Abstract:

The success of institutions is directly linked to the quality of the products they produce and the services they offer. With globalization, the education sector has opened up to the outside world. The rapid increase in the number of universities today has also intensified competition among higher education institutions offering educational services. With this increase in the number of universities, it is important to ensure the quality of services provided and to meet the expectations of all stakeholders, especially students.

In competitive conditions, universities aiming to be the primary choice of students must give due importance to the issue of corporate image. Universities are exploring ways to maintain and enhance their institutional image to be preferred by qualified personnel and students. Universities with a strong institutional image remain permanent in students' minds. Although the image, perceived as reputation and success by institutions, is an abstract or immeasurable concept, it is recognized and understood as a result of studies and interpretations (word-of-mouth communication). Therefore, corporate image is accepted as a success indicator in marketing activities. Developing the corporate image is perceived as an important concept for every organization offering professional services. The image is very valuable for a product, an institution, or even a country. In a high-competition environment, universities also pay more attention to strengthening their own images and taking ownership of their institutional images. The corporate image in universities is important for student satisfaction and loyalty and should be consistent with the quality of services offered to students.

The general impression and behavior regarding a purchased product or service is defined as satisfaction. In the education sector, student satisfaction is related to the personal interpretation of the student's experiences and outcomes in their educational life. At this point, universities, which are of great importance for the advancement of countries, are said to have students as their primary customers. Consequently, the marketing of educational services is discussed. The contribution of education services, consumed at the point of production, to students' lives is significant. Positive perceptions regarding the quality of service provided to students are also stated to be highly effective on student satisfaction.

The aim of this study is to determine the relationship between service quality and corporate image perceptions among 1150 students at universities in Istanbul. The correlation analysis shows that the perception of service quality is significantly positively correlated with corporate image by 67.2%. Regression analysis indicates that when the perception of service quality increases by 1 unit, the perception of corporate image increases by 0.698 units (β=0.698, p<0.01).

Keywords:

Service Quality, Corporate Image, University Students, Statistical Analysis.