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One of the main goals of contemporary higher education institutions refers to achieving and developing sustainable competitive advantage. That fact is among the main causes for affirmation of marketing concept application in higher education sector. Namely, in the higher education market, more and more various institutions are offering their services to the same target group – prospective students. Competition on this market is stronger and more numerous than ever, and that makes more explicit application of marketing – a necessity. In order to survive and develop on the market, higher education institutions have to attract, enrol and retain sufficient number of students. That is possible only if these institutions succeed to establish and continuously enhance their competitive advantage. In profit sector context, marketing concept is used for achieving mentioned aims, as this business orientation has positive influence on organisation’s performances. Marketing concept refers to systematic gathering and dissemination of market intelligence, and decision-making based on this information, with final aim – to provide superior value and to cater the needs of clients better than the competition does. Although application of marketing concept in higher education sector has originally faced some objections, numerous researches have proven that not only is it possible in this sector, but marketing activities are commonly used in higher education institutions. On the other hand, studies about marketing concept and its effects are relatively scarce in higher education context. Therefore, the main aim of the research presented in this Doctoral Dissertation is to determine whether marketing concept application contributes to success of higher education institutions (HEIs). In that respect, the main scientific contribution of this dissertation refers to filling in the identified gaps in theoretical and empirical researches realized so far. This aim is especially reflected in the specific context of the realized research. Namely, most of the previous studies pertain to unique language or geographical area and context of developed countries. This research includes the context of developing country (Serbia), but also comparative analysis with developed country (Finland) – developed not only in terms of economy, but also in terms of outstanding educational sector performances. Research on interrelation of marketing concept application and performances of HEIs was realized in the following manner. Application of marketing concept (market orientation) was analysed as one option of business orientations, alongside production and sales concept. HEIs were classified into three groups based on implemented business orientation, and then their performances were compared in order to test whether market oriented HEIs had better performances when compared to the rest of the sample. Several criteria were used for classification of HEIS into groups that relate to implemented business orientation. The main criterion refers to decision making in the institution. It is considered that market oriented HEIs base their decisions on systematically gathered and disseminated market intelligence. Performances that were analysed include: (overall) success, competitiveness, reputation and innovativeness of the institution, as well as satisfaction of students and employees. These performances were selected because of their specific importance in the context of market orientation. Positive influence that market orientation has on all these performances was firstly confirmed by theoretical findings. Based on these findings, research questions and aims were set for empirical research that includes comparative analysis of interrelation of market orientation and performances of HEIs in Serbia and Finland. Research of this kind usually includes experimental research design, which here was not fully applicable because of impossibility to introduce experimental factor when needed. Therefore, the research method that was chosen instead is poll research that follows the logic of ex post facto experiment. The research was carried out on the population of study programmes, not HEIs, as it is assumed that management of institutions can use different business orientations in managing different programmes on the same institution. In accordance with the aims of this research, the research sample is defined. The sample is stratified, disproportional and random and includes study programmes of HEIs in Serbia and Finland. The realized sample includes 97 units (study programmes, 65 from Serbia and 32 from Finland). Data needed for hypotheses testing was gathered from December 2014 till March 2015. Interviewees (persons included in structures that manage study programmes from the sample or persons familiar with the relevant issues) were personally contacted. The ones that agreed to contribute to the research filled in the questionnaire uploaded on web locations. Gained data was analysed for the purpose of defined research hypotheses testing i.e. for determining eventual influence that market orientation has on HEIs' performances. Two levels of analysis were applied. First the analysis on the whole sample was realized in order to get zero level correlation. In addition to that, relation of market orientation and HEIs' performances was controlled by the factors for which it was assumed that they might have influence on this relation: 1. location of HEI on which study programme is realized (Serbia or Finland), 2. size of study programme, and 3. type of HEI on which study programme is realized (private and state-owned in Serbia; university and university of applied sciences in Finland). The defined aims determined the manner of hypotheses testing and achieving the aims set for empirical research, i.e. the use of specific statistical methods. Primarily the χ2test (and Fischer's exact test) and t-test (and Leven's test of equal variances) were used for testing the significance of the differences identified in the sample, i.e. to test if market oriented HEIs differ from non-market oriented, and to test the influence that controlling factors have on the market orientation-performances relation. All statistical analyses were one-tailed and performed on level of significance of 95%. Analysis of the results has identified some very significant findings. Higher education institutions that apply marketing concept are more successful, competitive and reputable that institutions that implement other business orientations. Also, students and employees of these institutions are more satisfied than students and employees of non-market oriented HEIs. Research findings also indicate that application of marketing concept in HEIs contributes to competitiveness and innovation capacities of national economy. Assumptions about positive influence that marketing concept has on innovativeness of Higher Education Institutions were theoretically proven. But, empirically they were not confirmed, as the research results do not provide sufficient evidence for identifying positive/negative influence of market orientation on innovativeness of HEIs. Therefore, directions for necessary further research in this field were defined. It was foreseen in the research design to test whether significant difference exist between level of market orientation as a cause for different positioning of HEIs from Serbia and Finland on international higher education market. Research findings show that HEIs from Finland are slightly more market oriented, but much more successful /according to manager's evaluation), competitive and selective than institutions in Serbia. It is obvious that market orientation is one of the significant factors that cause these differences. On the other hand, research findings reveal that students and employees of HEIs located in Serbia are more satisfied than students and employees in Finland. Author's assumption is that lower satisfaction is caused by more sophisticated needs, requests and preferences of students and employees in Finland. But, this needs to be tested in further research. Research findings also indicate that market orientation’s influence on performances of higher education institutions (and therefore national economy) is very high in the case of large study programmes. All large programmes in the sample are market oriented and vast majority is successful. Having in mind that popularization of higher education is a global trend and that it includes augmentation of study programmes, need for further theoretical and empirical researches on marketing concept as important success factor of those programmes, is even more pronounced.

