| Abstract [eng] |
This Master’s thesis examines critical success factors in the introduction of a new service into the education market. The study discusses the specific characteristics of educational services and the education market, with particular emphasis on value creation within organizational processes. Attention is given to how value is created during the design and delivery stages of a new service, as well as to the benefits perceived by consumers. The research is novel in that critical success factors related to the introduction of new services in the education market have been only marginally explored in existing academic literature. The education sector, from the perspective of new service introduction, has received limited scholarly attention, with most prior studies focusing mainly on distance learning innovations in higher education. Therefore, this thesis addresses a new and relevant research problem related to the successful introduction of new services into the education market. The literature analysis focuses on consumer value creation processes in educational organizations and identifies key dimensions of consumer benefits. Five groups of success factors relevant to the education market context are distinguished: leadership; management and planning; staff and training; operations process management and design; and marketing. In addition, the concept of the “criticality” of success factors and different levels of criticality are analyzed. A qualitative research design was employed using semi-structured interviews. The study involved the management of an organization that successfully introduced a non-formal education service into the education market, educators delivering the service, and parents of children receiving the service. The findings reveal that parents highly value the service provided. The research confirms the value of the service through functional, hedonic, and symbolic benefits, as well as through the overall perceived usefulness for both children and parents. Indicators of new service success were identified, confirming that the newly introduced service is successful in the education market. The analysis of interviews with managers and educators allowed for the identification of critical success factors, which largely confirmed the findings of the scientific literature. In addition, two further groups of critical success factors emerged from the empirical study: funding and partnerships. Based on the interview results, a ranking table of critical success factors was developed and evaluated by the organization’s managers according to levels of criticality. Based on the research results, recommendations are provided for leaders of early childhood education institutions planning to introduce new services. |
