Can the Marketing Concept Be Applied to the Polytechnic and College Sector of Higher Education?

Having established that both services and product marketing strategies can be applied simultaneously, a study of the perceptions of employers and students is reported on. Thus the degree to which both sets of customers′ needs may be satisfied simultaneously is considered. A sample of business studies students, lecturers and employers took part in the research, which indicated perceptual incongruence in terms of student and employer perceived needs for higher education. Although the research was of an exploratory nature, it indicates that institutions are likely to have a problem in applying the marketing concept to their corporate strategies.