Country reputation and global university rankings: Does social media engagement make a difference?

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Ahmad Juhaidi, Husnul Yaqin, Hidayat Ma’ruf, Hilmi Mizani, Muhniansyah Arasyid Mahani This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-5853109/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract International students indicate the university's international reputation. The study examines how country reputation, university rankings, and Instagram social media marketing (IG SMM) affect universities' international reputation, with IG SMM analysed as a moderator between exogenous variables and international reputation. Using a random sampling technique, we selected 164 universities from the 2024 Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings, which features the top 602 universities globally. Data analysis uses partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) with the help of SmartPLS version 4.9.0.9. The study found that educational quality, host nation security, and university rankings significantly influence international reputation, while IG SMM has no effect and does not moderate the impact of these factors. This suggests that when a university's reputation increases, the impact of social media marketing on the university's brand reputation diminishes. This study provides valuable insights into the country's reputation, university rankings, and the international reputation of the university. Management Other Business Country reputation IG SMM International students University International reputation Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 INTRODUCTION Top universities around the world have increasingly targeted international students as a key market. These students not only demonstrate that the university's reputation is globally recognized but also provide significant financial benefits to both the universities and host countries (Yılmaz & Temizkan, 2022 ). The number of international students is often considered a critical indicator of a university's global competitiveness, prompting both governments and institutions to adopt various international recruitment strategies (De Wit & Altbach, 2021 ). Given this, it is essential to explore factors that drive the growth of international student numbers, especially in a global context. Numerous studies have focused on international students. International students' perceptions of a university’s reputation are influenced by the safety of the host country (Nachatar Singh et al., 2014 ), and university rankings (Gołata & Sojkin, 2020 ) Additionally, having family members residing in a particular country affects international students’ perceptions of universities in that country (Cartwright & Angulo-Ruiz, 2024 ). One key factor motivating international students to choose universities in Mainland China is the country’s economic future (Wu et al., 2021 ). Research on the role of Instagram social media marketing (IG SMM) in higher education has also gained considerable attention. The quality of the content significantly influences engagement on the Instagram accounts of the top five universities (Bonilla Quijada et al., 2022 ). Universities are increasingly prioritizing Instagram over other social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter (Sörensen et al., 2023 ). Furthermore, Juhaidi Ahmad et al. (2024) found that Instagram engagement influences students' intention to enroll in Islamic higher education institutions. However, most of these studies focus on individual countries, such as Switzerland, Malaysia, China, Ghana, or specific groups of universities. There is still a gap in research exploring the international reputation of universities within a global context. In other words, evidence remains limited to confirm how national reputation, university rankings, and IG SMM jointly affect universities' international reputation. This study seeks to address this theoretical gap by examining the relationships between national reputation, university rankings, IG SMM, and university international reputation. To date, the influence of key factors—such as national reputation, university rankings, and IG SMM—on the global reputation of universities has received limited attention in the literature. While individual studies have explored these elements in specific countries or institutions, the broader interaction and combined effects of these factors on international university reputation remain largely unexplored. This gap leaves us without a comprehensive understanding of how these elements shape global perceptions of universities. To address this issue, the current study aims to bridge this theoretical gap by examining how national reputation, university rankings, and Instagram social media marketing influence the international reputation of universities. By doing so, it will offer a more integrated perspective on what drives global university reputation. Additionally, this study seeks to uncover the moderating role of Instagram social media marketing in enhancing or mediating the effects of national reputation, university rankings, and other contextual factors like economic and safety conditions on international perceptions. More specifically, the aims of the study are: RA_1: To explore the effects of overall educational quality, national economic conditions, country safety, university rankings, and Instagram social media marketing on the international reputation of universities. RA_2: To verify the moderating role of Instagram social media marketing in the relationship between educational quality, national economic conditions, country safety, university rankings, and international university reputation. This study contributes theoretically by offering a thorough elucidation of the international reputation of universities and the key factors that influence it, including country reputation, university rankings, and Instagram Social Media Marketing (IG SMM). By verifying the role of IG SMM in shaping the reputation of top universities globally, the research will expand the current understanding of how digital marketing strategies, along with broader contextual factors like country reputation and institutional rankings, contribute to building and maintaining a university’s global reputation. This theoretical insight will add to the literature on reputation management, digital marketing, and higher education branding. From a practical standpoint, this study will offer significant contributions for university administrators by serving as a valuable resource for decision-making related to university marketing strategies. The findings will assist university leaders in understanding how to leverage Instagram and other social media platforms effectively to enhance their institutions' visibility and reputation on a global scale. This can guide strategic initiatives aimed at improving university rankings, enhancing country reputation, and ultimately attracting top-tier students and faculty. The practical insights derived from this research will support more targeted and informed marketing efforts within higher education. LITERATURE REVIEW International Reputation In the competition among universities, a rise in the number of students from abroad reflects the institution's global reputation (Khoshtaria et al., 2020 ). International students are often considered a reflection of a university's global reputation. A strong presence of international students suggests that the institution has established a global standing, attracting talent from diverse regions. The university's global reputation and repute are evidenced by the enrollment of international students (Janik et al., 2023 ; Rust & Singh, 2020 ). A study by Soysal et al., ( 2024 ) indicated that international reputation is manifested in students from other countries who are affected by the university's ranking. The Good Country Index ( https://index.goodcountry.org/ ) includes overseas students as a metric of global repute. A university's international reputation can be quantified by the enrollment of overseas students. Moreover, the university's operating approach demonstrates that its international reputation is evidenced by the enrollment of overseas students. Institutions lacking a favorable global reputation will fail to entice overseas students to apply. Despite significant progress, research on the worldwide reputation of universities has not been thoroughly examined within a global framework. Research on international students concerning countries, rankings, and Instagram social media marketing has been limited. Consequently, this investigation is of paramount importance for accomplishing. Country Reputation The image of a country reflects public perception at a specific moment in time, while reputation captures this perception over the long term, forming the country’s brand (Han, 1989 ; Passow et al., 2005 ; Yousaf & Li, 2015 ). Although the concept of branding is commonly used for companies, a nation’s brand also plays a critical role in shaping global perceptions (Barney & Zhang, 2008 ). A country’s reputation is crucial for attracting both tourists and foreign investments, significantly impacting the national economy (Berens et al., 2011 ). This reputation extends beyond economic factors to include elements such as natural environment, security, living conditions, labor markets, and trade performance (Fernandez-Crehuet et al., 2021 ; Kotler & Gertner, 2002 ). In some cases, a country’s name may evoke negative associations, such as poverty or insecurity, which can hinder its global standing. As digitalization becomes increasingly important, factors such as technological advancement, sports achievements, and healthcare systems also contribute to a country’s reputation (Fernandez-Crehuet et al., 2019 ). Education, too, has emerged as a vital element, with academic excellence reflecting positively on a nation’s image (Shamma & Bisht, 2021 ). In the context of education, a country’s security and stability are key considerations for international students when choosing a university. Students are more inclined to study in countries with a strong reputation for safety(Nachatar Singh et al., 2014 ). Moreover, the overall quality of education offered by institutions significantly enhances a country’s academic reputation on the global stage (Mahmoud et al., 2020 ; Özoğlu et al., 2015 ). The visa and immigration process is also a factor in international students' decision-making(Ahmad et al., 2016). It indicates that public services associated with immigration are a determinant in the selection of international students. Further, historical and colonial ties also influence international students' choices. Many students opt for universities in countries that share historical connections with their homeland (Gyamera & Asare, 2023 ). This historical proximity describes a perceived quality and ease of public service because it shares several similarities. However, much of the existing research focuses on specific national contexts or top universities within a single country, such as Malaysia, Ghana, Taiwan, China, leaving a gap in the understanding of university reputation on a truly global scale. To address this gap, we propose the following hypotheses for validation in this study: H_1 The host country's overall quality of education influences the global reputation of universities. H_2 The host country's economic conditions affect the global reputation of its universities. H_3 The quality of public services in the host country affects the global reputation of universities. H_4 Peace and security in the host country impact the global reputation of its universities. University Ranking Prominent university rankings within the global academic community employ several methodologies. The Quacquarelli Symonds World University Ranking (QS), Times Higher Education World University Ranking (THE), and the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), conducted by Shanghai Jiao Tong University, employ distinct indicators. QS prioritizes academic endeavours, THE relies on surveys, and ARWU concentrates on alumni and the scholarly reputation of faculty and alumni, such as Nobel laureates and medals (Sarwar et al., 2021 ). University rankings serve as a global metric of quality. The ranking signifies credibility (Kethüda, 2022 ). The ranking reflects the university's reputation, potentially affecting the choices of prospective students and other stakeholders (Kayyali, 2023 ). Amado Mateus and Juarez Acosta ( 2022 ) found that identity, image, and rankings also influence university reputation. Rankings play a crucial role for colleges in enhancing their reputation and recruiting international students (Hazelkorn, 2011 ). The image of the institution in university rankings influences the selection of international students (María Cubillo et al., 2006 ). The research has not established a correlation between the ranks and international reputations or social media marketing on Instagram. It is essential to correlate rankings with reputation and Instagram social media marketing. Instagram social media marketing has become an integral component of marketing in higher education globally. Conversely, rankings are also a priority for the world's leading colleges. Consequently, we formulate the hypothesis H_5 University rankings significantly influence the international reputation of the university. Instagram Social Media Marketing (IG SMM) Universities have extensively utilized social media as a marketing tool. Facebook is the most widely used social media, but IG has more engagement(Tuten, 2023). Universities use social media as a medium to convey their activities. Social media marketing influences university brand equity(Perera et al., 2022 ). Social media serves as a resource for overseas students in selecting a university (Reddy, 2014 ). Universities have extensively utilized social media as a marketing tool (Ibrahim & Aljarah, 2024 ). In public service, information in social media marketing moderates the impact of perceptions on the government's response to trust. Conversely, social media does not hold substantial importance for the world's leading colleges. Lund ( 2019 ) demonstrates that Facebook social media marketing among the top 100 institutions in the QS ranking corresponds with follower count but does not significantly connect with student enrolment or engagement metrics such as likes, comments, and shares. Universities of international renown typically have a diminished affinity for SMM compared to smaller institutions. Promotion adversely influences the selection of foreign universities (Mazzarol & Soutar, 2002 ). Intensive advertisements have diminished the interest of international students in selecting overseas