Global Higher Education Market Research Articles

Специфіка формування конкурентних переваг ЗВО на основі ціннісного підходу в умовах війни

The purpose of the study is to develop proposals for the formation of competitive advantages by higher education institutions in the context of war based on a value-based approach. Methodology. The theoretical and methodological basis of the work is a system of general sci-entific and special methods of scientific knowledge, which are directly related to the purpose and objectives of the study. The research methods used in the study include statistical, comparative analysis and generalisation methods to identify the factors influencing the change in demand in war-time. Index methods were used to assess the severity of competition and the core of the higher edu-cation market. The method of hierarchy analysis by T. Saaty was used to establish the weight of value criteria by students, independent of the subjectivity of their choice. Findings. It has been found that in the higher education market, the concept of marketing in-stitutionalisation was applied in response to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and the specifics of higher education institutions in wartime. This has forced the educational, scientific and innova-tive components of higher education institutions to undergo dramatic changes. Based on the analysis of the competitive environment of higher education institutions and the results of a marketing study of student opinion, the value parameters of students' choice of higher education institutions in times of war are identified. The value parameters of the choice of higher education institutions include: the level of qualification of the teaching staff; the region of location of higher education institutions; cooperation with foreign universities; reviews in social networks; and the availability of the chosen speciality. Using the method of hierarchy analysis, T. Saaty has established a ranking of universities ac-cording to the criteria that are valuable for students. As a result of the study, recommendations are made on the implementation of value parameters of students' choice of higher education institutions in the model of providing educational services of higher education institutions. It is proved that the model of providing educational services of higher education institutions should be developed taking into account the strategic directions of development of higher education institutions, hierarchical, value-based approaches, added value and complementary development of related and compatible sectors of the economy. Practical implications. The model of providing educational services by higher education insti-tutions based on the value-based approach is recommended to be used in the development of pro-grammes to motivate students to return to the country after completing their studies in order to re-store Ukraine's economy in the post-war period by the marketing departments of such institutions as the Ministry of Digital Transformation, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine, the State Employment Service under the Ministry of Econo-my of Ukraine and other institutions. Value. The implementation of value-based parameters of choice by higher education institu-tions in the model of providing educational services by higher education institutions increases the ability for dynamic growth in innovation and integration, adaptive flexibility to changes in the glob-al higher education market, and ensures the realisation of national interests in education. Taking in-to account international rankings will help to raise awareness among consumers of educational ser-vices about the priority of educational services, identify the professionalism of staff, improve the quality of management of educational processes, and facilitate the integration of higher education institutions into the international scientific and educational space.

Internationalization of quality assurance and the international quality of higher education in Taiwan

PurposeThis study employs survey methods to statistically examine the internationalization of quality assurance (IQA) in Taiwanese higher education. The data collected were analyzed to assess the associations between administrators' opinions of the importance of IQA and their evaluations of its implementation, as well as the relationship between implementation and opinions on seven measures of international quality. The study also explores the mediating effect of implementation assessments on the relationship between opinions of the importance of IQA and opinions of international quality.Design/methodology/approachThis study targeted higher education administrators from universities in Taiwan, including presidents, vice presidents, deans, section chiefs, directors, and heads of schools in various departments. Using systematic sampling methods, 80 universities were selected from a population of 159 higher education institutions in Taiwan, with 17-40 potential participants each in 2015. A total of 2,377 questionnaires were distributed to all the administrators of those institutions, and ultimately, 65 institutions and 337 valid questionnaires were analyzed.FindingsThe importance of IQA directly and positively influenced implementation of it on higher education institutions. The implementation directly and positively influenced the level of international quality of the institutions and the importance of IQA had an indirect positive influence on international quality through implementation. The aggregated institution-level results were similar to but much stronger than the individual-level results.Originality/valueThis study examined the IQA of higher education in Taiwan, which is increasingly important to institutions' competitiveness in the global higher education market. The data were analyzed using multilevel structural equation modeling at the individual-level and the aggregate-level. The analysis revealed direct and indirect associations between opinions about IQA and institutional quality. This study makes a significant contribution to the literature because it clarifies the role of administrators (individually and collectively) regarding their institutions' educational quality, and it provides useful information that institutions could apply to improve their international competitiveness.

