The deployment of service quality as a source of competitive advantage is becoming increasingly important to higher education institutions as the higher education market becomes globalised and competitive pressure intensifies. To some institutions, the focus on service quality is a necessity due to governmental requirements and the need to be more accountable to the public. To others, the interest in service quality takes on a more pro-active stance since there are many advantages associated with it: student satisfaction and retention, positive word-of -mouth recommendations, higher market share, and improved financial performance. / In order to achieve superiority in service quality, higher education institutions must have the means to measure it. Currently, two of the most valid and reliable measurement scales used in the evaluation of service quality are the SERVQUAL and the SERVPERF. Despite their wide application in a multitude of services, there have been arguments that one of them measures service quality better than the other. Few studies have empirically tested the relative measuring ability of the two scales, and there is little evidence in the literature to suggest that it had been investigated in the higher education service sector. / This dissertation examines the relative predictive ability of the SERVQUAL and the SERVPERF in a higher education setting through the use of a questionnaire survey. In addition, the dimensionality, reliability and validity of both measurement scales were compared and contrasted. The findings revealed that instead of the postulated five factors of service quality, a two-factor model is appropriate in the higher education context. The items of reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy all loaded onto one factor, while all the items of tangibles loaded onto another. Both scales have high reliability, as well as convergent and discriminant validity. Multiple regression analysis indicated that the two-factor SERVPERF is far more superior to the two-factor SERVQUAL in measuring service quality in higher education. / The research findings imply that there is no necessity to measure expectations when evaluating students' perceptions of higher education service quality. Only their perceptions of actual performance suffice. Furthermore, the use of the SERVPERF would automatically shorten the SERVQUAL questionnaire by half, that is, from 44 items to 22 items. / The SERVPERF, however, has shortcomings since it does not fully capture the essence of the service quality construct. Too much emphasis has been placed on tangibles and processes. The literature suggests that there is a possibility that other determinants could be important too. Future research should also compare and contrast international and local student's perceptions of higher education service quality as well as those of self-funded and aid-funded students. / Thesis (DBA(DBusinessAdministration))-University of South Australia,

Thesis (MEd (Human Resource Studies)) -- University of South Australia, 1995

Thesis (PhD)--University of South Australia, 1997

Universities around the world are increasingly focusing on entrepreneurial activities. In Australia, the growth of international entrepreneurial activities has resulted in the creation of a billion-dollar export-oriented sector. These activities include the recruitment of international students to Australian campuses, the development of Australian university campuses in offshore locations, and the delivery of Australian degree programs at both onshore and offshore locations in partnership with universities, professional associations and private corporations. Australian universities currently receive on average around seven percent of revenues from these sources, with some depending on international entrepreneurialism for as much as one-third of revenues. Managing these activities in an efficient, effective and sustainable manner has thus become critically important to virtually every institution in the Australian higher education sector. Long dependent on government funding, Australian universities have found the rise of international entrepreneurialism a significant shift. As is the case when businesses become international, universities are faced with the need to manage the complexities, risks and challenges associated with international operations. To date, little empirical work has been undertaken which explores and examines how Australian universities are managing their international entrepreneurial business operations. The aim of this study is thus to respond to this research gap by exploring how Australian universities, particularly in terms of their Faculties of Business, organise and manage international entrepreneurial activities. The research examines management approaches, practices and processes at five Australian universities. Two are highly international, metropolitan universities recognised around the world as leaders in international entrepreneurialism. Two are smaller, regional institutions, while the fifth university is a medium-sized metropolitan institution which had in recent times moved aggressively to develop its international activities. Document analysis, observation and interviews with senior institutional managers, academic managers and academics at each university revealed several common themes arising in institutional approaches. These included an emphasis on diversified, offshore growth; a degree of movement towards structural centralisation, particularly in the highly international universities which had been historically highly decentralised; the presence of generally supportive organisational cultures; a perception among academic managers and academics that most international activities remain driven by financial imperatives; the perceived potential for detrimental impacts on academic research arising from increased involvement in international activities; the existence of a common concern among senior institutional managers for the effects of Faculty of Business dominance of international programs in their institutions; a tendency for most organisational learning to be informal, except in the highly international institutions; and a preference for decentralised strategic leadership which included a degree of oversight by internationally experienced senior institutional managers. A Strategic Advantage Model of Internationalisation is presented representing a theoretical and conceptual synthesis of the findings. Building on previous work undertaken in the field, the model focuses on the need for institutions to achieve best practice and competitive advantage through the leveraging of organisational and strategic competencies, the pursuit of executional advantages, the implementation of strategically decentralised leadership and the development of international business competencies.

