京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(地球環境学) / 甲第22102号 / 地環博第188号 / 新制||地環||37(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院地球環境学舎地球環境学専攻 / (主査)准教授 SINGER JANE, 教授 佐野 亘, 講師 BAARS ROGER CLOUD / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Global Environmental Studies / Kyoto University / DFAM

MCom (Human Resource Management) / Department of Human Resource Management and Labour Relations / The study investigated the relationship between leadership styles and organisational commitment in two selected higher education institutions in South Africa. Transformation is a topical issue in the South African higher education institutions. The slow progress in attempts to transform the sector can be attributed to leadership styles and commitment. The study employed a quantitative research design and made use of a self-administered questionnaire to gather data. The Multifactor-Leadership and Organisational Commitment questionnaires were used for data collection. The researcher used stratified sampling by grouping employees from each institution into academic and non-academic strata. In this study, descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, multiple regression analysis were performed. The study indicated that transformational leadership and transactional leadership styles are significantly correlated with some of the organisational commitment constructs. The results further revealed that transformational leadership style explained the variance on organisational commitment better than transactional and laissez faire. Therefore, the study concludes that there is no one size fit all and recommended that each institution should diagnose its own situation for better pictorial view of what will work for that organisation. It is further recommended that leaders in higher education institutions should embrace more of transformational leadership as it has potential of transforming these institutions.

A shift has occurred in the traditional type of centralised government control to a more multilevel type of governing referred to as governance. The change from government to governance can be illustrated with an emphasis on networks and social capital enhancement. In higher education this is enveloped through a larger emphasis on institutionalisation of collaboration between the higher education institutions (HEI) and the surrounding environment. In lieu of large block grants come financial incentives through semi-governmental agencies embracing collaboration projects between industry and HEI as well as municipalities.` This licentiate thesis objective is to study the collaboration task’s practical implication on undergraduate education in terms of social capital enhancement and research and teaching links. This is reported in two articles that elaborate on social capital establishment through a policy program and whether policy programs focusing on research collaborations also have an effect on undergraduate education by improving research and teaching links. In general, the findings of this thesis indicate that semi-governmental policy programs have a positive effect on establishing new social capital between regional HEI, industry and municipalities, and that semi-governmentally financed research profiles also have a positive effect on undergraduate education by introducing a link to research outside and within the HEI. / QC 20110117

[pt] As compras sustentáveis implicam na inclusão de critérios sociais e ambientais aos critérios econômicos na decisão de compra. Esta modalidade vem crescendo entre as Universidades e é essencial para que essas atinjam suas metas de sustentabilidade. A PUC-Rio instituiu em 2010 sua Agenda Ambiental, onde elenca diretrizes que estimulam as compras e o consumo sustentáveis. Esta pesquisa tem como objetivo levantar se estas diretrizes são seguidas e quais os critérios de sustentabilidade adotados nos processos de compras de itens de consumo; identificar os fatores que dificultam sua adoção e propor estratégias e práticas que viabilizem a adoção sistemática de compras sustentáveis na PUC-Rio. O método de pesquisa qualitativo utilizado foi estudo de caso único, tendo como unidade de análise os processos de decisão e realização de compras de itens de consumo em setores desta Universidade. Foram levantados registros de compras entre 2016 e 2020 e realizadas entrevistas em profundidade com gestores e funcionários envolvidos nos processos. Foi identificado que o processo de compra da PUC-Rio é parcialmente descentralizado, ficando a cargo dos setores e departamentos a adoção dos critérios na decisão de compra, sendo esse um fator que dificulta a adoção de uma política geral de compras sustentáveis. A grande parte das compras de itens de consumo não leva em consideração critérios de sustentabilidade, nem existe um cadastro de fornecedores sustentáveis. A partir das entrevistas identificou-se