Internationalisation of Higher Education has emerged as a response from institutions to increasing challenges posed by Globalisation and fast advances in Information and Communication Technologies - ICTs. MBA students, particularly those in the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), are now presented with a growing offer of Programmes with some level of Internationalisation. This research investigates and assesses the extent to which different levels of Internationalisation in Higher Education MBA Programmes influence Brazilian students’ and HR Professionals’ Perceived Value of such programmes and institutions and thus, their Level of Trustworthiness towards said programmes and institutions. To investigate the relationship between the Level of Internationalisation and Perceived Value, a Trustworthiness Index was developed for the Higher Education sector. Developed from a tested Trustworthiness Index originally designed by Ennew and Sekhon (2007) for the Financial Sector, this study used an adapted Delphi technique to reach consensus between 3 Higher Education Senior Executives and 3 Marketing Scholars. The new Questionnaire had 363 responses from MBA students who were presented with different levels of Programme and Institution Internationalisation divided into 4 Bundles - from no (zero) Internationalisation to 100% Internationalisation. The findings indicate that the proposed Index is a reliable and valid instrument to measure MBA Students’ Level of Trustworthiness towards MBA Programmes and Institutions, with an excellent Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient for reliability (above .9). The variables were then grouped into four Factors using Exploratory Factor Analysis. Thus, the underlying dimensions of Trustworthiness in Higher Education that emerged are Student Support and Quality; Values and Respect; Excellence and Academic Rigour; Diversity and Long-Term Commitment. A Trustworthiness Equation for Higher Education was developed using Structural Equation Modelling and applied to the four different Bundles. Each Bundle’s Level of Trustworthiness was then compared and the results, using ANOVA, show a positive relation between the Level of Internationalisation and the Level of Programme and Institution Trustworthiness. The findings of the quantitative stage with the MBA students were then discussed in semi-structured interviews with 13 Human Resources Professionals. MBA students and HR Professionals agree that Internationalisation in Higher Education increases the perceived value of both programmes and institutions. In the students’ opinion the best model would be a Programme with 100% Internationalisation, while HR Professionals believe the local experience equally matters, and therefore, the best choice would be a programme that offered an Intermediate Level of Internationalisation. This thesis also explores the valuable input that this research provides to Higher Education managers in what concerns students’ perceived value of several course components such as curriculum and syllabus design, instructional materials and resources, face-to-face and distance learning modes, teacher and staff qualification and preparation, amongst others.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:692606 |
| Date | January 2016 |
| Creators | Carvalho, Felipe Spinelli De |
| Contributors | Naude, Peter |
| Publisher | University of Manchester |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/increasing-the-internationalisation-of-programmes-and-institutions-the-mba-in-brazil(acf70128-492f-4940-92e4-39e5ce8794a4).html |
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