universities. This demonstrates a contradiction in the conclusions concerning the role of SMM. In the commercial sector, social media marketing (SMM) plays a key role for brands. Nonetheless, in the education sector, the influence of social media marketing on brand performance appears to be limited. Consequently, the validation of the role of SMM, particularly in the leading global universities, is of paramount significance. Consequently, we formulate a null hypothesis: H_6 Instagram social media marketing (IG SMM) does not have a significant effect on the university's international reputation. H_7 Instagram social media marketing (IG SMM) does not moderate the influence of the host country's overall quality of education on the international reputation of the university. H_8 Instagram social media marketing (IG SMM) does not moderate the influence of host country economic well-being on the university's international reputation. H_9 Instagram social media marketing (IG SMM) does not moderate the influence of host country peace and security on the university's international reputation. H_10 Instagram social media marketing (IG SMM) does not moderate the influence of the host country's public service quality on the university's international reputation. H_11 Instagram social media marketing (IG SMM) does not moderate the influence of university rankings on the university's international reputation. Theoretical Framework This study explores the causality relationship of exogenous and endogenous variables. The theoretical framework can be seen in Fig. 1. METHODS Study subject and data collection process The Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Ranking 2024 and university Instagram account served as the study's subject. We selected the sample university in two stages. In the first stage, we removed universities that did not have an overall score, such as Abo Akademi University, American University in Dubai, and National Central University. At this stage, we removed 896 universities, bringing the total number of eligible universities down to 602 universities. The next step is to randomly assign samples using the = Rand() function in Microsoft Excel. We select the random results in ascending order. After removing one university in Brunei due to its non-inclusion in the Global Peace Index, we set the sample size to 164 universities. This number is more than the 102 samples set by Bartlett et al. ( 2001 ) or a population of 700. The measurement of exogenous and endogenous variables uses indicators from secondary data. Table 1 displays the variables, indicators, and data sources. Table 1 Measurement Indicators. Variable Indicator Source URL Education quality Expected years of schooling (EYS) ) Human Development Indexs 2023/2024 United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). https://hdr.undp.org/content/human-development-report-2023-24 Mean years of schooling (MYS Peace and security’s country 2024 Global Peace Index 2024 Global Peace Index, Vision of Humanity https://www.visionofhumanity.org/maps/#/ Political stability 2022 TheGlobalEconomy.com https://www.theglobaleconomy.com/rankings/wb_political_stability/ Economy Gross National Income per capita (GNI), Atlas method (current US $ )* 2023 World Bank Data https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GNP.PCAP.CD?view=chart Public Service Government Effectiveness: Percentile Rank 2022 World Bank Data https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/GE.PER.RNK University rank QS World University Ranking 2024 * Quacquarelli Symonds' (QS) method. https://www.topuniversities.com/world-university-rankings?tab=indicators&sort_by=rank&order_by=asc Instagram social media marketing Engagement rate (ER)* https://phlanx.com/engagement-calculator . https://phlanx.com/engagement-calculator . International reputation International students* Quacquarelli Symonds' (QS) method. https://www.topuniversities.com/world-university-rankings?tab=indicators&sort_by=rank&order_by=asc Note: * Single item measurement We conducted the data collection process from July 4 to October 1, 2024. These data are secondary data. The variables in this study used single item measurement except for the overall education quality and peace and security variables. However, single item measurement can be done in the PLS-SEM approach (Bergkvist, 2015 ; Hair et al., 2022 ). Data Analysis Process This study employs the PLS SEM methodology due to its lack of requirement for data normality. The obtained data are organized in a table utilizing Microsoft Excel for Mac version 16.78. Additionally, we employ SmartPLS for Mac version 4.9.0.9 to examine the processed data. The computation results are analyzed to address the study's objectives and validate the formulated hypothesis. RESULT Construct reliability and validity We assess the validity of the indicator by utilizing the outer loading (λ) value. All indicators in this study have satisfied the validity criteria with a value surpassing 0.7 (λ > 0.7). We also affirm that the construct fulfilled the criteria for convergent validity. An Average Variance Extracted (AVE) value across 0.5 (AVE > 0.5) substantiates this. The reliability standards have been satisfied. Values of Cronbach's alpha (α), composite reliability (rho_a), and composite reliability (rho_c) over 0.7 signify the construct's reliability. Table 1 Reliability and validity λ VIF α rho_a rho_c AVE Education Qual 0.703 0.703 0.871 0.771 EYS 0.875 1.416 MYS 0.881 1.416 Economic_GNI 1.000 1.000 n/a n/a n/a n/a Public Service 1.000 1.000 n/a n/a n/a n/a Country Security 9.07 9.36 9.55 9.14 Peace Rank* 9.47 3.215 Political Stability* 9.65 3.215 Univ_Rank 1.000 1.000 n/a n/a n/a n/a SMM_ER 1.000 1.000 n/a n/a n/a n/a Inter_reput-Int_St 1.000 1.000 n/a n/a n/a n/a Note λ > 0.7; α > 0.7; rho_a > 0.7; rho_c > 0.7; AVE > 0.5; VIF < 5; n/a = Not valid due to single item measurement; *reversed code The objective of the discriminant validity evaluation is to confirm that a reflective construct demonstrates more robust associations with its own indicators than with those of any other construct in the PLS path model (Hair et al., 2022 ). We evaluate discriminant validity by the heterotrait-monotrait ratio of correlations (HTMT). HTMT has more sensitivity and superior than the Fornell-Larcker criterion in assessing discriminant validity (Hair et al., 2019 ). All HTMT values have consistently stayed below 0.9, hence demonstrating the establishment of discriminant validity. Further, the variance inflation factor (VIF) is less than 5 (VIF < 5), reflecting that there is no of collinearity in the model. The evaluation confirms that the concept is eligible for further processing. The results of the test are displayed in Table 1 . Table 2 Discriminant validity: the heterotrait-monotrait ratio of correlations (HTMT) GNI Edu_ qual IG_ SMM IR PS PServ Univ_rank IG_ SMM x Univ_rank IG_ SMM x Edu_qual IG_SMM x PS IG_SMM x GNI IG_SMM x PServ Economic-GNI (GNI) Education Quality (Edu_qual) 0.506 Instagram SMM (IG_SMM) 0.066 0.174 International Reputation (IR) 0.198 0.716 0.158 Peace and Security (PS) 0.148 0.634 0.087 0.494 Public Service (PServ) 0.280 0.691 0.084 0.400 0.690 University Ranking (Univ_rank) 0.060 0.228 0.087 0.348 0.129 0.105 IG SMM x University Ranking 0.041 0.033 0.777 0.026 0.036 0.034 0.079 IG SMM x Education Quality 0.091 0.121 0.569 0.039 0.034 0.028 0.019 0.588 IG SMM x Peace and Security 0.056 0.067 0.061 0.061 0.094 0.098 0.035 0.009 0.673 IG SMM x Economic-GNI 0.130 0.192 0.672 0.114 0.063 0.075 0.049 0.630 0.907 0.515 IG SMM x Public service 0.060 0.047 0.825 0.005 0.095 0.075 0.033 0.645 0.633 0.198 0.736 Note: HTMT International Reputation 0.41 0.117 0.131 0.642 3.276 0.001 H_1 was supported Economic-GNI -> International Reputation 0.079 0.004 -0.279 0.501 0.414 0.679 H_2 was rejected Peace and Security -> International Reputation -0.213 0.053 -0.379 -0.039 2.180 0.029 H_3 was supported Public Service -> International Reputation -0.09 0.006 -0.351 0.157 0.592 0.554 H_5 was rejected University Rank -> International Reputation 0.209 0.070 0.064 0.338 2.996 0.003 H_4 was supported Instagram SMM -> Reputation -0.17 0.001 -0.842 0.147 0.751 0.453 H_6 was supported Instagram SMM x Education Quality -> International Reputation -0.327 0.000 -1.360 0.236 0.822 0.411 H_7 was supported Instagram SMM x Economic-GNI -> International Reputation 0.648 0.003 -0.636 -0.229 2.286 0.282 H_8 was supported Instagram SMM x Peace and Security -> International Reputation -0.015 0.000 -0.464 0.682 0.053 0.958 H_9 was supported Instagram SMM x Public Service -> International Reputation -0.272 0.011 -0.804 0.387 0.903 0.367 H_10 was supported Instagram SMM x University Rank -> International Reputation -0.024 0.000 -0.392 0.425 0.124 0.901 H_11 was supported Note: Significant Confidence interval bias corrected (CI) not include zero; t-statistics > 1.96; p-value 0.02 small effect size, f 2 > 0.15 medium effect size, f 2 >0.35 large effect size (Cohen, 1988 ). O > 0.2 (Chin, 1998a ). Hypothesis Verification We bootstrapped 10,000 samples to test the hypothesis. This study confirms the effect of the quality of education in general in a country on the reputation of universities in the world (o 0.41 > 0.2; CI [0.131; 0.642]; t 3,276 > 1.96; p 0.001 < 0.05). However, the effect falls into the smaller category (f2 = 0.17). The findings indicate that a university in a country with quality education will tend to have an international reputation. In other words, overall quality education tends to have a university that is able to compete globally. Thus, H_1 was supported. The results of statistical calculations also prove that the university's international reputation is influenced by the peace and security of the country (o > 0.2; CI [-0.379, -0.039]; t 2,180 > 1.96; p 0.029 < 0.05). The higher the insecurity score of the country in which the university is located, the lower the university's reputation in the global university market. In other words, the university will be more attractive for international students if its country is safe and secure. Therefore, H_3 was confirmed. The university's ranking at the international level is another exogenous variable that has proven to affect the international reputation of universities. This is evident from the results of statistical calculations that qualify to be called significant (o > 0.2; CI [0.064; 0.338]; t 2,996 > 1.96; p 0.003 < 0.05). Universities that have high rankings tend to have a high reputation among prospective international students. In other words, a high university ranking will enhance the reputation of a university that attracts international students. On the other hand, students tend to see university rankings as the basis for choosing a university in another country. Thus, H_4 was supported. This study, in contrast to the aforementioned findings, substantiates the lack of impact of the country's economy, the quality of governmental public services, and the SMM IG on the university's international reputation. Moreover, IG SMM did not moderate the influence of exogenous variables assessed in this study (o < 0.2; t 0.05). Confidence interval range values that include or encompass zero corroborate the results. We conclude that the nation's economic status does not contribute to the university's global reputation. This tendency is related to students' goals when choosing a university that prioritizes academic factors. Moreover, we demonstrate that the IG SMM exerts no substantial influence on the university's reputation, either directly or as a moderating factor. This suggests that for colleges ranked among the world's finest, social media marketing does not significantly enhance their reputation. Consequently, we deduce that colleges with established reputation and distinction find social media marketing to be an insignificant element in attracting new students, particularly international students. Inversely, we suggest that colleges lacking reputation and prestige are likely to depend on social media to enhance their standing and allure prospective students. The results show that we rejected H-2, H_5, H_6, H_7, H_8, and H_9. Model Quality The model we evaluated demonstrated a fit with an R2 value of 0.467. This number indicates that the exogenous factors assessed in the constructed model affect the endogenous variables by 46.7%. Consequently, other unmeasured elements influence 53.3% of international reputation. The model's fit in this investigation was modest (Chin, 1998b ). Furthermore, we assessed the model using a standardized root mean square residual (SRMR) value. The model we developed exhibits an estimated SRMR value of 0.076. The value is below 0.080, indicating that the model is well-fitted (Schuberth et al., 2023 ). Consequently, the model we present aligns with the empirical data. Figure 2 illustrates the structural model. