Capacity building for transnationalisation of higher education

Purpose – Transnationalism and transnational concept are extensively researched in many social science areas; however, transnational management and transnational marketing is relatively a less explored research domain. Also, knowledge management for transnational education (TNE) marketing is not well-researched. Capacity building is an established research-stream, with a key focus on socio-economic and ecological development; however, prior research on capacity building from the context of TNE’s knowledge management and marketing is scarce. The purpose of this study is to analyse TNE marketing mix, to understand the influence of transnational stakeholders’ causal scope(s) on knowledge management in TNE to uphold their transnatioalisation processes through capacity building in TNEs’ marketing management. Design/methodology/approach – An inductive constructivist method is followed. Findings – Organisational learning from the context of transnational market and socio-economic competitive factors, based on analysing the transnational stakeholders’ causal scope(s) is imperative for proactive knowledge management capacity in TNE marketing. Following the analysis of transnational stakeholders’ causal scope(s) to learn about the cause and consequence of the transnational stakeholders’ relationships and interactions, an initial conceptual framework of knowledge management for TNE marketing is proposed. Practical insights from different TNE markets are developed in support of this novel knowledge management capacity building framework of TNE, and its generalisation perspectives and future research areas are discussed. Practical implications – These insights will be useful for TNE administrators to better align their knowledge management perspectives and propositions with their transnational stakeholders to underpin TNE marketing. Academics will be able to use these insights as a basis for future research. Originality/value – This study proposes a novel conceptual stakeholder-centred capacity building framework for TNE’s knowledge management to uphold TNE marketing and supports the framework, based on practical insights from three different transnational markets

Economy and Ecology: Encounters and Interweaving

In this editorial text, we point to the importance and development of disciplines that closely link economic sciences with ecology. Drawing on the most important literature in these fields, we have highlighted the trends that are popular today in both fields (double eco features)

Stakeholder Relationship Management in Online Business and Competitive Value Propositions: Evidence from the Sports Industry

In one hand, marketers have privileges to obtain additional information about their target markets through the online businesses. On the other hand, customers and other stakeholders have an enormous flow of information to compare between competitive value propositions, available in the market. In this market competition, understanding the customers' and other stakeholders' value anticipations would be a central success factor for marketers to prolifically develop competitive value propositions, based on understanding the customers' and other stakeholders' needs, wants and expectations. Stakeholder relationship marketing has a history, as well as further potentials to understand stakeholders' value anticipations. From this context and based on an inductive constructivist approach, this study develops insights and proposes a conceptual framework on how various sports organizations manage their stakeholder relationships through their online business platforms, in order to design and deliver competitive value propositions

Stakeholders’ perceptions and reputational antecedents: A review of stakeholder relationships, reputation and brand positioning

Purpose– It is recognised that reputation is a relational construct; however the impact of stakeholders’ various relational dimensions on their perceptions to influence reputation is not widely understood. The purpose of this paper is to add to the current understanding of stakeholders’ relationships, interactions, their subsequent relational dimensions and its impact on stakeholders’ perceptions to further influence relational reputation. Design/methodology/approach– This paper takes a case study approach. Findings– The findings of this study recognise the impact of relationship marketing (RM) on the influence of stakeholders’ perceptions. It discusses how RM substantiate the pertinent authenticity (symbolises reputation), relevance and differentiation (represent brand positioning) of an organisation’s profile and/or their market offerings, in relation to the interest of the target market through the cause and consequence of stakeholder relationships and interactions to influence their perceptions. The findings acknowledge 11 RM dimensions that have relational implications to nurture stakeholders’ perceptions and subsequent relational reputation, which appear viable across industries and markets. Originality/value– Underlying the cause and consequence of stakeholder relationships and interactions; these 11 RM dimensions emerge as antecedents to form/reform relational reputation. Further academic and professional implications of the findings are briefly discussed

International education management: Implications of relational perspectives and ethnographic insights to nurture international students’ academic experience

Purpose International students, who have a non-English speaking background (NESB), encounter many difficulties, in comparison to their local fellows of an English-speaking country. Literature demonstrates that leveraging various relational perspectives in a multicultural teaching environment has favourable implications to manage the NESB international students’ academic experience. Based on the observation and introspection approaches and a relevant literature review in relationship management, an ethnographic analysis is conducted to realise how such relational perspectives can be nurtured, in a way that the NESB international students expect and accept in a foreign country. Design/methodology/approach A literature review in relationship management and an ethnographic analysis based on observation and introspection methods was conducted. Findings Findings show that universities could assist the NESB international students by designing, delivering and monitoring innovative teaching and learning approaches and taking care of the associated academic and non-academic issues of the students, while leveraging the social, psychological and academic relational perspective(s). Originality/value Leveraging relational perspectives offers global implications. The implications of relational perspectives can be used from any setting. However, the relational appeal should be focused on the presented circumstances of a targeted setting only (e.g. the issues of a particular multicultural classroom)

Transnational education and total quality management: a stakeholder-centred model

