University Managers Research Articles

Internal Branding of a University Business Through Building and Gaining from Employee-Based Brand Equity

ABSTRACT Like other businesses, universities spend to build their brands, but rarely measure the sources and benefits of brand equity, especially employee-based brand equity (EBBE). We borrowed from an EBBE model, the Associative Memory Network Theory, social information processing, and exchange theories to examine the impact of brand-related information generated and disseminated to employees in a private African university on role clarity, brand knowledge, brand commitment, and four EBBE benefits. Cross-sectional data was collected from 588 lecturers, administrators, and technical staff. Structural equation modeling results revealed that brand information generated and disseminated impacted role clarity, brand knowledge, and commitment. Brand commitment impacted three EBBE benefits: brand citizenship behavior, employee intention to stay in organization and spread positive word-of-mouth. Role clarity and brand knowledge were significant mediators. Thus, for sustainability, university managers should communicate explicitly through frequent verbal brand communications and orientation, and implicitly through behaviors that reflect brand prestige.

Exploring international students’ adoption of AI-enabled voice assistants in enrolment decision making: a grounded theory approach

ABSTRACT The proliferation and increasing significance of AI-enabled voice assistants (AIVAs) for consumer purchase decisions imply the need for a better understanding of their acceptance in the higher education (HE) enrollment context. Using the Grounded Theory (GT) research method and a consumer value perspective, we examine the enrolment decision-making of international students in the presence of AIVAs to propose a conceptual model linking value to adoption. Findings highlight the influence of the key antecedents of hedonic and functional value in AIVA adoption. The findings also indicate that the student and the AIVA can co-create novel experiences during information search and evaluation of enrollment alternatives. Some participants proactively suggest a larger role for the AIVA to aid their enrollment decision-making. Points of attention for university marketing managers are suggested based on the proposed core concept and the resulting tentative hypotheses.

#FeesMustFall# movement in the post-apartheid era: legitimacy battle for leaders

PurposeUnderpinned by institutional legitimacy, this study explores how South African public university senior managers struggled to maintain legitimacy during an unplanned radical change process.Design/methodology/approachGioia's grounded theory analysis approach is employed to analyse interviews with 37 senior managers of public-funded universities in South Africa.FindingsThis study's findings show that a change without proper planning severely damages institutions in all aspects of leadership's normative, empirical, moral and pragmatic legitimacy.Research limitations/implicationsThis study contributes to the literature on legitimacy by illustrating the importance of institutional legitimacy during unplanned social change and the factors that negate legitimacy.Originality/valueThough other legitimacy models have been well developed, they do not apply to such unplanned social change in organisations. This study shows a different angle of the legitimacy crisis under unplanned social change conditions.

Leadership Behaviours and Job Satisfaction of Academic Staff of Kyambogo University, Uganda

This study examined the influence of leadership behaviours on the job satisfaction of the academic staff of Kyambogo University in Uganda. Specifically, the study examined the influence of participative, supportive, directive and achievement-oriented leadership on the job satisfaction of academic staff in Kyambogo University, Uganda. Job satisfaction was studied in terms of intrinsic and extrinsic job satisfaction. Using the quantitative approach for inferential analysis, the study adopted the correlational research design on a sample of 175 full-time academic staff. The study used a self-administered questionnaire to collect the data. Data analysis involved carrying out Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) using SmartPLS. The results indicated that while participative, supportive and directive leadership positively and significantly influenced the job satisfaction of full-time academic staff, achievement-oriented leadership had a negative and insignificant influence on the job satisfaction of academic staff. The study concluded that while participative, supportive and directive leadership behaviours are imperative for the job satisfaction of full-time academic staff, achievement-oriented leadership is not. Therefore, it was recommended that to boost the job satisfaction of academic staff, managers of universities should promote participative, supportive and directive leadership than achievement-oriented leadership

Approaches to designing a model for developing students’ universal competencies within the framework of developing and implementing the Smart University concept

Problem statement. The authors deal with the components of universal competences in terms of applying technological innovations in the learning process. A fragment of the model for shaping universal competencies of students based on the concept of Smart University is described. The study is aimed at substantiating the approaches to designing a model for the formation of universal competencies, presenting their theoretical analysis based on the concept of Smart University and considering their features, structure, and classification. Methodology. The approach to designing a model of universal competence formation is based on the analysis of acronym SMART decoding and the structure of the concept Smart University. The matrix of overview of the concept of universal competence in a modern context is proposed. Results. The universal competences are understood as smart competences united by five types of competences: professional, motivational, adaptive, key, and digital. The formation of six groups of universal competences is justified: system and critical thinking; project development and implementation; teamwork and leadership; civic-patriotic behavior; self-organization and self-education; technological solution. The created model defines the structure of universal competences and serves as a criterion for assessing students' abilities. Conclusion. Smart competences are a response to the current economic situation. The approach is structured for educational organizations that share a development policy in combination with technology. The results may be of some interest to scholars in the field of education informatization, teachers and university managers on innovation and education policy.