que é desejável e necessário criar uma Política de compras sustentáveis bem como estratégias que orientem os setores da universidade em suas compras e no monitoramento dos dados de compra e consumo, em consonância com as diretrizes da Agenda Ambiental da PUC-Rio. / [en] Sustainable procurement implies the inclusion of social and environmental criteria in addition to economic criteria in the procurement decision. This modality has been growing among Universities and is essential for them to reach their sustainability goals. In 2010, PUC-Rio instituted its Environmental Agenda, which lists guidelines that encourage sustainable procurement and consumption. This research aims to raise whether these guidelines are followed and which sustainability criteria are adopted in the procurement processes of consumer items; identify the factors that hinder its adoption and propose strategies and practices that enable the systematic adoption of sustainable procurement at PUC-Rio. The qualitative research method used was a single case study, having as its unit of analysis the decision-making processes and procurement of consumer items in sectors of this University. Purchase records between 2016 and 2020 were collected and in-depth interviews were conducted with managers and employees involved in the processes. It was identified that the procurement process at PUC-Rio is partially decentralized, with the departments being responsible for adopting the criteria in the procurement decision, which is a factor that hinders the adoption of a general policy of sustainable procurement. For the most part, the procurement of consumer items do not take into account sustainability criteria, nor is there a record of sustainable suppliers. The interviews revealed that it is desirable and necessary to adopt a procurement policy and create strategies that guide the university sectors in their procurement, as well as in monitoring procurement and consumption data to meet the guidelines of PUC-Rio s Environmental Agenda.

M. Tech. (Department of Information Communication Technology, Faculty of Applied and Computer Sciences), Vaal University of Technology. / The influence of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the education system has encouraged both students and educators to become more and more computer literate. With the increased use of portable devices (tablets, PDAs, Smartphones, iPads etc.), mobile learning (m-learning) has gained popularity as it is believed to be an effective and efficient tool for content presentation and knowledge acquisition in education sector. The realisation of the benefits depends on the effective adoption of m-learning technology. The superseding purpose of this study was to investigate the adoption of mobile learning at a University of Technology (UoT) in South Africa. A quantitative study was carried out at an UoT in South Africa, with respect to mobile learning perceptions; 64 valid questionnaires were received from the participants. The proposed research framework/model derived from Extended Technology Acceptance Model (ETAM) and Technology Acceptance Model 3 (TAM3) was used. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), version 25.0. was used for analysing data. The findings revealed that perceived usefulness of mobile learning, attitude toward mobile learning, service and system quality as well as perceived ease of use are significant predictors of intention to use mobile learning application. Perceived mobility on mobile learning strongly influences perceived usefulness more than perceived ease of use of mobile learning application. The study concluded that it is necessary to measure perception of potential users using the variables in the model proposed before adoption of mobile learning application to ascertain an effective adoption of the technology in education.

Tesis por compendio / This PhD thesis, which is presented in the mode of published articles, explores the differentiating factors of a High Academic Achievement Program at a public technological university in Spain and how they can affect the definition of the university strategies. The Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), launched in the 2010-11 academic year the High Academic Achievement Groups ("Grupos de Alto Rendimiento Académico", from now on ARA Groups), characterized by a good number of courses taught using English as a medium of instruction, a small number of students in the class, and highly qualified teachers. English taught courses are a global phenomenon, associated to improved English language and internationalization skills, but it raises concerns about learning outcomes and equity (Dearden, 2014). The purpose of this study was to assess the first promotion (2010-2014) of this program at the five university bachelor degrees of the UPV that offered it. We wanted to analyze if this action has had any impact on a set