The impact of business aliances as a competitive ad vantage on a companys brand image and customer satisfaction: a case study of JKUAT

Abstract

Brands are always initial points of completive offers in consumi ng markets, and then they can be socritical for organizations success. It is very important for brands to be strategically well managed(wood, 2000, p663). Brand equity shows price gain absorbed by a str ong brand vs. a mediate one(Aaker 1996, p15, Barwise, et al. 1989, p25). Besides bra nd equity increases company’s valueindirectly through supporting customer’s value. The hi gher education sector has a great role in development and duringrecent years encountered s everal challenges such as being on the increasing competition due toincreased customers a wareness and knowledge level. Speeds environmental changes and expeditemovements of compe titors in government and private sections and urgency of absorbing resources have motiva ted the the industry to improve their customers’ satisfaction degree in order to creat elifetime patrons, maintain and enhancing their advantage through creating new values which require affiliation of the learning institutions and customers The study aims to provide valid information to stronglyretaliate that brands are important competitive points and attentionshould be focused on development of syste matic point of view about products/services and brands, inorder to describe how tangible assets- which are a brand manager’s selective marketing mix- cancombine with the product/ service forming brand equity and affecting buyer’s decision.It seems that Kenya higher education industry doesn’t have organized systematic andscientific plans to recogniz e and meet customers’ needs and stop losing customers and to makelifetime patrons due to ine ffective brand management decision. vi In this research we are going to identify those customer satisfa ction drivers which have an impact oncreating brand equity and specify how the impact of the same can offer competitive advantage to companys brands. Consequently we can help managers t o implement the same. So, the study of impediments for marketing activities and finding pr oper and scientificbased solutions seems to be essential for developing marketing in organizat ions especially for the higher education.The findings can help the industry to formulatemarketi ng strategies according their requirements. The proposed model is what this res earch couldshare in scientific marketing theories related to branding and development of strategies foreffectiveness in managing, and help marketing researchers to expand theories of brand which are all the sub-purpose of this research.