Browsing by Author "Ngan, Tran Nguyen Hai"
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- Transnational higher education: challenges, performance assessment, and expatriate managementPublication . Ngan, Tran Nguyen Hai; Amado, Carla Alexandra da Encarnação Filipe; Santos, Sérgio Pereira dosOver the past three decades, Transnational Higher Education (TNE) has witnessed a remarkable surge, enabling Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) worldwide to extend their educational offerings to global markets. TNE, also known as international programme and provider mobility, refers to a scenario where institutional providers move across national borders to deliver higher education programmes and credentials to students in other countries without the physical presence of students in the country of the foreign higher education institution. The categorisation of TNE into six types – franchise programmes, partnership programmes, international branch campuses, joint universities, self-study distance education, and distance education with local academic partners - illustrates the diverse delivery mechanisms employed in this global educational phenomenon. In recent years, TNE has not only increased exponentially in size but has also seen the emergence of new forms of partnership and delivery modes in the HEI context. The development patterns of these modes of delivery in the UK's higher education, for example, reveal interesting trends. Collaborative provision, overseas partner organisations, and flexible learning options have all seen varying degrees of growth, with collaborative provision experiencing the greatest proportional increase from 2017–18 (10.9%), attributed to the rise in double and multiple-degree programmes. This expansion serves as a foundation for diverse teaching and learning philosophies, accommodating students from different countries seeking international degrees to enhance their knowledge and employability. The motivation of institutions from both home and host countries to provide these degrees has significantly contributed to the internationalisation of higher education. The appeal of TNE programmes has grown, particularly in situations where studying abroad might be impractical due to concerns about high tuition fees and relocation costs, especially for mature learners who wish to continue working and staying with their families. The benefits of TNE extend to both home and host institutions, encompassing financial growth, market penetration, capacity building, skills development for students and teachers, and opportunities for cultural intelligence development. However, the expansion of TNE is not without challenges. Challenges such as ensuring comparable quality assurance for students at both home and host institutions, transferring knowledge effectively, fostering collaboration between academic staff of both institutions and achieving expected financial outcomes are prevalent. Moreover, despite the positive trajectory, tracking TNE development and producing usable data present challenges, especially in host countries with developing higher education systems. Data tracking efforts are more active in large sending countries, such as the UK, where organisations like The Higher Education Statistics Agency play a pivotal role. The impact of TNE is not limited to specific regions; it spans across Asia, Africa, the European Union, the Middle East, North America, non-EU Europe, Australasia, and South America. Challenges persist, necessitating ongoing attention to quality assurance, knowledge transfer, collaboration, and improved outcomes. A framework for assessing opportunities and risks associated with the establishment of international branch campuses identifies three main types of factors influencing the sustainability of TNE: environmental factors, industry factors, and organisational factors. These factors encompass government policies, legislation, and regulations, market attractiveness and profitability, and the availability of resources and competencies in the institutions involved. Despite these identified factors, the existing literature on TNE is scattered, and a systematic review of challenges and success factors as perceived by key stakeholders has been lacking. Hence, there arises a compelling need for a thorough examination of the existing literature on TNE, with a specific focus on understanding the challenges perceived by diverse stakeholders involved in the sustainable transition of these programmes from their home institutions to host institutions. This systematic review is essential to comprehensively capture the nuances of TNE dynamics and contribute significantly to the understanding of its sustainable evolution. Guided by the positivism paradigm, but also benefiting from insights from qualitative methodologies and holistic perspectives, this research comprises three scientific papers. The first study systematically reviews TNE literature, identifying key challenges leading to stakeholder dissatisfaction and factors contributing to the sustainable transition of TNE programmes. Challenges encompass difficulties in programme management, ensuring quality assurance, adapting curricula to local contexts, accommodating offshore students' learning styles, creating study environments for TNE students equivalent to those in-home institutions, ensuring academic staff preparedness, and facilitating capacity building and knowledge