The prevalence of service excellence and the use of business process improvement methodologies in Australian universities

ABSTRACT

Service transformation is an increasingly common pursuit in the higher education sector, with university strategic plans frequently featuring a service excellence objective and the adoption of leaner and more sustainable service models. Previous studies agree that service excellence is intentional not incidental, and systematic not ad-hoc in nature, requiring a planned and structured approach with consistent and repeatable experiences. This study analysed public documents to discover the universities engaged in service excellence and efficiency endeavours and the prevalence of business process improvement (BPI) methodologies as a tool for this purpose. It is concluded that universities are increasingly focused on service excellence, institutional sustainability and BPI methodologies to enable institutional strategic objectives. The study suggests that future studies could focus on investigating and gaining primary evidence on the progress and success of universities in the service excellence and BPI space.     

新建地方本科院校战略规划制定探析

新建地方本科院校是中国高等教育的重要组成部分,科学制定战略规划对新建地方本科院校发展有着重要的作用.面对新建地方本科院校战略规划制定过程存在的问题,优化战略规划应从建立规划职能机构,提高队伍整体水平入手;重视使命与愿景陈述,明确学校定位和特色;营造良好的政校关系,积极争取外部支持;科学进行战略选择,寻求特色发展道路;建立反馈与评估机制,提高战略规划执行力.     

Sustainability Education and Australian Universities

Since the early 1990s, there has been discussion about the need for the curriculum of universities to provide students with understanding about the environment. Over the decade this discussion has evolved from thinking about how to green the university curriculum, through to proposals for our students to be environmentally literate and to receive education for sustainability (or sustainability education). Internationally, there have been many instances of universities taking this discussion seriously and introducing curriculum change. A variety of declarations and action plans have enabled universities to share ideas and support this change. Given a dearth of information about the degree to which universities in Australia were part of this discussion and change, we sought to gain an understanding of the status of sustainability education in these institutions. Responses from approximately a quarter of these institutions indicated that a handful of universities are engaged in this education for a wide range of their students, and in some universities more students of particular disciplines are gaining the exposure. However, there are clear barriers to the introduction and expansion of sustainability education.     

新建本科院校制定发展规划的若干思考

注重社会生态的宏观思维是新建本科院校制定学校发展规划的战略前提,办学理念和目标定位是制定发展规划的先导,追求有限卓越是制定发展规划的理性抉择,教育部新一轮评估方案是制定发展规划的重要导向,应用型本科和应用型人才培养是制定发展规划的战略主题。     

Harnessing the Environmental Professional Expertise of Engineering Students—The Course: “Environmental Management Systems in the Industry”

More and more technical universities now advocate integrating sustainability in higher education and including it as a strategic goal for improving education’s quality and relevance to society. This study examines 30 fourth-year chemical engineering students, graduates of a university course designed to combine their terminological domain with sustainability-oriented goals, focusing on topics like corporate sustainability, developing environmental policy, introduction to ISO 14001—Environmental Management Systems (EMS), and environmental legislation. The study explores their perception of industrial-environmental issues and asks—How did the study unit influence the students’ ability to use their preexisting scientific knowledge, while relating to industrial-environmental issues? Our findings indicate that engineering students can develop industrial-environmental awareness, and make use of interdisciplinary knowledge beyond that strictly related to the realm of engineering. Regarding the research’s particular aim—i.e. determining the study unit’s influence on students’ ability to relate industrial-environmental issues to their own field of engineering—the findings indeed show a change in the students’ conceptions of environmental elements related to industry. The course graduates became more attentive to the environmental aspects associated with building and opening a factory, and the concepts they raised in connection with the topic gained in variety.     

Institutional attention to European policy agendas: exploring the relevance of instrumental and neo-institutional explanations

This article addresses how European policy initiatives in higher education, research and innovation are diffused in the European higher education research and education area. Based on an instrumental and an institutional perspective, specific expectations are developed as to how policy diffusion might unfold, and, through an in-depth analysis of the strategic plans of 19 higher education institutions in Latvia and Norway, the article identifies factors that potentially mediate European policies into the strategic agenda of universities and colleges. The findings show that European Union membership and policy area seems to matter for the attention given to European policy initiatives, while administrative capacity at institutional level have less or quite mixed effects. The article concludes that both instrumental and institutional perspectives are of value in explaining how European policy diffusion takes place.