The development of the education system in Qatar: assessing the intended and unintended impacts of privatization policy shifts

ABSTRACT Qatar is caught in the struggle between reformation of its educational system to create a dynamic, local workforce and prepare their citizens for the competitive global market for higher education and jobs, whilst preserving the country’s values, tradition and language. This paper examines the recent policy shifts, hitherto underexplored, analysing the intended and unexpected impacts that influenced subsequent policy reform. It begins with a background on neoliberal educational policies followed by a historical account of the education system, with a focus on post-2011 where the government introduced a voucher system to further privatization. Using quantitative longitudinal analyses based on tabulating detailed government educational reports from 2010 onwards, it aims to investigate the impact of these post-2011 policies on the number of schools, students, gender and demographic composition in the government and private schooling sector. The data illustrates how a simple, linear trend of privatization has not occurred and that significant demographic changes have begun to surface between government and private schools. If these trends continue at the same rate across the next decade, this will likely result in transformative social changes and divisions in relation to identity, language, gender, cultural values, socio-economic status, higher education choices and job opportunities.

Internationalization of higher education in Vietnam: current situations, policies, and challenges

PurposeThe research aims to provide the basis for a better understanding of the internationalization of higher education in Vietnam. First, it examines Vietnam's higher education reforms and policy/ legal frameworks for the promotion of internationalization since the implementation of Doi Moi in 1986. Secondly, it analyzes the internationalization activities at the national and institutional levels. At both levels, the internationalization activities are categorized into internationalization at home and cross borders (Knight, 2012). Finally, the paper discusses the challenges Vietnamese HE is facing and presents policy directions.Design/methodology/approachThis study employs a case study research strategy to examine and gain understanding of internationalization of higher education in Vietnam as a phenomenon. The study collected detailed information using a variety of data collection procedures over a period of time. First, it analyzes Vietnam's higher education reforms as well as policy and legal framework for the promotion of internationalization. Then, using Knight's framework, the study analyzed the internationalization at home and crossborder educational activities at the national and institutional levels. At the national level, strategic policy goals and programs were explored. Then, it chose Vietnam National University- Hanoi as a institutional case to learn its institutional strategies on cross border programs and mobility, reputation building, research cooperation.FindingsVietnam has continuously reformed its legal and policy framework of higher education to better integrate into the global higher education market and also to meet the national demand for economic development. Predominant rationale for Vietnam to engage in crossborder programs is for brain development, specifically in the academics and public sector. Meanwhile internationalization at home is driven by (1) international programs and universities and (2) initiative to enhance competitiveness of its higher education institutes. Vietnam hosts different models of international universities, including classical, satellite and co-founded. However, issues and challenges remain, such as poor lack of systematic cooperation and coordination at the governmental level, retaining talents, and finally finances.Originality/valueWritten for the special edition on Internationalization of Higher Education in the Era of SDGs: Asia–Pacific Perspective, the study aims to provide a basis for understanding the current situation of internationalization higher education in Vietnam and how it compares to its partners in the region. This study is unique as it provides a two-layer analysis, at the national and institutional levels capturing macro and micro perspectives in one scene. In addition, this study includes rich empirical data, which was rare in previous literature due to limited access.

