Budget Deficit and Challenges of Knowledge Management in Higher Education: A Case Study of Two International Universities in the Netherlands

Over the past decade, knowledge management has become an increasingly important and critical issue. Both the scientific and commercial communities maintain that organizations with knowledge power can sustain their long-term competitive superiorities. Universities and higher education institutes are the main centers for the production and dissemination of knowledge and, as such, it is certainly necessary for them to implement an appropriate Knowledge Management System (KMS). In the 21st century, successful educational organizations will make use of knowledge and information in a more efficient way and will apply it to the creation of value. To cope with globalization, it is essential for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to effectively implement KMS in their organizations which will lead them to create more value and stay competitive. Even so, universities are facing a number of challenges while implementing KMS and budget deficits is one of the factors affecting the KM process in higher education institutes. There has not been adequate study on the impacts of budget deficit on KM activities in HEIs. The question that arises is:  how can these learning organizations overcome budget cuts and simplify the implementation of KM? The present study aims at investigating the challenges faced by two international universities in the Netherlands. Therefore, the study was conducted through case study design and used the Grounded Theory (GT) approach to unfold the impacts of budgetary deficit on the implementation of KMS within this context. A literature review method has also been used to get a deeper insight into some causes of budget deficit in HEIs. Initial findings of the study show that budget deficits have negative impact on KM activities in HEIs including increased workload for teachers, decrease in knowledge dissemination through publication and longer processes of problem solving activities. Keywords: Budget Deficit, Knowledge Management, Challenges, Higher Education, International Universities in the Netherlands, Grounded Theor

The policy/project nexus: lessons learned from a policy implementation project

The higher education sector forms an integral part of Australia’s economy and is becoming increasingly global, dynamic, competitive and regulated. Comprised substantially of universities, the standards of governance, academic quality and management that enable universities to operate in this environment are established in their policies. These critical organisational instruments are fundamental to providing students with relevant learning experiences and enable a university to respond to opportunities and innovation and research agendas. Notoriously complex, yet foundational to all organisational activity, policy development and review is a key means by which a university achieves strategy, ensures quality, mitigates risk and complies with its regulatory environment. This presentation explores the impact of a three-year, policy implementation project undertaken in an Australian university. Effectively a change program, it established a flexible and sustainable framework for the development, deployment and ongoing review of policy. The presentation identifies the vital role of development and implementation of a governance-level policy framework (the ’meta policy’ or ‘policy on policies’), the positive impact of an engaged sponsor and application of a project management methodology. A reflection upon the challenges and lessons learned will explore the key role of keen organisational knowledge and a strong, yet flexible and adaptive, approach to project management. The presentation will provide an analysis of the critical success factors and benefits realised from the project, including the critical nature of policy deployment, establishment of organisational policy development capability and the consequent maturation of cross organisational collaboration and change facilitation. The key role of planning to embed project outcomes into ‘business as usual’ activity is brought into focus, as is the need to plan for and integrate evaluation, review and continuous improvement. Consistent with this, post-project lessons and subsequent high-level policy change agenda adjustments are explored. The nexus between policy development and project management is considered and clear parallels drawn between the approach taken and the recommendations provided in the report of Professor Peter Shergold, AC, Learning from Failure (2015). Outcomes from this project and its subsequent embedding in standard organisational practice continue to inform change, research and efficiency agendas. They have the potential to impact similarly across the higher education sector and more broadly. References: Shergold, P. (2015). Learning from Failure - Why large government policy initiatives have gone so badly wrong in the past and how the chances of success in the future can be improved. Canberra, Australia: Commonwealth of Australia Retrieved from http://www.apsc.gov.au/__data/assets/word_doc/0003/72687/learningfromfailure.docx

