Features of image formation of higher education institutions to increase the rating in the market of educational services

Public and private education can unlock different doors and help to flood the country with a rising power, sunlight and sustainable development. Hence, this paper argued that there is a need to sustain both public and private higher education. Financial difficulties restrict private higher education from balancing their budget and maintain a balance between a quality education and maximization of shareholders wealth. This paper outlines and analyzes a critical business model for higher education institutions, Dhofar University and Majan College, both of which are publicly traded in Muscat Securities Market. Both the educational institutions are critically examined from profitability, liquidity, long term solvency and asset management perspective using appropriate financial ratios. Five year forecasts of financial statements up to 2021 are estimated to evaluate the financial stability of the two educational institutions. The paper uses Monte Carlo simulation technique to examine the issue of financial sustainability. Overall the finding shows positive financial results for Majan College compared to Dhofar University. The key take away from the analysis is that educational institutions should be funded primarily by equity and not by debt to survive, sustain and provide high quality education.

Small and micro businesses form the largest group of entities offering services to tourists in tourist destinations. A majority of them are family businesses accommodation facilities. The study tests the hypothesis that the family nature of a business offering accommodation services can be a source of real competitive advantage being of significance for a certain group of clients. The advantage can be shaped by creating an image based on the owner’s involvement and hospitality. As the literature research indicated, in the case of the businesses described, it is relatively easy to develop a bond between the facility’s manager and their clients. The deliberations were extended by an empirical study conducted on a group of young people from Poland and Ukraine. Its results have indicated that accommodation services are significant elements of the satisfaction among the clients surveyed, and that in the group surveyed, the key reason for a trip is the intention to “experience and learn” and not comfort. It has also been confirmed that the determinants of accommodation services related to broadly defined hospitality are significant, however, not key in the group analyzed.

This study aims to examine the effect of tourism image, experiential value, and satisfaction on the intention of revisiting the tourist area. The present study used associative analysis to ascertain the link between two or more variables. The study is being conducted in North Sumatera province, Indonesia, specifically in the tourist area of Lake Toba. The research population is comprised of an undetermined number of tourists that visited the tourist area around Lake Toba. The sample size of 324 was determined, which was obtained by multiplying the least number of samples by four or five questionnaire item categories. An accidental sampling approach was employed in this study, and data processing was performed using descriptive and inferential statistics and Smart-PLS software. The empirical findings indicate that although the tourism image has a significant and positive impact on experiential satisfaction, the direct effect of experiential value has a negative value on experiential satisfaction. Moreover, through tourism experiential satisfaction, experiential value has a negative value on intentions to revisit the destination. On the other hand, the indirect relationship between the tourism image and the intention to revisit through tourism experiential satisfaction has a positive value.

Acknowledgment
We would like to express our gratitude to the Ministry of Education and Culture’s Directorate of Research and Community Service for funding this study via the “Higher Education Excellent Basic Research Grant Fund” program.