Students’ Perceptions on the University Social Responsibilities of a Malaysian Private University: Does Gender Matter?

Abstract

University social responsibility ({USR}) has emerged tremendously as an important area supporting the Sustainable Development Goals ({SDGs}). Today, universities have realized the significance of being ethical in their operations to attract various stakeholders, especially the students (customers). However, the influence of social responsibility practices in university settings remains understudied as {USR} is a newly emerging concept. The purpose of this study was to examine the students' perception of {USR} and test the gender difference in the perception of {USR} responsibilities in one of the private universities in Klang Valley. A survey method was employed using purposive sampling. Questionnaires were distributed and generating 400 valid responses. The data were then analyzed using a one sample t-test and an independent sample t-test through the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences ({SPSS}) version 25.0. Based on the findings, ethical {USR} responsibilities were perceived favorably by the respondents. However, respondents did not agree with some of the items in the philanthropy {USR} responsibilities. In addition, the independent sample t-test results revealed no significance difference in term of gender in perceiving the ethical and philanthropy responsibilities. The study contributed to the short-form {USR} measure that is newly developed by testing it empirically in the Malaysian context. The university's management will also benefit from the {USR} initiatives, as it help shape students' favorable perception of the institution. It serves as a strategic marketing and branding tool in customer relationship management to attractive potential students and retain the current ones.