The applicability of market orientation to selected degree programmes at technikons in KwaZulu-Natal / by Soobramoney Penceliaharket orientation to selected degree programmes at technikons in KwaZulu-Natal / by Soobramoney Penceliah

Since 1994, a number of higher education policy documents detailing the scope fortransformation and restructuring of education have been published. Diminishing financial supportfrom government, coupled with greater public demand for improved services necessitatetechnikons to become innovative higher education institutions. The marketing concept, theunderlying platform of market orientation, was developed for commercial organisations. It isproposed that this marketing philosophy could be extended to technikons. Technikons can learnfrom the private sector about improving their service delivery by using market orientationprinciples and concepts. The purpose of this study was to theoretically and empirically examineand evaluate the applicability of market orientation to business studies degree programmes attechnikons in KwaZulu-Natal.The study examined the opinions and perceptions of programme managers and graduates ofbusiness studies degrees from technikons in KwaZulu-Natal. The literature evaluated thedevelopments in market orientation theory and practice, described the types and other relevantissues pertaining to higher education institutions in South Africa, and the intluence of themarketing environment on technikons in KwaZulu-Natal. The research was conducted using astratified random sample for graduates, and due to the relatively small size of sampling frame forprogrammemanagers, it was decided to send out questionnaires to all programme managers. Thedata for this study has been obtained by the analysis of the responses to questionnaires that wereadministered among graduates and programme managers of business studies degrees fromtechnikons in KwaZulu-Natal. Questionnaires were grouped into four constructs of marketorientation, viz. intelligence generation, intelligence dissemination, response design and responseimplementation for both categories of respondents.The analysis of the results revealed important findings. The perceptions of programme managersand graduates on levels of market orientation for business studies degrees are reported. Thediierence in the constructs between males and females for both programme managers andgraduates are analysed. The discrepancies between programme managers and graduatesexpectations of service quahty are reported. Specific recommendations have been made whichcan improve the levels of market orientation at technikons for business studies degrees.