University of Technology, Sydney. School of Management, Faculty of Business. / This study investigated how selected Australian universities evaluated and adopted various learning management systems in their teaching and learning programs, given claims of uncritical evaluation, problems and cautions in the Australian (1998: 13; Brabazon, 2002; Yetton, Forster, Hewson, Hughes, Johnston, Nightingale, Page-Hanify, Vitale and Wills, 1997) and North American (Berg, 2002; Noble, 1998b) higher education literatures. Ironically, universities charge large amounts of money teaching their students to develop competence in critical analysis, yet some studies have claimed that they were deficient in critically analysing their own decisions (Brabazon, 2002; Yetton et al., 1997). This important question has received little attention in the higher education literature, despite the high visibility and costs of these decisions. Although limited theoretical explanations have been proposed by various researchers, such as Yetton et al. (1997) and Brabazon (2002), these matters have not been the subject of published empirical research to date. A grounded theory methodological framework, validated by the insights of institutional theory, was employed throughout to promote broader sociological explanations than other studies constrained by functionalist theoretical frameworks (Yetton et al., 1997). Qualitative case studies utilising semi-structured interviews and document analysis were conducted at three Australian universities. The findings of this analysis were written up in three case study narratives and an analytic cross-case analysis. Semi-structured interviews and document analysis at the field level were undertaken as an additional source of data to verify emergent grounded theory. A grounded theory of uncritical decision making (Figure 57) was ultimately developed in response to this study’s research problem. The core category around which this model was developed (‘falling behind’) appeared in all three cases, in interviews with experts from the Australian higher education sector, and was also found in both the Australian and overseas higher education literatures. This grounded theory also represents a minor contribution to the institutional theory literature as a new institutional change process model which links the activities of key individuals with broader field developments, and integrates the constructive and reproductive assumptions of old and new institutional theory.

Thesis (MEd (Human Resource Studies)) -- University of South Australia, 1995

Equal opportunity offices have been described as agencies of organisational change, and the term ‘cultural change’ has been used to describe aspects of equal opportunity work.Universities are sites of organisational cultures where equal opportunity officers have worked in Australia for the past decade. In this time there have been significant changes to higher education, in terms of the size of the university sector in Australia, and also in terms of funding, governance and management. These changes in universities provided the context for questions about the roles of equal opportunity officers in universities, and how they may have changed. This research investigated the practice of equal opportunity officers in universities by using a grounded theory approach to generate understandings about how this group of university staff may have impacted on university cultures. The study develops links between theories of culture and organisational change that was situated in the practices of equal opportunity officers.The research identified a central conceptual category that was described as ‘picking the pitch’, as the main theme in the work of equal opportunity officers in identifying issues and gaining support for a cultural change agenda. All of the preliminary themes that were identified, and the interactions, the observations and the analysis of culture were prerequisites for ‘picking the pitch’.The thesis uses the research for further reflection and integration of the goals of equal opportunity, and the means that were available to equal opportunity officers to achieve these goals. The interactions of power and influence, and some of the limitations on equal opportunity officers are discussed.In the thesis the usefulness of the concept of culture to equal opportunity officers is examined, along with the underpinning theories about the mind of humanity that contributed to their approach to their task.Finally, the thesis discusses the impact of the research for equal opportunity officers, and for the universities in which they worked.

