During the past two decades there have been significant changes in the landscape for higher education. Among these was a trend for universities and colleges to respond by adopting a more market-driven approach, leading to the introduction of new public management within universities and colleges, which led to the emergence of tensions between the academic and quasi business aims. In 2004 the UK government changed the criteria for the grant of degree-awarding powers and university title opening up the possibility for non-public organisations to apply. This thesis presents the case study of a private sector for-profit organisation as it introduced a more robust quality assurance infrastructure during the application process for taught degree-awarding powers. The analysis is undertaken within a conceptual framework developed from institutional and agency theory. The need to demonstrate legitimacy and the influence of key groups played a large part in the changes made. Using data collected via participant observation, key informant interviews and documentary evidence, the study examines the changes and management actions that took place during the period between June 2004 and July 2009 in order to identify the strategies that were adopted to manage the tensions between the academic standards and the commercial imperative of meeting shareholder expectations. The study contributes to the literature covering change in educational institutions and in particular that which reports on the introduction of a more business-oriented approach to the management of universities. The study is able to bring a new perspective to studying the management of tensions between academic and business aims by looking at the issues from an alternative angle. The key strategy developed was a gradual rationalisation of the academic aims within the business aims such that the duality of aims was diminished.

Purpose - The aim of this research is to examine higher education (HE) internationalization in terms of international recruitment and academic collaboration with the focus on a single institution case study. The research investigates how the case study university conducts HE internationalization, identifies key implementation issues of HE internationalization, and develops an education-specific market entry dynamic framework. The discussion of the difference in the process of internationalization across faculties is also included. Design/methodology/approach - This research adopts the interpretivist philosophy and inductive approach, with focus of a single institution. Based on the positions and job responsibilities, the total of 20 interviewees from three key departments (Corporate, Department 2 and Faculty) were selected and 22 semi-structured interviews were conducted. The total of 329 pages of interview transcripts were analyzed. Other types of data collection include observation and secondary documentary data. The answers from each group were used in a comparative analysis, resulting in an overlap pattern structure that indicates the level of the university's internal integration. Data analysis strategies include content analysis, critical discourse analysis (CDA), colour coding, and categorization of meaning. Findings and contributions - The market entry dynamic framework is the main outcome of this research. This framework provides a number of education-specific modes of entry and programme delivery methods to guide institutions' internationalization. The implementation issues raised in this research indicate that the university's internal integration has a major impact on HE internationalization. These issues highlight the areas where the university needs to improve. Faculty-specific factors explain the difference in the process of internationalization across the four faculties at the case study university, and explain the reasons why the levels of internationalization are different among these faculties.

This exploratory study identifies the importance of Instagram to market universities in Southeast Asia and the strategies to make interesting content to reach more Southeast Asian students. According to the statistics in 2020 by Statista, Southeast Asia is ranked second in the world’s most active social media users, and Instagram is now quickly catching up with the giant platform Facebook and becoming the rising star. In the study, the main Instagram account of KTH Royal Institute of Technology @kthuniversity was analysed. Three main points were the center of attention: the visual power of the posts, the engaging captions, and the best timing to post. The study’s methods are focus group discussion with current KTH students from Southeast Asia and an online survey distributed to Southeast Asian students in general. The results, first, indicate that Instagram influences the choice-making of Southeast Asian students’ study destinations. Second, based on the first finding, several strategies to make interesting content to catch their interest are proposed. Southeast Asian students are more interested in photo-based posts with shorter captions and emojis. Photos showing university buildings, Stockholm/Sweden, and students’ life are more attractive. Regarding the timing, the study shows that the students do not have any specific days or time to check their Instagram, but universities should stick to the previous study mentioning that the best posting time is during breakfast and lunch. / Denna undersökande studie identifierar Instagrams betydelse för universitet i Sydostasien och strategier för att skapa intressant innehåll för att nå fler sydostasiatiska studenter. Enligt statistik för år 2020 av Statista rankas Sydostasien som nummer två bland världens mest aktiva användare av sociala medier, och Instagram kommer nu snabbt ifatt den gigantiska plattformen Facebook och är nu den stigande stjärnan. I studien analyserades det huvudsakliga Instagram-kontot för KTH Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan, @kthuniversity. Tre huvudpunkter stod i fokus: inläggens visuella kraft, de engagerande bildtexterna och den bästa tiden att publicera. Studiens metoder är fokusgruppsdiskussion med nuvarande KTH- studenter från Sydostasien och en onlineenkät som distribueras till Sydostasiatiska studenter i allmänhet. Resultaten indikerar först att Instagram påverkar valet för studenter i Sydostasien. Vidare, baserat på den första upptäckten, föreslås flera strategier för att göra intressant innehåll för att fånga deras intresse. Sydostasiatiska studenter är mer intresserade av fotobaserade inlägg med kortare bildtexter och emojis. Bilder som visar universitetsbyggnader, Stockholm / Sverige och studenternas liv är mer attraktiva. När det gäller tidpunkten visar studien att studenterna inte har några specifika dagar eller tid för att kontrollera sin Instagram, men universitet bör hålla sig till den tidigare studien vilket nämner att den bästa publiceringstiden är under frukost och lunch.

