o
choose:
DecS ep4 S ep 4
5
I hough abou whe he my chosen deg ee
p og amme will be a sa is ac o y one:
DecS ep5 S ep 5
1
When I en olled in college i was s ic ly my
decision:
Pe sPe c
2
I he p og amme o s udy wasn' ele an o
socie y, I didn' apply:
SocPe c
3
I a mo e p es igious uni e si y o e ed me he
same p og am o s udy, I chose ha one:
CompPe c
4
E en i a uni e si y o e s me a s udy
p og amme ha mee s my expec a ions, I check
o he educa ional o e s:
Uni Pe c
Socie y con ex s
(SocCn x )
To a e y small ex en
To a small ex en
To a medium ex en
To a g ea ex en
To a e y la ge ex en
Decisional
p ocess s eps
(DecS eps)
Compe i ion
con ex
(ComCn x )
Uni e si y
con ex
(UniCn x )
Pe sonal con ex
(P sCn x )
1 - How did he ollowing
si ua ions a ec you
decision o choose a
uni e si y s udy
p og amme?
2 - When you conside ed
al e na i es (and o he
cu icula), how did he
ollowing a ec you?
3 - When you e alua ed
he bene i s o his s udy
p og amme, how did he
ollowing a ec you?
4 - Gi en you pe sonal
li e and you decision o
a end college, how ha e
he ollowing a ec ed
you?
5 - Thinking abou he
s eps you wen h ough
when you made he
decision o a end a
uni e si y, o de (s ep 1-
s ep 5) he ollowing
ac ions acco ding o
hem:
6. To wha ex en do you
ag ee wi h he ollowing
s a emen s?
