Building the Brand: How ESLSCA Egypt University positioned itself Among the Top in the Egyptian Higher Education Market (Exploring the Role of Brand Equity in Shaping Student's University Choice)

Building the Brand: How ESLSCA Egypt University positioned itself Among the Top in the Egyptian Higher Education Market (Exploring the Role of Brand Equity in Shaping Student’s University Choice)A Case Study on Strategic Brand Building in Private Higher Education-EgyptAuthor Details:Walaa Hassan FouadSupervised by:Prof. Wael Abd El-Razek KortamESLSCA Egypt University Abstractthis case study analyzes strategically the path of the first officially recognized foreign University Branch in Egypt, ESLSCA Egypt University, and studies the role of brand equity and its contribution to the University’s market placement in the competitive landscape of Egypt’s higher education sector. Utilizing primary qualitative research, this study assesses the factors influencing students’ decisions when choosing a private university through semi-structured interviews of ten undergraduate students and senior management, in addition to a detailed evaluation of secondary institutional data. The research showed that students consider the quality of the academic programs on offer, the faculty members, the three-year undergraduate programs (based on the Bologna process), campus life, and the circulation of information (word of mouth). In this case, Brand Equity is understood as the quality of the programs, the faculty members, the networks, and the sustained communication presence in management education for more than two decades. This case provides several higher education marketers and brand managers, and academic professionals valuable information to place new private institutions in a competitive and established market. In the context of Egypt, this study provides new routes for research into brand equity and the value of a university’s brand and commitment to its students.