University Chaplaincy as Relational Presence: Navigating Understandings of Good and Effective Chaplaincy in UK Universities

Chaplains are embedded in the culture and life of many universities and are a key part of university support for religious students. Yet university chaplaincy has rarely been researched by social scientists. This article explores the role of chaplains and chaplaincy in universities in the United Kingdom (UK), investigating understandings of what makes for good and effective chaplaincy among the different groups involved or working with chaplains. Case study research in five universities, comprising interviews with chaplains, university managers and representatives from religious bodies, and a survey of students, reveals an approach to chaplaincy upon which many participants agree, based around a combination of relational skills and presence. Conceptualizing this as relational presence, the authors argue that relational presence reflects the UK’s three-dimensional religious landscape, where religion is regarded as “vicarious,” and reflects the values of young people who attend universities.

Benefits and Challenges of Implementing Green Initiatives at Public Universities in South Africa

This article explores the benefits and challenges of implementing green initiatives at South African Universities. The study's objectives are to identify the benefits and to find ways to overcome the challenges preventing green initiative implementation. In a mixed-method approach, eight senior personnel at prominent South African universities were interviewed to identify specific green initiatives and suitable measuring criteria. A five-point Likert scale questionnaire was distributed online to other university managers and senior staff. A total of 144 personnel members completed the questionnaire. The results show that the data are reliable (α=0.843), adequate (KMO=0.641), and significant (p≤0.05 at the 95% confidence level. The respondents perceive the barriers to implementing green initiatives at public universities to be significant (≥4.5) and indicate that universities are progressing excellently with implementing some green initiatives (for example, by eliminating paper usage, electronic signing of documents, LED lighting, and paperless IT system applications) (≥4.5). The benefits of green implementation are also significant (≥4.5). Exploratory factor analysis identified three factors each for barriers, implementation, and benefits, explaining a cumulative variance of 56.1%, 82.2% and 54.8%, respectively. Public universities' management can operationalise the results in their green initiatives implementation strategies.

Factors Influencing Research Culture at Public Universities in Pakistan

The study was conducted to explore factors influencing research culture at universities in Pakistan. The present study was delimited to six general public universities in Pakistan. Two universities from each region of Punjab were selected for data collection. PhD faculty members of head of departments were the sample of the study. Interviews for head of departments and faculty members were developed for data collection. Respondents were asked about the factors affecting research culture at universities. The discourses of the respondents explored that institutional support, collaboration and communication, transparency, reward system, diversity and inclusion, national policies and regulations were the major factors that affecting research culture at universities in Pakistan. Findings of the research study explored that institutional support was playing affective role in developing research culture. Institutional support for conducting high quality research involved funding, availability of physical infrastructure, resources, provision of support to young researchers through trainings and workshops, and university policies and managers priorities. Collaboration and communication was an important factor that affects research culture but respondents stated that the situation of collaboration at universities was pathetic. Transparency, credibility and ethical behavior of researchers developed trust that ensured healthy research culture at universities. It was reported that rewards, incentives, appraisal and research grants played a positive role in research production and motivate the researchers to conduct high quality research. Diversity and inclusion had a momentous impact on the research culture at universities. Research teams having different socioeconomic background, experience and mental abilities conduct comprehensive and strong research studies. Policies and regulations about appointment and promotion, smooth funding, developing local and international collaboration, security of intellectual property rights and strict guidelines for research ethics were the major factors that contributed to develop research culture at universities. Results explored that shortage of physical resources, lack of collaboration, unawareness from global trends, funding issues, pressure of publications, institutional bureaucracy, political instability, favoritism and lack of mentorship were major issues that were affecting research culture negatively at universities in Pakistan. Whereas, incentives, expertise of supervisors, conducive work environment, seminars, working in collaboration, autonomy, managerial support, functioning of ORIC, feedback and foreign fellowship were the major factors that were affecting research culture positively at universities in Pakistan.

