Education as Market Product: Identification Problems

Abstract

The analysis of the activity of the education market is carried out in the present paper. The types of market structures at the education market in the conditions of high schools competition are considered. The characteristics of the university as a legal economic and functioning subject are given. The supply and demand of the educational product characteristics are determined. The central issue of the universities positioning in the modern economic conditions is defined. The legal status, the education competitive strategy and competitive advantages of the university are given. Several strategies to improve competitiveness are suggested: the horizontal and vertical integration processes. Horizontal - the entrepreneurial activities of the university, the expansion of educational services, internationalization of education and integration into the international educational space and integration processes "university-science-business." Vertical - introduction of the concept of lifelong education, "school-university-business." Both of them are considered to be rather competitive and their mutual penetration seems to be an efficient trend.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n6s3p211