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATION Discussion Our findings reveal that the quality of education, national security, and university rankings significantly influence the international reputation of institutions. The results corroborate earlier research indicating the influence of a nation's reputation and ranking on international students. According to Paulino and Castaño ( 2019 ) state security, economic conditions, and educational quality are the determinants for selecting a nation for further study. Security is a primary factor in selecting Australia for further studies (Shanka et al., 2006 ). Rankings influence the selection of universities by overseas students in Russia (Ulyanova & Denisov, 2023 ). Moreover, the economic status of the host country of the university does not influence the university's reputation. This is unsurprising, as international students typically possess a robust economic foundation or financial assistance. Consequently, the economic status of the country hosting the destination university is not the primary factor of consideration. Conversely, the economic circumstances of the home nation serve as the primary impetus for pursuing studies abroad (Mazzarol & Soutar, 2002 ). This approach differs from choosing a country for employment based on the nation's economic conditions, as noted by Becker et al., ( 2005 ). This study demonstrates that in the world's leading colleges, social media marketing on Instagram does not directly impact the institution's reputation and does not modify the effects of other variables. These findings affirm that the decision to select an institution is sufficiently intricate to render prediction challenging. The selection of a university constitutes a significant risk decision. It indicates that in the education sector, the impact of social media is not as pronounced as in the business sector. In contrast, social media marketing significantly impacts customers in the business sector (Majeed et al., 2021 ; Moslehpour, 2020 ; Onofrei et al., 2022 ). In the business and service sectors, consumers can easily switch to a different product or service if it fails to meet their expectations. However, in the higher education sector, changes are difficult to make because they will cost a lot of time and money. Moreover, the significance of SMM in the higher education sector remains impactful for universities with a regional reputation (Dahliana et al., 2023 ; Hertin & Ahmad Pitra, 2024; Khairani et al., 2024 ). Consequently, we deduce that a university's elevated reputation correlates with a diminished impact of social media marketing on its brand. Leading worldwide institutions typically utilize social media as a restricted source of information rather than a platform for recruiting new students. Conversely, local colleges utilize social media as the primary instrument to cultivate an image that attracts prospective students. Implication Theoretical Implication This work provides significant theoretical advances to the comprehension of university international reputation. First, We verifies that educational quality, national security, and university rankings substantially impact a university's global reputation. These elements are essential in influencing students' choices and reaffirm established paradigms on the significance of institutional quality and external perceptions in enrolling international students. Second, the study elucidates the influence of economic situations on university reputation. Although economic considerations are frequently included in decision-making processes, the data indicate that the economic position of the host country does not directly influence a university's reputation. This indicates that overseas students, typically financially stable or backed by funding, choose academic quality and safety over the economic conditions of the destination. This insight enhances theoretical comprehension by distinguishing study-related motives from employment-oriented choices, wherein economic conditions have greater significance. Third, the study offers new insights about the influence of social media marketing (SMM), indicating that it exerts a negligible direct effect on the global reputation of leading colleges. This suggests that theories derived from consumer behaviour, which highlight the impact of social media marketing, may not be entirely applicable to higher education. The choosing of a university is a multifaceted, high-stakes decision with enduring implications, indicating that marketing within this domain entails distinct factors absent in conventional consumer scenarios. Forth, our study underscores the unfavourable relationship between institutional reputation and the efficacy of social media marketing (SMM). Although social media marketing (SMM) can effectively enhance the reputation of local or regional universities, its influence wanes for globally esteemed institutions, which predominantly utilize social media as a means of disseminating information. This research underscores that the efficacy of social media marketing is contingent upon the institution's established reputation, indicating that colleges with robust international recognition necessitate distinct marketing methods compared to those with a more regional emphasis. This study enhances theoretical frameworks by validating the significance of educational quality, security, and rankings for international reputation, distinguishing the economic incentives for studying versus working abroad, recognizing the constraints of applying consumer marketing theories to higher education, and illustrating how the effects of SMM differ based on institutional reputation. These insights provide a more refined comprehension of the elements affecting university reputation in the global education sector. Practical Implication The findings of this study offer several practical implications for universities, policymakers, and higher education marketers seeking to enhance their international reputation and attract international students. First, universities and government should prioritize improving educational quality overall, and security. Given the significant impact of these factors on international reputation, institutions must allocate resources to maintain high academic standards and develop safe environments for students. Collaborating with local authorities to enhance safety measures can also make a university more attractive to international students. Second, university administrators should recognize that rankings remain an influential factor in students' decision-making processes. Institutions aiming to enhance their international profile should actively participate in global ranking frameworks and seek continuous improvement in areas such as research output, teaching quality, and international collaborations. Strategies that boost ranking performance, such as fostering research partnerships and increasing faculty quality, can further strengthen global reputation. Third, social media marketing (SMM) strategies must be tailored to the university's reputation level. For globally renowned universities, social media should be used primarily to disseminate important information, build community engagement, and maintain a public presence without relying heavily on it to attract students. On the other hand, local or regional universities should leverage SMM as a primary tool for building brand recognition and reaching prospective students, focusing on personalized engagement and interactive content. Finally, the findings emphasize that selecting a university is a complex, high-stakes decision. Higher education marketers must adopt strategies that provide clear, reliable information to prospective students and address their concerns about safety, academic quality, and career prospects. Unlike consumers in the business sector, students cannot easily reverse their enrolment decisions, making trust and transparency in communications essential for building a positive institutional reputation. Limitation and Future Study Although our work offers substantial insights, it is crucial to be aware of numerous limitations. First, our research relies on single-item measurement. For example, we measure economic factors using only one indicator, Gross National Income (GNI) per capita. Despite ongoing discussion regarding single-item measures, using additional items to capture exogenous variables may improve the reliability and validity of our results. Second, the range of exogenous factors we examined remains constrained, hence limiting the model's overall predictive efficacy. Students' decision-making process when choosing a university is complex and difficult to predict. Consequently, including more extensive variables is crucial to encompass all potential influencing aspects and enhance the robustness of forthcoming models. Third, this study obtained its data from secondary sources, limiting it to specific years. Additionally, we collected some variables from different years, which could potentially result in time inconsistencies across constructs. This limitation arises from our reliance on available data sources. In other words, the data we used may not fully capture trends or developments that occurred over the span of several years, potentially impacting the study's ability to reflect current dynamics accurately. Future research can address the constraints indicated in this study to improve the depth and accuracy of findings. First, adopting multi-item measurements for key variables, such as economic factors, would improve measurement reliability and validity. Expanding beyond Gross National Income (GNI) per capita to include additional economic indicators (e.g., household income, unemployment rate, or educational expenditure) can provide a more nuanced understanding of how economic factors shape students' university choices. Second, expanding the array of exogenous variables will be crucial for more accurately reflecting the intricacies of students' decision-making processes. Future research may investigate psychological, social, and cultural determinants—such as peer influence, institutional prestige, and career ambitions—that significantly influence these decisions. Such actions would facilitate the development of more comprehensive models with enhanced forecasting capabilities. Third, to resolve the time inconsistency problem, future research should utilize panel data or longitudinal studies that extend over several years. This methodology will enable researchers to monitor temporal changes and more accurately catch emerging trends. Furthermore, when utilizing secondary data, it is imperative to align variables to same timeframes or augment them with primary data collecting to address any deficiencies. CONCLUSION The research determined that the overall educational quality, the peace and security of the host nation, and the university's rating significantly influence its international reputation. International students select institutions based on the quality of education and the safety of the host country. The university's excellence as indicated by global rankings, influences the selection of overseas students. This study demonstrates that the IG SMM does not influence the university's international reputation. Moreover, IG SMM does not serve as a moderator for the impact of exogenous variables on the university's internationally reputation. This suggests that when a university's reputation increases, the impact of social media marketing on the university's brand reputation diminishes. Nonetheless, in local colleges, social media marketing significantly influences the institution's brand image. Declarations Funding No funding was received to assist with the preparation of this manuscript. Institutional Review Board Statement Not applicable Transparency The authors confirm that the manuscript is an honest, accurate, and transparent account of the study; that no vital features of the study have been omitted; and that any discrepancies from the study as planned have been explained. This study followed all ethical practices during writing. Data Availability Statement The raw data required to reproduce the above findings are available and will be provided upon request. Competing Interests On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest. Authors’ Contributions xxxxx : Conceptualization, Methodology, Software, Formal analysis, Writing - original draft, Writing - review & editing. xxxxxx : Supervison, xxxxx: Methodology, Software. xxxxx: Data curation, Resources. xxxxx : Data curation. 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Educational Rev 73(5):580–596. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2019.1662772 Yılmaz K, Temizkan V (2022) The Effects of Educational Service Quality and Socio-Cultural Adaptation Difficulties on International Students’ Higher Education Satisfaction. Sage Open 12(1):21582440221078316. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440221078316 Yousaf S, Li H (2015) Social identity, collective self esteem and country reputation: The case of Pakistan. J Prod Brand Manage 24(4):399–411. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBM-04-2014-0548 Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-5853109","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":403794332,"identity":"640607a7-70c1-4687-9f10-f754516f5eca","order_by":0,"name":"Ahmad Juhaidi","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABOklEQVRIie2RP0vDQBTArxyky2nWE//0K1wQxFD0s+Rw6JLEQsBF0BQhGYy70KJfoSHgassNnWrXDA66R4iLBMzgu6STibo63A/u4N7jx3vvHkIKxX+EwiEEWQgjNsur5xqtuhn+VZnf1krH/1tBoMgsqWO1sqah6ONrnmc7wtVDHIuj4NBF3eXipSiPTzcRfs3RsN8o8rxMtiZEeFRoQ+EE1EPE5aOb4MQMkLZPERs0Gkud6TYhgvuCMKnwx5lt+Bs+ZjDLAXQrvhu91Ek+pXIvFRMUX8+MUVlegtL9aFNY6jxUVaZS6UiF2sYV0QQopLWKAYo5IQMewyzz6EkqmTHeDRZMw8SjVnOWPWgsfYv6/G4lkrw4u4DGbPaeleesF4ZxnpeNH6v3ELWG5Uas1gxQ/JRQKBQKBfAFyDRs8wkPLZAAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"Universitas Islam Negeri Antasari Banjarmasin","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ahmad","middleName":"","lastName":"Juhaidi","suffix":""},{"id":403794333,"identity":"eddb94ef-1249-4bb6-ace7-0e6d6fcc653c","order_by":1,"name":"Husnul Yaqin","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Universitas Islam Negeri Antasari Banjarmasin","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Husnul","middleName":"","lastName":"Yaqin","suffix":""},{"id":403794334,"identity":"dd0910de-d2a2-43e1-b0fa-fb3d51b9e78c","order_by":2,"name":"Hidayat Ma’ruf","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Universitas Islam Negeri Antasari Banjarmasin","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Hidayat","middleName":"","lastName":"Ma’ruf","suffix":""},{"id":403794335,"identity":"9c940ed7-6942-4347-acac-501c6ba4c254","order_by":3,"name":"Hilmi Mizani","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Universitas Islam Negeri Antasari Banjarmasin","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Hilmi","middleName":"","lastName":"Mizani","suffix":""},{"id":403794336,"identity":"d8f5e92a-9bbc-4319-9b1f-c96489990b6f","order_by":4,"name":"Muhniansyah Arasyid Mahani","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Universitas Islam Negeri Antasari Banjarmasin","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Muhniansyah","middleName":"Arasyid","lastName":"Mahani","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-01-18 05:57:21","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":{"humanSubjects":false,"vertebrateSubjects":false,"conflictsOfInterestStatement":false,"humanSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false,"humanSubjectConsent":false,"humanSubjectClinicalTrial":false,"humanSubjectCaseReport":false,"vertebrateSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false},"doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-5853109/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-5853109/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":74427413,"identity":"00db1708-9b4a-4c34-9ae2-e060ceab6864","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-01-22 08:09:45","extension":"png","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":71979,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eTheoretical Framework\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNote: IG SMM = Instagram Social Media Marketing\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5853109/v1/db8f09520d061a85996d779e.png"},{"id":74427414,"identity":"1dddebc1-b834-4626-a1e6-eb695c074927","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-01-22 08:09:46","extension":"png","order_by":2,"title":"Figure 2","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":85763,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eStructural Model\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"2.