La Responsabilidad Social Universitaria como estrategia de marketing en la universidad

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the effects of students’ perception on university social responsibility (USR) on their experiences of perceived quality of service and satisfaction, as well as to know if the USR could be an antecedent that harmonizes the university marketing strategy with the student’s expectations. Using as a reference the four impacts-based model, it was hypothesized that assessment of those university impacts would have a positive effect on students’ global perception of USR, which in turn would affect positively the dimensions of perceived quality and satisfaction. The empirical research consisted in a survey to a sample of students within Sciences and Techniques at the University of León. Data was analyzed with exploratory factor analysis and structural equations modelling with the partial least squares (PLS) technique. Results identified six factors in the student perception of the university impacts, although only three of these (environmental-educational impact, organizational impact and social impact) affected the student’s global perception on URS. Similarly, a positive effect of students’ USR global perception on their experiences of quality of service and satisfaction was found. The results of the study support the competitive advantage that USR represents as an instrument to improve the university experience, and have important implications for the design of marketing strategies to attract and retain students in higher education contexts.