This study focuses on the role of visual resources in constructing the brand identity of Chinese universities. By drawing on the theoretical concept of corporate visual identity (CVI), this study analyzed universities' logos and typography of names from the social semiotic approach. Nine elite Chinese universities were selected as the corpus to…

Although universities are often characterised as 'elite', institutions can attain status in multiple dimensions--reputation, research, money and selectivity. We studied 21st century public universities in the United States, using latent profile analysis to identify which universities followed each path to status. Most universities pursued none,…

Initiatives to build research universities to have world-class universities, the creator and the disseminator of scientific knowledge in knowledge-based economies, are among the most important policy reactions in higher education systems. With an increase in demands on greater accountability, transparency, and efficiency, studies investigating the…

University rankings have gained prominence in tandem with the global race towards excellence and as part of the growing expectation of rational, scientific evaluation of performance across a range of institutional sectors and human activity. While their omnipresence is acknowledged, empirically we know less about whether and how rankings matter in…

Higher education in general and state-funded institutions especially will need to assess what an undergraduate education means in a changed geo-political socio-economic environment. For business schools, employability and future careers are stated outcomes to define a quality business education. Recent empirical scholarship has indicated…

This study analyzes the factors influencing the stakeholder perspectives on of Higher Education Institution (HEI) rankings, reporting data collected from 1232 participants through a survey method and employing the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2) model and complementary models for the analyses. Our primary focus was to…

Universities face tough choices about how to allocate tight budgets. A frequent question is whether a significant investment in research that is crucial for the university's position in rankings will make the university more popular and lead to higher revenues from tuition. This paper analyses how the ranking and popularity of universities are…

Purpose: This paper aims to examine whether the position of universities in the times higher education (THE) impact rankings (IR) is related to the different dimensions of academic quality of universities according to the THE world universities ranking. Design/methodology/approach: The research, based on universities ranked in the top 100 of THE…

The ever-expanding role of marketing and its increasing influence as a primary driver for colleges and universities to grow awareness and consideration, invite applications, and deliver enrollment yield is more critical and relied on than ever. The marketing function's rise to prominence in higher education is fueled by many external forces,…

The allocation of financial resources in higher education has always been a hot topic of concern in academia and society. The measurement and evaluation of the allocation efficiency of higher education financial resources from the perspective of 'Double first-class' construction is the most important initiative to improve the quality of higher…

"Elite" and "flagship" are two influential groupings used to conceptualize differences among higher education institutions, but rarely defined. We derive common features attributed to these groupings from a content analysis of 40 years of higher education literature. Next, we explore the relationship of these features to other…

Objectives: Previous research highlights the strong correlation between certain personality traits and individual career adaptability levels, yet the role of competitive personality remains underexplored. This study aims to fill the gaps by assessing the relationship between competitive attitudes and career adaptability among Chinese college…

The construction of the double first-class university is significant in China's higher education. However, the question of whether students' abilities are better developed at double first-class universities remains unanswered. Based on data from the 2019 Shaanxi University Graduates' Employment and Entrepreneurship Quality Tracking Survey, we…

Purpose: Nowadays, universities increasingly consider reputation as a key component for improving quality and rankings. A positive reputation opens doors to added value and diverse opportunities. This paper aims to explore Middle Eastern higher education managers' perceptions of university reputation components. Design/methodology/approach: Given…

"A World of Private Higher Education" is the definitive treatment of a sector accounting for a third of the world's 200 million higher education enrolment--yet remaining largely unknown even to scholars of higher education and widely mis-characterized when it is considered by stakeholders or the general public. Beyond the eye-popping…