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5853109/v1/1e58f3ecd87372bd0065e0f9.png"},{"id":74427981,"identity":"0397393f-1d58-4843-8a1a-46a7cc5231d9","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-01-22 08:17:52","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1225535,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5853109/v1/99df9823-4eac-4255-a0e0-7249565b07f3.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"The authors declare no competing interests.","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCountry reputation and global university rankings: Does social media engagement make a difference?\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[{"header":"INTRODUCTION","content":"\u003cp\u003eTop universities around the world have increasingly targeted international students as a key market. These students not only demonstrate that the university's reputation is globally recognized but also provide significant financial benefits to both the universities and host countries (Yılmaz \u0026amp; Temizkan, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR54\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e). The number of international students is often considered a critical indicator of a university's global competitiveness, prompting both governments and institutions to adopt various international recruitment strategies (De Wit \u0026amp; Altbach, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e). Given this, it is essential to explore factors that drive the growth of international student numbers, especially in a global context.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNumerous studies have focused on international students. International students' perceptions of a university\u0026rsquo;s reputation are influenced by the safety of the host country (Nachatar Singh et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2014\u003c/span\u003e), and university rankings (Gołata \u0026amp; Sojkin, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e) Additionally, having family members residing in a particular country affects international students\u0026rsquo; perceptions of universities in that country (Cartwright \u0026amp; Angulo-Ruiz, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e). One key factor motivating international students to choose universities in Mainland China is the country\u0026rsquo;s economic future (Wu et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR53\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e). Research on the role of Instagram social media marketing (IG SMM) in higher education has also gained considerable attention. The quality of the content significantly influences engagement on the Instagram accounts of the top five universities (Bonilla Quijada et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e). Universities are increasingly prioritizing Instagram over other social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter (S\u0026ouml;rensen et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR49\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e). Furthermore, Juhaidi Ahmad et al. (2024) found that Instagram engagement influences students' intention to enroll in Islamic higher education institutions.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHowever, most of these studies focus on individual countries, such as Switzerland, Malaysia, China, Ghana, or specific groups of universities. There is still a gap in research exploring the international reputation of universities within a global context. In other words, evidence remains limited to confirm how national reputation, university rankings, and IG SMM jointly affect universities' international reputation. This study seeks to address this theoretical gap by examining the relationships between national reputation, university rankings, IG SMM, and university international reputation.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo date, the influence of key factors\u0026mdash;such as national reputation, university rankings, and IG SMM\u0026mdash;on the global reputation of universities has received limited attention in the literature. While individual studies have explored these elements in specific countries or institutions, the broader interaction and combined effects of these factors on international university reputation remain largely unexplored. This gap leaves us without a comprehensive understanding of how these elements shape global perceptions of universities.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo address this issue, the current study aims to bridge this theoretical gap by examining how national reputation, university rankings, and Instagram social media marketing influence the international reputation of universities. By doing so, it will offer a more integrated perspective on what drives global university reputation. Additionally, this study seeks to uncover the moderating role of Instagram social media marketing in enhancing or mediating the effects of national reputation, university rankings, and other contextual factors like economic and safety conditions on international perceptions.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMore specifically, the aims of the study are:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"No\" id=\"Taba\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"2\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRA_1:\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo explore the effects of overall educational quality, national economic conditions, country safety, university rankings, and Instagram social media marketing on the international reputation of universities.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRA_2:\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo verify the moderating role of Instagram social media marketing in the relationship between educational quality, national economic conditions, country safety, university rankings, and international university reputation.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis study contributes theoretically by offering a thorough elucidation of the international reputation of universities and the key factors that influence it, including country reputation, university rankings, and Instagram Social Media Marketing (IG SMM). By verifying the role of IG SMM in shaping the reputation of top universities globally, the research will expand the current understanding of how digital marketing strategies, along with broader contextual factors like country reputation and institutional rankings, contribute to building and maintaining a university\u0026rsquo;s global reputation. This theoretical insight will add to the literature on reputation management, digital marketing, and higher education branding.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFrom a practical standpoint, this study will offer significant contributions for university administrators by serving as a valuable resource for decision-making related to university marketing strategies. The findings will assist university leaders in understanding how to leverage Instagram and other social media platforms effectively to enhance their institutions' visibility and reputation on a global scale. This can guide strategic initiatives aimed at improving university rankings, enhancing country reputation, and ultimately attracting top-tier students and faculty. The practical insights derived from this research will support more targeted and informed marketing efforts within higher education.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"LITERATURE REVIEW","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eInternational Reputation\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn the competition among universities, a rise in the number of students from abroad reflects the institution's global reputation (Khoshtaria et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR29\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). International students are often considered a reflection of a university's global reputation. A strong presence of international students suggests that the institution has established a global standing, attracting talent from diverse regions. The university's global reputation and repute are evidenced by the enrollment of international students (Janik et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e; Rust \u0026amp; Singh, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR44\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA study by Soysal et al., (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR50\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e) indicated that international reputation is manifested in students from other countries who are affected by the university's ranking. The Good Country Index (\u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://index.goodcountry.org/\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"https://index.goodcountry.org/\" targettype=\"URL\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e) includes overseas students as a metric of global repute. A university's international reputation can be quantified by the enrollment of overseas students. Moreover, the university's operating approach demonstrates that its international reputation is evidenced by the enrollment of overseas students. Institutions lacking a favorable global reputation will fail to entice overseas students to apply.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDespite significant progress, research on the worldwide reputation of universities has not been thoroughly examined within a global framework. Research on international students concerning countries, rankings, and Instagram social media marketing has been limited. Consequently, this investigation is of paramount importance for accomplishing.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eCountry Reputation\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe image of a country reflects public perception at a specific moment in time, while reputation captures this perception over the long term, forming the country\u0026rsquo;s brand (Han, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1989\u003c/span\u003e; Passow et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR40\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2005\u003c/span\u003e; Yousaf \u0026amp; Li, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR55\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e). Although the concept of branding is commonly used for companies, a nation\u0026rsquo;s brand also plays a critical role in shaping global perceptions (Barney \u0026amp; Zhang, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2008\u003c/span\u003e). A country\u0026rsquo;s reputation is crucial for attracting both tourists and foreign investments, significantly impacting the national economy (Berens et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e). This reputation extends beyond economic factors to include elements such as natural environment, security, living conditions, labor markets, and trade performance (Fernandez-Crehuet et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e; Kotler \u0026amp; Gertner, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR30\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2002\u003c/span\u003e). In some cases, a country\u0026rsquo;s name may evoke negative associations, such as poverty or insecurity, which can hinder its global standing. As digitalization becomes increasingly important, factors such as technological advancement, sports achievements, and healthcare systems also contribute to a country\u0026rsquo;s reputation (Fernandez-Crehuet et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e). Education, too, has emerged as a vital element, with academic excellence reflecting positively on a nation\u0026rsquo;s image (Shamma \u0026amp; Bisht, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR47\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn the context of education, a country\u0026rsquo;s security and stability are key considerations for international students when choosing a university. Students are more inclined to study in countries with a strong reputation for safety(Nachatar Singh et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2014\u003c/span\u003e). Moreover, the overall quality of education offered by institutions significantly enhances a country\u0026rsquo;s academic reputation on the global stage (Mahmoud et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR32\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e; \u0026Ouml;zoğlu et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR39\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e). The visa and immigration process is also a factor in international students' decision-making(Ahmad et al., 2016). It indicates that public services associated with immigration are a determinant in the selection of international students. Further, historical and colonial ties also influence international students' choices. Many students opt for universities in countries that share historical connections with their homeland (Gyamera \u0026amp; Asare, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e). This historical proximity describes a perceived quality and ease of public service because it shares several similarities.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHowever, much of the existing research focuses on specific national contexts or top universities within a single country, such as Malaysia, Ghana, Taiwan, China, leaving a gap in the understanding of university reputation on a truly global scale. To address this gap, we propose the following hypotheses for validation in this study:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"No\" id=\"Tabb\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"2\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eH_1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe host country's overall quality of education influences the global reputation of universities.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eH_2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe host country's economic conditions affect the global reputation of its universities.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eH_3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe quality of public services in the host country affects the global reputation of universities.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eH_4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePeace and security in the host country impact the global reputation of its universities.