Most students feel that they are consumers. However, on the other side, people in the business community, which includes legislators, are just as quick to indicate that students are obviously our product. It is attractive and possible to support a case that students are both products and consumers. However, from the perspective of a succinct mission statement to guide operational decision making, defining students as both falls to define them and thus offers little direction. This lack of precision in developing guidelines to aid in determining the ultimate objectives of an institution of higher learning can be a major contributing factor to the many decisions that don't solve the intended problems or create more or just die from lack of application, A significant portion of the academic institution's organizational structure appears based on the premise that students are products.
Academic institutions tend to be bureaucratic organizations.
That is, they strive for internal consistency and harmony forcing those that they interact with to adapt to them within a very limited range of operational latitude. This operating from a normative framework assumes not only a well designed system but also that either the environment it is serving changes very slowly or that the organization's importance to that environment is so great that people are willing to make the necessary adaptations as the existing structure becomes more and more in conflict with current needs. These specifications vary by institution, but they always seem to be as high as the institution's demand-related position will permit. However, no matter which is selected, the student must take a prescribed number of courses and examinations, is required to maintain a minimum grade point average, and has a very limited range of truly free electives. There are often difficult transcript and other record requirements.