Service Quality in the Distribution of Consumer Attitudes, Word of Mouth, and Private University Selection Decisions

Abstract

Purpose: Research focuses on private universities' professional education in a competitive educational environment. Due to increased competition in the higher education industry, private universities are under pressure to improve their marketing strategies and better understand their prospective students. This study intends to investigate how information sources are used and modified by Indonesian university students when making decisions. Research design, data and methodology: This research is a case study in Riau province, which includes active university students registered in the government database. Data was collected using a questionnaire distributed via Google Forms to students at a private university, and 164 students completed the questionnaire. Results: The results show that the influence of technical quality, functional quality, and image cannot affect word of mouth, and technical quality cannot affect consumer attitudes. The results show that the distribution of high service quality and high image will encourage people to share their experiences by word of mouth to build evaluation attachment in college selection. and found that a good campus image has no direct impact on word of mouth. The spread of an excellent campus image only attracts students to evaluate it. The more talk about the distribution of service quality, the higher the decision to choose the service.

1. Introduction

In general, the efforts of universities to communicate the reputation of the institution to consumers or prospective new students and managers of private universities (PTS) must work much harder than those of state universities (PTN) because the public portrays the quality of PTN better than that of PTS. The impact that PTS feels strongly from the competition is the lack of interest (Puspasari, 2021). On the other hand, the input of the number of students is the main source of funds for PTS(Ait Si Mhamed et al., 2021).

The use of conventional promotional tools by private universities, such as advertising, personal sales, publications, and public relations, in communicating institutional products to prospective new students tends to be less effective (Fuadi, 2012). Therefore, recommends the need for further research involving students through various activities as a publication medium for higher education institutions periodically and continuously (Fuadi, 2012). Competition between state universities (PTN) and private universities (PTS), both in attracting students and developing programs, is considered increasingly unhealthy. The new student admission system by PTN outside the national system of new student admissions with capacity building programs, as well as the opening of diploma and extension programs outside the regular program, further accelerated the death of PTS. Community orientation, particularly among parents and potential new students who still believe PTN is better than PTS, while there is no assurance that PTN is better than PTS, exacerbates PTS circumstances in the race for new student admission. Even private universities find it increasingly difficult to attract prospective new students when the rules listed in the Higher Education Bill (RUU PT) are considered detrimental to private universities. Article 76 states that the admission of new PTN students for each study program can be made through national student admission patterns or other forms. If that happens, PTN is free to register new students several times. The policy is considered to affect the admission of new students at PTS (Molli et al., 2023). WOM is seven times more effective than newspaper and magazine advertising, four times more successful than personal selling, and twice as effective as radio advertising in influencing consumer decisions (Wei et al., 2022). WOM is also indicated to have a stronger effect than advertising on purchase intentions (Bayraktaroğlu & Aykol, 2007). This occurs because WOM is more dependable and trustworthy than official channels like advertising (Dwivedi, 2022). The reliability of delivering messages through WOM is closely related to honesty, which reflects good passion. WOM is frequently seen as a critical element of business success, and informal consumer communication has been researched for more than 50 years (Verma & Yadav, 2021). WOM is one of the tactics that has a significant influence on marketing performance and has a significant part in influencing buyback decisions, according to researchers and marketing professionals (Wibowo et al., 2021). The results of previous WOM studies indicate that service quality has a positive effect on WOM(Ronald J. Ferguson & Michèle Paulin, 2010). Several other studies indicate that service quality has an indirect effect on WOM (Sanayei & Jokar, 2013). Results that show the quality of service has an indirect effect on WOM need to be studied more deeply. The results of an indepth study resulted in two groups of relationships between constructs, namely the group of research results showing that service quality affects satisfaction (Athanassopoulos et al., 2001) and satisfaction affects WOM. Based on the two groups of relationships between constructs, this indicates that satisfaction can be a liaison or mediator between service quality and WOM, but these indications still need to be proven. eWOM is frequently cited as one of the most important variables influencing customer behavior (Lim et al., 2022). eWOM has been recognized as a communication source and a process of personal influence that impacts consumers’ purchase intentions (Hoang & Tung, 2023), decision-making (Tobon & García-Madariaga, 2021) , and purchases (Wang et al., 2023). eWOM is frequently cited as one of the most important variables influencing customer behavior (Kursan Milaković et al., 2020). eWOM has been recognized as a communication source and a process of personal influence that impacts consumers’ purchase intentions (Aravindan et al., 2023) and decision-making (Qi & Kuik, 2022).