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eUniversity Ranking\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eProminent university rankings within the global academic community employ several methodologies. The Quacquarelli Symonds World University Ranking (QS), Times Higher Education World University Ranking (THE), and the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), conducted by Shanghai Jiao Tong University, employ distinct indicators. QS prioritizes academic endeavours, THE relies on surveys, and ARWU concentrates on alumni and the scholarly reputation of faculty and alumni, such as Nobel laureates and medals (Sarwar et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR45\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eUniversity rankings serve as a global metric of quality. The ranking signifies credibility (Keth\u0026uuml;da, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e). The ranking reflects the university's reputation, potentially affecting the choices of prospective students and other stakeholders (Kayyali, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e). Amado Mateus and Juarez Acosta (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e) found that identity, image, and rankings also influence university reputation. Rankings play a crucial role for colleges in enhancing their reputation and recruiting international students (Hazelkorn, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e). The image of the institution in university rankings influences the selection of international students (Mar\u0026iacute;a Cubillo et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR34\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2006\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe research has not established a correlation between the ranks and international reputations or social media marketing on Instagram. It is essential to correlate rankings with reputation and Instagram social media marketing. Instagram social media marketing has become an integral component of marketing in higher education globally. Conversely, rankings are also a priority for the world's leading colleges. Consequently, we formulate the hypothesis\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"No\" id=\"Tabc\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"2\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eH_5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUniversity rankings significantly influence the international reputation of the university.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eInstagram Social Media Marketing (IG SMM)\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUniversities have extensively utilized social media as a marketing tool. Facebook is the most widely used social media, but IG has more engagement(Tuten, 2023). Universities use social media as a medium to convey their activities. Social media marketing influences university brand equity(Perera et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR42\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e). Social media serves as a resource for overseas students in selecting a university (Reddy, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR43\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2014\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eUniversities have extensively utilized social media as a marketing tool (Ibrahim \u0026amp; Aljarah, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e). In public service, information in social media marketing moderates the impact of perceptions on the government's response to trust. Conversely, social media does not hold substantial importance for the world's leading colleges. Lund (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e) demonstrates that Facebook social media marketing among the top 100 institutions in the QS ranking corresponds with follower count but does not significantly connect with student enrolment or engagement metrics such as likes, comments, and shares. Universities of international renown typically have a diminished affinity for SMM compared to smaller institutions. Promotion adversely influences the selection of foreign universities (Mazzarol \u0026amp; Soutar, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR35\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2002\u003c/span\u003e). Intensive advertisements have diminished the interest of international students in selecting overseas universities.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis demonstrates a contradiction in the conclusions concerning the role of SMM. In the commercial sector, social media marketing (SMM) plays a key role for brands. Nonetheless, in the education sector, the influence of social media marketing on brand performance appears to be limited. Consequently, the validation of the role of SMM, particularly in the leading global universities, is of paramount significance. Consequently, we formulate a null hypothesis:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"No\" id=\"Tabd\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"2\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eH_6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInstagram social media marketing (IG SMM) does not have a significant effect on the university's international reputation.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eH_7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInstagram social media marketing (IG SMM) does not moderate the influence of the host country's overall quality of education on the international reputation of the university.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eH_8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInstagram social media marketing (IG SMM) does not moderate the influence of host country economic well-being on the university's international reputation.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eH_9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInstagram social media marketing (IG SMM) does not moderate the influence of host country peace and security on the university's international reputation.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eH_10\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInstagram social media marketing (IG SMM) does not moderate the influence of the host country's public service quality on the university's international reputation.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eH_11\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInstagram social media marketing (IG SMM) does not moderate the influence of university rankings on the university's international reputation.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eTheoretical Framework\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis study explores the causality relationship of exogenous and endogenous variables. The theoretical framework can be seen in Fig.\u0026nbsp;1.\u003c/p\u003e "},{"header":"METHODS","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec8\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec9\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eStudy subject and data collection process\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Ranking 2024 and university Instagram account served as the study's subject. We selected the sample university in two stages. In the first stage, we removed universities that did not have an overall score, such as Abo Akademi University, American University in Dubai, and National Central University. At this stage, we removed 896 universities, bringing the total number of eligible universities down to 602 universities. The next step is to randomly assign samples using the =\u0026thinsp;Rand() function in Microsoft Excel. We select the random results in ascending order. After removing one university in Brunei due to its non-inclusion in the Global Peace Index, we set the sample size to 164 universities. This number is more than the 102 samples set by Bartlett et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2001\u003c/span\u003e) or a population of 700.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe measurement of exogenous and endogenous variables uses indicators from secondary data. Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e displays the variables, indicators, and data sources.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMeasurement Indicators.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"4\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eVariable\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIndicator\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSource\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eURL\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEducation quality\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eExpected years of schooling (EYS) )\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHuman Development Indexs 2023/2024 United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://hdr.undp.org/content/human-development-report-2023-24\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"https://hdr.undp.org/content/human-development-report-2023-24\" targettype=\"URL\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMean years of schooling (MYS\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePeace and security\u0026rsquo;s country\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2024 Global Peace Index\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e2024 Global Peace Index, Vision of Humanity\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://www.visionofhumanity.org/maps/#/\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"https://www.visionofhumanity.org/maps/#/\" targettype=\"URL\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePolitical stability 2022\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTheGlobalEconomy.com\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://www.theglobaleconomy.com/rankings/wb_political_stability/\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"https://www.theglobaleconomy.com/rankings/wb_political_stability/\" targettype=\"URL\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEconomy\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGross National Income per capita (GNI), Atlas method (current US\u003cspan\u003e$\u003c/span\u003e)*\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2023 World Bank Data\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GNP.PCAP.CD?view=chart\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GNP.PCAP.CD?view=chart\" targettype=\"URL\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePublic Service\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGovernment Effectiveness: Percentile Rank\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2022 World Bank Data\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://data.worldbank.org/indicator/GE.PER.RNK\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/GE.PER.RNK\" targettype=\"URL\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUniversity rank\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eQS World University Ranking 2024 *\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eQuacquarelli Symonds' (QS) method.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://www.topuniversities.com/world-university-rankings?tab=indicators\u0026amp;sort_by=rank\u0026amp;order_by=asc\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"https://www.topuniversities.com/world-university-rankings?tab=indicators\u0026amp;sort_by=rank\u0026amp;order_by=asc\" targettype=\"URL\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInstagram social media marketing\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEngagement rate (ER)*\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://phlanx.com/engagement-calculator\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"https://phlanx.com/engagement-calculator\" targettype=\"URL\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://phlanx.com/engagement-calculator\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"https://phlanx.com/engagement-calculator\" targettype=\"URL\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInternational reputation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInternational students*\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eQuacquarelli Symonds' (QS) method.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://www.topuniversities.com/world-university-rankings?tab=indicators\u0026amp;sort_by=rank\u0026amp;order_by=asc\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"https://www.topuniversities.com/world-university-rankings?tab=indicators\u0026amp;sort_by=rank\u0026amp;order_by=asc\" targettype=\"URL\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNote: * Single item measurement\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWe conducted the data collection process from July 4 to October 1, 2024. These data are secondary data. The variables in this study used single item measurement except for the overall education quality and peace and security variables. However, single item measurement can be done in the PLS-SEM approach (Bergkvist, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e; Hair et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eData Analysis Process\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis study employs the PLS SEM methodology due to its lack of requirement for data normality. The obtained data are organized in a table utilizing Microsoft Excel for Mac version 16.78. Additionally, we employ SmartPLS for Mac version 4.9.0.9 to examine the processed data. The computation results are analyzed to address the study's objectives and validate the formulated hypothesis.\u003c/p\u003e "},{"header":"RESULT","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec11\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec12\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eConstruct reliability and validity\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eWe assess the validity of the indicator by utilizing the outer loading (λ) value. All indicators in this study have satisfied the validity criteria with a value surpassing 0.7 (λ\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.7). We also affirm that the construct fulfilled the criteria for convergent validity. An Average Variance Extracted (AVE) value across 0.5 (AVE\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.5) substantiates this. The reliability standards have been satisfied. Values of Cronbach's alpha (α), composite reliability (rho_a), and composite reliability (rho_c) over 0.7 signify the construct's reliability.