INNOVATIVE ASTHMA MANAGEMENT BY COMMUNITY PHARMACISTS IN AUSTRALIA

Excerpt Chapter 2 - A review of the literature has revealed that asthma management practices in the Australian community are currently suboptimal resulting in significant morbidity and mortality. In adolescent asthma there are added challenges, with problems of self-image, denial and non-adherence to therapy where self-management skills assume a greater importance (Forero et al 1996, Price 1996, Brook and Tepper 1997, Buston and Wood 2000, Kyngäs et al 2000). In rural and remote areas in Australia, asthma management practices have been shown to be poorer and mortality rates from asthma are considerably higher compared to metropolitan areas (AIHW ACAM 2005, AIHW 2006). Limited access and chronic shortages of specialist services in rural areas are shifting the burden more and more towards the primary sector (AIHW 2006). It becomes paramount that people with asthma in rural settings become involved in self-management of their asthma and that community based health care providers be more proactive in facilitating these self-management behaviours by appropriate education and counselling. Health promotion activities, which are a broad range of activities including health education, have been acknowledged as having the potential to improve the health status of rural populations (National Rural Health Alliance 2002). Community pharmacy settings have been shown to be effective sites for the delivery of health promotion, screening and education programs (Anderson 2000, Elliott et al 2002, Cote et al 2003, Hourihan et al 2003, Watson et al 2003, Boyle et al 2004, Goode et al 2004, Paluck et al 2004, Sunderland et al 2004, Chambers et al 2005, Saini et al 2006). In the case of asthma, outreach programs have been shown to have beneficial effects in terms of reducing hospital admissions and emergency visits and improved asthma outcomes (Greineder et al 1995, Stout et al 1998, Kelly et al 2000, Legorreta et al 2000, Lin et al 2004). We proposed to extend the role of the community pharmacist beyond the traditional realm of the “pharmacy” into the community in rural Australia with the first asthma outreach programs designed for community pharmacy. The outreach programs were designed to include two health promotion strategies, the first targeting adolescents in high schools and the second targeting the general community. The project aimed firstly, to assess the feasibility of using community pharmacists to deliver two asthma outreach programs, one targeting adolescents and one for the wider community in a rural area and secondly, to assess the programs’ impact on adolescent asthma knowledge and requests for information at the community pharmacy. Excerpt Chapter 3 - Patient education is one of the six critical elements to successful long-term asthma management included in international and national asthma management guidelines, which have emphasised education as a process underpinning the understanding associated with appropriate medication use, the need for regular review, and self-management on the part of the person with asthma (Boulet et al 1999, National Asthma Council 2002, National Asthma Education and Prevention Program 2002, British Thoracic Society 2003, NHLBI/WHO 2005). The ongoing process of asthma education is considered necessary for helping people with asthma gain the knowledge, skills, confidence and motivation to control their own asthma. Since most health care professionals are key providers of asthma education, their knowledge of asthma and asthma management practices often needs to be updated through continuing education. This is to ensure that the education provided to the patient conforms to best practice guidelines. Moreover, health care professionals need to tailor this education to the patients’ needs and determine if the education provided results in an improvement in asthma knowledge. A review of the literature has revealed that a number of questionnaires have been developed that assess the asthma knowledge of parents of children with asthma (Parcel et al 1980, Fitzclarence and Henry 1990, Brook et al 1993, Moosa and Henley 1997, Ho et al 2003), adults with asthma (Wigal et al 1993, Allen and Jones 1998, Allen et al 2000, Bertolotti et al 2001), children with asthma (Parcel et al 1980, Wade et al 1997), or the general public (Grant et al 1999). However, the existing asthma knowledge questionnaires have several limitations. The only validated asthma knowledge questionnaire was developed in 1990 and hence, out of date with current asthma management guidelines (Fitzclarence and Henry 1990). The shortcomings of the other knowledge questionnaires relate to the lack of evidence of the validity (Wade et al 1997, Grant et al 1999, Bertolotti et al 2001), being outdated 81 with current concepts of asthma (Parcel et al 1980) or having been tested on small or inadequately characterised subject samples e.g. subject samples consisting of mainly middle class and well educated parents (Brook et al 1993, Wigal et al 1993, Moosa and Henley 1997, Allen and Jones 1998, Allen et al 2000, Ho et al 2003). Furthermore, most of the published asthma knowledge questionnaires have been designed to assess the asthma knowledge of the consumer (i.e. a lay person with asthma or a parent/carer of a person with asthma). There is no questionnaire specifically developed to assess the asthma knowledge of health care professionals, who are key providers of asthma education. It is hence important to have a reliable and validated instrument to be able to assess education needs and to measure the impact of training programs on asthma knowledge of health care professionals as well. An asthma knowledge questionnaire for health care professionals might also be used to gauge how successful dissemination and implementation of guidelines have been. Excerpt Chapter 4 - Asthma self-management education for adults that includes information about asthma and self-management, self-monitoring, a written action plan and regular medical review has been shown to be effective in improving asthma outcomes (Gibson et al 1999). These interventions have been delivered mostly in a hospital setting and have utilised individual and/or group formats. Fewer interventions have been delivered in a primary care setting, usually by qualified practice nurses and/or general practitioners or asthma educators and, to date, their success has not been established (Fay et al 2002, Gibson et al 2003). Community pharmacy provides a strategic venue for the provision of patient education about asthma. Traditionally, patient education provided by community pharmacists has been individualised. However, group education has been shown to be as effective as individualised education with the added benefits of being simpler, more cost effective and better received by patients and educators (Wilson et al 1993, Wilson 1997). While small group education has been shown to improve asthma outcomes (Snyder et al 1987, Bailey et al 1990, Wilson et al 1993, Yoon et al 1993, Allen et al 1995, Kotses et al 1995, Berg et al 1997, de Oliveira et al 1999, Marabini et al 2002), to date, no small-group asthma education provided by pharmacists in the community pharmacy setting has been implemented and evaluated