of variables related to academic outcomes, international exchange programs, and business internships of the participating students in comparison with the rest of students of these degrees and hence, on their employability upon graduation. The sample consisted in the total of 3,543 students of the five degrees offering this innovation, of which 560 belonged to the ARA Groups. The first article "Effects of business internships on students, employers, and higher education institutions: a systematic review" (Sanahuja Vélez, G., and Ribes Giner, G., 2015) was published by the Journal of Employment Counselling on September 2015. The second publication consists of a Book Chapter published by Springer International Publishing on January 2017: "Intrapreneuring within a higher education institution: Introducing virtual business internships" (Sanahuja Vélez, G., Ribes Giner, G., Moya Clemente, I., 2017) in Entrepreneurial Universities (Peris-Ortiz, M., Alonso Gómez, J., Merigó Lindahl, J. M., and Rueda-Armengot, C., Eds.). The third publication is a "Systematic review of English Medium of Instruction (EMI) in higher education institutions. The case of a Business School", presented as a conference at the 2nd Seminar on Learning Internationalization: English Medium of Instruction (EMI) of the Centro de Lenguas of the Universitat Politècnica de València (March 30 and 31st, 2017) and which is currently being reviewed for its publication in its international journal. The fourth research work is the article "Enhancing student internationalization and employability in a Business School", which is presently been given full consideration for publication at the Journal of Business Management and Business Economics. The fifth article presents the core results of the empirical part of this research work and it is entitled: "Introducing a High Academic Achievement Program in a Technological University as a Social Innovation Mechanism to Enhance Graduates' Employability". This paper is currently given full consideration for publication at the journal Technovation. The overall conclusions of our research allow us to conclude that, from the academic point of view, the objectives of the High Academic Achievement Groups of the UPV were met, as results show that academic performance was enhanced. Our results also show that participation into exchange programs, at the School of Business Administration and Management and in the UPV as a whole, was almost four times higher in the ARA groups. Having in mind that better grades and international experience are directly linked to future employability and mobility of graduates, it is expected that these graduates will have a superior reception in the labor market. / Esta tesis doctoral, que se presenta en el formato de artículos publicados, explora los factores diferenciadores de un Programa de Alto Rendimiento Académico en una universidad politécnica pública en España y cómo pueden afectar al diseño de estrategias universitarias. La Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) implementó en el curso 2010-11 los Grupos de Alto Rendimiento Académico (Grupos ARA), caracterizados por un alto número de asignaturas impartidas en inglés, un número pequeño de estudiantes por clase y profesores altamente calificados. El uso del inglés como medio de instrucción (EMI) es un fenómeno global, asociado a la mejora de los conocimientos del idioma inglés y de las habilidades interculturales, pero plantea algunas preocupaciones sobre los resultados sobre el aprendizaje y la equidad (Dearden, 2014). El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar la primera promoción (2010-2014) de este programa en los cinco títulos de grado universitario de la UPV en los que se ofertaron los Grupos ARA. Queríamos analizar si está acción ha tenido algún impacto en distintas variables relacionadas con los resultados académicos, los programas de intercambio internacional y las prácticas en empresas en los alumnos participantes, en comparación con el resto de alumnos y en consecuencia, en su empleabilidad al graduarse. La muestra consistió en un total de 3.543 estudiantes, de los cuales 560 estaban matriculados en los grupos ARA y el resto, 2.983, en los grupos regulares. El primer artículo, titulado "Efectos de las prácticas en empresas en estudiantes, empresas e instituciones de educación superior: una revisión sistemática" (Sanahuja Vélez, G., Ribes Giner, G.), fue publicado por el Journal of Employment Counseling en septiembre de 2015. La segunda publicación consta de un capítulo de libro publicado por Springer International Publishing en enero de 2017: "Intraentreprendedurismo dentro de una institución de educación superior: las prácticas en empresa virtuales" en "Entrepreneurial Universities" (Peris-Ortiz, M., Alonso Gómez, J., Merigó Lindahl, J. M., and Rueda-Armengot, C., Eds.). La tercera publicación es una "Revisión sistemática del