The distribution of good service quality will provide reasonable expectations for students, so universities must be able to manage good services (Uzir et al., 2021). The conceptualization of these components, as well as conflicting viewpoints on their functions and connections, are evident from a review of earlier studies. (Fuchs, 2022) show that there is a large dependence between service quality variables and customer satisfaction. Customer satisfaction is heavily reliant on total service quality, as stated (Fakhrudin et al., 2023) in their article on the issue of strategic and substantial concern between service quality and customer pleasure. Dimensions of service quality, according to (Grönroos, 2018), consist of technical quality, functional quality, and corporate image. (Ronald J. Ferguson, Michèle Paulin, 2010) show that service quality is multidimensional, and the definition of the researcher has in common that, basically, the dimensions of service quality are the technical quality dimension and the functional quality dimension.(Yatskiv & Spiridovska, 2013) Show that technical quality is the relationship between service providers and customers (responsiveness) and reliability, while functional quality is the process of service delivery, which includes the physical environment (tangible), assurance, and empathy. The results of the study (Abbasi-Moghaddam Mohammad Ali et al., 2019) show that there is a significant influence between technical quality and decision-making.

2. Literature Review

2.1. Consumer Attitude

According to marketing theory, attitude is the assessment, emotion, and propensity of someone who repeatedly loves or hates a product or concept (Armstrong & Kotler, 2023). People's attitudes influence whether they like or dislike something or gravitate toward or away from it. Therefore, self-expression and creativity are among the most important things in the world. Attitude is difficult to alter. A person's attitude creates a pattern, and altering it necessitates several intricate changes in other attitudes. To adapt its product to a concrete mindset without altering it, the corporation should do so. A trained propensity to constantly react to a certain thing, like a brand, is called an attitude. The value system of a person, which embodies their standards of good and evil, right and wrong, and other concepts, determines their attitudes. As a result, attitudes are frequently more enduring and sophisticated than beliefs (Baldissera et al., 2022). Attitude is a comprehensive evaluation of the concept carried out by a person. Evaluation is a response to influence at a relatively low level of intensity and movement. Evaluation can be created by affective and cognitive systems (Pettinico, 2020). The attitude of consumers is an essential factor that will influence their decisions. The concept of attitude is closely related to belief (belief) and behavior (behavior). Consumer trust is consumer knowledge about an object, its attributes, and its benefits (Maison, 2019).

Because of consumer knowledge, the subject of attitudes is intimately tied to consumer knowledge. Customer knowledge, or consumer trust, is the conviction that a product has qualities and benefits from those qualities. Marketers need to be aware of the features that customers are familiar with and the features that are used to judge the product. This information aids in explaining to customers the qualities of a product. Consumer perceptions are characterized by consumer confidence in a product, its features, and its advantages. As a result, customer faith in a product varies.

2.2. Word of Mouth

WOM is described as the action of conveying information from one person to another via verbal communication, including face-to-face, over the phone, and online. According to (Mothersbaugh et al., 2019), verbal communication, often known as "word-of-mouth," is interpersonal communication between two or more people, such as between clients or members of a group. Word of mouth that buyers hear from reliable sources like professionals, friends, and family is frequently accepted more readily. Additionally, word of mouth may also serve as a reference because clients typically find it challenging to assess services they haven't yet purchased or personally experienced. The idea that word-of-mouth influences customers' attitudes and behaviors is one that has gained widespread acceptance in the field of consumer behavior. Based on the findings, (Walker, 2001) made this claim. According to a study based on his research, WOM was shown to be 7 times more successful than magazine and newspaper commercials, 4 times more effective than personal selling, and 2 times more effective than radio. Advertising in encouraging customers to switch to using the company's products. WOM communication has been acknowledged as a powerful tool for advertising a company's goods and services. WOM communication may have a significant impact on each purchase choice. However, because of its non-commercial character, WOM communication is not seen as being too suspicious of promotional efforts made by companies. According to prior studies, WOM communication is crucial for the service industry. According to (Kotler & Keller, 2016), the WOM dimension is also a marketing strategy to make customers talk (talk), promote (to promote), and sell (to sell) to other customers. The goal is for a consumer not just to talk or promote but to sell indirectly to other consumers. The point is when consumers retell the company's products to colleagues or other potential customers. Promoting is when consumers persuade and promote products to relatives or potential new customers. "To sell" is when a consumer manages to transform other consumers who do not believe, have a negative perception, and do not want to try a product into having a positive perception and finally being willing to try. Spreading word of mouth in the community through business networks has a significant influence on the marketing of goods or services (Uzir et al., 2021). An activity of providing information from one individual to another, in this case, is called "word-of-mouth communication" (Harahap et al., 2018), where such communication is considered to have enormous power in delivering information on the products or services we market, which is often referred to as "word of mouth." Communication. Word of mouth tends to produce good communication because only people interested in the communication will join in to communicate and then ask about the product or service being offered, making it easier to make a purchase decision on the product or service offered.