Emotional intelligence and organisational commitment of Lecturers at Kyambogo University

The study examined the casual link between emotional intelligence and organisational commitment of lecturers at Kyambogo University. Specifically, the study examined the link between the four emotional intelligence competencies of self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management with organisational commitment of full-time lecturers at Kyambogo University. The three-component model of organisational commitment by Allen and Meyer, which describes it in terms of affective, normative, and continuance commitment, was used to assess the concept. Using the correlational research design, the study adopted the quantitative approach. The study participants were 175 full-time lecturers of the selected university. The data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Structural equation modelling (SEM) using SmartPLS was used to analyse the data. The study findings indicated that while self-management and social awareness were significant determinants of organisational commitment of full-time lecturers, relationship management and self-awareness were positive but insignificant determinants of organisational commitment. The study concluded that while self-management and social awareness are essential for the organisational commitment of lecturers, relationship management and self-awareness are not. Therefore, it was recommended that to promote the organisational commitment of lecturers, university managers should take cognisance of lecturers' self-management and social awareness more than relationship management and self-awareness.

The effects of sustainability orientation on research and teaching efficiency in German universities

Academic research increasingly focuses on environmental sustainability as a specific societal mission to be addressed. However, the effects of the increasing sustainability orientation on output generation in public research organizations are largely unexplored. In this paper, we analyse the effects of the increasing importance of sustainability-oriented research topics on research and teaching efficiency in German universities in 2018. Our results are mixed. On the one hand, we find that a higher share of publications related to sustainability increases research efficiency. On the other hand, it decreases teaching efficiency. The latter negative effect seems to relate primarily to a notion of teaching efficiency associated with quantity rather than the quality of teaching output. We conclude that the tendency to focus academic research on challenge-driven sustainability orientation can have non-trivial effects on the efficiency of output generation and therefore needs to be considered ex-ante by policy-makers, administrators and university managers.

Pre-seed grant as an enabler of learning

PurposeThe paper focuses on how student entrepreneurs learn from the process of applying for low-threshold seed capital grants of about €2500Design/methodology/approachAn in-depth inductive study was conducted on the seed capital grant initiative TrønderEnergi–Bidraget (TEB). The research design was based on the Zaltman metaphor elicitation technique (ZMET) to capture the interviewees' perceptions about TEB. From the interviews, 596 codes were identified and grouped into 54 categories. The results are illustrated in a consensus map.FindingsTEB is an enabler of student venture creation processes through both the money awarded and activities fostering learning and development. Learning by doing is visible through two processes: 1) repeated writing of applications and 2) “forced” reflective thinking through the steps in the application process. The iterativeness of these processes due to repeated applications to the low threshold initiative is important for learning.Practical implicationsThe authors recommend that university managers and policymakers offer seed funding to student entrepreneurs to ensure that the offering is a low threshold. A low threshold is decisive for generating a positive learning outcome from the application process. The seed funding initiatives should require students to put time and energy into all the integrated processes to make value out of the iterativeness of the processes.Originality/valueThis paper extends the discussion on the additionality of receiving grants by focusing on the process of applying for a grant. This research contributes to the student entrepreneurship literature by suggesting that the design of the application process and forced reflections are important for learning, as well as specifying the antecedents for student motivation for continued entrepreneurial activity in the application process.

College Managers’ Views on The Employability of Vocational Engineering Graduates: A Case of The South African TVET College Sector

This study investigated the required competencies that TVET college engineering graduates need to be employable and become successful entrepreneurs after completing their studies. The study used a qualitative design and semi-structured interviews to collect the data. Purposive sampling was used to select the participants from three public TVET colleges in Gauteng. The study reported that National Certificate Vocational college engineering graduates need relevant engineering content knowledge, authentic practical engineering workplace experience, soft skills, technical skills and their application in the real world. It was also found that the engineering sector has a negative attitude towards TVET engineering graduates and that there is a lack of lecturers with engineering industry experience. We relied on a small sample; hence, the results of this study may not be generalisable, but moving forward, a cross-national study including all TVET programmes may be required; and, most probably, different results will be generated. We concluded by advocating the review of the TVET engineering curriculum and a paradigm shift to an intense formally supervised and examined industry-oriented workplace component that would boost the technical expertise of graduates. A widespread advocacy campaign in the engineering sector could also help to raise their awareness of TVET programmes.

