Introduction
Universities in Africa are witnessing unprecedented growth; there has been a rapid increase in the number of universities in Africa over the last 20 years (Olaleye, Ukpabi, & Mogaji, 2020). The government is establishing more universities, and private institutions are also coming on board to meet the growing demands for university places (Farinloye, Adeola, & Mogaji, 2020). As well as the increasing numbers of universities in Africa, there are also international partnerships with universities in Europe and America, while some other universities are opening campuses in Africa (Ndofirepi, Farinloye, & Mogaji, 2020). Due to this increase, prospective university students have an increasingly wide range of choices (Dao & Thorpe, 2015). Prospective students in Africa need to decide which university to attend, perhaps to attend a home university, travel to another country or attend a brand campus.
Understanding this student choice is essential for the marketing strategies of the universities. Importantly, from the studentsā point of view, deciding on a university is a high-risk, complex process (Le, Dobele, & Robinson, 2019). This process has been extensively researched in literature with findings revealing that the decision of which university to apply to is influenced by a wide range of factors, such as the personality of the student, characteristics of institutions, or influential information sources (Hemsley-Brown & Oplatka, 2015). This plethora of knowledge, however, has focused on developed countries, leaving a gap in our knowledge about student choices in Africa.
The challenges for African universities are multifaceted. They face unique developmental challenges based in narratives of poverty, postcolonialism, coloniality, and more recently, decolonisation (Maringe, 2020). While acknowledging the limited theoretical insight into marketing higher education in Africa (Ivy, 2008; Maringe & Foskett, 2002), this book aims to fill this gap in knowledge by examining some of the theoretical and empirical issues surrounding studentās choices in Africaās context, recognising sources of information and factors of choice as critical dimensions when addressing informationāseeking behaviour (SimƵes & Soares, 2010).
The challenges for the administration of the universities, funding structure, curriculum, and quality of education (Maringe, 2005a) are recognised; this book, however, focuses on the student decision-making process. It offers empirical insight into who and what influences the choice of university (Johnston, 2010). In addition, it recognises that understanding student choices is a crucial task for higher education marketers (Le et al., 2019), therefore managerial implications are presented for higher education administrators, and practitioners on how best to reach out to prospective students in the competitive higher education market using digital media and updated websites, highlighting values and engaging with stakeholders and other family members and siblings who can influence the prospective students. We hope that this book meaningfully advances our comprehension of marketing higher education in Africa and that it will stimulate further research.
Coverage and Content of the Book
Following a process of double-blind refereeing, thirteen articles were selected that reflect some of the main challenges and themes of higher education marketing in Africa, which represents a relevant area of research, both for scholars and practitioners. The chapters are grouped into three different themes. Theme one has four chapters with a focus on Choice and Decision Making. There are five chapters in theme two that explore Factors Influencing Choice. Theme three is Attracting Prospective Students explored over four chapters. In addition to these chapters, there is an introductory chapter and a concluding chapter written by the editors. This first chapter provides a background for the study and introduced the coverage and contents of the book, highlighting the different themes and chapters.
Robert Ebo Hinson and Emmanuel Mogaji open with the second chapter titled Co-Creation of Value by Universities and Prospective Students: Towards an Informed Decision-Making Process. The authors offer a theoretical insight into the value delivery systems of the universities and the factors influencing studentsā choice. The chapter is theoretically positioned to recognise the co-creation of value between the university and prospective students. The chapter posits that while students need information to decide which university to attend, there is a sense of responsibility on the part of the universities to showcase their inherent values that may appeal to the student. The chapter extends our theoretical knowledge on value creation, student choice and marketing of higher education. Implications for managers with regards to the value audit, communication and engagement are also presented.
Chapter 3, titled Understanding High School Studentsā University ChoiceāImplications for Marketing and Management of Higher Education in Ghana, was written by Clement Adamba. The chapter focuses on higher education in Ghana, recognising the competition in the sector from the new government policy to upgrade all polytechnics into technical universities. The chapter draws findings from questionnaires administered to final year senior high school students in Ghana. The results show that the choice of a higher education institution is influenced more by institutional reputation, infrastructure, economic and family or relationship factors. The results further show that the best allies for marketers of higher education institutions to attract prospective undergraduates are the teachers and counsellors in senior high schools. The chapter offers areas of attention for management, which include establishing a stronger connection with industry and showing evidence of that connection to prospective students. University representatives should target students directly with this information during visits to senior high schools.
The fourth chapter focuses on another African country. It offers theoretical insights into student choices in Uganda. This chapter, written by Godwin Muhangi and titled Delving into Undergraduate Studentsā Choice of Higher Education in Uganda, examines the process of choosing a higher education institution by undergraduate students in Uganda. The chapter starts by presenting the Ugandan higher education context and brings in the concept of higher education marketing. Factors such as reference groups, family background and sponsorship were found to influence studentsā choice of a higher education institution in Uganda. The chapter recommends that higher education institutions in Uganda must consider marketing in order to survive in the competitive higher education market.
Chapter 5, titled International and Southern African Perspectives on Choice and Decision-Making of Young People in Higher Education, written by Felix Maringe and Otilia Chiramba, recognises that these have become significant areas of endeavour internationally. The rise of neoliberalism and the market in higher education seem to have fuelled this growth. The chapter offers a discussion on the theoretical underpinnings behind choice and student decision-making in higher education based on purposefully selected articles from Southern Africa, an...