2.3. Service Quality

Define service quality as a long-term cognitive assessment of customers' perceptions of organizations' service delivery (Wirtz & Lovelock, 2022). The customer's opinion of the service component of a product, or service quality, is another important factor in determining customer happiness, according to (Zeithaml & Mary, 2017). This is a key factor in achieving client happiness. Based on these numerous definitions, measuring service quality involves contrasting customers' impressions of the services they receive with the services they desire in relation to a company's service qualities. Customer service, also known as "perceived quality," is generally evaluated based on the overall distinction and superiority of the services offered (Zeithaml & Mary, 2017) Scholars have concentrated on the idea of service quality over the past three decades due to its major impact on corporate success, customer happiness, retention, and profitability. defined service quality as being in accordance with needs and requirements (Afifah & Kurniawati, 2021; Muslim Amin, 2016) defined it as excellence in service delivery. According to this definition of service quality, customers place a high value on it. Additionally, despite the extensive research on service quality, it is still an elusive idea because of the distinctive qualities of services, including intangibility, inseparability, heterogeneity, and perishability (Brady & Cronin, 2001; Sharif & Kassim, 2012). The idea of service quality has also been extensively studied, although there is not a commonly used or generally recognized measuring tool (Rauch Andreas, 2012). In addition to comprehending how service quality may be measured, many experts concur that service quality has several dimensions (Chaniotakis & Lymperopoulos, 2009; Kitapci et al., 2013).

2.4. SERVQUAL's Approach to Measuring Service Quality in Education Services

SERVQUAL, an abbreviation for "service quality," is a multidimensional survey tool meant to measure customer expectations and views across five aspects of service quality: tangible, dependability, assurance, responsiveness, and empathy. The survey is based on the disconfirmation of expectations paradigm, which essentially states that service quality is deduced from customer expectations before use and verified or refuted by their actual assessment after usage. Since the conception of the SERVQUAL questionnaire (Parasuraman, 1985), it has been extensively used to measure service quality across a variety of industries, contexts, and cultural settings (Railya, 2016). As students are key stakeholders of the college, the quality of service in the context of higher education depends on the experience of student services as provided by the college. Furthermore, student satisfaction is substantially influenced by their perception of service quality. Given the significance of this link, several scholars in higher education have attempted to increase service quality studies. Modern specialists have either employed conventional items or modified SERVQUAL measurement questions, and they have discovered that all aspects of the adapted SERVQUAL model substantially assist the evaluation of service quality in higher education. Given the significance of this link, several scholars in higher education have attempted to increase service quality studies. Modern specialists have either employed conventional items or modified SERVQUAL measurement questions, and they have discovered that all aspects of the adapted SERVQUAL model substantially assist the evaluation of service quality in higher education. Several other studies have used the traditional five dimensions of the original model. For example, a study conducted at Iranian universities investigated the quality of higher education services. According to (Usman, 2010), in the assessment of service quality in educational services, service quality perception is used to compare service expectations with actual realization and service performance, as well as service quality assessments in other service sectors. In the case of higher education at private universities, different scholars identify different factors to assess quality. The focus is on teaching methods, updated curriculum, faculty credentials, academic calendar, classroom facilities, administrative support, infrastructure, transportation, library and laboratory facilities, fee structures, payment systems, evaluation systems, research environment, attachment to companies, and others. When actual performance exceeds student expectations, there is a positive response that will result in satisfaction. This satisfaction will ensure the long-term competitive advantage, loyalty, and sustainability of private universities as service providers. In general, the most frequently used models to measure service quality in educational services are SERVQUAL (Parasuraman, 1985), SERVPERF (Abdullah, 2006) and HEdPERF (Abdullah, 2006b) Of the three models, SERVQUAL is the most widely used. And not many recent studies have been found that use the dimensions of service quality from Groonros, namely technical quality, functional quality, and image. as well as research results from (Alves & Raposo, 2007) and (Abdullah, 2006a) consider SERVQUAL to be inappropriate.