A collaborative working model for enhancing the learning process of science & engineering students

Science and engineering education are mostly based on content assimilation and development of skills. However, to adequately prepare students for today's world, it is also necessary to stimulate critical thinking and make them reflect on how to improve current practices using new tools and technologies. In this line, the main motivation of this research consists in exploring ways supported by technology to enhance the learning process of students and to better prepare them to face the challenges of today's world. To this end, the purpose of this work is to design an innovative learning project based on collaborative work among students, and research its impact in achieving better learning outcomes, generating of collective intelligence and further motivation. The proposed collaborative working model is based on peer review assessment methodology implemented through a learning web-platform. Thus, students were encouraged to peer review their classmates' works. They had to make comments, suggest improvements, and assess final assignments. Teaching staff managed and supervised the whole process. Students were selected from computer science engineering at the University of Alicante (Spain). Results suggested greater content assimilation and enhanced learning in several scientific skills. The students' final grade exceeded what any student could produce individually, but we cannot conclude that real collective intelligence was generated. Learning methodologies based on the possibilities of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) provide new ways to transmit and manage knowledge in higher education. Collaborating in peer assessment enhances the students' motivation and promotes the active learning. In addition, this method can be very helpful and time saving for instructors in the management of large groups

Influence of the balanced scorecard on the science and innovation performance of Latin American universities