The Perceived Value of Higher Education and University Competitiveness - The Rubik Cube Metaphor

Purpose. Over the past two decades, concerned with how stakeholders perceive the value of their services, universities have adopted entrepreneurial orientations and relationship marketing approaches into their activities. The fierce competition on the global higher education market, forced university managers to innovate, to look for new ways to build their offer. Relationship marketing and the knowledge regarding the stakeholders, primarily the students’ perception of their offerings, can provide universities with a competitive advantage. As such, university managers need to carry out satisfaction surveys, inquiries regarding the universities image or the perceived value of the academic programs and services offered, need to plan and organize offline and online integrated marketing communication campaigns. Methodology/Design/Approach. Based on the resemblance of perceived value with a Rubik's cube, university marketers can constantly innovate through the way they match the various dimensions of perceived value or facets of the cube to meet the stakeholders’ expectations. Result /Findings. This research highlights the dimensions of the perceived value of the educational offer and determines the extent to which factors such as the university image, the source of financing the studies and the duration of the student - university relationship have an influence on the perception of value. For this purpose we conducted a quantitative research on a sample of 320 students from the largest faculty from the West University of Timișoara, Romania. To perform the statistical data analysis, the following steps were carried out: (1) the reliability of the measurement scales analysis; (2) the opportunity to perform the factorial analysis verification; (3) the exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis and (4) the research hypotheses testing. Research results showed that the perceived relational value affects the student’s perceptions on the quality of learning, the usefulness and quality of the acquired knowledge, the employment opportunities. The institutional image has a positive influence on the perceived value of the educational offer. For university or faculty managers, it is important to know how to combine the various facets of the perceived value-technical value, relational value, social value, temporal value- in order to provide the value expected by their stakeholders, primarily by students.

Globalization and University Rankings: Consequences and Prospects

This study focuses on the effect of globalization on university ranking and current developments and challenges that HEIs face in the global higher education market. It provides detailed information about the origins of international ranking systems, diversification of university rankings and strategic planning of higher education institutes. Moreover, this study describes the global university classification, continuous exposure to elite universities, neglect of the humanities, arts and the social sciences researches, limited description of methods and indigent metrics. The expected effects on ranking system amid the COVID-19 crisis are mentioned which are widely being discussed by the researchers. The study concludes that there is a threat that universities which are investing time and money in accumulating and using statistics and data for the sake of improvement in their performance for the rankings may destabilize themselves from the development in other areas such as learning, teaching or community involvement.

How to lead a successful university transformation: The case of École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)

Research universities worldwide have been taking reform actions to enhance their competitiveness in the global higher education market; however, the implementation of new initiatives may lead to challenges for university leadership. Faculty resistance is regarded as one of the most common obstacles faced by university leaders. Taking a qualitative approach based on Kotter’s leading change model, this study adopts École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne as a case study to explore change management strategies adopted by university leadership in an attempt to ensure a planned transformational change. By analysing 22 interviews with university administrators and faculty members, this study reveals that the president of École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne managed changes through approaches that included vision creation, coalition formation, communication, faculty empowerment and culture consolidation. Additionally, the study shows that Kotter’s change model, which was designed for business organizations, could not be applied to the analysis of the change management process in the context of higher education without modifications due to institutional and cultural differences.

Marketization of Higher Education and University Branding. Review of: Papadimitrou A. (ed.) Competition in Higher Education Branding and Marketing: National and Global Perspectives

The volume reviewed provides a critical examination of contemporary trends in the marketization of higher education and university branding. Being bound to respond to external challenges, in particular seek additional sources of finance in the context of reduced public funding, universities are increasingly more likely to adopt governance and development practices from businesses. The book authors consider higher education as a highly competitive market in which universities compete in a very corporate way. In a competitive climate, university branding becomes an effective way of attracting partners and students. Examples of higher education systems in a number of countries (Belgium, Mozambique, Hong Kong, etc.) are used to investigate the strategies used by universities to create, promote and differentiate their brands. The book also explores specific aspects of private university branding, the role of rankings in brand building, government participation in the positioning of national universities in the global higher education market, and the current challenges in branding development and promotion faced by universities, such as the need to develop social capital, differentiate from other institutions, and deal with piggyback marketing.