2.5. Decision-Making Process

In essence, students who are picking a university will undoubtedly give it some thought or evaluate it. Newspapers, banners, parents, alumni, instructors, their own friends, and other sources are just a few places that people might learn about a university. Prospective students often look for information on the campus location, tuition costs, lecture facilities, libraries, labs, extracurricular activities, accreditation, lecture timings, study programs or intended majors, and other topics. An option from two or more is chosen while making a choice. A person making a choice must have access to other possibilities. Additionally, while choosing a university, prospective students' interest in choosing their study programs may result from a variety of factors, such as gathering information from numerous sources. College students' choices are framed by three theoretical frameworks: economic, social, and informationprocessing techniques. These three methods stress different facets of the variables that influence students' decisions about higher education. Break the process down into three stages, including a. Predisposition: Students decide if they want to attend college. The capacity of a student to join college is influenced by elements including socioeconomic position, parental encouragement and support, extracurricular activities, and pre-college education. Students studying at colleges start to compile data. The decision is made when students select their college or university. Several models of the stages of the eating strategy are used to derive the variables that affect college preference. The factors that a new student considers when choosing a college are (a) personal characteristics, (b) income or family income, (c) sociocultural capital, (d) academic ability, (e) school origin, (f) information sources, (g) peer effects, and (h) tuition fee. These factors were revealed by (Rahman et al., 2023).

3. Research Methods and Materials

3.1. Research Design

This type of research is quantitative and examines the effect of the service quality dimension on consumer attitudes and word of mouth, as well as its impact on the decision to choose private universities. The population of this study was all students who were still active in studying in all PTS in higher education service institutions in the province of Riau. The sampling technique in this study used random sampling, considering the following sampling criteria: 1. Students are registered in the PDDikti system. 2. Students are registered as active students in higher education. 3. Students have completed a minimum of two semesters of education. Primary data is the main data to be analysed in the field, obtained directly from survey respondents. Data was collected using a prepared set of questions and a formatted questionnaire. Respondents were requested to respond to each question asked by the questionnaire.

3.2. Scale of Measurement

In this study, we conducted an extensive literature survey to produce six constructs and their items that were modified for the decision-making context of choosing private universities. First, the survey consists of eight questions relating to the demographic characteristics of the respondents: gender, study program, university, semester, parents' occupation, parents' income, area of origin, reasons for choosing private universities, as well as pathways to private universities. Second, the questionnaire includes questions relevant to the main constructs considered in the research hypothesis, including technical quality, functional quality, image, consumer attitude, gender, and the decision to choose a private university. The responses were scored on a five-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 2 (disagree). 3 = neutral 4 = agree; 5 = strongly agree. We follow the basic procedure suggested by Hassan and Salem (2022) to develop items using a five-point Likert-type scale.

3.3. Operational Definition

The variables that will be tested in this study are based on the issues that have been created and the hypotheses that have been put forth, and they are as follows: Two endogenous variables, attitude (Y1), word-of-mouth (Y2), and the choice to attend a private university, are present in this study. Technical quality (X1), functional quality (X2), and image are the external factors (X3).