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Knowledge Management Research & Practice on 2019, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/14778238.2019.1569488[EN] Pressure on the education system to meet society's needs has led some universities to adopt organisational performance measurement systems as strategic control tools. One of the most commonly used systems in business is the balanced scorecard (BSC). For Latin American universities, the urgent task of increasing the quantity and quality of research and innovation has led these universities to update their essential processes. A suitable control system is necessary to ensure the effectiveness of these new policies. Based on strategic management theory, this study focuses on the implementation of a BSC method in Latin American public universities. The aim of this study is to determine the influence of BSC implementation on universities? research and innovation performance. The results reveal similar patterns of indicators to measure performance in public universities. Furthermore, these indicators develop favourably following implementation of the BSC.Peris-Ortiz, M.; García-Hurtado, D.; Devece Carañana, CA. (2019). Influence of the balanced scorecard on the science and innovation performance of Latin American universities. Knowledge Management Research & Practice. 17(4):373-383. https://doi.org/10.1080/14778238.2019.1569488S373383174Agostino, D., & Arnaboldi, M. (2012). Design issues in Balanced Scorecards: The «what» and «how» of control. European Management Journal, 30(4), 327-339. doi:10.1016/j.emj.2012.02.001Al-Ashaab, A., Flores, M., Doultsinou, A., & Magyar, A. (2011). A balanced scorecard for measuring the impact of industry–university collaboration. Production Planning & Control, 22(5-6), 554-570. doi:10.1080/09537287.2010.536626Ankrah, S., & AL-Tabbaa, O. (2015). Universities–industry collaboration: A systematic review. Scandinavian Journal of Management, 31(3), 387-408. doi:10.1016/j.scaman.2015.02.003Broadbent, J., & Laughlin, R. (2009). Performance management systems: A conceptual model. Management Accounting Research, 20(4), 283-295. doi:10.1016/j.mar.2009.07.004Chen, S., Yang, C., & Shiau, J. (2006). The application of balanced scorecard in the performance evaluation of higher education. The TQM Magazine, 18(2), 190-205. doi:10.1108/09544780610647892Ferreira, A., & Otley, D. (2009). The design and use of performance management systems: An extended framework for analysis. Management Accounting Research, 20(4), 263-282. doi:10.1016/j.mar.2009.07.003Franceschini, F., & Turina, E. (2011). Quality improvement and redesign of performance measurement systems: an application to the academic field. Quality & Quantity, 47(1), 465-483. doi:10.1007/s11135-011-9530-1Gibbert, M., Ruigrok, W., & Wicki, B. (2008). What passes as a rigorous case study? Strategic Management Journal, 29(13), 1465-1474. doi:10.1002/smj.722Ittner, C. D., Larcker, D. F., & Randall, T. (2003). Performance implications of strategic performance measurement in financial services firms. Accounting, Organizations and Society, 28(7-8), 715-741. doi:10.1016/s0361-3682(03)00033-3Kaplan, R. S., & Norton, D. P. (2001). Transforming the Balanced Scorecard from Performance Measurement to Strategic Management: Part II. Accounting Horizons, 15(2), 147-160. doi:10.2308/acch.2001.15.2.147Khalid, S., Knouzi, N., Tanane, O., & Talbi, M. (2014). Balanced Scoreboard, the Performance Tool in Higher Education: Establishment of Performance Indicators. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 116, 4552-4558. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.01.984Kraus, K., & Lind, J. (2010). The impact of the corporate balanced scorecard on corporate control—A research note. Management Accounting Research, 21(4), 265-277. doi:10.1016/j.mar.2010.08.001Langfield-Smith, K. (1997). Management control systems and strategy: A critical review. Accounting, Organizations and Society, 22(2), 207-232. doi:10.1016/s0361-3682(95)00040-2Lawrence, S., & Sharma, U. (2002). Commodification of Education and Academic LABOUR—Using the Balanced Scorecard in a University Setting. Critical Perspectives on Accounting, 13(5-6), 661-677. doi:10.1006/cpac.2002.0562Lee, B., Collier, P. M., & Cullen, J. (2007). Reflections on the use of case studies in the accounting, management and organizational disciplines. Qualitative Research in Organizations and Management: An International Journal, 2(3), 169-178. doi:10.1108/17465640710835337Neely, A., Gregory, M., & Platts, K. (1995). Performance measurement system design. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 15(4), 80-116. doi:10.1108/01443579510083622Philbin, S. (2008). Process model for university‐industry research collaboration. European Journal of Innovation Management, 11(4), 488-521. doi:10.1108/14601060810911138Pritchard, R. D., Roth, P. L., Jones, S. D., & Roth, P. G. (1990). Implementing feedback systems to enhance productivity: A practical guide. National Productivity Review, 10(1), 57-67. doi:10.1002/npr.4040100107Ridwan, R., Harun, H., An, Y., & Fahmid, I. M. (2013). The Impact of the Balanced Scorecard on Corporate Performance: The Case of an Australian Public Sector Enterprise. International Business Research, 6(10). doi:10.5539/ibr.v6n10p103Sayed, N. (2013). Ratify, reject or revise: balanced scorecard and universities. International Journal of Educational Management, 27(3), 203-220. doi:10.1108/09513541311306440Spender, J.-C. (2014). Business Strategy. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199686544.001.0001Tangen, S. (2005). Analysing the requirements of performance measurement systems. Measuring Business Excellence, 9(4), 46-54. doi:10.1108/13683040510634835Villarreal Larrinaga, O., & Landeta Rodríguez, J. (2010). EL ESTUDIO DE CASOS COMO METODOLOGÍA DE INVESTIGACIÓN CIENTÍFICA EN DIRECCIÓN Y ECONOMÍA DE LA EMPRESA. UNA APLICACIÓN A LA INTERNACIONALIZACIÓN. Investigaciones Europeas de Dirección y Economía de la Empresa, 16(3), 31-52. doi:10.1016/s1135-2523(12)60033-1Wiersma, E. (2009). For which purposes do managers use Balanced Scorecards? Management Accounting Research, 20(4), 239-251. doi:10.1016/j.mar.2009.06.00

