The social attractiveness and prestige of the teaching profession over the past twenty years have reached an extremely low level, despite the fact that the teaching profession is declared by the state as one of the most respected, honorable and responsible professions. The presented contradiction determined the purpose of the research: to develop…

This paper presents findings from an interpretative phenomenological analysis with 20 students from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds who were accepted onto a Foundation Year in Oxford University. It explores the factors that impacted on their decision to apply to a prestigious university and student's views on their transition to the…

Abstract The academic profession is internally divided as never before. This cross-national comparative analysis of stratification in Higher Education is based on a sample of European academic scientists (N = 8,466) from universities in 11 countries. The analysis identifies three types of stratification: academic performance stratification,…

Using a novel longitudinal methodological design, this is the first study to investigate how and to what extent UK higher education institutions (HEIs) use Chinese social media platforms to engage with users. The data was gathered from examining 163 UK HEIs' use of Weibo public accounts in 2012 and 2018 and WeChat in 2018, combined with student…

This study explores how organizational identity is linked with organizational behavior and change at U.S. colleges and universities. Using IPEDS data from 914 public and private not-for-profit four-year institutions, this study analyzes how institutions' identity claims through their self-identified comparison groups are associated with Carnegie…

The current study endeavours to find out whether there is a relationship between university academics' competence and their customer-based brand equity from the perspective of students. It also seeks to investigate the mechanism of the proposed relationship through trust, likability, and commitment. Data were collected from 384 postgraduate…

The growing competitive environment in which Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are immersed has caused them to be constantly focused on implementing new strategies that allow them to consolidate student loyalty. Among the strategies are those related to the use of social media, virtual brand communities and Brand Fan Pages (BFPs). This research…

The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) and mStoner conducted a survey of how schools, colleges and universities use various digital tools and techniques in alumni relations, communications, fundraising, and marketing. The study focused on how higher ed is adopting various digital tools and integrating them into advancement…

Global university rankings and world-class universities have become buzzwords almost in every country. Both exercise positive and not-so-positive impact on higher education systems. Universities everywhere are trying hard to improve their status and global rankings. The article reviews some of the important issues related to these two strongly…

The issue of universities' reputations has been transformed by the development of international university rankings as well as by national publicly funded teaching-quality and research assessment exercises, and by independent discipline-based and institutional reviews and guides. Strictly speaking the attribution of reputational standing is not…

This paper presents an analysis of strategic management systems of higher education institutions (HEIs) by identifying policy and strategic priorities and monitoring their implementation. The strategic priorities are contextualized within four scenarios that structure the mission and orientation of HEIs. The methodology is based on data collected…

Purpose: The paper examines the effects of individual differences on the key motivational factors affecting Chinese study abroad students. Design/methodology/approach: The current study adopts a quantitative survey approach. Students are recruited through the largest online survey provider in China. Using 335 completed questionnaires and factor…

What does it mean to be 'excellent', particularly for the higher education institution? Without a definitive answer to that question, university rankings have become a proxy for quality and excellence. As such, higher education institutions are continually seeking ways to improve their rankings, with the implication being that these rankings…

The meritocratic ideal prescribes that universities should admit students based on academic ability and individual effort. Yet as competition for scarce slots has increased, markets for services to improve the odds of admission have expanded. We use the case of a popular online forum for elite Taiwanese students seeking graduate study in the…

The colleges and universities in Taiwan are confronted with the following two problems: (1) The average youth (aged 15-29) unemployment rate is more than double the overall unemployment rate; and (2) Mainly affected by the low birth rate, the admission and vacancy rates of colleges and universities have increased, and fierce competition exists…