Purpose Quality assurance is a key concern in higher education, which is more complex in offshore transnational education (TNE), compared to onshore provision of education service. However, higher education quality assurance is an established research domain; there is very limited work on the efficacy of industry-based total quality management (TQM) considerations to uphold quality in higher education, particularly in TNE. From this context, the purpose of this paper is to develop new insights in this under-researched area. Design/methodology/approach An inductive constructivist approach is followed to analyse extant scholarly views in relevant disciplinary areas to develop new insights, in relation to the significance of industry-based TQM in TNEs’ quality assurance. Findings Stakeholder orientation is recognised, as a significant consideration to uphold quality in TNE. Different stakeholders are identified, who would have substantial influence on TNEs’ TQM. How these stakeholders could influence the TQM process is clarified. Some empirical insights are also developed, in support of the arguments of the paper. Practical implications These insights will be useful for education administrators to better align their stakeholder relationships to underpin TQM. Academics will be able to use these insights as a basis for future research towards the significance of industry-based TQM in higher education. Originality/value Based on a stakeholder-focussed TNE TQM model, the findings represent an innovative strategic direction towards a better understanding of the significance of stakeholder relationships, pertaining to TQM in the contemporary higher education system

Capacity building for sustained competitive advantage: a conceptual framework

Purpose Capacity building is a crucial antecedent for socio-economic development. However, an enhanced capacity that is difficult to develop could quickly be eroded, because of rapid changes in competitive forces in industries and markets. Therefore, this paper intends to analyse the extant strategic management and relationship marketing (RM) literature that deal with competition. Eventually, the purpose of this paper is to develop an alternative route for capacity building process that could sustain competitive advantage in a market or industry, which encounters rapid changes in business competition. Design/methodology/approach An inductive constructivist approach is followed to support arguments, in order to develop a synthesis from the relevant literature to reinforce the current understandings on capacity building and sustained competitive advantage. Findings An influence of RM on strategic organisational dynamic capabilities (DCs) is recognised, which appears as significant to sustain DCs and subsequent competitive advantage. Based on this influence, this paper proposes a conceptual framework of capacity building that could survive through the “valuable, rare, inimitability and non-substitutability” test, which is fundamental to sustain competitive advantage. Some empirical insights are developed, in support of this conceptual framework. Practical implications For research and practice, these insights will be useful to focus on specific attributes in capacity building to sustain the enhanced capacity’s competitive advantage over time, across industries and markets. Social implications Similarly, the insights will be instrumental to sustain the benefit of capacity building to underpin socio-economic progress. Originality/value The paper proposes a much needed initial conceptual framework for capacity building to sustain competitive advantage of a hard-earned capacity for socio-economic development

Sustainability Issues in Transnational Education Service: A Conceptual Framework and Empirical Insights

Many transnational education (TNE) services have been operating successfully to export education. However, many other TNE programs and partnerships have also been terminated. TNEs' sustainability is under-researched; specifically, its sustainability from the contexts of strategic partnership considerations, all recognized TNE activities, and its sustainability indicators. This conceptual article analyzes literature on TNE partnership issues, the standardization-adaptation (StandAdapt) concept of international business strategy and sustainability issues, with an aim to establish an initial route to develop TNE services that would sustain business viability, centered on transnational market-specific conditions. The analysis suggests that there is a consistent interrelationship between different sustainability indicators and market orientation, which has implications for incorporating sustainability issues into TNE services and transnational strategies. An initial framework is proposed to develop TNE services in order to sustain TNE businesses. Some empirical insights are developed in support of this conceptual framework. Further research areas are discussed

Branding destination image: a stakeholder causal scope analysis for internationalisation of destinations

The impact of relationship marketing (RM) on the internationalisation process and the branding of destination image are widely, but separately, researched. However, the implications of RM vis-à-vis the branding of international destination image are not broadly explored, especially from the different internationalisation contexts. This conceptual viewpoint precises insight, encircling this gap in the roles of RM constructs to influence the cause and consequence of stakeholder relationships and interactions at different internationalisation continuums, with a viable impact on branding international destination image. This is an initial conceptual modelling, which needs to be empirically tested to generalise the findings

Impact of CRM adoption on organizational performance: Moderating role of technological turbulence

Purpose Customer relationship management (CRM) is instrumental to attain and sustain organizational competitive advantage. Innovation in terms of CRM adoption is the key to gain competitive advantage, and being innovative is dependent on how well organizations know about changing demands of customers and their changing ways to gain access to the market. There is hence a need to develop ongoing empirical insights from diverse management perspectives into the effect of CRM adoption on organizational performance. In this context, the purpose of this study is to develop empirical insights in relation to the moderation of technological turbulence in the banking sector. Design/methodology/approach Primary data were collected and analyzed from 277 CRM staff-members of the banking sector in Pakistan to test a conceptual model. Frequencies of demographics are calculated with correlation and regression analyses using SPSS. The correlation analysis was performed to identify the direction that exists between the dependent and independent variables, and the regression analysis was performed to study the strength/intensity of the independent variable over the dependent variable. Moderating regression analysis was performed to find the moderation effect of technological turbulence on CRM adoption and organizational performance. Findings The CRM adoption has a critical positive impact on organizational performance in the settings of business-to-customer (B2C) perspective in the banking sector. Moreover, the results uncover that improved client satisfaction through CRM adoption prompts better organizational performance in the B2C organization. The authors also have found that technological turbulence has a negative guiding impact on the association linking with CRM adoption, as well as organizational performance. Research limitations/implications The conceptual model that is proposed in this study and supported by empirical insights offers researchers to develop future research studies on the moderating role of technological turbulence to analyze the influence of CRM adoption on organizational performance. Practical implications The empirical insights of this study are valuable for the professionals in the banking sector and other B2C organizations to enrich their organizational performance through CRM adoption while considering the moderating role of technological turbulence. Originality/value Based on an empirical study, in support of an original conceptual model, the insights of this paper contribute to the extant literature in the CRM, bank marketing and management, service management, B2C marketing and the emerging economy knowledge streams