Brand equity in the education sector: An exploratory study in the MBA course segment

Abstract

Business schools have become an extremely competitive market in their effort to attract students. In any competitive context, brand equity becomes an increasingly important management tool for even these organizations. This study aims to identify the determinant factors of the brand equity in the sector of MBA programs. Given the exploratory nature of the study, the investigative method involved a review of the literature supplemented by a survey of over 450 MBA students from representative business schools in Brazil. In general, the results indicate that the image of business schools is positive but they have not yet designed a process to develop their own Patrimony of Mark (brand equity) that satisfies the needs imposed by an increasingly competitive market.