The influence of rankings on business school students’ perception and satisfaction. An exploratory study

Abstract

[EN] Rankings of higher education institutions are used as important marketing tools. Given their competitive environment, business schools increasingly use their position in rankings to attract new students and staff and to communicate about their image and reputation. In parallel, literature has demonstrated the importance of student satisfaction in generating considerable financial and reputational benefits. With few empirical evidence analysing the relationship between the position in ranking and students’ experiences, the aim of this paper is to explore the influence of business schools’ rankings on students’ perception of quality and their satisfaction. The analyses of focus group discussions shows that even if generally students do not pay important attention to the rankings, certain (good) position boosts their expectations towards business schools’ product quality (education) and customer service (administration). As a result, they are more critical and less satisfied if they perceive a gap between the position in ranking and the quality of service received.