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eReliability and validity\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"7\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eλ\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eVIF\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eα\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003erho_a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003erho_c\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAVE\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" nameend=\"c3\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEducation Qual\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.703\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.703\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.871\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.771\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEYS\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.875\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.416\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMYS\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.881\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.416\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEconomic_GNI\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.000\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.000\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003en/a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003en/a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003en/a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003en/a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePublic Service\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.000\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.000\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003en/a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003en/a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003en/a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003en/a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" nameend=\"c3\" namest=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCountry Security\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.07\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.36\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.55\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.14\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePeace Rank*\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.47\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.215\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePolitical Stability*\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.65\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.215\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUniv_Rank\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.000\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.000\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003en/a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003en/a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003en/a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003en/a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSMM_ER\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.000\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.000\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003en/a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003en/a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003en/a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003en/a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInter_reput-Int_St\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.000\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.000\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003en/a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003en/a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003en/a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003en/a\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eNote\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cp\u003eλ\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.7; α\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.7; rho_a\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.7; rho_c\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.7; AVE\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.5; VIF\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;5; n/a\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Not valid due to single item measurement; *reversed code\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe objective of the discriminant validity evaluation is to confirm that a reflective construct demonstrates more robust associations with its own indicators than with those of any other construct in the PLS path model (Hair et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e). We evaluate discriminant validity by the heterotrait-monotrait ratio of correlations (HTMT). HTMT has more sensitivity and superior than the Fornell-Larcker criterion in assessing discriminant validity (Hair et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e). All HTMT values have consistently stayed below 0.9, hence demonstrating the establishment of discriminant validity. Further, the variance inflation factor (VIF) is less than 5 (VIF\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;5), reflecting that there is no of collinearity in the model. The evaluation confirms that the concept is eligible for further processing. The results of the test are displayed in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab3\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 2\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDiscriminant validity: the heterotrait-monotrait ratio of correlations (HTMT)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"13\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c8\" colnum=\"8\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c9\" colnum=\"9\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c10\" colnum=\"10\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c11\" colnum=\"11\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c12\" colnum=\"12\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c13\" colnum=\"13\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGNI\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEdu_\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003equal\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIG_\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSMM\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIR\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePS\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePServ\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUniv_rank\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIG_ SMM x Univ_rank\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIG_ SMM x Edu_qual\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIG_SMM x PS\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIG_SMM x GNI\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c13\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIG_SMM x PServ\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEconomic-GNI (GNI)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c13\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEducation Quality (Edu_qual)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.506\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c13\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInstagram SMM (IG_SMM)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.066\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.174\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c13\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInternational Reputation (IR)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.198\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.716\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.158\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c13\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePeace and Security (PS)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.148\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.634\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.087\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.494\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c13\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePublic Service (PServ)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.280\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.691\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.084\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.400\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.690\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c13\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUniversity Ranking (Univ_rank)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.060\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.228\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.087\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.348\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.129\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.105\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c13\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIG SMM x University Ranking\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.041\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.033\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.777\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.026\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.036\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.034\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.079\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c13\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIG SMM x Education Quality\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.091\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.121\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.569\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.039\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.034\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.028\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.019\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.588\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c13\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIG SMM x Peace and Security\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.056\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.067\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.061\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.061\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.094\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.098\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.035\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.009\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.673\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c13\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIG SMM x Economic-GNI\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.130\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.192\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.672\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.114\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.063\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.075\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.049\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.630\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.907\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.515\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c13\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIG SMM x Public service\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.060\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.047\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.825\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.005\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.095\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.075\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.033\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.645\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.633\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c11\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.198\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c12\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.736\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c13\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNote: HTMT\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.9\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab4\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 3\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHypothesis verification result\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"8\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c8\" colnum=\"8\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c5\" namest=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCI bias corected\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ef\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.50%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e97.50%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003et\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ep\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHipotesis\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEducation Quality -\u0026gt; International Reputation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.41\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.117\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.131\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.642\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.276\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.001\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eH_1 was supported\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEconomic-GNI -\u0026gt; International Reputation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.079\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.004\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-0.279\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.501\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.414\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.679\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eH_2 