transfer in host countries. The literature analysis highlights that the sustainable development of TNE programmes relies on six main factors: the effectiveness of operations, internationalisation of curricula, transnational experience of students, development of transnational staff, proper legal/regulatory framework in host countries, and the development of a global systematic and consistent data collection for quality assurance and recognition. The second study focuses on academic franchising, a mode gaining popularity among HEIs. Although this partnership model contributes to the development of teaching and research capabilities in the host institutions as well as enhances market coverage, brand recognition, and the global reputation of the franchisor, its operation faces the challenge of optimising resource utilisation across the franchisee network to enhance efficiency and effectiveness. However, assessing efficiency and effectiveness in HEIs is complex due to the need to take into account multiple inputs, outputs, and outcomes. To address this challenge, the second study employs Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), a non-parametric technique capable of providing a comprehensive measure of relative performance, considering various indicators without demanding information about their specific weights. The focus of the study is on evaluating the efficiency and effectiveness of academic franchisees within a specific network, emphasising the optimisation of resources to improve student admissions, graduation rates, and academic performance in business-related undergraduate programmes associated with the TNE network of an esteemed university from the UK, referred to as University X. The DEA models are enhanced by the introduction of weight restrictions based on production trade-offs aiming at identifying realistic improvement measures. By investigating the trade-offs between admission efficiency, teaching efficiency, and effectiveness of 18 academic franchisees within a single network, this study contributes valuable insights to the existing literature and offers practical implications for both the TNE franchisor and franchisees. In the third study, in light of the growing interest in TNE and the increasing trend of international academic mobility, particularly among self-initiated expatriates (SIEs), this qualitative study delves into the less-explored management dynamics of SIEs, with a specific focus on the TNE context. Grounded in the International Adjustment Framework and the Ability, Motivation, and Opportunity (AMO) framework, the research involves 22 in-depth interviews with both host institution managers and SIEs across 11 TNE programmes. By adopting a holistic approach that considers the perspectives of key stakeholders, the study provides valuable insights into SIE motivations, host institution hiring rationales, the challenges associated with adaptation, as well as adjustment practices that can contribute to improved performance. Its objective is to enhance expatriate management practices, foster knowledge transfer, and advocate for diversity and inclusion in global team management within the TNE landscape. The findings uncover a gender imbalance among SIEs and reveal that expatriation is predominantly driven by pull factors. Host institutions highlight the desire to internationalise training curricula as a key motivation for hiring SIEs, placing value on qualifications and adaptability. Challenges related to visas and work permits impact both parties. While overall satisfaction with SIEs' performance exists, opportunities for enhancing resourcing and retention are identified. The study also proposes a conceptual model that illustrates the interplay between SIEs and host institutions, encompassing motivations, challenges, and their impacts on both SIEs and organisational performance. The three studies collectively contribute to the knowledge base of TNE, offering practical insights, frameworks, and guidance for improving the efficiency, effectiveness, and sustainability of TNE programmes. The first research study undertakes a meticulous review of the existing TNE literature, shedding light on the multifaceted challenges faced by stakeholders during the transition of TNE programmes from home to host institutions. This in turn allows the identification of key factors which are critical to the sustainable development of TNE programmes. The second study focuses on the operational aspects of TNE, specifically academic franchising. Employing DEA, the research delves into the efficiency and effectiveness of academic franchisees within a TNE network. By pinpointing inefficiencies and ineffectiveness in individual franchising programmes, the study provides actionable insights for both TNE franchisors and franchisees, urging the balance between admission and teaching efficiency while ensuring the effective utilisation of resources to achieve high-quality teaching and learning across diverse franchisee networks, thus enhancing the overall performance and sustainability of TNE initiatives. The third study focuses on the human capital aspect of TNE, specifically the motivations and challenges faced by SIEs within TNE institutions. By exploring the incentives for international talent and examining adjustment practices at individual and institutional levels, this research makes a significant contribution to fostering sustainable global human capital in TNE.