Alumni Loyalty in Higher Education (Case of Three Private University Alumni of BA Business Administration Programs)

In the 21st century, the increasing need for enhancing the quality of education in higher educational institutions has caught a high interest of researchers in studying the influence of quality of educational services on students’ satisfaction and graduates’ loyalty. Taking into account the purpose of the study, the questionnaire used in it contains predictive and descriptive questions. The research describes different factors, such as service quality, facilities, administrative staff helpfulness, university location, and academic staff professionalism impact on the level of alumni loyalty. The information has been obtained at three private universities in Georgia. Research results were gathered for comparative analysis. The research variable, in this case factors affecting the level of loyalty, should be paid attention to, in order to gain a high level of alumni loyalty.

Modeling the Relationship between University Brand Image and Alumni Loyalty Using a Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Model (PLS-SEM) Approach

In today’s competitive business world, marketing is critically important to universities in positioning a product to attract the interest of its clients, which are the prospective students. As for public universities such as University Teknologi Mara (UiTM), the key to survive the increasing competition and financial difficulties is through their alumni loyalty. The purpose of this study is to determine the factors that affects the Alumni Loyalty towards UiTM. This study tests a model derived from a relationship marketing perspective to investigate the effects of components of University Brand Image which are Academic System, Reputation, Employability, Shared Values and Social Network on the Alumni Loyalty towards UiTM. Based on the literature review, a theoretical model is proposed and tested through Partial Least Square - Structural Equations Modelling (PLS-SEM) using a sample of 815 UiTM alumni. The results reveal that the significant factors that affect Alumni Loyalty are Reputation, Employability and Shared Values. In addition, the results highlight that Academic System do not affect Alumni Loyalty directly but rather indirectly through the mediation of Satisfaction. Overall, Academic System, Reputation, Employability and Shared Values are important in explaining the variance of Alumni Loyalty. University should be careful about the quality of the course offered and methods of delivery by the academicians since the implication of an Academic System is significant toward the loyalty of alumni.

Modelling Students’ Experience Towards the Development of Alumni Involvement and Alumni Loyalty

The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of students’ experience towards the development of alumni involvement and alumni loyalty in Malaysia. This study utilized the survey (questionnaire) method. Data are gathered from 347 respondents in one of the Public Higher Educational Institution (PHEI) in Malaysia. Results presented that students in this institution have low levels of alumni involvement (mean=1.23) and alumni loyalty (mean=1.76). Results also presented that in this institution, students’ experience is significantly related to alumni involvement (β=.42, p<.01) and alumni loyalty (β=.57, p<.01). This study contributed some new knowledge which can be channelled to all PHEIs in Malaysia to improve the level of alumni involvement and alumni loyalty. Good experience of students can be cultivated by improving several aspects on managerial side. Some recommendations to increase the level of students’ experience are discussed.