Customer care received by students and students’ attraction in universities: A comparative study of Tanzania’s public versus private universities
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Date
2018
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Mzumbe University
Abstract
While it is well-established in student attraction literature in campuses of the Global North, that failures to compete for attraction of students in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) inter alia is associated with several factors including gaps in institutionalization of customer care, beyond it, little has been thought in the context of customer care received by students and student attraction in Universities of the Global South. The overall objective of this research was to compare customer care received by students of Private University (St Augustine University, Morogoro branch) versus Public University (Mzumbe University-Morogoro Main Campus) for student attraction in the current era of market liberalisation in Tanzania. The study adopted a descriptive, multi-case research design, which revolves around the mixed research approach in which qualitative data dominated over quantitative ones. It also utilised both secondary and primary data which were collected through the use of questionnaires and interviews from a sample of 120 study participants. In terms of data analysis, the quantitative data for this study were analyzed descriptively using measures of central tendency such as mean and standard deviation through a Software Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 20, and presented by using tables and figures. Also, the qualitative data were analyzed through content analysis. The study found out that Institutional and legal frameworks are crucial aspects for supporting the execution of customer care services in universities. Its presence in St Augustine University especially Jordan University College has a potential of attracting and retaining more students on campus compared to Mzumbe University despite the fact that both political and demographic changes can continue to shape university student mobility in Tanzania. The study concludes that customer care is not panacea to every problem prevailing on university campuses. As such, universities should address the major barriers to improving customer service such as the ―silo‖ structure of support services, inefficient policies and procedures, and staff training needs within the regulatory framework that reflects local context. As such, what matters most in HEIs is responsiveness, efficiency, clear communication, and conflict management. It also recommends for a review of Tanzania‘s Higher Education Policy to integrate aspects such as institutionalization of customer care services in public HEIs while establishing workable legal frameworks for its execution.
Description
A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Masters of Arts in Education (MAED) of Mzumbe University
Keywords
HEIs-Customer Care -Tanzania, HEIs Attraction - Tanzania, HEIs-Customer Service
Citation
APA