ANALYSIS OF WEBSITES BELONGING TO PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE EXIGENCIES. A MARKETING RESEARCH APPROACH.

• Author: Radulescu, Corina

1. Introduction

   Given that Internet provides real opportunities for achieving the Democratic Governance principles, we undertake to analyze the digital communication offers of ten Romanian state universities and to assess if they comply with the requirements of the new management model, if they have passed from an institutional logic to a logic of services, favoring the involvement of users (e-Participation). The final classification of websites reveals the level of openness of each institution: if there is a partnership-type collaboration with students, if a dialogue with the latter is put in place, if the user logic is observed--the posted information is useful and updated and it is quickly accessible.

   As result of the data analysis, performed by resorting to the partial use of the adapted Semantic Differential Scale and to the implementation of the Fishbein-Rosenberg Model, we obtained a top of the websites belonging to the ten universities considered, studied from the perspective of the following criteria: the student involvement level--the use of social networks: Facebook, Twitter (sntw_inv), the existence of online instruments able to reveal and allow for the consideration of the opinion of students: questionnaires, services for suggestions, barometers (need_conf), the user quick access to information (qck_access), mainly rendered by the rule of 3 clicks in accessing some important services (e-Learning platform, tuition fee page, public acquisition service page) and by the existence of a helpful website map able to accelerate such access, the website user-friendly and attractive feature (web_style), captured based on the existence of visual identity manuals, on the font adjustment-related possibilities and on the integration and complexity of multimedia elements (university virtual tour, moving images, presentation spot, photo gallery, hymn, brochure, radio, television and so on). The result of our research suggests different degrees of adaptation of the studied websites to the Democratic Governance Model.

   The structure of the paper follows a smooth path from the theoretical background towards the empirical analysis, revealing, after a brief introduction, in the current section, the overall context of the studied issues, in section 2, the methodology used in achieving the final results, in section 3, with the main findings and the interpretation thereof, in section 4, and the related recommendations, in section 5. The paper ends with conclusions, a brief rendering of the entire scientific effort, in section 6.

2. Setting the context

   2.1 Increasing the autonomy and 'openness' of the public institution to the citizen along with the Democratic Governance model

   The bureaucratic model based on the pre-eminence of law (Chevallier, 2012, p. 27) involves a legal domination (a fair form of organization of the administration that excludes the inequality of treatment), unwittingly increasing the distance between organization and citizens (turned into simple administered entities). In this reference model of the administration conduct, the principle of publicity--so much supported by the open democratic system--is limited to the publishing of laws, of the legal decisions and to the transparency of the public debates (in Parliament and in justice).

   Various movements changed this attitude--the New Public Management (based on the efficiency of public actions and on the predominant commercial orientation of the public service), then, at the beginning of this millennium, the Democratic Governance emerged. The public institutions began to gradually open to citizens--the latter becoming customers and partners. The administration cannot be perceived as a closed entity, but rather as an organization opened to public, collaborating in a partnership manner with all other actors (Pasquier, 2011, p. 27; Megard, 2012, p. 23; Lemaire and Zemor, 2006, p. 83).

   The electronic media, especially Internet, provide real opportunities for observing the exigencies of the administration new management models: The New Public Management (culture of results) and the Democratic Governance. The New Public Management increases the public institution's autonomy (Osborne, 2010, p. 79) and intensifies the institutional and commercial communication, making visible the institutional activity and achieving the satisfaction of users. The communication activities multiply: organization of events, publishing of activity reports, increased media presence, development of internal structures responsible for such activities, etc. Organizations develop their own websites and visual identities (e.g., logo) in order to confer their actions a precise visibility, to position themselves on the market (to compete with other public organizations) and, not least, to provide commercial services. The New Public Management focuses on the consideration of the needs and expectations of citizens (become customers) whenever an institution conceives and delivers public services.

   This opening towards citizens of the organization is even more visible within the Democratic Governance model (Bevir, 2009, p. 49; Lacroix and St-Arnaud, 2012, p. 20). This new model creates a partnership relationship with citizens, broadly informing them so as to get their involvement and participation in the conceiving of the administrative action (Marga, 2010). Communication is highly developed, as it is normal for a participating and responsible organization, and the distance between institution and citizens is reduced--opportunity especially provided by Internet.

   The Democratic Governance is structured around the principles of accountability and transparency, networking governance and co-production of public policies, the implications on the public communication being essential. The institution should work in partnership with its publics--to provide information, to animate workshops, to invite media for discussions and, above all, to publicly justify its activities.

   The publicity principle (the obligation to provide any available information to media and to population) is more alive than ever, and citizens become co-creators of the administrative action.

   2.2. Electronic communication provides real opportunities for achieving the exigencies of the Democratic Governance Model

   The logic of new governance models, valuating the participation, the dialogue between institution and citizens and the transparency of information--electronic communication (Internet, social networks), provides real opportunities, among which the following can be mentioned:

   --the interactive facet of the communication tool (the transmitter--receiver relationship ceases to be frozen because the roles can continuously interchange, as in an interpersonal relationship);

   --we place ourselves more and more in a network logic, where institutions and individuals exchange information observing a hierarchy that evolves based on other factors than the institutional authority (Anderruthy, 2009, p. 39; Cousin, 2008, p. 27);

   --via Internet, institutions have the possibility to increase the transparency of their services and activities, to publicly justify them (for example, the online answer to the questions addressed by people), to facilitate the participation of citizens in public policies and to increasingly involve them in the governance system (Monnoyer-Smith, 2011, p. 158);

   --by individualizing the relationship with specific applications, like my-public-service, the public institutions are able to better comply with the needs of individuals and to increase the public service efficiency (virtual counter 24 / 24H, almost zero waiting time);

   --the multimedia possibilities provided by Internet help institutions in adapting themselves and in reaching more people in an attractive and friendly manner (Nielsen and Loranger, 2009; Blond et al., 2009);

   --the advantage of allowing for an asynchronous communication, knowing that interlocutors are not necessarily simultaneously connected to the system (Gany, 2009; Badau, 2011);

   --the up to date feature of information--if this is published / read during the same day--allows institutions to communicate in real time and beneficiaries to always benefit from updated information, therefore reducing the distance between institutions and citizens;

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