Accountability in University System in Nigeria: Challenges and Way Forward

This paper looked at Accountability in the University system in Nigeria and its Challenges. Secondary data were adopted for the paper. The secondary data were collected from online and print publications. The paper concluded that lack of political will, weak accountability culture, weak labour unions, weak participation of stakeholder, poor implementation of accountability policies, poor monitoring of universities by anti-corruption agencies and other regulatory institutions, political influence and lack of autonomy amongst others are the factors responsible for poor accountability in the university system in Nigeria. To address these challenges, the paper suggested that Federal and State Governments should develop the political will to ensure visitation panels are constituted every five years and the white paper released should be implemented as at when due, to promote accountability in the universities. University administrators and managers should be trained and retrained on the importance of ensuring and promoting the culture of accountability in the universities. The various labour unions in the universities should be proactive in ensuring accountability in the universities. Also, autonomy should be granted to the universities to eliminate political influence activities in the universities.

Women in turkish higher education management

This paper examines gender equality in Turkey and Turkish Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The historical background and an overview of the legislative context for gender equality in Turkey is explained. A series of reforms enacted by the state of the Turkish Republic following its foundation by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in 1923, were aimed at giving women equal status with men. The secular ideology and Westernizing reforms enabled the rise in women’s education and senior management in Turkey. Since 1993, there has been a significant increase in the number and share of women teaching staff (Özkanlı, 2007). There has also been an increase in research and publications on gender (Arslan, 2014). Historical, social and cultural factors explain the relatively high representation of Turkish women in professorial positions, and the support to advance to senior academia (Özkanlı and White, 2008). However, there are disciplinary differences, with a higher representation of women in language-based studies at almost every level and a lower representation in engineering and technology. The number of academic women varies by discipline. Besides, there is a high representation of women in professoriate in Turkey. On the other hand, women are under-represented in senior management, especially at Rector/Vice-Rector and at Dean Levels in Turkey (Neale and Özkanlı, 2010). Qualitative data analysis from interviews and document analysis using the “Success Case Study Method” (Yin, 2018) were undertaken in this paper. Ethics approval was secured before conducting in-depth interviews. A success case study university is presented because it had made great progress in gender equality in education, research and training. According to the findings of this research, increased support from the university such as mentoring for leadership roles, improved childcare/elderly care facilities, positive segregation and quotas can increase the number of female managers in Turkish Universities.

College students’ learning stress, psychological resilience and learning burnout: status quo and coping strategies

BackgroundThe relationships of college students’ learning stress, psychological resilience and learning burnout remain unclear. We aimed to investigate the status quo and relationship of college students’ learning stress, psychological resilience and learning burnout, to provide insights to the management and nursing care of college students.MethodsFrom September 1 to October 31, 2022, students in our college were selected by stratified cluster sampling and underwent survey with the learning stress scale, college students’ learning burnout scale and the psychological resilience scale of college students.ResultsA total of 1680 college students were surveyed in this study. The score of learning burnout was positively correlated with the score of learning stress (r = 0.69), and negatively correlated with the score of psychological resilience (r = 0.59), and the score of learning stress was negatively correlated with the score of psychological resilience (r = 0.61). Learning pressure was correlated with the age(r=-0.60) and monthly family income(r=-0.56), the burnout was correlated with the monthly family income(r=-0.61), and psychological resilience was correlated with the age(r = 0.66) (all P < 0.05). Psychological resilience played an intermediary role in the prediction of learning burnout by learning stress, with an total intermediary role of-0.48, accounting for 75.94% of the total effect.ConclusionsPsychological resilience is the mediating variable of the influence of learning stress on learning burnout. College managers should take various effective measures to improve college students’ psychological resilience to reduce college students’ learning burnout.

Managing Employee Motivation in Slovak Universities from the Perspectives of Time and Age

Human resources refer to a special and unique field as they are the most valuable but also the most costly factor of production. The aim of the research is to analyze the level of motivation of university teachers in Slovakia in terms of time and age, and to define the motivational needs of university teachers. The method of sociological questioning is used. The collected data from 2016 university teachers from Slovak technical universities are analyzed using the Tukey HSD test. Based on the research results, it can be stated that university teachers are the most motivated by relational and financial motivational factors. There is a significant change in the level of average importance of motivational factors across time (years), but there is no change in their structure. In terms of the age factor, significant differences over time are identified. Finally, Slovak teachers display the need for a more respected social status and a better image of their profession. The research findings will help university managers in raising the level of teachers’ motivation and in designing motivation programs.

