Factors Influencing Reputation of a Malaysian Private University from a Strategic Communication Management Perspective

Abstract

Reputation studies have gained attention tremendously as a significant area of research in corporate communication and business-related studies. Universities today have realized the importance of having a solid reputation to attract their stakeholders, mainly the students (customers) as they are the largest stakeholder for the survival of the university. This study aims to investigate the predicting factors of tangible and intangible resources and their impacts on the university reputation of a private university in Klang Valley from the student’s perspective. The study applied Resource-Based View Theory as an underpinning theory to explain these relationships. The study applied a quantitative survey design and generated 400 valid responses. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis. The findings revealed that tangible resources (university logo, university facilities) and intangible resources (university heritage, university image) are the predictors of the university's reputation, where university heritage appears to be a prominent predictor among the other determinants. The current study contributed to the corporate communication and marketing scholarship by clarifying the gaps between image and reputation as two different constructs. This has called upon the management and marketing department of the private university to pay attention to the determinants highlighted, especially the heritage of the university as it is a unique selling point for the institution to differentiate from its rivals. Conclusion, implications, and suggestions for future study were also discussed.