Baigiamajame magistro darbe nagrinėjami aukštojo mokslo internacionalizavimo būdai, teikiama nauda, motyvai ir aktualios problemos. Apžvelgiama pasaulio aukštojo mokslo rinka. Analizuojama skirtingų valstybių patirtis internacionalizuojant aukštojo mokslo studijas ir Europos aukštojo mokslo erdvė. Tarptautinio akademinio mobilumo vadybos priemonių programa sudaryta remiantis marketingo, strateginio valdymo ir edukologijos teorijų bei metodikų analize. Europos Sąjungos politika aukštajam mokslui sudaro palankias sąlygas Lietuvos universitetinių studijų internacionalizavimui. Kiekybiniais ir kokybiniais metodais įvertintas Lietuvos aukštojo mokslo tarptautiškumo lygis Europos Sąjungos narių kontekste, konkurencingumas pasaulyje ir mobilių studentų prioritetai. Magistro darbe nagrinėjamos studentų mobilumo tendencijos, nustatytas ir įvertintas ekonominių, socialinių veiksnių sąryšis su tarptautiniu aukštojo mokslo patrauklumu. Pagal egzistuojančius dėsningumus Lietuvos aukštojo mokslo institucijoms nustatytas siektinas tarptautiškumo lygis, įvertintas užsienio studentų skaičiumi. Nustatytos universitetinių studijų Lietuvoje internacionalizavimo kryptys ir galimybės. Išnagrinėjus teorinius ir praktinius akademinio mobilumo plėtojimo aspektus, pateikiamos baigiamojo magistro darbo išvados ir siūlymai Lietuvos universitetams. Darbą sudaro šios dalys: įvadas, probleminė dalis, teorinė dalis, analitinė dalis, programinė dalis, išvados ir siūlymai, literatūros sąrašas. / The master thesis gives the analysis of the ways, benefits and causes of internationalization of higher education and related problems. Global market of higher education surveys is given. Analysis of experience of studies’ internationalization in different countries and European Higher Education Area are made. International academic mobility management programme is made with reference to analysis of theories and methodologies of marketing, strategic management and educational science. European Union policy for higher education establishes favourable conditions for internationalization of studies in Lithuanian universities. Quantitative and qualitative methods are used for evaluation of internationality of higher education in Lithuania in the context of European Union members, global competitiveness, and priorities of mobile students. The trends of student mobility are analysed, the relation between economic, social factors and attractiveness of higher education is identified and evaluated in the master thesis. According to identified tendencies, the aimed level of internationality of higher education in Lithuania is measured in the number of foreign students. Directions and opportunities for studies’ internationalization and development in Lithuanian universities are identified. After the analysis of the theoretical and practical academic mobility development aspects, the conclusions of the master thesis are presented and suggestions for Lithuanian universities are offered... [to full text]

