Market orientation and performance of private and public universities in Kenya: A comparative study

Abstract

This study sought to find out the market orientation and performance of private and public universities in Kenya. The study examines whether there exists a significant difference between competitor orientation, customer orientation, market intelligence, inter-functional coordination and universities' performance in Kenya. Comparative research on market orientation and performance of Kenyan private and public universities has been carried out in many settings over the past several years, and specifically none in Kenya. The research adopted a descriptive research design. Primary data were gathered from 115 respondents using a survey questionnaire administered to students and staff of both Kenyan private and public universities. The purposive sampling approach was employed to sample respondents. Competitor orientation, market intelligence generation and inter-functional coordination are significant for both public and private universities. This implies that both universities have embraced market-oriented activities towards students’ satisfaction, students’ retention and student increase. Management of universities should embrace market intelligence generation, competitor orientation and inter-functional coordination components to improve university performance. This will enable them to improve and maintain their competitiveness in the competitive education sector. This study puts forward market orientation strategies which can inform policies and advise other academic institutions that wish to satisfy their students' needs and services. The study introduces the notion of market orientation for institutions that may not have embraced market-oriented practices in Kenya's university sector.