Specifičnosti primene marketing koncepta u visokoškolskim ustanovama

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