[pt] Nas últimas décadas, o capital financeiro tornou-se cada vez mais fortemente presente na educação nacional, refletindo a influência crescente de organismos internacionais na formulação de políticas para a área. Segundo dados do Censo da Educação Superior (ES) de 2022, o Brasil contava com 1.449 Instituições de Ensino Superior (IES) privadas com fins lucrativos, as quais tinham apenas 34 por cento de seu alunado matriculado em cursos presenciais. O aumento de 189 por cento no número de cursos a distância entre 2018 e 2022 se reflete em números particularmente preocupantes no que diz respeito à formação de professores oferecida em cursos de Pedagogia. Em 2022, quase 80 por cento do total de 821.864 matrículas nesses cursos concentrava-se no Ensino a Distância (EaD). Nesse contexto, caracterizado por uma forte presença da tecnologia e uma ótica mercantil da educação, a presente pesquisa teve como objetivo analisar como se apresentam os cursos de Pedagogia, na modalidade a distância, das IES que compõem os principais grupos educacionais de ES privado de capital aberto do Brasil. Esse objetivo desdobrou-se nos seguintes objetivos específicos: (1) Analisar as concepções de educação presentes nos discursos dos sites dos principais grupos educacionais da rede privada do país; (2) Examinar o papel ocupado pela tecnologia na formação de professores nos programas apresentados nos sites dos principais grupos educacionais da rede privada; (3) Analisar as articulações estratégicas baseadas em ideias de inovação dos principais grupos educacionais da rede privada, utilizadas para apresentar suas ofertas como soluções modernas. Foi conduzida uma pesquisa documental de cunho qualitativo, tendo como corpus uma seleção de materiais de divulgação dos cursos de Pedagogia a distância oferecidos por duas instituições integrantes dos maiores conglomerados em operação no país: a Ahanguera, pertencente ao Grupo Cogna Educação, e a Estácio de Sá, que faz parte do Grupo Yduqs. Além dos materiais disponibilizados abertamente nos sites dessas IES, o corpus incluiu os relatórios de sustentabilidade dos respectivos grupos às quais pertencem as instituições escolhidas para o estudo. Os materiais foram submetidos a uma análise de conteúdo categorial temática, informada por literatura pertinente à formação de professores, suas políticas e oferta na modalidade a distância, bem como a aspectos relativos à presença da tecnologia na educação. A análise sugere que a formação inicial do docente se constitui, na divulgação feita pelas empresas, como um processo acelerado, pragmático, focado em competências e habilidades voltadas principalmente para demandas escolares imediatas. O papel do professor é redefinido como o de um facilitador do processo de aprendizagem, uma ideia associada à necessidade de readequação do perfil docente às ditas exigências da reestruturação produtiva e às demandas do mercado de trabalho. Sugere-se, também, que, à formação de professores a distância, associa-se uma demanda secundária por produtos como soluções integradas de gestão, recursos didáticos e plataformas educacionais, tanto para o ensino superior quanto para a educação básica. A pesquisa aponta para a necessidade de estudos que rompam com o reducionismo tecnicista presente na formação docente a distância, cuja ênfase recai sobre os métodos de integração de tecnologias no contexto educacional para que alunos e professores desenvolvam as competências necessárias ao alcance de objetivos e resultados previamente definidos para um mercado em crescente expansão. / [en] In recent decades, financial capital has become increasingly present in national education, reflecting the growing influence of international organizations in policy formulation in the area. According to data from the 2022 Higher Education (ES) Census, Brazil had 1,449 private, for-profit Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), which had only 34 percent of their students enrolled in face-to-face courses. The 189 percent increase in the number of distance learning courses between 2018 and 2022 is reflected in particularly worrying numbers related to teacher training offered in Pedagogy courses. In 2022, almost 80 percent of the total 821,864 enrolments in these courses were concentrated in Distance Learning (EaD). In this context, characterized by a strong presence of technology and a commercial perspective of education, the present research aimed to analyse how distance learning Pedagogy courses are presented that are offered by the main private HE groups in Brazil. This objective unfolded into the following specific objectives: (1) to analyse the conceptions of education presented in websites of the main educational groups in the country s private network; (2) to examine the role played by technology in teacher training in programs as presented on the websites of the main private educational groups; (3) to analyze strategic articulations based on innovation ideas from the main educational groups in the private network, used to present their offers as modern solutions. A qualitative documentary research was conducted, using as corpus a selection of promotional materials for distance Pedagogy courses offered by two institutions that are part of the largest conglomerates operating in the country: Ahanguera, which belongs to the Cogna Educação Group, and Estácio de Sá, which is part of the Yduqs Group. In addition to the materials made openly available on the websites of these HEIs, the corpus included the sustainability reports of the respective groups to which the institutions chosen for the study belong. The materials were subjected to a thematic content analysis, informed by literature pertinent to teacher training, its policies and distance learning offerings, as well as aspects relating to the presence of technology in education. The analysis suggests that initial teacher training is, as advertised by companies, an accelerated, pragmatic process, focused on skills and abilities aimed mainly at immediate school demands. The role of the teacher is redefined as that of a facilitator of the learning process, an idea associated with the need to readjust the teaching profile to the so called demands of productive restructuring and the demands of the job market. It is also suggested that distance teacher training is associated with a secondary demand for products such as integrated management solutions, teaching resources and educational platforms, both for higher education and basic education. The research points to the need for studies that break with the technical reductionism present in distance teaching training, whose emphasis is on methods of integrating technologies in the educational context so that students and teachers develop the skills necessary to achieve objectives and results previously defined for a growing market.

Dans un contexte d’internationalisation de l’enseignement supérieur et de la recherche, nous nous intéressons à deux problématiques relatives aux dynamiques récentes des systèmes universitaires nationaux. D’abord, à partir d’une approche microéconomique par l’offre, nous montrons que le degré d’intervention publique et les capacités d’accueil non-rigides des établissements expliquent les divergences de frais d’inscription entre les systèmes universitaires régulés et dérégulés. Ensuite, à partir d’une approche macroéconomique par la demande, nous cherchons à appréhender les facteurs d’inélasticité de la demande à travers des modèles de gravité incluant des déterminants hors-prix de la mobilité internationale des étudiants / In a context of internationalization of higher education and research, we focus on two issues related to the recent dynamics of national university systems. First, from a supply microeconomic approach, we show that the level of public intervention and the non-rigid capacities of institutions explain the divergence of tuition fees between regulated and deregulated university systems. Then, from a macroeconomic demand approach, we try to underline the inelasticity of the demand from gravity models with non-price determinants of international student mobility