Investigating the strategic alignment of talent management and organisation sustainability in the Saudi Higher Education sector

This thesis was submitted for the award of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University LondonThis research investigates the process of talent management (TM) and determining its link to organisational sustainability in the Saudi Arabian higher education sector. Since the inception of Talent management as a field, it has been largely researched and implemented in the for-profit business organisation. Its benefits have helped organisation in retaining top talented professionals that are a source of competitive advantage. However, it has been rarely researched and implemented in the Higher education sector, especially in developing countries where the phenomenon of talent management is still finding its grips with the traditional human resource management (HRM). The literature review identifies a literature gap in the TM literature, prompting the development of a talent management theoretical framework to investigate the process of talent management and the factors that are critical to the development of talent management process. Thus, a literature gap was identified in the area of talent management specifically in the context Saudi higher education. Based on the previous works of scholars and academics, the Researcher was able to develop a theoretical framework that aim to help higher educational organisations in achieving organisational sustainability with the help of talent management. The theoretical framework illustrated how alignment of talent management with existing strategies of HRM and Human capital management can help organisations in reaching organisational sustainability. The research was conducted as a two-stage empirical study in the Saudi higher education sector employing sequential mixed methods of data collection and analysis. A series of 21 semi-structured qualitative interviews with senior officials in Saudi higher education system were conducted followed by quantitative survey of 110 higher education professionals and students. The research findings confirm that talent management is still limited in majority of Saudi higher educational organisations and its knowledge and training is very limited. The research findings also show various obstacles such as fear of change and lack of pre-defined guidelines as the reason behind not having such strategies in Saudi higher education sector. However, the primary findings also suggest that majority of Saudi higher education professionals are open to such strategic implementation in their organisations. Moreover, the research also shows that aligning talent management with existing organisational strategies of HRM and human capital can lead to optimum organisational performance which will results in organisational sustainability. The main contribution of this research is the development of talent management alignment framework that may help higher educational organisation in implementing talent management more effectively. Specifically, talent management guidance model identifies that five major factors of talent management which are identification of pivotal positions, creation of talent pool, recruitment, training and development and attraction and retention of talent. These five factors can be further investigated individually and their impact on organisational performance can be further thoroughly investigated in future researches. Key limitations to Saudi higher education sector. Since the talent management is a developing field that has helped organisations to prosper in for profit business sector. However, confinement of the research to Saudi higher education sector and limited sample size of semi structured interviews can be considered as the major limitations of this research. Future research recommendations that researches can be conducted on individual factors of talent management that have been identified that focus on the alignment of talent management with strategies other than HRM and Human capital strategies

Hurricane Evacuation Research: A Systematic Review

Public health agencies play a large role in research initiatives to gain a better understanding of human response during hurricanes. This research is critical to allow public health agencies and their partners in emergency management to develop and implement educational initiatives, communications plans and evacuation strategies to safeguard human life in times of natural disaster. While research has identified several primary factors that impact one’s decision to evacuate there is still a gap in understanding exactly how social factors impact evacuation decisions. A systematic review of the literature was carried out to gain better understanding of the level of knowledge about how and which social factors influence evacuation decisions. All of the research presented in this literature review was specifically designed to examine evacuation behavior, however in all studies, understanding the impact of social capital was secondary. This review indicates that three things should be considered when developing evacuation planning and intervention; these are: a set of specific major themes, social factors and research limitations and knowledge gaps. While much progress has been made in this area, additional targeted research is needed to truly understand how social factors coupled with known factors such as perception of risk, source of information, personal evacuation plans, prior hurricane experience, length of residence, lack of transportation, and sense of place interact to form the basis of one’s decision to evacuate during a hurricane. Having this greater understanding may allow agencies and officials to design and implement education and intervention strategies based on specific demographic, social, and physical attributes of the population and their surroundings that will improve evacuation efficiency and overall outcomes, including a reduction in death and injuries, improved household planning and preparation and higher evacuation rates during these critical emergency situations.Master of Public Healt