Забезпечення якості вищої освіти в європейському освітньому просторі

У статті розглядається проблема якості вищої освіти в європейському освітньому просторі. Висвітлено засоби, які дозволять забезпечити реалізацію стратегії ЄС. Основним напрямком в інноваційному підході у внутрішньому функціонуванні вищої освіти є реформа навчальних програм та використання ІКТ. Європейські вищі навчальні заклади прагнуть досягти балансу між своїми інституційними та академічними прагненнями та потребами у міжнародному співробітництві. Розкрито найтиповіші моделі підготовки педагогічного персоналу в країнах Європейського Союзу. Розглянуто завдання освіти в європейському просторі.

Intercultural challenges, intracultural practices: how Chinese and Australian students understand and experience intercultural communication at an Australian university

In recent years, over half a million Chinese students travelled abroad to study, making China the largest source of international students in the global higher education market. A large Chinese population on campus does not, however, generate prolific interactions between them and local students. Language barriers and cultural distance are frequently cited in the literature as factors that hinder communication, yet it is not clear how they actually affect the communication process. To address this gap, we utilise quantitative and qualitative data collected at one Australian university through an online survey (n = 124) and focus groups (N = 16) to investigate how Chinese international students and local students understand and experience intercultural communication. We find that both student groups are quite positive about language and cultural differences but struggle with comprehension problems and low-quality interactions. Intercultural communication requires interlocutors to establish common grounds between language and cultural variations via meaning negotiation. However, being restricted by intracultural practices and norms, students are not able to fully utilise communication techniques to fulfil this need. This, in return, affects their motivations to have further intercultural interactions. The paper concludes by discussing the implications for universities and suggestions for further research.

Nancy Abelmann: Anthropologist, Citizen, and Thinker in/on the Global University

This article discusses Nancy Abelmann's scholarship on the university and includes a new study of the South Korean media discourse on Chinese international students—a work she planned but could not undertake. Abelmann studied the university, viewing it as a window to society's particular desires and anxieties regarding the future. Her research on South Korean university students reveals their personal fervor and struggle to stay afloat amidst the country's rapid modernization and globalization. Her later work on the American university considers the struggles of Asian American and Asian international students, illuminating the new realities of a global educational market and exploring new ethics of sharing the same university. The study in the second part of this article demonstrates how South Korean universities and public discourse have attempted to “optimize” the increasing numbers of Chinese international students as financial and symbolic capital. The shift between 2001 and 2016 from maximizing to distancing shows that Korean universities were straddling a line between the desire to become global institutions and the realization that they are a second-choice destination in the global higher-education market.

World University Rankings: Reflections on Teaching and Learning as the Cinderella function in the South African Higher Education System

Within universities, a tension exists between research and teaching and learning, where research is often accorded a higher status creating a Cinderella effect by rendering teaching and learning of lesser importance. World university rankings, also referred to as global rankings, are contentious although they have become a permanent feature of the higher education (HE) system internationally (Rauhvargers 2013; Swail 2011; Altbach et al. 2009; Marginson 2007b). Lindsay (2013) argues that institutions have emphasized the importance of publications and prestige, which contribute to national and institutional reputation. Publications increase rankings thereby contributing to the lower prestige given to excellent teachers as compared to excellent researchers. This has consequently led to a decline in the attention given to teaching. Pressure exists in the HE system to play the ranking game without acknowledging that there are expertise and pockets of teaching excellence in universities. Through their performance criteria, global rankings are transforming universities into becoming similar and conforming to a single hierarchy (Marginson 2007a). In order to compete in the global HE market and improve their rankings, some universities have adopted a business model to mitigate the effects of globalisation and have begun to view themselves and higher education as a business. Global ranking systems thus have the agency either to perpetuate teaching and learning as the Cinderella function in HE, through the ranking game or to holistically focus their performance criteria on all the core functions of universities. Ethical policy decision-making in higher is thus essential.

