| Summary: | The purpose of this study was to to investigate the impact of leadership practices on
service quality in private higher education in South Africa as a source of competitive
advantage. Higher education institutions and, more specifically, private higher education
institutions, have faced increasing pressure on many fronts in recent years. These
pressures include increased competition, lack of support from key constituencies, an
increase in the size and diversity of the student population, dealing with changing
technology, increased calls for accountability, a higher demand for quality by all the
stakeholders involved, more responsibility for research and teaching and greater
emphasis on efficient and effective management. The literature review for this study
suggested that leadership impacts positively on quality and, equally important, on
service quality. The academic leaders at these institutions have a tremendous influence
on the quality of the education provided and the service rendered to the growing
number of students. Using a quantitative methodology and a cross-sectional survey
research design, this study was conducted on five campuses of a prominent private
higher education provider across South Africa using two survey instruments. The
Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) questionnaire was utilised to conduct the
leadership survey while the SERVQUAL instrument was applied in the service quality
survey. The campus principals of the five campuses and some of their selected
subordinates completed the LPI survey. The SERVQUAL questionnaires were
completed by 984 students from the five campuses. Correlation analysis was the major
statistical tool used to analyse the data. The findings of the study indicated a strong
positive linear correlation between the leadership practices of principals and service
quality to students at these institutions. === Business Management === M. Com. (Business Management)
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