We conduct a systematic literature review of the academic literature on activities organised by Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) with the aim of improving skills associated with employability and facilitating labour market outcomes. The search resulted in 87 papers followed by an iterative evaluation of their relevance. Papers in the corpus…

This article explores the strategic external funding goals and plans of action of Finnish universities of applied sciences (UASs) as articulated in their institutional strategies using the ecology-of-games metaphor. UASs are pressured to expand external funding sources compared to their previous student number-based funding history. The UASs'…

Embarking on an educational journey overseas can be a rewarding, yet stressful experience for many international students. The transition to their new university life, which is not always well understood and supported by host institutions, is often accompanied by unique difficulties and challenges resulting from unfamiliarity with a new academic…

This paper investigates how inclusive work-integrated learning (WIL) is being approached and addressed by examining current research that highlights the intersection of inclusion, WIL, and employability. It employs an inclusive pedagogies framework to analyse findings from a scoping review (between 2010 and 2022) that address or investigate…

One of the goals of China's 'Double First-class' initiative is to boost the top-notch disciplines in those next-to-top universities and allow their differentiated paths towards development. This study investigates Chinese universities' policy interpretations and strategic responses to this national initiative through a social network analysis of…

The discourse regarding globalisation and particularly 'global competition' has appeared in a range of socio-economic areas and higher education is no exception. Global competition has been the policy context in which a range of national excellence initiatives have been developed. These have often involved competitive processes with significant…

In the last decade, the fast technological and social transformations have been placing new demands on Higher Education (HE) systems to update their educational offers. Grounded in the broader discourse on the impact of such transformation on HE, this article relies on Text Mining (TM). We consider as a case study the Italian HE system, providing…

Driven by COVID-19, remote work is popularising. Companies and employees are increasingly embracing its benefits of flexibility and convenience, showing reluctance to return to full-time office schedules. Similarly, companies and HEIs started offering remote forms of work-based learning (WBL) -- or eWBL. However, remote work presents social and…

Higher education institutions (HEIs) often function in an environment where various institutional pressures force them to position themselves on a national-international orientation scale in order to gain legitimacy in the eyes of different constituents with different expectations. Empirical insights, however, on how HEIs respond to these forces…

Using data from a business school in a large research-intensive university in Australia, this study analyzes proposed teaching and learning changes with a focus on 'closing the loop.' Aspects of teaching and learning submitted by academic staff following assurance of learning (i.e. curriculum improvements) were analyzed using content analysis,…

Followers' implicit leadership theories (ILTs) are core to understanding how leaders are described and as how effective they are perceived. While much is understood about ILTs in the business context, we know little about professorial leaders although effective leadership is key for performance and success in academia. To explore ILTs in academia,…

This article explores the factors affecting the content of universities' mission statements. We conceptualize missions as identity narratives, a type of symbolic representation of an organization. Based on the literature on organizational identity we argue that universities need to address two major challenges when crafting their mission…

Numerous studies focused on the linkages between the Bologna Process and system--as well as organizational-level changes--implying significance of the process for higher education policy dynamics. However, what has been lacking is a closer examination of the political importance of Bologna for the different actors involved and whether this varies…

Higher education institutions are increasingly concerned with the professional insertion of graduates in the labour market and with the design of institutional mechanisms to facilitate students' transition from higher education to work, particularly given the context of scarcity of financial resources and the rise of graduate unemployment. This…

The principle that research should demonstrate impact is now a central driver in UK research policy, with some describing the UK as having undergone a 'culture change' in regards to evidencing the value and contribution of academic research (Watermeyer, R. 2012. "From Engagement to Impact? Articulating the Public Value of Academic…