The Improvement of Abilities and Qualities in the Cultivation of Outstanding Managers in Universities

The cultivation of outstanding managers is not only a need for enterprises, but also a responsibility of universities. Excellent managers should focus on cultivating their ability to formulate and execute strategies, build systems, innovate, manage performance and incentives, lead teams, and grow themselves.

Job Satisfaction and OrganisationalCommitment of Academic Staff inKyambogo University, Uganda

commitment of full-time academic staff of Kyambogo University, Uganda. Specifically, the study examined the influence of intrinsic and extrinsic job satisfaction on organisational commitment of full-time academic staff. Basing on the conceptualisation by Allen and Meyer (1990), organisational commitment was studied in terms of affective, continuance and normative commitment. Using the quantitative approach for inferential analysis, the study adopted the cross-sectional research design on a sample of 175 fulltime academic staff. The researcher used a self-administered questionnaire to collect the data. Data analysis involved carrying out structural equation modelling (SEM) using SmartPLS. The results indicated that while intrinsic job satisfaction positively and significantly influenced organisational commitment among full-time academic staff, extrinsic job satisfaction had a negative and insignificant influence on their organisational commitment. The study concluded that while intrinsic job satisfaction is imperative for organisational commitment of academic staff, extrinsic job satisfaction did not. Therefore, it was recommended that to boost academic staff members’ organisational commitment, university managers should promote their intrinsic satisfaction more than extrinsic job satisfaction.

Üniversitelerde Optimal Beşeri Sermaye ve Toplam Faktör Verimliliği Simülasyonları

In this paper, we develop models of university capital in disaggregated and aggregated forms and simulate the trajectories of human/&#x0D; non-human capital and total factor productivity in universities. The capital employed by a representative university is decomposed into&#x0D; two composite human capital and non-human capital dimensions, each of which is further disaggregated into some sub-dimensions. We&#x0D; first present a sketch of a disaggregated model for illustrative purposes and then develop an aggregated model for the simulation of the&#x0D; key variables in the system. We incorporate an investment support (subsidy) parameter into the model, the optimal value of which is&#x0D; computationally determined. Based on the optimal value of this decision variable, the trajectories of human/non-human capital and total&#x0D; factor productivity are obtained. Though the exercise constructed in the paper is a particular or limited one, the model is highly suitable&#x0D; for generalized exercises with multiple decision variables and multidimensional objective functions capturing a rich variety of different&#x0D; possibilities in real life. The optimality and simulation exercises of this kind could help the university managers to design optimal decision&#x0D; systems to achieve the university objectives in a best possible manner in dynamic settings.

Validation of a Scale for the Measurement of Employee Competency in Relation to Succession Planning Amongst Administrators in Higher Education Institutions

Purpose: This paper examines the validity and reliability of an instrument to evaluate employee competency in the context of succession planning using a sample of administrators within the 48 to 54 grades in Malaysian public universities. Theoretical framework: Shaping the qualities and competencies of university administrators can serve as a model of competent leadership for the sustainability of succession planning for higher education institutions. Design/methodology/approach: Systematic random sampling was used for data collection using questionnaires, including pilot studies and subsequent field studies. The survey was administered to 430 respondents from the administrators of 20 public universities. The study conducted an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) using the pilot study data (n = 102) to identify potential factor structures. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) using field study data (n = 328) was conducted to confirm the construct measurement model. Findings: The EFA and CFA validation processes suggested that only 10 modified items with 4 components remained to achieve a better fit model: Interpersonal (IP), Personal Effectiveness (PE), Teamwork (TW), and Self-Development (SD). All composite reliability (CR) measures for these 4 components exceeded the required value of 0.6. Since the values of these indices fall within the range of their respective cutoff values, the model meets the goodness-of-fit criterion: RMSEA = 0.070,GFI=0.955, CFI = 0.953, TLI = 0.926, and a normalized chi-square = 2.605. According to the study, the instrument is valid and reliable for assessing the components of the employee competency model. Research, Practical &amp; Social implications: The scale validated in this study could be used by human resource managers in public universities as a tool to better understand the belief systems of their employees. It could help them make an informed decision that will enable them to provide competent administrators for succession planning. Originality/value: This study is a catalyst to assess and highlight the current status and impact of employee competency on succession planning in Malaysian higher education institutions.