was rejected\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePeace and Security -\u0026gt; International Reputation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-0.213\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.053\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-0.379\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-0.039\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.180\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.029\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eH_3 was supported\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePublic Service -\u0026gt; International Reputation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-0.09\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.006\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-0.351\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.157\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.592\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.554\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eH_5 was rejected\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUniversity Rank -\u0026gt; International Reputation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.209\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.070\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.064\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.338\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.996\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.003\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eH_4 was supported\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInstagram SMM -\u0026gt; Reputation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-0.17\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.001\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-0.842\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.147\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.751\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.453\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eH_6 was supported\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInstagram SMM x Education Quality -\u0026gt; International Reputation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-0.327\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.000\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-1.360\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.236\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.822\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.411\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eH_7 was supported\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInstagram SMM x Economic-GNI -\u0026gt; International Reputation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.648\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.003\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-0.636\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-0.229\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.286\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.282\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eH_8 was supported\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInstagram SMM x Peace and Security -\u0026gt; International Reputation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-0.015\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.000\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-0.464\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.682\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.053\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.958\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eH_9 was supported\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInstagram SMM x Public Service -\u0026gt; International Reputation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-0.272\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.011\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-0.804\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.387\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.903\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.367\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eH_10 was supported\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInstagram SMM x University Rank -\u0026gt; International Reputation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-0.024\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.000\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-0.392\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.425\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.124\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.901\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eH_11 was supported\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNote: Significant Confidence interval bias corrected (CI) not include zero; t-statistics\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;1.96; p-value\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05; Effect size f\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e \u0026gt; 0.02 small effect size, f\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e \u0026gt; 0.15 medium effect size, f\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e \u0026gt;0.35 large effect size (Cohen, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1988\u003c/span\u003e). O\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.2 (Chin, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1998a\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec13\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eHypothesis Verification\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eWe bootstrapped 10,000 samples to test the hypothesis. This study confirms the effect of the quality of education in general in a country on the reputation of universities in the world (o 0.41\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.2; CI [0.131; 0.642]; t 3,276\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;1.96; p 0.001\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05). However, the effect falls into the smaller category (f2\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.17). The findings indicate that a university in a country with quality education will tend to have an international reputation. In other words, overall quality education tends to have a university that is able to compete globally. Thus, H_1 was supported. The results of statistical calculations also prove that the university's international reputation is influenced by the peace and security of the country (o\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.2; CI [-0.379, -0.039]; t 2,180\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;1.96; p 0.029\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05). The higher the insecurity score of the country in which the university is located, the lower the university's reputation in the global university market. In other words, the university will be more attractive for international students if its country is safe and secure. Therefore, H_3 was confirmed.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe university's ranking at the international level is another exogenous variable that has proven to affect the international reputation of universities. This is evident from the results of statistical calculations that qualify to be called significant (o\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.2; CI [0.064; 0.338]; t 2,996\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;1.96; p 0.003\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05). Universities that have high rankings tend to have a high reputation among prospective international students. In other words, a high university ranking will enhance the reputation of a university that attracts international students. On the other hand, students tend to see university rankings as the basis for choosing a university in another country. Thus, H_4 was supported.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis study, in contrast to the aforementioned findings, substantiates the lack of impact of the country's economy, the quality of governmental public services, and the SMM IG on the university's international reputation. Moreover, IG SMM did not moderate the influence of exogenous variables assessed in this study (o\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.2; t\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;1.96; p\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.05). Confidence interval range values that include or encompass zero corroborate the results. We conclude that the nation's economic status does not contribute to the university's global reputation. This tendency is related to students' goals when choosing a university that prioritizes academic factors.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMoreover, we demonstrate that the IG SMM exerts no substantial influence on the university's reputation, either directly or as a moderating factor. This suggests that for colleges ranked among the world's finest, social media marketing does not significantly enhance their reputation. Consequently, we deduce that colleges with established reputation and distinction find social media marketing to be an insignificant element in attracting new students, particularly international students. Inversely, we suggest that colleges lacking reputation and prestige are likely to depend on social media to enhance their standing and allure prospective students. The results show that we rejected H-2, H_5, H_6, H_7, H_8, and H_9.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec14\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eModel Quality\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe model we evaluated demonstrated a fit with an R2 value of 0.467. This number indicates that the exogenous factors assessed in the constructed model affect the endogenous variables by 46.7%. Consequently, other unmeasured elements influence 53.3% of international reputation. The model's fit in this investigation was modest (Chin, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1998b\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFurthermore, we assessed the model using a standardized root mean square residual (SRMR) value. The model we developed exhibits an estimated SRMR value of 0.076. The value is below 0.080, indicating that the model is well-fitted (Schuberth et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR46\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e). Consequently, the model we present aligns with the empirical data. Figure\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e illustrates the structural model.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATION","content":"\u003ch2\u003eDiscussion\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOur findings reveal that the quality of education, national security, and university rankings significantly influence the international reputation of institutions. The results corroborate earlier research indicating the influence of a nation's reputation and ranking on international students. According to Paulino and Casta\u0026ntilde;o (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR41\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e) state security, economic conditions, and educational quality are the determinants for selecting a nation for further study. Security is a primary factor in selecting Australia for further studies (Shanka et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR48\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2006\u003c/span\u003e). Rankings influence the selection of universities by overseas students in Russia (Ulyanova \u0026amp; Denisov, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR52\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMoreover, the economic status of the host country of the university does not influence the university's reputation. This is unsurprising, as international students typically possess a robust economic foundation or financial assistance. Consequently, the economic status of the country hosting the destination university is not the primary factor of consideration. Conversely, the economic circumstances of the home nation serve as the primary impetus for pursuing studies abroad (Mazzarol \u0026amp; Soutar, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR35\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2002\u003c/span\u003e). This approach differs from choosing a country for employment based on the nation's economic conditions, as noted by Becker et al., (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2005\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis study demonstrates that in the world's leading colleges, social media marketing on Instagram does not directly impact the institution's reputation and does not modify the effects of other variables. These findings affirm that the decision to select an institution is sufficiently intricate to render prediction challenging. The selection of a university constitutes a significant risk decision. It indicates that in the education sector, the impact of social media is not as pronounced as in the business sector.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn contrast, social media marketing significantly impacts customers in the business sector (Majeed et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e; Moslehpour, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR36\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e; Onofrei et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR38\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e). In the business and service sectors, consumers can easily switch to a different product or service if it fails to meet their expectations. However, in the higher education sector, changes are difficult to make because they will cost a lot of time and money.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMoreover, the significance of SMM in the higher education sector remains impactful for universities with a regional reputation (Dahliana et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e; Hertin \u0026amp; Ahmad Pitra, 2024; Khairani et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR28\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e). Consequently, we deduce that a university's elevated reputation correlates with a diminished impact of social media marketing on its brand. Leading worldwide institutions typically utilize social media as a restricted source of information rather than a platform for recruiting new students. Conversely, local colleges utilize social media as the primary instrument to cultivate an image that attracts prospective students.