inglés como medio de instrucción (EMI) en instituciones de educación superior. El caso de una Facultad de Administración y Dirección de Empresas", presentada como Conferencia en el 2º Seminario de Internacionalización del Aprendizaje: Inglés como Medio de Instrucción (EMI) del Centro de Lenguas de la Universitat Politècnica de València (30 y 31 de marzo de 2017) y actualmente en revisión para su publicación en la correspondiente revista internacional. El cuarto trabajo de investigación es el artículo "Promocionar la internacionalización de los estudiantes y la empleabilidad en una escuela de negocios" (Sanahuja Vélez, G., Ribes Giner, G., Moya Clemente, I.), que actualmente se considera plenamente para su publicación en el Journal of Business Management y Business Economics. El quinto artículo presenta los principales resultados de la parte empírica de este trabajo de investigación y se titula: "Introducción de un Programa de Alto Rendimiento Académico en una Universidad Tecnológica como Mecanismo de Innovación Social para Mejorar la Empleabilidad de los Graduados" (Sanahuja Vélez, G., Ribes Giner, G., Moya Clemente, I.). Este artículo ha sido enviado a la revista internacional Technovation y en la actualidad está siendo revisado para su publicación. Como resultado de nuestra investigación empírica podemos destacar los factores diferenciadores de los Grupos ARA, que son: un mayor rendimiento académico de los estudiantes, una mayor participación en programas internacionales, además de una participación en prácticas en empresas sin diferencias significativas respecto a los demás grupos, todo lo cual conduce a una mayor empleabilidad y movilidad. / Esta tesi doctoral, que es presenta en la forma d'articles publicats, explora els factors diferenciadors d'un Programa d'Alt Rendiment Acadèmic en una universitat politècnica pública a Espanya i com poden afectar la definició de les estratègies universitàries. La Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), va implementar en l'any acadèmic 2010-11 els "Grups d'Alt Rendiment Acadèmic" (Grups ARA), que es caracteritzen per un bon nombre de cursos que s'imparteixen utilitzant l'anglès com a mitjà d'instrucció (EMI), un petit nombre d'estudiants a la classe, i mestres altament qualificats. L'EMI és un fenomen global, associat a la millora dels coneixements d'anglès i de la internacionalització, però planteja preocupacions sobre els resultats de l'aprenentatge i l'equitat (Dearden, 2014). El propòsit d'aquest estudi va ser avaluar la primera promoció (2010-2014) d'aquest programa en els cinc graus universitaris de la UPV que en que s'hi va oferir. Vam voler analitzar si tenia algun impacte sobre diverses variables relacionades amb els resultats acadèmics, programes d'intercanvi internacionals i pràctiques en empreses dels 3.543 estudiants matriculats, dels quals 560 pertanyeren a eixos nous grups, i per tant en la seva futura ocupabilitat. El primer article "Efectes de les pràctiques en empreses en els estudiants, empresaris i institucions d'educació superior: una revisió sistemàtica" (Sanahuja Vélez, G., Ribes Giner, G.), va ser publicat per la revista Journal of Employment Counselling al setembre de 2015. La segona publicació consta d'un capítol de llibre publicat per Springer International Publishing, al gener 2017: "Intraentreprendurisme dins d'una institució d'educació superior: Presentació de les pràctiques virtuals en empreses" en "Entrepreneurial Universities" (Peris-Ortiz, M., Alonso Gómez, J., Merigó-Lindahl, J. M., Rueda-Armengot, C., Eds.). La tercera publicació és una "Revisió sistemàtica de l'Anglès com a mitjà d'instrucció (EMI) en les institucions d'educació superior. El cas d'una Escola de Negocis", presentada com conferència al 2ón Seminari sobre "Learning Internationalization: English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI)" del Centre de Llengües de la Universitat Politècnica de València (30 de març i el 31 de 2017) i actualment en revisió per a la seva publicació a la corresponent revista internacional. El quart treball d'investigació és l'article "Millora de la internacionalització i l'ocupabilitat dels estudiants a una Facultat de Negocis" (Sanahuja Vélez, G., Ribes Giner, G., Moya Clemente, I), que en l'actualitat ha rebut plena consideració per a la seva publicació al Journal of Business Management and Business Economics. El cinquè article presenta els principals resultats de la part empírica d'este treball d'investigació i es titula: "Introducció d'un Programa d'Alt Rendiment Acadèmic en una Universitat Tecnològica com a Mecanisme d'Innovació Social per Millorar l'Ocupabilitat dels Graduats" (Sanahuja Vélez, G., Ribes Giner, G., Moya Clemente, I.). Este article està en l'actualitat essent revisat per a la seva publicació a la revista internacional Technovation. En este article s'explora el paper d'un programa d'Alt Rendiment Acadèmic (Grups ARA) en una