THE PARTICULARITIES OF SERVICES AND THE IMPORTANCE OF MARKETING IN HIGHER EDUCATION

The recent changes in higher education impose an increased usage of marketing in this field, because this is the path to a more profound understanding of consumers' needs and to identifying the correct market position of the higher education institution. Moreover, it is helpful in developing various study programmes which provide graduates with the necessary skills to successfully meet the requirements of the labour market. At the same time, the employment of marketing in the academic environment not only contributes to correctly informing the public as regards the education offer and the benefits of being the holder of an academic degree, but it also strengthens the academic image and reputation on the market. Results show that higher education encompasses the particularities of services, and therefore, the marketing activities should be adapted to this field. Furthermore, adopting marketing in current activities not only helps higher education institutions in elaborating some concrete actions of attracting quality students, but it also consolidates the academic image on the market.