IMPACT OF VARIABLES ON THAI STUDENTS’ DECISION EVALUATION FOR ENTERING DENTISTRY PROGRAM IN BANGKOK

Abstract

This study concerns the decision of students to choose to join the dentistry program in universities located in the province of Bangkok. Programs are the main product universities to maintain their brand as the most important stakeholders are students and will be associated with the university and that particular program for the rest of their careers. As the competitive market is wider than ever, due to the variety of choices available on the market. If they want to have advantages within the market, it is essential for them to set up new programs and to improve the current ones in order to tolerate their competitive edge in the future. Universities are therefore looking for new alternative and creative ways to develop and maintain an adaptive relationship with students. University Image, Program Characteristics, Information Availability, Decision Evaluation and Decision Performance are variables to be investigated by university students in this study. Findings show that the characteristics of the program have the highest effect on the assessment of decisions. After that, the availability of information indicated a strong association with the assessment of decisions. Eventually, in order to have a stronger impact on decision- making, it recommended to the public relations of the university to develop a strategic marketing strategy to improve the image of the university.