universitat tecnólogica pública espanyola, com a mecanisme d'innovació social, a fi de crear valor afegit en termes d'ocupabilitat. Les conclusions generals de la nostra investigació ens permeten afirmar que, des del punt de vista acadèmic, es van complir els objectius dels Grups d'Alt Rendiment Acadèmic de la UPV, ja que els resultats demostren que el rendiment acadèmic dels alumnes participants s'ha millorat. Els nostres resultats també demostren que la participació en programes d'intercanvi, a la Facultat d'Administració i Direcció d'Empreses i en la UPV en el seu conjunt, va ser gairebé quatre vegades més gran en els grups ARA. Tenint en compte que el rendiment acadèmic i l'exper / Sanahuja Velez, G. (2017). Differentiating factors in ARA Groups(groups of high academic achievement) and its effects on the definition of university strategies [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/86184 / Compendio

Faculdade Cearense / A implantaÃÃo de modelos de GestÃo pela Qualidade (GQ) tem sua origem em instituiÃÃes da iniciativa privada e pesquisas mostram que a GQ à uma forma de gestÃo que conduz a melhoria da qualidade dos processos produtivos dentre outros resultados ExperiÃncias de implantaÃÃo de GQ no setor pÃblico sÃo mais escassas e em especial quando se trata de InstituiÃÃes de Ensino Superior (IES) os exemplos de implantaÃÃo sÃo raros A realizaÃÃo de pesquisas que investiguem as causas desse fenÃmeno nas IES pode contribuir para a definiÃÃo de aÃÃes que possam reduzir nesse cenÃrio dentro dessa linha de pesquisa O objetivo desse trabalho à uma investigaÃÃo dos fatores crÃticos que afetam o processo de implantaÃÃo da GestÃo pela Qualidade em IES dos setores pÃblico e privado Como metodologia de pesquisa foi aplicada uma pesquisa qualitativa onde a partir de um questionÃrio estruturado e aberto aplicado Ãs unidades de ensino das IES pÃblica e privada que tiveram suas experiÃncias de implantaÃÃo de GQ Dessa forma foram realizadas anÃlises dos fatores crÃticos que afetaram essa implantaÃÃo A pesquisa revelou que ocorreram fatores de sucesso na implantaÃÃo da GQ nas IES pesquisadas tais como o comprometimento dos serviÃos tÃcnico-administrativos / A implantaÃÃo de modelos de GestÃo pela Qualidade (GQ) tem sua origem em instituiÃÃes da iniciativa privada e pesquisas mostram que a GQ à uma forma de gestÃo que conduz a melhoria da qualidade dos processos produtivos dentre outros resultados ExperiÃncias de implantaÃÃo de GQ no setor pÃblico sÃo mais escassas e em especial quando se trata de InstituiÃÃes de Ensino Superior (IES) os exemplos de implantaÃÃo sÃo raros A realizaÃÃo de pesquisas que investiguem as causas desse fenÃmeno nas IES pode contribuir para a definiÃÃo de aÃÃes que possam reduzir nesse cenÃrio dentro dessa linha de pesquisa O objetivo desse trabalho à uma investigaÃÃo dos fatores crÃticos que afetam o processo de implantaÃÃo da GestÃo pela Qualidade em IES dos setores pÃblico e privado Como metodologia de pesquisa foi aplicada uma pesquisa qualitativa onde a partir de um questionÃrio estruturado e aberto aplicado Ãs unidades de ensino das IES pÃblica e privada que tiveram suas experiÃncias de implantaÃÃo de GQ Dessa forma foram realizadas anÃlises dos fatores crÃticos que afetaram essa implantaÃÃo A pesquisa revelou que ocorreram fatores de sucesso na implantaÃÃo da GQ nas IES pesquisadas tais como o comprometimento dos serviÃos tÃcnico-administrativos / The implementation of quality management models (GQ) has its origin in private sector institutions and research shows that GQ is a form of management which leads to improvement of the quality of the productive processes among other results QA deployment experiences in the public sector are more scarce and in particular when it comes to higher education institutions (HEIs) deployment examples are rare Research to investigate the causes of this phenomenon in the INSTITUTIONS of HIGHER EDUCATION can contribute to the definition of actions that can reduce in this scenario within this line of research The objective of this work an investigation of critical factors that affect the implementation process of quality management in INSTITUTIONS of HIGHER EDUCATION of the public and private sectors As research methodology qualitative research was applied where from a structured questionnaire and open applied to the units of public and private INSTITUTIONS of HIGHER education which had their deployment experiences / The implementation of quality management models (GQ) has its origin in private sector institutions and research shows that GQ is a form of management which leads to improvement of the quality of the productive processes among other results QA deployment experiences in the public sector are more scarce and in particular when it comes to higher education institutions (HEIs) deployment examples are rare Research to investigate the causes of this phenomenon in the INSTITUTIONS of HIGHER EDUCATION can contribute to the definition of actions that can reduce in this scenario within this line of research The objective of this work an investigation of critical factors that affect the implementation process of quality management in INSTITUTIONS of HIGHER EDUCATION of the public and private sectors As research methodology qualitative research was applied where from a structured questionnaire and open applied to the units of public and private INSTITUTIONS of HIGHER education which had their deployment experiences