Evaluation and drives of international student mobility across European Union countries

With rising demand for international education in Europe, today more higher education systems have become active in attracting international students. Hence, players in the global higher education market are highlighting their advantages in the higher education marketplace to become more competitive. As Lithuania has an ambitious desire to double the number of international students by 2025, this exploratory study analyses the important factors that will help to better target international students and put emphasis on the challenges to be refined in national education policies.

Economism and commercialization as manifestation of the globalization of higher education

The main point of the article is to disclose the essence of the phenomena of economism and commercialization. Economism is seen as part of globalization of education, a global corporatization of education provides training for the global labour market, using human capital economic theories. As noted by George Spring, the human capital, economists argue that investments in education lead to economic growth, reducing income inequality and increasing employment.In general, the globalization of higher education is considered as a process of increasing interdependence and convergence of national economics, trade liberalization and market dominated by competition, struggle, transnational education and the commercialization of knowledge, as well as the erosion and disappearance of national boundaries and models of education. Despite the fact that most researchers associate globalization with the increasing influence of the World Bank and Americanization of higher education, globalization of higher education is not linear, and the same process of unification of educational systems. In modern conditions has acquired a strong relevance to international competition and stratification of higher education is also an increasing competition for social and academic prestige. In the context of this increased institutional cross-border activities and academic mobility, global communications and mobility have created conditions for the emergence of the global higher education market. Consequently, the competition among elite universities is now globally closer to capitalist economic forms. The economization of education is considered as a component of global education, a global corporatization of education provides training for the global labour market using human capital economic theories. Such massive development of higher education is associated with a number of factors such as socio-economic and socio-cultural, which are manifested at both macro level of the whole society and the microsocial level of the individual.It becomes obvious by the fact that in a globalized world, the consumer society is transformed into goods, and the goods that will bring a significant profit with the appropriate investment. However, commercialization of education is quite dangerous for the classical Institute of education. Because education as another global business trend threatens the institutional framework and its content.The processes of globalization is greatly affected the emergence and spread of economism and the commercialization in various educational systems, in particular it is proved that they formed a single world information-educational space, the characteristics of which are: the rapid penetration of the globalization trends in the national educational system; integration of educational systems into the world market for educational services and intellectual products; increased competition in the global educational environment.

Determinants of willingness to study in Poland among members of Polish Diaspora

Although the percentage of foreign students in Poland has increased over 9 times over past 10 years, it is still well below European Union average. We have been looking for determinants of willingness to study in Poland among members of Polish Diaspora, who already have ties with the country. We created empirical models of willingness of people with Polish origin to study abroad, in Poland, and in a peripheral Polish academic centre in particular. Such models can help policy-makers and universities to meet the needs of international students and make universities more competitive on the global higher education market.

A critical analysis of internationalization - The emerging global higher education market -

