IJBMC Volume 2, Issue 4, 2022
Investigating sustainable competitive advantage in higher educational institutions of Sri Lanka: A price moderation perspective
Asanga Ranasinghe, Chok Nyen Vui
ABSTRACT
Due to the increasing demand for education across the globe, higher education institutions (HEIs) have also faced intense competition in recent years which leads to uncertain sustainable competitive advantage. This have led most HEIs to develop marketing strategies to improve the likelihood of recruiting national and international students. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the role of marketing innovation, service quality and brand image in determining sustainable competitive advantage of HEIs in Sri Lanka with the moderating influence of pricing. This study distributed 250 questionnaires among working professionals from six HEIs in Sri Lanka. The structural equational modelling (SEM) approach was used to conduct the statistical analysis in this research. The postulated theoretical linkages were investigated using the RBV framework as a beginning point. It was found that service quality and brand image of HEIs are essential dimensions for sustainable competitive advantage. On the basis of the results, it is concluded that marketers and administrative personnel at HEIs must be fully informed about the elements that determine the long-term competitive advantage of HEIs in Sri Lanka. This study also provides a basis for HEIs to refine their business models to cater to the new demands of the industry. This study has also identified new prospects for the future by providing a base of factual and empirical data in relation to variables identified with this phenomenon. However, as far as the Sri Lankan context is concerned there was no evidence of a similar study done in the past especially directly relating to both public and private sector education. Therefore, the findings of this study will help in bridging the existing knowledge gap in the higher education industry that could be helpful for them to develop marketing strategies and in making marketing decision in near future.
Keywords: Higher educational institutions (HEI), marketing innovation, service quality, brand image, sustainable competitive advantage
Bibliography
Ranasinghe, A., & Nyen Vui, C. (2022). Investigating sustainable competitive advantage in higher educational institutions of Sri Lanka: A price moderation perspective. International Journal of Business, Marketing and Communication, 2(4), 1–15.
In-text citation
(Ranasinghe & Nyen Vui, 2022)
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