Abstract:
The objectives of this research are: 1) to analyze concept and process on reputation management in higher education institutions, 2) to identify conditions and problems on reputation management of Rajabhat Universities, 3) to investigate projection and direction on reputation management of Rajabhat Universities, and 4) to manifest reputation management strategies for Rajabhat Universities. The samples are 8 world reputational higher education institutions ranked by Time Higher Education, 23 Rajabhat Universities, Rajabhat Universities stakeholders including 13 persons for in-depth interview 30 persons for semi-structure interview, 9 persons for brainstorming with future wheels technique and 11 persons for connoisseurship , and 1,020 instructors and students from 23 Rajabhat Universities for opinion survey. The research tools are content analysis form, in-depth interview form, semi-structure interview form, questionnaire, future wheels chart, the strategy canvas, and the four actions framework form. The statistics uses for data analysis are frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, t-test, and F-test. The research results were as follows: 1. The concept and process on reputation management in higher education institutions indicated that university reputation management was related on university strategy, identity/uniqueness, image, brand, organizational communication and public relations, and stakeholders which needed to have consistent movement and direction. To manage university reputation, it had to overview and handle them with systematic and step by step management. 2. The conditions and problems on reputation management of Rajabhat Universities revealed that some universities had vague and unattractive strategies, needed to emphasize on quality of teaching and research application, and partly attained university strategy. Many Rajabhat Universities had somewhat poorly on academic and research strengths. The success factors on Rajabhat University reputation management were providing quality on students, instructors, personnel, learning and teaching, etc. The opinions on the reputation management recognition of Rajabhat Universities indicated that both Rajabhat University students and instructors are in good level. The Rajabhat students had highly recognized more than the Rajabhat instructors with significance level at 0.01 and the respondents from the Central group had different opinions from the Rattanakosin group and the Northeastern group with significance level at 0.05. 3. The projection and direction on reputation management of Rajabhat Universities in 10 year forward found that Rajabhat Universities need to pinpoint on previous reputation of practice teacher outstanding and to serve the society and nation, before renaming to Rajabhat Institute and Rajabhat University respectively, and to underline on university for local development as well. 4. The reputation management strategies for Rajabhat Universities had 4 aspects: 1) vision practice teacher and local development 2) mission quality on teaching and research 3) values (Rajabhats culture) work excellence and moral and ethics and 4) goals obvious position. The core strategies of reputation management were university strategy standpoint and society leading guidelines, identity/uniqueness - practice teacher and local development, image - practice teacher and society leading guidelines, brand opportunity, hope and be proud, organizational communication and PR mechanism on reputation, stakeholders response to all group expectations, building, maintaining and recovering reputation building good and value on image and brand, and the additional strategies were perspectives on reputation management, namely, social responsibility serving society, environment green university policy, human resources personnel career path and competency , risk proactive work and risk plan, conflict- good governance, and issue and crisis work proactive and neutrality.