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Publication
The impact of choice factors on international students’ loyalty mediated by satisfaction
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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
The presence of international students is a valuable input for Higher Education Institutions
(HEI) at all levels. Thus, it is critical to understand not only how students make their
decisions and what factors and sources of information provided by the HEI most influence
them, but also to evaluate students’satisfaction and loyalty with the choice made, in order
to define the most suitable and competitive marketing strategies to attract and retain
international students. Based on the information gathered through a questionnaire with a
sample of 190 international students studying at a Portuguese HEI, a quantitative, crosssectional and causal study was conducted using the estimation of a structural equation
model calculated through PLS, in order to investigate the impact of choice factors and
information sources on international students’ loyalty, mediated by satisfaction with the
choice made. The findings indicate that the choice factors with the greatest impact on
satisfaction of the international students were: the perception of the country, the environment and location of the HEI, and the sources of information provided by the HEI. It was
also concluded that a positive global perception of the HEI influences the recommendation from significant others, and increases the satisfaction and loyalty of all the international students. Thus, HEI managers should account for these factors when making
strategic marketing decisions to increase the number of international students.
Description
Keywords
Choice factors and information sources Satisfaction Loyalty International students PLS