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec17\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eImplication\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec18\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eTheoretical Implication\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis work provides significant theoretical advances to the comprehension of university international reputation. First, We verifies that educational quality, national security, and university rankings substantially impact a university's global reputation. These elements are essential in influencing students' choices and reaffirm established paradigms on the significance of institutional quality and external perceptions in enrolling international students.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSecond, the study elucidates the influence of economic situations on university reputation. Although economic considerations are frequently included in decision-making processes, the data indicate that the economic position of the host country does not directly influence a university's reputation. This indicates that overseas students, typically financially stable or backed by funding, choose academic quality and safety over the economic conditions of the destination. This insight enhances theoretical comprehension by distinguishing study-related motives from employment-oriented choices, wherein economic conditions have greater significance.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThird, the study offers new insights about the influence of social media marketing (SMM), indicating that it exerts a negligible direct effect on the global reputation of leading colleges. This suggests that theories derived from consumer behaviour, which highlight the impact of social media marketing, may not be entirely applicable to higher education. The choosing of a university is a multifaceted, high-stakes decision with enduring implications, indicating that marketing within this domain entails distinct factors absent in conventional consumer scenarios.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eForth, our study underscores the unfavourable relationship between institutional reputation and the efficacy of social media marketing (SMM). Although social media marketing (SMM) can effectively enhance the reputation of local or regional universities, its influence wanes for globally esteemed institutions, which predominantly utilize social media as a means of disseminating information. This research underscores that the efficacy of social media marketing is contingent upon the institution's established reputation, indicating that colleges with robust international recognition necessitate distinct marketing methods compared to those with a more regional emphasis.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis study enhances theoretical frameworks by validating the significance of educational quality, security, and rankings for international reputation, distinguishing the economic incentives for studying versus working abroad, recognizing the constraints of applying consumer marketing theories to higher education, and illustrating how the effects of SMM differ based on institutional reputation. These insights provide a more refined comprehension of the elements affecting university reputation in the global education sector.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec19\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003ePractical Implication\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe findings of this study offer several practical implications for universities, policymakers, and higher education marketers seeking to enhance their international reputation and attract international students. First, universities and government should prioritize improving educational quality overall, and security. Given the significant impact of these factors on international reputation, institutions must allocate resources to maintain high academic standards and develop safe environments for students. Collaborating with local authorities to enhance safety measures can also make a university more attractive to international students.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSecond, university administrators should recognize that rankings remain an influential factor in students' decision-making processes. Institutions aiming to enhance their international profile should actively participate in global ranking frameworks and seek continuous improvement in areas such as research output, teaching quality, and international collaborations. Strategies that boost ranking performance, such as fostering research partnerships and increasing faculty quality, can further strengthen global reputation.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThird, social media marketing (SMM) strategies must be tailored to the university's reputation level. For globally renowned universities, social media should be used primarily to disseminate important information, build community engagement, and maintain a public presence without relying heavily on it to attract students. On the other hand, local or regional universities should leverage SMM as a primary tool for building brand recognition and reaching prospective students, focusing on personalized engagement and interactive content.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFinally, the findings emphasize that selecting a university is a complex, high-stakes decision. Higher education marketers must adopt strategies that provide clear, reliable information to prospective students and address their concerns about safety, academic quality, and career prospects. Unlike consumers in the business sector, students cannot easily reverse their enrolment decisions, making trust and transparency in communications essential for building a positive institutional reputation.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec20\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eLimitation and Future Study\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eAlthough our work offers substantial insights, it is crucial to be aware of numerous limitations. First, our research relies on single-item measurement. For example, we measure economic factors using only one indicator, Gross National Income (GNI) per capita. Despite ongoing discussion regarding single-item measures, using additional items to capture exogenous variables may improve the reliability and validity of our results.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSecond, the range of exogenous factors we examined remains constrained, hence limiting the model's overall predictive efficacy. Students' decision-making process when choosing a university is complex and difficult to predict. Consequently, including more extensive variables is crucial to encompass all potential influencing aspects and enhance the robustness of forthcoming models.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThird, this study obtained its data from secondary sources, limiting it to specific years. Additionally, we collected some variables from different years, which could potentially result in time inconsistencies across constructs. This limitation arises from our reliance on available data sources. In other words, the data we used may not fully capture trends or developments that occurred over the span of several years, potentially impacting the study's ability to reflect current dynamics accurately.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFuture research can address the constraints indicated in this study to improve the depth and accuracy of findings. First, adopting multi-item measurements for key variables, such as economic factors, would improve measurement reliability and validity. Expanding beyond Gross National Income (GNI) per capita to include additional economic indicators (e.g., household income, unemployment rate, or educational expenditure) can provide a more nuanced understanding of how economic factors shape students' university choices.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSecond, expanding the array of exogenous variables will be crucial for more accurately reflecting the intricacies of students' decision-making processes. Future research may investigate psychological, social, and cultural determinants\u0026mdash;such as peer influence, institutional prestige, and career ambitions\u0026mdash;that significantly influence these decisions. Such actions would facilitate the development of more comprehensive models with enhanced forecasting capabilities.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThird, to resolve the time inconsistency problem, future research should utilize panel data or longitudinal studies that extend over several years. This methodology will enable researchers to monitor temporal changes and more accurately catch emerging trends. Furthermore, when utilizing secondary data, it is imperative to align variables to same timeframes or augment them with primary data collecting to address any deficiencies.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"CONCLUSION","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe research determined that the overall educational quality, the peace and security of the host nation, and the university's rating significantly influence its international reputation. International students select institutions based on the quality of education and the safety of the host country. The university's excellence as indicated by global rankings, influences the selection of overseas students. This study demonstrates that the IG SMM does not influence the university's international reputation. Moreover, IG SMM does not serve as a moderator for the impact of exogenous variables on the university's internationally reputation. This suggests that when a university's reputation increases, the impact of social media marketing on the university's brand reputation diminishes. Nonetheless, in local colleges, social media marketing significantly influences the institution's brand image.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFunding \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNo funding was received to assist with the preparation of this manuscript.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eInstitutional Review Board Statement\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot applicable\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTransparency\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors confirm that the manuscript is an honest, accurate, and transparent account of the study; that no vital features of the study have been omitted; and that any discrepancies from the study as planned have been explained. This study followed all ethical practices during writing.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eData Availability Statement\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe raw data required to reproduce the above findings are available and will be provided upon request.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCompeting Interests\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthors\u0026rsquo; Contributions\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003exxxxx : Conceptualization, Methodology, Software, \u0026nbsp;Formal analysis, Writing - original draft, Writing - review \u0026amp; editing. \u0026nbsp;xxxxxx : Supervison, xxxxx: Methodology, Software. xxxxx: Data curation, Resources.\u0026nbsp;xxxxx\u0026nbsp;: Data curation.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcknowledgement\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe would like to extend my heartfelt appreciation to the anonymous reviewers for their valuable and insightful feedback on our manuscript.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAmado Mateus M, Juarez Acosta F (2022) Reputation in Higher Education: A Systematic Review. 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J Prod Brand Manage 24(4):399\u0026ndash;411. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://doi.org/10.1108/JPBM-04-2014-0548\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1108/JPBM-04-2014-0548\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"Universitas Islam Negeri Antasari Banjarmasin","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Country reputation, IG SMM, International students, University International reputation","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-5853109/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-5853109/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eInternational students indicate the university's international reputation. The study examines how country reputation, university rankings, and Instagram social media marketing (IG SMM) affect universities' international reputation, with IG SMM analysed as a moderator between exogenous variables and international reputation. Using a random sampling technique, we selected 164 universities from the 2024 Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings, which features the top 602 universities globally. Data analysis uses partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) with the help of SmartPLS version 4.9.0.9. The study found that educational quality, host nation security, and university rankings significantly influence international reputation, while IG SMM has no effect and does not moderate the impact of these factors. This suggests that when a university's reputation increases, the impact of social media marketing on the university's brand reputation diminishes. This study provides valuable insights into the country's reputation, university rankings, and the international reputation of the university.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Country reputation and global university rankings: Does social media engagement make a difference?","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-01-22 08:09:40","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-5853109/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"ae78c689-f8af-4211-829e-b77aa51aee41","owner":[],"postedDate":"January 22nd, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[{"id":43055197,"name":"Management"},{"id":43055198,"name":"Other Business"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-01-22T08:09:40+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-01-22 08:09:40","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-5853109","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-5853109","identity":"rs-5853109","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}