The policy/project nexus: addressing an old problem in a new way

The higher education sector is becoming increasingly dynamic, competitive and regulated. The policies of a university establish the standards of governance, academic quality and management that enable it to function in this environment. They are the means by which a university achieves strategy, ensures quality, mitigates risk and achieves compliance with its regulatory environment. They are thus foundational to creating an environment that enables a university to provide students with a relevant learning experience, respond to innovation agendas, develop new knowledge and contribute to their local and broader communities. Notoriously complex, yet immensely valuable, policy development and review inevitably receives varying levels of priority across the sector and within individual universities. This will, however, impact a university’s capacity to respond to its changing regulatory environment and deliver and sustain quality outcomes. Symptomatic of differing levels of assigned organisational priority, the policy environment at the University of Southern Queensland has varied over time. The legacy of these varying approaches is explored in this paper, along with the impact of a three-year policy refresh project, developed to establish a flexible and sustainable framework for the management of policy. A reflection upon the challenges and lessons learned identifies the key role of a policy framework (the ‘policy on policies’), the impact of an engaged sponsor and an applied project management methodology. The paper provides an analysis of the critical success factors and benefits realised, including improved capability, accuracy and access. The need to develop clear strategy and plan to embed project outcomes is brought into focus. The critical role of policy deployment is identified and key considerations outlined, including the need to plan for the critical process of continuous improvement. Enabled through monitoring, evaluation and review, the paper highlights the need for the University of Southern Queensland and policy practitioners generally, to further invest in the research and development of this capability. The outcomes of this project continue to impact the change agenda at the University of Southern Queensland. Findings from this project and its subsequent embedding into organisational practice have and will continue to inform change, research and efficiency agendas and have the potential to impact similarly across the sector

