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.

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.

Extraordinary threats of the large-scale stage of the Russian-Ukrainian war challenged the resilience and capability of all higher education institutions. However, their influence varied with location, infrastructure damage, internal capacity for changes and academic community resilience, external support, and solidarity initiatives. The purpose of this study is to assess the implementation of crisis management decisions and the formation of a crisis response strategy for a university in wartime (on the example of Kherson State University). The assessment draws on thematic analysis, the case method, statistical data analysis, and a survey of academic community members in 2023 (664 students and 150 staff), which focused on identifying a vision of the university’s values and strategic priorities. It showed the priorities of ensuring education quality and research, expanding international cooperation, diversifying funding, and strengthening cooperation with external stakeholders, including employers. The analysis of the university management’s actions in 2022–2024 demonstrated that the university transitioned from a resistance strategy (2022) as the first situational response to the large-scale invasion and occupation to a resilience strategy and the return to progressive development in the years ahead. The paper concludes that successful crisis management follows the key principles: flexibility, value orientation, and scaling up. It offers management guidance for developing a crisis response strategy that can be adapted to the unique needs of other universities: a comprehensive analysis of the crisis situation, crisis communication, planning of resource maintenance, and transparent and participatory decision-making for crisis management based on values and ethical implications.

Acknowledgment
This study is part of project No.101129236+DigiUni-ERASMUS-EDU-2023-CBHE). The research was partly supported by the 2024 BridgeUSA Ukrainian Academic Fellows Program, funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), with additional funding provided by Harvard University and administered by the American Councils for International Education. The opinions expressed herein are the authors’ own and do not necessarily express the views of either the Bridge USA or American Councils.
The authors express their gratitude to the vice-presidents, deans of faculties, and academic and non-academic staff of Kherson State University who participated in the development of institutional documents that implement crisis management decisions presented in this paper and form a crisis response strategy for the university during martial law.