     

Assessing efficiency in the Spanish public universities through comparative non-radial and radial data envelopment analysis

In this study we have used data from Spanish public universities to assess their efficiency in a longitudinal framework between 2008/9–2014/15. To carry out the analysis, two windows data envelopment analysis and intertemporal, non-radial and radial analysis methodologies were compared. The main results show a significant deterioration in university efficiency from the 2012/13 academic year for the three proposed frontiers, with both methodologies. Some factors may explain these results, such as the ageing of teaching force and its low replacement rate of 10%, and the lack of incentives for young researchers who wish to pursue a research career, influenced by the presence of endogamy, in hiring or promotion. Finally, the resources necessary for the good governance of the Spanish public university with the consequent accountability of these, in terms of teaching, research and its transfer to society, could become a strategic issue that should be taken into account by all the actors involved.

     

Learning Strategic Planning from Australian and New Zealand University Experience

Initiating a strategic development plan is necessary for universities to be managed scientifically; a university's strategic development plan includes both the educational philosophy and development orientation as determined by the university, including the future reallocation of resources and measures for their integration. The development experience of Australian and New Zealand universities tells us that a scientific and rational university plan can promote the rapid development of the university; on the contrary, with an unscientific and irrational development plan, a plan that cannot be put into practice, or a plan that results in waste of resources, opportunities for development are missed. This article analyzes how Australian and New Zealand universities formulate their strategic development plans and presents the formulation and implementation of a strategic development plan by Wuhan University of Technology.     

Effective strategic planning in Australian universities: how good are we and how do we know?1

Strategic planning was introduced to Australian universities as part of the Commonwealth Government higher education reforms of 1988. The ‘Dawkins Reforms’ implemented extensive structural reform, changed executive leadership roles and responsibilities, commenced the ‘managerialisation’ of the Australian university sector, introduced the Higher Education Contribution Scheme and facilitated the transformation of Australian universities from collegial academies to modern, ‘enterprise’ universities.

There is an abundance of published marketing material celebrating ‘effective’ strategic planning outcomes in the myriad of strategic plans published by Australian universities. Yet, a recent study indicates that strategic planning remains a contested internal leadership function in Australian universities almost 30 years after traditional academic planning was replaced with commercially-focused strategic planning. This paper will review the effectiveness of strategic planning practices in Australian universities guided by the rhetorical question: ‘how good are we and how do we know?’     

Are students really connected? Predicting college adjustment from social network usage

The rapid growth in popularity of social networking sites has spurred research exploring the impact of usage in a variety of areas. The current study furthered this line of research by examining the relationships between social network usage and adjustment to college in the academic, social, personal-emotional and university affiliation domains. Realising the number of students with social networking accounts, some universities have developed strategic plans for social media. Thus, this study also compared two universities, one with a social media strategic plan and one without, to determine if the planning process had an influence on students. Results indicated that social network usage was related to college adjustment. Specifically, those students who reported higher rates of social media use reported lower levels of adjustment to college in all domains. However, there were no differences between the two universities, indicating that having a social media strategic plan does not influence students in the area of college adjustment. These results are discussed in light of retention rates and changing practices within higher education.     

Supply issues for science academics in Australia: now and in the future

Australia, like the rest of the developed world, is in the midst of dealing with notable issues related to the age structure of its academic workforce. These issues are widespread and have been articulated in the Australian context most comprehensively by Hugo (2008). This paper investigates issues with demographic change and other key factors related to the desirability of a science or mathematics academic career within Australian universities. It draws on the findings of a research project undertaken in 2008 for the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. The findings show that while demographic issues are not as dire for science academics compared to the entire sector, issues relating to tenure, workload and retaining young science academics in Australia are a threat to the long-term sustainability of science faculties in Australian universities.     

美国研究型大学战略规划工作探析——以威斯康星-麦迪逊大学为例

战略规划工作是世界一流大学实施战略管理的重要内容,近年来日益为我国高校所重视。以威斯康星-麦迪逊大学规划工作的演进为线索,以该校近15年来相继出台的三部战略规划为样本进行分析,在一定程度上反映了美国研究型大学战略规划的基本内容和过程特征。     

The writing on the wall: responses of Australian public universities to competition in global higher education

Australian public universities are struggling to maintain parity with international counterparts in an environment that is becoming increasingly competitive globally. While most universities are now heeding calls from sector leaders to become more competitive, any strategies that they implement to effect change in this regard might be too late to save some. A systematic content analysis of published strategic plans of Australian public universities, undertaken during 2005–2007, indicates that universities were not taking the threat of rapidly intensifying competition seriously enough at a time when foreign competitors were making inroads into their markets and when deregulation and new communication technologies were spawning rivals in many new forms. This research has three principal implications: all Australian public universities need to re‐examine their strategic planning processes to determine whether (1) adequate attention is being paid to rapid intensification of competition; (2) strategies already implemented in response to increasing competition are appropriate; and (3) more can be done to develop better models to guide competitive behaviour in a university sector with unique characteristics.     