Scientific literature on higher education rankings: a systematic review

[ES] Presentamos una revisión sistemática de la literatura científica sobre rankings universitarios. En concreto, hemos indagado sobre la existencia de tendencias  en los métodos utilizados en los estudios publicados en artículos de revistas especializadas.La muestra de artículos seleccionados de acuerdo a los criterios de búsqueda planteados ha sido de 28 artículos. Las fuentes de datos provienen de las bases de datos ISI y SCOPUS on-line utilizando las palabras clave “rankings”, “higher education” y “universidad” en ciencias sociales y humanidades en el período 2000 a 2012.Los resultados de la revisión sistemática nos muestran  que los artículos publicados  tienen una orientación más cuantitativa (N=22) que cualitativa (N=6), con enfoques más generalistas (N=21) que específicos (N=7), con pretensión generalizadora (N=24) frente  (N=4) a los de alcance local y que la mayor concentración de las referencias que incluyen los artículos analizados han estado publicados entre los años 2005-2010.[EN] A systematic review of scientific literature on university rankings is presented. This research has focused on the methodology used for the investigators in the reported publications. According to the search criteria 28 articles were included, from social and humanities ISI and Scopus database during the 2000-2012 period. The keywords used were: “rankings”, “higher education” and “university”. The focus of the analysis was the following criteria:  keywords, publication year, citation references, the subject area, met criteria, geographical scope, research methodology and methods impact of results, language of publication, citation index, impact and assessment of the rankings. The results of the systematic review show that the publications have a more quantitative than qualitative orientation (n=22 vs.  n=6), the approaches are more general than specific (n=21 vs. n=7) and the impact is more generalized than local (n=24 vs. n=4). Moreover, the highest number of the references were publiTomàs-Folch, M.; Feixas, M.; Bernabeu, MD.; Ruíz, JM. (2015). La literatura científica sobre rankings universitarios: una revisión sistemática. REDU. Revista de Docencia Universitaria. 13(3):33-54. https://doi.org/10.4995/redu.2015.5418OJS3354133Altbach, P. G. (2006). The dilemmas of ranking, International Higher Education, 42, Winter. Recuperado de: http://ostaustria.org/bridges-magazine/volume-12-december-14-2006/item/1669-the-dilemmas-of-rankingAbdul Malek Bin A. Tambi, A.M.B.A; Maznah Che Ghazali, M.C. & Yahya, N. B. (2008). The ranking of higher education institutions: A deduction or delusion? Total Quality Management & Business Excellence, 19 (10), 997-1011. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14783360802264046AAVV (2006). Berlin Principles on Ranking of Higher Education Institutions. Recuperado de: http://www.che.de/downloads/Berlin_Principles_IREG_534.pdfBillaut, C. D., Bouysso, D. & Vincke, P. (2009). Should you believe in the Shanghai ranking? An MCDM view. HAL Articles on line. Recuperado de: https://akkrt.metapress.com/content/06140311317202u1/resource-secured/?target=fulltext.pdf&sid=rnz3ddqoeps4j1ctz2tzjwlz&sh=www.akademiai.comBookstein, F. L., Seidler, H., Fieder, M., & Winckler, G. (2010). Too much noise in the Times Higher Education rankings, Scientometrics, 85, 295-299. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11192-010-0189-5Booth, A. (2001). Cochrane or cock-eyed? How should we conduct systematic reviews of qualitative research?. Paper presented at the Qualitative Evidence-based Practice Conference "Taking a Critical Stance", University of Coventry, 14-16 May.Boulton, G. (2011). University rankings: Diversity, excellence and the European Initiative, Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences, 13, 74-82. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.03.006Buela-Casal, G., Bermúdez, M.P., Sierra J.C., Quevedo-Blasco, R., Castro, A., & Guillén-Riquelme, A. (2012). Ranking de 2011 en producción y productividad en investigación de las universidades públicas españolas. Psichotema 24, 505-515.Carey, K. (2006). Collage rankings reformed: the case for a new order in Higher Education. Education Sector Reports, 19. Recuperado de: http://www.educationsector.org/usr_doc/CollegeRankingsReformed.pdfDe Miguel, J. M., Vaquera, E. & Sánchez, J. D.(2005). Spanish Universities and the Ranking 2005 Initiative, Higher Education in Europe, 30 (2), 199-215 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03797720500260256Dill, D. & Soo, M. (2005). Academic quality, league tables, and public policy: A Cross-national analysis of university ranking systems. Higher Education, 49(4), 495-534. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10734-004-1746-8Docampo, D. (2008). Rankings internacionales y calidad de los sistemas universitarios. Revista de Educación, número extraordinario, 149- 176.Evans, J. & Benefield, P. (2001). Systematic reviews of educational research: does the medical model fit? British Educational Research Journal, 27(5), 527-41. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01411920120095717Guarino, C., Ridgeway, G., Chun, M. & Buddin, R. (2005). Latent variable analysis: A new approach to university ranking, Higher Education in Europe, 30 (2), 147-165. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03797720500260033Hazelkorn, E. (2009). Theimpact of global rankings on higher education research and the production of knowledge. UNESCO Forum on Higher Education, Research and Knowledge Occasional Paper N°16.Hazelkorn, E., (2009). Rankings and the battle for world-class excellence: institutional strategies and policy choices, Higher Education Management and Policy, 21, 1-22. http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/hemp-v21-art4-enHemsley-Brown, J. V. & Sharp, C. (2004). The use of research to improve professional practice: a systematic review of the literature, Oxford Review of Education, 40. Recuperado de: http://epubs.surrey.ac.uk/479/Harvey, L. (2008). Ranking of higher education institutions: A critical review!. Quality in Higher Education, 14(3), 187-207. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13538320802507711Hunt, M. (1997). How science takes stock: The story of meta-analysis. Nueva York: Russell Sage Foundation.Krüger, K. & Molas, A. (2010). Rankings mundiales de universidades: objetivos y calidad. Ar@cne. Revista Eléctronica de Recursos en Internet sobre Geografía y Ciencias Sociales. Recuperado de: http://www.ub.es/geocrit/aracne/aracne-129.htmSánchez-Meca, J. (2010). Cómo realizar una revisión sistemática y un meta-análisis. Aula Abierta, 38, (2), 53-64.Liu, N. C. & Cheng, Y. (2005). The academic ranking of world universities, Higher Education in Europe, 30 (2), 127-136.López, A. M. & Pérez-Esparrells, C. (2007) Los rankings universitarios: estado de la cuestión y posibles aplicaciones al caso español. Investigaciones de Economía de la Educación, 2, 109-119.Flórez-Parra, J. M., López Pérez, M. V., López Hernández, A. M. (2014). El gobierno corporativo en el ámbito de las universidades: Una aproximación a través de las 100 primeras Universidades del ranking de Shanghái. Revista de Educación, 364, 14, en prensa, DOI: 10.4438/1988-592X-RE-2014-364-259.Merisotis, J. & Sadlak, J. (2005). Higher education rankings: Evolution, acceptance and dialogue, Higher Education in Europe, 30 (2), 97-101. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03797720500260124Pérez-Esparrells, C. & López, A. M. (2009). Estado de la cuestión de los rankings universitarios nacionales e internacionales. Documento UNIVNOVA, DU04, marzo.Pérez-Esparrells, C. & Salinas, J. (1998). El uso de los indicadores de gestión en la evaluación de la calidad universitaria. Hacienda Pública Española, Monográfico Educación y Economía, 157-167Sheldon, T. & Chalmers, I. (1994). The UK Cochrane Centre and the NHS Centre for Reviews and Dissemination: respective roles within the Information Systems Strategy of the NHS R&D Programme, coordination and principles underlying collaboration, Health Economics, 3, 201-203. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/hec.4730030308Thakur, M. (2007). The impact of ranking systems on Higher Education and its stakeholders. Journal of Institutional Research, 13(1), 83-96.Tranfield, D., Denyer. D. & Smart, P. (2003). Towards a methodology for developing evidence-based management by means of systematic review, British Journal of Management, 14, 207-222. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1467-8551.00375Usher, A., & Savino, M. (2007). A Global Survey of University Ranking and League Tables. Higher Education in Europe, 32(1), 5-15. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03797720701618831Van Dyke, N. (2005). Twenty Years of University Report Cards, Higher Education in Europe, 30(2), 103-125. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0379772050026017