There is little empirical evidence relating to how university administrative employees view the performance appraisal process (Analoui & Fell, 2002). The aims of this study were: (1) to determine the purpose of the performance appraisal system used at Auckland University of Technology (AUT), and (2) to investigate administrative staff perceptions and understanding of this appraisal system. Areas investigated included (1) how allied staff viewed the process, (2) how prepared they were for the process, (3) did it impact on their motivation, and (4) did it help or hinder career development. From the research findings, the researcher prepared a set of recommendations for AUT Human Resource department. The recommendations were intended to assist in making AUT performance appraisals more meaningful and relevant to administrative staff, and foster a better awareness of the benefits of undertaking the process. This study was a partial replication of the Analoui and Fell study undertaken in the UK. Like the study being replicated, this current study was also exploratory basic research adopting a triangulation method. This consisted of the positivistic methodology adopting the cross-sectional survey - structured closed questions questionnaire; the phenomenological methodology using an explanatory case study whereby audio-taped semi-structured interviews were conducted; and the use of researcher (myself) as research instrument. AUT documents relating to performance appraisal were also reviewed. Ethics approval was sought from AUT Ethics Committee. The Analoui and Fell questionnaire and interview guide were modified to suit the AUT context. The sample consisted of 543 staff members. The return rate of the staff survey was 20 per cent.The study found that there was no evidence that the respondents wanted the process discontinued even though comments from those who had been through a Performance and Development Review (P&DR) and Formative Appraisal (FA) indicated a range of both positive and negative experiences. Respondents felt that they were adequately prepared and that they were involved in the pre-appraisal process. In terms of performance appraisal as a motivational tool, few respondents felt that the process motivated them. There was evidence that FA was beneficial in helping with career development. The stated main purposes of AUT performance appraisal were: to assist in administrative (pay increase and promotion), and developmental (training) decisions, with the latter purpose being secondary. Recommendations resulting from the current research findings include: (1) that the current process should be evaluated, and (2) appraisers and appraisees should undertake training prior to an appraisal. On-going research should be undertaken to find out how administrative staff in the wider NZ university sector view the process. To follow-on from the current research, a longitudinal study should be undertaken of administrative staff reactions immediately after an appraisal. Research should also be undertaken to investigate if administrative staff will associate completion of the performance appraisal process which includes the setting of goals with an increased work overload.

Equal opportunity offices have been described as agencies of organisational change, and the term ‘cultural change’ has been used to describe aspects of equal opportunity work.Universities are sites of organisational cultures where equal opportunity officers have worked in Australia for the past decade. In this time there have been significant changes to higher education, in terms of the size of the university sector in Australia, and also in terms of funding, governance and management. These changes in universities provided the context for questions about the roles of equal opportunity officers in universities, and how they may have changed. This research investigated the practice of equal opportunity officers in universities by using a grounded theory approach to generate understandings about how this group of university staff may have impacted on university cultures. The study develops links between theories of culture and organisational change that was situated in the practices of equal opportunity officers.The research identified a central conceptual category that was described as ‘picking the pitch’, as the main theme in the work of equal opportunity officers in identifying issues and gaining support for a cultural change agenda. All of the preliminary themes that were identified, and the interactions, the observations and the analysis of culture were prerequisites for ‘picking the pitch’.The thesis uses the research for further reflection and integration of the goals of equal opportunity, and the means that were available to equal opportunity officers to achieve these goals. The interactions of power and influence, and some of the limitations on equal opportunity officers are discussed.In the thesis the usefulness of the concept of culture to equal opportunity officers is examined, along with the underpinning theories about the mind of humanity that contributed to their approach to their task.Finally, the thesis discusses the impact of the research for equal opportunity officers, and for the universities in which they worked.

University of Technology, Sydney. School of Management, Faculty of Business. / This study investigated how selected Australian universities evaluated and adopted various learning management systems in their teaching and learning programs, given claims of uncritical evaluation, problems and cautions in the Australian (1998: 13; Brabazon, 2002; Yetton, Forster, Hewson, Hughes, Johnston, Nightingale, Page-Hanify, Vitale and Wills, 1997) and North American (Berg, 2002; Noble, 1998b) higher education literatures. Ironically, universities charge large amounts of money teaching their students to develop competence in critical analysis, yet some studies have claimed that they were deficient in critically analysing their own decisions (Brabazon, 2002; Yetton et al., 1997). This important question has received little attention in the higher education literature, despite the high visibility and costs of these decisions. Although limited theoretical explanations have been proposed by various researchers, such as Yetton et al. (1997) and Brabazon (2002), these matters have not been the subject of published empirical research to date. A grounded theory methodological framework, validated by the insights of institutional theory, was employed throughout to promote broader sociological explanations than other studies constrained by functionalist theoretical frameworks (Yetton et al., 1997). Qualitative case studies utilising semi-structured interviews and document analysis were conducted at three Australian universities. The findings of this analysis were written up in three case study narratives and an analytic cross-case analysis. Semi-structured interviews and document analysis at the field level were undertaken as an additional source of data to verify emergent grounded theory. A grounded theory of uncritical decision making (Figure 57) was ultimately developed in response to this study’s research problem. The core category around which this model was developed (‘falling behind’) appeared in all three cases, in interviews with experts from the Australian higher education sector, and was also found in both the Australian and overseas higher education literatures. This grounded theory also represents a minor contribution to the institutional theory literature as a new institutional change process model which links the activities of key individuals with broader field developments, and integrates the constructive and reproductive assumptions of old and new institutional theory.