Thesis (Phd. (Education Management )) - Central University of Technology, Free State, 2014 / The dawn of democracy in South Africa resulted in an emphasis on the involvement and participation of stakeholders in decision-making processes. At public higher education institutions, involvement and participation were guaranteed by the enactment of the Higher Education Act 101 of 1997. This Act provides that co-operative governance should be practiced in the governance of public higher education institutions. Students are stakeholders in higher education institutions. This means that according to the Act, students ought to be represented in the governance of public higher education institutions. The representation of students in university governance became a new phenomenon in the democratic South Africa. This thesis explored the involvement and participation of student representative councils in the co-operative governance of South African higher education institutions. It evaluated the role and effect of SRCs in the co-operative governance of public higher education institutions in South Africa. Following the merging of these institutions, universities have multi campuses, all of which need to be represented in the universities Managements through SRCs. This study employed the QUAN-Qual (explanatory) mixed methods design which included the use of a questionnaire and in-depth, open-ended, semi-structured interviews. The sample for the study was made up of hundred and fifty-three respondents and nine interviewees from three types of South African higher education institutions. The quantitative part of this study investigated the nexus between the involvement and participation of SRCs in co-operative governance at public higher education institutions. The correlation between SRCs’ perception of participation and co-operative governance was also examined. The study also explored the SRCs’ perception of the implementation of co-operative governance at different universities types. The qualitative part of the study investigated perception of the nature of co-operative governance the SRCs at different universities. It also examined perceptions regarding whether participatory democracy was practiced at universities, v challenges experienced in the governance of universities and what the SRCs thought should be done to address those challenges. The study found that SRC members feel that they are both involved and also participate in the governance of public higher education institutions in South Africa. This was further enhanced by research hypotheses that revealed that there is a statistically significant relationship between the SRCs’ perception of their involvement and participation in university governance and their perception of the implementation of co-operative governance in the South African higher education institutions. Although SRC members feel that they are involved and that they participate in co-operative governance, interviews have revealed that they experience the following problems:  SRC members have annual budget deficits at their universities and as a result, they fail to fulfill their mandates by the student body.  SRCs find it difficult to deal with the challenges pertaining to multi-campus set-ups in their institutions.  The existence of student political structures contributes to ideological differences amongst SRC members. This affects effective student governance at universities.  The capacity building of SRC members at higher education institutions is not adequately addressed by managements of these institutions. The researcher recommends that it is important that HEIs adhere to the HE Act 101 of 1997, as amended. Adherence to the Act will ensure that there is compliance with the law and will minimise the chances for HEIs to be placed under administration. The managements of universities and SRCs need to co-operate in order to ensure that co-operative governance in HEIs is effectively implemented. Workshops and meetings are held at universities between SRCs and managements regarding issues of co-operative governance. SRCs need to involve themselves in national and international student activities in order for them to gain knowledge and skills about student governance. The researcher designed a multi-campus student governance model that will effectively deal with the challenges mentioned above.