Decision Making Behaviour on the Choice of UK Business School: A Chinese Cultural Perspective

This study aims to contribute to the knowledge of marketing international higher education underpinned by marketing theories and provide managerial implications for education marketers as well. This is carried out with specific reference to Chinese students' choice behaviour of UK business school. The purpose of this dissertation is to systematically examine and evaluate literature in higher education service, decision making theories and Chinese culture to propose theoretical models that integrates the different antecedents and consequences of Chinese cultural that impact on decisions being made on choice of a UK business school. Proposed models are developed based on deduction derived from the literature on the decision making and Chinese cultural value system. In addition, the researcher empirically tests these frameworks on Chinese students' choice behaviour and provides managerial implications for both UK higher educational institutions in general and business school management and marketers as well. This study consists of three major parts. The first part (Chapter 2, 3 and 4) introduces the literature review starting with a discussion of the service characteristics in higher education sector. From USA, UK and Australia's perspectives, it then focuses particularly the increasing trend of education globalization, preference of subjects of study and increasing demand from emerging markers particularly from China. It is followed by a critical assessment of some mainstream decision-making models and proposed the author's new model. Lastly, definitions of culture are critically examined; a systematic review of the Chinese culture value system carried out. The second part deals with the research methodology: research paradigms are discussed in detail firstly then followed by an evaluation of the effectiveness of depth interview as the main method of this study. Lastly, it discusses the questionnaire design and modification, sampling, and measurement procedures. The third part presents the analysis and interpretation in conjunction with model proposed, and on completion of the data analysis, this part summarizes this study and integrates all key research findings to generate research conclusions. Contributions are highlighted; managerial implications discussed, last but not least, the limitations and future research direction pinpointed