An Analysis of the Differentiation Strategies of Degree Programmes and Their Perceived Relevance by Public Universities in Kenya

Abstract

This study presents the differentiation strategies employed by public universities in Nakuru County, Kenya. The novelty of this research was guided by the Porter’s marketing strategies with public universities engaging in a marketing mix in presenting the courses they offer. Informed by primary data collected from public universities in Nakuru County, the study used descriptive statistics and a linear regression to describe the perceived relevance of Bachelor of Commerce course (B.Com). While the details of every institution may not have been exhaustively covered in the study, key trends were substantially evoked. Differentiation strategy was found to be relevant in the Public universities as a means of enhancing the B.Com program performance exhibited by high correlation between the three differentiation strategies analyzed in the study; B.com Course Content, B.Com Promotion strategy and Differentiation in the B.Com program price and the level of students attractiveness to the B.Com programs offered in different Public Universities in Nakuru Town. The study recommends that public universities innovatively re-design the B.Com program by evolving unique syllabus that can make the program more outstanding. Moreover, they should re-design the B.Com programs using the principles of differentiation as a tool of competitive advantage to attract the clients and premium price for the program while at the same time using social media platforms to reach their target niche.

Key Words: Differentiation strategies; Public universities; Descriptive statistics

DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/18-9-10

Publication date: September 30^th 2026