Предмет истраживања и рада на овој докторској дисертацији обухвата досада доступна реализова а истра ж ива ња и поста вке у обла сти ма р ке тин гистр а ж ива ња , одн оса са кор исн ицима и ства р а ња лоја лн ости кор исн ика , моде лир а ња кон це пта за довољ е ња за хте ва кор исн ика , ка о и а н а лизу кљ учн их е ле ме н а та за кр е ир а ње систе мског моде ла за довољ е ња за хте ва кор исн ика ускла ђе н ог са са вр е ме н ом кон це пцијом ква лите та , одн осн о за хте вима ста н да р да ISO 9000:2000. Ра д обухва та и за хте ве , поте бе , ста вове и мишљ е ња пр е дузе ћа ка о кр а јње гкор исн ика , са је дн е стр а н е , ка о и гр упе е кспе р а та , са др уге , што би тр е ба ло да употпун и кон це пцијски де фин иса н а плика тивн и моде л. Ц иљ је да се кр е ир а и пр ика ж е а де ква та н и свр сисхода н моде л систе ма за обе збе ђива ње за довољ е ња потр е ба кор исн ика пр е дузе ћа . О ва ј моде л подр а зуме ва пр оце сн и пр иступ, пр ихва тљ иво ма р ке тин г истр а ж ива ње н а поче тку, ка о и одгова р а јућу е ва луа цију н а кр а ју. М оде л је пр ила гође н условима у којима дома ћа пр е дузе ћа (пр оизводн а и услуж н а ) фун кцион ишу, одн осн о омогућује ла кш е сн а ла ж е ње и упр а вљ а ње овим пр оце сима у циљ у постиза ња пословн е извр сн ости и оства р ива ња кон це пта ма р ке тин га одн оса . Predmet istraživanja i rada na ovoj doktorskoj disertaciji obuhvata dosada dostupna realizova a istra ž iva nja i posta vke u obla sti ma r ke tin gistr a ž iva nja , odn osa sa kor isn icima i stva r a nja loja ln osti kor isn ika , mode lir a nja kon ce pta za dovolj e nja za hte va kor isn ika , ka o i a n a lizu klj učn ih e le me n a ta za kr e ir a nje siste mskog mode la za dovolj e nja za hte va kor isn ika uskla đe n og sa sa vr e me n om kon ce pcijom kva lite ta , odn osn o za hte vima sta n da r da ISO 9000:2000. Ra d obuhva ta i za hte ve , pote be , sta vove i mišlj e nja pr e duze ća ka o kr a jnje gkor isn ika , sa je dn e str a n e , ka o i gr upe e kspe r a ta , sa dr uge , što bi tr e ba lo da upotpun i kon ce pcijski de fin isa n a plika tivn i mode l. C ilj je da se kr e ir a i pr ika ž e a de kva ta n i svr sishoda n mode l siste ma za obe zbe điva nje za dovolj e nja potr e ba kor isn ika pr e duze ća . O va j mode l podr a zume va pr oce sn i pr istup, pr ihva tlj ivo ma r ke tin g istr a ž iva nje n a poče tku, ka o i odgova r a juću e va lua ciju n a kr a ju. M ode l je pr ila gođe n uslovima u kojima doma ća pr e duze ća (pr oizvodn a i usluž n a ) fun kcion išu, odn osn o omogućuje la kš e sn a la ž e nje i upr a vlj a nje ovim pr oce sima u cilj u postiza nja poslovn e izvr sn osti i ostva r iva nja kon ce pta ma r ke tin ga odn osa . The subjesct of research and work in this dissertacion includes available researtch and assumptions, realized so far, in the field of: marketing research, customers relations and building customers’ loyalty, as well as modeling the concept of satisfying customers’requirements; the analyses of key elements for creating a systemic model for satisfying customers’ requirements harmonized with modern quality concept and requirements of ISO 900:2000 series of standards; requirements, needs, attitudes and ideas of companies as final customers, at one side and a group of experts, at the other side, that should fulfill conceptually defined applicative model. The aim is to create and present the adequate and appropriate model of a system for satisfying requirements, of companies customers. This model implies a process approach, acceptable marketing research in the begining, as well as the appropriate evaluation in the end. The model is harmonized with conditions in which domestic companies (manufacturing and services) work, i.e. it enables easier conduct and management of these processes in order to achieve business excellence and realize the concept of marketing relations.