论非重点综合性大学的战略管理

对于非重点综合性大学来说,战略管理具有非常重要的地位。但是,非重点综合性大学并没有克服传统的弊端,依然存在的经费不足、战略管理的定位不明确、管理绩效不高和校园文化缺失等问题。因此,构建战略信息系统、战略目标体系、战略执行体系和战略评估体系,能够促使非重点综合性大学实现战略目标,实现跨越式发展。     

江西省公办本科院校教育质量保障措施的特征分析

江西省公办本科院校作为教育的主体,近几年坚持走内涵式的发展道路,呈现出又好又快的发展态势。江西公办本科高等教育质量在"提升质量年"活动中实施质量保障措施,使江西省公办本科院校教育质量得到提高,其教育质量保障措施的特征主要为:明确学校定位;优化师资、加强学科专业建设;加强教学基础建设;完善内部评估体系。     

Aligning corporate and financial plans in teaching intensive universities

With recent changes in how UK higher education is funded, universities are operating in a context in which finances are uncertain. It is more important than ever that university leaders are able to manage the finances of their organisations in ways which both provide long-term security and allow for investment in strategically important initiatives. Teaching intensive universities must be able to generate income and oversee the allocation of resources in such a way that responds to student pressure to provide high-quality education and improve services. This article explores the benefits, disadvantages and challenges of aligning corporate and financial strategies in order to support delivery of their strategic aims and operational targets. Recommendations are made for well-managed, well-researched risk taking and developing autonomy within academic and professional services units, such that local resource allocation decisions are also in line with the organisation's strategic aims.     

Sustainable Procurement: Integrating Classroom Learning with University Sustainability Programs

Organizations are facing increased pressure from various stakeholders to address issues of sustainability, resulting in a growing demand for sustainability education and training. Procurement groups remain the key drivers of many sustainability‐related strategies, placing pressure on universities to integrate sustainability concepts into the business curriculum. This article describes a replicable educational model that allows students to learn about sustainable procurement while concurrently promoting sustainability within the university community.     

世界一流大学研究的现状及其走势分析

创建世界一流大学的实践需要研究世界一流大学的理论做指导。研究世界一流大学的理论越有战略性和实践性，创建世界一流大学的行动就越有动力源泉。社会各界对世界一流大学的研究已经结出了丰硕的成果，目前正在向更广泛更深刻的层面发展。其特征表现为，呈现多学科研究态势，研究思路越来越中国化，从外延研究向内涵研究倾斜，战略策略研究渐成气候。基本走势是向更加符合中国实际需要的方向发展。     

A case study on the incorporation of gender-awareness into the university journalism curriculum in Spain

As in other disciplines, ‘gender mainstreaming’ is becoming an increasingly important principle in Journalism. This implies bringing gender equality into the mainstream of the media industry, by means of an adjustment of the educational issues and the practice related to this profession, which is influential in society. In light of the gap existing in this line of research committed to re-education for change [North, L. 2010. “The Gender Problem in Australian Journalism Education.” Australian Journalism Review 32 (2): 103–115; Adhikary, N. M., and L. D. Pant 2011. “Journalism Education in Nepal: Gender Perspective.” Shweta Shardul 8: 119–123], this paper analyses the curricular integration of gender-related issues into journalism studies, taking as a casestudy the undergraduate programmes of the Spanish public and private universities. The study employs content analysis and qualitative questionnaires to the academic staff. The results prevent from understanding equality as one of the main teaching and learning strategies in journalism studies in Spain, even if the invigorating curriculum reform carried out by these universities leads to posit some positive outcome in terms of a more gender-aware higher education. As discussed in the conclusions, the inclusion of the gender perspective depends on the academic staff’s own initiative, in contrast with the involvement showed by university institutions in promoting parity in many other aspects.