Table 1: Operational Variable

3.4. First Stage of Description Analysis

Descriptive analysis is used to provide an overview of the respondent's tendency to respond to research variables. The descriptive analysis used is the distribution of frequency and mean value. The basis of the conclusion is to refer to the interval of the scale range by using the following formulation (Thornhill, 2023):

3.5. Third Stage Hypothesis Testing

Using SmartPLS software, a structural equation model (SEM) technique was used to test the study hypothesis. A component- or variant-based model of SEM equations is called partial least squares (PLS). (Imam Ghozali, 2023) claims that PLS is a substitute strategy that switches from a covariance-based SEM strategy to a variant-based one. PLS is a better predictive model, whereas covariance-based SEM typically evaluates causality or theory. According to Imam Ghozali (2023), PLS is a potent analytical technique since it is not predicated on numerous presumptions. For instance, the data must have a normal distribution; the sample need not be enormous; however, the larger it is, the better. PLS may be used to explain if there are correlations between latent variables in addition to confirming ideas. PLS can assess structures created with both formative and refractive markers concurrently. Because it would be an unidentified field model, this cannot be done in a covariance-based SEM. According to (Willy, 2020) the steps of data analysis using PLS are as follows:

3.6. Measurement Model (Outer Model)

A concept or research model cannot be tested in a relational or causal relationship prediction model if it has not passed the purification stage in the measurement model. The measurement model itself is used to test the validity, construction, and reliability of the instrument.

3.7. Validity Test

Validity tests are carried out to determine the ability of research instruments to measure what should be measured. The criteria for measuring validity in PLS measurements can be seen in Table 2. Validity tests are carried out to determine the ability of research instruments to measure what should be measured. The criteria for measuring validity in PLS measurements can be seen in Table 2.:

Table 2: Parameter of Validity

3.8. Reliability Test

Reliability tests are used to gauge how consistently measuring devices capture a notion. They can also gauge how consistently respondents reply to surveys or statement items on research instruments. Two techniques, Cronbach alpha and composite reliability, can be employed in PLS reliability testing. Cronbach's alpha evaluates the dependability of a construct's lower bound, whereas composite reliability assesses the reliability of a construct's actual value. The alpha or composite reliability number should, generally, be larger than 0.7, while 0.6 is still acceptable. Structural Model (Inner Model) R2 (R-square) for the dependent construct, the path coefficient value, or the t-value of each route are used to assess structural models in PLS for significance testing between constructs. The rate of variation of the independent variable's change relative to the dependent variable is gauged using the R2 value. The predictive model of the suggested research model is better the greater the value of R2. The route coefficient's or inner model's value tells how significant a hypothesis is in a test. At 5% alpha, the inner model coefficient score suggested by t-statistics should be greater than 1.96 for two-sided hypothesis testing and greater than 1.64 for one-sided hypothesis testing. The overall determination test value (R2) of the independent variable is important when testing the goodness-of-fit model. This is how structural model evaluation (exogen) is done. The structural model for endogenous latent variables yields R2 values of 0.67, 0.33, and 0.19, respectively, indicating that the model is excellent, moderate, and weak (Imam Ghozali, 2023).

4. Results and Discussion

The sample's characteristics are presented in the form of demographic information that the respondents provided. The questions pertaining to the respondent's personal information are included in the first section of the questionnaire, where these data are given in the order that they occur there.

Table 3: Description of Respondents

Men made up 103 of the respondents in this survey, or 62.80%, while women made up at least 61 of the respondents, or 37.20%. The majority of respondents in this study—141 individuals, or 85.98 percent—were between the ages of 18 and 22. They were followed by 19 respondents, or 11.59 percent—who were between the ages of 23 and 27—and at least two respondents, or 1.22 percent—who were between the ages of 28 and 33. 65 respondents, or 39.63% of the total, were respondents in this research whose parents made their living as farmers. Self-employed individuals make up 45 people, or 27.44 percent of the population, followed by civil servants, who make up 21 people, or 12.80 percent; TNI/Polri, who make up eight people, or 4.88 percent; and retirees, who make up six people, or 3.66 percent. Regular, independent, and general entrance routes made up most respondents to this research, with 96, or 58.54 percent, followed by KIP scholarships with 48, or 29.27 percent, and village recommendation scholarships with 20, or 12.20 percent.

4.1. Reliability Test

Reliability tests are used to find reliable indicators and ensure the constituencies between variable items. Reliability testing using Cronbach alpha and composite reliability the acceptance criteria are that the Cronbach alpha and composite reliability are greater than 0.7. The study used six variables. The results of Cronbach's alpha and composite reliability can be seen in Table 4.

