SEEING THROUGH THE STRATEGY ILLUSION: UNCOVERING IMAGES AND DEEP EMOTIONS FOR A MARKETING STRATEGY IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Purpose: To investigate, and evaluate current strategic issues from the perspectives of senior managers and from students, using images and emotional scaling methods. Method: An interpretive, inductive approach is taken,... [ view full abstract ]

Purpose: To investigate, and evaluate current strategic issues from the perspectives of senior managers and from students, using images and emotional scaling methods.

Method: An interpretive, inductive approach is taken, using depth interviews with senior managers from a range of UK Universities (n=37) and with students from a single case study University (n=24). To elicit deeper understanding from the student perspective images and emotional scaling methods were used.

Conclusions: The research reveals that there are significant differences in the perceptions of senior management and students. The consequences may be that many are focusing attention on the wrong things. We present that Universities will need to develop stronger and more reliable methods to understand and ‘see’ the student experience as they ‘see it’.

Originality: Whilst methodological approaches using images and emotional scaling methods have been applied successfully in a number of consumer marketing cases we find no evidence of application in the HE sector.

Limitations: As is the nature of interpretive and inductive research the results may not be generalised. The purpose is to present depth and meaning which will be relevant to senior managers responsible for strategy, and academics interested in the HE sector.

Keywords: Strategy, HES, Images, Emotional Scaling.