본 연구는 세계화에 대응하여 나타나는 대학의 국제화 현상을 외국인 유학생 유치에 초점을 맞추어 분석하였다. 분석 결과는 신자유주의 정책에 의해 대학이 상업화된 환경으로 나아가고 있음을 뚜렷하게 밝히고 있다. 대학의 국제화는 정부의 고등교육 규제 완화에 따라 나타나는 재정 압박으로 인해 시장 전략을 내세운 중국인 유학생 유치가 활발하게 이루어지고 있음을 보여준다. 정부의 책무성 강화 요구는 대학이 수익을 창출할 수 있는 학생을 모집하는데 기여하고 있다. 이러한 과정을 통해 대학은 자격을 갖추지 못한 학생들이 쉽게 접근할 수 있는 “학위공장”의 특성을 지니게 됨으로써 고등교육 시장이 형성되는 것을 확인하였다. 국제화를 통한 학생 시장의 팽창은 대학 교수진들로부터 많은 비판을 받고 있다. 연구 방법은 질적 사례연구를 사용하였으며 대학의 교수진과 행정가들의 면담 자료와 문서자료를 분석하였다. 본 연구는 한국 대학에서 보이는 국제화의 세계적인 경향과 비영어권 국가인 한국의 특수적인 국제화 상황도 확인하고 있다.This case study probes recent internationalization dynamics focusing on international student recruitment at a private university in response to current globalization trends. Observation has clearly shown that the university has moved toward a commercialized environment caused by neoliberal policies. Under the name of internationalization, Chinese students are aggressively recruited with diverse market-driven strategies as the university has difficulty competing for funds due to deregulation policies. Strong government-led accountability has led the university to jump into profit-making student recruitment. As such changes take place, the global higher education market is emerging in a way that profit- driven education is increasingly provided in the form of “degree mills” that are readily accessible to students regardless of their academic qualifications. The expansion of this student market has led to criticism from academicians regarding the recent trend of internationalization. This study utilizes a qualitative case study methodology, employing as primary methods document analysis and interviews with academicians and administrators. This study demonstrates that internationalization in Korea moves in a very similar way to global trends and with some distinct local approaches as a non English-speaking country.

Cash, competition, or charity: international students and the global imaginary

As the number of students traveling from the Global South to study in the Global North continues to grow (OECD in Education at a glance 2014: highlights. OECD Publishing. Retrieved from http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/education-at-a-glance-2014_eag_highlights-2014-en, 2014), we argue that it is necessary to broaden our conceptual approaches to the study of this dynamic. This article utilizes the framework of “global imaginaries” to examine the links between intensifying international student recruitment and international students’ experiences with racism. We suggest that both recruitment and racism are framed by a dominant global imaginary rooted in Western supremacy. This imaginary both makes Western higher education a desirable product in the global higher education market and shapes the reception of international students.

Revisiting the Notion of Hong Kong as a Regional Education Hub

Hong Kong has tried to develop itself as a regional education hub for a decade. However, the policy is being criticized because Hong Kong has neither diversified its student population ethnically and culturally nor expanded its share in the global higher education market. This paper explores this context to examine the significance of the education hub concept in the development of higher education in Hong Kong. Based on an analysis of the concept of education hub the paper argues that the purposes of building an education hub need to be defined. It also argues that an instrumentalist interpretation of internationalization of higher education is not enough to understand the importance of the education hub notion to the higher education development in the city. An idealistic and educational approach in this respect is a relevant idea for the prospect of Hong Kong as an education hub.

Standardisation/adaptation of the curriculum - relevance of 'Western' business textbooks for the MENA

Research has suggested that the United Arab Emirates is very competitive in the global higher education market. This raises questions as to whether its competitive advantage should be emphasised at the local, as opposed to global content in the instruction curriculum. In other words should the curriculum adhere to global standards or should it be fully adapted to fit the local context? The purpose of this study is to highlight a strand of the debate from the purview of textbooks used in the instruction. While the need to standardise texts in physical sciences may be a no-brainer, the persuasiveness for local content in the social sciences and humanities is quite strong. The results of this study are mixed - while some favour standardised texts, others argue for adaptation to the regional context. Proponents of the latter position, in our view, seem to have given the green light for multinational publishers to pursue regional adaptations.

Bridging the Gap between Western and Chinese Evidence in the International Education Market

AbstractUsing a sample of 1674 international students in China, the present study explores sociocultural adaptation and its determinants. The results indicate that sociocultural adaptation among international students in China is largely shaped by the nature of the interaction with host nationals. In particular, among international students, those who experienced higher levels of social interaction with host nationals and received more social support were better poised for sociocultural adaptation. Rather contrary to similar research in the Western context, the study finds that international students from East Asia actually experienced more sociocultural difficulties in China than their counterparts from Western countries. These findings suggest the possibility of China and other oriental countries with sound higher education systems playing more active roles in the global higher education market.