Table 4: Output Cronbach alpha

4.2. Discriminant Validity

Discriminant A model's or construct's validity is tested to see if they are connected to one another or not. Correlation or association is used to evaluate discriminant validity. Technical quality has a correlation coefficient of 0.863, functional quality of 0.852, image of 0.840, consumer attitude of 0.886, word-of-mouth of 0.857, and decision-making of 0.832.

4.3. Structural Model

The structural equation model (SEM) says that modeling the relationships between multiple dependents and independents is a systematic and complete way to deal with complex relationships in research problems in a single step.variable. SEM is used in testing. This structural model will test a hypothesis from a study. The criteria are as follows:

Table 5: Criteria for model testing

The results of the structural model based on the structural equation modeling test are as follows:

Table 6: Results of Hypothesis Testing

4.3. Testing of Goodness of Fit of Structural Model (Inner Model)

Table 7: Results of Goodness of Fit Testing

Goodness of Fit testing of structural models on inner models using predictive relevance (Q2) values with the following calculations: Q2 = 1 - (1 - R12) (1 - R22) (1 - R32) Q2 = 1 - (1 - 0.760) (1 - 0.721) (1 - 0.814) = 0,985 Based on the calculation results, it shows a predictive relevance value of 98.5%. In comparison, the remaining 1.5% is explained by other variables (which are not yet contained in the model) and errors. This means that the model obtained is good for the predictor because more information can be explained than what cannot be explained.

5. Discussion

5.1. The Effect of Service Quality on Consumer Attitude

Service quality in terms of technical quality has no influence on consumer attitude, while when viewed from a functional perspective, functional quality has a positive and significant influence on consumer attitude. Technical quality is a component related to the quality-of-service output received by customers, while functional quality is an interaction between service providers and recipients and is assessed in a very subjective way (Grönroos, 2018). A positive attitude toward service quality will greatly help the company in its marketing activities because, in conditions of very tight competition, every company will try to position itself as well as possible. in the eyes of consumers, so that it can be trusted to meet their needs. Consumer attitude is the evaluation, feelings, and tendencies of favorable or unfavorable and enduring actions of a consumer towards an object or idea (Armstrong & Kotler, 2023). Quality provides encouragement to consumers to re-establish a strong relationship with the company. Thus, the company can maximize the pleasant consumer experience and minimize the less pleasant experience. Service quality based on consumer attitudes is a comprehensive assessment of the excellence of service. This research shows that the service output received by customers is not able to improve consumer attitudes because consumer attitudes are not influenced by technical quality. Consumers will judge that the quality of engineering services must be carried out by service providers, in this case, campuses, so that the services provided by the campus do not result in students being emotionally dependent. However, functional quality has a positive impact on consumer attitudes, and the quality of service formed from interactions between consumers and the campus can improve consumer attitudes. Consumer interaction with the campus will increase the likelihood of students becoming emotionally dependent.

5.2. The Effect of Service Quality and Functional Quality on Word of Mouth

Service quality in terms of technical quality does not have an influence on word of mouth, while when viewed from the perspective of functionality, functional quality also does not have an impact on word of mouth. Technical quality is a component related to the quality-of-service output received by customers, while functional quality is an interaction between service providers and recipients and is assessed in a very subjective way (Grönroos, 2018). Word of mouth is the activity of disseminating information from one person to another in the form of verbal communication, which includes face-to-face, telephone, and the Internet. Word-of-mouth communication is personal communication between two or more individuals, for example, between customers or between members of a group when customers talk to others about their opinion of a particular service or company. If the customer expresses his opinion about the goodness of the product, it is called positive WOM, but if the customer expresses his opinion about the badness of the product, it is called negative WOM. The quality of service will encourage consumers to share their experiences. In this case, it is a campus. Campus services will increase student word-of-mouth. But in fact, this study shows that the quality of service, both technically and functionally, has no impact on word of mouth. Word of mouth is not caused by the service provided by the campus. Neither the positive nor negative stories stated by students are caused by good or bad service. The Effect of Image on Consumer Attitude This study found that campus image has a positive and significant influence on consumer attitudes. The higher the image of the campus, the higher the formation of emotional consumer evaluation attitudes. An image is a feeling towards a company, organization, or institution that is deliberately created from an object, person, or organization with a certain purpose. One of these goals is to shape the attitudes of consumers. Although the image is abstract and cannot be measured systematically, its manifestation can be felt in the good image of the results of research in the public or the wider community. Response assessment can be attributed to the emergence of respect and good impressions rooted in belief values. This process starts from the ideas, feelings, and experiences of service consumers received from the company, whose ideas, feelings, and experiences come from their memories and form a mental image of the company so that it will play the emotions or feelings of a consumer (Zeqiri et al., 2023). This research found that a good image of the campus will shape student attitudes that are formed emotionally. The campus will form a good image that serves to make students evaluate attachments to the campus.

