The Sustainability of International Accreditations and Their Impact on Students’ Choices in Selecting the Universities

Cristina Fleșeriu, Florin Sebastian Duma, Ioan Alin Nistor and Dragoș Păun
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Cristina Fleșeriu: Department of Hospitality Service, Faculty of Business, Universitatea Babeș-Bolyai, 400174 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Florin Sebastian Duma: Department of European Studies and Governance, Faculty of European Studies, Universitatea Babeș-Bolyai, 400174 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Ioan Alin Nistor: Department of Business, Faculty of Business, Universitatea Babeș-Bolyai, 400174 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Dragoș Păun: Department of Business, Faculty of Business, Universitatea Babeș-Bolyai, 400174 Cluj-Napoca, Romania

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 16, 1-19

Abstract: The purpose of the current article is to determine the sustainability of international accreditations for business schools. As international accreditations are viewed as a costly process, universities must think if this endeavor could have a positive impact in the long run. From an impact point of view, we look at the intake of students, focusing on the factors that impact the decision of students in their choice of university. We have noticed that these international accreditations are pursued by business schools to increase their outreach and to receive a certification of quality that is recognized overseas. We consider the hypothesis that international accreditation is a key factor in the decision-making process of candidates, and we tested it by applying a questionnaire to 400 business and economics students that are studying in two business schools. From the 400 students that answered the questionnaire, only 199 responses were considered fully answered and proper for our study. Our results show that there is a difference between French and Romanian students in the choice of universities. While both groups agree that internationalization is important, their decisions are based on different elements. Our research is among the few that look both at the student choice and at the impact of the international accreditation on the student numbers.

Keywords: AACSB; quality; business school; decision-making process (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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