This multi-site case study is really the story of three same-state community colleges (Bridge and Buffer Community College, Grants and Reserves Community College, and Crystal Ball Community College) two years after they suffered a potentially catastrophic 50% reduction in state allocations. This study examined their responses to those reductions and attempted to frame those responses according to existing research on strategic activity and strategic positioning. The theoretical framework used, referenced as a theoretical mesh, consisted of academic capitalism (Slaughter & Leslie, 1997; Slaughter & Rhoades, 2004), resource dependence theory (Pfeffer & Salancik, 1978), state relative autonomy perspective (Dougherty, 1994), and neo-institutional theory (DiMaggio & Powell, 1983). The synthesis of these theories facilitated the analysis of the findings of this study. This study identified three key phenomena: The Quartering of Community Colleges to conceptualize and organize the abundance of external pressures facing community colleges, Mandates to Neutralize to explain the importance of an aggressive and formal approach to neutralizing external pressures, and Embedded Community Colleges whose strategic positions are strengthened through a deliberate, committed approach to fostering close relationships with their local communities.

Submitted by Odilio Hilario Moreira Júnior (odilio@espm.br) on 2016-11-30T13:30:30Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Rosilene Carla Vieira.pdf: 1663559 bytes, checksum: b8291983569c105573eb9c5c8a305897 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Odilio Hilario Moreira Júnior (odilio@espm.br) on 2016-11-30T13:30:46Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Rosilene Carla Vieira.pdf: 1663559 bytes, checksum: b8291983569c105573eb9c5c8a305897 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Debora Cristina Bonfim Aquarone (deborabonfim@espm.br) on 2016-11-30T14:36:22Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Rosilene Carla Vieira.pdf: 1663559 bytes, checksum: b8291983569c105573eb9c5c8a305897 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-11-30T14:36:45Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Rosilene Carla Vieira.pdf: 1663559 bytes, checksum: b8291983569c105573eb9c5c8a305897 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-03-12 / Education is a topic which is constantly in evidence on the international agenda. Since the level of education attained by the society is linked to economic development, political maturity, raising the quality of lifestyle and so on. From the 1990s on, it is observed that the education gained increasingly importance on the agenda of: multilateral agencies (UNESCO, OECD , WTO among others), the federal government from central and semi-peripheral countries, the companies benefited by the knowledge economy, the means of the dissemination of academic knowledge and the media as whole. It is estimated that "the Global higher education capacity is projected to increase over 150% in the first quarter of the 21st century" (Hudzik, 2013, p.52). In an environment in which predominates the competition, comparative methodologies (global academic rankings – ARWU, THE and QS – and the national system of postgraduate studies of CAPES) are used as academic management tools in order to build up strategies to enhance legitimacy of research programs and universities in the international scenario. In this direction that this qualitative study of an exploratory nature lends itself to contribute to. It is based on investigating the possible type of relation between the criteria of the indicators of such rankings mentioned and the national system of pos-graduate CAPES to go up the internationalization of research programs in Brazil. Thus, the Institutionalism was the theoretical framework that guided the understanding of this study. Regarding the documentary research, the materials related to the indicators of rating criteria adopted by CAPES in the allocation of Grade 7 to the program of post- graduate studies in Business Administration were analysed thoroughly. The empirical part was based on semi-structured interviews given by international faculties with experience in academic management of universities who excel in the international scenario. The findings revealed a strong relationship between the indicator criteria regarding the quality of faculty and scientific productivity of global academic rankings and CAPES’ evaluation system. What proved, being national or global, comparative methodologies follow¸ as deliberative strategies in the late twentieth century, Anglo–Saxon standards lined the reductionism of academic quality in the context of research and publication to what is quantitative. / A Educação é um tema que está permanentemente na agenda mundial, afinal o nível de instrução alcançado por determinada sociedade sinaliza desenvolvimento econômico, amadurecimento político, elevação da qualidade de vida etc. Da década de 1990 em diante, observa-se que a Educação ganha crescente espaço na agenda das agências multilaterais (Unesco, OCDE, OMC, entre outras), do Governo federal de países centrais e semiperiféricos, das empresas favorecidas pela economia do conhecimento, dos veículos de difusão de conhecimento acadêmico e da mídia em geral. A previsão é que “a capacidade do ensino superior global cresça mais que 150% no primeiro triênio do século XXI” (HUDZIK, 2013, p. 52). Em um ambiente em que resida a competição, métodos avaliatório comparativos (rankings acadêmicos globais pioneiros – ARWU, THE e QS – e sistema nacional de pós-graduação stricto sensu da CAPES) são utilizados como ferramentas de gestão acadêmica na adoção de estratégias para intensificar a legitimidade dos programas stricto sensu e das universidades na esfera internacional. É nessa direção que este estudo de abordagem qualitativa de caráter exploratório se presta a contribuir, baseando-se no exercício de investigar o tipo de relação possível entre os critérios dos indicadores norteadores dos referidos rankings e do sistema nacional de pós-graduação da CAPES para intensificar a internacionalização dos programas stricto sensu no Brasil. Para tanto, o Institucionalismo foi o arcabouço teórico que norteou a compreensão deste. No que diz respeito ao levantamento documental, os materiais relativos aos critérios dos indicadores da avalição adotados pela CAPES na atribuição da Nota 7 para o programa de pós-graduação stricto sensu em Administração foram meticulosamente explorados. A pesquisa de campo baseou-se em entrevistas semiestruturadas concedidas por acadêmicos internacionais com experiência em gestão acadêmica de universidades que se destacam na arena internacional. Os resultados revelaram forte relação entre os critérios de indicadores referentes à qualidade do corpo docente e à produtividade científica dos respectivos instrumentos avaliatórios estudados. O que comprovou que, nacionais ou globais, os mecanismos avaliatórios comparativos seguem¸ como estratégias deliberativas no final do século XX, padrões, no caso, anglo-saxônicos pautados no reducionismo da qualidade acadêmica em âmbito de pesquisa e publicação ao que é quantificável.