5.3. The Effect of Image on Word of Mouth

The study found that campus image had no influence on word of mouth. The better the image of the campus, the less it will have an impact on word of mouth. Word of mouth is not caused by the good or bad image created by the campus. Image is the most critical asset of an organization. A good image is a powerful tool to attract potential customers to choose an organization's products or services and increase customer satisfaction with the company or organization. Private universities should always try to know and carefully understand the factors that support the growth of student attitudes toward certain universities by providing satisfactory service to both students and teaching staff to create a positive image in the community. The image provides an optimistic assessment of the company's existence in the eyes of the public, namely by showing the public's view of the company in the long term. A well-formed image will also have a positive impact on achieving the goals set by the company. So, it is expected that with a good image, consumers will share their experiences. The study found that a good image of the campus would have no impact on word-of-mouth. The campus will form a good image that will encourage student attachments to it.

5.4. The Effect of Consumer Attitude on Choosing Decisions

This research shows that consumer attitude has a positive and significant effect on making choices. The higher the emotional evaluation of consumers, the more it will increase their desire to choose certain product or service brands. One step in the purchasing process is deciding to make a purchase. The customer's views, attitudes, and values, as well as a few elements in the customer's social environment, have an impact on the decision to select a service. The decision to pick a service is influenced by a variety of elements, including cultural, social, personal, and psychological ones. In general, elements that marketers may influence must be given more serious consideration, and the criteria already mentioned influence how customers choose a service provider. Consumers have a wide range of demands and preferences that fluctuate with the times and are impacted by several variables when selecting a service. Alternative options are considered while deciding; therefore, when deciding, a person must think about which option is the best. This consideration is gleaned from supplemental information that was acquired.

5.5. The Effect of Word of Mouth on Choosing Decisions

This study demonstrates that word-of-mouth influences decisions in a positive and substantial way. The more people talk about a certain service brand, the more likely they are to select that service. Word of mouth (WOM) may be highly powerful or important to a company's ability to survive. Potential buyers trust word-of-mouth advertising since it is disseminated by close friends or family and is thus extremely simple to believe. Not only may knowledge be shared through informal conversations, but it can also be shared through social media sites that are already popular on the internet. Because access is so easily gained through social media on the internet, including through a variety of applications, word-of-mouth marketing is very easily and widely promoted through these platforms. More research suggests that word-of-mouth marketing is effective. Wordof-mouth marketing relies on a consumer's feedback after using a company's goods or services, which they subsequently share with others. This study also demonstrates that word-of-mouth has a favorable and considerable impact on voters' choices. The more information shared between relatives, the more important it is when choosing students for school.

6. Conclusions

This research has a contribution to make to practiti oners; it will direct the results of this research to the organizers of lecture activities. In this case, the organi zers of lecture activities are institutions or universities. The results of this study indicate that the decision to choose students at an institutional institution is influen ced by the distribution of positive consumer attitudes. This study has recommendations for institutions to imp rove choice decisions by increasing the distribution of consumer attitudes and word of mouth. Efforts to impr ove consumer attitudes are evidenced through the distr ibution of functional service quality. In addition, instit utions can also improve the distribution of their camp us image to improve consumer attitudes. The influence of technical quality, functional quality, and image cann ot influence word of mouth, and technical quality can not influence consumer attitudes. There is a theoretical gap where this study proves different results from the theory presented,where consumer behavior will have an impact with a high distribution of service quality and a high image that will be able to encourage someone to share their experience of a product or service (wor d of mouth).