The purpose of the study is to explore the current policy and practice of the national and institutional QA system in public HEIs in Ethiopia in order to determine how the quality of teaching and learning might have been enhanced through the QA system. Two organisational theories – contingency and neo-institutional theory – provide a theoretical lens to explain how internal and external organisational environments affect the implementation of QA in the HEIs. The mixed-methods research approach was used in the study, including document analysis, semi-structured interviews and questionnaires. Three public universities were chosen as data source. At macro level, the HERQA was also included to examine the effect of the institutional environments on internal quality assurance practices. The findings revealed that there is little evidence of self-initiated quality enhancement activities in the public HEIs. They do not have adequate structures, systems, and written policies to assure quality. The quality assurance efforts were implemented without a clear sense of direction and purposes and therefore lacked effective coordination. The self-evaluations were symbolically took place at the higher levels of the universities and that the results of the evaluations were rarely used in a structured way in improvement of teaching-learning, faculty decision-making and planning processes. It is far from clear that whether the internal quality assurance contributed to the teaching and learning or transformed the student learning experience. It can be concluded that the HERQA’s quality assurance policy and practices seems to be de-coupled from internal initiatives to improve quality in the higher education institutions. It is recommended that HEIs should develop QA policy, mobilise resources for institutional quality improvement, establish full-fledged QA structures at all levels, and furnish the structures with necessary human resources. The HEIs should initiate and undertake effective self-assessment of their activities, own it and work towards achieving their own stated objectives. It is important that the HERQA should develop accreditation procedures, particularly at programme level, for the public HEIs. The HERQA should consider playing more active roles in communicating with HEIs regularly about QA; pay more attention to a follow-up of the audits, the punctual development and delivery of the SEDs. The HERQA should be more independent, have more autonomy and sufficient resources to become a viable professional agency informing the HE sector on the quality of its performance. / Educational Management and Leadership / D. Ed. (Education Management)

The study identifies how different stakeholders perceive service quality improvement initiatives in public higher education institutions in Ethiopia. For this purpose, a mixed research methodology was employed. Furthermore, secondary data were collected from a variety of literature and primary data were collected from academic staff and final year students at public higher education institutions using the SERVQUAL scale and through focus group interviews. The collected data were analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The research findings indicated that all dimensions of the service quality improvement initiatives were perceived by academic staff and studentsto be verypoor. The reasons for these poor or low perceptions were: the high expectationsof the stakeholders, the government’s intention to expand, lack of adequate knowledge regarding the implementation of the BPR process, the lack of motivation by service providers, poor management and the lack of good governance by the universities, inexperienced workers, non-empowered and task specific frontline employees, the low quality of the infrastructure, non-value adding hierarchical structures and approval systems, ethical problems with some service providers, the high staff turnoverand the lack of experienced staff. In addition, at all new universities, construction is underway and as a result,there are problems such as the poor state of the dormitories, classes,bathrooms, recreation areas, lounges, TV rooms, sport fields and internet connectivity, while the libraries are not well stocked with books and periodicals either. This study has recommended that the institutions should have standardised instruments that can be used to measure the status of service quality improvement and deliveryperiodically and to identify the areas that have the highest perceived performance gap scores in order to redeploy some of the resources. It also needs to be pointed out that the service providers lack sufficient knowledge and skillsconcerning the implementation of BPR, thus training is recommended in this regard.It is further recommended that for effective implementation of the BPR process, the importance of the provision of different guiding documents, continuous monitoring of activities and top management support should be kept in mind. / Educational Leadership and Management / D. Ed. (Educational Management)